Project Development and Implementation for Strategic Managers

Executive Summary Project management is pivotal to business growth and development. In project management, project selection using a relevant tool is critical. Therefore, project managers should put emphasis on the best tool to use when selecting a project.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Project Development and Implementation for Strategic Managers specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is prudent to note that, project cycle should be followed appropriately to ensure the success of the project implemented in handled as stipulated. This paper takes a critical and succinct analysis of three projects and subsequent selection of one project for full implementation. Project 1 Productivity system analysis and management project Productivity system analysis and management project is an online human resource management tool that will be used to analyze and manage employees’ productivity in the company. Purpose and Scope The purpose of this project is to install an efficient employee productivity analysis and management tool. The project will cover Golden Tools Ltd Company stores in Dubai. Project Executive Summary Productivity system analysis and management is an online human resource management tool used to analyze and manage employees’ productivity. This management tool comprises of software which takes a critical analysis of each employee performance and how to improve it. Project Objective Objective Targets To increase employee productivity in the company Excellent 80%-100% Good 69%-79% Accepted50%-68% To increase customer satisfaction in the company Excellent 80%-100% Good 69%-79% Accepted50%-68% To motivate employees for better performance Excellent 80%-100% Good 69%-79% Accepted50%-68% The project strives to ensure that productivity level is maintained high in the company so that the company continues to reap from the economies of scale associated with efficient and knowledgeable employee. Management Management is pivotal for the success of a project (Deegan 2009). This is because management streamlines the operation and goal of the company towards achieving the prescribed vision. It is prudent to note that, employees play a fundamental role in overall performance of a company.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Project Design Constraints Financial constrain features prominently in this project. Future Contingencies Future technological advancement poses a great challenge to the success of a project (Kotler and Keller 2009). This is because new technology will be required to maintain the desired success of the project. Points of Contact The points of points of contact will include the following Project Manager, System Proponent, User Organization, Quality Assurance (QA) Manager, Security Manager, and Configuration Manager. Project 2 Launc h of a new product Project 2 is to launch a new washing detergent product in the market. The product is a house hold consumer product which will change washing forever. Purpose and Scope The purpose of this project is to plan for launching of a new product in the market. The project will cover Golden Tools Ltd Company stores in Dubai, (U.A.E.) before it is rolled to other places around the globe. Project Executive Summary A new washing product is necessary for household. This project will give consumer an opportunity to choose one the washing detergent. Project Objective Objective Targets To increase company profits Excellent 80%-100% Good 69%-79% Accepted50%-68% To increase customer satisfaction in the company Excellent 80%-100% Good 69%-79% Accepted50%-68% The project strives to ensure that the company sells high quality products for great customer satisfactionAdvertising We will write a custom report sample on Project Development and Implementation for Strategic Ma nagers specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Project Design Constraints Financial constrain features prominently in this project. Future Contingencies Stiff competition in the market is the future contingencies. Points of Contact The points of points of contact will include the following Project Manager, System Proponent, User Organization, Quality Assurance (QA) Manager, Security Manager, and Configuration Manager. Project 3 Customer Feedback Software Installation Customer feedback software installation project is managerial software which will monitor customer purchasing trend, reaction and feedback. The information collected is needed for strategic planning. Purpose and Scope The purpose of this project is to install an efficient Customer feedback software installation and management tool. The project will cover Golden Tools Ltd Company stores in Dubai. Project Executive Summary Customer feedback is very important in plan as well produc t development. In this regard, this project strives to enhance customer data collection for adequate planning. Project Objective Objective targets To increase enhance customer satisfaction Excellent 80%-100% Good 69%-79% Accepted50%-68% To enhance planning in the company Excellent 80%-100% Good 69%-79% Accepted50%-68% Project Design Constraints Customer feedback software installation requires technical knowledge which will ensure that some of the employees are taken for specialized training. Another constrain is timeAdvertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Future Contingencies Future technological innovation may render the current software obsolete. Therefore, continuous upgrade will be necessary. Points of Contact The points of points of contact will include the following Project Manager, System Proponent, User Organization, Quality Assurance (QA) Manager, Security Manager, and Configuration Manager. Project selection Project selection metrics Project 1 ID Project selection metric Supporting document Supporting document Weighted point Awarded points 1 Financial favourability The project measure of financial benefits Financial spreadsheet 15 10 2 Financial Cost The project innovative nature for enhance competition Business case 15 10 3 Organizational advantage Project ability to create new product which generate high profits to the company Visions document 15 12 4 Risk The level of risk the project has to the entire business Project charter 15 10 5 Internal efficiency The project ability to enhance internal operation Proj ect charter 15 10 Total 75 52 Project 2 ID Project selection metric Supporting document Supporting document Weighted point Awarded points 1 Financial favourability The project measure of financial benefits Financial spreadsheet 15 15 2 Financial Cost The project innovative nature for enhance competition Business case 15 14 3 Organizational advantage Project ability to create new product which generate high profits to the company Visions document 15 14 4 Risk The level of risk the project has to the entire business Project charter 15 11 5 Internal efficiency The project ability to enhance internal operation Project charter 15 15 Total 75 69 Project 3 ID Project selection metric Supporting document Supporting document Weighted point Awarded points 1 Financial favourability The project measure of financial benefits Financial spreadsheet 15 10 2 Financial Cost The project innovative nature for enhance competition Business case 15 10 3 Organizational advantage Project ability to create new product which generate high profits to the company Visions document 15 10 4 Risk The level of risk the project has to the entire business Project charter 15 10 5 Internal efficiency The project ability to enhance internal operation Project charter 15 10 Total 75 50 Based on the above project selection metric, project 2 is more viable that the rest since it has high aggregate points on selection metrics. Time Value of Money Time Value of Money play a major role in the analysis of the concept of capital budgeting. The theory of Time Value of Money states that â€Å"having a dollar today is worth having a dollar a tomorrow† (Drury 1996, p. 61). Time factor is significant in the analysis of current and future returns in a business world which surrounded with several risks. WACC The Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) is a critical element of capital budgeting. According to Drury (1996), â€Å"the Weighted Average Cost of C apital is a measure of how much a business needs to gain on its investments annually to maintain its current overall value†(71). Towards this, entities that offer loans or buy shares will expect a certain amount of return on their investment (Deegan 2009). Internal Rate of Return Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is a process used to find out the return percentage in a new business project that offers future cash flows. In the calculation of IRR, the application of annual projected payments and the initial investment is critical. Capital Budgeting Issues While carrying out capital budgeting, the calculation of the WACC should be done for the business and the calculation of IRR for the project to be undertaken (Reiss 2007). In a situation where the IRR is greater than the WACC, then it is a viable business project and should be pursued. It is prudent to note that, financial theory would recommend pursuing all projects that have an IRR in excess of WACC, but this should be done caut iously. In addition, increasing of a company debt or selling more shares normally alters WACC since the expected return on debt and equity rise. This depicts that some projects that were profitable due to a higher IRR will no longer be viable. Demski (1994) explains that, â€Å"firms should consider the WACC not only on the basis of current return rates, but also on more debt or owners shares† (23). A critical and succinct analysis of Wheel Industries case study reveals a number of financial situations which forms the basis of the recommendation made. Planning for product launch project Research will be carried out to determine the market segment through the use of questionnaires. Purpose This oral tool of data collection gives a deeper insight to the issue in question in certain ways, for example, by giving the participants a channel to voice their challenges and their various ways of dealing with them. Strategy for implementing the project The project will be implemented th rough proper planning and execution of tasks. The use of media and social network sites will be some of the calculated strategies for implementation. Fierce marketing strategies will be implemented prior to product launch to enhance awareness. Innovative TV adverts concerning the new product will be run on several leading TV channels in Dubai. In addition, marketing will also be done on social networks. Media publicity Golden Tools Ltd will invest resources in media publicity and technology as marketing strategy. Advertisements on the Audio visual medium are significant as it gives company an opportunity to flaunt its products. Social media Social networking sites as marketing tools provide a unique experience and feature that can only be taped by exploring the existing diversity. An innovative firm such as Toyota must tap in millions social network users globally. Kotler and Amstrong (2007) highlight that, â€Å"For resources to be in tune with the emerging opportunities there is need for dynamic marketing strategies† (38). Public Involvement Employees and public are quite important in implementation process. In this regard, they will form part of the implementation strategy. Intermediaries Globalization in the retail industry has yielded results due to the platform it has created in consolidation of the worldwide supply base. In the past, a number of international corporations either have shipped parts to their offshore affiliates or have relied on the local supply bases. Segmentation Market segmentation is critical as a paradigm shift in marketing strategy in global retail industry. In this regard, The Company will concentrate in area where it has a great competitive advantage while at the same time penetrating new markets. Target Table Class Social status Occupation Population size(million) % population A Upper Middle CEO, Business owners, Top Professional 5 5 B Middle Professional 30 30 C Lower Middle Clerical, Supervisors 35 35 D Skille d working Semi-skilled 20 20 E Working Casual, low grade 10 10 Project Costing Particulars Cost($000) Marketing 100 VIP product launch 50 Planning 5 Road show promotion 15 Labour 5 Total 175 Timescales for the implementation of the project Product Launch Promotion and selling Road shows TV marketing Online marketing Packaging Product design Planning 1 day 3 days 60days 1 day 10days 2 days 15 days 40 days Period Activity Preceded by Elapsed Planning – 1 Product design A 3 Packaging B 60 Online Marketing – 1 TV Marketing – 10 Road shows CD 2 Product launch F 15 Promotions and selling EG 40 Critical Path Conclusion Project management is a critical process which requires serious planning and implementation of activities. Therefore, it is prudent to carry out a proper project selection using the best method. Similarly, tasks should be carried out on time to ensure that costs are incurred as budgeted. This is because when tasks are carried outside the stipulated time there are cost implications which are incurred. In this regard, the above implementation of the product launch project will strictly follow the time frame for successful implementation. Reference List Deegan, C 2009, Financial accounting theory, 3rd edn, London, McGraw-Hill. Demski, SJ 1994, Managerial uses of accounting information, New York, NY, Springer. Drury, C 1996, Management and Cost Accounting, 4th edn, New York, NY, McGraw Hill/Irwin. Guthrie, J Parker, L 1990, ‘Corporate social disclosure practice’: A comparative international analysis’, Advances in Public Interest Accounting, vol.3, pp. 162. Kotlar, P 2003, ‘Marketing insights from A to Z’, 80 concepts every manager needs to know. New York, NY, John Wiley and Sons. Kotler, P Keller, K 2009, A framework for marketing management. Philadelphia, Pearson I nternational Edition. Kotler, P Amstrong, P 2007. Principles of Marketing. New York, NY,John Wiley and Sons Reiss, G., 2007, Project management demystified. New York, NY,Routledge, This report on Project Development and Implementation for Strategic Managers was written and submitted by user Hayley T. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Charles Dickens Tone Essays - Charles Dickens, A Tale Of Two Cities

Charles Dickens Tone Essays - Charles Dickens, A Tale Of Two Cities Charles Dickens Tone When creating a story many authors, like Charles Dickens, show and express their feelings on certain topics through their writings. Charles Dickens uses this technique as a universal translator for all of his writings for his readers as he expresses his disgusted views on the judicial system in a Tale of Two Cities. Through literary devices Dickens is able to show us the unfairness of the judicial system, during the French revolution as he creates this disgust tone in chapter three of book two. During this time the independence that is so renown in the United States in the 20th century, was revoked from most citizens during the 1700s. Charles Dickens felt that everyone should be treated equal and receive fair trials for the acts they are accused of. The rest of France however thought differently. In chapter three book two, Charles Dickens uses the blue flies as symbolism for the courtroom. Excluding Mr. Darnay, the people of the court were deceitful and untrustworthy. Even the judge in this chapter was accusing the innocent individual, creating an unfair trial. This corruption disgusted Dickens so bad that he would compare the people in the courtroom to an item so revolting that flies would gather around them as they spoke of their evasiveness and favoritism. This represented a symbol of squalor and waste as Dickens describes it. His thought went so far into detail that he was able to give the readers a perception of this destructive justice called a courtroom. Another way Dickens adequately conveys his feelings toward the system is how the people in the courtroom perceived about Mr. Darnay and his punishment. Dickens helps us to see the coldness in the court when he says: The accused who was and knew he was-being mentally hanged, beheaded and quartered by everybody there, neither flinched at the situation, nor assumed any theatrical air in it. Dickens explains to the reader that the people in the courtroom were aware of his punishment and did not concern themselves that he would be put to death in such a cruel manner. It would be just a normal day for the townspeople. In fact, they would pay for the hanging of the man and cheer afterwards. This sickened Dickens to see such barbaric acts towards another member of the community, that he would expose the court so bluntly. The feeling of the court was diminutive of heart that Dickens would reveal, to the last detail, of cruelty for the readers to vision. During a time of so called creative differences of people and a time of barbaric humanitarians, it could be assumed that Charles Dickens seemed advanced in his way of pondering the way a society should live. He was able to see past social differences between people and live different than the world around him. He accomplished this task so well that even an average individual of the 20th century would not be able to perceive nor consider.

Consciousness & Coma Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Consciousness & Coma - Research Paper Example The words ‘consciousness’ and ‘coma’ are two different states of mind. If defined from a broader perspective, consciousness is the state of awareness of the self and coma is the state of complete unawareness. Psychologically ‘consciousness’ is deep rooted in man’s thought structure and his response to the surrounding. The faculty of the mind undergoes a subjective experience stimulating his senses. In the field of medicine, consciousness is determined by a patient’s response to medication and physical activities. Psychologically ‘coma’  is  the unconsciousness of the mind unable to perceive his own state and an unwilling suspension of the thought structure of the mind. To a doctor it is the patient’s nervous breakdown and retarding movement of the body and the mind due to any brain injury caused by a shock or accident. More specifically the patients in the situation of Coma tend to respond in a different man ner than as normal patients. The patients in the situation of Coma are found to communicate to the external world through some reflex movements of the body muscles. Coma patients are observed to make their muscle tendons stiff enough as to render some communicative signals to the outer world. This type of non-verbal communication patterns emerges from the patient’s increased involvement with the inner consciousness, which causes the happening of reflexive actions (Tomandl & Jacob, n.d.) The interplay between the conscious state of mind and the surroundings determine the consequences faced by the comatose patient. In order to understand the connection between the state of coma and consciousness it is important to identify the various states of the conscious human mind. The psychiatrists also deal with this joint study of consciousness and coma. Psychologists are interpreting these in various ways. Both the terms define opposite

MANAGEMENT INNOVATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

MANAGEMENT INNOVATION - Essay Example Market opportunities need to be seized with alacrity and new territories explored with professional ease and objectivity. Time should not denounce Nokia later that, like other large companies, it could not stay ahead of its time nor engage its rivals and competitiors in eventful combat in the market place. For this it is necessary that Nokia should be ahead of its times and grab every innovative opportunity that comes its way. During the course of this research, recourse has been sought to empower resources at their command through cases. Research design is mainly framed to identify and analyze different ways for conducting the research and it also involves taking decision related to the sources from which the information has to be collected. Research design is an arrangement of situation and examination of all the information in a way that it aims to connect the significance of the research. Finally it is seen whether the objectives of research has been met in terms of the research questions. It is seen that to a very large extent, the secondary research has been able to meet the goals and objectives of research. The history of Nokia could be traced back to 19th century, 1865 to be precise, when an enterprising engineer called Frederik Idestam constructed a wood-pulp mill factory in South Finland. The town in which this factory was built was called Nokia, which has also rendered the brand its name. During the early years, Nokia’s main business was paper and pulp, which gained a reasonable degree of success because of the demand for this kind of paper in Europe, post the industrial revolution. Russia was one of their main buyers. However, the disintegration of Russia during the early 1990s also adversely swung the future of Nokia and for a brief period, this company went into bankruptcy. Upon recovery, it began to focus on telecommunications,

The role of judges in making law in Uk courts Essay

The role of judges in making law in Uk courts - Essay Example This principle of precedent is also known as 'stare decisis'. This precedent should be created by a high ranking court and not from the courts of first instance. They are supposed to follow strictly the already existing law and precedents. Often these courts would be engaged in fact finding since they are not expected to hear full legal arguments of the parties. The courts administration documents and reports the decisions from 1865 in U.K. It is called now Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. It brings out The Weekly Law Reports and The Law Reports. The decisions that are taken as legal precedents shall have 'ratio decidendi' behind them. The ratio decidendi must be related to the law and not on factual findings. It can not also be 'obiter dictum' mentioned as a passing reference while deciding the case and shall have no legal basis for future decisions. The ratio which is binding shall have legal principles and rules considered for finding a solution for the problem in the case. The 'obiter dicta' however are treated as persuasive authority which later judges can use them for arriving at their decisions but are not bound to treat them as precedents.(UK law online) Precedent has a very important role in the common law. It ensures certainty and consistency and logical progression and development in the law. At the same time it can be rigid and also complex - what is "the law" on a subject may be very difficult to find or to state as it is spread across many cases. So, many countries (especially in Continental Europe) prefer a codified system in which laws are set out in legislation and cases which apply them may be illustrative but do not become binding. The law is also easier to find and to state and is rationally prospective rather than based on the chance event of litigation, which may give rise to laws based on extreme or unusual situations or unevenly argued cases. For example, here is the offence of murder in US Federal Law. By contrast, the law of murder in England is contained in several cases, and even having read them there may be room for doubt. As for English law, the classic definition of murder is considered to be that given by Lo rd Chief Justice Coke who (writing in the early seventeenth century) said: "Murder is when a man of sound memory and of the age of discretion, unlawfully killeth within any county of the realm any reasonable creature in rerum natura under the King's peace, with malice aforethought, either expressed by the party or implied by law, so as the party wo, or hurt etc. die of the wound or hurt etc .within a year and a day of the same." (UK Law online) Blackstone stated in eighteenth century that court decisions were mere evidence of common law. (Commentaries pp 88-9) Later Lord Esher said in 1892 that there was no judge made law as such since the judges did not make law but only applied prevailing law not previously applied authoritatively (Willis v Baddeley) However these views are refuted by late professor Cross stating "a rule stated in a precedent is law properly so called and law because it was made by the judges, not because it originated in common usage, or the judge's idea of justice and public convenience" (Cross R 1991 p 28) Cross holds that Lord Esher's view that application of existing law to new circumstances actually is similar to statement of

Left And Right Censored Survival Times Philosophy Essay

Left And Right Censored Survival Times Philosophy Essay Provide a clear explanation of what is meant by left censored and right censored survival times, and illustrate your answer with some examples of how each may arise in a social science context. Suppose that you have continuous time unemployment spell data. The data were derived using a stock sample with follow-up (i.e. interviews some time after the stock sampling date). You also know the date of the interview, at which time information about characteristics were collected, and whether or not the spell in progress at the stock sampling date was still in progress and, if not, the date the spell ended. By deduction, you can calculate the length of time between the stock sample date and the date at which each person was last observed to be unemployed (the interview date for those still unemployed; or some date between the stock sample date and interview date for those who got a job). However, you dont know the date at which each persons spell began, and nor therefore the length of each persons unemployment spell in total from start until last observed. With reference to expressions for the sample log-likelihood function, show that it is possible to estimate the parameters of a n Exponential hazard regression model in this case. Also discuss, giving reasons, whether you could estimate a Weibull model with the same data. [adapted from Wooldridge (2002, Ex. 20.3)] Assume that you have a random sample from the inflow to the state, and all survival times are right-censored. (i) Write down the sample log-likelihood function for this situation. (ii) Derive the special case of likelihood function given in (i) when survival times follow the Gompertz distribution. [Recall that the Gompertz model has hazard function q(t, X) = lexp (gt), where l = exp (b0 + b1X1 + b2X2 + à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + bkXk) and shape parameter g > 0.] (iii) Consider the Gompertz model in which the covariate vector X only contains a constant. Show that the Gompertz log likelihood cannot be maximized for real numbers b0 and g. (iv) From (iii), what do you conclude about estimating duration models from inflow sample data when all survival times are right censored? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Table of Contents Left censored and Right censored When we deal with observations the observation period is the difference between the time when experiment begins (time is zero) and when it terminates (let, time is T0 in Figure 01). But in many cases the entities under consideration (human/device) dont come to an end and in those cases we say that it has been suspended, truncated or censored. In many areas of social science and life testing, the subject(s) may leave or enter after they have been put on test. The subject may leave our study before completion (due to failure or death) or may enter late. To analyse such behaviour of human being we are interested in left censored and right censored. Censoring occurs because sometimes our study of interest is lost to follow-up. Censored data means that the observations are known partially and it reflects the side of the dimension. Stephen P. Jenkins in his Survival Analysis wrote, A survival time is censored if all that is known is that it began or ended within some particular interval of time, and thus the total spell length (from entry time until transition) is not known exactly. (Jenkins 2005, p. 4) Its a major problem in social science that some observations are censored but its very usual that our study of interest may not survive until the end period. Left Censored Left censoring refers to the event that occurs at a time before a left bound. In this case we dont know the time when it started. (L Samartzis 2005-06) It is such a situation that we know the datum is below a certain value but we dont know how much it is. Say, for example, a pathological report is revealed which ensures that the patient is suffering from cancer but we have no idea when the patient has been infected. Figure 01 illustrates the censoring situations where X refers the points in time when we actually start or finish monitoring the censored entities, except the beginning (of entity life, at time zero) and the end of the experimental observation period (time T0). Here Line C completes its spell and all other entities are interrupted. Here, a shows an entity that has already been operating for some unknown period of time, before we start monitoring it. This case is called left-censoring. (Dr. J Luis Romeu, n. d.) Figure 01: Left and Right Censoring In a word left censoring means censoring occurs on the left side. If we ignore this type of censoring then there arise selectivity bias because left censoring will overestimate the mean duration as longer spells tend to be observed more frequently than shorter spells. (Amemiya 1999) Right Censored Right censoring refers to the event that occurs at a time after a right bound. In this case we dont know the time when it ended. (L Samartzis 2005-06) In duration models and survival analysis right censoring occurs very often because in many cases observations are known to be larger than some given value. In this case the only information we have is the right bound. Say, for example, we start with 500 light bulbs and this will be terminated after an assigned period of time. In this experiment censoring will occur on the right side because we exactly know the starting point of our experiment. In Figure 01, Line b shows an entity that has been monitored since the beginning of its life (i.e. at the start of the experiment) but which we have ceased to observe before the experiment ends (time T0) or it fails. That is, we observe the entity for some time, after which we are not able to monitor it any more. This other type of truncation is known as right censoring. (Dr. J Luis Romeu, n. d) Comparison between left and right censoring with the help of an example Suppose, a social scientist is interested in analysing the adverse affect of taking illegal drugs in a particular area (may be Colchester). The researcher is willing to determine the distribution of the time until first Marijuana use among high school boys in that area. The question to be answered by the school boys is: When did you first use Marijuana? Let us consider two hypothetical replies: Respondent 01: I have used it but cannot remember just when the first time was. Respondent 02: I never used it. In case of the 1st respondent the event had occurred but exact date at which he started using Marijuana is totally unknown. This is an example of left censored. On the other hand, in the 2nd case the event not yet occurred but there may be the possibility of taking Marijuana in some future dates. Unlike the left censored the censoring occurs on the right side and thus this is an example of right censored. (Klein and Moeschberger 2003, p. 70-71) (b) Stock Sample with follow-up The important things to be considered in this example are: This is a continuous time unemployment spell data. The data were derived using a stock sample with follow-up which is a different name of left truncation (delayed entry) and their applications are similar to handle. This type of data is most commonly used by economists. (Jenkins 2005, p. 5) The stock sample dates are still in progresses which indicate that there are some observations that are right censored. Let us define, Ti = Total spell length f (Ti) = Probability density function (slope of Failure function) at time Ti S (Ti) = Survival function at time Ti ÃŽÂ ¸ (Ti) = Hazard function at time Ti S (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  ti) = The date at which the stock sample was drawn Ci = Censoring indicator Xi = Vector of observed covariates b = Parameter to be estimated N = Sample size There are two types of contributors, Those who leave the state of interest. Those who stay in our state of interest. So the likelihood function will be, N N Ã…Â  = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‚  [ f(Ti) / S (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  ti) ] Ci à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‚  [S (Ti) / S (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  ti) ] 1- Ci i = 1 i= 1 Now by definition of hazard function, we have N Ã…Â  = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‚  [ ÃŽÂ ¸ (Ti) ] Ci [S (Ti) / S (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  ti) ] i = 1 N Or, log Ã…Â  = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ { Ci log ÃŽÂ ¸ (Ti) + log S (Ti) log S (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  ti) } [ Equation no 01 ] i = 1 Equation no 01 clearly states the log-likelihood function of the example. Now its not difficult to consider the Exponential and Weibull model to estimate the parameters. For Exponential Model case: We know that the Exponential model has the following hazard function: ÃŽÂ ¸ (Ti) = ÃŽÂ » where l = exp(bX) Now, by definition the survival function can be obtained from the hazard function by the equation below: t S(t) = exp ( à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‚ « ÃŽÂ ¸(u)du ) [ Equation no 02 ] 0 So the survival function of the Exponential model is S(t) = exp (-ÃŽÂ »t ). Now plugging the value of the hazard and survival function of the Exponential model in the log-likelihood function (Equation no 01) we get the Exponential hazard regression model which is as follows: N log Ã…Â  = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ { Ci log ÃŽÂ » + log [exp (-ÃŽÂ »T )] log [exp (-ÃŽÂ »Ãƒ ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  t )] } i = 1 N Or, log Ã…Â  = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ { Ci (bX) ÃŽÂ »T ÃŽÂ »Ãƒ ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  t } i = 1 Once we get the value of the variables we can easily calculate the log-likelihood function of the Exponential hazard regression model. For Weibull Model case: Exponential model is a special case of Weibull model which has the following hazard function: ÃŽÂ ¸ (Ti) = ÃŽÂ » ÃŽÂ ± tÃŽÂ ±-1 where l = exp(bX) When ÃŽÂ ± = 1 the model describes the Exponential model thus it is nothing but a special case of Weibull model. From equation no 02 the survival function of Weibull model is, S(t) = exp (-ÃŽÂ »tÃŽÂ ± ) Plugging the value in the log-likelihood function (Equation no 01) we get the Weibull model, N log Ã…Â  = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ { Ci log [ÃŽÂ » ÃŽÂ ± tÃŽÂ ±-1] + log [exp (- ÃŽÂ »TÃŽÂ ±)] log [exp (- ÃŽÂ »Ãƒ ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  tÃŽÂ ± )] } i = 1 N Or, log Ã…Â  = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ { Ci (bX) + Ci log ÃŽÂ ± + Ci (ÃŽÂ ± 1) log t ÃŽÂ »TÃŽÂ ± ÃŽÂ »Ãƒ ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  tÃŽÂ ± } i = 1 Like the exponential model we can easily calculate the Weibull model when we have the data of the model. The estimation can be obtained from the above log-likelihood function for the given data. But its a matter of judgment that which model will be the best-fitted? The result depends on the value of ÃŽÂ ± and its critical value of the t-statistic (the p-value). The critical t-statistic value of ÃŽÂ ± will decide which model is appropriate for the given data. If the value of ÃŽÂ ± is greater than 1 and significant then it is wise to consider the Weibull model rather than the exponential model. (c) [Adapted from Wooldridge (2002, Ex. 20.3)] The problem of estimating the censoring and time varying covariates is not possible to handle by the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) method rather it is addressed by the estimation based on Maximum Likelihood (ML) method. But before going to estimate we should identify the type of process that generates the data i.e. the type of sampling scheme. The random sample from the inflow to the state is one of the five sampling schemes analyzed in social science. (Jenkins 2005, p. 61) Given the random sample, let Xi = Vector of observed covariates ÃŽÂ ¸ = Vector of unknown parameters N = Random sample size ti = Length of time Ci= Censoring indicator Ci = 1 if uncensored Ci = 0 if censored The conditional likelihood observations can be written as f( ti | Xi, ÃŽÂ ¸) Ci [ 1 F (ti | Xi, ÃŽÂ ¸ ) 1- Ci where uncensored and censored subjects are in product form. (Cox and Oakes 1992, p. 33) (i) If all observations are right censored, Ci = 0 and hence the log-likelihood function is N à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ log [1 F (ti | Xi, ÃŽÂ ¸) ] [Equation no 03] i=1 (ii) Gompertz model has hazard function q(t, X) = lexp (gt) where l = exp(b0 + b1X1 + b2X2 + à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + bkXk) and shape parameter g > 0 By definition, survival function S(t) is t S(t) = exp ( à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‚ « ÃŽÂ ¸(u)du ) [ recall Equation no 02 ] 0 Now the survival function in Gompertz model is S(t) = exp [ ÃŽÂ » / g exp ( gt ) + (ÃŽÂ » / g ) ] S(t) = exp [ (ÃŽÂ » / g) {1 exp (gt) } ] And consequently the failure function is F(t) = 1- exp [ (ÃŽÂ » / g) {1 exp (gt)}] So the log-likelihood function for Gompertz distribution (from Equation no 03) is N à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ log [1 1 + exp [ (ÃŽÂ » / g) {1 exp (gt)}] ] i=1 N = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ log [exp [ (ÃŽÂ » / g) {1 exp (gt)}] ] i=1 N = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ (ÃŽÂ » / g) {1 exp (gt)} [ Equation no 04 ] i=1 (iii) In Gompertz distribution when the covariate vector Xi only contains a constant implies that l = exp (b0) where without this condition l = exp (b0 + b1X1 + b2X2 + à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + bkXk). In this conditional case the observed covariates Xi is defined only by the constant term b0. Hence the log-likelihood function (from Equation no 04) is N = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ (ÃŽÂ » / g) {1 exp (gt)} where l = exp( b0 ) i=1 N = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ (exp( b0 ) / g) {1 exp (gt)} [ Equation no 05 ] i=1 Given positive value of t and g the value of {1 exp (gt)} will always be negative and consequently the value of equation no 05 will be negative. So we can maximise the likelihood function only by maximising b. But when the value of b à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¾ the exp (b0) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¾. So for any positive value of g (nevertheless to mention that t is also positive) the log-likelihood function (containing only constant of covariate vector Xi ) will lead to b getting more positive values without any bound. We can also rule out the minimisation of log-likelihood function by minimising exp (b0) across b. For the value of b à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¾ the exp (b0) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 0. The values of b are getting more and more negative and it will go beyond calculation. Hence, the Gompertz log-likelihood cannot be maximized only for the real numbers b0 and g. (iv) From (iii) we observed that Gompertz log-likelihood cannot be maximised for only real numbers b0 and g. So it is not possible to estimate the Gompertz models from any given flow data when all survival times are right censored. Actually this might be a special case when all data under consideration are right censored and covariate vector Xi contains only a constant. (d) References Amemiya T. (1999), A note on left censoring, Analysis of Panels and Limited Dependent Variables Models, Edited by Hsiao, C., Lahiri, K., Lee, Lung-Fei, and Pesaran, M. H., Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Cox, D. R. and Oakes, D. (1992), Analysis of Survival Data, 1st edition (Reprinted by University Press, Cambridge), London: Chapman Hall. Jenkins, Stephen P. (2005), Survival Analysis (unpublished), , July 2005, Accessed on 07 April 2010. Klein, J. P. and Moeschberger, M. L. (2003), Survival Analysis: Techniques for Censored and Truncated Data, 2nd Edition, New York: Springer-Verlag. Romeu, Jorge L., (n. d.), Reliability and Advanced Information Technology Research with Alion Science and Technology, Online at , Accessed on 08 April 2010. Samartzis, Lefteris (n. d), Survival and Censored Data, Semester Project, Winter 2005-2006, Online at , Accessed on 08 April 2010. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The End à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦

Male Eating Disorders Essay -- Psychology Health Illness

Eating Disorders in Males Eating disorders have traditionally been a â€Å"woman’s problem.† It has not been until recently that we have recognized the fact that males are suffering from these deadly disorders as well. It has been generally agreed upon that anywhere from five to 15 percent of all reported cases of eating disorders are attributed to men. This paper will examine its incidence in males and the physical and psychological aspects associated with having an eating disorder. First lets look at the history of eating disorders. The very first case of an eating disorder diagnosed was actually a male. In 1689, Dr. Richard Morton described a case of â€Å"nervous consumption† in a 16-year-old male and he was prescribed restraint from horseback riding and his studies. (Carlat, Camargo, & Herzog, 1997) In the 1700s the full plump female figure was considered to be the most beautiful because it showed a sign of wealth. It was not until the 1920s that smaller female figures seemed to be in vogue. It was during this time that women began to dress more â€Å"provocatively† in flapper dresses. The Barbie doll came out in the 1940s which put an absolutely unrealistic measuring stick up to little girls. The 1960s saw an upsurgance of anorexia when Twiggy, the gaunt British actress became popular. And recently our society has seen an increase in the incidence of eating disorders, especially in men. Now lets define anorexia nervosa and bulimia. According to the DSM-IV the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa are â€Å"body image distortion, amenorrhea, and intense fear of gaining weight, resulting in body weight that is at least 15% below that expected for age and height.† (Hausenblas & Carron, 1999) The definition for bulimia is less clear. Bulimia includes â€Å"self-evaluation that is unduly influenced by body shape or weight and recurrent episodes of uncontrollable binge eating†¦followed by inappropriate compensatory behavior undertaken to prevent weight gain.† (Hausenblas & Carrron, 1999) This compensatory behavior may include use of laxatives, diuretics, self-induced vomiting, strict dieting, fasting or inordinate exercising. Unlike anorexics, bulimics are usually at or above their body weight. These diseases may result in biological problems including amenorrhea for females, gonadotropin secretion in males, electrolyte imbalances, gastrointestinal disorders, endo... ...utchins, D.E., Getz, H.G., & Hayes, G.L. (2000). Male Anorexia Nervosa: A New Focus. Journal of Mental Health Counseling. 22, 365-370. Goode, E. (2000). Thinner: The Male Battle With Anorexia. New York Times. 06/25/2000, Vol. 149, Issue 51430, Section 16, p8. Hausenblas, H.A., & Carron, A.V. (1999). Eating Disorder Indices and Athletes: An Integration. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. 21, 230-258. McLorg, P.A. & Taub, D.E. (1992) Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia: The Development of Deviant Identities. In D.H. Kelly (Ed.), Deviant Behavior: A Text-Reader in the Sociology of Deviance. (pp. 203-214). New York: Worth Publishers. Phillpot, D., & Sheppard, G. (1998). More Than Mere Vanity. Guidance & Counseling. 13, 28-34. Romero, F. (1994). Adolescent Boys and Anorexia Nervosa. Adolescence. 29, 643-648. Shiltz, T. (2000). Males and Eating Disorders: Research. Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention, Inc. Retrieved on November 18, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.edap.org/edinfo/menresearch.html Zerbe, K.J. (1992) Eating Disorders in the 1990s: Clinical Challenges and Treatment Implications. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic. 56, 167-188. Male Eating Disorders Essay -- Psychology Health Illness Eating Disorders in Males Eating disorders have traditionally been a â€Å"woman’s problem.† It has not been until recently that we have recognized the fact that males are suffering from these deadly disorders as well. It has been generally agreed upon that anywhere from five to 15 percent of all reported cases of eating disorders are attributed to men. This paper will examine its incidence in males and the physical and psychological aspects associated with having an eating disorder. First lets look at the history of eating disorders. The very first case of an eating disorder diagnosed was actually a male. In 1689, Dr. Richard Morton described a case of â€Å"nervous consumption† in a 16-year-old male and he was prescribed restraint from horseback riding and his studies. (Carlat, Camargo, & Herzog, 1997) In the 1700s the full plump female figure was considered to be the most beautiful because it showed a sign of wealth. It was not until the 1920s that smaller female figures seemed to be in vogue. It was during this time that women began to dress more â€Å"provocatively† in flapper dresses. The Barbie doll came out in the 1940s which put an absolutely unrealistic measuring stick up to little girls. The 1960s saw an upsurgance of anorexia when Twiggy, the gaunt British actress became popular. And recently our society has seen an increase in the incidence of eating disorders, especially in men. Now lets define anorexia nervosa and bulimia. According to the DSM-IV the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa are â€Å"body image distortion, amenorrhea, and intense fear of gaining weight, resulting in body weight that is at least 15% below that expected for age and height.† (Hausenblas & Carron, 1999) The definition for bulimia is less clear. Bulimia includes â€Å"self-evaluation that is unduly influenced by body shape or weight and recurrent episodes of uncontrollable binge eating†¦followed by inappropriate compensatory behavior undertaken to prevent weight gain.† (Hausenblas & Carrron, 1999) This compensatory behavior may include use of laxatives, diuretics, self-induced vomiting, strict dieting, fasting or inordinate exercising. Unlike anorexics, bulimics are usually at or above their body weight. These diseases may result in biological problems including amenorrhea for females, gonadotropin secretion in males, electrolyte imbalances, gastrointestinal disorders, endo... ...utchins, D.E., Getz, H.G., & Hayes, G.L. (2000). Male Anorexia Nervosa: A New Focus. Journal of Mental Health Counseling. 22, 365-370. Goode, E. (2000). Thinner: The Male Battle With Anorexia. New York Times. 06/25/2000, Vol. 149, Issue 51430, Section 16, p8. Hausenblas, H.A., & Carron, A.V. (1999). Eating Disorder Indices and Athletes: An Integration. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. 21, 230-258. McLorg, P.A. & Taub, D.E. (1992) Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia: The Development of Deviant Identities. In D.H. Kelly (Ed.), Deviant Behavior: A Text-Reader in the Sociology of Deviance. (pp. 203-214). New York: Worth Publishers. Phillpot, D., & Sheppard, G. (1998). More Than Mere Vanity. Guidance & Counseling. 13, 28-34. Romero, F. (1994). Adolescent Boys and Anorexia Nervosa. Adolescence. 29, 643-648. Shiltz, T. (2000). Males and Eating Disorders: Research. Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention, Inc. Retrieved on November 18, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.edap.org/edinfo/menresearch.html Zerbe, K.J. (1992) Eating Disorders in the 1990s: Clinical Challenges and Treatment Implications. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic. 56, 167-188.

Admissibility of FMRI

Functional magnetic resonance imaging, or FMRI, is a technique for measuring brain activity. It works by detecting the changes in blood oxygenation and flow that occur in response to neural activity – when a brain area is more active it consumes more oxygen and to meet this increased demand blood flow increases to the active area.FMRI can be used to produce activation maps showing which parts of the brain are involved in a particular mental process (FMRIB Center).This is how it works: oxygen is delivered to neurons by haemoglobin in capillary red blood cells. When neuronal activity increases there is an increased demand for oxygen and the local response is an increase in blood flow to regions of increased neural activity.Haemoglobin is diamagnetic when oxygenated but paramagnetic when deoxygenated. This difference in magnetic properties leads to small differences in the MR signal of blood depending on the degree of oxygenation.Since blood oxygenation varies according to the le vels of neural activity these differences can be used to detect brain activity. This form of MRI is known as blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) imaging (id).It is claimed that through this process, FMRI can be used as a lie detector test. The question now arises that should the FMRI be used as a lie detector test, will the results be admissible in evidence in our courts of law in light of the Daubert ruling? This paper will try to answer this question by testing FMRI against the four questions set up by the Supreme Court in the said decision.Is FMRI a testable technique?The Supreme Court, in discussing how evidence should pass this test, the judge must ascertain whether the reasoning or methodology underlying the testimony is scientifically valid and of whether that reasoning or methodology properly can be applied to the facts in issue.A key question to be answered in determining whether a theory or technique is scientific knowledge that will assist the trier of fact will be w hether it can be(and has been) tested (92-102). The main concern of the Supreme Court here is the reliability of the technique and reduction of falsifiability.FMRI is one of the most recently developed forms of neuroimaging but the idea underpinning the technique – inferring brain activity by measuring changes in blood flow – is not new (FMRIB Center). The technique, however, is relatively new.FMRI still has not gained acceptance as a reliable method of lie detection to replace the polygraph. Recent studies only indicate that FMRI may be more reliable than the polygraph but FMRI is yet to attain its full potential.Dr. Faro, in studying FMRI admits that because the polygraph test, while improved over the last 10 to 15 years, is not as accurate as it needs to be, a better method for detecting deception clearly needs to be developed (Orenstein 30).He add that he is convinced that FMRI used with or without polygraph will someday be the new gold standard (id). The scientist s remain hopeful the FMRI will someday be the standard. But as of today, its acceptability as a lie detection test is still on a thin balance. In short, FMRI has not yet been fully tested so as to be acceptable as a lie detection method.Despite this, it is noteworthy that FMRI lie detection centers have already been set up in the United States. They are No Lie MRI, Incorporated and Cephos Corporation. This shows that FMRI is gaining ground as a stand alone test for lie detection and not just merely as a supplement to the polygraph.Has FMRI been peer reviewed?  The concern of the Supreme Court in including this test is to make sure that the theory or technique has been subjected to scrutiny by the science community because it is only then that the substantive flaws of the methodology can be revealed.Without effort, FMRI will pass this test. FMRI has been subjected to tests and retests by a lot of scientists to verify its efficiency and effectiveness. In fact the University of Oxfor d established its own FMRIB Center to study it as a field of discipline.As mentioned earlier, Dr. Faro already tested whether it can replace the polygraph or not. And lastly, there are also plenty of studies on FMRI being conducted as of this moment because it has inspired general interest in the science community. The abstracts of these studies can be viewed in the internet.Does FMRI have a known error rate or standard controlling it operation?The error rate of FMRI has not yet been established because as mentioned earlier, it is a recent development in nueroimaging and still has not been tested thoroughly. However, Dr. Faro says that subjects would have to lie perfectly for them to beat the FMRI (Orenstein, id).He says that FMRI would be much harder to beat than polygraph because it measures a primary cognitive response that begins within the deep structures of the brain.Lying involves coordinating complex activations in many different parts of the brain that relate to awareness, understanding, inhibition, and emotion.One way of arguing the admissibility of the FMRI according to this test is to argue how polygraphs are admissible in courts. According to the American Polygraph Association, polygraph results are admissible in some federal circuits and states (Orenstein, id).And this is so even though the polygraph is only 85% to 90% accurate when the subjects are being deceptive and only 70% to 75% accurate when subjects are being truthful. If polygraphs are admissible in court, then FMRI should also be admissible considering that the latter is more accurate than the former.However, there is a great cloud over the admissibility of the FMRI when the procedure of conducting it is considered. Subjects participating in a fMRI experiment are asked to lie still and are usually restrained with soft pads to prevent small motions from disturbing measurements.It is possible to correct for some amount of head movement with post-processing of the data, but large transient motion can render these attempts futile. Generally motion in excess of 3 millimeters will result in unusable data.Thus, a very accurate data is hard to obtain from FMRI. A movement of only 3 millimeters will already render the data useless. Considering that the shortest time needed to conduct an FMRI is 15 minutes, it is easy to conclude that an FMRI is hardly accurate.Of course, this can be addressed by utilizing mechanisms to reduce movements. And the FMRI centers should have already addressed this problem. But standing as it is, this fact casts doubt on the admissibility of FMRI because of the possible large inaccurcies of the data gathered during testing.There is also a concern on the reliability of the FMRI with regard to complex lies. Complex lies are half truths and sometimes rhetorical answers to the standard questions asked during an FMRI session. They are answers which have shades of truth or just an answer with a misperception about a question. This area of FMRI still ha s not been studied thoroughly making it less reliable as a method of lie detection.Is the underlying science generally accepted?Yes, the underlying science behind FMRI is generally accepted. As mentioned earlier, the idea underpinning the technique (FMRI) – inferring brain activity by measuring changes in blood flow – is not new. The study of FMRI draws from physics, psychology, neuroanatomy, statistics and electrophysiology, all of which are generally accepted fields of discipline. Thus, under this test, FMRI is admissible in evidence.ConclusionIn conclusion, FMRI is not admissible in evidence when tested against the Daubert standards. First of all, it still has not been thoroughly tested as a science. The method of conducting has not yet been perfected by the testing centers. These two factors accounts for somewhat doubtful results and may seem not convincing before the eyes of the courts.In fact, criticisms as to the accuracy of the data gathered during FMRI have al ways been the the biggest factors in sustaining its non-acceptability. Issues raised such as there are non-neural influences in the change of magnetic fields in the blood vessels have been raised and these have not been specifically addressed by the current studies on FMRI.It has also been raised that FMRI only measures the secondary physiological correlates of neural activity, it is not a direct measure. This means it is not a truly quantitative measure of mental activity – when comparing the FMRI response between individuals it is impossible to say whether the differences are neural or physiological in origin (FMRIB Center).These are the scientific arguments against the FMRI. Of course, there are also ethical arguments against its use but they will not be discussed in this paper for being irrelevant.One argument which, to the mind of this reader, will really cause the courts to strike down FMRI evidence as inadmissible is the constitutional argument that it violates the rig ht to privacy. During an FMRI session, collateral information about the subject may be obtained but which he would have wanted to keep secret. This is a violation of the right to privacy.  Of course, it is already established that such a mechanical method of subjecting one's self to physical examination is not violative of the right against self-incrimination. However, this is not the case I am pointing out. What if some information not related to the trial or to the case has been obtained during the FMRI session?True that it will not be offered in evidence but the damage of violating the right to privacy has already been incurred. What will the subject do then? If the FMRI violates the constitutional right to privacy, then anything obtained during such sessions, though irrelevant and immaterial to the case, should be kept confidential and inadmissible in evidence in all courts and tribunals.Secondly, the FMRI should be inadmissible in evidence because its error rate still has not been determined to a certain definitive degree. It matters not if polygraph evidence is admissible in many federal and state courts. As of the moment, the Supreme Court still has no definitive ruling as to its admissibility (Orenstein).Moreover, the accuracy of the data obtained during FMRI sessions is still in doubt when the procedure is considered. The fact that a 3-millimeter movement will render the data untruthful is enough for the courts to cast a doubtful eye on FMRI evidence. As to the matter of complex lies, this provides the subjects a way to beat the FMRI.They even do not have to lie. They can just answer half-truths or even use rhetorical answers and they could already beat the FMRI.All these point to rejection of FMRI evidence considering the attitude of the courts toward the Daubert principle. In fact, litigants say that courts are more strict than what the Supreme Court suggested in the Daubert case (Hileman 2003).However, as a statement of hope for FMRI, today is no t the timely moment to test its admissibility in our courts of law. It should be given more time to develop into a better-founded discipline and its loopholes tied end-to-end. Then perhaps someday, our society will find it a very reliable method in lie detection and the results be admissible in evidence in our courts of law. Works CitedIntroduction to FMRI. FMRIB Center, University of Oxford. December 4, 2007. http://www.fmrib.ox.ac.uk/education/fmri/introduction-to-fmri/introduction/Orenstein, Beth. Guilty? Investigating FMRI's Future as a Lie Detector. May 16, 2005. Radiology Today. Vol 6 No. 10 p. 30.Supreme Court of the United State. Daubert vs Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals. June 28, 1993. retrieved December 4, 2007. http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/92-102.ZO.htmlWeiller C et al (2006). â€Å"Clinical potential of brain mapping using MRI†. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging 23 (6): 840–850Scott A. Huettel, Allen W. Song, Gregory McCarthy, Functional Ma gnetic Resonance Imaging, Sinauer Associates, 2004.Hileman, Bette. Daubert Rules Challenge Courts. July 7, 2003. Our Stolen Future. Retrieved December 4, 2007. http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/press/2003/2003-0707-CEN-daubert.htmSilberman, Steve. Don't Even Think About Lying. Wired Magazine. Retrieved December 4, 2007. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.01/lying_pr.html

THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE

THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE Introduction/Thesis statement Atlantic slave trade began in 1444 and it led to the massive movement of the African slaves to the western nations with the sole aim of providing cheap labor. The movement of slaves from Africa is termed as one of the major migrations to have happened in human history.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Atlantic Slave Trade specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Africans were forcefully moved to the western hemisphere and in addition, these slaves were looked down upon as inferior. The Atlantic slave trade had a significant impact on Africa as well as the United States of America. The Africa Continent was deprived manpower whereas the United States of America was able to boost its economic growth due to the presence of cheap labor. Due to revolution in the Dutch Republic, many citizens entered into the slave trade, which is mainly considered to have been as a result of accident rather than by design. This paper will therefore seek to review Postma’s book: The Dutch in the Atlantic Slave Trade, 1600-1815, giving the implications and the participation of the Dutch in the transatlantic slave trade. The author’s criticism of the historiography The author criticizes the historiography of the Dutch participation in the transatlantic slave trade by pointing out that the participation of the Dutch in this trade was not given the attention that it deserved. The participation of the Dutch covers approximately two centuries all filled with diverse complexity ranging from the geographical dimensions to the demographic and complicated economies.Advertising Looking for critical writing on african american? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The main aim of the Author writing this book was to bring to light the participation of the Dutch in the transatlantic trade and giving it the attention i t deserved. Rawley and Behrendt in their book: The transatlantic slave trade: A history, points out that the Dutch participated in the slave trade as early as 1528 when the slaves were being transported to the Spanish colonies (2005). The author refutes this by elaborating that the transporters of these slaves were the Germans and or the Flemings who originated from Belgium. In the light of the above, the author adds that the earliest participation of the Dutch in the transatlantic slave trade occurred in 1596 (Postma, 2009). The evidence that the author uses to support their argument Postma (2009) points out that in the early stages of the slave trade in Africa, the main participants of the slave trade, mainly the Portuguese could send the expedition to the west coast of Africa to capture the slaves and the author points out that the number of slaves that were captured was approximately two hundred and thirty five slaves all of whom were sent to Portugal. The author tries to justif y the participation of the Dutch in the transatlantic slave trade by pointing out that in 1596, Rotterdam Skipper and Pieter Van Hagen captured approximately one hundred and thirty slaves from Africa and moved them to Middelburg, the capital of Zeeland. This information is credible since it provides prove of the Dutch’s participation in the slave trade. Ways in which the chapters of the book relate to the thesis Postma has organized the book in various chapters each of which relate to the transatlantic trade. In chapter one and two the author tries to explain the start of the slave trade and the causes of such trade.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Atlantic Slave Trade specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the three subsequent chapters, the author shifts his focus to Africa and explores the Presence of the Dutch in Africa. In chapters six and seven the author tries to examine the conditions that made slave trade favorable for example the need for labor in the western nations as well as the presence of people from Africa who could provide the cheap labor. In the last four chapters the author sheds light into how the slaves were housed and fed. These slaves were mistreated in the workplaces and they lived in very poor conditions. Perhaps the author points out the presence of slave have raised many morality questions in the modern times. Some information that was provide by the author are not necessary or example his explanation on the roe of the Catholic Church in the slave trade has little significance in the thesis. Criticism of the author’s work The events that took place during the transatlantic slave trade are clearly explained as well as the factors that led to the start of the slave trade. The participation of the Dutch in the Slave trade was due to the establishment of the large farms in the Dutch Republic that it required extensive source of labor. The implica tions that the slave trade had on the western economies are explained but one of the major shortcomings of this book is its failure to elaborate on the implications that the slave trade had on the African continent. The African continent was deprived of man power since strong men were taken away thus the labor force declined drastically. Families were also separated which resulted in psychological suffering among the family members.Advertising Looking for critical writing on african american? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion In conclusion, it is true to say that the author has contributed to the literature of the event because he gives insights into what happened during the transatlantic slave trade as well as the implications of this trade on the western economies. The book can form the basis for other studies since the future scholars may endeavor to learn more about the implications that this trade had, politically, economically and socially to both the African continent as well as to the western hemisphere. The transatlantic slave trade had a major implication since it formed the basis for the continued migration of the Africans to the western hemisphere. It is an event that is worth studying because it gives a clear picture of what really transpired during this period of slave trade. References Postma, J. M. (2009). The Dutch in the Atlantic Slave Trade, 1600-1815. Cambridge.Cambridge University Press. Rawley, J. A., Behrendt, S. D. (2005). The transatlantic slave trade: A history. Nebr aska. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Mackinder or Mahan Essays

Mackinder or Mahan Essays Mackinder or Mahan Paper Mackinder or Mahan Paper In the modern era, geopolitics is very similar to rotational thought, which is why these theorists, in particular Amman, are arguably still applicable to contemporary geopolitics. The ideologies that are held together by Mackenzie and his concept of the Heartland Theory are out-dated and irrelevant to contemporary geopolitics. His idea of a World Island as set geographical position that is highly inflexible, is opposite to what is expected of modern thought. Walters (1975) argued the Heartland Theory was one perspective of the globe, and stated, policy is made in the minds of men; its contours may not concur with a true map of the world. As contours are a minimal factor in Mans school of thought, he has become highly popular regarding sea power. His works on Naval influence is highly relevant to contemporary geopolitics. To cater for an increasingly globalizes world, that is heavily dependent on foreign resources and trade, sea power, and navies essentially, are key to ensure that a sustained level of growth and power is achieved. The United States of America is a clear example of a major power that uses its naval capacity to adhere to Mahayana logic, that reflects his tridents and six principle conditions that are still existent today. Mackenzie and the Heartland Theory was of high relevance in the 19th and 20th century. At that time, Eastern Europe was of a favorable strategic geographic area, lying on the brink of the western and eastern world. It had an abundance of rich resources key to state superiority. However, in the modern era, geographic importance is not as fundamental to a successful nation as Dally and Total (1998:16) quite clearly explain, our conveniently conventional geopolitical imagination, which envisions and maps the world in terms of spatial blocs, territorial presence and fixed identities, is no longer adequate in a world where pace appears to be left behind by pace, where territoriality is under eclipse by dialectically, and where simple settled identities are blurring into networks of complex unsettled hybrid. Mackenzie failed to recognize the importance that lies outside the heartland, which consists of the Riemann and Offshore Islands. To conform to Mackenzie, would be to say that the US is a mere island that is dependent on situations and outcomes that occur in Eastern Europe. In fact, it is the opposite scenario if applied contemporaries. Nicholas Sparkman, a strategies, argued against Mackenzie, by stating that the Americas have the resources and power in which to prevent states inside the heartland from achieving the traditionally adhered, world dominant status. Dally and Total (1998) elaborate further, arguing that if Mackenzie and the Heartland Theory were still prevalent, the US wouldnt be the super power it is today. They identified the outside inside approach, which redeploys the shape of heartland geopolitics in favor of the Americas. Woolworth (1999) states that since the collapse of the Soviet Union, a unpopular world has been dominated by US power, which generates an additional claim that Mackenzie really is irrelevant in contemporary geopolitics. Despite other elements are equal or even greater to sustain and improve national power, the Mahayana late 19th century logic of sea power, is still existent in contemporary power domination. Mahayana theory consists of two tridents, discussed by James R Holmes (2009). The first of his tridents, logic, governs strategic and geopolitical ideas relating to sea power. There is a tripartite element that consists commercially in the sense of obtaining wealth, politically for naming national power, and militarily for allowing access to these resources and maintaining these routes while upholding and reinforcing an authoritative stance, which is a clear purpose regarding the nation of the United States. His second trident, grammar, provides the rules of preparing for warfare and naval readiness. It consists martially and operational in nature, through production and overseas markets and bases. Holmes and Yeshiva (2010) come to appreciate the relevance of Mans logic, more than his grammar. The grammar of combat is out-dated, providing that the last fleet engagement was at the Elite Gulf in 1944. An extremely relevant question regarding the United States need for an immediate fleet is extremely relevant. An interesting discussion made by Holmes and Yeshiva (2010) addresses the questionable issue about the United States needing to have high-end ships and criticizes the mindset in which the nation has regarding contemporary geopolitics and outcomes for the future of naval warfare. Amman used six principles that primarily affect a nations ability to become a powerful sea power: geographical position, physical conformation, extent of territory, size of the population, character of the people, and character of the government. Parker (2003) stated these conditions were valid requirements for national power in the late 19th century, are valid requirements for national power in the 21st century, and will be valid requirements for national power for some time to come. The United States is a clear exemplification of how these principles are applied successful in order to maintain, and increase their unpopular dominance. The first principle, geographical position is supremely fundamental to the United States Navy. Because the countries contours consist of vast coastlines and occupy hundreds of military bases overseas, its position s essential to naval dominance. The concern Amman had in his time was that the United States didnt have any ports or trade centers close to the heartland. This concern has clearly been erased through the abundance of bases around Europe. By using the overseas military bases, such as the base in Bahrain, it creates assistance in trade through the Malice Straight, which is a huge chock point in the shipping industry and is favorable to piracy. To be militarily active in a position such as this, allows for United States integration into international assistance and gives the power to deter hostile forces at sea. By having the multitude of bases, it allows the US Navy to address any situation at any time, regardless of its geographical position. In this case, the United States addressed Mans concern, allowing for a greater geopolitical influence around the world. What Amman means when discussing his second principle of physical conformation, is the physical geography that determines if interaction with surrounding foreign areas is amplified or discouraged. In favor of the United States, the ports on the east, west and Gulf coats receive relatively good climates and are all generally rich in resources. This allows for easy access, which results in the high use of the capabilities and use of resources available to the nation. An example of how rich the resources are, consist of 323 million barrels of oil and 670 billion cubic feet of gas pockets still available off the west coast of the United States as discussed by Emerson et al (2012). From this accessibility and richness, the United States clearly adheres to the second principle Amman expects from a dominant sea power. What Mans third principle of extent of territory relates to is the irrelevance that the size of a nation has, but rather the length of the coastline elevate to its size. The coast of the United States is a staggering 20,000 kilometers on length, which allows Amman to use the United States Pacific coastline to emphasis its importance it has to assist militarily to other bordering regions such as Australia and Asia. It also uses its vast Atlantic coast to interact with the European and African continents. Mans appreciation for the extent of coastline can therefore relate to the ease in which the United States has with the geographic nature of the United States. The fourth principle of number of population is another major influence that determines a nations dominant sea power. Amman emphasizes that active military personnel are key to a nations ability to act when necessary, and therefore is a highly important factor. With the use of statistics from CNN (201 1), the United States population of 318 million people is a vital component of this principle, but a rather more significant one is the focus on the 1. 4 million active frontline and 850,000 active reserve personnel around the world in 150 different countries that support Mans (1890) concept of being, readily available for employment on ship-board and for the creation of naval material. The high amount of personnel on active duty, stresses the interest and importance the United States has around the world. Competing nations such as China and India, who have a much higher population than the United States are becoming increasingly threatening. However, the United States has one of the highest amounts of military expenditure, utilizing 4. 2% of its GAP (World Bank 2012). With this high amount of spending, it allows the United States to adhere to what Amman believed to be the most important factor regarding population. As long as the resources, equipment and training and personnel are maintained at a steady, acceptable rate that could act in a time of crisis, it will suffice to threats. This goes to show that the United States is a nation that understands futuristic implications that may arise, and is seen to be ready to address these threats from a Mahayana standpoint. National character was Mans interest with industry and trade, which made up his fifth principle. Parker (2003) uses an analogy to compare how England and Holland acted in the colonial era. The author looked at Mans work in addressing the character of these nations, which seemed to then manifest their administration of colonial conquest. The nations examined seemed to use not a sword, but labor to immigrate, as discussed by Amman (1890). This is similarly seen in the United States objectives of commercial interest in the liberations of international trade in the past century, and in years to come, which again, portrays Mans relevant ideologies. The character of government is Mans final principle. He addresses this idea by deciding whether a nation is at peace or war. In peacetime, the policies can either be in favor or against the industries related to naval capacity. In the midst of war, it is fundamental for government decision making o increase defensive spending compared to peacetime budgeting. It is safe to say, the current United States government addresses international affairs and situations that they are at all times, at war. Woolworth (1999) confirms with the diminishing notion of the unpopular world, a mindset like this is essential to survival.

Country study (China) Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Country study (China) - Term Paper Example The rate of the population is faster in undeveloped countryside areas, where it is very hard to find work (Zeng, 2008). However, there is a decline in the population growth, which is realized with a reduced birth rate. This growth is considered to be below replacement level; hence, the current population growth is expected to increase life; expectance. Chinese person now lives an average of 74 years. Life expectance has reduced drastically with measures that are being taken by the federal government. There are several population control programs which have resulted in reduced families. These programs advocate for one-child households, and many Chinese citizens are adapting to this norm. Creation of an enormous hole in the social safety system of China is expected as a result of fewer male children being born. On the other hand, the Chinese population is slowly embracing the one-child policy to try and reduce the population growth. This policy is expected to save the government millio ns of dollars and thus improve the economy of the country. Measures to restrict couples from having many children are increasingly developing; for instance, education is increasingly becoming expensive. According to Zeng (2008), there are also increasingly expensive healthcare and poorly placed social security systems. It is of note for any organization to research the culture, value, religion, manner, and language used by the members of the community where they wish to start a new branch of business. However, it is essential to note that the findings are not meant to stereotype all the Chinese, but instead they are meant to help the company gain an impression of whom they are trading with. The population of Chinese is estimated to be over 1.2 billion people. These people belong to a family of mutually intelligible and close-related languages. Sino-Tibetan family of languages includes all the varieties of Chinese. However, these languages have their own dialect or sub-dialects. In a ddition, the languages are more or less mutually intelligible (Mente, 2008). For Victoria State Bank to function smoothly in China, they will have to understand the language used and make sure that their employees are fluent in these languages so as to serve the Chinese community well. In addition, if there is any written material, it should be ready for use in both English as well as Chinese, and the interpretation must be correct to avoid any misinterpretation. Before venturing into the banking industry in China, Victoria State Bank management should note that the Chinese have a culture through which they do not start business with organizations that they do not know. What the bank needs to do is look for an organization or an individual in China who will act as an intermediary. This will make the Chinese people gain your trust as this individual or organization will make sure that the Chinese community understands the reliability of the bank. After the Chinese have clearly known the intentions of the bank and its history, they will now be willing to work with the bank. According to Hofstede’s dimension, all individuals in the society are not equal. The idea of power distance is something that has been practiced in China for decades, and everyone has come to embrace that culture (Hofstede, 2012). The Chinese believe that inequality among the people is justifiable. Therefore, when conducting

Ethnography Assignment Worksheet 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethnography Assignment Worksheet 2 - Essay Example She said, â€Å"Who’d know better than me. Regee’s and my day is incomplete unless we’ve been to this place.† From this interview, my perception of lack of a class system in the Veterans Park strengthened. I found that the Park is truly a place of enjoyment for everyone. The most interesting thing I found while conducting this research was the participation of children. Children as little as under five years of age did not even understand what I was talking with their parents about. Terms like racism were new to some. I found very positive changes in the Veterans Park. The Veterans Park has been decorated to make it look even more beautiful and appealing. The new park has a walkway laid out with brick pavers. A new flag pole has also been placed recently. The Park administration intends to develop the park further with the help of money collected for the walkway. Rules of Conduct have also been introduced lately to take objective control over any possible incidents of racism or discrimination that might happen in the park. The Rules of Conduct require the visitors to keep the park clean. The visitors are forbidden to make use of obscene, racist, lewd, or vulgar language while in the park. The Rules of Conduct forbid the visitors to abuse or threaten anybody in the park. They clearly demonstrate that any attempt of harming any visitor will be dealt strictly and prompt action will be taken against the offender. In addition to that, the Rules of Conduct also encourage the visitors to display ethics in their mannerism by being truthful, nice, and proactive in reporting the administration of the park of any abusive events. The park is visited by both the homeless and the non-homeless people. Generally, the two groups of people do not sit next to each other in the park. One can sense a lack of association between the two groups of people but despite that, the homeless people are always greeting the people walking by regardless of their