How Distraction Has On Altering Pain Perception Relative...

memory capacity of the individual and their ability to effectively engage in the distraction technique. This study aims to extend on previous research pertaining to working memory capacity, distractibility and pain perception. The objective of this study is to observe the effect distraction has on altering pain perception relative to an individual’s working memory capacity. In this study we will utilize the operational span task (OSPAN) developed by Turner and Engle (1989) to split the participants into high and low working memory span groups dependent on their OSPAN scores. Participants will then engage in a simulated pain task under two conditions: distraction and no distraction. This study will include 40 participants; 20 in the low working memory span group and 20 in the high working memory span group. We expect that the low working memory span group will, on average, report higher pain ratings than the high working memory span group in the experimental (distraction) condi tion. We hope that this study will show that the inverse relationship between working memory and distractibility will have an effect on how people perceive pain. We hope that the current study will guide future research in exploring alternative non-pharmacological methods to relieve pain. Keywords: working memory, OSPAN, pain perception, distractibility Effect of Working Memory Capacity and Distraction on Pain Perception There are times in our lives when we might experience pain that is inescapableShow MoreRelatedHesi Practice31088 Words   |  125 Pageslb, 8 oz). B. A low-birth-weight neonate. C. A neonate born at less than 37 weeks gestation regardless of weight. D. A neonate diagnosed with intrauterine growth retardation. 2. A client with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus has just learned she s pregnant. The nurse is teaching her about insulin requirements during pregnancy. Which guideline should the nurse provide? A. Insulin requirements don t change during pregnancy. Continue your current regimen. B. Insulin requirements usuallyRead MoreBrand Building Blocks96400 Words   |  386 PagesBRAND BUILDING BLOCKS Building Strong Brands: Why Is It Hard? It is not easy to build brands in today s environment. The brand builder who attempts to develop a strong brand is like a golfer playing on a course with heavy roughs, deep sand traps, sharp doglegs, and vast water barriers. It is difficult to score well in such conditions. Substantial pressures and barriers, both internal and external, can inhibit the brand builder. To be able to develop effective brand strategies, it is useful toRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesSenior Operations Supervisor: Arnold Vila Operations Specialist: Cathleen Petersen Senior Art Director: Janet Slowik Art Director: Kenny Beck Text and Cover Designer: Wanda Espana OB Poll Graphics: Electra Graphics Cover Art: honey comb and a bee working / Shutterstock / LilKar Sr. Media Project Manager, Editorial: Denise Vaughn Media Project Manager, Production: Lisa Rinaldi Full-Service Project Management: Christian Holdener, S4Carlisle Publishing Services Composition: S4Carlisle Publishing ServicesRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 Pagesmoney From multiple study paths, to self-assessment, to a wealth of interactive visual and audio resources, WileyPLUS gives you everything you need to personalize the teaching and learning experience.  » F i n d o u t h ow t o M A K E I T YO U R S  » www.wileyplus.com ALL THE HELP, RESOURCES, AND PERSONAL SUPPORT YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS NEED! 2-Minute Tutorials and all of the resources you your students need to get started www.wileyplus.com/firstday Student support from an experiencedRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 Pagesand lag activities [6.2.3] F.3 Project duration Chapter 14 Project closure Closure report 4.5.1.4 Organization processes (.5) [4.5.3 4.6.3.2] 4.6.1 Administrative tasks (.3) [3.7.1, 12.4] 10.3.3.1 Lessons learned [8.3.3.4] 9.4.2.2 Individual performance appraisals Chapter 7 Managing Risk Chapter 15 Chapter 16 International Projects Oversight 11.1 Risk management process [F.8] 11.2 Identifying risks 11.3.2.2 Impact matrix 11.4 Risk assessment 11.5 Risk responses (.2–.1Read MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesexploring organization theory the book increases the understanding of a field that in recent years has become ever more fragmented. Organization theory is central to managing, organizing and reflecting on both formal and informal structures, and in this respect you will find this book timely, interesting and valuable. Peter Holdt Christensen, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark McAuley et al.’s book is thought-provoking, witty and highly relevant for understanding contemporary organizational

Character Analysis Of Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The...

In Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, Beneatha Younger is the highly motivated, opinionated daughter of Lena Younger. As a black woman attending college with intentions of becoming a doctor, she is a trailblazer character whose goals stand out among the rest. With such independent desires and arduous goals to meet, Beneatha does not dwell on her romantic life. Her focus lies in her future, not the boys who court her. Beneatha is more than willing to consider the possibility of being single her entire life, seemingly unbothered when she poses the idea (Hansberry, 739). Beneatha believes in her ability to succeed in medical school because of her positive attitude, analytical opinions and wholesome values. Hansberry writes Beneatha as†¦show more content†¦Beneatha is fiercely independent and this shows when Walter mentions that Mama should support her through college with the money from the check. Beneatha does not want the money, she believes that no one else is entitled to it but Mama herself. She fully intends to go through medical school on her own, without needing Mama’s check to do it. This independence comes from her reliance on family support throughout her youth, now rebelling against the need for help because of her own desire to be independent and support herself. Besides her independence, Beneatha’s family views her excitement and good spirit as impulsive. For Beneatha, she wishes to learn to play the guitar and experiment with her different interests because she is motivated and wants to feel fulfilled (Hansberry, 738). From Ruth and Mama’s perspectives, it is simply flighty. It is a new expense, a new hobby for her to join just in time for her grow tired of and quit. Mama and Ruth mention her photography, horseback-riding and theatre, proving that Beneatha has clearly invested in several hobbies. Mama acts resentful of this history. However, Beneatha’s flighty behavior is exclusive to her interests. In all other areas of her life, Beneatha is methodical and takes her time when making decisions. Beneatha is somewhat analytical in her emotions regarding George Murchison (Hansberry, 738). While she isShow MoreRelatedEssay on Dreams Deferred in Hansberrys A Raising in the Sun1902 Words   |  8 Pagesambitious students must sacrifice another facet of their lives in order to achieve their academic goals. In A Raisin in the Sun, many of the characters must give up something important to them to achieve their own idea of success. Everybody has his or her own dreams. Although some people may have homogeneous aspirations, no two are exactly the same. Hansberrys play, A Raisin in the Sun, reflects this concept by expressing that each character’s idea of the American Dream is distinct in its own wayRead MoreA Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Essay1343 Words   |  6 PagesA Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is a play that displays housing discrimination in Chicago during the 1950s. Housing discrimination was partially an effect of the Great Migration. This was an event during the 1950s that resulted in about six million African Americans â€Å"migrating† from the south to the north, Midwest, and west regions of the United States. This caused the population of black people in major northern cities to increase rapidly. They are then only able to live in certain neighborhoodsRead MoreA Raisin In The Sun Archetypal Analysis1452 Words   |  6 Pagesunique to that particular person, but can rather be an emotion that is universally felt by others that have encountered similar situations and in turn may result in those people forming the same mentality and character. Correspondingly, any piece of work can be approached through an archetypal analysis that enables one to gain insight into the conventional and universal experiences within the society of which that form of literature is based upon. These repeating and shared experiences are especially prevalentRead MoreThe Roles Of Sexism And Dreams1377 Words   |  6 PagesDebuted on Broadway in 1959, the dramatic work, A Raisin in the Sun, is composed by Lorraine Hansberry, who depicts the issues of sexism and dreams. Considering these themes, how can we explore the presence of dreams as well as the ideology of sexism that is registered in Black America? Through Walter’s quote, Hansberry’s screenplay challenges gender stereotypes through Walter and Beneatha while exploring Mama s domestic narrative; thes e three characters also underscore sexual oppression and the meaningRead MoreDreams Deferred in Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun736 Words   |  3 Pages Lorraine Hansberry’s classic play, A Raisin in the Sun, culls its title from the infamous poem â€Å"Dream Deferred† by Langston Hughes, and both works discuss what happens to a person when their dreams -- their hopes, their aspirations, their lives -- are endlessly put on hold. For this analysis of the dreams and character of Beneatha Younger in Raisin, I would like to pull on another dreamy poem of Langston Hughes’ entitled â€Å"Dream Boogie.† Like all the characters in the play, Beneatha has dreams thatRead MoreThe Matriarchs of the House in A Raisin in the Sun by Loraine Hansberry814 Words   |  3 PagesIn A Raisin in the Sun by Loraine Hansberry, the three strong-willed women of the story have varying opinions, views, and beliefs on life. The story is set in the Southside of Chicago, Illinois. The Younger’s are an African-American family that has struggled to survive financially for many years. With a large injection of money from Mr. Young er’s death, the family struggles to make a unanimous decision on what they will use the 10,000 dollars for. The three major female characters differ in a varietyRead MoreA Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry2035 Words   |  8 PagesLorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is a remarkable play written in 1959 by an African American author about an African American family. This time period was in the early days of the modern awakening of civil rights awareness. It was a timely play challenging the then current stereotypical view of a black family by depicting a realistic portrayal of a specific black family with aspirations, hopes, dreams, dignity, and ambition as would be expected from all families regardless of race. TheRead MoreAmerican Dream in a Raisin in the Sun4319 Words   |  18 Pagesothers want him to be or think he is. In trying to reajust his nature in order to harmonize his life with other people’s view, he twists his own identity and becom es somebody else than who he is in actual fact. This is what we notice through the character of George Murchison who despite his belonging to a certain race, tried to behave like a member of another race because he didn’t have a great sense of Africanness Sometimes, because of the conception they have of other people, they would try toRead MoreComparing Themes of To Kill a Mockingbird and A Raisin in the Sun1962 Words   |  8 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird and A Raisin in the Sun are books both written during a time of racial tension and inequality. Harper Lee and Lorraine Hansberry lived through the civil rights movement and saw the physical and verbal harassment against African Americans. This experience is evident in both works as the theme of fighting prejudice shines through. The goal of this paper is to compare and contrast the theme in both books and how it affected both of the families. Also, throughout the paper I willRead MoreCompare/Contrast Willy Loman (Death of a Salesman) and Walter Lee Younger (a Raisin in the Sun)2823 Words   |  12 Pagesthere are none. Characters Walter Lee Younger and Willy Loman are prime examples of this, both pinning their hopes on unattainable dreams to hide the feelings of failure. The theme o f illusion versus reality is present in both Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman through the portrayal of main characters Walter and Willy in their struggles for happiness and prosperity. Although the two characters have similar dreams, Walter, a dynamic character, breaks through

Reflective Paper free essay sample

Academic honesty is to provide credit to those who worked for it not to those who cheat. Therefore, academic honesty has two major goals for instance keep students from cheating and recognize those who provide education. Academic integrity comes from honesty in education, research and learning. Academic honesty is one of the best moral practices and will make you truthful and reliable in your life time. It teaches you to become responsible and establish respect of others and their values.Academic honesty plays an imperative task in the growth of students and help them to pep pursuing their educational goals with dignity, integrity and admiration for college campus. Academic integrity importance is not only effective, but also beneficial in maintaining the high standards of scholarship in the college. In any higher learning institution academic freedom is a very basic right. These are the important preconditions of honesty and integrity for the academic freedom. We will write a custom essay sample on Reflective Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Academic integrity finds its genesis in the fundamental values of honesty, tolerance, respect, rigor, fairness, and the pursuit of truth (Lewis Clark, n. . ). Dishonesty is very hurting to everyone and adds distrust n addition to antipathy to academic competition, and it distorts the sense of grades. If academic deceitfulness is extensive or established even tacitly, it can weaken and dishearten our frequent efforts. In terms of perception about what constitutes cheating and the origin of faulty perceptions, students often blame their cheating on teachers failure to explain cheating adequately or to enforce academic honesty (Hon., Sierra and Yea-Shush, 2010). Most of the student thinks that cheating is harmless but in reality it has far- reaching effects.If you cheat, however, you accomplish it, you are doing mouthing that is ethically wrong and unfair to yourself and to other students. Academic dishonesty will also shortchanges your ability to learn, and that may result in serious penalties, including course failure and even expulsion from school, a cheating can easily become a habit. One of the most important educational responsibilities of an institution of higher education is to teach all who enter its halls a habitual integrity in the handling of subject matter. Learning what constitutes academic honesty is too important to leave to chance. Academic honesty is a fundamental value held by universities and colleges. When students act honestly in their academic endeavors, the students knowledge and skills can be accurately evaluated and they will be more likely to successfully begin their new careers, ultimately benefiting their employers. Thus, academic honesty not only benefits the students professional future, but also creates good for society while maintaining the university or colleges reputation.The ethics of academic honesty is another important ideological mechanism. The ethics of academic honesty implicitly claims that because cheating is wrong the work performed by students is actually Very important or the society and for the student. Of course, the academic ethics explicit claim is reversely constructed: the work is important, therefore, one shall not cheat. Most ethical claims, however, try to prove their premises rather than conclusions (Kidskin, 2005). Too important to leave to chance.Moreover, the foundations for such honesty are less and less likely to be brought into the academy by habits inculcated by the culture at large. Many distinguished institutions underscore the importance of academic honesty through an honor system, requiring each student to pledge that work submitted for a given assignment has been done thou illegitimate assistance or unauthorized appropriation. Many schools are now focusing on taking steps to reinvigorate their honor code policies and evaluate the chances of implementation of honor codes for the first time.

Marketing is the process Essay Example

Marketing is the process Essay Marketing is the process used to make it as easy as possible to get the potential customer to buy your product or use their service. Market research is researching what people think about products and services. Market research is researching what e.g sells the best. You benefit from the research. Market research is either primary or secondary. Primary research is finding information that doesnt exist already. An example of primary research is questionnaires, telephone surveys, product resting and working with consumer groups. Advantages are that it provides data that is up to date, relevant and specific to you products. Secondary research is useful for looking at the whole market, and analysing past trends to predict the future. Its research on information that already exists. It involves looking at things like market research reports, or magazines and newspapers. Advantages are that its cheaper than primary research, the data is found easily and its instantly available. I will be using primary research as I will be looking for original information. I have rejected secondary because the information I would gather would be of existing cafes, so there would be no point because I would be basing my cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ on other cafes. I want to see what their opinions are on cafes today to see if I can make changes and improvements to attract customers to my cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. For my research, I have written a questionnaire. Normallu, questionnaires are designed to find out what customers want from a service or product. My aim is to ask people who often eat in cafes or coffee bars. I have taken into account the disadvantages of using this method. These include: We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing is the process specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing is the process specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing is the process specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer * The information may be inaccurate. * You dont know whom you could be asking. * People may not want to give up their time and may not take it seriously. I have put together a questionnaire to which I shall ask about 10-20 people. From this questionnaire, I will be able to analyse the publics opinion and apply it to my service. I shall take into account what they have said, and what they would like to see changed. I start off the questionnaire by using more specific questions about the person to know if they are the sorts of people Id like to ask. The questions then go into more detail. Questionnaire 1. Have you ever been to a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½? Yes.. No I asked this question to know if the information this person has is useful or not. 2. What do you look for in a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½? I asked this to get a general idea of what is important to this person. 3. Do you work in the centre of town? Yes.. No. As I am looking to run my business in the centre of town, this question will tell me if this person is the kind I would be selling my service to. 4. Do you make lunch from home? Yes.. No.. As Im aiming for my cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ to be used as a place where working people can come to buy their lunch or to have a coffee, I need to know if the person being questioned would use it for this purpose. 5. What cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ do you regularly go to if at all? I asked this to get an insight on what type of place this person likes. 6. When you go to a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, what do you usually buy? . This question will help me to see what foods are most important to customers. 7. Why would you use the cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½? .. This will show me the why they use cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ the cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, and to tell me what most people use them for. E.g. if people were to use it for parties, then I would know how to make more business. 8. Do you usually go to a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ in your lunch hour? Yes no. This will tell me how many people actually attend cafes at this time. 9. Which of the following is most important to you in a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½? (tick 2) Hot drinks- e.g. coffee Snacks- e.g. Sandwiches, cakes, cookies Hot food- e.g. soup, potatoes. This will tell me which foods are most important to customers. 10. Do you ever buy hot food in a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½? If yes, give example. If the cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ you regularly attend doesnt serve hot food, would you like that to be changed? Yes .. No. Would you like change? Yes. No. This will show me peoples opinions on hot food in cafes and if people find it important. 11. What is your favourite sandwich? This will give me an idea on which sandwiches will sell the most. 12. Do you prefer hot drinks or cold or both? Hot Cold Both. This question shows me what type of drink appeals most to the customers. 13. How much would you be willing to pay for Coffee/ Hot chocolate. Sandwich.. Piece of cake. Bowl of Soup.. By asking this question, I will know what customers will be willing to pay, and it will give me a rough idea on how much I should be selling my products for. 14. Do you prefer lots of choice, or simple. E.g. Yellow cheese/ Orange cheese or just cheese? Choice.. Simple Some people find it frustrating when there is so much choice, because they dont really care. So by asking this question, I will know what people prefer and if its an advantage or not to have choice. 15. Do you feel you can relax in cafes today? Yes No This question will give me ideas on how to improve from what there already is. 16. Do you think there are too many cafes that are too similar and you would like to see change? . This will give tell me if people are happy with what cafes are today, and if I should make my cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ original, or if I would have more customers if I make my cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ similar to present cafes. 17. What would you like to see changed? . By having ideas of what people want, I can apply it to my business to attract more customers. These were the results to my questionnaire. I asked 10 people of different ages and back rounds. 1. What do you look for in a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½? From these results, I gathered the four main points that people look for in a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ are that they have reasonable prices, a relaxed atmosphere, good quality food and drinks and that they are clean. Out of just these points, the fundamental point for customers is good quality food and drinks. So to attract more customers, I will have to sell good quality food and drink. I also aim to have a relaxed atmosphere and for my cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ to be completely safe and clean. 2.Do you work in the centre of town? Yes No 3.Do you make lunch from home? Yes No Most people do make lunch from home, but there are still a fair amount who buy from cafes in town. 4. Have you ever been to a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½? Yes No Everyone I asked has been to a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ at least once. 5. What Cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ do you regularly go to, if at all? The most popular cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is Starbucks. Starbucks is a very popular successful business that will be large competitors. They are very well known. This could be a threat; I will have to compete with Starbucks and find ways to attract as many or more customers. I also know that this is the type of cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ most people like. 6.When you go to a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ what do you usually buy? These results show me that hot drinks are the most important to customers. They are definitely the most popular. This means hot drinks at my cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ are essential. Proper meals arent as popular, so they are not as important. 7. Why do you use the cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½? From these results, I know why people use cafes and what sort of market Im looking at. Ill know who is most likely to use my cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, and this will help me see if the location for my cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is suitable. I can see that most people like to use cafes to relax and to take a break. This means that the location my cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is in is suitable, near the centre of town, because thats where working people are, and when they take a break, they will hopefully use my cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. 8. Do you usually go to a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ in your lunch hour? Yes No From these answers, I know if the person goes to a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ regularly for lunchtime purposes. 9.Which of the following is most important to you in a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½? (Tick 2) Hot drinks. Snacks- e.g. Sandwiches, cakes, cookies. Hot food- e.g. soup, potatoes.. From these results, it is obvious that people are more interested in hot drinks and snacks then hot foods, therefore hot drinks and snacks are much more important than hot foods. 10. Do you ever buy hot food in a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½? If yes, give an example. If the cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ you regularly attend doesnt serve hot food, would you like that to be changed? Yes.. No Would you like change? Yes.. No Yes- Examples of what hot foods they have eaten in cafes: No- Would they like change * Pasta dishes * Potatoes * Salads * Hot chocolate cake * Soups Yes- No- From this question, I can see that people do enjoy hot foods, but they dont find it a necessity and if they do buy hot foods, its usually quite basic choices. The people who attend cafes that dont sell hot food dont seem to be bothered. They dont want change, they are happy without it hot food. This leaves me with a choice, I could either serve hot food, or not. Either way, hopefully I will still attract customers. 11. What is your favourite sandwich? This is an open-ended question and I got various choices as different people like different things. I noticed that the most popular choice was tuna and salad. Cheese and tomato is also quite popular. I know that these two choices of sandwiches should sell well in a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ because they are popular. 12. Do you prefer hot drinks, cold drinks or both? From these results, I can see that people like both hot and cold drinks. Customers like to have the choice. 13. How much would you be willing to pay for: Coffee/ Hot chocolate.. Sandwich Piece of cake Bowl Of Soup Product Average price Coffee/ Hot chocolate à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.05 Sandwich à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.55 Piece of Cake à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.40 Bowl of soup à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½4.30 From these results, I have an idea on how much customers would be willing to pay for these items. 14. Do you prefer lots of choice or simple e.g. Yellow cheese/Orange cheese or just cheese? Choice. Simple. From these results, it is obvious that people prefer to have choice. Therefore I will make sure to have choice in my cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. 15. Do you feel you can relax in cafes today? Yes No From these results, I can see that people feel relaxed and comfortable in cafes today. 16. Do you think there are too many cafes that are too similar and you would like to see change? People answered this question by saying no, but a few answered by saying that there are many similar cafes, but they dont know how they could be changed and they are happy with the way they are now. So I shouldnt make my cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ too unique because people are happy with the way they are now and they might not want a dramatic change. They may want a traditional normal cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. 18. What would you like to see changed? Not one person wrote anything for this question, which means no one is aware of anything they want changed. Summary I have learnt a lot from doing this questionnaire. It has given me an insight to what people want and it is a useful way to find out how to get lots of customers. By looking at what the people I will be selling to want and by letting them have a say, It means I can use what they have said and actually put the information to use to attract more customers. I have learnt many things on what the customers will want. I have found out who are my prime competitors, I have found out that hot drinks are the most popular and wanted product, I have found out that good quality food and drinks are the most important to people. I will put this information I have found out, along with everything else, into account and this will help me to build a successful business. For future, I could improve my questionnaire by asking more people, because I only asked 10 people which isnt really a big range, and I could ask more questions.

Service and Operational Excellence Essays - Mobile Phone, New Media

Service and Operational Excellence Essays - Mobile Phone, New Media BPP Coursework Cover Sheet Please use the table below as your cover sheet for the 1st page of the submission. The sheet should be before the cover/title page of your submission. ProgrammeBSc Business Management Module nameService and Operational Excellence QAA Level Schedule TermSummer term 2015 Student Reference Number (SRN)1045555 Report/Assignment TitleBusiness Operations (Mobile shop) Date of Submission (Please attach the confirmation of any extension received)18/08/2015 Declaration of Original Work: I hereby declare that I have read and understood BPPs regulations on plagiarism and that this is my original work, researched, undertaken, completed and submitted in accordance with the requirements of BPP Business School. The word count, excluding contents table, bibliography and appendices, is 2542 words. Student Reference Number:1045555Date: 18/08/2015 By submitting this coursework you agree to all rules and regulations of BPP regarding assessments and awards for programmes. Please note, submission is your declaration you are fit to sit. BPP University reserves the right to use all submitted work for educational purposes and may request that work be published for a wider audience. BPP Business School Table of Contents Operational Challenges3 4 Vs Model3 The 5 performance objectives4 Processes & Layout5 Improvements in Service Delivery6 Bibliography7 Is a small independent mobile shop located in the hub of Ilford high street, a 4 minutes walk away from Ilford station, surrounded by all types of different and businesses of the same sector. The high street is visited by all types of customers local and tourists, day to day customers and long term customers too. The business timings are 11:00- 21:00 Monday to Sunday. (the business) is visited by regular customers and even walk by customers which is certain due to the nature of the business itself. (the business) offers a wide range of services and products related to mobile phones. They buy and sell used and new phones (mainly smart phones), they provide mobile phone accessories such as headphones, chargers, portable rechargeable chargers, screen protectors, phone covers, selfie sticks and all that you can think of related to mobile phones. (the business) also repairs damaged mobile phones with instant repairing service and even provide unblocking services. The shop is divided into three sections, mobile accessories, mobile repair/unblocking and mobile purchasing and selling. The retail shop is mainly supervised by the manager who tends to be flexible in terms of his job, however they have three more salesmen that work according to their rotating shifts. Operational Challenges 4 Vs Model In every operational process of a sector, the input is transformed into outputs (products and services.) This could be done in various ways, however the main one known is the 4 Vs mode which compiles with, Volume, Variety, Variation and Visibility. Volume could be defined as the degree of how many products or services are made by the operation in terms of quantity. Variety in simple words could be explained as the range of different products or services made by the operation. Variation is basically change in demand over time, and visibility can be understood as the extent to which the operations internal working are exposed in front of the customers. Since, (The business) is a retail mobile shop which delivers finished products and also provides aftersales services, in terms of volume, if the business is divided in to three parts which are buying and selling phones, accessories and repairs, each operation has a different level of contribution to the volume. For instance, buying and selling phones, the volume is low, not every customer decides to buy or sell a phone randomly on a high street, besides mobile phones could be bought easily elsewhere due to competitors. The demand is relatively low which causes a result of high cost as the business has mobile phones on display to be sold however sale is not guaranteed. Since its a small mobile shop located on the high street it cannot offer a wide range of mobile phones, variety on mobile phones is very low, the business would not be able to afford providing a range of different brand phones with different specifications and features, it would be almost impossible to fulfil anyones de mand, unless they can order and it for the customer making it more of a bespoke facility. Speaking of variation, since its technology the business is dealing with which gets updated every three month at least, it will be hard

The Definition of an Essay Including Writing Resources

The Definition of an Essay Including Writing Resources Essays are brief, non-fiction compositions that describe, clarify, argue, or analyze a subject. Students might encounter essay assignments in any school subject and at any level of school, from a personal experience vacation essay in middle school to a complex analysis of a scientific process in graduate school. Components of an essay include an introduction, thesis statement, body, and conclusion. Writing an Introduction The beginning of an essay can seem daunting. Sometimes, writers can start their essay in the middle or at the end, rather than at the beginning, and work backward. The process depends on each individual and takes practice to figure out what works best for them. Regardless of where students start, it is recommended that the introduction begins with an attention grabber or an example that hooks the reader in within the very first sentence. The introduction should accomplish a few written sentences that leads the reader into the main point or argument of the essay, also known as a thesis statement. Typically, the thesis statement is the very last sentence of an introduction, but this is not a rule set in stone, despite it wrapping things up nicely. Before moving on from the introduction, readers should have a good idea of what is to follow in the essay, and they should not be confused as to what the essay is about. Finally, the length of an introduction varies and can be anywhere from one to several paragraphs depending on the size of the essay as a whole. Creating a Thesis Statement A thesis statement is a sentence that states the main idea of the essay. The function of a thesis statement is to help manage the ideas within the essay. Different from a mere topic, the thesis statement is an argument, option, or judgment that the author of the essay makes about the topic of the essay. A good thesis statement combines several ideas into just one or two sentences. It also includes the topic of the essay and makes clear what the authors position is in regard to the topic.  Typically found at the beginning of a paper, the thesis statement is often placed in the introduction, toward the end of the first paragraph or so. Developing a thesis statement means deciding on the point of view within the topic, and stating this argument clearly becomes part of the sentence which forms it.  Writing a strong thesis statement should summarize the topic and bring clarity to the reader. For informative essays, an informative thesis should be declared. In an argumentative or narrative essay, a persuasive thesis, or opinion, should be determined. For instance, the difference looks like this: Informative Thesis Example:  To create a great essay, the writer must form a solid introduction, thesis statement, body, and conclusion.Persuasive Thesis Example:  Essays surrounded around opinions and arguments are so much more fun than informative essays because they are more dynamic, fluid, and teach you a lot about the author. Developing Body Paragraphs The body paragraphs of an essay include a group of sentences that relate to a specific topic or idea around the main point of the essay. It is important to write and organize two to three full body paragraphs to properly develop it. Before writing, authors may choose to outline the two to three main arguments that will support their thesis statement. For each of those main ideas, there will be supporting points to drive them home. Elaborating on the ideas and supporting specific points will develop a full body paragraph.  A good paragraph describes the main point, is full of meaning, and has crystal clear sentences that avoid universal statements. Ending an Essay With a Conclusion A conclusion is an end or finish of an essay. Often, the conclusion includes a judgment or decision that is reached through the reasoning described throughout the essay.  The conclusion is an opportunity to wrap up the essay by reviewing the main points discussed that drives home the point or argument stated in the thesis statement. The conclusion may also include a takeaway for the reader, such as a question or thought to take with them after reading. A good conclusion may also invoke a vivid image, include a quotation, or have a call to action for readers.

Review the business proposal submitted by other Learning Team Essay

Review the business proposal submitted by other Learning Team - Essay Example This statement is apparently used to remove the idea of the tacit collusion that is generally associated with price leadership in oligopolistic markets. The paper also assumes applicability of the Kinked demand curve model for this case. The paper states that the Chrysler Group LLC’s revenue can be increased by escalating the efficiency of its operations and the quality of its products, services, and marketing strategies. This is a generic statement that needs to be elaborated. Secondly, the paper assumed applicability of the Kinked demand curve which argues that where a â€Å"kink† does exist then a marginal change in cost structure or marginal change in revenue structure will not be immediately reflected in a new quantities sold or price for the given item. The paper does not use the Kinked demand curve model in its argument. It is true that in oligopolistic markets firms have mutual interdependence. Also, a major downside of using the Kinked demand curve model is that the model does not show us what causes a new equilibrium price and quantity to be achieved, and how that happens. Nevertheless, we disagree with the paper’s analysis that because of the above two reasons, the company cannot determine the price and output level for which it can maximize its profit. The paper could have used other models such as the Cournot-Nash model that looks at firms competing on the basis of quantity. The paper therefore does not clearly state its way to establish the profit maximization quantity. The automobile industry is a typical example of a differentiated oligopolistic market. Naturally, this would mean firms have to compete on their products differentiated attributes. The author’s example of the Pentastar V6 engine illustrates this. Patenting the Pentastar V6 engine is a great example of creating an entry barrier to firms seeking to enter the market. These firms will be forced to invest heavily in Research and Development in order to come up with

Global Branding Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Branding - Assignment Example And no other company carries that laurel except our company - Coca-Cola Company. It is in this spirit that I am asking your office to allow me to attend the said conference. For it will not only be a proper venue to allow other companies to learn from what we have gained in our vast experiences as the number one manufacturer of carbonated beverages in the world today. But, that it is a moment also our company to re-learn many things from the experiences of other companies as they embark in global market. This is very important since it is in fact considered as one of the fundamental benefits that the global world is gaining from the global market, global economy - it is the exchange of ideas among and between nations. It is the possibility of getting hold of the newest and most innovative ideas and concepts in any place in the world. And it is in this context that I am asking your office to please allow me to attend the conference. For, it is not only the venue where the old meets the young and the neophyte but it is also the forum where legitimate exchange of i nformation among competing organizations can be achieved. Thus, fostering and enhancing not only the well-stocked reservoir of knowledge that we gain in our gargantuan experiences. Innumerable data and information under the research and development section of our company that we used as we compete globally. But that it is the sphere where competitors do not eat and tug each other's tail, but it is the place where they meet eye to eye to exchange with one another viable information that may be utilized in their companies. In the end, though it may appear that Coca-Cola has already much to offer in terms of experience and knowledge with regards to the theme of the conference, it will still be worthwhile to attend the said conference on Global Branding in the 21st Century for the age old belief still has not lost its power. It has not lost its esteem - "knowledge is power." And in a global world like ours, the one who has the most information, possess the most dynamic and important power of all. ON GLOBAL BRANDING INTRODUCTION The contemporary period is marked by one characteristic that is simply unknown prior to this period - globalization. Globalization is a term that has been defined in many ways and interpreted and understood in various forms. Since, globalization as a contemporary phenomenon permeates not only the economic, financial, market and business developments but it has also penetrated culture, tradition, communication, ideas and the likes. But in all of these it can be claimed that the salient feature of globalization is the fact that "it allows financial capital to move around freely" (Soros, 2002: 3). And in this framework we will try to address the challenges posed to Coca-Cola Company of global branding in the 21st century. Being such, this report will not look into the strategic positions and organizational effectiveness that Coca-Cola has used as it meet the global demand of the 21st century. But rather we will look into the Coca-Cola brand, a century old brand, that has survived and defied the many challenges of market itself and the formidable task that it faces as it compete in the global market, in the global village. THE COMPANY "Coca-Cola Company, founded on l896, is the world leading manufacturer, marketer and distributor of non- alcoholic

Assessment test Essay Example for Free

Assessment test Essay Assessment is a vast topic that is a continuing process that educators use to observe, gather, and evaluate evidence to determine what students have learned, as well as, making informed, and dependable decisions to enhance student learning. It encompasses a broad range of testing from nationwide accountability tests to everyday classroom observation and quizzes. In order to take control of what appears to be an excess use of testing, assessment should be looked upon as a tool for information. The more information we have about students, the more closely we can look at  instructional strategies that are effective and which ones need to be modified. There are two main types of assessments that I will be discussing, formal and informal. Informal assessments or in other words â€Å"assessment of learning†, are used to evaluate students during the learning process. Formal assessments are conducted as a tool to evaluate student’s completion of work or the final product. There are many advantages and disadvantages to these types of assessments techniques that I will be discussing for measuring student progress. I will begin by discussing two formal assessment types along with its  advantages and disadvantages. The first type of assessment that I would like to address would be the statewide-standardized test under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The statewide standardized test is considered a high-stakes test because of the important consequences it has on passing or failing the test. It mandates yearly testing for grades 3 through 8 and once in high school for reading and math. Science was recently added in the mix to test students at least once in elementary, middle and high school. The underlying principle for this type of testing was intended to reach great  academic achievement for all students, especially those from lower socioeconomic classes. Advantage #1 It ensures that no child—regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or status is trapped in a consistently low-performing school. If a school does not make adequate progress towards set standards, parents have the option of sending their children to a better performing school or are provided free tutoring. This assessment helps determine if the student is receiving high-quality education at different grade levels. Advantage #2 Teachers are held accountable. If a student is not advancing with one  method of teaching, the teacher must use a different technique for a more favorable outcome. They must use research-based methods of teaching. This high-stakes test determines how to use assessment results to plan effective instruction. Disadvantage #1 This statewide-standardized test does not recognize student growth. It does not offer a realistic picture of how a student or school is performing as a whole. The extent of what a student actually learned is not known. Students that start out at a disadvantage are not given recognition for progress in achievement. Disadvantage #2 Teaching to the test. The growing concern with this high-stakes test is that it has become the curriculum and instruction has been narrowed to focus on results. Disadvantage #3 States set their own standards and can make tests unusually easy to compensate for inadequate student performance. The second type of formal assessment I would like to discuss is the aptitude test. It is a norm-reference test and is administered under timed testing conditions. It measures a student’s overall performance across a wide range of intellectual capabilities. These test are useful to determine the current level students are at and to adjust classroom curriculum  accordingly. Advantage #1 Aptitude tests are excellent predictors of future learning or performance. Advantage #2 Aptitude tests help students understand their own strengths and weaknesses. Advantage #3 Aptitude tests are useful tools for working with students with special needs because it can help teachers form realistic expectations of the student. Disadvantage #1 Since this is a multiple-choice type test, it does not allow for creativity or an alternative way of thinking. Disadvantage #2 Since this is a norm-reference test, students do not know how well they individually mastered the material. They only know how well they did compared to other students. Informal assessments is an important tool for teachers to use to monitor students’ progress throughout the learning process. The first type of informal assessment I feel is crucial in monitoring student performance is observation. I feel this method would be valuable to use in my classroom because I can observe students immediate reaction to my instruction especially during a pair-share or group setting. As I walk around the classroom, I would document my assessment of students’ performance and then provide feedback. Advantage #1 As I observe and listen, it will allow me to know how many students remembered and processed the information given, as well as using it to solve problems. Advantage #2 As I observe and listen, it can help me to immediately clarify any confusion and address the problem. Disadvantage #1 Not all students may be verbally participating at the time of observation. Disadvantage #2 Some students become nervous when being observed, and their performance may suffer. A second type of informal assessment that I would use in the classroom would be student portfolios. Through the portfolio process,  students develop goal-setting and self-directed learning techniques. It helps students value themselves as learners. It also allows students to compete with themselves rather than with other students. Advantage #1 Students can plan and manage their own time to complete their work. This can benefit the students by teaching them responsibility for their own learning goals. Advantage #2 Students know their own strengths and weaknesses as they assess and analyze their progress. Disadvantage #1 Portfolios take a lot of planning and organization. Gathering all the information can make it difficult to manage. Disadvantage #2 Evaluating and scoring a student’s portfolio evolves a wide range of subjective evaluation procedures, which can limit reliability. A third method of informal assessment is through student oral presentation. This technique provides the student an opportunity to present information through verbal means in lieu of a written form. It allows the student to show their knowledge on a particular subject. To assess this type of method I would use a rating scale to grade student performance. It is very important to use a detailed rating scale for students to know the  aspects of the presentation that are to be considered in the assessment. Advantage #1 This method of assessment is instant and immediate in the transmission of information. Feedback can be given instantly. Advantage #2 Oral presentations provide maximum preparation. This can allow the students to practice to achieve perfection. Disadvantage #1 Some students are timid and more introverted than others. Oral presentations can be very intimidating and nerve-racking. Disadvantage #2 English language learners or those students who have a disability might affect their ability to speak fluently. Disadvantage #3  Students might find it easier to organize information through written communication. The final informal assessment method I would use would be pop quizzes. This type of assessment is usually quick, given without prior warning and can be completed in 15 minutes or less. Teachers can use this method to determine if students have grasped recent information. Advantage #1 Allow students to build on previous information and strengthens concepts which may have been unclear to them. Advantage #2 It is a great way to reinforce material that may be covered on a standardized type assessment test. Disadvantage #1 It does not allow for accommodation for those students who need extended time on examinations, tests and quizzes. It can cause undo stress for those students. Disadvantage #2 It doesn’t really tell the true picture of a student’s level of knowledge. Some students may be lucky enough to guess the majority of the questions correctly. Having a mixture of written and oral types of informal assessments services a wide range of students. It allows the teacher to evaluate and recognize student’s learning needs and determine the appropriate level and pace of workflow. It offers the students the best chance to excel in one or more formats.

Inclusion :: essays research papers

Educational Psychology Inclusion What a society feels about it’s diverse membership, particularly about citizens who are different, is expressed in the institutions of that society. A close look at the major institutions of our society the schools, the legislatures, and the courts should tell us a lot about the place of exceptional children in our society. In the category of exceptional children one would find a list of any and every child that requires education in academic matters as well as life skills. These children must work at things that average society takes for granted. Out of this group of exceptional children has risen a disability that is drawing more and more attention known as Down Syndrome. The obvious reason for Down Syndrome children to come to the forefront is their parents. By this I mean that studies have shown that a couple with two or more college degrees among them are more likely to have a Downs baby then that of a couple of high school drop outs. This odd occurrence has lead to more affluent families to give birth to one or more Downs babies. The limitations facing a Downs child will affect the child’s whole life and it is the environmental circumstances around him that determine how he fares in life. Included in these circumstances are his family and their unity and maybe most importantly his level of education. In our society education plays a big part in all we do and this serves no difference for the Downs child. As we look back in time, we find that the notion of educating every child to achieve his or her greatest potential is a relatively new concept. The current use of the term exceptional is itself a reflection of the radical changes in societies views of people whom differ from the norm. The world has come along way from the Spartans’ practice of killing infants who did not meet their standards of normalcy, but the journey has been slow, moving from neglect and mistreatment, to pity and overprotection and finally to acceptance and integration to the fullest extent possible. The phrase "Acceptance and integration into society to the fullest extent possible† has been the topic of the most heated arguments in education today. The term integration has grown to include such devices as inclusion and mainstreaming. Although the U.S. has come a long way from the 1850’s when 60 percent of people living in poor houses would today have been classified as exceptional.

Organizational Citizenship Behavior

What is organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)? Describe in your own way. Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is behavior that goes beyond the basic requirements of the job, is to a large extent   left to one's own discretion, and is largely beneficial to the organization. OCB comes about as a result of job satisfaction. As employees that are highly satisfied with their jobs are more likely to think that they are being treated fairly , therefore trust in the organization and their employer is likely to arise . This then leads employee's to be more willing in helping out during extra hours voluntarily, volunteering for extra job activities, avoiding unnecessary conflict etc†¦ This is OCB. How is OCB different from normal working behavior? OCB is different from normal working behavior in the sense that the â€Å"employee goes out of his normal working behavior to get involved† (Allen, T. D. , 2006 ) into helping others and go beyond the normal expectations of their jobs. As a normal working behavior would be doing the tasks being asked of you and forced upon you as it is in your job description, but OCB differs from normal working behavior as â€Å"OCBs are employee behaviors that, although not critical to the task or job, serve to facilitate organizational functioning† (Lee and Allen, 2002, p 132). If you are a manager, how do you motivate your subordinates to exhibit more OCBs? Use the theories you have learned from different chapters. Firstly I would like to emphasize the importance of OCB to managers and the organization as a whole as successful organizations need employees who will do more than their usual job duties and provide performance that is beyond expectations and as I have mentioned before OCB describe actions in which employees are willing to go above and beyond their prescribed role requirements. Therefore reiterating the belief that these behaviors are correlated with indicators of organizational effectiveness, therefore showing us that OCB's are crucial for managers. Now, how to motivate subordinates to exhibit more OCB's, using Herzberg's two-factor theory that suggests that motivation factors (which include achievement, recognition, responsibility, growth, and work itself) are strongly related to job satisfaction. I can then say that if I was a manager I would have to make the jobs of my employees challenging, exciting , interesting and satisfying as employees who find their jobs to be such things, â€Å"tend to tolerate demanding supervision, avoid complaining, focus more on positive sides, and forgive organization’s minor faults. These kinds of behaviors are typically related to OCB. † (Herzberg et al. ’s 1959) Since hygiene factors are related to an individual’s job dissatisfaction, one can expect that hygiene factors may also influence an individual’s OCB. Therefore as a manager I would focus on placing hygiene factors such as job security, fringe benefits, and good work conditions so that dissatisfaction from the lack of these factors doesn't occur and OCB is therefore encouraged. Allen, T. D. (2006). Rewarding good citizens: The relationship between   citizenship behavior, gender, and organizational rewards. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36, 120-143. Lee, K. , & Allen, N. J. (2002). Organizational citizenship behavior and workplace deviance: The role of affect and cognitions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(1), 131-142. Herzberg, F. , Mausner, B. , & Snyderman, B. (1959). The motivation to work. New York: Wiley.

Personal Computers Essay

Background. The Personal Computers at their advent were simple machines with less number of parts and limited capabilities. Less power was required to operate the computers and computer heating was never a major problem. However with the development in microprocessor and solid state technologies there was a revolution in how people used computers. The computers today can be configured according to ones needs and many add on components like graphics cards, Modems, USB devices etc. can be fitted on computers . Motherboards today also come with an increased number of components. However with the increase in components a new problem of heating has surfaced in computers. Problems and Motivation Although these components have increased the functionality of computers tremendously it has raised a serious problem of heating. With the increase in number of components the demand for power supply has increased. The components consume more energy and generate large amount heat. Electronic devices perform inefficiently or even get damaged as a result of excessive heat. Hence new challenges to protect these components from getting damaged by proper cooling of heat has emerged. Though the components have increased in numbers the size of PCs has kept reducing. People today prefer smaller PCs for space constraints and aesthetics. In order to keep in line with the reducing sizes the Power supply and the cooling system should also go transformation in sizes. One needs to design cooling systems with greater performances yet at a reduced scale. As the power supply and cooling are the components of PC case there is a need to renovate these cases to protect computer components from getting overheated and damaged. At the same time the it should be scaled down and match the aesthetics of other parts such as monitors, keyboards etc which come in designer shapes today. Research Aims and Objectives With reference to the above discussed problem there is a need to develop PC cases which are responsible for computer cooling. The aim of the project is to create simulation in order to find a better solution over the existing PC Cases and prevent spreading of heat to other components. The project will achieve three main objectives The initial objective would be to understand the principle of fluid dynamics and apply it to the PC Case problem. Secondly we will design a model to convert humid air by applying Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) The final objective would be to provide recommendations for the PC Case. Literature Review The preliminary literature was done on the existing problems in PC Cases and the sources of heat in computer system . The current methodologies implemented for cooling were also studied. Basic literature on application of fluid dynamics and use of Computational Fluid Dynamics to solve problems was also reviewed Methodology The Research will be experimental in nature. simulation model of the existing PC Cases will be developed in CFD. The models will be simulated again with modification for the proposed air cooling. The comparison between the two simulation will help in developing the cooling system and designing of the PC Cases. The results obtained will be experimental in nature and the problem is achievable theoretically with the help of CFD. As the project intends to suggest changes over the existing models the use of Simulation is justified to obtain outcomes as the existing systems are already simulated for cooling by making use of CFD. Triangulation: Mathematical models for the fluid dynamics of air can be constructed and solved for various conditions and the outcomes of these can be cross examined with the that of computer simulations. An experimental set-up can be created to check the prototype of cooling system and the results can be compared. Reliability : The prototype and the simulated models can be tested over a number of systems/components from different manufacturers and checked for reliability. Ethics: The project will adhere to all the guidelines and protocols of electronic manufacturing devices in terms of manufacturing, quality and safety. Environment : The proposed PC cases will be environment friendly. It may be manufactured from environmental friendly recycled materials to reducing global warming. Noise reduction will be achieved considerably with the improved change in design. Analysis The outcomes of the project will help in analyzing the reduction achieved in heat generated and the prevention of components. It will also analyze the cost of implementation and its economic feasibility. Conclusion With correct implementation of fluid dynamics modification in the existing PC cases can be achieved to cool heat efficiently and prevent components from overheating. Although the project is experimental in nature and relies mainly on simulation there may be a variation in its actual implementations. Whether the PC Cases behave as recommended can only be judged only by their practical application the project can be a strong foundation to extend this future scope.

Describe an Important Idea in Macbeth and Explain How the Author Communicates This Idea

Describe an Important Idea in Macbeth and Explain How the Author Communicates This Idea In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the author is communicates very strong and important ideas about ambition. He communicates this idea through the protagonist of the play, Macbeth. Shakespeare communicates ambition through the actions of the main character and through the thoughts of this infamous character.Ambition is an important idea in Macbeth. Ambition is both good and bad. In Macbeth, ambition is more vividly expressed as a dark and evil trait shown by Macbeth but it is also communicated subtlety as an honourable trait. Macbeth is one of the greatest and most respected generals in King Duncan's army. He got to his position of respect and honor because he was ambitious, this is the only part of the play where Macbeths ambition as seen as good. After the witches' prophecy, Macbeth's ambition is only seen as evil and deceitful this has significantly changed from how ambition was portrayed by the same character earlier.Macbeth and Banquo Meeting the Three Witches by Jo...

Relevance Questions on ACT English Strategies + Practice

Relevance Questions on ACT English Strategies + Practice SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In high school, I had a history teacher who was known for going off on tangents- he would start giving us his lesson on the French Revolution butend up telling us all about the Peregrine falcon. These facts were interesting, but they were hardlyrelevantto the issue at hand (how Marie Antoinette got her head chopped off). Similarly,ACT English tests your ability to spot places where a passage veers off topic. Of course, it does so in it's own special way, which this post will cover! Here's what you'll need to understand to approach relevance questions with confidence: Whatrelevance means on the ACT English section How you can spot relevance questions How todecide whether information is relevant Key ACT strategies for relevance questions What is Relevance on the ACT? ACT English prizeswriting that is clear and concise, sothe passages shouldn’t includeany unnecessary information. Occasionally, questions will appear that test your ability to determine whether phrases or sentences are extraneous- these are relevance questions. Keep in mind that relevance questions arevery similar to redundancy questions, which are much more common. The two types of question operateon the same basic principle- cut anything you don't need- but relevance questions are aboutwhether information adds to the point of the paragraph, while redundancy questions are about whether a word or phrase is repeating something that's already been said. How to Spot Relevance Questions Relevance questions aren't formatted any differently from the majority of ACT English questions, so they can be a bit tricky to spot. However there are two main clues you should watch for:some of the answers have a lot more words than others and the answers provide information that doesn't appear elsewhere in the passage. Let's look at an example question from a real ACT: There's nothing obviously wrong with this sentence, so we need to look at how the answer choices are different from each other: they all add information about the Navajo. Given that the information provided by the three answer choices is basically the same but the phrasing is different, it would be easy to conclude that this is a wordiness question. However, we first need to determine whether the extra information is relevant. The additionalphrases in answers B, C, and D all describe the size of the Navajo- this information isn't given anywhere else, so it isn't redundant, but that doesn'tmean it's necessary. The size of the Navajo has nothing to do with theircreation of a linguistic code, which is what the paragraph is about. As such, this information is irrelevant and shouldn't be included. A is the correct answer. Now that we've established that relevance questions are ones in whichsome of the answers introduce new information, let's talk about how to decide whether the information is relevant. How to Determine Relevance The key to relevance questions is that you must not assume that more information is necessarily better. Though you may find providing as many details as possible a good strategy for your essays in school, doing soon the ACT English section will hurt your score. So how do you determine if a piece of information is relevant? There are two issues to consider: Is the info related to main topic of of the sentence or paragraph? Does the sentence or paragraph still make logical and grammatical sense without it? If the answer tothe first question is no, then don't even worry about the second one- the information isn't relevant and should be omitted. (This principleapplies tomost of the relevance questions on the ACT, including the example above.) Test items thatdo require youto considerthe second question are a bit more challenging. If a piece ofinformation seems like it might be relevant, consider whether it's necessary for your understanding of the passage. Does it clarify a previous point or introduce a key detail? If not, it probably isn't relevant. This concept may seem complicated, but it's actually not too bad. Let's look at anexample of relevantversusirrelevant information: Irrelevant: Leonardo da Vinci, who is played by Patrick Godfrey in the movieEver After, is the quintessential Renaissance man. Relevant:Leonardo da Vinci, a famous artist, inventor, and scientist, is the quintessential Renaissance man. The first underlined section adds information, but the actor who played da Vinci in a movie is not relatedto the fact he was a Renaissance man (someone who has great expertise across a variety of topics). The underlined portion of the second sentence, on the other hand, provides information that clarifies why da Vinci is a famous Renaissance man. An example of da Vinci's work. Let's work through this process onan ACT-style practice question: Julia wanted to move into her brother's room afterhe graduated from high school, but she wasn't able to because he ended up living at home for his first year of college. A. NO CHANGE B. because he ended up living at home. C. because he decided to major in biology. D. OMIT the underlined portion, ending the sentence with a period afterto. At fist glance, this question might appear to be a wordiness question, since choice B shortens the original underlined portion. However, if you look closely at the different answers you'll see that they each provide different information- this fact makes it a relevance question. Our next step is to summarizethe main idea of the sentence: Julia wanted to take her brother's room but couldn't because he was still living in it.We can eliminate choice C, since the brother's choice of major isclearly not relevant to this topic. The remainingchoices involve deciding how much of the information in the original version is relevant: all of it, the first half of it, or none of it. Let's start by deciding whether we should omit the whole underlined portion. What does this section of the sentence tell us? Why Julia can't have the room.The sentence would still make grammatical sense without this part, but it would be lacking a key piece of information, so we can eliminate D. Finally, we have to choose between A and B. The correct choice is A because the phrase "for his first year of college" connects back to the fact that Julia was planning on taking her brother's room after he finished high school and helps to explain why she wasn'table to do so. Most ACT English relevance questions will be much simpler than this one, but the process you use to answer them is the same. It's important to keep in mind that even though most of the time the extra information will be irrelevant and need to be cut out, it will sometimes be necessary, so you always have to read the informationcarefully and decide. Key ACT English Strategies for Relevance Now that we've covered in depth how to spot and approach relevance questions, let's quickly review the main strategies you will need on the test. #1: Watch for underlined sections where some of the answers include extra descriptive information. #2: Omit information that isn't related to the main idea of the sentence or paragraph. #3: Keepinformation that clarifies an important point or introduces a key detail. If you follow these basic rules, relevance questions will be a snap! Practice Your Skills! After all that discussion, it's time for you to try out some relevant ACT English practice. Post yourquestions in the comments! 1. Because owls rely on their wings to hunt, wing injuries aremajor issues for the birds, which are nocturnal. A. NO CHANGE B. the nocturnal birds. C. the birds. D. the birds, which hunt at night. 2. Emily, who'd never been on a roller coasterbefore, was frightened by the height of the ride. F. NO CHANGE G.who loved amusement parks H.a young woman J.OMIT the underlined potion 3. Holi is an Hindufestival duringwhich revelers throw colored dye into the air. Yom Kippur is the Jewish New Year. This practice, which results in participants skin and clothes being temporarily colored, has been adopted in the US for large parties and fun runs. A. NO CHANGE B.Another Hindu holiday is Diwali. C. Everyone has a lot of fun. D.OMIT the underlined portion. Answers: 1. C, 2. F, 3. D You made through that lesson! Onwards! (Image: Xiaojun Deng/Flickr) What's Next? Take a look at some of our other posts about rhetorical skills on ACT English: author intent questions and main goal questions. Make sure you understand the quirksof ACT English and have a solid approach for the passages. Check whether you need to study any grammar concepts with this handy guide to what's actually on the ACT English section. Practice makes perfect- test your skills on one of these free practice tests! Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

The Current Health Status of Aboriginal Australian Population Essay

The Current Health Status of Aboriginal Australian Population - Essay Example It has constantly been emphasized that the poor health and wellbeing of Aboriginal Australians is brought about by economic and social factors such as higher unemployment levels, poor nutrition and sanitation, congested housing, lack of access to education, and poverty. As a result, it has been proposed that the additional health risks of obesity, diabetes, and substance misuse make mortality rates among Aboriginal Australians significantly higher than that of the overall non-Aboriginal Australian population (Lawrence & Worsley, 2007). This paper discusses the factors that contribute to the current health and wellbeing of Aboriginal Australians, factors that increase the prevalence of diabetes, and potential community-focused solution. Contributing Factors to the Current Health of Australian Aboriginal People As stated in the National Aboriginal Health Strategy Working Party report, â€Å"health to Aboriginal peoples is a matter of determining all aspects of their life, including co ntrol over the physical environment, of dignity, of community self-esteem, and of justice. It is not merely a matter of the provision of doctors, hospitals, medicines or the absence of disease and incapacity† (Connor-Fleming & Parker, 2001, 210). Customarily, in Indigenous communities there was no term or word for ‘health’ as recognized by non-Indigenous people, and it would not be easy for Aborigines to view ‘health’ as part of their existence (Eagar & Garrett, 2001). This traditional belief is one of the major determinants of Aboriginal health. Health advocates engaged in programs for Aboriginal communities should be sensitive to this culturally oriented perception of health. Apparently, the Aboriginal perception of health should shape the context for any program supporting Aboriginal health. Second contributing factor is social disadvantage. It is well documented that social disadvantage has the ability to endanger individual health and wellbeing. The connection between poor health and social disadvantage is demonstrated in the health condition of Aboriginal people (Larkin, 2006). As revealed in the National Health Strategy Research paper No. 1, and substantiated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Health and Welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples research in 1999, there have been several improvements for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on wider social determinants, especially education (Connor-Fleming & Parker, 2001, 210). Nevertheless, according to Larkin (2006), on determinants of housing, economic standing, and employment status, these people were below Australian standards. Several scholars, like Thomson (1991) and Couzos and Murray (1999), claim that considerable economic and social disadvantage, political subjugation, and a history of cultural displacement and bigotry lead to seriously poor health and wellbeing for Aboriginal Australians. Matthews (1992) argued that a diverse paradig m that recognizes both the medical and social aspects of poor health is important. Where social circumstances are most unfavorable, the necessity for useful healthcare initiatives is

Research Paper Analysis of Newspaper Research Report Results Essay

Research Paper Analysis of Newspaper Research Report Results - Essay Example Sampling method: Sample can be defined as the representative group of the population. The sample size of the study was 3, 639. Two types of sampling method were used to select cases for the survey. In the first phase, a few colleges of different stated of the USA were selected by applying quota sampling and subsequently the respondents were selected at random without any bias from those selected colleges. can, as the term suggests, have only one possible answer. Perhaps the most typical of these is the dichotomous question that has just two possible options "yes" or "no". Many attitudinal questions are single response in that respondents have to choose where they sit on a predetermined scale. They have to choose one response code that reflects their thoughts. Multiple response questions allow the respondent to offer more than one answer to a question (Hague, 2004). Key survey questions included whether the students had been prescribed or had used without a prescription opioids, stimulants, sleeping aids (sedatives), or anxiety medicines. To determine if students abused drugs, the researcher relied on questions that asked whether the students had experienced drug-related problems like engaging in illegal activities to obtain drugs, having withdrawal symptoms, or developing medical problems due to drug use. Questionnaire administration: The questionnaire was sent to the selected colleges and afterwards the college authority made available the questionnaire on their college homepage and urged the students to take part in the survey. Analysis of data: The data was analyzed using SPSS. The demographics of the respondents were analyzed. A distributing table of the data was created with data range. And afterwards, various tools of central tendency like mean, median were applied to the collected data. The null hypothesis of the study was "College students using prescription drugs without a prescription are not prone to drug abuse" and the alternate hypothesis was "College students using prescription drugs without a prescription are prone to drug abuse" Findings: According to the results of the survey, 59.9% of the cases reported that they medically used at least one of the four drugs with a prescription. About 20% of the respondents reported taking them without a prescription for non-medical reasons. 39.7% of the college students who took part in the survey reported that they had used the drugs only by prescription. 4.4% of the cases of the study reported to have used medications, but were not prescribed them. 15.8% of the respondents who participated in the web survey reported using some medications, both with and without prescriptions. The researcher also found that students who reported using drugs without prescriptions were more likely to screen positive for drug abuse compared to students who never used them or who had only used them for medical reasons. The findings can be summed up as below: Parentage Explanation 59.9% Reported medically using at least one of t

Accounting Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Accounting Issues - Assignment Example Retained earnings are the accumulated wealth of earnings not paid as dividends that the company obtained over the years. The cash balance of the company as of December 31, 2012 was $2,800,000. In terms of retained earnings the company had a balance of $31,400,000. Based on the asset distribution of the company it seems as if the company invested its retained earnings in the past in property, plant, and equipment. Common stocks, preferred stocks, and bonds payable are three distinct financial instruments that corporations can utilize to raise money. A common stock can be defined as an equity security that has last claim on residual assets and earnings of a corporation (Tewales, Bradley, Tewales). Common stocks are traded in the open market and its price fluctuates daily. A common stock gives its owner a participation stake in the ownership of a company. Common stocks have voting rights. At the end of the fiscal year shareholders are eligible to receive dividends if the board of direct ors declares them. A preferred stock is a special type of stock that has a claim on a corporation’s earnings, dividends, and assets ahead of common stock, but behind debt (Tewales, et al.). Corporations are mandated to pay dividends to preferred stock holders. If dividends are not paid they become cumulative and must be paid in the next accounting period. Preferred stocks do not have voting rights. A bond is a long term note that corporations sell to the general public. A bond has the obligation of paying its holders an interest payment to be paid on a quarterly, semiannual, or annual basis. The interest rate paid on a bond is known as the coupon rate. The principal of the bond must be repaid to the investor in full upon maturity date. The use of preferred stock is ideal for the company for a variety of reasons. First of all the use of preferred stocks does not dilute the power of the current owners of the company because preferred stocks do not have voting rights. Most impor tantly preferred stocks are accounted for as an equity option. The debt on the balance sheet of the company will not increase by selling preferred stocks. The use of preferred stocks does have a cost as the company will be obligated to pay dividends to the owners of preferred stocks. The capital structure of the company did not include any preferred stocks at the end of 2012. The company has a covenant on its previous debt that requires the firm to maintain a debt ratio below 60%. The total liabilities of the company in 2012 were $48.6 million, while its total assets amounted to $90 million. The debt ratio of the company is 0.54. This ratio is an indicator of the solvency of the company. If the company were to acquire an additional $10 million in debt its debt ratio would increase to 0.65 violating the existing covenant on its debt. The firm would also not quality for a $20 million loan since doing so would increase its debt ratio to 0.76. The use of capital leases is a viable finan cing arrangement that the company can use to acquire equipment and machinery. The debt analysis performed on the company showed that additional debt is a limiting option due to a covenant on its existing debt that requires the firm to maintain a debt ratio below 60%. The use of a capital lease is a very attractive option because the debt on the lease is not reflected on the balance sheet liabilities section, but the asset being leased is considered an asset in the accounting books of the company. The use of a capital lease affects both the income statement and balance sheet of the firm. The balance sheet is affected because the leased equipment must be included in the asset section of the balance sheet under the

Using Enterprise Gamification For Improving Business Essay

Using Enterprise Gamification For Improving Business Essay Gamification is the concept of applying game-design thinking to non-game applications to make them more fun and engaging. (Gamification Wiki, 2012) Though a relatively new field, gamification has been used in a variety of applications albeit in a simpler manner, from driving customer loyalty through loyalty points to improving employee engagement within the workforce using titles such as Employee of the Month The latter is an example of enterprise gamification wherein enterprises use gamified systems to bring about internal change. However most such systems are currently heavily simplified and extrinsically focused, only looking to reward employees with badges, which leads to the danger of reducing the employees intrinsic motivations. Also, many of the enterprise gamification platforms have only been designed for use in the developed world and hence the need to explore how these might differ for an Indian audience with its different set of motivations and appeal to them. Taking these into account, this paper looks to explore how gamification works and what are the underlying psychological factors and how Indian enterprises can use it in their employee development process. The findings would lead to a proposed enterprise gamified framework for improving workplace motivations and the performance appraisal process currently being practiced in Indian organizations. Lastly we look at the possible limitations of having such a system in place at the enterprise level and explore areas of further development for future research. Introduction A common definition of gamification is the application of game elements in non game contexts (Deterding, 2011) At the heart of gamification is the objective of getting the desired behavioral response by appealing to the players motivations. A repeatedly used approach is to use the scoring elements used in video games and use them in a different context. Though the term is relatively new, this concept has been in application for centuries in the form of frequent flyer loyalty programs for customers, enterprise leader boards in the sales and customer care divisions. However, in recent years the concept has gradually seen an increasing no. of applications within the enterprise. Some of the examples are listed below Intranet The SAP community network is an internally used community network (intranet) where leader boards for domain experts in every domain is maintained Productivity Enhancement Call centers are using gamification techniques to improve representative performance by making use of leaderboards, levels, virtual badges and immediate feedback. The danger could be that it could be used as a tool to constantly monitor and pressurizing them. Efficiency Enhancement Efficiency enhancement is about improving general skill level of employees and not just the work related to their job. Helping employees deal with their emails is an example. Companies use gamification elements such as progress bars, virtual points and feedback on time spent for emails to help them deal with this. Seriosity is another company that has created a virtual currency around the emails. This helps employees decide which mails to deal with first and decide the urgency of the emails they are sending out to other employees. Knowledge Management Application called WhoWhatWhere is an enterprise collaboration system where consultants are encouraged to share information about what they are working on thereby making it easier for consultants working on similar projects to get in touch with them and seek help Innovation The UK Dept of Works Pension created the Ideastreet, essentially seen as a trading platform for ideas. Employees put forward ideas which have a inherent stock listed price associated with them. Other employees have the option of buying or selling these stocks so that a few of the ideas have a much higher market cap than the others. This has proved to be a well performing solution, with the no. of new ideas being implemented increasing by the tune of 54%. Recruiting and Onboarding Gamification is also being used for recruitment for certain managerial positions using online simulation games that depict real life scenarios and test the decision making skills of the players. This competition leads to a pool of best players who are then considered as potential candidates for the company. All the above mentioned examples of enterprise gamification and gamified systems in general, can be broadly classified according to what user motivations they cater to, which could be intrinsic or extrinsic motivations. The concern with gamified systems that are heavily extrinsically focused such as the one currently employed in call centers, is the long term negative impact that most organizations are not aware of. This is something that shall be addressed in detail in subsequent sections in this paper. Organisations that offer gamification platforms for employee engagement are growing in developed countries. Bunchball is currently one of the biggest which offers Nitro as a plugin gamification application to Salesforce. The Indian enterprise market however, is currently largely untapped and presents huge opportunities for the same. Most Indian employees find the current performance appraisal systems in most organizations highly inefficient and unsatisfactory. The current efforts of the HR professionals to improve employee seem to fall short with workplace morale and productivity running lower than desired. Taking these factors into consideration, this paper looks to propose an enterprise gamification model for improving intrinsic workplace motivations and the performance appraisal systems currently in place in Indian organizations. Theoretical Background What are Games? A formal broad definition applicable to all forms of games proposed by Zimmermann Salen, 2003 says that A game is a system in which players engage in artificial conflict, defined by rules, which result in a quantifiable outcome. However, what this definition lacks is the notion of a feedback system. The feedback system can take the form of points, levels, progress bars and serves to quantify the progress made by the user, how close/far the user is from the goal and provides motivation to keep on playing. In addition to this is the concept of voluntary participation. Be it indoor games such as monopoly, social games, alternate reality games to the most popular sports played today, voluntary participation requires that each one plays the game willingly, accepting the rules and goals of the system with the freedom to enter and leave the game whenever desired. This ensures that the artificially created challenging environment is not found threatening and can be experienced as a playful, safe and enjoyable activity. All these characteristics of the definition of a game are important and are modelled by Dignan in the figure below (Dignan, 2011): A definition of a game (Dignan, 2011) What makes Games so Engaging? Before we delve further, it is important to explore what is it about games that is so engaging and why it seems to be the answer to current workplace engagement and productivity issues according to us. An important research conducted by McGonigal to explore how playing games leads to human happiness has answers to this question. According to McGonigal (2011) studies have actually shown that people are at their happiest when doing hard work at the borders of their skill level. Only when people are continuously challenged according to their skill levels and continuously receive feedback on their work will they have a sustained engagement, otherwise they will end up getting bored.C:UsersmicaDesktopFlow.png This is also explained well by a central model for the appeal for video games the concept of flow. According to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, people feel best when they are neither underchallenged nor overchallenged but at the right level of skills. And as people learn with time and repetition, challenges have to increase to keep up with growing skills. The research goes on to say that most of the traditionally considered relaxing activities such as watching TV, are actually mildly depressing. She argues that this is because companies often fail to continuously challenge employees at the right level in a structured way without giving them frequent feedback. In short, it goes on to proclaim that The Opposite of Work is not Play, it is Depression. Empirical studies also show how the responses that games elicit are very similar to real life emotions, if not the same. Even if the reward might be growing more crops in Farm Ville, the reward though purely fictitious elicits an emotional state that happens to be no different from a real life scenario. To summarize there are multiple dimensions to games that cater to different needs of the players and have been segregated as follows When it comes to the workplace, at a fundamental level we could conclude that the work in itself not the demotivating factor for workers in an organization. It is more so the lack of one or more of the above needs that results in a decrease in their morale over time. For example a rigid company structure could end up stifling the workers need for independence or autonomy. More so, the absence of a continuous challenge that gives employees an opportunity to master their skills and a more regular, robust feedback system that helps them figure where they stand is currently missing. A gamified system would serve the solution for this through continuous feedback on their current skill set and quantifying their scope of improvement. A choice provided to the user at various stages to set their own goals would mean that their need for autonomy is also served to. Throughout this paper, we would henceforth look at building a framework considering these factors. Using Games as a Form of Behavioural Change Dr. BJ Fogg of Stanford University developed a behavioural model which described three elements Motivation, Ability and Trigger that are necessary for behavioural change to occur. In essence, the greater the user motivation, more the probability of hard to do abilities being performed. Similarly if the motivation for the user is very low, the ability demanded to perform the task must be also very low ie easy to do. C:UsersmicaDesktopFogg.png Even when both motivation and ability are sufficiently high to reach the threshold, a trigger becomes necessary to be able to change the user behaviour. The model is intended to help designers identify what stops people from performing the intended behaviour. Game elements go a long way in incorporating this model to change user behavior in the following manner 1. Game dynamics use positive feedbacks in the form of points, scores, progress, social status etc which help in improving user motivation. 2. Through training and master of skills, they increase the perceived ability of users by making difficult jobs simpler and more manageable. 3. Game dynamics place triggers in the path of motivated users at the optimal level of user ability to trigger a behavioural change. Gamification for Motivational Design At the core of the gamification system is tapping into the right motivational factors that drive users. Since the motivators vary for different people, game systems needs to be customized accordingly. Broadly speaking, motivators can be divided into extrinsic and intrinsic motivators. Extrinsic motivators are driven by external rewards such as the desire for power and status. Intrinsic motivators are driven by the inherent joy of doing the task itself instead of using any external reward mechanisms. Such motivators at the workplace might include autonomy, mastery, curiosity and feeling connected to the overall cause of the company. Traditionally, most enterprises have essentially made use of extrinsic motivators to motivate employees and enhance productivity. But studies show that excessive focus on external rewards results in users losing their intrinsic motivation to perform the task that previously existed, which is not in the best interests of the user itself. If the organization starts using gamification based upon external rewards and then stops the rewards program, it will be worse off than when it started as users will be less likely to return to the behavior without the external reward (Deci, Koestner Ryan, 2001). Good gamification practise however emphasizes on intrinsic motivators to help them succeed in work life. Hence the concept of meaningful gamification takes it a level further through gamified designs, with the user at its centre, appealing to his/her intrinsic motivations and with a focus on providing user benefits without any adverse effects in the long run. Reiss Sixteen Motivators (2001) Despite the many theories in the field, few are based on actual scientific research. One of them was Steven Reiss who in his book Who am I comes up with 16 categories of motivators which are collected in a statistical manner using which he tries to explain human behaviour. Among the 16 we found only 11 categories to be relevant to the workplace as the rest were found to be related to basic physical needs such as consuming eating which is outside our scope. The 11 categories are presented below with a brief description of their desire profile and segregated into intrinsic and extrinsic motivators accordingly: The dominant motivators among this list would be different for the various profile segments, hence research would be necessary to figure out the most important motivators at work for Indian employees which will form the core of the gamification framework to be designed. Research Methodology A quantitative approach was adopted by means of a survey to capture the relative importance of the 11 Reiss motivators found to influence human behavior in a workplace environment. The sample size for the survey was 36 individuals working in different organizations across India. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of the motivators for them on a Likert Scale. After their responses were captured, a regression was run to establish a relationship between the respondents levels of motivation in a workplace and the various motivators. The relative importance of the motivators was then established by comparing their standardized coefficients. The process then led us to the motivators that were considered most important by Indian employees in the context of a workplace environment. C:UsersmicaDesktopTempg.png Research Methodology Process Leading to the Gamified Framework These dominant workplace motivators and barriers to adoption insights would then be used to design the appropriate game mechanics and come up with the final gamified system as shown in the figure above. Findings Analyzing the results of the survey showed us that Indian Employees are motivated by factors such as curiosity, independence,social contact status and not factors such as competition or power. This implies that the gamification structure that is created needs to have game layers that focuses on group tasks and freedom of players involved in the game. The game layers also need to emphasize on increasing ability since curiosityis an important motivator for Indian employees. On the basis of the results obtained we make the approach to design a gamified framework. Since there currently does not exist a fixed method of developing a gamified system we have given our recommendations based on these results and the theoretical construct described above. Choosing the Right Game Mechanics The biggest problem with todays workplace is the absence of any structured goals that provide an optimal challenge, real time feedback of ones own performance and how the contribution has an impact at an organizational level. In this context game mechanics serve the purpose of increasing either ability or motivation to accomplish the desired behaviour for the employees through real time feedback in the form of points, progress bars etc and other components. Since the major motivators in the Indian workplace context have been found to be curiosity, social contact status and independence/autonomy, care must be taken to see that different game mechanics are in place to cater to these motivations. Hence the following proposition consisting of three different features that serve a different purpose, appropriate mechanisms would be used 1. Personal Efficiency Model For Curiosity Autonomy Motivators To-do lists and progress bar map to track the employees personal goals such as time management, emails cleared, level of project completed etc both to increase ability and motivation. This is done by assigning progress to create incentives for players to complete goals they set for themselves. A sample diagram depicting the same is as given below C:UsersmicaDesktopPicture1.png Sample Visual Map of Individually Set Goals and Status of Completion To cater to the employees motivation for curiosity, a set of interactive quizzes and challenges of different levels testing his/her knowledge in the domain would be necessary. The levels would be of adaptable difficulty (such as in GMAT exams), based on the performance of the worker in the previous level. Customisation components to choose personal goals in different competency areas. This provides workers with a feeling of independence and autonomy. 2. Online Stock Market Model For Status and Social Contact Idea Resource A game where individuals come up with innovative ideas in their domain which are listed on the virtual stock exchange. Employees can now buy/sell these ideas using in game currency so that each idea now has a market cap too. Resource Management using in-game currency as extrinsic rewards for good idea suggestions 3. Peer Recognition and Social Features For Social Contact and Status Community features to encourage unexpected positive feedback from peers and improve motivation when individual contribution levels have reached. A similar interface to elicit positive peer feedback on a software called Rypple is shown in the figure. Social Badges to cater to the players need for appreciation from colleagues and flaunt their status C:UsersmicaDesktopwork.jpg Social Recognition Feature Employed on Rypple.com Designing a Gamification Framework There are three major frameworks and models included in this paper for the purpose of coming up with a gamification framework. There are Dignans Game Frame which describes all the necessary components of a behavioural game (Dignan, 2011), Dr. Reiss Sixteen motivators which describes what motivates the player (Reiss, 2001) and lastly Dr. Foggs Behaviour model which examines how a new behaviour is realised (Fogg, 2011). Dignan describes a behavioural game as made up by ten components which together design the framework Game Frame (Dignan, 2011). The Game Frame allows the designer to look at any behavioural game from the top down, understand its essential parts and see how they together make up a game. In this paper, Dignans Game Frame is used as a structure to describe the situation. This structure needs to be filled with information based on our research. However, to design how the game is played and the available tools for the players, one needs to know what kind of behaviour that is intended (outcome). Before designing how it is played, what currently inhibits the intended behaviour (the obstacles) were investigated from the survey results. The characteristics of these obstacles are then categorised in terms of lack of ability or motivation with Dr. Foggs behavioural model to investigate what kinds of mechanics that will be most efficient to promote the new behaviour. We now take each element of the Dignans frame to explain the overall gamification framework for our system. The Objective and Activity The objectives of this recommended gamified framework will be to encourage employee innovation at the workplace, improve the intrinsic motivation of the employee in alignment with the organizational objectives and to put in place a more robust performance feedback system. Reinforce good habits and real-time recognition and rewards. Recognize achievement publicly or give real rewards in the discount coupons. The main activities of the game will involve entering logs, giving feedback to peers and/or submitting ideas apart from setting custom goals. The Player Profile Based on the results that we obtained using our research, an attempt was made to create a profile for players involved in the system i.e. Indian employees. Since curiosity, status, Independence and social contact proved to be the most important indicators, certain inferences were drawn about the behavior of Indian Employees: Peer recognition and appreciation by fellow employees were significant Learning and development of new skills acts as a powerful motivator Employees remain driven if given the freedom to decide their own goals and pace to achieve those goals Team activities or tasks that involved the organization as a whole generates a lot of interest . Outcomes The last frame in Dignans game frame is the outcomes that are generated along the way of the game. The short-term outcomes should primarily be to get individual feedback on everyday activities at work. The long-term outcomes are to get a clearer picture of the career progress, improve employee morale through feedback. The outcomes of the game are to receive immediate individual feedback about the organizational impact of their contributions and to visualize the career progress. Defining the Feedback Cycle A significant feedback would be in the form of the community-like feature where employees can give feedback on each others personal goal statuses. The motivational factor will be increased by community-driven feedback and intangible rewards. These rewards should be in terms of in-game currency, and badges for reaching a certain personal achievement. One important part of the competence model is that the employees estimate their own performance. In terms of the feedback, this means that the employees need to estimate the value of their own performances in this system as well. Hence, when logging an activity, the employee needs to estimate how valuable that particular action is. Defining Resources and Skills Resources are the drivers of game using which a player moves forward within a game. The resources in the stock based platform for ideas is the virtual currency that players are allotted to buy/sell. Since the currency allotted to players is limited, players must ensure that they allocate it judiciously for ideas that they think will work best. In case of the Gamified feedback system, resources are the badges and points that act as motivators and used to display appreciation for ones efforts. Skills are specialized abilities one that puts to use in a behavioral game and can be categorized as physical, mental and social. Our gamified set up requires players to use their mental skills for generation of ideas and continuous learning and social skills that help individuals get their ideas to be popular and well traded. Triggers Certain activities work very well as triggers. For example simple activities like sending notifications to employees that tell him of his weekly performance in a domain vis-Ã  -vis another employee who is working in a similar domain could act a trigger for the employee .Notifications could also tell the employee of his weekly performance over his/her last weeks performance .The direct comparison is such cases could help employees set the pace for the rest of the week. Transparency Should an employees performance be revealed to other employees? It is a question that needs serious consideration. Often employees do not like the comparison that comes with the sharing of another employees progress and such comparisons could prove to be fatal. An example would be a gamification system based on leader boards employed by Disney for its laundry workers. The real time sharing of information about a workers performance and the continuous comparisons hampered employee performance and created a sense of nervousness amongst employees. On the other hand sharing information is an integral part of the feedback mechanism that allows one to comment and receive feedback on ones progress.A possible solution to the problem would be to let the employee decide by giving him the choice to reveal his/her personal information to whomsoever they want. System Limitations The suggested gamification system has its own strengths and weaknesses. One of the most obvious thing that needs to be ensured is long term engagement. Gamified setups are designed to achieve both short term and long term objectives and therefore needs to be continuously developed and maintained to ensure that players dont get bored. Emphasis must lie on increasing ability of the players and changing the motivational elements within the structure which involves bringing in new game elements and tweaking existing game mechanics Another limitation of a stock market like setup for Ideas is that there comes a time when stocks might be traded due to their association with people and not with ideas. There is an inherent danger of the system becoming a personality driven platform rather than a platform being idea driven. The other danger which has already been mentioned is that of a player getting too involved in the game and restricting his concerns to achieving a higher stock price for the ideas selected by him/her and not the ones that can bring a change. Finally there is the question of participation. Games require voluntary participation from all its players. A platform meant merely for ideas that does not fall within the purview of an employees personal responsibility may not encourage players to voluntarily participate. Employees may however be encouraged by their superiors to part of such a set up but this runs the risk of an employee engaging in the system with not much interest. Any social game requires participation and lack of interest to participate can prove detrimental to the setup. Ideas of System Future Potential and Further Development Even if the suggested game layer attempts to promote each activity by adding motivational elements, a big focus on increased ability has permeated the selection and design of the game mechanics. To achieve a greater impact, organizational elements at the workplace need to be included in the system so that in-game rewards have a clear connection to the consultants career. One step in that direction would be to incorporate projects as part of the game layer. That would allow log entries to be linked to specific project entities and the connection between the system and what the consultant actually do will be clearer (instituting a more relevant feedback loop). It would also create a good way for project leaders and management to give feedback. The down side, and the main reason that it is not proposed, is that it would bring an additional dimension, raising the commitment and time needed to use the system. There is also great potential in adding team based mechanics into the system. These could be project based teams or made up teams. There are many examples showing that the social component in team-based activities is a powerful way of affecting behavior. Dedication takes time but enables more ways to create relevant feedback loops, awards more strongly connected to the consultants professional situation, in-game currency that can be spent in various ways, team-based structure and challenges etc. It is all a question how deep the gamification system is allowed to permeate through the organisation. Another important aspect that needs to be considered before the implementation of a gamified system is to identify how it will impact the skill level of employees. Employee skills can be classified into -a) Core skills i.e. those skills that all employees in the organization are expected to have, b)Unique skills i.e. skills that are unique to an individual and c)Future skills i.e. skills that an employee would like to have in the future. A gamified set up works best in situations where employees can put to use their core skills to be part of a team-based activity for the greater organizational good or in situations where individuals can develop future skills as part of their personal responsibility. While it is imperative that organizations look closely towards data, employee behavior and organizational culture to create a gamification structure that can best support its objectives; it must take steps to ensure that an employee remains motivated to fulfill his responsibilities and does not get lost in the game.