Fall of House of Usher Essay

The Fall of the House of Usher Psychological Criticism Psychological criticism is the school of literary criticism that focuses on the psychological issues affecting the characters behavior. Throughout this piece Poe uses setting, mood, characterization, conflict, and symbols in order to portray the underlying meaning; Physical disintegration of the House of Usher which parallels the condition of its inhabitants. Poe uses setting and mood in order to foreshadow the ultimate disintegration of the family manor. The narrator notices â€Å"a barely perceptible fissure† running down the front of the building. The detailed description highlights the stories theme and creates a mood of fear. When discussing use of characterization one must consider Roderick Usher, the central character of Poe’s gothic tale. Poe uses direct and indirect characterization techniques in order to effectively convey his point. Usher’s anxiety is revealed through descriptions of his odd, disheveled appearance and mannerisms along with his rapid mood swings. The author describes the tone as â€Å"overdone cordiality† and by â€Å"sullen quality†. Also, when discussing the psychological criticism one must consider how Poe’s approach might lead the readers to see him as a hypochondriac. In addition to the given appearances of characterization there are numerous other descriptions that heighten impression of instability. â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† has a copious amount of metaphors and symbols. The narrator perceives the mansion as human like with its â€Å"vacant and eye-like windows†. This specific metaphor is extended throughout the entire story, becoming more and more sinister in its deep implications. When describing the house, it serves as almost a symbolic prison for Usher and his sister Madeline. Poe uses several descriptive words in his portrayal of the house. The reader’s first impression of the house comes from a direct observation from the narrator. This narrator states, â€Å"†¦ with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit.    As the narrator continues to describe the house he uses several similarly dismal adjectives. The gloom experienced by the narrator is not limited to merely the house itself. The vegetation, which surrounds the area, is described as â€Å"a few rank sedges and †¦ a few white trunks of decayed trees. †Ã‚   He emphasizes these facets of the house and its environs by restating the descriptions reflected in a â€Å"black and lurid tarn. While he claims that the house appears structurally sound, he takes time to comment upon â€Å"the crumbling condition of the individual stones. †Ã‚   He also emphasizes the long history of the house by stating that its features recall an â€Å"excessive antiquity. † It is obvious therefore that Poe means for the building and the family to reflect one another. His use of parallel descriptions of the house and family, the mood that both convey and the intertwined fate of both lead the reader to the inescapable conclusion that the house and the Ushers are one.

Alcuin and Charlemagne

Charlemagne was the king of the Franks from 768 to 814. He was known to be the most powerful Christian ruler and brought success to his country. Charlemagne was well educated and good looking. His strong voice allowed him to express what he had to say in a very eloquent manner. He was most famous for doubling the territory that his father had previously conquered. With his determination and persistence, Charlemagne became one of the most dignified rulers of the early middle ages. Charlemagnes determination allowed him to expand his empire.He undertook 54 military campaigns during his rule. He also lead his armies into Italy to conquer the Lombard State. His army also invaded the land of the Bavarians and took them under control. During his rule, Charlemagne insisted the Saxons convert to Christianity and soon took them over. In turn, adding more land to the growing Carolingian empire. (Speilvogel p. 138) An interesting characteristic of Charlemagne was his strong desire to learn. He studied foreign languages such as Latin and Greek. He learned from excellent scholars such as Peter of Pisa and Alcuin of York.Charlemagne established a palace school and encouraged other scholars from across Europe to come to the Carolingian court. He focused learning about liberal arts also took lessons in grammar. Charlemagnes love of learning inspired others to obtain educations and maintained the intellectual life of the Catholic church. (Speilvogel p140-141) (Einhard: Life of Charlemagne) Not only was Charlemagne good at conquering land but he also did very well at governing the land he conquered. He was a clever ruler and knew he had to keep the nobles in his service.To do this he granted part of the royal lands as lifetime holdings to nobles who assisted him. Charlemagne also knew that he could not let the counts gain more power then him. To hold more control over his kingdom, Charlemagne required counts to serve outside their own family lands. He also sent out â€Å"messen gers of the lord king† to check on the counts and make sure they were following the kings demands. One last thing that Charlemagne realized was the valuable assistance that the Catholic church could provide for him. He decided to create new bishoprics and archbishoprics while restoring old ones. Speilvogel p. 138-139) Charlemagne made many accomplishments during his rule. His first and biggest accomplishment was increasing the Frank Kingdom. His territory stretched over the majority of Europe. Charlemagne was able to subdue the barbarous tribes in Germany which was something other Kings could not accomplish. He also made good relationships with emperors of Constantinople. Being a devote Christian, Charlemagne built the beautiful church at Aix-la-Chapelle. Finally, Charlemagne took care of the poor in his country and sent money to the poor in other countries. (Speilvogel p. 139)As you can see, Charlemagne had many characteristics of a successful ruler. He was determine expand h is empire and he did. He also was good at governing his people. Charlemagne was very well educated and it showed through when whenever he spoke with eloquence. Also, Charlemagne was able to make constant accomplishments such as working on the Church reform, taking care of the poor, and building good relationships with other countries. Charlemagne was so respected that even the Pope called upon him to help during the Roman rebellion. All of these things are what made Charlemagne one of the greatest Kings of all time.

Youth Unemployment and Attitude towards Employment: Comparative Study between Migrants and Non-Migrants

Introduction and Background to the Research Area The United Kingdom’s youth unemployment refers to the rate of unemployment among those individuals who are aged between 18 and 25. These figures are often used as part of political discussions to measure the general position of the economy, however it is contended in this research paper that there is a lack of understanding in terms of the factors that lead to youth unemployment in the first place. By targeting the background reasons, greater improvements can be achieved. The latest statistics or the rate of unemployment among youths in London shows that there are several individuals under 25 years of age who are not employed, which currently stands at 20% (Glaser and Rice, 2008). In this research paper it is suggested that there are substantial difference between migrants and non migrants within an area and that this could in fact offer a strong explanation as to why youth unemployment is so prevalent in modern society. Migration refers to the movement of people from one place to another specifically in search of some economic or social benefit. Migrants refer to the people who move from one place to another in search of better opportunities, while non-migrants are the local people. Politically there have been several heated debates on the topic of employment among migrant youths and non-migrant youths, which has necessitated this study to establish the attitude of both sets of groups towards employment. For example in Hackney, London, the number of employed migrant youths is higher, compared to that of non-migrants. However, the percentage of the migrant youths who are employed is higher than that of non-migrants. This suggests that non-migrants have a higher positive attitude towards employment than non-migrants The high rate of unemployment among young people in the country and London, in particular, has forced some media personalities and politicians to term it the â€Å"lost generation† (Hackney, 2013) This paper aims to look at the attitude of youths towards employment by comparing the migrants and non-migrants in Hackney, London. It is believed that the attitudes of these young individuals might be the major reason why there are high levels of unemployment among young people in this region and more generally elsewhere. Aims & Objectives of the Research The rate of unemployment among the youth population has been a problem that has raised several debates among politicians and media commentators. However, it has been argued that the attitudes of the youth in Hackney, London, have been the major reason behind the increasing rate. The main objective of this paper is to examine the reasoning or the suggestion that it is the attitudes of these young people towards employment that makes them miss the opportunities to land some. The research aims to achieve its overall objective by seeking the views of the youths in Hackney, London, towards employment. Purpose of the Research The outcome of the research will be based on the findings from the data collected through interviews, which will later be analysed. The outcome will depend on the method of data collection, which will involve interviews conducted with the youth in the area, in order to test the hypothesis. It is anticipated that the results of this study will help the community in understanding what its young people want, in terms of employment, in order to support them in their growth and career development. In addition, the result will also offer guidance to employers when allocating the available opportunities to either migrants or non-migrants. Importance of the Research This research is important in the field of both academic studies and career development, as its results will enable the students, their parents and teachers to understand how best to equip these youngsters by focusing the latter’s attention on their future employment opportunities. It will also help potential employers in selecting the right people for various positions in their companies or organisations. Research Approach It is suggested that the best method for collecting data in this qualitative study is through the use of interviews. The aim of the interview will be to have the respondents reflect on their feelings towards employment and past experiences, while also attempting to communicate freely with the interviewers in such a manner that both interviewer and interviewee come to a mutual agreement concerning the experiences’ meanings. The format of the interview could involve informal chats or discussions between the researcher and the respondents regarding their responses (Salter, 2010). If the respondents want to give further information or expand upon anything they have said, the interviewer will then ask additional questions and encourage the respondents to give further information or explanations. The interviewer will have to clarify that it will be an open process and that the interviewee is free to question or ask for more detailed explanations, talk in a manner with which they are comfortable, or even pause, if they wish to do so. The responses should not be evaluated as being right or wrong by the researcher. The researcher should make it clear to the respondents that they are free to make any comments or give any information that they wish. The focus of the interview will be on the participants and attempting to ascertain their attitudes, values, opinions, experiences and beliefs. Methodology This research will take the form of structured interviews, which will be used as the method of data collection. The standardised interview or structured interview is typically used in quantitative research. The sample of the study will include 300 migrant youths into the country and 300 non-migrant youths. The migrant and non-migrant youths will be interviewed in order to establish their attitudes towards employment, in an attempt to confirm or disapprove the hypothesis that non-migrants have a negative attitude towards employment. The reason for interviewing the two sets of individuals is to find out whether the problem is confined to the migrant youth population, or both migrant and non-migrants. The structured interviews will take the form of questionnaires, which will be given to the interviewee by the interviewer who, in this case, is the researcher. The questions that will be used in the study will be literature informed. This means that the results will have been compiled and the questions will have a range of options. The formulation of the questions in the survey will be done by considering the existing literature. In addition, interviews will be used as the survey questions will actually be literature informed. The reliability and validity of the research will be measured by using the semi-structured interviews. Another significance or importance of the use of interviews is that they should help in obtaining additional information that may have been ignored by the current literature review. Ethical Considerations The safety and confidentiality of the respondents will be the major priority of this research. This will be undertaken by considering the benefit/analysis ration, and also through the use of information that is available to conduct the assessment and supervision of the study as it continues. The participants will be handled with the utmost care and they will be assured of the highest levels of confidentiality. Before any participant is involved in the research, their formal consent will be sought, in writing. The researchers will need to take care not to divulge any sensitive information that might have been provided by the respondents for their own safety. If there are any unpredicted findings in the study, as it progresses, the participants will be informed accordingly. The participants will be reassured that, in giving information, they will not be obliged to reveal any information which they chose not to do so. Suggested Existing Literature Several existing texts will be used as part of a detailed literature review to gain a background understanding of the issues facing the region and the general trends associated with unemployment. The following indicative initial bibliography is suggested as a starting point for the research project. Blaikie, N. (2003). Analyzing quantitative data: From description to explanation. London: Sage. Ford, M R 2009, The Lights in the Tunnel: Automation, Accelerating Technology and the Economy of the Future, Acculant Publishing. Glaser, D, and Rice, K 2008, â€Å"Crime, Age and Employment.† American Sociological Review 24, no. 5: 679–686. Greenberg, DF 2009, â€Å"The Dynamics of Oscillatory Punishment Processes.† Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 68, no. 4: 643–651. Hackney 2013 â€Å"Hackney Facts and Figures Leaflet† Available at: http://www.hackney.gov.uk/Assets/Documents/facts-and-figures.pdf Hochstetler, A, and Shover, N 2010, â€Å"Street Crime, Labor Surplus, and Criminal Punishment,† 1980–1990.† Social Problems 44, no. 3: 358–367. International Labour Office. 2009, Bibliography of unemployment : covering the period 1920-1929, Geneve. Isabel, T 2008, Bibliography of Unemployment and the Unemployed, Burt Franklin Publisher. Moss, P, and Tilly, C 2009, Hiring in Urban Labor Markets: Shifting Labor Demands, Persistent Racial Differences. New York: Plenum. Rifkin, Jeremy 2008, The End of Work: The Decline of the Global Labor Force and the Dawn of the Post-Market Era, New York: Tarcher–G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Rusche, G, and Kirchheimer, O 2007, Punishment and Social Structure. New York: Columbia University Press. Reprint, New York: Russell and Russell. Salter, H. 2010. Interview secrets. London: Collins.

Audit Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Audit Report - Essay Example It therefore means all sectors as well as households have to play a role in order to achieve that goal. This environmental audit report is based on an environmental review of my household which is a flat. The review took place between the periods July 4 and July 17, 2011. Everything that is done in the household has an impact on the environment. Electricity is used for energy in the household. It provides lighting and heating and provides energy to operate appliances. Electricity contributes to the emission of greenhouse gas which has a negative impact on the environment. Waste from household activities also contributes to the emission of greenhouse gas in the environment. All of these activities result in climate change which affects all of us. Water is a scare resource and the way it is used in households has an impact on environmental pollution which is just one of the consequences of climate change which is due also to the irresponsible consumption of water (Household Water Audit ). Overview of household activities My household consists of three (3) persons, two of whom go out to work from Monday and Friday. I attend university and so I am hardly at home during the days. We are scarcely at home for a full day on Saturdays. However, we spend some time cleaning and washing before leaving home for various activities including shopping and entertainment. Saturdays and Sundays are the only days we prepare breakfast and dinner. The microwave is used to prepare meals each morning and each evening for a approximate 20 minutes each day from Monday to Friday. Our waste from Monday to Friday each week is very light since we are away from home for the better part of those days. However, on Saturdays and Sundays it is a bit heavier, especially on Sunday when we prepare for the rest of the week. Environmental impact of electricity use During any week we operate a number of appliances. They number approximately ten (10) and are used at least once per week. The table below shows the appliances in use, kilowatt hour (KWh) used along with the number of hours in used for each day during the period July 4 to July 17, 2011. Table 1 - Electricity used during the period July 4 to July 17, 2011 Electricity Usage Day Air Cond (KWh) Time (hr) Stove (KWh) Time (hr) M/Wave (KWh) Time (hr) Washing machine (KWh) Time (hr) Fridge Time (hr) TV (KWh) Time (hr) Laptop (KWh) Time (hr) Lights (KWh) Time (hr) Hair dryer (KWh) Time (hr) Iron (KWh) Time (hr) Total KWh Wattage 400 Â   800 Â   1400 Â   400 Â   725 8 120 Â   50 Â   18 Â   1500 Â   1500 Â   Â   Mon 2 5 0.4 0.5 0.462 0.33 0 Â   5.8 8 0.24 2 0.1 2 0.09 5 0 Â   0 Â   Â   Tues 2 5 0.8 1 0.462 0.33 0 Â   5.8 8 0.24 2 0.05 1 0.108 6 0 Â   0 Â   Â   Wed 1.6 4 0.8 1 0.462 0.33 0 Â   5.8 8 0.24 2 0.05 1 0.108 6 0.25 Â   0 Â   Â   Thur 2 5 0.8 1 0.462 0.33 0 Â   5.8 8 0.24 2 0.075 1.5 0.108 6 0 Â   0 Â   Â   Fri 2 5 0.8 1 0.462 0.33 0 Â   5.8 8 0.24 2 0.05 1 0.108 6 0 Â   0 Â   Â   Sat 2.8 7 1.2 1.5 0 Â   0.8 2 5.8 8 0.48 4 0.1 2 0.126 7 0 Â   2.25 1.5 Â   Sun 2.8 7 2.4 3 0 Â   0 Â   5.8 8 0.84 7 0.15 3 0.144 8 0.75 0.5 0 Â   Â   Mon 1.6 4 0.4 0.5 0.462 0.33 0 Â   5.8 8 0.24 2 0.05 1 0.09 5 0 Â   0 Â   Â   Tues 1.6 4 0.8 1 0.462

Process Centered Management Model in the Health Care Industry Setup Essay

Process Centered Management Model in the Health Care Industry Setup - Essay Example For him, the specialization of labor bannered by the Industrial Age, served as a reason of American business inefficiency and ineffectiveness. Individual tasks brought about by individual people or a group of people that form a department delimits their flexibility needed in optimizing the output of the whole company. Instead of focusing on the company's overall performance value on customer's viewpoint, they are more concerned on the productivity of a particular task of an individual person or a department. Though we can say that the tasks assigned to the department is performed productively, it does not still discredit the fact that many of the tasks done by each department in the traditional corporation are useless and/or hampered by the delay of the preceding unit in the production flow. These factors contribute to the inefficiency and unwanted costs that haunted even the largest of American corporations. Hammer blamed the lack of concern for processes or "how the units (tasks) fit together into a whole." With this in mind, he formulated the process-centered model, a management paradigm that revolves around business processes. Process centered management aims to divide a company by processes, not by function based departments.

Air legislation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Air legislation - Essay Example The center of gravity of an aircraft is its central imaginary point where it would balance when suspended. This point is important because it helps to determine an aircraft’s elevator effectiveness and stability and has an effect on the aircraft’s performance. For a successful flight the center of gravity should always fall within the stated limits provided by the aircraft’s manufacturer. These limits are the stated lateral and longitudinal limits where the center of gravity an aircraft must be situated during flight and is indicated in the aircraft’s manual. A change in the aircraft’s forward center of gravity increases the stability and the aircraft behaves as if it is heavier. This makes the aircraft to resist movement to outside forces. With the forward movement of the center of gravity, the aircraft is heavier on the nose. Change of the center of gravity from its required forward limit makes the elevator to be unable to hold its nose up especia lly during takeoff, landing and power-off glides. Performance of the aircraft decreases with a forward center of gravity. This creates a greater downward power on the aircraft’s tail needed to maintain the level cruising flight. This makes the aircraft to soar at a greater angle of attack which leads to a higher indicated stall speed and a more drag. An aft change of the center of gravity decreases the aircraft’s stability because the aircraft becomes more unstable as the center of gravity moves to the aft. This is because the elevator has a short arm distance from the center of gravity and therefore it needs a more deflection to produce an equal result. Stall recovery is almost impossible as the aircraft’s tendency to pitch down has been reduced. Moving the center of gravity beyond the aft limit makes the stall and spin recovery difficult. Change of the aft center of

Exploring The Dark Side. Review of hacker sites Essay

Exploring The Dark Side. Review of hacker sites - Essay Example Indeed, as Gold (2001) argues, there is an overriding tendency to perceive of all hackers as intent on the accessing otherwise private information for the purpose of criminal use and profit. Certainly, a not insignificant percentage of hacks into corporate databases is motivated by precisely such an intent but an equally significant percentage is motivated by the intent to expose security flaws. The intent to expose, as Gold (2001) contends, is not accompanied by an underlying criminal or financial motivation but simply by the determination to prove that the security systems which companies have invested large amounts of money in are, indeed, flawed and easily penetrated by professional hackers. Interestingly, the four sites mentioned appear to evidence Gold's (2001) argument. The technical information provided in these sites can be interpreted as hacking guidance information but, more significantly, it directs attention to existent security flaws and data vulnerability. In its announcement of a four-day hacker conference, the Cult of the Dead cow effectively evidences that hackers have a constructive role to play in the securitization of information. For example, the mentioned conference announcement is accompanied by a call for papers on network penetration, malware generation and, importantly, network security. The implication here is that hackers are actively involved in the study of network security flaws, aspects of network vulnerability and information warfare strategies, as based on existent flawed security and suggest strategies for the resolution of these weaknesses and vulnerabilities. As may have been deduced from the preceding paragraph, Cult of the Dead Cow may be perceived of as a positive contribution to information assurance and the fact that this statement may be extended to embrace professional hacker communities per se, is established through a review of I Hack Stuff. The latter site is extremely informative because it establishes the extent to which data and networks are vulnerable by illustrating how supposedly sensitive and extremely secure information, such as administrator login information, customer lists and websites' member databases, including passwords, may all be accessed through a google search. I Hack Stuff provides a long list of the google search terms that one needs to enter in order to access this information and upon experimenting with it, I discovered that the information is valid. Certainly, the information which I Hack Stuff provides may be interpreted as an immediate and intolerable ethical violation insofar as it directs novices, or experimenters, towards the location of information which allows for the successful hacking of supposedly secure websites. Taken from another perspective, however, such information may be interpreted as a constructive contribution to data and information assurance. It exposes security flaws and

Nursing Quality Improvement Action Plan Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nursing Quality Improvement Action Plan - Article Example The use of models like cultural competency, as designed by Campinha-Bacote, enable healthcare provider to continue striving towards attainment of the desired qualities necessary for working effectively in the context of individuals, clients, family as well as the entire community (Brathwaite 2003). Some of the quality improvement issues identified included lack of technology to engage patients as well as to transform healthcare into a more effective, efficient and patient centered. Also, many health institutions do not have adequate information technology tools to aid in documentations as well as monitoring quality improvements. In addition leadership support provided to nurses needed to be reviewed. There is also inadequate use of scorecards to highlight key strategies and tactics towards improvement of quality service delivery to the patients (Kaplan 1992).There are various issues that can be used to measure the quality of healthcare services being offered to patients. For instance nurses need to be engaged in the entire nursing process so as to boost his or her morale and trust in the system. Relevant information should be provided to the patient through proper communication. In case there is a communication breakdown between nurses and patients of among nurses, a lot of time will be required to gather relevant information about the patient. Spending much to acquire information about a patient reduces the effective time for providing health care services to patients.

Memory retention and retrieval in aging adults Term Paper

Memory retention and retrieval in aging adults - Term Paper Example Aging can affect both long term and short term memories of a person. Long term memories can act like the hard disk of a computer whereas short term memories can function like the Random Access Memory (RAM) of a computer. When the computer switches off all the information in the RAM will be lost whereas the information stored in the hard disk will be saved for future use. In the case of old people, both long term and short term memories can be exhausted if proper precautions are not taken. Long term memory consolidation occurs in human brain with the help of complex interactions among multiple brain systems like neurohormones. In the case of old people, these interactions among brain systems will be exhausted along with the exhausting of the body. Same way, short term memories may disappear once an old person completes a sleep cycle. Memory retention is essential for old people to conduct a normal life. Loss of memory may prevent them from identifying the objects or forgetting about t heir daily routine works. Thus their life becomes miserable when they approach their end of life period. Medical science has developed a lot and it is possible to reduce the pace of memory exhaustion among old people. In some cases, it is possible to regain the lost memory of the old people. This paper reviews the literature with respect to memory retention and retrieval among old people. Memory loss among old people There are many theories and views about the beginning of memory decline. Many people are of the view that memory mays started to decline from the age of sixty onwards. On the other hand many other are of the view that memory declining starts as early as thirty years of age itself. These contrasting views are the result of unawareness about the memory systems. Craik (2008) has succeeded in explaining these contrasting views with the help of the architecture and functioning of memory. He has explained that every human has at least five major memory systems and these syste ms show very distant rate of declining in the course of aging. â€Å"Episodic memory (memory for specific events) and working memory exhaust rapidly whereas memory for perceptual information, for highly practiced habits and procedures and for general knowledge (semantic memory) hold up relatively well†(Craik, 2008, p.343). In other words, some memory systems start to exhaust even in the early ages of thirties or forties whereas other memory systems exhaust only at a later period. People will take episodic memory loss and working memory loss as natural and less seriously than other types of memory loss and that is why these memory losses are often not catching the attention of people. Older people have relatively less abilities in keeping specific information in the memory compared to the younger generation. However, most of them are capable of retrieving general information. This is purely because of the dependency of various memory systems to age for the active functioning. Cognitive abilities such as attention, executive control, learning and problem solving etc can exhaust in the course of normal and pathological aging†. This is because of the growing inefficiency of the neurophysiological systems, blood supply, neural connectivity,

Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Lab Report Example Like any other laboratory experiments, reference is made to physical background of measurement tools and CAD version. Each tool requires an apt application to realize the most appropriate experimental results. In this section, vernier calipers and micrometer screw gauge were used to measure various dimensions of the Duplo block provided. In each case, these tools were aptly applied as described in the material attached to the laboratory manual. The Duplo block used in this experiment had a mixture of rectangular and circular shapes with internal and external diameters. With reference to manuals provided, the use of vernier calipers to determine internal and external dimensions of the various shapes on the Duplo block was studied. This is inclusive of evasion of any zero errors that might have occurred. Outer dimensions of circular, square and rectangular shapes on this block were determined by placing it between the lower jaws of the vernier calipers (Benedettelli, 2014). For inner dimensions, upper jaws clip inner surface of shapes measured and are screwed until they firmly hold. Measurements of depth are carried out using the movable head adjustable by the screw clamp whose shape and specifications differ for various vernier calipers. Once an object is in position, readings are made off systematically by determining initial significant figures by reading off values just to the left of vernier zero mark, along the main scale. The reading at which markings in vernier scale coincides with a division on main scale forms decimal readings. Thus, measurements on a vernier scale are usually expressed to two decimal place (Benedettelli, 2014). Relative to micrometers, measurements by vernier calipers are less precise. The use of ratchet knob, vernier scale and main scale of a micrometer was demonstrated as described in laboratory manuals. This instrument applies in

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

Tutoring - Assignment Example This means that the impact that education has on any one particular individual is so crucial in one’s life. I have been through this education system and therefore am talking from a background of vast experience. It is for this reason I want to teach people in a high-need school that they can achieve a lot despite them being from less fortunate financial backgrounds. I want them to learn to appreciate themselves and not look down on themselves due to their financial circumstances. Having being born and bred within this geographical locality, I believe I understand the educational needs of people from Chicago and therefore I feel that am ready to take up the challenge that there may be. I know that it may be an uphill task delivering as –per the expectations because I know that different students may have different education needs and that I may be required to apply different approaches with different students, but am all prepared for this. My previous job experience as a tutor at the America Reads as a reading and mathematics tutor accorded me enviable expertise in helping learners understand and complete their homework. In addition, my work experience at the Student Opportunities for After-School Resources places me at a better position for the task ahead.

Williams Brice Stadium Essay Example for Free

Williams Brice Stadium Essay Williams Brice Stadium appears to be just another college football stadium, but one step through those gates proves it’s a loud exciting and full of heart place. From the band playing, cheers and chants being yelled. The smell of stadium food and the garnet and black color that surrounds you will leave you with the feelings of excitement and a love of college football. Williams Brice Stadium is home to the University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team. Game days at the stadium are the most exciting, thrilling, and full of spirit. From the moment you walk through the gates the sounds of the Mighty Southeast Gamecock marching band, playing â€Å"2001† and â€Å"Step to the Rear† fill your ears. Pumping the fans up for the game that lies ahead. Throughout the game you will hear many cheers and chants being yelled; but none like the famous â€Å"Game Cocks†! The 86,000 plus fans become divided, one half yells â€Å"Game†, while the other half yells â€Å"Cocks†! Making it and Williams Brice Stadium one of the loudest college football stadiums to be. The food at the stadium is delicious typical stadium food. From popcorn, nachos, pizza, hotdogs, cotton candy, pretzels, all fill the walkway behind the seating; thus making your mouth water. All plastic containers are personalized with gamecock football history or design. Sometimes the lines can be a bit long, but so worth the wait. Everywhere you look you will see the colors garnet, black, and white. From bathroom walls, to the signs, banners, railings, letterings, and scoreboards all decked out with school colors. The 86,000 plus fans will all be wearing these beautiful, bold colors. Gamecock fans are some of the most dedicated, loyal, and full of team pride and spirit in all of college football. Visiting Williams Brice Stadium is a very loud, exciting, unique, and full of spirit experience. From the band, to the chants, to the food and color that surrounds you. It’s a one of a kind college football experience. The excitement, the noise, the food, and the Carolina Gamecock pride of football and spirit will leave you longing to return to another game experience at Williams Brice.

The Safeguarding Of Children By The Government Social Work Essay

The Safeguarding Of Children By The Government Social Work Essay The process of protecting children from abuse or neglect, preventing impairment of their health and development, and ensuring they are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care that enables children to have optimum life chances and enter adulthood successfully. (Source: Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2006). It is essential that children are safeguarded from maltreatment and impairment of their health and development not only to prevent the terrible day-today suffering some children are subjected to, but also to ensure that children are safe from these abuses to protect their long-term well-being (Combrink-Graham, 2006: 480). Deliberate and sustained maltreatment, which includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse of children, is not confined to any particular group or culture; it pervades all groups, classes and cultures. So as practitioners it is our professional duty of care to ensure that every child has the same amount of safeguarding as the next. It is also vital that as Early Years professionals we understand the roles and procedures of the services available for children and families so that we may offer the best advice possible. There are two areas of guidance statutory and non-statutory. LOC1- analyse the role of statutory, voluntary and independent service in relation to children and families. A service which is defined as statutory is one that the Local Authority have a legal duty to supply. The Local Authority is obliged by statute to provide some services, for example, social services, NHS hospital, health professionals, the police and probation service, youth offending teams, secure training centres, childminders and schools. They all have a duty under the Children Act 2004 to ensure that their actions are clear with regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. (Source: Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2006). Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is the responsibility of the local authority (LA), working in partnership with other public organisations, the voluntary sector, children and young people, parents and carers, and the wider community. (Source: Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2006). The role of statutory services in relation to children and families is to employ professionals who are committed to the cause of helping children to stay safe. The services need to employ staff that understands their responsibilities and duties in these difficult situations, so any organisation that deals with safeguarding children needs to make sure that all members of staff are safe to work with children and young people by providing a thorough identity check. Also the organisation that provides this service needs to be equipped to deal with any allegations including ones made against staff by having clear procedures in place. All staff have to have regular up to date training and understanding of the subject while working in this environment and they also need to understand the correct procedures if working with partner organisations. The voluntary sector is undertaken by organisations that are not for profit and non-governmental such as charities like Childline, the NSPCC and churches. This sector plays an important part in providing information and resources to the general public who may be unable or afraid to contact other sectors about the welfare of some children. They may also specialise in a particular area of abuse and may have greater and better understanding of the subject as their members of staff have experienced more in-depth training. Like the public sector their staff paid or volunteers need to go through the same process as the staff from the public sector that is stated in paragraph 2.8 in Working together to Safeguard Children 2006. Like the voluntary sector, the independent sector also has to abide by the regulations that come with working towards safeguarding children. The Independent sector is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government, and is instead funded by private sources. Such independent services are private schools, boarding schools, private counsellors and private charities such as UNICEF. A non statutory service is one which may or may not be supplied, at the discretion of the authority concerned. LOC2- Evaluate the legislation framework and procedures for child protection at national and local level. There are several legislative frameworks/laws and procedures for child protection at national and local level which are continually being amended, updated and revoked. One of the significant pieces of legislation is The Children Act 2004 which led to a considerable change in the way services are directly concerned with serving children and families. As a result of consultation with children and families following Lord Lamings enquiry into the terrible and tragic death of Victoria Climbià ©, the government announced its plans to restructure childrens services to help achieve five outcomes for well-being. The government outlined these outcomes in its Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda, stating that to achieve well-being in childhood and in later life children and young people want to: be healthy; be safe; enjoy and achieve; make a positive contribution; and achieve economic well-being (DfES, 2004b). These five outcomes for well-being are now the goals for Every Child Matters and all services that are concerned in the education and welfare of children and young people are bound to ensure these outcomes are achieved. The Every Child Matters Outcomes Framework (DCSF, 2008b) for enabling children and families to be safe requires that Early Years settings and primary schools must demonstrate that they are enabling children to be safe from maltreatment, neglect, violence and sexual exploitation, and from accidental injury and death, and that children and young people have security, stability, are cared for and are safe from bullying and discrimination. This is a very complex area for those who work with children, or intend to work with children, in part because of the amount of legislation that is attached to these issues. The Education Act 2002 places a duty on Early Years settings and schools to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children, including ensuring they provide a safe environment themselves and take steps, through their policies, practice and training, to identify child welfare concerns and take action to address them, in partnership with other organisations where appropriate (HM Government, 2006:13). The Education Act 2002 also places this duty on childminders and any organisation that provides day care for children of whatever age. Locally the group of people responsible for co-ordinating what is done by organisations in Essex to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and to ensure the effectiveness of this activity is the Essex Safeguarding Children Board (ESCB). Despite all of the legislation and policies, preventable tragedies like Victoria Climbià © and Baby P continue to happen. It is vital therefore that child protection agencies learn from these terrible events and continue to amend their policies. Legislation is also put in place not just to protect against harm to children but also to give protection to the professionals working with children and their families. LOC3- Debate theories of abuse such as medical, feminist, social and psychological models. The general publics usual opinion of an abuser is that they are abnormal, sick or criminal. The reasons for abuse may be deep and complex. The actions of an abuser are definitely wrong but why did they take them? There are lots of different theories as to why abusers abuse. Some of the more widely held theories are: The social model definition is where it is believed that a child copies the behaviour of adults around them. Albert Bandura (1977) referred to the social learning theories of other important professionals in child development such as Vygotsky and Lave. This theory includes aspects of behavioural and cognitive learning. He believed that behavioural learning assumes that peoples environment cause people to behave in certain ways. Also he believed in cognitive learning which is when someone experiences or acquires knowledge, he presumed that psychological factors are important for influencing how people behave. Another theory is the medical model. John Bowlby (1969-80), is recognized as one of the most prominent theorists in researching social effects on child development, in particular he is famous for his attachment theory (Flanagan, 1999). When Bowlby first began discussing this theory his work focused on the importance of the attachment a child has with its mother. The present accepted theory is that children can form a number of attachments with adults other than their biological mother, what is important is that children need caring and nurturing relationships in order to thrive, and not simply the basic needs of food and shelter (Foley et al., 2001; 211). Bowlby believed that there was a critical period of bonding in the first year of life. Much research has been done that suggests a strong correlation between mothers who have not formed a strong attachment to their children and child abuse and neglect. If not treated conditions such as postpartum depression (or post-natal depression as it is more commonly known) could lead to the mother having a negative attachment with the child developing into neglect which is a form of abuse without the mother realising. Another influential theorist in the area of child development is Erikson (1902-1994) who in the 1960s devised a model of human social development that focuses more on the impact of background and environment on development, rather than genetic determiners. This is known as a psychosocial model (Miller, 2003). The importance of this theory is that it explores how the beliefs, attitudes and values we grow up to hold are shaped by our genetic predisposition towards incentive acts and how the environment we grow up in impacts on those natural characteristics. Therefore, Erikson maintains, we are distinctly shaped by our formative experiences. If this is so, then the experiences a child will have while they are young will impact on their life as an adult, including on their attitudes, beliefs and values. A different opinion as to why abusers abuse is the psychological model. Psychological theories focus on the instinctive and psychological qualities of those who abuse. This theory believes it is abnormalities within the individual abuser that are responsible for abuse, for example, abusive parents may themselves have been abused in childhood (Corby, 2000). Although the flaw is that psychologists have failed to establish a consistent personality profile for a child abuser when compared to another form of abuser. Feminists believe that the Feminist model may be the answer to the actions of an abuser. The feminist model suggests that child abuse like domestic violence is a result of unequal power in the family. Cossins (2000) believes that abuse is done by man to women and is about male masculinity and power. But this does not take into account female abusers. Professor Lynne Segal suggests that the ideas of masculinity emphasises control and power. This assumes that all men have power and women and children do not have power (Bell, 1993). This theory also needs to include not just gender and power issues but to consider race, class and culture as well (Reavey and Warner, 2003). The Cycle of violence is another model, it is based on the view that children who live with domestic violence will learn that abuse is acceptable and will become either an abuser or a victim. While experiencing or witnessing domestic violence can have a serious impact on children and young people, they will respond in various ways depending on their age, race, sex, culture, stage of development, and individual personality. By no means do all children who have lived with domestic violence grow up to become either victims or abusers. Many children exposed to domestic violence realise that it is wrong, and actively reject violence of all kinds.  There is not much evidence to support this model. Although all these models give some insight into why an abuser would abuse there is no one type of abuser, so there can be no one model. What we would consider a child abuser in this country is not the same standards as other countries. Not one of these models can solely explain the actions of a child abuser. Finkelhor (1986) understood that and was a critic of single factor models. He also believed that women were just as capable of abuse as men are. LOC4- Describe the categories of abuse and the possible effects on the child, family and workers. What comprises abuse is open to wide debate, because some researchers will state that what one group in society deems to be abuse, another will claim is a normal part of child rearing practice. For example, the smacking debate. Is it acceptable to smack a child? There is a legal acceptance that where a smack doesnt leave a lasting mark it is not abuse, but if it is continuously done and escalates then this would be classed as abuse. The point at which any practice becomes abusive is the point at which it becomes ill-treatment, likely to impair health or physical, emotional, social or behavioural development (DfES, 2006). The categories of child abuse are physical, emotional, sexual abuse and neglect. Most often if a child is suffering from one of the categories like physical or sexual abuse they are likely to be suffering from emotional abuse as well, as the categories link into one another. As Early Years practitioners we need to keep an eye out for any signs of physical abuse, which are usually visible to the eye, such as unexplained injuries, bruises or burns. Other signs of physical abuse are if the victim refuses to discuss injuries, gives improbable explanations for injuries, has untreated injuries or lingering frequently recurring injuries. If the parents administering of punishment appears excessive, if the child shrinks from physical contact, or they have a fear of returning home or of the parents being contacted, or a fear of undressing, or a fear of medical help these could also be a sign of physical abuse. Physical abuse can lead to the child becoming aggressive towards other children and bullying. An abused child may display over compliant behaviour or a watchful attitude, have significant changes in behaviour without explanation, their work may deteriorate and they may have unexplained patterns of absences whilst bruises or other physical injuries heal. In some cases the child may even try to run away. Another form of abuse is emotional abuse; this is one of the hardest types of abuse to recognise as there are often no outwardly visible signs. Emotional abuse is about messages, verbal or non-verbal, given by a care giver to a child. Almost all children are subjected to emotional abuse to some degree. Even the most caring of parents will at some time give children quite negative messages, this is why it is hard to detect emotional abuse. Examples of emotional abuse are deliberately humiliating a child, making a child feel ashamed for not being able to do or understand something which they, in fact, are developmentally incapable of. Other signs of abuse are expecting a child to put the needs of other family members before their own. Persistently verbally abusing a child, or constantly threatening to leave a child on their own as a punishment is abusive whether or not the threat is carried out. Making threats of other cruel and excessive punishments and/or carrying them out, telling a child that he was not wanted, was a mistake, or was the wrong gender, isolating a child, preventing them from socialising with their peers and continually putting a child under unfair moral/emotional pressure is abuse. Some adults may also not realise that exposing a child to age-inappropriate activities such as television, films and computer games is also classed as emotional abuse. The DfES (2006) What to Do if You Are Worried a Child Is Being Abused document defines sexual abuse as: Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, including prostitution, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative or non-penetrative acts. They may include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual on-line images, watching sexual activities, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways. (DfES, 2006: 9). The definition of neglect is the persistent failure to meet a childs physical and/ psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the childs health or development (DfES, 2006: 9). Some examples of neglect are failure to feed a child adequately, not providing appropriate clothes or bedding, giving inadequate basic physical care, the child having no boundaries or consistency, the child not being safe, not attending to a childs medical needs and failure to meet or recognize a childs emotional needs. The definition of neglect clouds with shades into the definition of emotional abuse. While both these definitions make sense, they are somewhat blurred around the edges. When we talk about severe actions it can be difficult to decide whether, and at what level, to intervene. There have been studies that show evidence that neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse are all associated with reduced intelligence in children (Carrey, 1996). While this study shows an example of the effect abuse can have, sometimes a child can grow up with a positive attitude and have a successful life. But this is not to say that all survivors are successful in life and obviously some people suffer terrible ongoing issues related to their experience of abuse. Such as being able to trust anyone or in the case of sexual abuse never being able to let anyone touch them and the damage is permanent. Abuse can also affect the family by breaking it apart and separating the abuser from the abused. LOC5- Evaluate ways of enabling children to protect themselves, and ways of supporting children who have been abused. We cant expect children and young babies to protect themselves. So the government and schools try to communicate a universal message to children to try to protect them. Such as bullying is wrong, to be nice to one another, to eat well and look after each other and to promote a positive environment. We should always take children seriously and listen to what they are saying, as this is a way of improving our ways of providing support. There are four methods that are used with children in need and their families, each of which needs to be carried out effectively in order to achieve improvements in the lives of children in need. They are assessment, planning, intervention and reviewing (DfES, 2006). As an Early Years professional you should be aware of the local procedures to be followed for reporting concerns about a particular child. If you have any concerns about a child, they must be reported to the schools designated senior member of staff or a senior member that is appointed child protection supervisor. This may be where your involvement may end or you may need to be involved further. The practitioner will discuss with a manager and/or other senior colleagues what they think the appropriate action should be, then if there are still concerns a referral to the Local Authority childrens social care team will be made, followed up in writing within 48 hours. The social worker and manager then acknowledge receipt of referral and decide on the next course of action within one working day. An initial assessment is required to decide if there is any concern for the childs immediate safety. The initial assessment should continue in accordance with the assessment framework which is a chart that states what the needs of a child are. If there is reasonable cause to suspect the child is suffering, or is likely to suffer significant harm, childrens social care should arrange an immediate strategy discussion. The purpose of the strategy discussion is to agree whether to initiate section 47 of the Children Act 1989. It is also to identify the appropriate tasks and timescales for each involved professional and agency, and agree what further help or support may be necessary. If the child is likely to be harmed then the police and other relevant agencies are called. Next there would be a child protection conference and the results from that would determine whether a core assessment is made which is where the family and other professionals agree a plan for ensuring the childs future safety and welfare. If the results are that the child is in sufficient harm then the child becomes the subject of a child protection plan, which is where the difficulties of the child will be made known to partner agencies. This will be followed by giving the child a key worker and a child protection review conference, the purposes of the child protection review is to review the safety of the child. Usually, the decision to keep a childs name on the protection register is reviewed every six months, depending on the circumstances. A child protection review conference can decide that a childs name should be removed from the register. This decision will only be made when the child protection review conference is satisfied that the child is no longer at risk of significant harm. A young person will also be removed from the register once he or she turns 18. Obviously the worst case scenario is when a child dies due to abuse and nothing was done to help them. As Early Year professionals it is extremely important that situations like this never happen and that is why these procedures are put into place. Professionals can intervene by working with children and families to help protect them. There are support systems in place for children and their families provided by local government and sometimes connected to the school. Sure start is one such system. Sure start is a government programme which provides services for children and their families. It works to bring together early education, childcare, health and family support. Services provided include advice on health care and child development, play schemes, parenting classes, family outreach support and adult education and advice. If there is a case of suspected abuse but it is decided that there is no need to remove the child or the parent following the families assessment, Sure start can be recommended to the family as a place for family development. In this country there are 11 million children, 4 million have been identified as vulnerable (disabled), 400,000 have been identified as children in need, 32,000 are on the child protection register and 63,000 are looked after (in foster care). These statistics have gone up since the terrible tragic death of Peter Connelly (Baby P) in 2007. (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=348). We live in a highly complex and diverse society and as professionals it is part of our responsibility to ensure we are not confusing what we think is the case, or what we would like, with what is really the case. As Early Years practitioners we need to approach individual children and families with an open mind. While we believe we know what, a perfect world is, we also know that families come in all shapes and sizes, and that all families are likely to need support to help them. To make sure that all children get the correct and full treatment/service needed to make sure that they are safeguarded against abuse all practitioners/professionals should work together and communicate to achieve this goal.

Brand Equity of HP Laptops

Brand Equity of HP Laptops Introduction As the lifestyle is changing, needs of people are changing accordingly from more technology prone to advancement in electronic devices usage. People want faster paced life, leading to endless dreams to be fulfilled. Desire to achieve excellence in all departments of life makes life more interesting and increases the positive vibrance. Belonging to this information technology era, life without laptops is unimaginable. Laptop sales in India are at an all time high, due to the growth of a new breed of technology conscious IT users. There has been a drastic shift in working environments coupled with a lifestyle which is always on the move. Besides the work-related market, various other segments are capitalizing on these handy portable computers. A large number of households and students are using these portable PCs for entertainment and study purposes respectively. Industry Background Laptops are popularly used in India more for their portability rather than mobility. Portability has become the number one factor as to why more Indians are buying these portable PCs. The laptop market in 2009 saw a significant growth. Seen as just the right size to fit on someones lap, laptops are taking the Indian market by storm and are certainly giving desktop computers a run for their money. The laptop market in India recorded sales of 7.7 lakh units, growing at 13% in the first half of 2009-10. The major players in the Indian market are HP, Compaq, Dell, Lenovo, Apple and Acer. Quarterly notebook PC shipment and forecast report stated that 31 million units were shipped in the first quarter of 2009, noting that the notebook PC market shrank 6% on quarter, but increased 35% on year during the period. HP remained in the lead for seven consecutive quarters with a shipment around two million units over number two Dell in the first quarter of 2009-10. HPs market share was over 20% for six consecutive quarters. The most popular panel size and resolution was still 15.4-inch with a resolution of 1280ÃÆ'-800, which accounted for almost 50% of all notebook PCs shipped in the quarter, while the 14.1-inch segment with a 1280ÃÆ'-800 resolution trailed behind with a 22% share. The general features that people look for while making a decision on the laptop are: Processing Speed of Laptops The laptops processing speed depends on the usage. Consumers generally go for Intel Core Duo processors or Athlon. If the requirement is a high end laptop, then consumers can opt for Core 2 Duo or Quad Core processors. Operating System At present Windows Vista is the operating system in the laptop market. Recently Windows 7 has been launched and laptop vendors are slowly shifting to the latest operating system. Other Operating Systems like Linux can be got on request. Screen Screen size is usually 14.1 or 15.4. But consumers are going for bigger screen sizes also. The 17 laptop sales have increased in the recent months, but still is not very high. Hard Drives 160 GB hard disks is the usual attachment in most of the laptops. These are the features which one should consider before buying laptops. Searching laptops in Indian market will be easy as all the information is available online. Company Background HP is a technology company that operates in more than 170 countries around the world. They explore how technology and services can help people and companies address their problems and challenges, and realize their possibilities, aspirations and dreams. HP applies new thinking and ideas to create more simple, valuable and trusted experiences with technology, continuously improving the way our customers live and work. No other company offers as complete a technology product portfolio as HP. They provide infrastructure and business offerings that span from handheld devices to some of the worlds most powerful supercomputer installations. They offer consumers a wide range of products and services from digital photography to digital entertainment and from computing to home printing. This comprehensive portfolio helps them match the right products, services and solutions to their customers specific needs. HP India, established in the year 1988, holds the distinction of being one of the first technology companies to set up a base in India. HP in India is one of the largest and most diverse sites for HP outside of the US. HP started its India Software Operations (ISO) in 1989 at Bangalore to deliver enterprise software solutions, product and RD services to HP customers worldwide. Over the past year, HPs presence and product portfolio has expanded to mirror almost every activity the company undertakes, be it software engineering, IT services, RD, BPOs among others. HP India became a billion dollar company in 2005 and continues to expand its presence. HP is the leader in the laptop market in India. HP laptops feature powerful performance and attractive designs and this is the reason they are the number 1 selling brand in India. Need for the Study There are a lot of new brands of laptops available in the market. Many international players are entering the Indian market to try and capture a chunk of this huge market. We would like ascertain whether HP brand, which is currently doing well, will continue to do well in the future also or does it need to change any of its approach with respect to its brand performance. This project is restricted to the brand equity only. Objectives of the Study To measure brand equity of HP laptops Conceptual Framework Brand Equity Brand equity refers to the marketing effects or outcomes that accrue to a product with its brand name compared with those that would accrue if the same product did not have the brand name. And, at the root of these marketing effects is consumers knowledge. In other words, consumers knowledge about a brand makes manufacturers/advertisers respond differently or adopt appropriately adept measures for the marketing of the brand. The study of brand equity is increasingly popular as some marketing researchers have concluded that brands are one of the most valuable assets that a company has. Brand equity is one of the factors which can increase the financial value of a brand to the brand owner, although not the only one. Brand equity is measured as a combination of the following five factors: Brand Awareness Brand Loyalty Perceived Quality Brand Association Other Proprietary Assets Brand Awareness Brand awareness is a marketing concept that measures consumers knowledge of a brands existence. At the aggregate (brand) level, it refers to the proportion of consumers who know of the brand. It can measured using the following measures: Aided Recall Either the brand name or both the brand name and category name are presented to respondents. Unaided Recall The product category name is given to respondents who are asked to recall as many brands as possible that are members of the category. Top of Mind Recall The first brand that comes to the mind of customers is recorded. Brand Loyalty Brand loyalty consists of a consumers commitment to repurchase or otherwise continue using the brand and can be demonstrated by repeated buying of a product or service or other positive behaviors such as word of mouth advocacy. The various measures for calculating brand loyalty are: Switching Cost Liking Satisfaction Waiting Time Shopping Effort Willingness to Bear Additional Cost Perceived Quality Perceived quality is defined as the customers perception of the overall quality or superiority of a product or service with respect to its intended purpose relative to alternatives. We have measured the perceived quality of the overall brand under the following measures: Performance Features Conformance with Specifications Reliability Durability Fit and Finish Serviceability Brand Association A key to building brand is to strengthen the associations. A brand association is anything, i.e. a word, a picture, a person, etc. related to a brand. The association not only exists but also has strength, uniqueness to the brand and favorability in the minds of the consumers. Other Proprietary Assets The three most important proprietary assets are: Name Logo Slogan Methodology Sample Size We have taken a sample size of 15 respondents. It consisted of 12 males and 3 females of varying ages, across the country. Data Collection analysis Methods The following tools were used to collect data: Focus group discussions (FGDs) Questionnaires Data Analysis Tools SPSS 16.0 for Windows, MS Excel Brand Awareness Brand Awareness is the extent to which a brand is recognized by potential customers, and is correctly associated with a particular product. It is usually expressed as a percentage of target market. Brand awareness is the primary goal of advertising. Brand awareness conveys the intensity of knowledge and understanding that a consumer has about a product or brand. This is usually measured through the three measures Top of Mind Recall, Unaided Recall Aided Recall. Unaided recall Top of Mind Recall Unaided Recall is a market research technique used to test the effectiveness of brands, advertisements and commercials in which respondents are asked certain questions to learn whether they are familiar with a particular company, brand, slogan, product or service. In our survey the respondent was asked to mention the names of laptops they know or have heard about. Out of the unaided recalled brands, the first brand that the respondent mentions is the top of mind recall. Top of mind awareness is there when people can easily recall a brands name. Top of mind reacall usually is associated with the brand being in the short term memory. Top of mind awareness is very desirable in target prospects who are likely to buy because it is when they are considering buying an item you really want them to remember a particular brand. The responses obtained are indicated in the table below. In the calculations for the brand equity score, top of mind being an important parameter was given 100 points. To calculate the top of mind score for a particular brand, the percentage of people who mentioned the particular brand in their top of mind recall was calculated out of total respondents. Thus HP laptops got a score of 47 or 47% which is 7 as a percentage of 15. The maximum score for unaided recall was fixed at 70. The brand with the highest frequency was given a score of 70 and the brands that followed were given scores of 60 50 each. Interpretation Out of 15 respondents, HP brand had the highest top of mind recall, followed by Compaq, Lenovo Dell, which had equal responses. This shows that the investments by HP in their advertisement / marketing communications have been relatively effective. But still considering that only 47% respondents recollected HP from the top of mind, HP should consider investing more in their advertisement campaigns. Top of Mind recall happens with higher repetitions and exposure to advertisements. Advertisements emphasizing the brand HP have to be repeated. This will also help because HP has a wide product assortment. In case of unaided recall, HP Dell were leading with very high scores, followed by Compaq, Lenovo and Toshiba. This shows that people know these brands as laptop brands. The objective of this measurement is to measure the extent to which respondents remembered the brand when the actual brand name is prompted. A list of laptop brands was given to the respondent and they were asked to select the brands they were aware of. We deliberately included a couple of brands which did not have laptops. Surprisingly people who selected these brands were very less and there seems to be a very high level of awareness about laptop brands. The response obtained is indicated in the table alongside. Interpretation HP, Dell, Compaq Lenovo had 100% awareness or all respondents who participated in the survey were aware about these brands as a laptop brand. Aided awareness was scored out of 50 and the brands with maximum awareness were given a score of 50, second best as 40 etc. We do not need to do anything on this front to increase awareness about HP as a laptop brand. 2. Brand loyalty Brand loyalty of the customer is often the core of a brands equity. It reflects how likely a customer will be able to switch to another brand. Brand loyalty is closely tied to experience and is different from other major dimensions of brand equity. The following scores were obtained by the brands against the four factors associated with Loyalty. Cross Tabs: The cross tabulation was done to see how many people from the group of 15 conform to various parameters. The various cross tabulation are shown as under: PreferredBrand * PurchasedBrand The first cross tabulation was done to find out number of people among the group who have purchased the brand which they prefered. So the cross tabulation was done between the prefered brand and the purchased brand. The results of the same are shown below. The above table and the graph below show that only 2 people have purchased HP out of the 6 people who prefered the brand HP, for Compaq it was 2 out of 2 and none for Compaq. RecommendBrand * PurchasedBrand This cross tabulation was done to see how many people would recommend the brand who have purchased the brand. The table shows 60 % people who have purchased the Compaq would recommend the brand to people, 100% who have purchased the HP would recommend HP and 80% who have purchased the Lenovo would recommend Lenovo. Perceived quality Perceived quality is defined as the customers perception of the overall quality or the superiority of a product or service with respect to its intended purpose relative to alternatives. It is also a measure of goodness that spreads over all elements of the brand. It is elevated to the status of the brand asset is helps business to gain financial advantage and gives a strategic thrust which in turn drives how the other aspects of brand is looked. We conducted two focussed group discussions (FGD) to find out the factors which customers perceive as important for accessing the quality of the laptops. The FGDs resulted in 9 factors which were then cross verified through secondary research study. Three factors Battery Life and Time to Charge had to be removed because of the lack of the suitability in terms of quality image. The rest six factors were taken into account while deciding the perception of the quality of the laptops. Thus, the seven factors used for assessing the perceived quality for calculating the final brand equity score are: Performance Features Conformance to specifications Reliability Durability Fit and finish Serviceability The users of the brands HP, Lenovo and Compaq were asked to rate the above attributes on a scale of 1 to 10 (10-Excellent, 1-Poor). In the following explanation of the different factors, the aggregate score is the sum of the score given by all the 15 respondents and the average reflects the aggregate score divided by the number of respondents (15 in our case). The maximum points allotted to each of the factors is100. So the score of each of the factors is then calculated based on the average score. Performance The performance of the laptops is an important factor as it is critical for the overall perception of the customer in terms of quality of the laptop. The performance is compared across the brands having the same features so that there is no bias and the comparison in not done for two extremely different series laptops. As it came out in FGDs, this is also related to how the laptop performs like no crash, no hangs, smooth operation and other similar sub attributes. The performance score of the three brands is shown in the table below: HP scores highest with an average score of 8 followed by Lenovo with 6.93 and Compaq at last with a score of 6.87. Interpretation The customers have a favourable perception for HP in terms of performance of the laptops. The Lenovo and Compaq are close together with almost same perception for performance. The HP laptops outscore both of the other brands by almost 10 points. The same perception had also been received in the FGDs and so there is no difference of perceptions between the surveys and FGDs. Features The customers today look for the customization and so crave for the number of features available for the different laptops. The range of features and the depth under each component become important now because they affect the customer perception for the quality and affect the buying favourability for a brand. HP again scored highest in this category with an average score of 8.27 followed by Compaq with an average of 7 and at last Lenovo with a score of 6.8. Interpretation The customers feel that the feature loaded laptops are of good quality and as most of the HP laptops are feature loaded, they are rated higher in terms of the features. The Lenovo and Compaq laptops come with some standard specifications which mostly are basic ones. Though they can be customised as per needs but the number of options available for different components (depth) are still limited. This doesnt go favourable with the customers and it is reflected in the score given by them to Lenovo and Compaq laptops as compared to HP which scores higher. Conformance to Specifications Customers choose the features and specification to get the laptops which conform to them and perform accordingly. So conformance to the specifications becomes an important factor here. The table below shows the score obtained by the three brands on this parameter. HP stands at top with an average of 7.73 followed by Lenovo at 6.93 and then Compaq with 6.8. Interpretation: HP has a favourable impression in the minds of the customers as they feel that HP conforms to the specifications and this makes them give it the highest score. The other brands of laptops are not far behind which shows that there is not much different in the perception of these brands as far as the conformance to the specifications is concerned. All three adhere to the specifications and even the fact that HP has highest score cant be considered as a great differentiator in terms of perceived quality. Reliability Score The perception about reliability of a product directly contributes to the brand equity for a mobile device like laptop which is employed for multiple uses. The surveys FGDs we conducted indicated how reliability as an important component of perceived quality. Respondents wanted their laptops for mobile needs, especially students for project works executives who had to do presentations on the go. More than anything, reliability was connected to loss of data due to laptop related malfunctioning  which could never be compensated.   The reliability scores obtained by the brands are indicated in the table above. Each respondent was asked to rate the three laptop brands on their perception about reliability of the brand. The final reliability score was found by aggregating the scores given by all respondents and then finding the average. Interpretation The results indicated that HP Lenovo scored 75 out of 100 for reliability, followed by Compaq with a score of 66. This is inline with the two brands various marketing communications that emphasise on reliability. Lenovo the erstwhile IBM Thinkpad always portrayed a sturdy image, with protections even against accidental drops and first of its kind features like locking hard disk during a fall. HP also proposes its high reliability through marketing communications. Compaq, a value brand from the HP stable is perceived to be less reliable compared to the parent brand HP. The perception about durability of a product directly contributes to the brand equity especially when it is an expensive to own item like a laptop. Our survey told that a normal customer tends to consider using a laptop for atleast 3 4 years and minimise the cost on the equipment. Also the FGDs indicated that laptops are very expensive to maintain and replacements of parts are a very expensive business. Thus durability was used as an element to compute brand equity score. The brand scores on the parameter durability was again calculated by aggregating scores given by individual respondents on perceived durability of the three brands. The average was found and a percentage of the maximum score of 10 was found to provide the brands score on durability. Interpretation The table indicates that HP Lenovo are perceived to be of nearly the same durability (Lenovo a little more). But Compaq lags heavily in the perception about durability. This could be due to the positioning of HP Lenovo as premium brands, while Compaq is always positioned as a low price, value based product. Another inference we may take from this could be that price and premiumness can cause a difference in perception of quality in the minds of customers. A customer may be ready to pay more for a product considering that durability is directly related to the price of the product. In the FGDs conducted, we got views that the laptop a person carries communicates a lot about his personality. Hence the fit finish is given a lot of importance during laptop purchases. We had included fit finish as a component of perceived quality and gave equal importance to this parameter with a maximum score of 100 associated to it. The above table indicates the scores obtained by the brands for fit finish parameter. The respondents were asked to rate the three laptops on a maximum score of 10 points. The aggregate score was calculated and average was obtained for the 15 respondents. This was then transformed to a score of maximum score of 100. Interpretation It was found that HP had the highest score on the parameter fit finish. HP laptops have always been famous for their stylish designs, and designer exteriors. HP frequently comes up with limited editions, with specially designed exteriors, giving rich look to the laptop. Compaq was rated as the next best. Compaq, being a product targeted at the value segment, has always designed its laptop in a simple and elegant manner in contrast to the bold and stylish designs of HP. We can see that Lenovo lags heavily in this parameter. Lenovo retained the original IBM Thinkpad designs. Lenovo gives lesser importance to external visual appeal focussing more on ergonomics, robustness and reliability. This was also indicated in the FGDs where Lenovo laptops were criticised for the dull exteriors. Most respondents admitted they were not satisfied with the looks and they modified the looks by applying laptop skins available in the market. Serviceability refers to the ability of technical support personnel to install, configure, and monitor laptop products, identify exceptions or faults, debug or isolate faults to perform root cause analysis, and provide hardware or software maintenance in pursuit of solving a problem and restoring the product into service. Incorporating serviceability facilitating features typically results in more efficient product maintenance and increases value for the brand in the minds of the customer. During the FGDs, many participants shared the various faults that their laptops had generated and how easy or difficult they found it to get it serviced at an authorized centre. The following table lists the scores for serviceability for the different laptop brands out of a maximum of 100. The respondents were asked to rate the three laptops on a maximum score of 10 points. The aggregate score was calculated and average was obtained for the 15 respondents. This was then transformed to a score of maximum score of 100. Interpretation HP was rated the best serviceable laptop followed by Compaq and Lenovo. HP service centres or HP-authorized service centres are available all over India. Therefore customers find it very easy to simply carry their laptops to the nearest service centre and get it serviced. Compaq laptops are also serviced by HP service centres. Since exclusive Compaq service centres are not widespread, people still perceive that the serviceability is not very high for Compaq, while in reality it should equal that of HP. Lenovo has mainly authorised service centres and its not as widespread as compared to the other two brands. Therefore, it has got a low score for serviceability. Having exclusive Lenovo service centers in all major cities in India may help in improving the perception of the customers. Brand Association The FGDs were conducted to get the exhaustive list of the possible associations for the three brands- HP, Lenovo and Compaq. The associations were then used in the questionnaire to select the top two associations from the respondents for each of the three brands. The surveyed people were then asked to rate (5-highest, 1-lowest) the two associations selected by them. The tables below show the scores obtained by each of the associations under different categories. The top two associations were then converted into the score for the three parameters- Strength of Association, Favourability and Attitude. The Business and the Performance came out to be the top two associations with the HP laptops. When converted to score it comes out to be as follows: The brand celebrity association for HP is also seen as Mr. Amitabh Bachchan who justifies the Business and Performance score too. The animal association for the brand HP also comes out to be Tiger and Lion in equal numbers of 4 each. So the animal association for HP is the Big Cat Family Animals. This can be because the people relate these animals for the performance and focussed attitude like in business. The Tough/Robust and Features came out to be the top two associations with the Lenovo laptops. When converted to score it comes out to be as follows: The brand celebrity association for Lenovo is also seen as Mr. Saif Ali Khan who justifies the Tough/ Robust and Feature rich image of the brand Lenovo. This association may be because he is also a brand ambassador for Lenovo. The animal association for the brand Lenovo is Dog as seen from the responses of the people who responded to the survey. Six people out of 15 said Dog as the animal which should be associated with the Lenovo laptops. This brings out the features of the laptop which shows they are trustworthy, robust and extremely rich in features. The brand celebrity association for Compaq is seen as Mr. Shahrukh Khan who justifies the Affordability and Service image of the brand Compaq. This association may be because he is also a brand ambassador for Compaq. The animal association of Compaq comes out to be Cat which sort of justifies the affordability part. 5.Other proprietary Assets The three proprietary assets studied in this survey were Name, Logo Slogan. This was important as any marketing communication will be using the three assets and the impact these makes will determine the brand equity and hence the consumption of a brand. The respondents were asked to rate the three brands for the three assets on the basis of the three factors Attractiveness, Effectiveness, Uniqueness For example, the respondent was asked about how attractive, effective and unique the name of HP laptop is, followed by the logo and slogan of HP. The scores for each factor was calculated by finding the aggregate score given by all the respondents and then the average. The final score of each brand against each of the assets were found by multiplying the score of the asset against the three factors. Name It was found that name HP had a very high score in all the three dimensions and has the highest score of 49 among the three brands. Compaq follows HP and the name Lenovo was found to have scored the least and was found to score the least among the three brands in each of the dimensions except uniqueness, where it stands second. Interpretation The name of HP was found to score an average of 7.8 out of 10 for uniqueness, 8 for effectiveness and 7.8 for attractiveness. This indicates that the name HP is contributing to the brand equity. But in the case of Lenovo, we see that the name scores very low in terms of attractiveness and effectiveness. Such brands may consider re-launching products under different brand names or a brand like Lenovo can for brand extensions with more attractive names 2. SLOGAN The above table indicates the ratings for slogan of the three brands on the dimensions of attractiveness, effectiveness and uniqueness. The slogans were given to the respondents namely HP Laptops are Personal Again, Compaq Inspiration Technology, Lenovo New World. New Thinking Interpretation We can observe that HP scores highest for slogan, followed by Lenovo and Compaq. Though the slogan for HP scores highest relatively, the score seems to be low. This could be because the respondents are not able to relate the slogan to the product or because they are not able to associate it with themselves. This could be because HP used this slogan initially for desktops when it came up with the slogan Computers are personal again. But laptops are always personal equipments for self usage and saying Laptops are Personal Again does not make any more impact. Looking at the other two brands, Lenovo and Compaq lag heavily and needs considerable improvement in their slogan. This could even be due to lack of sufficient exposure of the slogan to customers or again inability of the customers to relate slogan with themselves or the product. 3. LoGo The above table indicates the ratings for logo of the three brands on the three dimensions. The respondents were shown the different logos of the three brands and asked them to rate them against attractiveness, effectiveness uniqueness. As we can see, HP scored the highest for the logo, followed by Compaq and Lenovo. Interpretation HP has a very high score for brand logo, with very high score in each of the dimensions Attractiveness, effectiveness and uniqueness. Compaq follows and Lenovo was found to lag heavily in this dimension too The above table indicates the brand equity score of the three brands. We can find that the brand under study HP has scored the highest score of 1405 out of 1920. It clearly indicates why HP is the market leader in this range of laptops. Compaq from the HP stable is the second valued brand. We have seen the brands under the individual dimensions in the previous sections. We can see that HP leads the other brands in every dimension. The strategies adopted so far has been satisfactory. Suggestions for further Improvement Improving Brand Awareness From the brand equity table, we can see that HP scores full against unaided recall aided recall.

Radio Frequency Identification Essay examples -- Technology, Communica

I. INTRODUCTION RADIO frequency identification (RFID) technology is gaining attention both from academicians and from practitioners. RFID has the potential to serve as a fundamental technology for ubiquitous services where both objects and people can be identified automatically via attached RFID tags [35]. However, with the promise of RFID technology come issues that need to be addressed for its widespread acceptance by consumers. For example, the use of RFID technology by retailers and government agencies raises questions about potential violation of personal information privacy [35], and potential security threats to personal information [40]. Motivated by such issues, this study proposes and validates a theoretical model of consumer acceptance of RFID technology. The proposed model is developed based on the extant literature and provides a theoretical framework of the critical factors that determine the consumer’s acceptance of RFID technology. A contribution of this paper involves reviewing the technology acceptance model (TAM) Manuscript received September 1, 2006; revised June 27, 2007. Review of this manuscript was arranged by Department Editor A. Chakrabarti. The authors are with the Information Technology and Decision Sciences Department, College of Business Administration, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76201 USA (e-mail: hossainm@unt.edu; prybutok@unt.edu). Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TEM.2008.919728 and contextualizing it to the RFID technology. This contextualization is done with the intent of extending the TAM to the acceptance of a specific technology—RFID technology. This study is the first in the RFID literature to utilize and contextualize the TAM for explaining consumer a... ...chnology. Perceived usefulness is defined as the extent that individuals believe their job performance is enhanced by using a particular technology. Perceived ease of use is defined as the extent to which an individual believes that using a particular system is free of effort. TAM also postulates that perceived ease of use is a predictor of perceived usefulness. Researchers have utilized and validated TAM for use with numerous types of technology [51]. Some studies suggest that TAMsuccessfully predicts an individual’s acceptance of various corporate information technologies [1], [8], [12], [39]. According to Straub et al. [42], TAM may hold across technologies, people, settings, and times. Recently, TAM has its footprints in e-commerce [50], [51], and mobile service [46]. This study expands TAMto the study of consumer acceptance of the RFID technology.

The Reasons For American Economic Prosperity In The 1920s :: essays research papers

Why was there economic prosperity in American in the 1920’s? I know that America on it’s surface was prosperous during the 1920’s. I know this because of the physical signs, and the evidence I have found supporting this concept. Some of the physical signs of the then prosperity are evident today, like the skyscrapers and Empire State building. There were the inventions of manufactured fabrics and materials such as Bakelite, artificial silk and Cellophane. Airlines carried almost half a million passengers a year, which compared to Europe at the same time, was a massive number of people. In this essay I will analyse all the reasons behind the economic prosperity in 1920. World War 1 assisted America’s latter prosperity. Throughout the war American industry benefited, because countries that couldn’t buy goods from Europe, did so from America. And along with this Europe bought products from America, products that they weren’t producing while they were fighting. Furthermore, during the First World War, American banks lent money to their European Allies. In the 1920’s, this was being paid back with interest. The war had also led to advances in technology, such as mechanism and manufactured materials. Production of Iron Ore, coal, petrol and wheat and exportation of chemicals, wheat, iron and steal all had increased considerably by the end of the war. By the end of the war, America had decided to isolate itself from the problems of Europe, and set itself about making the most profit in business. This isolationism built up the confidence of the American people. An increase in personal wealth, demand and output production all helped America’s prosperity. Banks were eager to lend money to businesses and individual’s. With this easy money, and the introduction of hire-purchase schemes, the demand for products increased. Consumer spending was incredibly high, which is reflected in the statistic that in 1920 there were 312 department stores, and by 1929 there were 1395. There was a consumer boom. Business profits rose by 80% during this period, which in turn raised share dividends by 65%. Also some women had continued working as they had done through the war. Both of these elements contributed to giving people again, more money to spend. However, the availability of money was not the only reason for increased consumer spending. New inventions such as vacuum cleaners, refrigerators and washing machines became available, and advertising over the popular radio encouraged consumers to spend more on everyday products.

HCS 483 Information System Briefing Essay

Information System Briefing Health Care Information Systems HCS 483 August 25, 2013 Information System Briefing Providing quality health care is rapidly becoming synonymous with health care organizations acquiring technology and information systems that are the most current. Success of the health care organization depends on the implementation of information systems that are designed to meet the standards of quality set by the organization and the health care industry. Acquisition and implementation of new or upgraded information systems pose big challenges. Understanding the organizations goals and the roles of the stakeholders will help in the process of choosing the correct information system for use by the organizations health care providers. Selection and Acquisition Creating a steering committee to start the process of selecting and acquiring is the first step for a health care organization when looking at implementing a new information system. Appointing a project manager to lead the committee to help give the appropriate information and guide the committee in making decision. The steering committee determines the process of implementing the new information system and conducts research to help determine the best information system for the organization’s needs. The steering committee must look at the needs of the organization for not only the current use but also how the system will grow with the organization into the future. Identifying the standards of care that the health care organization will help define the objectives the committee must meet and the scope of analysis to evaluate that the organization system requirements are met. Research Researching the vendors for products that will meet the needs of documentation and records storage is vital in acquiring the correct product. Contacting different vendors and setting up product demonstrations is the best way to compare products. This will provide for hands-on research for  ease of use and real-time questions to be answered by the representative. Collecting predetermined evaluation criteria from the members on the steering committee so that the selection process can begin. Collecting the individual remarks on the product must be done on the day of the presentation. Comparing the different information systems, this way will help with the selection process. Cost Analysis â€Å"The heightened awareness in recent years of the need to live within budgets in the health care sector would seem to create the perfect climate for cost-effectiveness analysis† (Russell, Gold, Siegel, Daniels, & Weinstein, 1996, p. 1). Cost analysis is part of the findings that the steering committee must submit in their findings while researching the different products. Cost is a driving factor in the selection of a new information system. If the new system does not integrate into established systems within the organization, there will be more cost associated with that product. Organizations Goals Upholding the health care organization’s goals in every aspect of the acquisition phase is first priority. Forming strategies that identify with the mission and goals set forth by the organization will help guide the recommendation from the steering committee. Involving other project leads from supporting departments such as Information Technology (IT) will be necessary. IT has the knowledge on the existing systems and will have the insight that is needed when adding or combining system products. It is probable that IT has projects that will need to interface with the new information system. Combining ideas and research may help lead to a better information system choice for the organization. Roles of the Stakeholders The stakeholder’s roles in the organization’s acquisition of new information system are from start to finish. There should be a stakeholder’s presence in the steering committee to put their skills and knowledge of the plans of the organization on the table to help influence decisions. The active stakeholder on the steering committee can report to other stakeholder’s on the progress and changes in the process of choosing the information system. The broad range of stakeholders is identified as anyone who holds interest  in the failure or success of the organization. This can range from Chief-Executive-Officer (CEO) to business managers and administrators, doctors to the nursing staff and even patients. Patients are a vital source of information because the patient is the owner of the data entered in to the information system. Stakeholders should have active input in the entire process of research, acquisition, and implementation of a new information system . For example, â€Å"The medical user may want an easy-to-use system releasing him or her from documentation tasks, while the administrative user wants a system enforcing complete documentation† (Ammenwerth, Graber, Herrmann, Burkle, & Konig, 2003, p. 5). Conclusion When considering the addition or expansion of a health information system the organization must conduct research with several vendors and a steering committee to make recommendations of the product that will best fit with the requirements set forth by the organization. The goals of the organization will help guide the decisions on what information system will fit the needs currently and into the future. The stakeholder’s involvement in the entire project gives unique insight from the different levels of stakeholders. Patients, nurses, doctors, management, and executive management are all stakeholders. Combining all of these elements will help in the process of acquiring the appropriate information system for the health care organization. References Ammenwerth, E., Graber, S., Herrmann, G., Burkle, T., & Konig, J. (2003, June 7, 2002). Evaluation of health information systems—problems and challenges. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 71, 125-135. http://dx.doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1386-5056(03)00131-X Russell, L. B., Gold, M. R., Siegel, J. E., Daniels, N., & Weinstein, M. C. (1996, October 9, 1996). The Role of Cost-effectiveness Analysis in Health and Medicine. Journal of the American Medical Association, 276, 1172-1177. 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