Chemistry Notes

Everything is made of particles. Particles in solid are not free to move around. Liquids and gases can. As particles move they collide with each other and bounce off in all directions. This is called random motion. In 2 substances, when mixed, particles bounce off in all directions when they collide. This mixing process is called diffusion. It's also the movement of particles without a force. The smallest particle that cannot be broken down by chemical means is called an atom. ;In some substances, particles are Just single atoms.For example the gas argon, mound in air, is made up of single argon atoms. ;In many substances, particles consist of 2 atoms Joined together. These are called molecules. ;In other substances, particles consist of atoms or groups of atoms that carry a charge. These particles are called ions. Solids liquids and gases Solid Properties: Definite shape and volume ; Normally hard and rigid Large force required to change shape High Density ; Incompressible Model: ; Closely packed ; Occupy minimum space Regular pattern ; Vibrate in fixed position Not free to move Liquid Properties: ; Definite volume but no shape.Not compressible Occur in clusters with molecules slightly fury Free to move about within a confined vessel WPAD W. Transmigrate crossover Demand: Pu. Researcher's www. PDFWatermarkRemover. Com to remove the watermark Gas Properties: No Fixed volume and no fixed shape ; Low density ; Compressible Very far apart ; Travel at high speed ; Independent and random motions Negligible forces of attraction between them Diffusion in Gases Gases diffuse in different rates. Those rates depend on their factors: 1. Mass of the particles The lower the mass of its particles the faster a gas will diffuse. Why?Because the lighter the molecules†¦ He faster it will travel (obviously†¦ ) 2. The temperature The higher the temperature, the faster a gas will diffuse. Why? Because particles gain energy as they are heated Mixtures, Solutions, and Solve nts Mixture: Contains more the one substance. They are Just mixed together and not chemically combined. Example: Sand and water. Solution: It is when a solute and a solvent mix. The solute dissolves in the solvent making a solution. Example: sugar (solute) dissolves in water (solvent) making a solution of sugar and water. The solubility of every substance is different.To help a solute dissolve you could: ; Stir it Rise the temperature If you add excess amount of sugar in a small amount of water†¦ It won't dissolve as there is no space for it. The solution becomes saturated. Solvent: A substance that allows solutes to dissolve in Example: Water, Ethanol Pure substances and impurities A pure substance is a substance that has no particles of any other substance mixed with it. An unwanted substance, mixed with a wanted substance, is called an impurity. To check if a substance is pure, you have to check its melting and boiling points.A pure substance has a definite, sharp, melting p oint. When a substance is impure, the letting point falls and its boiling point rises. So the more impurity present, the wider and bigger the change in melting and boiling point. Separation methods: Filter – -? Solid from liquid Centrifuge -? Solid from liquid Evaporation -? Solid from its solution Crystallization Solid from its solution Distillation -? Solvent from a solution Fractional distillation Liquid from each other Chromatography solution Separation methods – Different substances from a 1.Filtering Example: A mixture of chalk and water†¦ 1. A filter paper is placed in a funnel, the funnel placed on a flask. 2. The mixture is poured on the filter paper. The chalk (the residue) will remain in the filter paper and the water (the filtrate) will fall down in the flask. 2. Centrifuging This method is used to separate small amounts of solid and liquid. Inside a centrifuge (it's a machine), test tubes are spun very fast so the solid gets flung to the bottom. 3. Ev aporation This method is used to separate a solution in which the solid is dissolved in the liquid. . The solution is heated so that the liquid evaporates and the solid remains in the bottom of the evaporating dish. 4. Crystallization This method is similar to evaporation but here the solid forms crystals then the rascals are left to dry. Separating a mixture of two solids 1. This can be done by dissolving one in an appropriate solvent. 2. Then filtering one and extracting the other from the solution by evaporation. 5. Simple distillation 1. The impure liquid is heated. 2. It boils, and steam rises into the condenser. 3. The impurities are left behind. . The condenser is cold so the steam condenses to the pure liquid and it drops out on the beaker. 6. Fractional distillation . The mixture is heated. The wanted substance boils and evaporates 2. (some of the unwanted liquid will evaporate too) and rises up the column. 3. The substance will condense on the beads in the column causing t hem to heat. 4. When the beads reach a certain temperature when the wanted liquid wont condense anymore (That's the boiling point) it will rise while the unwanted liquid will condense and drop.The wanted liquid will make its way through the condenser where it will condense and drop down in the beaker. 7. Chromatography This method is used to separate a mixture of substances. For example you can use it to find how many colored substances there are in black ink. Steps: 1. Drop the black ink on to the center off filter paper and allow it to dry. 2. Drop water on to the ink spot, one drop at a time. 3. Suppose there are three rings: yellow, red and blue. This shows the ink contains 3 colored substances. The substances travel across the paper at different rates.That's why they separate into rings. The filter paper showing the separate substances is called a chromatogram. This method works because different substances travel at different speeds because they have different levels of attrac tion to it. Uses of chromatography: Separate mixtures of substances ; Purify a substance by separating the impurities from it ; Unit 2: The Atom Identify a substance Atoms are the smallest particles. Each atom consists of a nucleus and a cloud of particles called electrons that whiz around the nucleus. An element is a substance that contains only one kind of atom.The periodic table is the â€Å"map/address book† for elements where each element is given a symbol (E. G. K for potassium). The group of elements that have similar properties are put in a numbered column. For example, if you know how one element in group 1 behaves, you can easily guess how the others in the same group will behave. The rows are called periods. The gig-gag line separates metals from non-metals, with the non-metals on the right. So most elements are metals. A compound contains atoms of different elements Joined together where the atoms are chemically combined.For example carbon dioxide is a compound of carbon and oxygen (1 carbon and 2 oxygen molecules). The symbol for compound is made from the symbols of the elements in it. So the formula for carbon dioxide is CO. Isotopes and Radioactivity You can identify an atom by the number of protons in it. For example, only sodium atoms have 11 protons. Isotopes are atoms of the same element, with different numbers of neutrons. Some isotopes are radioactive. That means its nucleus is unstable, sooner or later the toms breaks down or decays, giving out radiation in the form of rays and tiny particles, as well as large amount of energy.Like carbon-14, a number of other elements have radioisotopes that occur naturally and eventually decays. But the other two isotopes of carbon (like most natural isotopes) are non-radioactive. You can know when radioisotopes decay by looking at there half life. Radiation affects humans as it may causes them radiation sickness but radiation also has some uses. Uses of radiation: 1. Check for leaks in pipes (in dustry) This is done by adding a radioisotope to the oil or gas. At a leak, the radiation is detected using an instrument. Radioisotopes used in this way are called tracers. 2. N cancer treatment (Medical) Radioisotopes can cause cancer but yet also can cure it. Using radiotherapy the radioisotope will decay and give out rays that can kill cancer cells. These rays will be aimed exactly at the cancer cells. 3. To find the age of old remains A tiny percentage of a living thing contains carbon-14 atoms. When living thing dies it no longer takes in new carbon atoms. But existing carbon-14 atom decay over time – we can measure the faint radiation from them. How electrons are arranged The electrons in an atom circle fast around the nucleus, at different levels from it.These energy levels are caller electron shells. The further the shell is from the nucleus, the higher the energy level. Each shell can hold a limited number of electrons. First shell can hold up to 2 electrons Second shell can hold up to 8 electrons The third shell can also hold up to 8 electrons Electronic configuration means the arrangement of electrons in an atom. Argon has the electronic configuration : 2,8,8 Magnesium has the electronic configuration : 2,8,2 Important points: ; The shells fill in order, from lowest energy level to highest energy levelAll the elements in a group have the same number of electrons in their outer shells. These are called Valence electrons. ; The group number is the same number of outer shell electrons ; The period number shows how many shells there are. ; If an element posses a full outer shell, the element become enervative Unit 3: Atoms combining Most elements form compounds because they want a full outer shell and to achieve that they must react with other atoms. For example, sodium has Just one electron in its outer shell.It can obtain a full outer shell by losing this electron to anther atoms and by that it becomes a sodium ion. Now because sodium lost a e lectron†¦ It now has 10 electrons but 11 protons†¦ So it has a 1 positive charge. An ion is a charged particle. It is charged because it has an unequal number of protons and electrons. The ionic bond Sodium and chlorine react together; sodium gives its electron to chlorine. Now both elements have a full outer shell, but with a charge. Now they are ions. Sodium now has 10 electrons but 11 protons so it has a positive charge.Chlorine now has 18 electrons but 17 protons so it has a negative charge. The two ions have opposite charges, so they attract each other. The force of attraction between them is strong. It is called an ionic bond. When sodium reacts with chlorine, billions and billions of sodium and chlorine ions form and they attract each other. But the ions don't stay in pairs. They cluster together so that each ion is surrounded by 6 ions of opposite charges. The pattern grows until a giant structure of ions is formed. The overall charge of the structure is O since 1 positive charge and 1 negative charge neutralize each other.The ionic bonding is only between metals and non-metals. Important notes: Hydrogen and the metals form positive ions Non-metals form negative ions, and their names end in -did ; Group 4 and 5 do to usually form ions because they would have to lose or gain several electrons and that takes too much energy ; Group O elements do not form ions; they already have full outer shells ; Some of the transition metals form more than one ion. Some ions can be formed from groups of Joined atoms. These are called compound ions. Properties of ionic compound 1.Ionic compounds have high melting and boiling points. This is because ionic bonds are very strong, so it takes a lot of heat energy to break up the lattice. 2. Ionic compounds are usually soluble in water. The water molecules can attract the ions away from the lattice. The ions can then move freely, surrounded by water molecules. 3. Ionic compounds can conduct electricity when they ar e melted or dissolved. When melted the lattice breaks up and the ions are free to move. Since they are charged, this means they can conduct electricity.The solutions of ionic compounds conduct electricity too because they are also free to move. The covalent bond Giving and losing an electron is not the only way to gain full outer shells since atoms can also share electrons. Covalent bonding is for non-metals only since only non-metals need to gain electrons. A molecule is a group of atoms held together by covalent bonds. When a pair of electrons is shared, it is called a single covalent bond, or Just single bond. When 2 pairs of electrons are shared, it is called a double covalent bond, or Just double bond.When 3 pairs of electrons are shared, it is called a triple covalent bond, or Just triple Covalent compounds A covalent compound is when atoms of different elements share electrons with each other. The molecules in a covalent compound isn't flat because each electron repel each ot her and try to get as far apart from each other. Molecular substances Most molecular substances are gases or liquids at room temperature. Molecular lids are held in a lattice but the forces between the molecules are weak. All molecular solids have similar structure.The molecules are held in regular pattern in a lattice. So the solids are crystalline. When you cool down a molecular liquid or gas the molecules lose energy so they start moving slowly and at the freezing point, they form a lattice (a good example would be ice) Properties of covalent bonding 1. Covalent compounds have low melting and boiling point This is because the forces between the molecules are weak. 2. They do not conduct electricity This is because molecules are not charged, so they cannot conduct, even when melted

Learning from Ojt

ON-THE-JOB TRAINING AT HOME DEVELOPMENT MUTUAL FUNDS (PAG-IBIG FUND) In Partial fulfillment of the Requirements for Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Submitted by: Arce P. Baldonado Submitted to Ms. Ruth Bongales March 2013 Table Of Contents II. Background of the Company III. Summary of the OJT Experience IV. Assessment of the OJT/Practicum Program A. New knowledge, attitudes and skills acquired B. Theories actually seen in practice C. Feedback that can be given to the company or institution D. Benefits gained E. Problems Encountered V. Appendices A. Company brochure B. Copy of the Endorsement Letter Similar essay: Theories Actually Seen In Practice in OjtC. Copy of the Training Plan D. Copy of the Signed Waiver form E. Daily Time Record F. Quarterly Performance Appraisal Forms G. Certificate of Completion II. Background of the Company The birth of the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) The birth of the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), more popularly known as the Pag- IBIG Fund, was an answer to the need for a national savings program and an affordable shelter financing for the Filipino worker. The Fund was established on 11 June 1978 by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1530 primarily to address these two basic yet equally important needs.Under the said law, there were two agencies that administered the Fund. The Social Security System handled the funds of private employees, while the Government Service Insurance System handled the savings of government workers. Less than a year after on 1 March 1979, Executive Order No. 527 was signed. The order directed transferring the a dministration of the Fund to the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation, which was one of the operating agencies of the then Ministry of Human Settlements. Seeing the need to further strengthen the stability and viability of the two funds, Executive Order No. 38 was issued on 4 June 1979, merging the funds for private and government personnel into what is now known as the Pag-IBIG Fund. However, It was only on 14 December 1980 when Pag-IBIG was made independent from the NHMFC with the signing of PD 1752, which amended PD 1530. With the improved law in effect, the Fund's rule-making power was vested in its own Board of Trustees. Likewise, PD 1752 made Pag-IBIG membership mandatory for all SSS and GSIS member-employees A new Administration, some changes in Pag-IBIG Months after former President Corazon C.Aquino assumed leadership of the country, Pag-IBIG contributions were suspended from May to July 1986. This gave way to the Presidential Task Force on Shelter to conduct a thoroug h review of the Fund and its operations. The task force later affirmed that Pag-IBIG Fund was run professionally and that there were no anomalies in the Fund. On 1 August 1986, former President Aquino directed the resumption of Pag-IBIG membership under Executive Order No. 35. Membership was still on a mandatory basis but under more liberal terms. For one, contribution rate was reduced from three percent to one percent for employees earning over P1,500.Employer share was likewise cut from three percent to a fixed rate of two percent. The Maximum Fund Salary was raised from P3,000 to P5,000. 1 January 1987 marked the return of the Pag-IBIG Fund to a voluntary program under Executive Order No. 90. While many companies chose to discontinue their Pag-IBIG membership, quite a number, including big companies like PLDT and Dole Philippines, nevertheless opted to retain their membership to the Fund despite the voluntary nature of registration. Facing challenges head on Confronted with the s udden reduction in its membership base, Pag-IBIG stood unfazed and took the challenges head on.As a first step, the Fund implemented an intensified marketing campaign that focused on membership retention and generation. It was during the years as a voluntary fund that Pag-IBIG evolved from an institution primarily for savings and housing into an agency with a wider reach that covers almost all other needs. Pag-IBIG introduced innovative benefit programs that heeded the calls for expansion of membership to include self-employed groups with informal income, overseas Filipino workers, and non-earning spouses.It also launched other novel programs such as the Multi-Purpose Loan for its short-term loans program, and shelter programs that address both individual and institutional housing requirements. Clearly, the voluntary nature of Pag-IBIG membership did not stop the Fund from growing in depth and breadth. During the period, the Pag-IBIG Fund has claimed its rightful place in the countr y's economic and financial system, finally gaining the acceptance of its members, not by force, but by its continuing efforts to impress upon the members that the Fund exists solely for their benefit as well as their beneficiaries.After eight years as a voluntary fund, the nature of Pag-IBIG membership reverted to mandatory on 17 June 1994 when President Fidel V. Ramos signed Republic Act 7742. The new law became effective on 1 January 1995. Today, more than a decade after the universal Pag-IBIG coverage law was implemented, the Pag-IBIG Fund continues to be a strong partner in realizing Filipino workers' dreams. Over the years, it initiated more programs and projects, particularly those that address the needs of members belonging to the bottom economic level.The Fund has established special housing partnerships with teachers and uniformed men, among others. The Rent-to-Own Program was introduced, providing members another affordable way of homeownership. The Fund's efforts towards housing the Filipino did not go unnoticed. During the World Habitat Day celebration in October 2006, Pag-IBIG was given the prestigious Scroll of Honour Awards by the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) for â€Å"making the dream of affordable housing a reality for hundreds of thousands of households. † Pag-IBIG is the first Philippine government agency to be awarded such recognition.The Fund likewise strengthened its partnership with accredited developers by way of its various institutional lending programs, among which is the much-sought after program for the development of medium and high-rise condominium buildings. The program provides a ready inventory of condominium units for sale at affordable prices, and allows members to experience condominium style living in areas close to their places of work. In recent years, the Fund has embarked on its successful bid in the financial market, moving a step closer to its vision of becoming a premier and globally competitive provident financial institution.In 2001, the Fund floated P2 billion-worth of Pag-IBIG Housing Bonds to generate additional funds for its shelter financing programs, which was warmly received by both institutional and individual investors. The bonds matured in late 2006. HDMF Law of 2009 Recognizing HDMF's contributions through the years and the need to further strengthen its capability as the biggest source of housing finance in the country to date, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law Republic Act No. 9679 or the Home Development Mutual Fund Law of 2009. The law was signed on 21 July 2009.Under the new HDMF law, membership to the Pag-IBIG Fund is made mandatory for all SSS- and GSIS-covered employees; uniformed members of the AFP, BFP, BJMP and PNP; as well as Filipinos employed by foreign-based employers. Now more than ever, Filipino workers will enjoy the benefits that are available only to Pag-IBIG members. Likewise, the law grants the HDMF exemption fr om tax payments like other government provident institutions. With its tax-exempt status reinstated, Pag-IBIG will have more funds to finance housing and short-term loans as well as investments in government securities.Income from these endeavors is distributed exclusively to Pag-IBIG members in the form of dividends. The HDMF Law of 2009 also gives the Board of Trustees the authority to set the contribution rates, thereby paving the way for members to save more for their future. Similarly, this will bolster the Fund's resources for home financing. Pag-IBIG is an acronym which stands for Pagtutulungan sa Kinabukasan: Ikaw, Bangko, Industria at Gobyerno. To this day, the Pag-IBIG Fund continues to harness these four sectors of the society to work together owards providing Fund members with adequate housing through an effective savings scheme. III. Summary of the OJT Experience ~.. I learned a lot from my experiences as an On-the-Job Trainee of PAG-IBIG fund, Therma Mobile Inc. First of all, I’m very much gratified for the support and understanding of my superiors especially on times when I committed mistakes. More than any learning thought in school, I learned to be with others, to work with people. Furthermore, I’m very grateful that they expose me so much on what I must know regarding the work which suits my course.I’m very thankful that they treat me like them and they trust me with my work. I appreciate so much the working environment I had with in the company because it helps me absorbed what I need to know.. The everyday experiences I had in this company are really most treasured. The knowledge I obtain here are beyond compare than any other experiences I acquired from school and supplementary learning from books. What I had here will always be with me and rest assured I will apply what I’ve in every circumstance that I will encounter.. IV. Assessment of the OJTA. New knowledge, attitudes, and skills acquired -the knowledge tha t I’ve acquired on my On-the-Job Training is to become more specific from what I am saying because lots of clients may not understand the things that you explain to them and. -the attitudes that I’ve learned on my On-the-Job Training is to become consistent from what I’m telling and become strong in every struggle that may come and always smile when you are communicating your client and lastly don’t let others tread your personality and tell them that you are and educated person. I improve my typing skills and communication skills and also my analyzation skills because lots of clients are telling that they are member of Pag-Ibig before but they don’t have their own Pag-Ibig ID Number and some clients having conflicts with their names, birthdays, birthplace and it may bother them in filing their loan. B. Theories actually seen in practice ~.. As a new entrants into the organization, I've learned that new hires have always required extra organization al attention to develop the required level of competence. Regardless of academic background or previous work experience, the new hires should be aware of he organization’s policies, culture, and mission; understand the goals and requirements of their work area; and use specific areas of knowledge, skills, and attitudes to do their jobs. These are all areas of competence that the employee should develop. Recently, fewer organizations seem to be hiring large numbers of new hires. It might seem that employee competence would be affected less by this situation. However, recent hiring patterns have only complicated the matter. Instead of relying on permanent new hires.. C. Feedback that can be given to the company or institution ~..Continuous Improvement Efforts that can changes in employee competence also occur as a result of continuous improvement efforts.. Whenever teams of employees get together to improve how the work is done, they often result in recommendations for change. These recommendations can involve the simplification of work, use of a new tool, eliminate redundant steps in work process, or some combination of them all. When these recommendations are enacted, changes in employee competence can be expected and also Multiskilling for them to continuous improvement process suggests ways of making work more ef? ient, it often means that employees responsibilities must broaden or that they must become more multiskilled.. D. Benefits gained The programme seeks to provide the following benefits for trainees: * Trainees are provided with job experience, an invaluable asset for achieving gainful employment. * Trainees are exposed to the numerous advantages that are associated with being employed. They earn an income through a stipend but they also become more familiar with interpersonal relationships, networking, responsibility and the importance of interdependence within the working environment. Trainees get an opportunity to prove themselves to an emp loyer and, based on their work performance and the existence of vacancies within the organization, they  may  eventually be employed on a more permanent basis. For employers: * The cost of this mutually beneficial programme is borne jointly by the government and employers so that the full financial burden falls on neither party. * By actively supporting the programme, companies have realized improved ‘public image' through their commitment to the national good as well as their contribution to full employment and an improved quality of life for all. The Government and employers are stakeholders in creating a more job ready labour force. E. Problems encountered ~.. During ojt, first problem is that you have to get along with the employees and clients.. You have to know them better and give all your best to make them satisfied when it comes to their concerns and applications.. Just be yourself and they'll like you.. V. Appendices A. Company Brochure B. Copy of the Endorsement Letter To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to endorse to you Mr. Arce P. Baldonado, my previous employee. I was his manager in ABS Engineering Company for almost five years.I didn’t make a mistake in promoting her to mechanical engineer last term. She makes it a point that she submits good outputs that even exceed the requirements’ necessitated quality. Mr. Baldonado is an enthusiastic trainee. He can work well with other people and also individually. But he is really more of a leader than a follower. He can manage and supervise other trainees as well. Little or no supervision is needed when he is working. He has a reliable working habit that gives you the assurance that you can always count on him.. Mr. Baldonado is also good in management planning and implementing programs and techniques.He is also open and willing to learn new things. I assure you that hiring he will be a good decision as she is one of the best employees that I had. He could be an asset to your te am and the whole organization as well. In cases of emergency, he is always willing to help.. Should you need more information, please feel free to contact me. Thank you very much and have a nice day. Sincerely, Febie Ann Management C. Copy of the Training Plan D. Copy of the signed Waiver form E. Daily Time Record F. Quarterly Performance Appraisal Forms G. Certificate of Completion

Foreign Bodies

When All is Lost, Faith Remains Many people find themselves in a constant struggle of faith. These individuals are often questioning if there is a God, and if there is how does one know. In Hwee Hwee Tan’s novel, Foreign Bodies, there is a struggle of faith in each of the four main characters. Mei and Andy are two of these characters that are able to come to faith in the Christian God after life altering experiences. These experiences have caused each of them to analyze and attack life in different ways.Each of these individuals have been able to overcome a treacherous past, and find faith, hope, desire and justice in their futures through Tan’s novel. Mei’s religious views are consistent throughout the novel, Foreign Bodies. Though she was born into a Confucianism based family, Mei chose at a young age to throw her traditional Singaporean beliefs to the side, and walk in the light of God, with her Uncle Cheong’s guidance, through faith in Christianity. It was a brutal shock to Mei’s grandfather when he finds out she no longer believes in her family’s faith.This conversation arises as Mei’s grandfather is telling her how to reduce her time in hell. â€Å"After I die, you going to feed me or not? † Gong Gong is shocked when Mei replies that she will be unable to. He immediately responds by asking who is responsible for the change in Mei’s beliefs. He is not surprised when she responds with Uncle Cheong. As a child everyone has a hero they look up to. Uncle Cheong is Mei’s hero. â€Å"In my eyes Uncle Cheong could do no wrong. Even his farts smelled like Aramis No. 7.With the heart of Mother Teresa and the body of Tom Cruise, Uncle Cheong was my hero†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mei’s adoration allowed herself to be susceptible to Uncle Chong’s stories and views of God. She loved when he would tell her stories about her newfound savior. A key role in the strengthening of Mei’s faith in G od was due to the incident at Red Hill. Mei has oppressed this tragedy in her memory for many years, and only a few people are aware that it took place. As a four year old, Mei’s father took her to Red Hill to run and play with her lantern. It was the time of year when Mid-autumn was celebrated.At Red Hill, Mei’s father raped her. While this was occurring Mei sent multiple prayers up to her God. â€Å"I used all the prayers I knew, all the prayers Uncle Cheong had taught me. † Mei’s connection with God helped her get through her father raping her. She no longer felt the pain after she started to seek God’s help through prayer. Without the help of God, Mei may not have been able to become the person she is today. It is a miracle that Mei was able to recover physically, emotionally, and most important spiritually from this tragedy.One might have suspected that she would have lost all faith in God, for letting her father hurt her the way he did. This incident proves how strong Mei has faith in God. She has accepted that he will always be there for her, to watch and protect over her, even though it may not be immediately. Mei’s ultimate view of evil is seen through her view of evil being extremely prevalent throughout society. She believes that when someone close to her commits an act of wrong, it is her responsibility as a good Christian to fix their mistakes.This was seen in multiple events throughout the novel. Mei, with the push of her father’s will, believed that her mother is not able to take care of her own finances. Mei took on the burden of regulating her mother’s money, and frequently became frustrated and irritated with the way her mother wants to spend her mother. â€Å"My mother was a sucker for sales. She would go for anything which said ‘Offer ends today. ’ She was the type who would mass-buy toothpicks. † This quote displays the burdens Mei takes on with caring for her moth er.Mei is constantly trying to fix her mother’s life and teach her values that Mei finds important. Mei’s views on evil and religion are very different from Andy’s views of God. At the beginning of the novel Andy’s view of evil directly stems from his belief in the absence of God. Andy wishes to find some sort of proof that there is a God and goodness in the world, and he wants to be able to feel and understand God by himself. He denies the presence of this goodness and God in the beginning of Foreign Bodies by placing his desires into football teams. Too mediocre to ever achieve anything great in life by my own merits, I latched my personal identity onto something which could achieve greatness for me: a football club. † When Andy establishes his stance on religion at this point of the novel he is stating that he wants something great, but he is lost as to what this greatness is. Many individuals would seek a religion to fulfill these desires, but A ndy is content with placing his dreams on a football team. Though Andy in the beginning of the novel considers himself a â€Å"lapsed atheist†, he develops and changes throughout to become the person he eventually intended to be.Andy’s conversion to faith in God was originally not self-motivated. Andy seemed to have an eye for Mei, and Mei did not want a relationship with an individual that had spiritual beliefs different from hers, let alone none at all. After they start dating and Andy enters trail Mei accuses him of having no spiritual beliefs at all. â€Å"You faked it all, pretending to have seen Jesus, giving up gambling. You only said that to trick me into going out with you. † Andy gives no response as Mei’s statement is partially true, but Andy always did have hope that there was something more out there.Andy continuously hinted to the reader that he wanted something more to believe in. He may not have had the same extent of belief in God that Me i does, but she had no right to call him out as a complete non-believer. Though Mei’s push for Andy to find a spiritual safe haven was unsuccessful, the trail that Andy was put on gave him the final push to help him find God. Andy had been put on trial in Singapore for gambling on football games. This action had been legal in England where Andy had lived before his move to Singapore.Even though he was innocent of the charges against him, another individual who had hopes of framing a different man set him up. Once the trail began, and all of his friends had left him to face the charges alone, Andy had no other option, but to turn to God. He was an innocent man that stood no chance of winning his court case. Andy knew that he would be spending the next three years in jail, and he needed something to help pull him through when everyone else abandoned him. This abandonment caused Andy to put his trust and faith into he newfound God. â€Å"He slay me, yet I will trust him. This s tatement made by Andy in a letter to Mei proves that he came to God on his own free will without the help of anyone else. The absence of God that Andy once felt in his life has been removed due to his newfound faith. â€Å"I love God not for what He gives, but for who He is. I love him because He is God. I don’t care how much He hurts me, I will still love him, because no matter what I do to Him, He will still adore me. † The words could never be confessed from a straight atheist. Andy has always had hope and desire that there was some form of good out there for him, it just took longer than expected to find it.Though Mei and Andy are both believers in the Christian God, the experiences and challenges they both overcame to come to faith are extremely different, but still have similarities. Both of these individuals are able to forgive. Forgiveness in the Christian church is a huge belief, as God has forgiven each of us as individuals. Without this learned tool of forgi veness Mei would never have been able to forgive her father, and Andy would not have been able to forgive Mei for abandoning him in his time of urgent need.Mei and Andy’s views in God help define who they were as people, and who they aspire to be. God is ever present in both of their lives, giving them hope to take on the challenges that are waiting to cross their paths in the future. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Tan, Hwee Hwee. Foreign Bodies. (New York: Washington Square Books, 1997), 20. [ 2 ]. Tan, Hwee Hwee. Foreign Bodies. (New York: Washington Square Books, 1997), 21. [ 3 ]. Tan, Hwee Hwee. Foreign Bodies. (New York: Washington Square Books, 1997), 248. 4 ]. Tan, Hwee Hwee. Foreign Bodies. (New York: Washington Square Books, 1997), 149. [ 5 ]. Tan, Hwee Hwee. Foreign Bodies. (New York: Washington Square Books, 1997), 124. [ 6 ]. Tan, Hwee Hwee. Foreign Bodies. (New York: Washington Square Books, 1997), 222. [ 7 ]. Tan, Hwee Hwee. Foreign Bodies. (New York: Washington Square Books, 1997), 45. [ 8 ]. Tan, Hwee Hwee. Foreign Bodies. (New York: Washington Square Books, 1997), 277. [ 9 ]. Tan, Hwee Hwee. Foreign Bodies. (New York: Washington Square Books, 1997), 278.

Comparison of three learning theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparison of three learning theories - Essay Example All these theories will be compared and contrasted as well so as to understand the similarities and differences. Social Cognitive Theory Social cognitive theory explains the acquisition of behavioral patterns by human beings. It is based on the idea that human beings learn by observing the behavior of other people around them. According to the social cognitive theory there are three factors that have an impact on behavior namely environment, person, and behavior. A person acquires knowledge when environment combines with personal characteristics and experience. A learner also evaluates new experiences through the past and prior experience help the learner understand the present experience. In short, it is through the interplay of environment, behavior and personality that an individual acquires knowledge. The social cognitive theory takes into account the personal factors of the learner therefore it is also used in personality development. All the three factors can be manipulated to bring a desired change in the behavior of a person. Social cognitive theory also emphasize on the emotional element of learning. A learner is more likely to learn from a source with which the learner feels emotionally attached (Bandura, 1994). Learning therefore is also dependent on perceived similarities between the model and the learner. The theory focuses on the environmental, personal, and behavioral factors in order to explain how human beings learn. Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory Vygotsky is a Russian psychologist who gave his theory of social development. He emphasizes the role of social interaction in the overall learning process of a person. He explained human development through social interaction and claimed that social learning through interaction is followed by development. The first stage of learning according to Vygotsky is social learning. The social development theory also include ‘the more knowledgeable other’ (MKO). This is a thing or a p erson that serves as a teacher for the learner as this MKO has skills superior to the learner. The theory also talks about ‘the zone of proximal development’ (ZPD) which is the difference between what the learner can do without help and what the learner can do with MKO. It is in this ZPD that a learner can acquire new knowledge. The main difference between social development theory and social cognition theory is that former argues that social interaction lead to cognitive development and the latter argues that learning takes place with the combination of environmental, personal and cognitive factors. Application of social development theory can be in schools where teachers should focus on open dialogue and should engage in discourse (Hausfather, 1996). It will be helpful because it is through social interaction that cognitive development can be achieved. Game Based Learning Game based learning theory focuses on learning through different activities and games. Learners g ain knowledge by taking part in activities designed to challenge themselves thereby keeping their interest and involvement high. It is a relatively new theory that uses games and interesting techniques to help students learn difficult concept. The idea behind game based learning is to attract the attention of the learners and develop interest in order to facilitate learning.

Devastation of War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Devastation of War - Research Paper Example The poem â€Å"refugee ship† is more explicit about one being a stranger to her own ethnicity. A mother who did not like the idea of her daughter being a slave to the Spanish culture and as such tried to keep the daughter in the darkness about her ethnicity brought up the girl. The mother did not teach the girl about the culture neither did she teach her about the language. The grandmother of the girl tries to do what the mother did not do by trying very hard to teach her the culture and the language so that she can be conversant with the Spanish lifestyle. Though she tries to learn, she struggles to pronounce the words though that was expected, as she had no up bringing on that matter. The girl feels so confused and hence feels trapped between the kind of personality her mother raised her to be and who she is expected to be by the society. She is conflicted because is a refugee from two different cultures and the "ship...will never dock..." because the ship represents her lif e and she must live that life to become what she is to be. In the poem the â€Å"refugee ship†, a picture is painted of one who is confused because of the two cultures she has to deal with. In fact, she does not know what the meaning of the things mean and misuses some words inappropriately. She voices her frustrations while talking about the ship never docking. In fact, it can be deduced that she is culturally homeless. This poem provides a clear picture of what could have happened as a result of immigration. Learning another culture would be difficult as one would not be aware of what he or she becomes as a result of the confusion that emanates from not being able to comprehend the other culture and master it for the sake of survival. The poem â€Å"refugee ship† is a classical picture that tries to paint a picture of the experience of the Vietnamese while using the boat as a transportation mode (Chmidt and Crockett, 5). An in-depth analysis of the poem would paint a picture of what happened from a different perspective. In the poem, there is a granddaughter and the grandmother trying to get along, but one major challenge is that they are not in agreement as they cannot understand one another because of the language barrier. It seems though that the two are in a different world. This paints a picture of the Vietnamese during the time of fleeing the devastations of war. As an immigrant the first challenge one would face is the problem of communication as one is not a position to talk back because they cannot understand. During the war that turned the Vietnamese as refugees and immigrants, majorities were exceptionally affected. The culture shock was one of such that was a big challenge. At that time, racism was also a major issue and thus, they had no choice, but to face the challenges that came with their new status are immigrants. Canada was one of those countries that hosted a number of immigrants from Vietnam. For instance, if any of the refugees or immigrants looked at the poem refugee ship, then it would remind them who they were in the past and how they acquired their status. As refugees, the Vietnamese lost a lot in terms of cultural preservation and development in life. For example, many children missed some important stages of childhood at the time of war, as some could not enjoy or have the privilege of growing up with their friends a factor that is very important for childhood development. Some could not also attend school and it therefore meant they lagged behind as their ability to read and write were not enhanced. A major devastation of was the traumatic experiences of war. War has the staggering capacity to destabilize a society in a short time. Many individuals who we re aware and unaware of the war have felt the devastation of that combat. A lot of people were forced to flee from their native home because the war had become a serious issue and lose of life had become eminent. Almost 2.5 million people were said to have

Quality & Safety Education for Nurses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Quality & Safety Education for Nurses - Essay Example The second competency is that of teamwork and collaboration and its relevance is in the effective functioning within inter-professional teams and nursing, open communication fostering, shared decision making and mutual respect to achieve quality care for patients. The third competency is that of evidence based practice (EBP) which aims at integrating best current evidence with patient/family preferences and values and clinical expertise for delivery of best health care. The fourth competency involves quality improvement (QI) which mostly uses data in monitoring the outcomes of care processes and using improvement methods in designing and testing changes to help in continuous improvement of the quality and safety of the health care systems. The fifth competency is safety and involves minimization of risk of harm to providers and patients through both individual performance and system effectiveness. The sixth and last competency is informatics and deals with information and technology use in communicating, managing knowledge mitigating error and supporting decision making. Students should be able to explain why technology and information skills are important for patient care that is

Information Technology Management Phase 1 DB2 Essay

Information Technology Management Phase 1 DB2 - Essay Example the article states, the employees spend a lot of time talking to their families, friends, and their specific target market noting market trends and emerging needs. Through these exposures, they are able to design products which are suitable to the lifestyle of their market. It should also be noted that Pottery Barn’s employees are aligned with the company’s goals. They have absorbed a culture of developing nice looking, high quality, and reasonably priced product. When planning to penetrate their market, these strategies can also be pursued by Pottery Barns. Their employees should also be strategically aligned with the customer value that the company wants to deliver as well as market-driven. The SWU identifies their clients as â€Å"post-college singles, newlyweds, and new families.† From these descriptions there is a common need which SWU wants to fulfill—to be able to design, manufacture, and sell products which bring convenience but are priced significantly lower in order to maximize the purchasing power of the market. The key strategy in SWU is cost leadership that is, offering high quality products at a lower cost. On the other hand, Pottery Barns customer base has branched out from newlyweds, to kids, and even to teens. The company is now looking at the needs of almost the entire market for furniture because of the huge profit and business opportunity. Aside from emphasizing a low-cost strategy, however, Pottery Barn has the strong commitment of providing really high quality products which makes living in this fast paced world more convenient and comfortable. The company draws its strength in the unique and customer-driven designs as well as reasonable pricing scheme for its various products. Thus, in a sense Pottery Barn is a direct competitor of SWU when it comes to serving post-college singles, newlyweds, and starting families. However, Pottery Barns market is relatively larger than that of SWU. From the conception of a product to its sales in

Electronic Waste Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Electronic Waste - Speech or Presentation Example Developed nations have made several steps towards ensuring e-waste management. On the other hand, developing nations lag behind and so far policies enacted as not fully implemented. In most developed nations, there are no policies that govern the disposal of electronic materials (Karpus, 1). This, therefore, implies that e-waste is posing several challenges in many nations.   Electronic wastes are made up different materials that are extremely toxic. Some of these materials cannot be decomposed or decompose at a unusually slow rate (Toothman & Elizabeth, 1). Toxic Components of E-Waste  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Smoke alarms contained in many electronic devices are made up of americium or carcinogen. This two materials are radioactive and take a very long to decompose. Mercury is used to make tilt switches, fluorescent tubes, flat screen monitors and thermostats. If mercury is absorbed into the environment, it results into serious health eff ects such as dermatitis, sensory impairment, general muscle weakness, and memory loss in human beings and reduced fertility, death, slower rate of growth and development in animals (Karpus, 1). Lead acid batteries are made up of particularly harmful chemical called sulphur. If absorbed into an individual’s body it causes adverse effects such as kidney damage, throat and eye irritation, and heart damage. When allowed to reach the clouds, it reacts with vapor.... o serious health effects such as dermatitis, sensory impairment, general muscle weakness, and memory loss in human beings and reduced fertility, death, slower rate of growth and development in animals (Karpus, 1). Lead acid batteries are made up of particularly harmful chemical called sulphur. If absorbed into an individual’s body it causes adverse effects such as kidney damage, throat and eye irritation, and heart damage. When allowed to reach the clouds, it reacts with vapor to form sulphuric acid (Toothman & Elizabeth, 1). BFR is used in most electronics as flame retardants. It is made up of other several chemicals, which when allowed to the environment causes several health complications. These include liver problems, thyroid problems, and impaired nervous system development both in animals and human beings (Grossman, 1). Cadmium is used to make light sensitive resistors and nickel cadmium rechargeable batteries used in electronic devices. Cadmium has adverse effects if ex posed to the environment. If inhaled, it causes permanent damage to the lungs as well as causing kidney diseases. Due to its adverse effects, it was banned in Europe except for medical purposes (Toothman & Elizabeth, 1). Lead is a vital component of most electronic devices including monitors, solders, lead-acid batteries, cathode ray tubes and PVC. Lead if allowed into the soil will encourage leaching and destroy natural habitats for many micro-organisms. Beryllium is used as filler in thermal materials. These include thermal grease that is used in CPUs and heat sinks, X-rays ceramic windows, vacuum tubes, and gas lasers (James, 13). If all of these harmful chemicals are released into the environment then our future generations are threatened. Most animals will get extinct the generations that

Mechanisms determining Temperature of the climate Essay

Mechanisms determining Temperature of the climate - Essay Example ave expressed high sense of will power towards the combating of climate change, their major problem has been on the specific steps to take in implementing the various policies that are suggested among climate change advocates. As a step towards solving this problem, this report is targeted towards drafting a policy that will be well defined in the strategies and principles. This is to say that the major component of the policy report will be to spell out the policies and ways of implementing them in a language that will be eaily understood by all users of the policy. Again, the policy in itself will aim at curbing the dangers associated with climate change. Further on, the various mechanisms that determine temperature in climate change will be highlighted so that needed solutions can easily be identified and worked towards. The report has been done in such a way that all terminologies that relate to climate system are defined in detail to make understanding of the report easier. In the subject of physics, we see natural and artificial mechanisms of work, involving the flow of particles and other objects. Because in the climate change, there is the flow of energy, we can generally describe the climate system as also being physics. Box (n.d) notes that â€Å"The Earth’s climate, at both global and regional scales, is the result of dynamic balances in the flows of energy, when averaged over sufficiently large time and space scales. Here, the major energy being referred to is heat energy. Most commonly, the time frame for measuring this equilibrium is twenty-five (25) years. On a global perspective, the climate system is determined on regional basis such as for countries. The mechanism that goes to play in labeling a particular region with a particular climate is a measure of the whether that has existed there for a number of years. In this direction, the Met Office (2010) explains that â€Å"climate is the average weather we expect over a long period of time.† It must

707 week 9 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

707 week 9 - Assignment Example Demographic factors such as age, gender, level of education, and area of residence are other possible variables for the study. Mean, range, and standard deviation will be calculated for both self-efficacy score, age and educational sessions because the variables are measured on a ratio scale that allows for calculation of the descriptive statistics (Heavey, 2011). Frequency and percentage will be used gender, level of education, and area of residence because of the variables are measured on ordinal scale of the variables. Lack of equal interval on magnitude and absolute zero property does not allow to use mean, range, and stanadard deviation in describing he variables (Heavey, 2011). The task force could use a t-test to investigate the relationship between self-efficacy score and number of educational session. The statistic would test a hypothesis for significance of a relationship between the two variables (Heavey,

Project Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Project Proposal - Essay Example This project proposal tries to prove the critics wrong and assert that a coffee shop developed in Kuwait can become internationally significant with its line of products. In Kuwait, a US born coffee shop called Starbucks International is among the leading coffee vender shops (Fullerton, 2005). The main advantage held by Starbucks International is the specialty it offers to its customers, making it a unique coffee shop. In essence, for a coffee shop developed in Kuwait to flourish, it has to offer unique services, and this differentiation of products will result in its popularity nationally, and Kuwait being among the top tourist destinations it will eventually gain global recognition. Currently, there are hundreds of coffee shops in Kuwait, which is a challenge to any ambitious individual or group that intends to go into the coffee shop business. Mission The coffee shop company has to set a clear mission that will see it create a humble place, unique enough to ensure comfortable soci alizing of customers, a relaxed environment that is destruction free as they enjoy their coffee (Giovannucci and Ponte, 2005). The company intends to reach out to the world through opening of numerous branches that offer the same services at affordable prices. In addition, it will work towards investment of the profits realized so as to keep faith with its employees and shareholders (Giovannucci and Ponte, 2005) Problem Definition According to Golding and Peattie (2005), going into the coffee shop business will mean that the company comes with suitable strategies to ensure production of quality coffee that is unique from the other coffee shops. Different people have different preferences and tastes; thus, since the company intends to have branches worldwide a study will have to be conducted on coffee preferences and tastes of different people in influential markets. As Fullerton (2005) argues, the task faced is to investigate and come up with ways in which a coffee shop can be devel oped in Kuwait and extend its services across the world. Topic Relevance According to Golding and Peattie (2005:158), Arabs are fond of coffee, which forms a basis for the development of a coffee shop in an Arabic country. In addition, with the current Freedom of Movement, Arabs are all over the world. This does not mean that Arabs are the only target market since many other non-Arabic people love coffee (Holmes, 2004). The coffee shop, once in place, expects to fetch revenue approximating from ?500,000 in the first year of its operation to ?800,000 by the fifth year. According to Holmes (2004), the company will have to maintain its gross profit margin above 50% and maintain reasonable expenditure in its operations for it to achieve these targets. Research Objectives The new coffee shop has its business objectives just like any other business would have (Giovannucci and Ponte, 2005). In its birth year, the company’s expectations are; i. To be named by the customers and/or loc al restaurant guide as the best coffee shop locally. ii. Maintain a gross profit margin that is above 50% so as to realize its profit targets. iii. Realize immediate profits right from the first month of its operation. iv. Capture a local market of over 50,000 people in the first month of

Drug Addiction Essay Example for Free

Drug Addiction Essay -Drug addiction is a complex brain disease. It is characterized by compulsive, at times uncontrollable, drug craving, seeking, and use that persist even in the face of extremely negative consequences. -Drug seeking becomes compulsive, in large part as a result of the effects of prolonged drug use on brain functioning and, thus, on behavior. For many people, drug addiction becomes chronic, with relapses possible even after long periods of abstinence. Drug addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual that is addicted and to those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a persons self control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time send intense impulses to take drugs. It is because of these changes in the brain that it is so challenging for a person who is addicted to stop abusing drugs. Fortunately, there are treatments that help people to counteract addictions powerful disruptive effects and regain control. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medications, if available, with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are tailored to each patients drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drug abuse. Similar to other chronic, relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, drug addiction can be managed successfully. And, as with other chronic diseases, it is not uncommon for a person to relapse and begin abusing drugs again. Relapse, however, does not signal failure rather, it indicates that treatment should be reinstated, adjusted, or that alternate treatment is needed to help the individual regain control and recover. How Do Drugs Affect The People Around Environment * One of the largest ways in which drug abuse affects families is the creation of an unstable environment. Children especially are influenced and affected by their parents behaviors. As such, a sibling can also be affected by the actions of another sibling who is abusing drugs. Drugs can affect the way family members talk, act and care for their families. For example, the drug can often come before basic needs such as food, clothing or even the love and attention a child needs to have a stable environment. All of these actions can have long-lasting effects on others in the household, especially young children who grow up with drug abusers as role models. These effects can include the child following in the abusers footsteps, especially if they have never seen what a functional family should look like. Financial * Drug abuse can affect both family and friends financially. This can come both from enabling and from theft. Enabling is the action of helping a user with his habit because you feel bad for him, or feel it is keeping him around long enough for you to be able to change them. One of the main ways that enabling occurs is through directly or indirectly financing the drug habit through loaning or giving money to the addict. Drug abuse can also lead addicts to steal from friends and family members to support their habit. Violence * Drug abuse can also affect family and friends by inviting violence into the relationship. There are two main times where violence can quickly escalate for an addict: during extreme highs and during withdrawal. Alcohol is an especially guilty substance for causing violence when users are well over the legal limit of blood alcohol content. This can cause violence both through direct actions, such as getting in a fight, as well as indirect actions, such as driving a car while intoxicated. Violence can also affect the friends and family of a drug abuser during withdrawal. One of the most common symptoms of alcohol withdrawal is irritability and anxiousness. The desire to use can quickly cause users to become violent to even close family members in order to get help or money for their next high. Abandonment * One of the most heart-breaking effects of drug abuse on families especially is abandonment. Once drugs have altered the nerve pathways in the brain, the desire to use quickly becomes more important to anything else in the drug addicts life. Friends and family members quickly get replaced by the next score of the drug of choice. This can often lead to divorce or the loss of children to state custody due to a lack of ability to be a loving and providing parent. There is also an increased risk of parents or spouses being locked up in prison for extended periods of time, leaving their children to grow up without a mother or father. The effects of this abandonment may stick with kids all the way through adulthood. Diseases Involved In Using Drugs Date: Tue 29 Jan 2013 Source: University of Oxford/Medical Research Council, press release [edited] The genetic variant rs12252-C was present in 69 per cent of Chinese patients with H1N1 swine flu [influenza A/(H1N1)pdm09]. A genetic variant which explains why Chinese populations may be more vulnerable to H1N1 swine flu has been found by researchers at the University of Oxford and Beijing Capital Medical University. This finding could help identify those at high risk of severe infection and help prioritise those in highest need of treatment The study, led by Dr Tao Dong of the University of Oxford, showed that people with a specific genetic variant are 6 times more likely to suffer from severe influenza infectionthan those without. The particular variant rs12252-C is occasionally found in Caucasian populations and was already known to be associated with more severe influenza disease. However, the research teams in the UK and China showed that this variant was present in 69 percent of Chinese patients with severe pandemic (swine) influenza in 2009 compared with 25 percent who only had a mild version of the infection. The results are published today [29 Jan 2013] in the journal Nature Communications. The study was part-funded by the Medical Research Council Dr Tao Dong of the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine at Oxford University says: Understanding why some people may be worse affected than others is crucial in improving our ability to manage flu epidemics and to prevent people dying from the virus. Its vital that we continue to fund research that examines flu from the smallest details of our genetic code in the populations around the world that continue to be vulnerable to infection. The results suggest that the gene variant increases the severity of, rather than susceptibility to, influenza infections. It is thought that the DNA change increases risk of severe infection by limiting the effectiveness of a protein which helps to defend against influenza and similar viruses. This protein, known as IFITM3, has been previously shown to slow down virus replication in mice.Professor Andrew McMichael, co-author of the study at the University of Oxford, says: The apparent effect of this gene variant on the severity of influenza is of great interest. It remains to be seen how this gene affects the whole picture of influenza in Southeast Asia, but it might help explain why new influenza viruses often 1st appear in this region of the world.. During the 2009 pandemic, hospitals in China admitted patients with severe infection but also, unusually, patients with mild infection who, under normal circumstances, would not require hospitalization. This open-door policy provided a unique opportunity to capture a relatively unselected group of patients with divergent outcomes, observed and managed unde r similar clinical conditions. The introduction provides the background and rationale for this investigation. The SNP rs12252-C allele alters the function of interferon-induced transmembrane protein-3 increasing the disease severity of influenza virus infection in Caucasians, but the allele is rare. However, rs12252-C allele is much more common in Han Chinese. The authors report that the CC genotype is found in 69 percent of Chinese patients with severe pandemic influenza A H1N1/09 virus infection compared with 25 percent in those with mild infection. Specifically, the CC genotype was estimated to confer a 6-fold greater risk for severe infection than the CT and TT genotypes. More importantly, because the risk genotype occurs with such a high frequency, its effect translates to a large population-attributable risk of 54.3 percent for severe infection in the Chinese population studied compared with 5.4 percent in Northern Europeans. Interferon-induced transmembrane protein-3 genetic variants could, therefore, have a strong effect on the epidemiology of influenza in China and in people of Chinese descent.The authors conclude that: These data clearly extend the earlier observation in a European cohort that the IFTM3-rs12252CC genotype is significantly associated with influenza severity. The association is primarily with severity of disease rather than susceptibility to infection, although larger studies are required to prove this specific association. IFITM3 may have an important role in virus replication and dissemination following the initial infection. The much higher level of the CC genotype in the Han Chinese population compared with Caucasians may place the Chinese at a higher risk for developing severe illness upon influenza infection. It is not known whether those who are more severely infected with influenza virus are more likely to spread the infection. If this is the case, the high frequency of the C allele in Asian populations may influence the epidemiology of influenza. Mod.CP Government approach: ISABELA CITY, Basilan, Jan 21 (PIA) The Peace and Development Coordinating Committee (PDCC) also known as Team Basilan has resolved to re-organize and activate the Provincial Anti-Drug Council to address the escalating drug problem in the province. In a recent meeting of Team Basilan, Provincial Administrator Tahira Ismael recognized the urgency of addressing the illegal drug situation in the province. She fears that the drug menace has slowly crept into the different communities in Basilan, after receiving unconfirmed reports from the ground on illegal drug use. The representative of the Philippine Drugs Enforcement Authority (PDEA) who requested anonymity confirmed the proliferation of illegal drugs in certain areas of Basilan. The PDEA representative disclosed that for lack of personnel and resources, agents from nearby Zamboanga City will provide the needed assistance during legitimate operations and raids in the area. PDEA was also thankful for the full support and initiatives of the local police and the military in addressing the drug problem. PDEA has only one agent for Basilan. Provincial Police chief PSSupt. Mario Dapilloza said that in his capacity as provincial director, he has activated the provincial anti-illegal drugs task force in the police department. With the deputization from PDEA, the task force was able to arrest the most wanted person in December last year. With the situation, Team Basilan has resolved to craft a resolution requesting PDEA for at least two additional agents for the province. â€Å"We need at least three PDEA agents, to be assigned in strategic areas in the province,† Ismael said. Moreover, Team Basilan has resolved to ask Gov. Jum Akbar for an Executive Order creating the Provincial Anti-Drug Council. Ismael said that the council will immediately convene as soon as the governor has approved the E.O. (RVC-PIA9, ZBST) LOILO CITY, Dec. 29 (PIA6) Now it is not only the taxi drivers that should be randomly tested for illegal drugs, but also employees in offices and business establishments. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) officer-in-charge Atty. Ronnie Delicana said the agency is pushing to expand the random drug testing among workers. â€Å"We will get the cooperation of the local officials to pass ordinances that require business establishments to allow random drug testing in their workplaces,† Delicana said in a radio interview. â€Å"This will be a pre-requisite to issuance of business permits,† he added. He also said that there should be a widespread culture of zero drug abuse in workplaces to boost PDEA’s campaign against illegal drugs. â€Å"We will be pursuing the signing of memoranda of agreement with different partners to realize drug-free work places,† Delicana said. Meanwhile, for 2012, PDEA arrested 438 suspected drug peddlers in 277 operations, where 34 of those arrested were among the 1,383 suspected drug personalities in Western Visayas, who are in the agency’s watch list. As to cases filed in court, PDEA records show that 482 were filed in court with 3,118 are still pending for lack of witnesses and evidence. The operations also yielded as per record, about P2.7 million worth of drugs and paraphernalia seized. (JCM/ESS-PIA 6, Iloilo) the government is doing actions with the issue. Programs: The Church of the Nazarene is now being asked to become a major partner in a drug prevention program in the Philippines. The program is centered around a high quality video presentation produced by Heinz Fuzzle, a freelance producer for Gospel Films who has worked on a number of projects with the Church of the Nazarene in the past. Portions of the piece were shot on the campus of Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary in Manila. The film features interviews from a variety of personalities in the Philippines, including a Nazarene young man who was converted from a life of drug abuse. With 57% of the Philippine population under the age of 20 years old, drug abuse is becoming a serious problem in many parts of the country. Approval has been granted by Philippine government officials to show the film in 40,000 high schools, universities, and colleges across the nation. The film has a strong Christian message with follow-up linked to local churches. The Philippine Field Office hopes to launch 11 film teams to meet this new challenge. This is a tremendous open door for taking the Gospel into every corner of the Philippines

Strategic decisions of human resource management

Strategic decisions of human resource management Introduction The intention of this report is to analyse and evaluate communication systems which impact upon strategic decisions with reference to modern-day views of human resource management within a medium sized contracting firm. Taking a look at relevant theorists views and whether they would fit in to the medium sized contracting firm model The following areas are to be analysed and considered Types of communication systems: How these impact on strategic decisions Strategic resource management overview Theorists relevant to Human resource management (HRM) How these impact on a medium contracting firm Reference is to be made specifically to theorists models (e.g., Guests 1997 model and Legge 1995) how they compare and weather they fit into the modern HR model Communication methods See Appendix 1. Within the modern working environment the problem for management and employees alike is how to select the most effective method of communicating with other individuals and groups many factors can help to determine this selection: Formal or informal content of message; Speed and delivery and response; Individual or small group or large group as receiver; Cost of communications; Availability of information and communication technology Communication systems There are many communication systems which are relied on within the modern working environment but are we sure that we mean the telephone, meetings, computer or even written these themselves have become mobile with the introduction of the mobile phone and lap top linked to a wifi network constantly giving access to internet and emails. These are the tools for communication. Communication can be broadly classified as verbal communication and non-verbal communication. Verbal communication includes written and oral communication Non-verbal communication includes body language, facial expressions and visuals diagrams Verbal Communication Verbal communication can be further divided into written and oral communication. The oral communication refers to the spoken words. Oral communication can either be face-to-face communication or a conversation over the phone. The other type of verbal communication is written communication. Written communication can be by email or written. The effectiveness of written communication depends on the style of writing, vocabulary used, grammar, clarity and precision of language Nonverbal Communication Non-verbal communication includes overall body language of the person who is speaking, which includes body posture, hand gestures, and overall body movements. The facial expressions also play a major part since facial expressions say a lot. Non verbal communication can also be in the form of pictorial representations, signboards, or even photographs, sketches and paintings Communication is a process that involves exchange of information, thoughts, ideas and emotions. Its important that the delivery of communication is received and under stood by all subordinates; this will then allow communications to play an active role within strategic decisions. Would this be relevant within a medium sized contracting firm? Most would find it difficult to operate without effective communication. Communication can take various forms as described above but all forms involve the transfer of information from one party to the other. In order for the transfer of information to qualify as communication, the recipient must understand the information conveyed to them. If the recipient does not understand the meaning of the information conveyed to them, communication has not taken place. Communication is the life source of all organisations because organisations involve people. People cannot interact with each other without communication. Internal/Organisational Communication Communication that takes place within an organisation, in addition to the usual face to face, telephone, fax or mail; modern organisations will more often than not use technology to communicate internally. Technology may be used for e-mails or a linked internal communication system such as the intranet which is an internet system designed solely for use by those working within the organisation. External communications conversely external communication is communication between the organisation and those outside the organisation. Modern organisations may design technological systems so that they can communicate with customers and undertake e-Commerce. Alternatively they communicate with other businesses through the internet or similar systems and undertake e-Business. Upward and Downward communication Downward communication is communication created by directors and managers and passed down the hierarchy of workers in the organisation. In traditional organisations this is the preferred method of communication i.e. Managers decide what the systems, rules and procedures will be and then they pass these down to employees they manage and supervise. Downward Communication can increase efficiency by synchronising organisational procedures and can ensure that everybody is working towards the same overall aims and objectives. Types of downward communication include job descriptions, appraisals/evaluations, organisational policy, and organisational systems Effective communication is the foundation for effectiveness (McNamara) experts on organisations; management and leadership avow there cant be too much communication. Leaders and managers have realised that there is a need to effectively convey and receive information, To reiterate (McNamara Carter) subordinates need to be given proper communication from managers, as this is believed to lead to an increase in absenteeism amongst workers thus effecting productivity, there should be two-way communication in an organisation. Its enviable that the Manager should have personal contact with his subordinates. He should clearly communicate goals and policies of the organization to his subordinates and should get feedback on these goals and policies. Feedback plays a very important role in the communication process. It enables us to evaluate the effectiveness of our message. Giving the subordinates chance to provide feedback is important for maintaining an open communication within the organisation. The manager must create an environment that encourages feedback Performance appraisal Performance appraisals the process of obtaining, analysing and recording information about the relative worth of an employee. The focus of the performance appraisal is measuring and improvingthe actual performance of the employee and also the future potential of the employee. Its aim is to measure what an employee does andencourage employee communications about job-related and professional matters. (Harris, F 2006)Forms of communication include coaching, counselling, training and feedback on job performance. Strategic Human resource management What is strategic human resource management? Strategic human resource management (SHRM) could be defined as a process which is constantly evolving within many organisations, and should be constantly reviewed to suite employees and employers needs. Its definition and relationships with other aspects of business planning and strategy is not conclusive and opinion varies between many different theorists Theorists views Strategic HRM is the key to improved business performance within which there is comprehensive coverage of the various definitions and approaches to HRM, strategy and strategic HRM Armstrong, M and Baron, A. (2002) Is this statement a true reflection on what is believed to be the contemporary views of human resource management? Strategic HRM is regarded as a general approach to the strategic management of human resources in harmony with the intentions of the organisation on the future direction it wants to take. Strategic HRM is concerned with longer-term people issues and macro-concerns about structure, quality, culture, values, commitment and matching resources to future need. Boxall and Purcell argue that strategic HRM is concerned with explaining how HRM influences organisational performance. They also point out that strategy is not the same as strategic plans. Strategic planning is the formal process that takes place, usually in larger organisations, defining how things will be done, Purcell, J. (2003) To simplify these statements Strategic HRM is based on HRM principles incorporating the concept of strategy. So if HRM is a rational approach to the management of people, strategic HRM now implies that that is done in a planned way. Individuals, who are highly skilled, highly motivated and have the opportunity to participate within the organization by being given tasks to undertake. However, this will only feed through into higher levels of organisational performance if these individuals have positive management relationships with their superiors in a supportive environment with strong values. All these factors will support the willingness of individuals to perform above the minimum. It also could be said that the case is made for building the worker into the analysis of HRM, on the one hand, by incorporating worker attitudes and behaviour in the study of the HRM-performance relationship, and on the other, by paying serious attention to the association between HRM and worker-related outcomes. Evidence is presented to suggest that worker attitudes and behaviour mediate the HRM-performance relationship and that certain HR practices are associated with higher work and life satisfaction. (Guest, D 1997) Models on Strategic human resource management Human resource policies and practices have been linked with strategic objectives of many organisations. A number of British academics have made major contributions to the concept of HRM and their work is summarized below. Guest, D (1991) has taken the Harvard model and developed it further by defining four policy goals which he believes can be used as testable propositions: 1. Strategic integration: the ability of the organisation to integrate HRM issues into its strategic plans, ensure that the various aspects of HRM cohere and provide for line managers to incorporate an HRM perspective into their decision-making. 2. High commitment: A behavioural commitment to pursue agreed goals and attitudinal commitment reflected in a strong identification with the enterprise. Guest (1989) believes that the driving force behind HRM is the pursuit of competitive advantage in the market-place through provision of high-quality goods and services, through competitive pricing linked to high productivity and through the capacity swiftly to innovate and manage change in response to changes in the market-place or to breakthroughs in research and development. Legge, K (1989) considers that the common themes of typical definitions of HRM are that: Human resource policies should be integrated with strategic business planning and used to reinforce an appropriate (or change an inappropriate) organizational culture, that human resources are valuable and a source of competitive advantage, that they may be tapped most effectively by mutually consistent policies that promote commitment and which, as a consequence, foster a willingness in employees to act flexibly in the interests of the ‘adaptive organisations pursuit of excellence Summary Overall a medium sized contracting firm needs strategic systems in place especially taking into account the current economic climate, situations may arise where downsizing of the company and redundancies that may be prevalent due to the expected down turn in work load. At times of high unemployment, workers are thought to be concerned about losing their jobs and hence more conscientious and tolerant of strict management they become, its important to maintain communication in this situation. As states its important in difficult times for employees to become more flexible and foster willingness (Legge, K 1995) Other areas where lack of communication creates animosity between clients and contracting firm its proven that advising client of their needs and subsequently bring the projects successfully to implementation will help secure a good working relationship. Added values such as back up service of experienced staff and well qualified staff in all the requested areas of the construction programme this fits in with Guests model of giving high-quality goods and services, through competitive pricing linked to high productivity. (Guest, D 1997) If a business has highly motivated team then success will follow, this has to be lead from the top down and strategic integration from HR is paramount in the delivery of success as described in guests theory K, Legge at first contradicts Guests theory with whats known as a hard model theory by stating that employees are a resource just as any other business resource. Thus, human resource should match business needs and help achieve objectives. Management may monitor their performances for recognition and rewards. Furthermore, organizations will always try to acquire them as cheaply as possible, and exploit them to maximise profits. This model may sound less humanistic but the objective of achieving humanism should not compromise the objectives of organisations (Legge 1995). Theorists then began to look at other types of models and agreed that a softer approach was more fitting in certain current climates Harvard Business School developed soft or developmental humanism model, also tak es into consideration integration critical for the development of business strategies. At the same time, it also emphasises on treating people as valued assets. They should be treated as human capital, which is fundamentally different from other business resources. The soft model encourages developing employees so that they become proactive in organizational development and progress (Legge 1995). Many authors question the underlying practical applications of HRM models. Similar concerns are raised about SHRM. Its managerial focus, strategic perspectives and ‘realities‘ of HR practice have been questioned by several writers (Legge 1995; Guest 1997). SHRM is certainly concerned primarily with contributing to the ‘bottom line success of an organisation, which may sometimes involve a unitarist approach to the management of employees. SHRM may also infer a ‘hard HRM focus, which does not sit comfortably with some authors. However, as Legge (1995) points out, †˜If HRM, in either its ‘hard or ‘soft guises, involves the reassertion of managerial prerogative over the labour process, the strategies of flexibility reflect and constitute a path to this, employees as both resourceful humans and human resources Conclusion The above essay has analysed and evaluated various literature of human resource management, strategy and the links between these elements. While there is considerable discussion in relation to organisations using HRM strategically with a view to enhancing their organisation performance the actual implementation seems variable. The review of the literature also suggests there is a multi layer framework in which human resource management is located. (Guest, D. 2002) The relationship between organisations and workers is increasingly secured through different forms of involvement, ranging from an alienative to a moral involvement and from compliance to commitment as the basis for the ongoing attachment. Relationship and the interaction between the worker and employer have focused attention on outcomes. These outcomes can be perceived in terms of whether they are processes, procedures or practices, but at another they can be seen to be a mechanism for securing the objectives (Manning K 2005) Bibliography Books Bratton, J Gold, J (2003), Human resource management theory Practice 3rd edition, New York. Chaffee, E (1985) ‘Three models of strategy Academy of Management Review, London. Foot, M Hook, C. (2005), Introducing Human resource management 4th edition, London Harris, F McCaffer. (2006), Modern Construction Management sixth Edition, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford Price, A (2003), Human resource management in a business context 3rd edition, London Purcell, J. (2003), Strategy and human resource management, London. Mintzberg, H. (1994), The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning, Prentice-Hall. Mintzberg, H., Ahlstrand, B. and Lampel, J. (1998), Strategy Safari: A guided tour through the wilds of strategic management, The Free Press. Whittington, R. (2000), What is Strategy And Does It Matter? 2nd edition Thomson Learning. Manning, Dr. K (2005), Strategic Human Resource Management and Performance. Internet McNamara, C 1997 (http://managementmrktng/org) accessed 10th Dec 09 http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=347150 accessed 5th Jan 10 http://www.business.vu.edu.au/Mgt/working_papers/2005/wp6_2005_worland_manning. Accessed 5th Jan 2010 Journal articles Guest, D. E. 1997, ‘Human Resource Management and Performance: A Review and Research Agenda, International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 263-276. Guest, D. 2002, ‘Human Resource Management, Corporate Performance and Employee-Well-Being: Building the Worker into HRM, the Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 44, no. 3. pp. 335-358. Guest, D. E., Conway, N. Dewe, P. 2004, ‘Using Sequential Tree Analysis to Search for ‘Bundles of HR Practices, Human Resource Management Journal, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 79-96. Guest, D. E. Michie, J. Conway, N. Sheehan, M. 2003, ‘Human Resource Management and Corporate Performance in the UK, British Journal of Industrial Relations, vol.41, no. 2, pp. 291-314. Reilly, P. (2008) Strategic HR? Ask yourself the questions.HR Director. No 44, February. Richards, J. (2007) Aligning HR with the business: two steps forward, one step back. IRS Employment Review. No 866 March.

The Monopolist And Profit Maximization Economics Essay

The Monopolist And Profit Maximization Economics Essay Monopoly is a single seller and many buyers. There is no difference between firm and industry and monopoly form as imperfect market. Besides that, monopoly is the sole provider of goods and services. 2.1 Characteristics of Monopoly There are some characteristics of monopoly market. One seller and large number of buyers The one of monopoly characteristic is one seller and large number of buyers is large and the size of each firm is very small. The number of buyers also large and this firm cannot influence the market price. So basically, individual firm does not bother about the reactions of the firm. Besides that, adjusts its sale to earn maximum profits and the price given under perfect competition. The demand of individual buyers relative to the total demand. And so small that cannot influence the price of the product by his individual action. Product has no lose substitutes The second characteristics is, product differentiation, there is product are close substitutes but not perfect substitutes. Its means, products are alike but not equal. For an example, Colgate toothpaste is slightly different from Darlie toothpaste. Otherwise, similarly dettol soap is different from life buoy soap. But if the buyers can find any substitutes for toothpaste and soap means, may be the differences is real or imaginary but its create attachments. Consumers prefer one product to another, under monopolistic competition. Monopoly cannot exist if there is a competition or any substitute product because consumers or buyers could not find any replacement for the product. Restriction on the entry of new firm. The third characteristics of the monopoly are, firm under monopolistic are easy to entry and leave the industry. Barriers are not entry is natural or legal restriction that restricts the entry of new firms into the industry. Hence, a firm has legal control over other firms. There is restricting competition in the market. Advertising In monopoly market, advertising is depends to the product sold. If the product is good and services means, the monopoly needs make advertisement to inform consumers on the goods. So that, its try to establish goods of its own products. By the advertising, consumers can know their selling costs. However, if the products are not luxury goods such as water service, electricity service, and local telephone service, then the seller no need to create any advertisement. This is because a lot of the buyers know that where are the places and locations to get and purchase these few products. 2.1.1 Diagram The Monopolist and Profit Maximization In the diagram, the quantity of produced and price charged has own control for both of it. That also, entire demand curve for goods and services produced. So that, it will facing a downward slopping demand curve in the diagram. Equivalently, a monopoly never operates in the inelastic portion of its demand curve. Monopolist Profit Maximization http://i.investopedia.com/inv/articles/site/micro3.12.gif What happens if the monopolist later faces a demand curve such as D1? In that case, the monopolist cannot cover costs and will go out of business. 2.1.2 Demand, Marginal Revenue, and Elasticity http://cyro.cs-territories.com/asa2_economics/unit4/images/monopolisticcompetitionlongrun1.png In the diagram, demand curve is elastic as there many firms. So that, there is lack of close substitutes. The profits shown as abnormal where the shaded area and competitor the short run. As shown in the graph above, a monopolist facing demand curve D0 will produce quantity Q0 and the price charged will be equal to P0. 2.1.3 Conclusion All in all, monopoly have four characteristics of structure. Besides that, monopoly is the sole provider of goods and services. The monopoly market is still solely by mutually beneficial exchange of firm exist and many. 3.0 Difference between Perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and monopoly Perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly and monopoly have their own respectively features. Their characteristic of their four markets is not same. In monopoly, the market structure in which there is only one producer and seller for a product. Oligopoly is only few firms that make up an industry and select group of firms has control over the price. Monopoly and oligopoly has high barriers to entry. Then, monopoly structure is opposite for perfect competition. Perfect competition are has many buyers and sellers, many products that are similar in nature and there are many substitutes. 3.1 Differentiate between perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly and monopoly 3.1.1 Perfect competition Perfect competition is a market is a possible market where competition is at its greatest in possible level. The products are homogeneous and seller can easily enter and exit from their market. Number of seller and buyers Perfect competition is very large numbers of firms in the market. Perfect competition also existence of large number of buyers and sellers. There is no dominating firm and all firms are usually small and are price takers, because the individual sales volume is relatively small compared to market volume. The price does not change and there is no discernible change in the quantity exchanged in the market. Unrestricted to entry and exist The second characteristics of perfect competition is there are unrestricted on the entry and exist of both buyers and sellers. A firm can easily enter into perfect competition market and leave the market at any time, if that firm cannot continue the firm. The absence of such barriers does not affect the prices, and there is always a substitute for suppliers, who enters and leaves if, wants. If any losses occur the firm will exist the industry without any reason. This is important to understand the free entry and free exist is possible in the long-time firm. Homogeneous product There another condition of perfect competition is homogeneous product that is a product offer for sale by seller. It must be goods offers for sale and perfect substitutes of one another seller. One firm cannot differentiate the same products sold in the industry because buyers can identify the difference in terms of colors, quality and packing. There is mean, even though the products are same in nature but there is difference in terms of quality. Seller cannot raise the price above the prevailing price or lower the price. Homogeneity of product has an important implication for the market if products of different seller. Besides that, buyers not care who they buy from, as long as the price is same. Maximum profits In the perfect competition, profit maximization determine by the quantity of product they sell. The marginal cost by the product of a single unit of the product is equal to the marginal revenue. Total revenue and total cost approach are the profit maximization. When the cost is lowest, and then only can be maximum profit. 3.1.2 Monopolistic competition The concept monopolistic competition is more realistic than perfect competition. Monopolistic competition market each firm has its own price policy. The most things from another thing feature of monopolistic competition are the products of various firms are not identified. But they are close substitutes for each others. In the case, monopolistic and perfect competition is characteristic by the existence of sellers. The firms do not produce perfect substitutes. Otherwise, each firm has a small percentage of the total monopolistic market and thus has limited control over market price. Product differentiates. Under monopolistic competition, product differentiation may entail physical or qualities differences in the products by their selves. There output product are differentiated between which are relatively close substitutes for each other. So that, that product prices cannot be very much different from each other. Product differentiated by location, services, designs, and brand names. The firms in monopolistic competition will differentiated their products and make them more appealing to the customers in order to maximize their profits. 3.1.3 Oligopoly In an  oligopoly, there are only a few firms that make up an industry. This select group of firms has control over the price and, like a monopoly; an oligopoly has high barriers to entry. Main characteristic of oligopoly is interdependence of firms in the industry. Sum more, in the oligopoly market, all firms can earn abnormal profits in the long run because, the entry of new firms are difficult. Oligopoly is not like monopolistic market, because if firms change the prices or output, it has noticed effects on the sales and profits of its competitors. Small number of large firm Approaches from small number of large firm are each which is relatively large compared to the overall size of market. Under oligopoly, few firms control the overall industry and there is no specific number of firms that must control the market. Homogeneous of differentiated product Under oligopoly, when a product sold that can be either a homogeneous or a differentiated product. For example, petroleum, steel and etc. and also, oligopoly focus on goods sold. Basically, people have different wants needs and thus enjoy variety. Such as, automobiles and computers. Barriers no entry Barriers no entry is similar to monopoly market. The oligopoly firms will restrict new entry into the market. In this industry, a few huge firms own most of the available iron ore, a necessary raw material for steel production. Once the new firms are out of the market, there large firms reduce the production will increase the price. In these cases, barriers to entry are low, and it also as small investment may be required to enter the market structure. 3.1.4 Monopoly Monopoly can be considered opposite of perfect competition. It is a market form in which there are only sellers. Even though, there are many factors to rise up monopoly market. There is only one supplier; and the demand curve that individual firms face is the market demand curve. A monopoly firm is deemed to have considerable control over the price of its product. In the case a monopoly can also arise if a company owns the entire supply of a necessary material needed to produce a product. 3.1.5 Conclusion Characteristic Perfect Competition Monopolistic Competition Oligopoly Monopoly Number of firms Very Many Many Few One Type of Product Homogeneous Differentiated Homogeneous / Differentiated Only product of its kind (no close substitute) Ease of entry Very easy Relatively easy Not Easy Impossible Price Setting power Nil (Price taker) Somewhat Limited Absolute (Price Maker) Non Price Competition None Considerable Considerable for a differentiated oligopoly Somewhat Productive efficiency Highly efficient Less Efficient Less Efficient Inefficient Long run profits 0 0 Positive High Examples Doesnt Exist; agriculture close Fast Food, retails stores, cosmetics Cars, Steel, soft drinks, cereals Small town newspaper, rural gas station 4.0 Conclusion and recommendations In the whole assignments, I learned about microeconomics subject ant it is a very important subject to whom taking business course. The subject teaches every student about business skills and helps to learn about business knowledge of economics. In first question, I know the characteristics of monopoly. I also learn the differentiated of monopoly in the markets. The second question is about the differentiate between perfect competition, monopolistic competition, monopoly and oligopoly markets. From this question, I learned about the four characteristics of the markets such as the four markets are not same all the times. In spite of this assignment, I thank to my lecturer and coordinator for guide us to do this introduction to business. I appreciate from this assignment that I can know well about the business chapters. Appendix