Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Factors That Influence Online Customer Buyer Behaviour Research Proposal

Essays on Factors That Influence Online Customer Buyer Behaviour Research Proposal The paper â€Å"Factors That Influence Online Customer Buyer Behaviour† is an affecting variant of research proposal on marketing. Online shopping is a process where consumers buy goods and services directly from the seller in real-time. It occurs in most instances in the absence of intermediary services over the Internet. It is basically a form of electronic commerce. An online shop enables consumers to purchase goods without having to travel in person to the shopping centers. The process is also known as Business-to-consumer that is (B2C) online shopping. The purchasing of goods between two business entities is referred to as Business-to-Business (B2B) online shopping. In recent years, shopping has become popular and has increased its services to cater for the people in the upper class as well as those in the lower class (Pride et al 2009, 16). For one to use this service, they need to have a bank account, a debit card and a computer or access to one. This shows that shoppin g is because of technology.The online shopping’s effects widened its target group to the people in the middle-class level as at first it was mainly used by young men with university education and high-income level. This change can be seen worldwide especially in the USA whereby during the early years of the Internet there were exceedingly few women users but by the year 2001; the women were 52.8% of the population that was online. The consumers find the products that they are interested in by directly visiting a retailer’s website or by doing a search across many vendors using software by the name shopping search engine. This helps the consumer to accumulate as many goods as possible and chose from them (Canzer, 2006, 25).The next step is a check out process that follows in which the delivery and the payment information are usually collected if it is needed. The shoppers using the online method commonly use the credit card when making their payments but others just cre ate accounts and are able to pay the goods and services using alternative ways like cash on delivery. Once the payments are done, the retailer transports the goods to the consumer and if they are downloadable, the consumer does so in his or her own computer (Tashakkori, 2003, 42).Consumer Buyer BehaviourAccording to the most recent research on the behaviors of consumers on the Internet, there are four groups, which are distinct from one another and with exceptionally different motivations and intentions. Some of the different tastes that are displayed by the buyers are entertainment; the desire to get more information, desire for exploration and shopping purposes. The majority of adults who are young tend to be active seekers of information and the high level they acquire of technological confidence becomes an encouraging factor during the research of products online. The consumers are nowadays able to get easily what they want and this has improved the living standards of the consu mers (Kotler Armstrong, 2008, 69).The Internet has also increased the consumers' bargaining powers as most of the search engines allow consumers to get in touch with many retailers who deal with a specific type of goods. This gives the consumers opportunities to decide on where to shop, as the retailers have no control over the consumers (Banerjee, 1992, 69). The consumers also learn how to trust people. This happens because of the purchasing of goods from places that a consumer does not even know and yet trusts the people he or she has not seen. This behavior is developed by consumers due to online shopping (Tashakkoori, 2003, 27).

Monday, December 16, 2019

The Nuiances of Good Compare Contrast Essay Topics

The Nuiances of Good Compare Contrast Essay Topics You'll tackle various issues and explain many situations as you attempt to discover the appropriate answer. If you select a challenging essay topic for a specific reason, or when you have zero choice and thegiven topic doesn't interest you much, do take the support of Professional Advisers. First you discuss the very first subject. The toughest role in answering a question for college composition is when it's indirect. You must present your topic, clearly, and also your thesis statement that has the function of indicating to your readers what is the probable path of the whole work. You see that it's an unusual topic that might be quite hard to imagine or explain, but some students might just turn that topic into a masterpiece. The very first thing you ought to do is identify the kind of compare and contrast essay which you're handling. The easiest method is obviously the 2 columns we all very first learned. By doing this you will be in a position to work out what kind of topic you can join with. You should choose the kind of topic you may feel passionate about. Choosing the appropriate topics might take a while in case you don't have a list of sample topics facing you. Since you may see, the topics are broken up into multiple categories so it would be simpler that you select one. So now you are aware of how to select the best compare and contrast topics and the various segments which you need to address when writing. The topics you'll find here require a distinctive approach as you attempt to produce useful and accurate content. The Foolproof Good Compare Contrast Essay Topics Strategy For instance, you might think of similarities or differences if we are purchasing a new MP3 player or picking a place to study English. At the same time that you may be someone who can begin an essay off of the surface of your head free of problem, a lot of people discover that it's simpler to sit down and write out an outline before beginning. Once you have sorted out things, hit books hunting for relevant details. Now look at the 2 lists you have ma de. As a college student, you should give yourself the opportunity to experience all compare and contrast essay ideas. There is no correct way to start organizing your paper, it's up to your own discretion. We specializing in providing you with the customized essay that you demand. The goal isn't simply to receive your GED, yet to move beyond. Good Compare Contrast Essay Topics Features Though both are compelling in various ways, they hold more similarities than you can realize. In a lot of the scenarios, you ought to search for items to compare that have some differences but similarities too. It's going to be quite easy to discover the differences but the similarities are a lot more difficult to find. It's just as important to spot the differences between the two things which you're comparing. Details of Good Compare Contrast Essay Topics The vital reason many writers fail is they don't go further. For example an individual may pick a topic like, life in the shoes of a werewolf. Enough practice in reading and writing will supply you with an additional advantage. You may discuss a feeling of taste and the book of your favourite author. Getting the Best Good Compare Contrast Essay Topics Then identify which type of essay you need compose. From the outline, you may now begin writing your essay. If so, you're in for writing a great essay. Every excellent essay starts with a good brainstorm. A comparison essay is among them. Writing a great essay might be a bit of cake if you are feeling inspired. Choice of the essay topic is important portion of your efforts to compose a fantastic essay. If the subject of your essay appears to be boring and repetitive then you won't ever have the ability to engage your audience. The Foolproof Good Compare Contrast Essay Topics Strategy If you are going to write a comparative essay, you want to get a notion of the impacts of distinct aspects to the result which you might get at the conclusion of the writing activity. Global issues with respect to a bigger scale of things have their own topics and often are merely a microcosm of individual issues that aren't being addressed individually. If you think about a strong topic but it doesn't offer enough space for comparison then your efforts are going to be in vain. You're given the freedom to not just pick compare and contrast topics by yourself, but you need the freedom to opt for th e side of your support along with how to contrast it. Students may typically understand the structure with only a short quantity of instruction. They learn to analyze information about two different subjects. In the span of obtaining an education, they have to deal with different tasks and overcome various challenges of different complexity. Students who excel in writing about such complex topic might have an opportunity to be enrolled into a number of the very best Art universities to come up with their abilities and talent.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Revenues of Inferior Goods Producer

Question: Discusss about the How Revenues of Inferior Goods Producers are Expected to be Affected by Economic Recessions and Expansions. Answer: Introduction: As argued by Kubler, Selden Wei (2013), when the income of the person rises, the demand for the normal good increases, whereas, the demand for the inferior good decreases. In specifically, when people have more money, they avoid consuming the inferior good. Thus, the less consumption of inferior good indicates not only the reason of poor quality but also the affordability. However, during the recession period, people want to consume less, and they choose inferior good instead of normal good (Dziadkiewicz, Pisani Wong, 2015). In this research essay, the impact of the recession on normal and inferior good has been analyzed. Apart from this, the condition and impact of revenue regarding inferior good by economic depression and expansion have also been critically evaluated. In this perspective, the relation of the income elasticity of demand with the recession has been briefly stated. Discussion: According to Chen, Peng Hung (2015), the income elasticity of demand (em) can be defined as the percentage change in quantity demanded in respect to the percentage change in income. In the case of normal good, higher income raises the quantity demanded, and the income elasticity is positive (em 0). On the contrary, for inferior good, higher income lowers the quantity demanded (Mark, Southam, Bulla Meza, 2016). When the income of a consumer rises, the person is more likely to take a taxi or car ride rather than a bus ride. Now, the bus ride is inferior to him. As a result, the income elasticity of demand is negative for inferior good (em 0). Figure 1: Income elasticity of demand for inferior good Source: (As created by author) According to this figure, to the right of the point G, X is an inferior good to the consumer as em 0 in this case. On the contrary, the situation has reversed during the period of recession. In the words of (Schild, Fricke Neugebauer, 2013), during the recession period, the incomes of the people fall, and as a result, the people want to consume less to save money. Thus, most of the people choose inferior good instead of normal good. In this meanwhile, people want to substitute the expensive goods to cheaper goods for decreasing their consumption level (Dziadkiewicz, Pisani Wong, 2015). Moreover, when the economy faces the depression or recession period, the income of the people falls, and the people have a smaller amount of money for consumption purpose. As a result, for the normal good, a recession of the economy shifts the demand curved towards the left (Allgrunn Weinandt, 2016). Figure 2: Shift of the demand curve for normal good Source: (As created by author) However, for the inferior good, a depression in the economy shifts the demand curve upwards. This situation indicates the fact that people want to buy more inferior good instead of normal good. In addition, they substitute the most expensive good to the less expensive one (Kubler, Selden Wei, 2013). Figure 3: Shift of the demand curve for an inferior good Source: (As created by author) On the other hand, as per the view of Dziadkiewicz, Pisani Wong (2015), during the period of economic recession, people receive a lower amount of money as well as income. As a result, total revenue increases in the economy. On the contrary, when economic expansion presents in the economy, people receive a higher amount of money (Chen, Peng Hung, 2015). This situation leads to the decrease in total revenue in the economy. In this perspective, it can be notified that though the recession is bad for the economy, it has a positive effect. As opined by Mark, Southam, Bulla Meza (2016), during the recession period, the natural tendency of the people is to save more money which leads to the situation of economic growth. Moreover, this positive tendency lowers the amount of debt and the debt seeking attitude is also minimized from the mind of the people. In addition, more money is available in the economy which can be used for the investment purpose. It indicates the fact that the banks have a huge amount of money which they invest for boost up the economy (Schild, Fricke Neugebauer, 2013). Thus, the revenue of the economy goes up in the recession period. On the other hand, the contradictory nature is seen during the expansion period of the economy. In the words of Allgrunn Weinandt (2016), when the expansion period exists in the economy, people want to spend more amount of money instead of saving. As a result, less amount of money is available to the banks for investment purpose. This situation leads to the lower amount of revenue in the economy. Moreover, in this perspective, it can be deduced that inferior good can be able to raise the amount of revenue during the recession period (Mark, Southam, Bulla Meza, 2016). In the context of food item which is a necessary good, the income elasticity is less than one. It is also an inferior good. Thus, during the recession period, the demand for restaurant services decreases which is a normal good whereas, demand for grocery stores increases which is an example of an inferior good. By the same logic, Wal-Mart is an inferior good and Target is normal. Conclusion: By the above critical analysis of the impact of the recession on the economy, it can be concluded that inferior good is more effective to raise the amount of revenue to compare to normal good. In the recession period, people want to consume more amounts of inferior good and less of a normal good. Moreover, the income elasticity of demand is also negative for the inferior good. However, it has a positive effect on the economy during the recession period. In this perspective, people prefer to choose less expensive or inferior good and save a huge amount of money. As a result, banks have a lot of money which are used for the investment purpose. This situation boosts up the economy which leads to the economic growth of the country. On the other hand, during the period of economic expansion, people want to spend more which leads to reduction in the amount of revenue. References Allgrunn, M., Weinandt, M. (2016). Is Shopping at Walmart an Inferior Good? Evidence from 1997-2010.The Journal of Applied Business and Economics,18(1), 77. Chen, A., Peng, N., Hung, K. P. (2015). The effects of luxury restaurant environments on diners emotions and loyalty: Incorporating diner expectations into an extended Mehrabian-Russell model.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,27(2), 236-260. Dziadkiewicz, J., Pisani, A., Wong, R. (2015). Does a Recession have an Impact on Alcohol Consumption?.Deakin Papers on International Business Economics,8(1). Kubler, F., Selden, L., Wei, X. (2013). Inferior good and Giffen behavior for investing and borrowing.The American Economic Review,103(2), 1034-1053. Mark, T., Southam, C., Bulla, J., Meza, S. (2016). Cross-category indulgence: Why do some premium brands grow during recession?.Journal of Brand Management,23(5), 114-129. Schild, A. M., Fricke, J., Neugebauer, A. (2013). Inferior rectus muscle recession as a treatment for vertical diplopia following cataract extraction.Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology,251(1), 189-194.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Nicholas Coppernicus Essays - Copernican Revolution,

Nicholas Coppernicus Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer, best known for the astronomical theory that the sun is stationary and Earth, spinning on it's axis once daily, revolves around the sun annually. He was very intelligent and was educated at various universities. If Copernicus hadn't challenged Pltolmy's theory, it would have affected us in many ways. Space travel, satellites, and weather prediction would not be as advanced. Nicolaus Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473 in Torun, Poland (Wood 87). He was born into a family of merchants. Copernicus uncle, Bishop Lukasz Watzerode, made sure his nephew obtained a solid education. In 1491 Copernicus enrolled in Jagiellonian University. From there he studied liberal arts for four years but received no degree. Like many others he went to Italy to study medicine and law (Smith 1039). Before he left, his uncle appointed him a church administrator in Fronbork. He then used the money from there to pay for school. Copernicus began to study canon lay at the University of Bologna in 1497. At that time he, was living at the home of mathematics professor, Domenico Maria de Novara. Copernicus astronomical and geographical interests were greatly inspired by Novara (Westman). Around 1500 Copernicus gave speeches on astronomy to people in Rome. Later that year he gained permission to study medicine at Padua University. Copernicus, without completing his medical studies , received a doctorate in canon law from Ferrara in 1503, after which he returned to Poland to take up his administrative duties (Smith 1039). From 1503 to 1510, Copernicus stayed in his uncle's bishop palace in Lidzbark Warmiski. From there he published his first book, a Latin translation of letters on morals by a Byzantine writer. Between the times of 1507 and 1515, he completed a short astronomical book. It was not published until the 19th century (Wood 87). The main premises of the Copernican theory were that Earth rotates daily on its axis, while revolving yearly around the sun. He argued that other planets also circle the sun. His theories of planetary motion had the advantage of accounting for the daily and yearly motion of the sun and stars. It explained the apparent motion of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn and the fact that Mercury and Venus never moved more than a certain distance from the sun. His theory also stated that the sun was stationary. Another important aspect on Copernican's theory was that it allowed some kind of order of the planets, according to their periods of revolution. Unlike Pltolomy's theory, the greater the radius of the planets orbits, the greater the planet takes to make one revolution around the sun. Not many 16th century readers wanted to believe the Copernican theory. They didn't believe that there was a rotating Earth and that it spun 24 hours a day (westman). Nicolaus Copernicus passed away in 1543, but no one forgot his astronomical theory. By the 17th century, most major thinkers in England, France and Denmark were Copernicans, but natural philosophers in other European countries held strong anti-Copernican views for a least another century. Copernicus was a very intellectual man. He was one of the greatest thinkers of all time. For him to challenge Pltolmy's theory was very courageous at that time. Many people doubted his theory. It was hard for people to believe something so different to what they had known. It's incredible that Copernicus didn't let society change his thinking. If it wasn't for his intelligence and courage, we wouldn't have the knowledge to test our space technology.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

20 Cause and Effect Essay Topics How to Talk about the Rise and Fall of the Food Movement

20 Cause and Effect Essay Topics How to Talk about the Rise and Fall of the Food Movement If you have gone through our first guide 10 facts on the rise and fall of the food movement for a cause and effect essay then you are on the right track. In this second guide, we’ll not only discuss 20 food essay topics but also demonstrate how to write a sample cause and effect essay on the food movement, for your convenience. This will help you greatly when you want to choose a relevant topic for your essay. Here are 20 topic suggestions on the rise and fall of the food movement for your essay: Effects of the Food Movement on Environment Why is Local Food Healthier than Packaged Food? The Motive of Slow Food Movement: Organic and Sustainable Food The Origination of Local Food Movement and its Causes Impact of the Food Movement on Our World What Makes Local Food Better than Processed Food? The Philosophy of Slow Food Movement What Caused Slow Food Movement? Problems with Fast Food and How it Affects Our Planet The Truth about the Food Movement Common Perception of the Food Movement Effects of the Food Movement on Farm Workers and Livestock How the Food Movement is Beneficial for Everyone on Earth Health Effects of Processed Food on Our Lives Why did Slow Food Protest Against Fast Food Industry? Why ‘Natural’ Food Sounds a Lot Better than Artificial Food Starting a Food Movement in Your Kitchen Slow Food Can it Feed the World? Economic Implications of the Food Movement Environmental, Social and Health Implications of the Food Movement We’ve just given you a plethora of topics on rise and fall of food movement. You now should be able to use any one of these topics and easily write an essay on it. To make things even easier, we’ve left a sample cause and effect essay for you below. Once you read through the sample essay, you can check out the final guide where we’ll show you how to outline and format your essay, and it should be written to really wow your professor. Here is how a cause and effect essay on the rise and fall of the food movement is based on one of the topics mentioned above. Sample Cause and Effect Essay Environment, Social and Health Implications of Food Movement The food movement is actually based on people who want to promote the value and benefits of food grown locally. This movement recommends that you buy ‘local food’ food which is near you, i.e. farmers’ market, your own garden or your state. The goal of the food movement is to keep food organic and sustainable in its natural state. This means that the food you are buying locally, should be organic and must be grown without any use of chemical pesticides or synthetic growth hormones. It significantly helps the environment, workers and animals, and especially the consumers. Historically, these factors have helped the food movement grow further throughout the world. When the Food Movement started, globalization and internationalization were at their peak. It enabled people to buy any kind of food from around the world. Fruits and vegetables of all kinds became available in all seasons. This meant that you could buy strawberries in November and so on. Globalization had spread and dominated every kind of food we see today, including: fruits and veggies, processed food, dairy food and so on. However, about 25 50 years after globalization went viral, people began to perceive afflictions that threatened our very existence and well being, which strongly correlates to this fast food paradise. Realizing the economic downfall that ensued, including health and social problems as well as political havoc, the food movement launched mainstream all around the world. For the last 30 40 years, the human race on a whole has been a victim of obesity, which has led to a number of health complications like type II diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid problems, coronary heart disease and joint degenerative diseases. Obesity is largely the cause of consuming cheap and readily available foods which significantly increases caloric intake without the nutritional value found in whole, natural foods. This is one of the reasons that brought the food movement into existence and people started taking active part in it. Big firms that distribute fast food are one of the reasons our natural food growing environment has been withering away. This destruction is unfortunately, irreversible. The aim of large food corporations is to produce as much as they can in the least amount of time while lowering the final products costs through whatever means necessary, and delivering that food to consumers as quickly as possible. To fulfill their mission, they started performing environmentally harmful practices and now it has become a standard. These inhumane corporations provide antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones to animals, so they grow faster than usual. These animals are often subjected to cruelty, kept in cramped and unhygienic environments, as opposed to the natural habitat Mother Nature has to offer. Crops are sprinkled with harmful pesticides and are harvested through machinery, which can be looked at as form of slaughtering that destroys the soil in a very bad way. All these environmental implications have also led to the rise of the food movement. On the other hand, the food movement has played a significant role in making people aware of why locally and naturally grown food is a lot better than processed food. It has made people understand the benefits of natural food and the adverse effects we suffer along with the environment, as a result of what the big food corporations are producing. Farmers’ markets have become a hang-out point for people who share this same perspective on how major fast food companies have maligned the environment. The food movement has also helped us appreciate the providers of healthy and nutritious food more and also show gratitude to farmers who work hard to provide such great food to us. This has also fostered growth in the local food movement. Today the food movement has become a mainstream community and it is steadily picking up the speed. We can save ourselves from the role humans have played in agriculture for the last 50 years or so; the Food Movement and the philosophies of organic and sustainable agriculture are our best bet for a healthy, virtually disease-free existence. You are now armed with a number of good topic suggestions, and a sample essay to give you a better idea of what the final essay should look like. The final guide in the series discusses 3 patterns to organize your cause and effect essay on the food movement, which specifically shows you what to take into account while composing your cause and effect essay on the food movement. References: Alexandra Link and Chris Ling, June 2007. Farmers Market and Local Food Systems CRC Research. https://crcresearch.org/case-studies/crc-case-studies/farmers-markets-and-local-food-systems Mark Notaras, Oct 2014. Slow Food Movement Growing Fast Our World by United Nations University. https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/slow-food-movement-growing-fast Bryan Walsh, Feb 2011. Foodies Can Eclipse (and Save) the Green Movement Time. http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2049255,00.html Bryan Walsh, Sep 2008. Can Slow Food Feed the World? http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1838757,00.html Hesser, Amanda, July 2003 QA; Endangered Species: Slow Food The New York Times.  nytimes.com/2003/07/26/arts/q-a-endangered-species-slow-food.html Associated Press, Aug 2008. Slow Food Movement Finally Picking Up Speed Today. today.com/id/26378691#.V6b6Yrh96Uk Tamar Haspel, Jan 2016 The Surprising Truth about the Food Movement' The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/the-surprising-truth-about-the-food-movement/2016/01/25/42bed508-bfcf-11e5-9443-7074c3645405_story.html

Friday, November 22, 2019

Agave Plants of Ancient Mesoamerica

Agave Plants of Ancient Mesoamerica Maguey or agave (also called the century plant for its long life) is a native plant (or rather, lots of plants) from the North American continent, now cultivated in many parts of the world. Agave belongs to the family Asparagaceae which has 9 genera and around 300 species, about 102 taxa of which are used as human food. Agave grows in arid, semiarid, and temperate forests of the Americas at elevations between sea level to about 2,750 meters (9,000 feet) above sea level, and thrives in agriculturally marginal parts of the environment. Archaeological evidence from Guitarrero Cave indicates that agave was first used at least as long as 12,000 years ago by Archaic hunter-gatherer groups. Main Species of Agave Plants Some of the major agave species, their common names and primary uses are: Agave angustifolia, known as Caribbean agave; consumed as food and aguamiel (sweet sap)  A. fourcroydes or henequen;  grown primarily for its fiberA. inaequidens, called maguey alto because of its height or maguey bruto because the presence of saponins in its tissue can cause dermatitis;  30 different uses including food and aguamielA. hookeri, also called maguey alto, is used primarily for its fibers, sweet sap, and sometimes used to form live fencesA. sisalana or sisal hemp, primarily fiberA. tequilana, blue agave, agave azul or tequila agave; primarily for sweet sapA. salmiana or green giant, grown mainly for sweet sap Agave Products In ancient Mesoamerica, maguey was used for a variety of purposes. From its leaves, people obtained fibers to make ropes, textiles, sandals, construction materials, and fuel. The agave heart, the plants above-ground storage organ that contains carbohydrates and water, is edible by humans. The stems of the leaves are used to make small tools, such as needles. The ancient Maya used agave spines as perforators during their bloodletting rituals. One important product obtained from maguey was sweet sap, or aguamiel (honey water in Spanish), the sweet, milky juice extracted from the plant. When fermented, aguamiel is used to make a mildly alcoholic beverage called pulque, as well as distilled beverages such as mescal and modern tequila, bacanora, and raicilla. Mescal The word mescal (sometimes spelled mezcal) comes from two Nahuatl terms melt and ixcalli which together mean oven-cooked agave. To produce mescal, the core of the ripe maguey plant is baked in an earth oven. Once the agave core is cooked, it is ground to extract the juice, which is placed in containers and left to ferment. When the fermentation is complete, alcohol (ethanol) is separated from the non-volatile elements through distillation to obtain the pure mescal. Archaeologists debate whether mescal was known in pre-Hispanic times or if it was an innovation of the Colonial period. Distillation was a well-known process in Europe, derived from Arabic traditions. Recent investigations in the site of Nativitas in Tlaxcala, Central Mexico, however, are providing evidence for possible prehispanic mezcal production. At Nativitas, investigators found chemical evidence for maguey and pine inside earth and stone ovens dated between the mid- and late Formative (400 BC-AD 200) and the Epiclassic period (AD 650-900). Several large jars also contained chemical traces of agave and may have been used to store sap during the fermentation process, or used as distillation devices. Investigators Serra Puche and colleagues note that the set up at Navitas is similar to methods used to make mescal by several indigenous communities throughout Mexico, such as the Pai Pai community in Baja California, the Nahua community of Zitlala in Guerrero, and the Guadalupe Ocotlan Nayarit community in Mexico City. Domestication Processes Despite its importance in ancient and modern Mesoamerican societies, very little is known about agaves domestication. That is most likely because the same species of agave can be found in several different gradations of domestication. Some agaves are completely domesticated and grown in plantations, some are tended in the wild, some seedlings (vegetative propagules) are transplanted into home gardens, some seeds collected and grown in seedbeds or nurseries for market. In general, domesticated agave plants are larger than their wild cousins, have fewer and smaller spines, and lower genetic diversity, this last a result of being grown in plantations. Only a handful have been studied for evidence of the onset of domestication and management to date. Those include Agave fourcroydes (henequen), thought to have been domesticated by the Pre-Columbian Maya of Yucatan from A. angustafolia; and Agave hookeri, thought to have been developed from A. inaequidens at a currently unknown time and place. The Mayans and Henequen The most information we have about maguey domestication is henequen (A. fourcroydes, and sometimes spelled henequà ©n). It was domesticated by the Maya perhaps as early as 600 AD. It was certainly fully domesticated when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 16th century; Diego de Landa reported that henequen was grown in house-gardens and it was of much better quality than that in the wild. There were at least 41 traditional uses for henequen, but agricultural mass production at the turn of the 19th-20th century has depressed the genetic variability. There were once seven different varieties of henequen reported by the Maya (Yaax Ki, Sac Ki, Chucum Ki, Bab Ki, Kitam Ki, Xtuk Ki, and Xix Ki), as well as at least three wild varieties (called chelem white, green, and yellow). Most of them were deliberately eradicated around 1900  when extensive plantations of Sac Ki were produced for commercial fiber production. Agronomy manuals of the day recommended that farmers work towards eliminating the other varieties, which were viewed as lesser-useful competition. That process was accelerated by the invention of a fiber-extracting machine which was built to fit the Sac Ki type. The three surviving varieties of cultivated henequen left today are: Sac Ki, or white henequen, most abundant and preferred by the cordage industryYaax Ki, or green henequen, similar to white but of lower yieldKitam Ki, wild boar henequen, which has soft fiber and low yield, and is very rare, and used for hammock and sandal manufacture Archaeological Evidence for the Use of Maguey Because of their organic nature, products derived from maguey are rarely identifiable in the archaeological record. Evidence of maguey use comes instead from the technological implements used to process and store the plant and its derivatives. Stone scrapers with plant residue evidence from processing agave leaves  are abundant in Classic and Postclassic times, along with cutting and storing implements. Such implements are rarely found in Formative and earlier contexts. Ovens which may have been used to cook maguey cores have been found in archaeological sites, such as Nativitas in the state of Tlaxcala, Central Mexico, Paquimà © in Chihuahua, La Quemada in Zacatecas and at Teotihuacn. At Paquimà ©, remains of agave were found inside one of several subterranean ovens. In Western Mexico, ceramic vessels with depictions of agave plants have been recovered from several burials dated to the Classic period. These elements underscore the important role that this plant played in the economy as well as the social life of the community. History and Myth The Aztecs/Mexica had a specific patron deity for this plant, the goddess Mayahuel. Many Spanish chroniclers, such as Bernardino de Sahagun, Bernal Diaz del Castillo, and Fray Toribio de Motolinia, stressed the importance that this plant and its products had within the Aztec empire. Illustrations in the Dresden and Tro-Cortesian codices show people hunting, fishing or carrying bags for trade, using cordage or nets made from agave fibers. Edited by K. Kris Hirst Sources Casas A, Blancas J, Otero-Arnaiz A, Cruse-Sanders J, Lira R, Avendaà ±o A, Parra F, Guillà ©n S, Figueredo CJ, Torres I et al. 2016. Evolutionary Ethnobotanical Studies of Incipient Domestication of Plants in Mesoamerica. In: Lira R, Casas A, and Blancas J, editors. Ethnobotany of Mexico: Interactions of People and Plants in Mesoamerica. New York, NY: Springer New York. p 257-285.Colunga-Garcà ­aMarà ­n P. 2003. The domestication of henequen. In: Gà ³mez-Pompa A, Allen MF, Fedick SL, and Jimà ©nez-Osornio JJ, editors. The Lowland Maya Area: Three Millennia at the Human-Wildland Interface. New York: Food Products Press. p 439-446.Evans ST. 1990. The Productivity of Maguey Terrace Agriculture in Central Mexico during the Aztec Period. Latin American Antiquity 1(2):117-132.Figueredo CJ, Casas A, Colunga-Garcà ­aMarà ­n P, Nassar JM, and Gonzlez-Rodrà ­guez A. 2014. Morphological variation, management and domestication of ‘maguey alto’ (Agave inaequidens) and Ã¢â‚¬Ë œmaguey manso’ (A. hookeri) in Michoacn, Mà ©xico. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 10(1):66. Figueredo CJ, Casas A, Gonzlez-Rodrà ­guez A, Nassar JM, Colunga-Garcà ­aMarà ­n P, and Rocha-Ramà ­rez V. 2015. Genetic structure of coexisting wild and managed agave populations: implications for the evolution of plants under domestication. AoB Plants 7:plv114-plv114.Freeman J, Anderies JM, Torvinen A, and Nelson BA. 2014. Crop specialization, exchange Human Ecology 42(2):297-310.and robustness in a semi-arid environment.Parsons JR and Parsons MH. 1990. Maguey Utilization in Highland Central Mexico: an archaeological ethnography. Anthropological Papers 82. Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan.Piven NM, Barredo-Pool FA, Borges-Argez IC, Herrera-Alamillo MA, Mayo-Mosqueda A, Herrera-Herrera JL, and Robert ML. 2001. Reproductive biology of henequà ©n (. American Journal of Botany 88(11):1966-1976.fourcroydesAgave ) and its wild ancestor Agave Angustifolia (Agavaceae). i. Gametophyte developmentRakita GFM. 2006. Emergent Complexity, Ritual Practices, and Mortuary Behavi or at Paquimà ©, Chihuahua, Mexico, in Religion in the Prehispanic Southwest, edited by VanPool CS, VanPool TL, Phillips, Jr. DA. Lanham: AltaMira Press Robertson IG, and Cabrera Cortà ©s MO. 2017. Teotihuacan pottery as evidence for subsistence practices involving maguey sap. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 9(1):11-27.Serra MC and Lazcano CA. 2010. The Drink Mescal: Its Origin and Ritual Uses, in Pre-Columbian Foodways. Interdisciplinary Approaches to Food, Culture, and Markets in Ancient Mesoamerica, edited by Staller J and Carrasco M. London: Springer.Serra Puche MC. 2009. Produccià ³n, circulacià ³n y consumo de la bebida del mezcal arqueolà ³gico y actual. In: Long Towell J, and Attolini Lecà ³n A, editors. Caminos y Mercados de Mà ©xico. Cuidad de Mà ©xico: Universidad Nacional Autà ³noma de Mà ©xico, Instituto de Investigaciones Histà ³ricas. p 169-184.Stewart JR. 2015. Agave as a model CAM crop system for a warming and drying world. Frontiers in Plant Science 6(684).

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Analyse and evaluate the financial risks involved with establishing a Essay

Analyse and evaluate the financial risks involved with establishing a new business - Essay Example s, risk exposures have deeper impact on the organization’s standing, especially financial risks which undermine the new business resources required for jump-start the project. Financial risks refer to cash flow volatility, future investments, erosion of debt capacity or profitability level of the firm (Altman 1993). In the following essay, the researcher shall discuss how financial resources are critical for executing business plans, marketing budget and achieving organizational goals. In doing so the researcher shall describe and conclude that different types of financial risks may lead to business failure in terms of disruption in operations, decrease in working capital and exposure to environment risks. To begin with, one needs to understand that financial risks are not separate from business or management risks. For a new business, effective resource management is critical for its survival. Financial resources have even more importance for a start-up business because it helps secure employees, suppliers, service providers and attract customers (Altman 1993). Consequently, the type of financing a new business secures, defines its scope and risk challenges. For a new business, various types of financing ranging from banks, venture capitalists, owners personal assets etc. are available. Suppose a new business adopts bootstrap financing for its operations (Welsch 2003). This is a popular financing technique for new firms to finance short term funding requirements without having to commit to external organizations for the long term. These include short term borrowing from friends or family, micro financing, credit card, quasi-equity arrangements, cooperative assets, lease or client bas ed funding etc. However, according to Neeley (Welsch 2003), bootstrap financing is a low cost source of financing but poses high risks to the business because it is a short term funding method, which can be discontinued at any time, resulting in disruption of cash flows to the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

How to Apply Strategic Management Skills Research Paper

How to Apply Strategic Management Skills - Research Paper Example   Designing Vision and Objectives for the Firm It is important for managers to define the purpose of the organization. The vision of a firm informs the employees and the customers about the purpose and value of the firm (Mind Tools, 2011). It is an essential part of an application of strategic management skills to design vision of a firm so as to guide employees regarding their behavior. Customers can also learn through the vision of a firm about how can they be benefitted by the firm. Usually, the vision of a firm is defined in a sentence or a statement commonly known as the vision statement. It entails the long-term purpose of the firm and how employees are supposed to operate in the company. Strategic management is all about taking strategic decisions and strategic decisions have certain characteristics. Strategic decisions are of high magnitude, they have a long-term focus, and they require the high level of commitment (Haberberg & Rieple, 2007). The vision statement is also a strategic decision because it has all of three characteristics. Objectives of the firm are more specific short-term targets. Strategic management skills are applied to define short-term targets for the firm and short-term targets are important for a firm because they serve as steps that can lead the firm to the long-term targets. Firms also require regular assessment of their position and for that short-term targets serve useful. The vision of a firm is a broadly defined purpose of the organization, on the other hand, objectives are short-term targets that can be measured empirically and are specific. Managers should always check whether the firm is treading on the right path or not, and vision and objectives help managers in this regard. Allocation of Resources An important job of a manager is to allocate resources between different departments of the firm. Allocation of resources should be done in a way so as to maximize the profits of the firm at the lowest possible costs. In tod ay’s dynamic business environment all the business functions have considerable importance and allocating resources between different function can be a daunting task. This is where strategic management skills come into play. It is vital that the resources are distributed in the best possible way so that the profits of the firm can be maximized. Allocation of resources should be done in such a way that objectives of the firms are achieved (Alkhafaji, 2003). Resources should be allocated keeping in mind the current standing of the firm in the market. For example, a newly founded firm should allocate more resources to marketing and product development while a relatively old firm should focus on customer satisfaction and better financial performance. This is how the decision of allocation of resources may differ in different types of firms. Today’s tough financial situations have made an efficient allocation of resources essential for firms. Almost all firms have limited re sources and it has to finance all its major operations in order to survive.  Ã‚  

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Types of information Essay Example for Free

Types of information Essay Analysis of the different types of information used in the business that I chose. This task will be an analysis of how the purpose of information from task 1 will be developed into more detail. First there is verbal information this can be face-to-face or via a phone call with a customer or another person from another company this is the easiest form of communication because it is right there and then you will get a response from the customer straight away this is also called a two-way communication. The purpose of this type of information is for the customer to receive the right information about a product that they are trying to find out about, e.g. vehicle tax, parcels or anything about post office products. There are a few pros and cons of verbal communication. The pros of two-way communication is that you can see the person who is in front of you and you can also look at their body language while you are discussing about a  product and if they look confused you can spot it and try to give more detail so the customer is happy with the response to their question. Another pro is that if the customer wants to ask a question they will receive an answer at that moment whilst if they were on the internet they wouldn’t know when that person is going to be on in order to answer their question. The cons of verbal information are that if it’s a phone call you can’t see their body language so you don’t know if the customer could be confused with the way that the information is being told to them. Another con would be language barrier, this meaning that the person who you are speaking to may have a strong accent and might not be understood clearly and this may create issues while trying to help the customer with what they need help. Written communication is a more formal way and can be very useful in many cases, this is a one way communication as the response is not going to be at the same moment. The way that written communication is showed to post office employee and customers is in leaflets and whenever there is a change in a product they will send a booklet with all the information about the changes. The purpose of written communication is to inform a customer through a message in a way that they are able to understand what the leaflet is trying to say this is also a good reference point for people to go back to. A pro of written communication is that whoever is reading it will not have a problem understating it, whilst if a word was said it could easily be misunderstood and could have a different meaning to what was actually meant to be said. Another pro is that you can always keep a copy of what was written to come back for a reference. There are a couple cons to written communication one of them being is that if it comes by post it could be lost this means that you wouldn’t be able to know what was on that letter and also the people that sent it wouldn’t know that it was received also if its sent by email there is a possibility that it could be hacked. In the business it is essential that all workers have a good level of written skills as this is essential to that type of job. On-screen communication is used in many ways by a company in this case it is used to show the exchange rate money. The purpose of this way of communication is to inform the customers of the exchange rate and how much  of a foreign currency they can get for an amount of money of their choice. A pro to this is that the customer always knows the exchange rate of the product they want to buy also there is no way of the post office person not giving the right amount of money to the customer. A con to this is that if the screen is up to date than the customers wouldn’t be satisfied with the way that a product is being shown and also with incorrect information. Multimedia is used in many ways by companies. There is Facebook and Twitter page/s or TV adverts. The purpose for multimedia in this type of business, generally is just about advertising products, customer’s feedback and Ways of checking new products or finding information about other post offices e.g. news about them and what is happening at Royal Mail, E.g. what they might be planning to bring out. A pro to this is that many people who are/ would be interested in this type of product would be very happy about being able to find out about what products and what alterations are being done to older products. A con to this is that some people might not be able to find out about the changes through websites or TV adverts this could be as a result of not knowing where to look or when the adverts are showing. Web-based communication is used by the company. This is through the Royal Mail website which its purpose is to give the customer an idea about product prices, finding where a parcel is by searching for it through a barcode and shopping for products e.g. stamps. Having this website can make it a lot easier for customers which have queries and this would be the ideal place to share them. Also the royal mail website is a great way to shop for a wide variety of products like special stamps like Common Wealth Game stamps, First World War stamps etc. and business supplies. Task 3 Royal Mail has been a public service, operating as a government department or public corporation. However, following the Postal Services Act 2011 a majority of the shares in Royal Mail were floated on the London Stock Exchange on 15 October 2013 and the company became a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index on 23 December 2013. The post office has undergone a lot of changes during the last two years as this has been part of the Royal Mail privatisation. Royal Mail since the privatisation has come up with many new  products in order to keep the customers happy and satisfied with their products. Royal mail is also planning another change during the Christmas time and this is probably to beat off competition. The decisions for this type of product change would have to go through the finance office and if they decide that this is a good decision which will need to be made in order to help the company move forward then the finance is going to be more than likely to fund it. After this decision has been made then it is up to the marketing side to go and make all the product design and specifications which are going to take over the old product. One thing that Royal Mail wants to see as part of this change is if the customers are feeling happier with the new product specifications. If the customers feel happy about the changes then the change was an appropriate decision which was undertaken by Royal Mail. This also means that one decision can lead to another decision. In this case the company would probably decide to keep the new product specifications out in the market. As Royal Mail is always competing against other companies to keep prices lower this would suggest that if more customers were using the post office for Royal Mail products this means that the company is ahead of other competitors. In order for the finance sector to fund any new projects that marketing has required to do them will first need to see a detailed plan of what the cost of the materials is going to be for example when the new idea for the labels for abroad parcels came forward, finance then would probably go to find out what the cost is going to be to supply all of the stores around UK with enough products. Then the next step of the finance – marketing job is for the marketing to find a way to advertise the new products but sometimes this is not the case. Royal Mail could basically just send you the new product and say here you go that’s the new product and it’s going to be available to the public form this date and so on. In their efforts of making the whole Post Office experience better for customers and increase profits Royal Mails is constantly coming up with new ideas and this is not only to beat off competition but also the main reason is to keep their customers happy and if that works then more customers would be happy of using their services. The finance and marketing area are the most important aspect of the Royal Mail company as without them the new ideas wouldn’t not be able to be financed and also the company would not be able do as good as they can and competing against other companies  would be a big challenge. This also means that marketing plays a key role in the company and how they do the advertising could mean the company doing good rather than bad. This all falls down to the decisions which are being made by these two sectors in order to keep the business in good shape. For the marketing sector they will look at many ideas from Facebook, twitter page/TV adverts. They will a lso encourage people to find out about new products through multimedia’s.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Sacrifice of Values to Please Authority in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay

Sacrifice of Values to Please Authority in Shakespeare's Hamlet It seems that it is human nature to want to please others, but compromising ones values in order to do so can result in people getting hurt emotionally or physically. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the desire to please those in authority overweighs the judgment of many characters. These characters are more interested in pleasing those in power than doing what is in their best interest. This is seen in Polonious' eager attempt to use Ophelia, in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's being coerced into spying on a good friend, and finally in Laertes' all too easy manipulation by Claudius to take revenge on his fathers' death. In all these instances, the characters put their better judgment aside in order to do something to please a monarch. The bond between father and daughter is something that some consider sacred. Polonious uses this bond with Ophelia to please Claudius and Gertrude in finding our what is wrong with Hamlet. The King and Queen were very upset at Hamlet's seeming insanity. They tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that finding out what is wrong with Hamlet would be "the supply and profit of [their] hope (P.34)." They are obviously disenchanted at his behavior, and Polonious knows this, and tries to use his daughter to prove his theory. When Ophelia came and described to him her meeting with Hamlet in Act I, Polonious immediately took her to the King. Polonious, acting on his duty to "both [his] God and to [his] gracious king (P. 34)" took Ophelia to Claudius to see if he could be any help in trying to find out what is wrong with Hamlet. He quickly tells the king that he will ".loose [his] daughter to [Hamlet] (p. 38)" and concocts an elaborate plan t... ...how others perceived them, especially those in power, than doing what was really in the best interest for everyone. These characters were manipulated by brutal puppet-masters that toyed with their strings to get the response that they wanted, knowing full well that all would agree to anything in order to please them. This urge to do what was wanted by those in ascendancy was so great a weight, that values were pushed aside for a chance to glimmer in the light of attention from important figures in society. Works Cited and Consulted Long, Michael. A Study of Values in Shakespearean Tragedy. London: Methuen and Company, 1976. Mirrior, Ivor. "Hamlet." The Role of Authority in the Tragedies. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1972. 369-430. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Susanne L. Wofford. Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism. Boston: St. Martin's, 1994.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Environmental Psychology Essay

Environmental psychology is the study of transactions between individuals and their physical settings (Gifford, 2007a). In these transactions, individuals change their environments, and their behavior and experiences are changed by their environments. It includes theory, research, and practice aimed at making the built environment more humane and improving human relations with the natural environment. Considering the enormous investment society makes in the physical environment (including buildings, parks, streets, the atmosphere, and water) and the huge cost of misusing nature and natural resources, environmental psychology is a key component of both human and environmental welfare. Environmental psychologists work at three levels of analysis: (a) fundamental psychological processes like perception of the environment, spatial cognition, and personality as they filter and structure human experience and behavior, (b) the management of social space: personal space, territoriality, crowding, and privacy, and the physical setting aspects of complex everyday behaviors, such as working, learning, living in a residence and community, and (c) human interactions with nature and the role of psychology in climate change (e.g., Gifford, 2008a). The history of environmental psychology has been reviewed elsewhere (see Bechtel & Churchman, 2002, Bell, Greene, Fisher, & Baum, 2001, and Gifford, 2007a). But, for perspective, we note that early 20th century psychologists studied the effect of noise (United States) and heat (England) on work performance, while scholars in Germany and Japan explored concepts and moral philosophy related to environmental psychology. By mid-century, environmental psychology was a clearly established discipline with work on topics such as sensory isolation, personal space, and building design. Journals devoted to the field were established; the most prominent of these are the Journal of Environmental Psychology and Environment and Behavior. The IAAP Handbook of Applied Psychology, First Edition. Edited by Paul R. Martin, Fanny M. Cheung, Michael C. Knowles, Michael Kyrios, Lyn Littlefield, J. Bruce Overmier, and Josà © M. Prieto.  © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Published 2011 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. c18.indd 440 11/25/2010 8:54:04 PMMartin—IAAP Handbook of Applied Psychology Se Environmental Psychology 441 While recognizing the value of theory and research, many environmental psychologists nevertheless prefer to apply knowledge. Instead of working in an research setting, many enter into consultancy or public service to make good use of research findings for developing policy or solving local problems. Some are geared to improving the built environment (e.g., Preiser, Vischer, & White, 1991), while others are dedicated to overcoming sustainability problems in the natural and global ecosystems (e.g., Gifford, 2007b; Nickerson, 2003). The Distinctiveness of Environmental Psychology Most psychologists examine the relations between environmental stimuli and human responses in one way or another. However, what sets environmental psychology apart is its commitment to research and practice that subscribe to these goals and principles: (a) Improve the built environment and stewardship of natural resources, (b) Study everyday settings (or close simulations of them), (c) Consider person and setting as a holistic entity, (d) Recognize that individuals actively cope with and shape environments; they do not passively respond to environmental forces, (e) Work in conjunction with other disciplines. Figure 18.1 broadly depicts the scope of environmental psychology.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Dear friend – a letter about Animal Farm

Dear friend! We've just read â€Å"Animal Farm† in class. â€Å"Animal farm†, or â€Å"Animal Farm: A Fairy Story† as the original title was, was a little manuscript which was published right after the Second World War by George Orwell, ever heard of him? It was a book that was originally placed in the shelves of children's books, and was read as a fairytale (as the previous title presumed you would do). But behind the naive and sort of innocent surface, there was a hidden message†¦ between the lines there laid a story about political reforms and great historical events. A story about revolution, power and animalism! It's really good! â€Å"Animal Farm† is a short novel based on the hard life of the animals, which live somewhere in England on a farm called â€Å"Manor Farm†. After the oldest pig on the farm realizes he is going to die soon, he gathers all the animals on the farm in the barn to tell about his dreams for the future: A revolutionary dream, where animals are the one in command, not the humans. The story that follows tells us about how the animals are getting their much wanted power, and how they use it, and don't use it. When I read â€Å"Animal Farm†, I clearly saw that the animals in the story were actually used to illustrate real human beings from historical revolutions. Just as a puppet show for children. The Russian Revolution, which is the most obvious revolution you would compare the content in the book with, is rewritten in a humorous way, excellent done by the author. With this in mind, it is therefore easy to see that for instance the group of sheep at the farm are the masses, the followers, the kinds that â€Å"don't give a damn† about what's going on. That's how the masses in the real life revolution were described as well. You may then see what I realized after reading this easy-read novel: You must always ask questions. Don't take things for granted, don't do things just because you're told so, and most important: Don't be a sheep! Just instead of telling the heavy story like in a history book, he puts his own individual twist on it. And it sells! George Orwell tells a story about the past (and present) to inform the public. He expresses his opinions by letting the readers have a look at the puppet show of the revolutions, a satiric story which warn us against communism and dictatorship. I loved â€Å"Animal Farm† because I find it funny, but at the same time educational and interesting. It made me think, and wary of the government! I think this is a book with meaning and moral lessons for everyone; it's suitable for all age, especially pupils and students, so it's perfect for you! I would say this is a unique fable, with a classic theme, and with a brilliant ending (which I won't reveal to you). It's sort of â€Å"mind-blowing†! I hope by telling you this that you will experience the same thing! Order it now! It can never be read too often! 🙂 Best regards, Tony.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Negative Impact of Internet to Youth Research Paper Example

The Negative Impact of Internet to Youth Research Paper Example The Negative Impact of Internet to Youth Paper The Negative Impact of Internet to Youth Paper The advent of the Internet has been one of the most exciting major events in the second half of the 20th century. The ancient dream of â€Å"a scholar knows all things happening in the world without venturing outdoors† has finally become a reality. But there are also people who do not support this growing trend mainly because of its negative impact on the society such as spreading the habit of Sexting, the threat of Cyberbullying and also antisocial. To begin with, Sexting is the bad influence caused by the internet because of social networking website such as Facebook and Twitter appeared. Not to leave the pornography website. Sexting is defined as sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs, or images via cell phone, computer, or other digital devices The consequences to youth are their reputations, social lives, and future careers can be ruined as a result of nude and/or explicit pictures going public. Another frightening scenario nowadays is Cyberbullying. It means the misuse of communication technologies for the intention of harming another person. This can cause profound psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe isolation, and, tragically suicide. Also the internet now days is causing society to become antisocial , overuse of the internet usage is taking the society away from doing important social activities such as spending time with family, friends and neighbours. Furthermore, there is a serious concern involving the proliferation of inappropriate content, such as violence, bias, hate speech, profanity, and pornography. The Internet gives children an easy way to find information and it permits unwelcomed messages to find their way to children. On the other hand, the positive effects of the using Internet is low costs, can builds credibility and for connection. Internet is for personal and business use if free. It is an easy and cost effective way to reach your consumers and people in your network. Nevertheless, impact of using internet is lack of anonymity such as using social networking usually requires you to input your name, location, age, gender and many other types of personal information. Being online you are at risk to face cases of harassment, cyber-stalking, online scams and identity theft. As conclusion, Internet can have various effect to the youth is more negative such as habit of Sexting, the threat of Cyberbullying and not to leave antisocial. Parent is the important persons that choose which one is appropriate with their children.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Definition and Examples of Regionalisms in English

Definition and Examples of Regionalisms in English Regionalism is a  linguistic term for a word, expression, or pronunciation favored by speakers in a particular geographic area. Many regionalisms [in the U.S.] are relics, notes R.W. Burchfield: words brought over from Europe, chiefly the British Isles, and preserved in one area or another either because of the continuance of older ways of life in these localities, or because a particular type of English  was early established and has not been fully overlaid or undermined (Studies in Lexicography, 1987). In practice, dialect expressions and regionalisms often overlap, but the terms are not identical. Dialects  tend to be associated with groups of people while  regionalisms are  associated with geography. Numerous regionalisms can be found within a particular dialect. The largest and most authoritative collection of regionalisms in American English is the six-volume  Dictionary of American Regional English  (DARE), published between 1985 and 2013. The digital edition of DARE was launched in 2013.   Etymology From the Latin, to ruleExamples and Observations The following definitions were adapted from the  Dictionary of American Regional English.flannel cake  (n) A pancake.  (Usage: Appalachians)flea in ones ear  (n) A hint, warning, disquieting disclosure; a rebuke.  (Usage: chiefly the Northeast)mulligrubs  (n) A condition of despondency or ill temper; a vague or imaginary unwellness.  (Usage: scattered, but especially the South)nebby  (adj) Snoopy, inquisitive.  (Usage: chiefly Pennsylvania)pungle  (v) To shell out; to plunk down (money); to pay up.  (Usage: chiefly West)say-so  (n) An ice-cream cone.  (Usage: scattered)(Celeste Headlee, Regional Dictionary Tracks The Funny Things We Say. Weekend Edition on National Public Radio, June 14, 2009) Pop vs. Soda In the [American] South it’s called Coke, even when it’s Pepsi. Many in Boston say tonic. A precious few even order a fizzy drink. But the debate between those soft drink synonyms is a linguistic undercard in the nation’s carbonated war of words. The real battle: pop vs. soda. (J. Straziuso, Pop vs. Soda Debate. Associated Press, September 12, 2001) Turnpike In Delaware, a turnpike refers to any highway, but in Florida, a turnpike is a toll road. (T. Boyle, The Gremlins of Grammar. McGraw-Hill, 2007) Sack and Poke Sack and poke were both originally regional terms for bag. Sack has since become a Standard term like bag, but poke remains regional, mainly in South Midland Regional dialect. (Kenneth Wilson, The Columbia Guide to Standard American English, 1993) Regionalism in England What some call a roll, others call a bun, or a cob, or a bap, or a bannock, while in other areas [of England] more than one of these words is used with different meanings for each.(Peter Trudgill, The Dialects of England. Wiley, 1999)How do you make your tea? If you come from Yorkshire you probably ‘mash’ it, but people in Cornwall are more likely to ‘steep’ it or ‘soak’ it and southerners often ‘wet’ their tea.(Leeds Reporter, March 1998) Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) As chief editor of the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE), a massive effort to collect and record local differences in American English, I spend my days researching the countless examples of regional words and phrases and trying to track their origins. Launched in 1965 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the project is based on thousands of interviews, newspapers, government records, novels, letters, and diaries. . . .[E]ven as we near the finish line, I encounter a common misperception: people seem to think that American English has become homogenized, making the dictionary a catalog of differences long since flattened out by media, business, and population shifts. There’s a grain of truth to that. Certain regional terms have been weakened by commercial influences, like Subway’s sub sandwich, which seems to be nibbling away at hero, hoagie, and grinder. It’s also true that strangers tend to talk to each other in a somewhat homogeneous voca bulary, and that more Americans are moving away from their linguistic homes as they relocate for school, work, or love.But DARE’s research shows that American English is as varied as ever. The language is diversified by immigration, of course, but also people’s creative license and the resilient nature of local dialects. We have dozens of ways to refer to a remote place, for instance, including the boonies, the sticks, the tules, the puckerbrush, and the willywags. The proverbial village idiot, in such a place, might still be described as unfit to carry guts to a bear or pour piss out of a boot. If his condition is temporary, a Southerner might call him swimmy-headed, meaning dizzy. And if his home is dirty, a Northeasterner might call it skeevy, an adaptation of schifare, the Italian verb to disgust.As these examples suggest, the regionalisms that persist are often not those we learn from books or teachers or newspapers; they are the words we use with friends and fami ly, the phrases we’ve known forever and never questioned until someone from away remarked on them.  (Joan Houston Hall, How to Speak American. Newsweek, August 9, 2010) Regionalisms in the American South Vocabulary is . . . strikingly different in various parts of the South. Nowhere but in the Deep South is the Indian-derived bobbasheely, which William Faulkner employed in The Reivers, used for a very close friend, and only in Northern Maryland does manniporchia (from the Latin mania a potu, craziness from drink) [mean] the D.T.s (delirium tremens). Small tomatoes would be called tommytoes in the mountains (tommy-toes in East Texas, salad tomatoes in the plains area, and cherry tomatoes along the coast). Depending on where you are in the South, a large porch can be a veranda, piazza, or gallery; a burlap bag can be a tow sack, crocus sack, or grass sack; pancakes can be flittercakes, fritters, corncakes, or battercakes; a harmonica can be a mouth organ or french harp; a closet can be a closet or a locker; and a wishbone can be a wishbone or pulley bone. There are hundreds of synonyms for a cling peach (green peach, pickle peach, etc.), kindling wood (lightning wood, lighted knots) an d a rural resident (snuff chewer, kicker, yahoo).  (Robert Hendrickson, The Facts on File Dictionary of American Regionalisms. Facts on File, 2000) Pronunciation: REE-juh-na-LIZ-um

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Arthur Miller Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Arthur Miller - Essay Example This essay â€Å"Arthur Miller† describes the career of the famous American author who helped introduce a new approach to theater following World War II. Although theater had already begun to focus on realistic portrayals, Miller introduced a depth of field previously unsuspected. His plays focus on the stories of everyday Americans struggling and often not quite reaching the quintessential American Dream. In these presentations, he explores the various social issues involved, such as the changing American landscape and new attitudes of women, while he also reveals the very human personal weaknesses of his characters as they struggle to attain a quality of life woefully out of their reach and/or completely destructive to the family left behind. More than simply focusing on a single individual, Miller’s plays also tend to have a broad-reaching appeal, addressing political and social issues he saw around him as well as remaining true to the original context. With an under standing of the various types of work he has engaged in, it is possible to discuss the various aspects of Miller’s work that have made him famous some of which are the reasons he stands out to me as being a particularly outstanding author. Miller is most widely known for his work as a playwright, but he produced some notable works in other areas as well. When he first began working in New York, Miller also supported himself by writing scripts for various radio programs like Columbia Workshop (CBS) and Cavalcade of America (NBC).

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Invisible Buddhism in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Invisible Buddhism in China - Essay Example In the meantime, Taoism, another primary religion in the Chinese society, also presented some differences and challenges to Buddhism. For instance, while Taoism advocated peace with nature, Buddhism sought to manage the inner society. Therefore, in order to develop in China, Buddhism transformed itself to the local way of life, by incorporating the worship of fore-furthers and showing a high level of respect to China’s political system. The timely transformation made Buddha religion an ‘invisible’ but invincible religious organization across the society. The invisibility of Buddhism According to Adler, the classical translators of Buddhism experienced some challenges in getting the exact expressions to elaborate Buddhist philosophies in Chinese, so they preferred to use Taoist language in their texts (41-57). This made the religion ‘invisible’ as the original Buddhism terms were increasingly abandoned for the local ones. As a result, people began to a ssociate Buddhism with the existing Taoist tradition. It took the Chinese society several decades to fully appreciate the scriptures and teachings of Buddha. After the regime of the Han Dynasty caved in the beginning of the third century, the society faced a myriad of political challenges and social disunity. Regardless of the challenges, the translations of the religious texts continued, though silently. During this period, both alien and local monks were aggressively involved in setting up monasteries and spreading the Buddhist philosophies.... The timely transformation made Buddha religion an ‘invisible’ but invincible religious organization across the society. The invisibility of Buddhism According to Adler, the classical translators of Buddhism experienced some challenges in getting the exact expressions to elaborate Buddhist philosophies in Chinese, so they preferred to use Taoist language in their texts (41-57). This made the religion ‘invisible’ as the original Buddhism terms were increasingly abandoned for the local ones. As a result, people began to associate Buddhism with the existing Taoist tradition. It took the Chinese society several decades to fully appreciate the scriptures and teachings of Buddha. After the regime of the Han Dynasty caved in the beginning of the third century, the society faced a myriad of political challenges and social disunity. Regardless of the challenges, the translations of the religion texts continued, though silently. During this period, both alien and local monks were aggressively involved in setting up monasteries and spreading the Buddhist philosophies. Among the local Chinese religious leaders, Dao-an who spent the better part of his life in the fourth century, stood out among the crowd. Though he was prompted to adopt a ‘nomadic’ life in the wake of political disunity, he wrote extensively and gave many lectures on Buddha religious practices and values. He also established the first literary catalogues of the work he was doing. The extensive expansion of the religion, despite the fact that the society was concerned with the unfolding political events was in itself another case of ‘invisible’ spread of the religion. Dao-an had invited Kumarajiva, a celebrated

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

What Is the Israel Lobby Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What Is the Israel Lobby - Essay Example Smith categorized Israel Lobby to power formulation, media pressure, leadership development, education foundation, and transfer of capital to Israel (Smith, 2014). Just like Grant Smith, John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt claims that Israel Lobby is the support provided to Israel by the U.S. Unlike Smith, Mearsheimer, and Walt, Frankel claims that â€Å"Israel Lobby is a collection of American Jewish organizations, campaign contributors and think tanks† (slide 211). The success of Israel Lobby, as it was argued by Smith, is in tandem with that of Mearsheimer and Walt; the Israel Lobby focuses on influencing the Congress, the executive, manipulate media, and policing academia (slide 207). However, Mearsheimer and Walt together with Frankel provide more focuses of Israel Lobby that were not expounded on by Smith. For instance, they assert that Israel Lobby also focuses on dominating think tanks, misusing anti-Semitism, and demonizing the Palestinians. The argument of Mearsheimer and Walt on the reasons for the U.S. pursuing her policies in the Middle East is in tandem with that provided by Smith; they all claim that the activities of groups as well as individuals who make up the lobby are the key reason (slide 207 and slide 211). Smith, Mearsheimer, Walt, and Frankel claim that the work of lobby make Israel gets direct foreign aid every year (slide

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Risk Of Falls Among Elderly Health And Social Care Essay

Risk Of Falls Among Elderly Health And Social Care Essay The loss of strength, balance, and mobility are no longer considered inevitable consequence of aging. Physiological impairments related to functional dependency are potentially reversible with appropriate exercise intervention (Morgan, 2005; Nelson et al., 2004). Furthermore strength training research programs have been especially helpful in improving balance, physical performance and reducing falls (Hoglund, Sadovsky, Classie, 2009; Kruger, Buchner, Prohaska, 2009; Nelson et al., 2004). Several interventional researchers have been conducted to prevent falls among elderly people (Judge, 2003; Kim, Yoshida, Suzuki, 2010; McMurdo, Millar, Daly, 2000). In this study we will examine a home-based training intervention to improve strength of muscles which can directly improve balance and reduce the risk of falls among community dweller elderly or through increased self-efficacy. Problem statement Risk of falls due to balance impairment among elderly people is reversely associated with muscular strength (Clemson, Cumming, 2004). Effectiveness of muscle exercise interventions to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls in aged people with high risk for falling have been a matter of controversial in different studies (Salminen et al., 2001). While some found exercise training programs successful in reducing the risk of falls (Cheung, Au, Lam, Jones, 2008; Clemson et al., 2010; Gobbi et al., 2009a; Nelson et al., 2004), others have found contrary results (Au-Yeung et al., 2002; Clemson et al., 2010; Rubenstein et al., 2000). The need for a home-based training exercise program is felt by some researchers (Kamide, Shiba, Shibata, 2009). Muscle strengthening exercise intervention by home facilities has its own advantages and disadvantages. Home-based exercise program, in comparison to clinic-based interventions which are very luxurious and seem to be very tempting and promising (Takano et al., 2010), sounds to be more feasible. As a matter of fact, the lack of public availability of high-tech facility in developing courtiers, transportation barriers for elderly, the problem of cost-benefit and cost effectiveness of any high-tech program are major barriers to use clinical-based exercise programming for elderly people (Nelson et al., 2004). Moreover, it is estimated that about one half of seniors aged 85 years or above rarely leave their homes and interventional trials targeting on those housebound aged are scarce(Ashworth, Chad, Harrison, Reeder, Marshall, 2005). Nelson et al 2004 summarized that a home-based exercise program in community-dwelling elders with functional impairment is feasible and effective in improving functional performance, despite limited supervision. They also added that home-based exercise programs that focus on strength and balance training improve functional performance in elderly people and should be promoted by the allied health community (Nelson et al 2004). Low price and organizational flexibility make it an alternative or a supplement to other forms of physical exercise and active lifestyle (Hinrichs et al, 2009) On the other hands, compliance, which is a major problem in centered-based exercise among elderly people, can be achieved by home-based programs. Previous researches emphasis that adherence to any exercise program is low among elderly people especially in long run (Campbell et al., 1997; Dishman, 1991; Gobbi et al., 2009b; Sturnieks, St George, Lord, 2008e; Sun et al., 2005). Blanchard 2008 stated that less than 15 percent of elderly people participate in center-based exercise program. He added that to achieve a larger number of participants, there has been a shift toward implementing home-based rehabilitation programs. Home-based muscular strength training can be considered as an alternative to expensive and low compliance clinical-based muscle training (Blanchard, 2008). There have been some problems in previous home-based programs. They still rely on most expert personnel who closely supervise their patients and provide them with high standard care at their home (Gardner, Robertson, McGee, Campbell, 2002; Nelson et al., 2004; Luukinen et al., 2007a). The others emphasize on individualized tailored programs (Clemson et al., 2010) which raises the cost of intervention program. Moreover, these programs, although were reported to be effective, lack in large scale randomization was the main limitation of the studies (Nelson et al., 2004). Moreover, because of low health literacy among Iranian elderly population, any home-based training intervention without proper supervision and adherence will not be able to achieve its objectives (Carpenter, 2010a). A well cited study suggested that elderly people need supervision to improve strength in a home-based setting (Baker et al., 2001). To overcome the problem of health illiteracy among elderly people we plann ed to involve participants adult children who have the most interaction with the client in training program to supervise him/her during training and fill up the log books. Fear of falling, a risk factor for falls, is being understood as an emerging public health problem (Denkinger et al., 2010; Hill, Schwarz, Kalogeropoulos, Gibson, 1996; Li, Fisher, Harmer, McAuley, 2005). Evidence suggests that both fallers and non fallers experience psychological problems associated with falls (Honaker, 2001). Previous researches have termed psychological factors as fear, diminished self efficacy and loss of confidence(Topping, 1994; Gai, Gomes, Jansen, 2009; Legters, Verbus, Kitchen, Tomecsko, Urban, 2006; Pednekar, 2007). In community dwelling elderly, a complex interaction has been found among fear of falling, falls self- efficacy, increased physical impairments and diminished functional ability and activity participation (Legters et al., 2006; Maxwell, 2006; Mihalko, 1997; Tinetti, Richman, Powell, 1990b; Pednekar, 2007). This interactive cycle encompasses fear of falling which leads to activity restriction and further decreasing physical capabilities such as functional mobility, balance and strength which leads to decreased confidence and fear of falling (Pednekar, 2007). A home-based training exercise should be directed toward strengthening weak muscles and balance. The consequence of muscular weakness and co-contraction is lack of confidence (Tinetti, Richman, Powell, 1990a) which makes elderly people loss their self-confidence and fear of falls (Hill et al., 1996). Fear of falling deteriorates the balance reactions and leads to increased risk of falls and increased risk of injury (Okada, Hirakawa, Takada, Kinoshita, 2001). Loss of confidence among elderly people results in functional limitations and may cause restriction in activity due to fear of falling, which is very common problem among community-dwelling older adults with or without experience of falls (Hansma, Emmelot-Vonk, Verhaar, 2010). Under a public health perspective, the access to home-exercise programs seems to be easier. Once implemented, a home-exercise program should be capable to reach a broad audience (Ashworth et al 2005). So, it is logical that improved muscular strength can result in self-confidence, reduce fear of falls, increase balance and decrease risk of falls. A great number of studies have proposed that only additional research with frail elderly individuals will help answer if home-based training would improve balance in older ages (Nelson et al., 2004; Baker et al., 2001). We, therefore, decided to test the hypothesis that an individual home-based muscle strength training in high risk individuals (60 years old and above elderly people with previous history of falls in last 12 months) would be feasible with minimal expert supervision and would result in clinically important improvements in balance and functional performance. The role of care givers in this study is to fill the log books, because most of the elderly subjects have health illiteracy. Significant of the study This dissertation contributes to the scientific literature in different interrelated ways. Firstly, the finding of this study can contribute to the body of knowledge in regard to falls among elderly. Falls have been explored by several researchers from different aspects; however it needs more scientific and empirical investigations to find out the ways to prevent the fall or alleviate the incidence of falls among frail elderly community-dwellers. To achieve a better understanding of falls, its consequences and prevention of falls, this area of research needs a richer body of knowledge to illuminate the way for other researchers to explore the ways to reduce risk of falls. Secondly, the findings of this study, practically, can contribute to alleviate the problem of falls among frail elderly people in community. This study looks the problem of falls from both biological (muscular strength) and psychological (self-efficacy) point of view. So, any falls prevention program has to consider the results of this dissertation as evidence to plan a comprehensive program on falls. In addition, finding of this dissertation can be used by falls prevention planners. All programs designed to prevent falls can benefit from this study, because it is planned to reduce morbidity and reduces burden of falls for person, family and healthcare services. American Geriatrics Society recommends some activities including exercise and/or physical to prevent falls among elderly people. Health professionals after orienting to the program can deliver and supervise the exercise training program for older people. The program has been tested as a single intervention but could be delive red in a multifactorial falls prevention program, too. Thirdly, the findings of this study can be used by other health practitioners in different disciplines to utilize exercise training to reduce the risk of falls among their elderly clients. So many other researchers have investigated the benefits of the exercise for other high risk groups such as patients with chronic diseases e.g. Parkinson Disease (PD), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Stroke, Arthritis and other neuromuscular or articular diseases, depression, anxiety, etc. This study highlights the importance of exercise training among elderly people. Moreover, the current study is one of the first studies on the problem of falls in Iranian elderly community. In developing countries where sources are limited, the exercise program can be offered first to those with high risk e.g. history of falls, aged 70 and older. However, other aged people can benefit the advantages of this program. Objectives This study is planned to investigate the relationship between muscular strength to risk of fall among community dweller elderly people. To achieve this objective, the following specific goals are followed: To describe the subjects muscular strength, self-efficacy, fear of falls and balance before and after intervention To examine the relationship between subjects background variables, muscular strength, self-efficacy and fear of falls before and after intervention To examine the relationship between subjects muscular strength and risk of falls before and after intervention Hypotheses The home-based training exercise can improve muscular strengths among elderly people. Strong muscles can directly increase physical balance which is considered as proxy for decreased risk of falls among elderly people. Moreover stronger muscled can increase self-efficacy and reduce fear of falling and decreased risk of falls among elderly people. Definition of key words History of falls Conceptual: History of falls is previous experience of the event of falls. In this study, fall is an unexpected, involuntary loss of balance by which a person comes to rest at a lower or ground level (Kelly Dowling, ). Other researchers have defined falls as An unintentional descent that may or may not result in an injury, and in which any motion of descent may not necessarily result in a landing. (Berry et al., 2010). Operational: In this research, history of falls is defined as any report of falls incidence by which a person comes to rest at a lower or ground level, in subjects of the study. Any incidence of falls in last 12 months is considered as history of falls. Moreover, the number of falls during intervention is questioned. Data are collected by a questionnaire. In the questionnaire history of falls during last 12 months and causes of falls are questioned. No history of falls, one incidence of falls and two or more falls are categorized as non-faller, accidental faller and recurrent faller, consecutively. Fear of Falls Conceptual: fear of falling, first described as ptophobia, by Bhala, ODonnell, Thoppil, 1982, which means a phobic reaction to standing or walking and was subsequently classified by Murphy Isaacs in 1982 as Post fall syndrome (Jung, 2008). Operational: In this study Falls Efficacy Scale (FES) is used to assess clients fear of falling. It is a rating scale with 10 items to assess clients confidence in performing daily activities. Each item is rated from 1, meaning extreme confidence to 10, meaning no confidence at all. Participants with lower self-efficacy report avoiding most of activities because of fear of falling and get higher FES scores. On the other hands, participants with higher self-efficacy report less avoiding most of activities because of fear of falling and represent lower FES scores. Balance Conceptual: Benjuya, Melzer, Kaplanski defined balance as the ability to maintain an upright posture during both static and dynamic tasks (Bird, Hill, Ball, Williams, 2009). Operational: In this study balance is the subjects score in Berg Balance Scale. Total Score is varies between 0 and 56. In interpretation of Berg Balance Scale low, medium and high risk of falls are corresponded to 41-56, 21-40 and 0-20, respectively. Muscular strength Conceptual: Muscular strength is defined as the maximal ability of a muscle to contract and generate force (Hanney, Kolber, Schack-Dugre, Negrete, Pabian, 2010). Operational: operationally muscular strength in lower extremity and hand grip are assessed. For lower extremity muscular strength the chair stand test commonly used. The chair stand test is a physical performance test used to assess lower-extremity function. A 5 repetition test is a measure of strength (Ward et al., 2010). Subjects hand grip force score in their left and right hands will be recorded. Individual patients whose grip strength is less than the lower limit of the confidence intervals can be considered to be impaired grip (Bohannon, Peolsson, Massy-Westropp, Desrosiers, Bear-Lehman, 2006). Exercise Conceptual: A subset of physical activity. It is planned and repetitive body movement, which improves or maintains one or more components of physical fitness (e.g., cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, balance, flexibility)(Pate, 1995). Operational: operationally exercise is a set of muscular strengthening action used to increase balance in terms of Berg Balance Score (BBS) and reduce the risk of falls among participants of the study. Self efficacy: Conceptual: Bandura (1986) defined self-efficacy as, Peoples judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required attaining designated types of performances (p. 391). Self efficacy means ones self confidence towards learning. People usually engage in certain behaviors when they believe they are capable of implementing those behaviors successfully, this means that they have high self-efficacy (Bandura, 2007). Operational: In this study subjects scores in the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale are considered as their self-efficacy. The Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale is a scale with 16 items; each item is rated from 0% (no confidence) to 100% (complete confidence). Clients are asked to rate the level of confidence that they will lose their balance in daily activities. Conceptual Model This study will be conducted based on a modern biologic theory called wear and tear theory and Orems self-care theory. In this study the wear and tear theory is used to explain why muscular strength and balance deteriorates during old ages. Orems self-care theory is utilized to explain how self-care through exercise can maintain and improve an old persons ability for balance and reduce the risk of falls. Moreover, Banduras self-efficacy explains the moderating role of self-efficacy between muscular strength, fear of falls and balance to risk of falls among elderly people. Proposed conceptual framework Background Age Gender Marital Status Education Mental status SES Chronic Diseases Medication Health literacy ADL/IADL Self-rated Health (IV) Muscular Strength Fear of Falls Self-Efficacy (DV) Falls Risk (Balance) Chapter Two There has been a lack of investigation on effectiveness of home-based exercise, since there have been few randomized control trials (RCTs) evaluating home-based exercise (Kamide et al 2009). Home-based exercise programs are thought to be effective in improving functional performance and balance in functionally impaired elders (Nelson et al 2004). It is demonstrated that participation in a supervised home-based exercise program was associated with significant improvements in exercise beliefs, including exercise self-efficacy and outcomes expectation (Matsuda, Shumway-Cook, Ciol, 2010). This study is trying to investigate effectiveness of home-based exercise on reducing the risk of falls among elderly people based on theoretical framework and review of related literature. This chapter is devoted to disclose two main sections of the dissertation. First, the theoretical framework of the study will be discussed and then the main related literature to this study will be reviewed. Theoretical Framework In this section, theories of wear and tear and self-care are introduced. The wear and tear theory explains the process of biologic changes during old ages which makes humans cells and tissues degenerated. Moreover, self-care theory explains how anyone (self-care agent) can exert some measurements and actions to maintain health and well being. Wear and Tear Theory Wear and tear theory of ageing was first introduced by Dr. August Weismann in 1982 (Salvi, Akhtar, Currie, 2006). The wear and tear theory of aging believes that the effects of aging are caused by damage done to cells and body systems over time. Essentially, these systems wear out due to use. Once they wear out, they can no longer function correctly (Giampapa Williamson, 2004). According to the theory, aging occurs through wear and tear that leads to the progressive accumulation of damage(Murphy Partrige, 2008) The theory postulates that the daily grind of life, in particular disuse or overuse, literally wears the body out, leading to disease states (tears). The degeneration of muscles, cartilage and eventual grinding of bone on bone is examples of the aging process on body joints, as wear and tear exceed the bodys ability to repair (MacWilliam, 2002). The wear and tear profile over the course of time determines such degradations as loss of information (genetic and epigenetic mutations during the life course), loss of structural integrity (increases in entropy), and breakdowns in the emergent property of complexity (Juckett, et al. 2009). Based on wear and tear theory, senile muscular muscles atrophy starts after middle ages, especially when muscles are disused or overused (Giampapa et al., 2004). The process of degeneration is associated with senile changes in body and progressively reduces muscular bulk. There are good evidences to support that type 2 muscles are more prone to degenerated than type 1 muscles (Mannion et al., 2000). Deterioration in muscular size and number in old ages causes muscular atrophy and in combination of other senile changes in other organs (neurons) (Klitgaard et al., 2008) eventually ends up a loss of muscular strength and balance disorder which may predisposes old people to risk of falls (Sturnieks, 2008). Lack of muscular strength and balance affects patients self-efficacy and make them more susceptible to falls (Campbell et al., 1997), because of fear of falls(Denkinger et al., 2010). Self-care theory Self care theory was given by Dorothea Orem between 1959 and 2001 with a unique philosophy that patients have different level of independently. Orems self-care framework is based on the three components of self-care deficit theory, self-care theory and the nursing system theory (Denyes, Orem, Bekel, 2001). Self-care is defined by WHO as activities individuals, families, and communities perform in order to enhance their health, prevent diseases, limit illnesses, and restore health (Klainin Ounnapiruk, 2010). These activities are undertaken by lay people on their own behalf, either independently or in participative collaboration with healthcare professionals. There are several examples for self-care behavior including seeking health-related information, exercising and consuming healthy diets (Klainin et al., 2010). Self-Care Agency Self-care agency, as defined by Orem (2001), refers to the power of individuals to engage in self-care and their capability for self-care. The person who uses this power or self-care ability is the self-care agent. Self-care agency is acquired and affected by family members and care giver. They specifically may affect the clients adherence to behavioral changes and treatment regimens and overall outcomes (Rutledge et al., 1999). There is a power component to self-care agency, which addresses the importance of knowledge, attitudes, and skills that enable the individual to engage in self-care (Kumar, 2007) Nursing System Nursing system are interventions needed when individual is unable to perform the necessary self-care activities and categorized in three distinct levels as follow: Wholly compensatory in which care givers provides entire self-care for the client. An example of this category is an elderly person hospitalized in critical care unit who need a care giver for his basic needs to survive. Partial compensatory in which a care giver and client perform care; client can perform selected self-care activities, but also accepts care done by the care giver for needs the client cannot meet independently. An example of this category is an elderly person who needs help for some activities such as ambulating, but is able to perform most activities by his own. Supportive-educative in which training is planned to help the client develop/learn their own self-care abilities through knowledge, education, support and encouragement. A good example of this category is educating the elderly client to perform exercise to strengthen the muscles or to teach how to do insulin self-injection. In this research, the third category of nursing system will be applied among elderly people to strengthen their upper and lower extremities muscle to improve their balance and reduce the risk of falls Review of literature A recent study, by Matsuda et al 2010, proposed that effectiveness of any exercise to improve physical function varies with level of frailty, format and intensity of exercise program, and kind of supervision. A systemic review summarized the best evidence for effectiveness of interventions designed to reduce the incidence of falls in older people living in the community, concluded that home-based exercises and Tai Chi were specific exercise programs that showed benefit (Carpenter, 2010b). Home-based exercise program among relatively healthy older adult are proven to be effective in functional performance than group-based programs. In an Iranian study researchers conducted a 12 weeks home-base exercise training in 40 -65 years old Iranian women to prevent osteoporosis and increase muscular strength and balance (Shirazi et al., 2007). In another study researchers conducted a home base training exercise on Parkinson disease patient. They concluded that individuals with Parkinsons disease can significantly improve functional performance measures utilizing a convenient, cost effective, home-based exercise intervention (Nocera, Gainesville, Horvat, Athens, 2008). Other recent studies on standing exercise and balance training program on balance confidence, balance performance, and gait in debilitated, ambulatory community-dwelling older adults supported that exercise can improve balance, However, definitive conclusions need to await validation from more rigorously designed studies before the present training program can be confidently recommended to physical therapists engaged in home care practice(Miller, Magel, Hayes, 2010). In New Zealand, the Otago Exercise Program is designed as a home-based training exercise with combination of strength, balance exercises and walking program to prevent falls. The program is individually designed program three times a week and progressed over time. Four randomized controlled trials in different setting disclosed the effects of training program among elderly people. In another supervised 6-week, multidimensional home-based exercise program, researchers found that the program was safe and associated with improvements in physical and exercise-related belief outcome measures(Matsuda et al., 2010). Some researchers have used some technical instrument to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls among elderly people (Runge, Rehfeld, Resnicek, 2000). However, any community home-based program should integrate the training into peoples everyday life. It would be feasible, economic and more acceptable for elderly people rather than high technical procedures. A randomized controlled pilot study with 12-week physical and/or nutritional intervention program was followed by six months of home-based exercises for the training groups, followed up with training diaries aiming to describe the effects of a physical training and nutritional intervention program on the physical activity level and activities of daily living (ADL) in frail elderly people found moderate correlations between increases in physical activity level and ADL as well as between the amounts of home-based exercises and ADL for the two training groups (Rydwik, Frandin, Akner, 2009). Another study found that a 6-month, home-based exercise program consisting of progressive strength training, balance exercises and general physical activity improves functional performance and balance in functionally impaired elders (Nelson et al., 2004). Finding of another study concluded that an exercise class even once every 2 weeks is very effective in enhancing physical function in ambulatory i ndividuals aged over 73 years, provided that it is supplemented by a home-based exercise program (Suzuki, Kim, Yoshida, Ishizaki, 2004). However they suggested a large scale study to confirm their results and to evaluate the most effective exercises for the prevention of falls. Researchers concluded that incorporation of exercises in daily life is important in maintaining an appropriate level of physical function in the elderly. Prevention of falls and injuries is not easy, however, because they are complex events caused by a combination of intrinsic impairments and disabilities (Kannus, Niemi, Parkkari, Palvanen, Sievznen, 2007) fall prevention in elderly people consists of regular strength and balance training, vitamin D and calcium supplementation, reduction of the number and doses of psychotropic medication, cataract surgery, and professional home-hazard assessment and management in people with a history of falling (Kannus, Sievenen, Palvanen, Jervinen, Parkkari, 2005). On the other hand, a single-factor intervention such as exercise could also reduce many impairments and disabilities and more distant risk factors for falling simultaneously. Muscle mass diminishes considerably between the ages of 20 and 80 years (Sturnieks, St George, Lord, 2008d). Sarcopenia is a common problem among elderly people and is associated with loss of muscle mass and strength (Iannuzzi-Sucich, 2002). Understanding age-related changes in the physiological systems imperative to balance is of importance to prevent falls in older people and reduce the injury-related burden on individuals and society (Sturnieks, St George, Lord, 2008c). It has been estimated that the human beings in their 4th to 8th decade of life lose approximately half of muscle mass and muscle strength (Spirduso, 2005). Senile muscular atrophy predominantly occurs in type 2 muscle fibers which ends up a degenerated muscular bulk in which remaining muscle mass is not only smaller and weaker but slower as well (Kostka, 2010; Faulkner, 1995). The most primary atrophy occurs in quadriceps, hamstrings and back muscles with the highest concentration of type II fibers (Kostka, 2010). It has also been consistently proven that power-generating capabilities of type II fibers is approximately four times more than of type I fibers (Faulkner, 1995; Metter, 1997). Muscular strength is typically maintained at peak levels until the fifth or sixth decade, after which accelerated losses occur, with strength decreasing approximately 50% by the age of 80 year (Sturnieks, St George, Lord, 2008b). Deficits in skeletal muscle strength, balance, and gait, being major causes of frailty and risk factors for falls, are equivalently and potentially reversible by exercise training (Suzuki et al., 2004). One proposed intervention for preventing falls and fall-related injuries in the elderly is exercise. If falls occur at least in part because of physical deficits in balance, strength, reaction time, and flexibility, then it is plausible to believe that exercise targeted to improve these deficits might result in fewer fall and/or injury events. The role of strength exercise in falls prevention is under investigation. In a recent study, researchers evaluated the balance and weight training to alter gait characteristics of elderly to reduce the likelihood of slip-induced falls. The results indicated decreases in heel contact velocities and the friction demand characteristics after 8 weeks of training, although fundamental gait characteristics, such as walking velocity and step length, were not changed (Kim Lockhart, 2010). Latham, et al 2003 in a randomized control trial found that among older people recently discharged from hospital quadriceps strengthening exercises failed to reduce falls rates and was associated with a significant risk of musculoskeletal injury (Sturnieks, St George, Lord, 2008a). A recent study investigating the effects of a multifactorial fall prevention trial on the specified risk factors of falling, incidence of falls and injurious falls did not find significant difference between control and intervention groups (Sjosten et al., 2007). However there are some evidences to support effectiveness of training program among elderly people (Kruger et al., 2009; Madureira, Bonfb, Takayama, Pereira, 2010) Review of literature reveals that self-confidence deteriorates because of muscular weakness and make old people to fear of falls (Davis, 1999; Evitt, 2003; Gai et al., 2009). Bandura in his book 1997 wrote that: People make causal contributions to their own psychosocial functioning through mechanisms of personal agency. Among the mechanisms of agency