Saturday, August 31, 2019
Fm Transmitter
FM Transmitter Here is the schematic, PC board pattern, and parts placement for a low powered FM transmitter. The range of the transmitter when running at 9V is about 300 feet. Running it from 12V increases the range to about 400 feet. This transmitter should not be used as a room or telephone bug. PartTotal Qty. DescriptionSubstitutions C110. 001uf Disc Capacitor C215. 6pf Disc Capacitor C3,C4210uf Electrolytic Capacitor C513-18pf Adjustable Cap R11270 Ohm 1/8W Resistor270 Ohm 1/4W ResistorR2,R5,R634. 7k 1/8W Resistor4. 7K 1/4W Resistor R3110k 1/8W Resistor10K 1/4W Resistor R41100k 1/8W Resistor100K 1/4W Resistor Q1, Q222N2222A NPN Transistor2N3904, NTE123A L1, L225 Turn Air Core Coil MIC1Electret Microphone MISC19V Battery Snap, PC Board, Wire For Antenna â⬠¢ L1 and L2 are 5 turns of 28 AWG enamel coated magnet wire wound with a inside diameter of about 4mm. The inside of a ballpoint pen works well (the plastic tube that holds the ink).Remove the form after winding then install the coil on the circuit board, being careful not to bend it. â⬠¢ C5 is used for tuning. This transmitter operates on the normal broadcast frequencies (88-108MHz). â⬠¢ Q1 and Q2 can also be 2N3904 or something similar. â⬠¢ You can use 1/4 W resistors mounted vertically instead of 1/8 W resistors. â⬠¢ You may want to bypass the battery with a . 01uf capacitor. â⬠¢ An antenna may not be required for operation.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Jeremy Sumpter Soul Surfer
In 2003, teenager Bethany Hamilton (AnnaSophia Robb) lives in Kauai, Hawaii with her parents Tom (Dennis Quaid) and Cheri (Helen Hunt), and two brothers, Noah (Ross Thomas) and Timmy (Chris Brochu). All are surfers, but she and her best friend Alana Blanchard (Lorraine Nicholson) have grown up with a passion for the sport and enter a competition. Her church youth ministry leader, Sarah Hill (Carrie Underwood), is disappointed when she has to withdraw from a planned missions trip because of the contest.Bethany and Alana place first and third, respectively, while the second place winner, Malina Birch (Sonya Balmores), proves to be resentful. Bethany invites both girls up on the winner's box with her, but Malina ungraciously refuses. The Rip Curl surfwear company offers to sponsor her and Alana in competition.The night before Halloween, Alana and Bethany sneak off with some friends to go surfing. Later while Tom goes to the hospital for knee surgery, both girls go surfing with Alana's f ather Holt (Kevin Sorbo) and Brother Byron (Jeremy Sumpter). As Bethany dangles her left arm in the water, a tiger shark appears out of nowhere and sinks its teeth into it, biting it off near the shoulder. Holt gets Bethany out of the water and puts a tourniquet on her while Byron calls 911. An ambulance meets them on the way to the hospital. Just before starting Tom's knee surgery, Dr. David Rovinsky (Craig T. Nelson) is called to the emergency room to treat Bethany. Besides losing her left arm, Bethany also lost 60% of her blood and David calls herà survival a miracle.Bethany's injury prevents her participating in the Rip Curl photo shoots, but she wishes Alana well. Inside Edition, a television program, offers to provide a prosthetic arm that is cosmetically perfect and has bendable joints, in exchange for an interview. Bethany angrily rejects it when she learns it will not help her surf as it is not weight bearing, due to the size of the stump of her arm. The onslaught of papa razzi also proves to be a great strain on her family and their privacy. The Hamiltons are grateful to Holt for his quick thinking and decisive action that saved her life.Bethany perseveres and, after a recuperation period, gets back in the water and learns to surf with one arm, eventually re-entering the competition. She tells her rival Malina not to take it easy on her, and rejects a five-minute head start offered by the judges. She does not perform well because she cannot stay on the board long enough to go out and catch a competitive wave and Malina wins. Disheartened, she decides to give up competitive surfing. Bethany sees the effects of the 2004 tsunami on television, which places her own problems in perspective.She decides to surprise Sarah by joining the youth group on another mission trip to help the devastated people of Phuket, Thailand. They are understandably afraid of the water, including a little boy. Bethany decides to go into it with a surfboard, hoping this will coa x him into it. It works, and the realization that she can use her gift to inspire people motivates her to take up surfing again.Tom rigs a handle on her surfboard which she can use to prevent falling off while paddling out to the waves, which is not prohibited by the competition's rules. He also voices the belief that she possesses a great surfer's instinct for sensing when the best waves will form. She enters the national championship, thanks Malina for treating her as a serious competitor, and performs respectably, though she is still chasing third place.Suddenly, with only minutes left on the clock, the waves die down and all the surfers can only loiter, waiting for the waves to start back up. Tom's belief in his daughter's instinct is proven when she is the only one to sense a big wave forming, and she alone paddles out. When it forms, the others cannot get out in time and she catches it just as the horn sounds. Ifà it is in time, she will win, but the judges rule that the tim e has expired. Malina is the winner, but she has finally gotten over her differences with her, inviting her up on the platform to share first place.Subsequently, Bethany lets the reporters interview her. One asks her what she would do if given the chance to undo the loss of her arm. She says that she would still lose it because she can embrace more people now than she ever could with both. The film ends with real video of Bethany surfing after the attack.II. ReactionMy problem with ââ¬Å"Soul Surferâ⬠is that it makes it look too simple. Bethany (AnnaSophia Robb) has a loving family of professional surfers and a big, friendly dog. She lives in walking distance of the beach. She was and is a committed churchgoer and got great support from her spiritual leaders. She was an indomitable optimist with a fierce competitive spirit. But there had to be more to it than that. I applaud her faith and spirit. I give her full credit for her determination. I realize she is a great athlete. But I feel something is missing. There had to be dark nights of the soul. Times of grief and rage. The temptation of nihilism. The lure of despair. Can a 13-year-old girl lose an arm and keep right on smiling? The flaw in the storytelling strategy of ââ¬Å"Soul Surferâ⬠is that it doesn't make Bethany easy to identify with. She's almost eerie in her optimism. Her religious faith is so unshaken, it feels taken for granted.The film feels more like an inspirational parable than a harrowing story of personal tragedy. Even its portrait of her recovery and rehabilitation is perfunctory. There's a particularly unconvincing scene where she's fitted with a prosthetic arm and refuses to wear it. They're making remarkable progress in the field of prosthetics. But the arm that she's offered looks no more useful than the arm that she rips off her Barbie doll the same night (in one of the movie's rare moments of depression). Although I can understand a good prosthetic might not help her bal ance on a surfboard, I believe one might be of use in other situations ââ¬â and I don't mean cosmetically. Maybe I'm mistaken. ââ¬Å"Soul Surferâ⬠is a wholesome movie, intended as inspirational. Whether it will cheer viewers who are not as capable as Bethany is an excellent question. AnnaSophia Robb is a convincing, cheerful heroine.Dennis Quaid and HelenHunt, as Bethany's parents, are stalwart and supportive, although the script indeed leaves them with no other choice. SOUL SURFER has very poignant moments that will bring tears to your eyes. It has one of those endings that make the movie work, despite some light weight scenes. AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany gives a wonderful performance. A cast of veterans provides great support. The good news is that real courage comes from deep faith in Jesus Christ, not just willpower. There are powerful church scenes, but they shouldnââ¬â¢t alienate secular viewers because they are extremely real. Bravo!III. Psychological DisorderThe Psychological disorder in this movie was Major depression disorder is an (also known as clinical depression, major depression, unipolar depression, unipolar disorder or recurrent depression in the case of repeated episodes) is a mental disorder characterized by episodes of all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. The understanding of the nature and causes of depression has evolved over the centuries, though this understanding is incomplete and has left many aspects of depression as the subject of discussion and research. Major depression significantly affects a person's family and personal relationships, work or school life, sleeping and eating habits, and general health.Its impact on functioning and well-being has been compared to that of chronic medical conditions such as diabetes. A person having a major depressive episode usually exhibits a very low mood, which pervades all aspects of life, and a n inability to experience pleasure in activities that were formerly enjoyed. Depressed people may be preoccupied with, or ruminate over, thoughts and feelings of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt or regret, helplessness, hopelessness, and self-hatred.[6] In severe cases, depressed people may have symptoms of psychosis. The diagnosis of major depressive disorder is based on the patient's self-reported experiences, behavior reported by relatives or friends, and a mental status examination. There is no laboratory test for major depression, although physicians generally request tests for physical conditions that may cause similar symptomsIV. RecommendationSoul Surfer is a great movie to watch with your family and I would recommend this movie to anyone. This film was very well done and what's better is its all based on a true story and from the looks of the credits where they show real footage they certainly stayed true to it! Robb does a great job as young Bethany who loses her arm to a shark attack, and we follow her struggle to get back in the water and compete as a surfer once again. It's a very emotional film but thanks to some great acting and beautiful scenery it all comes together nicely.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Human Resources Function In Pizza Express Essay
Introduction Pizza Express is a public limited company (PLC), which was established in 1965. It has 350 restaurants in the UK and between twenty to thirty international franchises in countries like France, Egypt, Spain and opening soon in the Philippines and it has also expanded by 40% in recent years. Itââ¬â¢s a restaurant in different countries, which provides food, and drink services to the customers. The company has different range of employees, 39 in total including cleaners, chefs, waiters and waitresses, supervisors and managers. Role of human resources The organisation has two human resources namely the main HR known as the headquarters and the local HRââ¬â¢s. The local HR recruits the workers by advertising in the media after which they train the selected ones to very high standards so that they deliver high quality services to the customers. This creates a good repetition for the company so they receive more customers therefore increasing profits too. Training the workers on how to use the equipment also helps the company in a way that they will have fewer or no claims for damages in case of accidents. The local HRââ¬â¢s also carry out transfers with other restaurants of the organisation, which helps them maintain the good workers. This can also be a way of practising flexible working conditions for their staff. In case of any member of staff acting against the organisations rules, the local HRââ¬â¢s have to discipline him/her so that they can change and if they fail they lose the job. This helps the company dismiss bad members of staff who can cause trouble or even pass on their bad behaviours to new recruits. Lastly, the local HRââ¬â¢s act as the voice for the workers i.e. they raise any problems that the workforce might be experiencing so that they can be solved. This creates a good relationship between the workers and the management, which is a very important thing if they are to work as a team to deliver good services to the customers. The main HR i.e. the headquarters carries out the more complex tasks of the organisation. It reviews the labour turnover and predicts what staff the company will have to recruit and during what time they will have to. It sets the pay rates and increases in the organisation which is a very crucial thing when carrying out the companyââ¬â¢s budget because they donââ¬â¢t want to pay out much or less but just the right amount to their staff. It also recruits itââ¬â¢s own staff and management and train them. It has to be very careful when doing this because it has to makes to sure it gets the right people who will be able to manage the local HRââ¬â¢s or else there will be poor management which can lead to serious problems in organisations. Lastly, it makes the rules and procedures that have to be followed in the organisation. This is very important because it lets the workers know what they can do and can not when on the companyââ¬â¢s premises and also for any organisation to run properly and smoothly, there must be rules and regulations in place to be followed. E2 Staff labour turnover The staff /labour turnover for the Kingston branch was not known because they had just opened but for the old branch, they had 50 people leaving with an approximation of 25 staff which means the turnover was 200%. This is mainly because the workers tend to transfer with their managers when they change branches, which happened last year. From the research that I carried out, these were my findings KINGSTON LABOUR MARKET (2001-02) Aged 16 and over Economically active In employment All 124000 85000 81000 Male 63000 48000 46000 Female 61000 37000 34000 WORKING AGE (16-59/64) 2001-2002 IN KINGSTON Working age (16-59/64) Economically active In employment All 102000 83000 80000 Male 55000 48000 46000 Female 48000 36000 33000 AGE BREAKDOWN (full and part-time employment) 2001-02 All Full-time Part-time 16-19 * * * 20-24 11000 8000 * 25-49 53000 45000 8000 50+ 14000 10000 4000 Source: www.statistics.gov.uk KEY * Sample size too small for reliable estimate Pay and hours worked The chefs in the new Kingston branch get a maximum of à ¯Ã ¿Ã ½8.50 an hour if they are of grade four and those on lower grades 1-4 get a maximum of à ¯Ã ¿Ã ½6. The waiters get à ¯Ã ¿Ã ½4.20 an hour with tips as well and cleaners get à ¯Ã ¿Ã ½5-6 an hour. They all get double pay on bank holidays and they work a maximum of 48 hrs apart from part time workers who usually have 3-4 shifts a week with no set minimum hours of working. Productivity The businesses productivity depends on how many customers they get i.e. if they produce more if there are many customers to be served and they produce little if there are hardly any customers to be served. Generally, they measure productivity by the average times for making items. The more items they make, the more profits they get and the fewer items they make, the less profits they get. Fulltime/part time working For the particular branch in Rotunda, there are three fulltime workers and twenty part time workers. Changes in working practices The company also tries to please its workers by changing their working practices. This is carried out by exchanging staff with other restaurants since itââ¬â¢s a big company. This helps them get experience in working in different areas and conditions, encouraging more advanced training so that they get promoted which again makes workers feel that their effort is being appreciated by the management and lastly giving them flexible working hours so that they donââ¬â¢t feel that they are being over worked or exploited. Company use of the information The company might have used this information when planning its human resources in a way that when you look at the labour market, there are more people economically active and in this particular area there is relatively low unemployment. This means that they will find it difficult to recruit new staff and it can be very costly in a sense that to attract possible workers, they will have to advertise themselves more, they may have to pay more wages or invest more in training. They may also have to design development programmes so that potential employees see there are promotion prospects in the organisation therefore making them feel wanting to join the company. By also looking at their labour turnover which is very high, they might want to try and find out why many people are leaving. This can help them find the reasons why the workers are leaving and find solutions to them which means they will keep their staff longer. Still looking at their own labour turnover, they can also find out the skill that people who are leaving had and recruit people with the same ones which decreases the budget of training. Since their work force is in the mid 20ââ¬â¢s and mostly part time, they can decide to recruit more people between the age of 25-49 because those between 20-24 working part time are very small size of the population. When planning its productivity, the company can decide to recruit more people and give them intensive training to become professionals which also increases efficiency. C1 Analysis of external labour market To interpret my labour market further, I compared it with that of Richmond, London, & UK with also last yearââ¬â¢s trends and these were the results. The working-age employment rate in London, Kingston, Richmond & UK (March 2000-2001 and Feb 2001-2002) Area Percentage of population 2000-2001 2001-2002 Richmond 84.5% 80.8% London 70.2% 70.4% Kingston 76.4% 78% UK 74.1% 74.4% From the results above, we see that Richmond had the highest working age employment rate which was 80.8% followed by Kingston which was 78% then UK with 74.4% and lastly London which was 70.4%. Looking at the trends, we see that Richmondââ¬â¢s working age employment has gone down by 3.7%, Londonââ¬â¢s has only gone up by 0.2%, Kingstonââ¬â¢s has gone up by 1.6% and lastly UK as a whole has just gone up by 0.3%. With this information, Pizza Express can decide to recruit workers from London since it has the least working age employment so they will find it easier to recruit people but then it will have to increase spending on transport if the workers are not willing to spend their own money and if they are willing to, Pizza Express will have to pay them high wages so that they can afford the costs. Advertising costs will also go up because they will have to advertise in the media other than on their windows because they are trying to recruit people in a totally different area. Graph showing working age employment rate in London, Kingston, Richmond and UK (2001-02) Economic activity rate by sex (working age 16-59/64) in Kingston & Richmond (March 2000-2001 & February2001- 2002) Area % No. of males % No. of females 2000-2001 2001-2002 2000-2001 2001-2002 Richmond 93.7 89.0 80.5 76.5 Kingston 87.6 87.4 70.1 75.0 From the information above we see that there were a higher number of males in economical activity in Richmond than Kingston with a difference of 1.6%. With the females, the number was still higher in Richmond than Kingston with a difference of 1.5%. Comparing the percentages with last years, Kingston had a very little difference in 2000-2001 than in 2001-2002 of males in economical activity which was only 0.2%. For the females in Kingston, the percentage number went up from 70.1% in 2000-2001 to 75.0% in 2001-2002, a difference of 4.9%. The higher the economic activity rate, the better so when you look at the figures, Richmondââ¬â¢s economic activity rate is high but it keeps going down within the two years so it can be risky wasting their money to advertise in the area while in Kingston, though the figures are low, they keep going up within the two years so it can be safer to carry out their advertising campaigns in the area if they are sure they will keep going up. Economic activity rate of males in Richmond and Kingston (2001-02) Internal staffing information For the Kingston branch, the company had 20 staff and three of them working part time. Most of them are mainly in their mid 20ââ¬â¢s though they have no age restrictions at upper end of age band. Most of them are students or local people of the area they are situated in. Since the company has just opened, it has recruited all its work force but in the future as the business expands, they may need more staff. Interpretation of labour market information When we look at the labour market information, we see that Richmond is doing better than Kingston economically. There are more people working in Richmond which means that there are more jobs than in Kingston. This might affect the company in a way that they will find it more favourable to recruit people from Kingston than in Richmond because the labour force will be relatively cheaper. They will also find it hard to recruit people from Richmond because most of them have got jobs and if any, they might want high wages because there is less competition. With the fact that they are also located in Kingston, they may want to recruit the workers from there because costs such as transport and advertising will be low. E3 Recruitment and selection The main documents used when recruiting staff are the staff application form which is used to get details of applicants like their address, date of birth e.t.c. Gathering this information is very crucial because the company can always keep in touch with the applicants, know of any disabilities they have if any and also get information about their qualifications. The second document is the job advert. This is a promotional document of the company attracting the applicants to apply. It talks about the skills needed so the applicants can only apply if they got them therefore saving the company time in sorting out the people with the right skills. Itââ¬â¢s made up very carefully with pictures making it very appealing. Basically itââ¬â¢s a form of advertising job vacancies in the company in an easy and attractive way. Lastly, the job description is also handed out to the applicants. This describes what they are expected to do if successful in getting the job. It shows what the job is about in more detail. First, it talks about the aim of the job then the workers responsibilities, what authority is to be held and lastly the standards of performance expected. Effectiveness of documents 1. Job description The job description is effective in a way that itââ¬â¢s lay out is simple and easy to understand. On top is the pizza express logo and pictures to attract the reader. It clearly shows that the descriptions are for waiters/waitresses so they there is no chance of a worker in a different field mistaking it to be meant for them. It clearly outlines the aim of the job in relation to maintaining the companyââ¬â¢s standards. Second, it talks about the responsibilities that the worker has when doing the job. Too much text is used here but there seems to be only one strange word, ââ¬Å"Adherenceâ⬠. This means that language used is quite easy to understand for the reader. Next, it also talks about the responsibilities the applicant will have to carry out if successful and less text is used here so there is less difficulty in understanding the point they are trying to bring across. Lastly, it shows the standards of performance. All the major headings are written out in bold letters and also underlined to make them stand out. 2. Application form The application form is also a very detailed document. It has got a heading on top in bold letters to show what it is, with a pizza express logo which is also a way of promoting the company and showing its loyalty. Itââ¬â¢s designed in a simple way asking for relevant information from the applicants. It has got boxes in which they can fill in the information they are being asked. The company tries to avoid collecting irrelevant information by giving them choices in some of the questions where they can only answer yes or no e.g. have you worked for Pizza Express before: Yes ? No ?. It also helps the applicants understand the questions easily. Some questions require a lot of detail and the form provides enough space for the answers like in one question which asks if the applicant is disabled and if their answer is yes, it provides more space to give the details of their disability fully. Lastly, it is typed out on white paper with blue colourings around it to make it more attractive . Generally, no complex language has been used. Everything is simple and straight forward. 3. Job advert Like all the other documents, the job advert is also laid out in a simple way and easy to understand. It is explaining how it is like to work in pizza express by posing questions then giving all the possible answers which are of course attracting the reader to apply. It also talks about the roles and explaining some of the complex words like ââ¬Å"remunerationâ⬠. The salaries of the assistant manager and restaurant manager are also shown. This is also done to attract people so that they apply. It has got pictures about a man who has been successful. This shows the chances of success that the applicants are likely to have if they apply. Lastly, it has got detailed information about how you can get in touch with them like telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. Stages in filling a vacancy FLOW CHART There are various stages involved in filling a vacancy. First, the job vacancy is identified and then a job description is written up. This is the document describing what the job is about and what it requires the person to do. A person specification is also written out describing what the qualities and qualifications the applicant should have then an appropriate advertising medium is chosen e.g. newspaper e.t.c. The type of medium chosen depends on the size of the company, what type of job is being advertised or even the current financial status of the company. Next, you send out application forms to the people who have replied to the adverts so that they can fill them in after which they send them back and you short list them to get the right ones. There are crucial things that should be considered when carrying out the short listing process like not discriminating people on grounds of their sex, race or ethnicity. After short listing them out, you arrange interviews for the selected ones where you set the date and time to meet. This can give the interviewer time to make up the questions to be asked and the common ones are normally about the candidates work experience history, why they have applied for the job, what makes them think they will be good at, how they will travel everyday if successful e.t.c. This is a good process because you get to see and speak to the candidates and evaluate how they express themselves, test their communication skills, check how they get on with other people and also check their behaviour i.e. if they are polite e.t.c. you might want to carry out other assessments like work sampling or testing then job offer references are made up. Copies of acceptance and turn downs are sent out to the applicants and the successful ones are given a contract and after their induction they start their job with some training. This is the form of help given to them to get used to the work place and equipment they have to use, know better how the job is carried out in the company and also get used to the old staff. This helps them develop more understanding of the companyââ¬â¢s cultures working practices which leads them to becoming professional staff and if very hard working, they can end up getting promotions. Conclusion Based on my findings, I conclude that pizza express is doing well with the fact its expanding in other countries which means that it has a big market, a very crucial part in business developments.
The growing role of PM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
The growing role of PM - Essay Example Project management is the planning, organizing, directing and controlling of company resources for a relatively short-term objective that has been established to complete specific goals and objectives. For planning and organizing the resources, Program evaluation and review technique(PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM) are widely used techniques for better planning and control in project management. It forms the basis for all planning and predicting and these techniques provide the management with the ability to plan for the best possible use of resources to achieve a goal within the stipulated time and allotted budget. These techniques which were used for defense during the World War II, are now used by business managers across the world to get a visibility of the activities involved in the project so that repetition of activities is reduced. It helps the management to handle the uncertainties involved in the program by analyzing how much time is required for each activity and which activity is crucial for the timely completion of the project. It is useful for the management to collect all the relevant information for making decisions. The major deficiency of other methods such as the Gantt, milestone or bubble chart is the inability to show the interdependencies between event s and activities, which is overcome in the network analysis. The foremost advantage of PERT is that it requires planning in detail to create a network of activities. Network development and critical path analysis reveal interdependencies and problem areas that are not very clear if other methods are used. The technique lays its focus on determining where the greatest effort should be made for a project to stay on schedule. The next greatest advantage of network analysis is that the business manager can know about the probability of meeting specified deadlines by development of alternative plans. Another advantage of this analysis is that we can evaluate the effect of changes in the program. For example this
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Competitive Position of Thorntons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Competitive Position of Thorntons - Essay Example In case of Thorntons, their competitive nature is indeed numerical and the company can generate and withstand different levels of income in reference to its structure. The competition nature of Thorntons is advantageous since the company operates on seasonal bases. Therefore, business becomes partial as government influences rising cost of energy by use of economic factors that may influence positive results on cost of production as well on total sustainability cost. Furthermore, microenvironment is another Thorntons position of competition. Performance indicators like level of growth, volume of sales, and price of shares reveal that this company has a higher competition position. This is prevalent due to amount of revenue collected in 2010 shrunk to 0.1 percent because of challenges the company underwent. Additionally, Thorntons witnessed significant loss of share price in the beginning of 2012. What caused this, according to Thorntorns, is the passing typical situation of its sales and the taking over of Cadbury by Kraft. However, Kraftââ¬â¢s take over of Cadbury affected Thorntons since the overall chocolate industry has grown by four percent which is a total of 3.6 billion a margin Thorntons cannot reach hence they cannot compete. Despite the huge potential Thorntons have, their competitive position continue to dwindle since its profit earnings dropped by 0.1 percent at the fiscal end of June in 2010 compared to revenue earnings of 2009. As a result, the companyââ¬â¢s operating cost increased thereby crippling its strategic operations. Thorntons level of competition is high since the company has clean reputation of over a hundred years in market. This serves it as a marketing tool. It is also multi-generational, as many people in Great Britain perceive the idea of chocolates is synonymous with the Thorntons. Due to franchise dollars that help the company bring in fiscal earnings over time, the level of competition continue to build and portray signifi cance sense of market growth. In relation to Porterââ¬â¢s five forces model, if Thorntonââ¬â¢s wish to survive the current stiff market competition, it must put into consideration the following industrial contexts in order to help itself surpass this agony. First, they should evaluate the power of their suppliers. In spite of the advantage that they run their own stores, there is still deteriorating performance within its operations. Therefore, they should better their understanding of profits by differentiating the impact of inputs on cost, providing presence of substitute inputs in case of changes in market trends, and confirm their relative cost to total purchases (Hill & Jones, 2009:54). This will in turn reduce their operating costs hence achieve maximum benefits. In order for Thorntons to solve their relative issues, they should consider exploring other markets and produce other products as opposed to their niche commodities. Then using buyer power, which is one of Porte rââ¬â¢s five forces model, they should seek to provide variety of other products to increase buyerââ¬â¢s volume of purchase. They should also consider offering incentives to their prospective clients as part of enticing them, making them repeat customers thus fostering market expansion. It is clear that the management is striving to transform the operating length of the company into annual bases. However, the effort put is not adequate. Thereby,
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Complex Care Assignment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Complex Care Assignment - Case Study Example The impulse produced is then represented by a pattern that shows the dysfunction ie whether it is total obstruction (Mi) or partial (angina).for many angina patients, the ECG is usually normal.ECG is only carried out on patients with stable angina. Echocardiogram is where sound waves are utilized to check for the condition of the heart. The waves produce images that are then used to visualize whether there are blockages or damages to the heart arterials. This depends on the x ray imaging. It is part of cardiac catheterization used in checking for blood vessels in the heart. This has also been used in evaluation of the lungs where there is accumulation of fluids in chest cavity. Measures flow of blood to myocardium at rest and during stress. This resembles regular stress test but in nuclear, a radioactive component is injected to the bloodstream (Mommersteeg et al., 2013). A scanner is used for detecting and creating images of the heart muscle. Deficient flow is indicated by light spots on the images. Beta blockers block the effects of hormone epinephrine such as adrenaline while prasugrel and ticagrel prevent blood from clotting, On the other hand, statins cholesterol levels in blood. Calcium channel blockers which relax and widens blood vessels (Mommersteeg et al., 2013). How Myocardial Infarction might progress to Acute Pulmonary Oedema. Acute pulmonary oedema is caused by high hydrostatic pressure in the capillaries as a result of increased pulmonary pressure in the veins. Myocardial infarction causes accumulation of fluids in the alveoli of the lungs. These fluids have low concentrations of proteins and can also be found in the interstitium. There is always frequent complaint of cough as well as pink, frothy sputum. Moreover, there may be hoarseness caused by recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy from mitral stenosis and perhaps chest pain that alerts physicians to the likeliness of acute myocardial infarction. In addition, there may be other
Monday, August 26, 2019
Changes Made to America Society during WWII Essay
Changes Made to America Society during WWII - Essay Example The Second World War brought various changes in America. The war affected all the spheres of life including economic, political and social life. Economically, the economy was strained since all the efforts were aimed at winning the war(Kennedy, 2005).The war led to various to effects on labour, and the government came up with various policies to support the economy and the much-needed resources and labour. Controls were put on the economy, the most crucial ones being the price controls put on most products by the office of price administration and wage control (Mansfied, 1951). Hence, goods were sold at the set prices and traders had no autonomy to set their prices. Employee wages were controlled to specific ranges and amounts. A rationing system was introduced to provide for minimum amounts of necessities to everyone so as to prevent inflation that was eminent due to over production of industrial goods and low production of necessities (Kersten, 2000). Rationed goods included rubber, due to the interruption of natural rubber; gasoline with limits being set on the amount of fuel one could use, food items and, as a result, ration coupons were introduced to purchase basic food items such as milk, sugar, margarine. Every household booked rations while taking into consideration the number of family members. The children guided each family on the amount of rationed goods they would receive. The production of most durable goods like cars and house appliances were banned until the end of the war.
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Working budget of $ 2 billion Methods research Coursework
Working budget of $ 2 billion Methods research - Coursework Example Using the three electronic resources, compile the required data for the 48 countries in an Excel spreadsheet (each row should represent a country and each column should contain the data for one variable). Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is very important in the calculation of the national income of any country. The GDP is calculated by adding the market value of all the final goods or services produced within a country in a given financial year. to be more specific no intermediate goods but only the final products or services because if intermediate goods are also taken into consideration then there would be the error of double calculation in the national income of the country. The GDP of a country is arrived at by adding the sum involved in the consumption activities, the investment activities, the spending by the government of the country and also the net exports (which is derived by deducting the gross imports from the gross exports). GDP = Cn + It + Gs + E(e-i) Where Cn = consumptio n, It = investment, Gs= Government spending, E= net exports, i= imports, e= exports. The exogenous model is also called as the most suitable model which is needed to understand and frame the long term economic growth of a country. Excel sheet attached. 2. Read the compiled data into Stata, and estimate the empirical model. Test the following null and alternative hypotheses: gen Lypc 2005 =log( ypc2005) gen Lypc1990 =log( ypc1990) gen diferrence lypc=log(ypc2005)-log(ypc1990) gen lseced = log(seced) gen infl= log( cpi1990)-log( cpi1985) inflation regress dlypc Lypc1990 lseced govgdp open infl credit (i) H0:?2=?3=?4=?5=?6=?7=0 against H1:?j?0 for at least one j?(2...7), using a significance level of 0.05. = = = 1.81 The Decision rule is that we can : Accept H0 if F0.05 Reject H0 if ?>F0.05 where F0.05 is the 5% critical value from F(kââ¬â1, nââ¬âk): in this case F(7ââ¬â1,48ââ¬â7), or F(6,41). F0.05 = 2.34 Decision is accept H0: F plays a significant role as F is the de termining factor of arriving at conclusions. The use of the independent variables has not assisted in predicting the dependent variable (dlypc). (ii) H0:?2=0 against H0:?2?0 using a significance level of 0.05. ii) H0:?2=0 against H1:?2?0 at a significance level of 0.05 ? = = = -2.68 Decision rule: Accept H0 if -t0.025 ? ? ? t0.025 Reject H0 if ? t0.025 ?t0.025 from t(41) is ?2.04 Decision is reject H0.: it means the variable (lypc90) has a significance impact in the depended variable (dlypc). We can see that there is a contradiction between the test in (i) and (ii). In (i) we accept that: ?2=?3=?4=?5=?6=?7=0 where in (ii) we reject that :?2=0 . Also, we can check by compare the p-value of the coefficient (0.011)
Saturday, August 24, 2019
What can be done to improve the college graduation rate Essay - 1
What can be done to improve the college graduation rate - Essay Example There are many colleges and universities that have tried to improve their graduation rates and have succeeded in doing so (Davis, 2010). Graduation rate of any country is a reflection of far more than what may seem. The number of college students graduating from a college shows an insight to its accountability and transparency. The graduation rates show a great deal about the college itself and a low number of graduating students may indicate an unsatisfactory performance by the college or it may point towards something faulty within the organization (Sealey-Morris, 2015). The constant increment in the wage given to the students in order to increase the college graduation rate has been unsuccessful in tackling the situation and the increased amount of students enrolled in college courses are not directly proportional to the amount of students graduating from these colleges. The most probable reason behind this decrease in the degree attainment rate may be due to the inappropriate balance within the student body or alterations within this student body. Other possible reasons behind the decrease in graduation rate is t he increased segregation within the education system of the country and the lack of helpful resources for the students within an organization hence, it can be said that the overcrowded college institutions have a lower rate of graduation. Another important reason behind the decrease in the degree attainment rates may be due to the lack of financial resources available for the students, this is because a large number of students are employed in part time jobs while they are enrolled in college and this is to make up with the tuitions and study costs of their study courses (Bound, Lovenheim & Turner, 2010). The first step that can be ensued in order to increase the graduation rate is to increase the equality among
Friday, August 23, 2019
Evaluate the arguments offered by Neil Postman in Technopoly on the Essay
Evaluate the arguments offered by Neil Postman in Technopoly on the basis of the history of America (1865 to the present) and in - Essay Example In short society is moving towards age of digital fashion that is more developed with the thoughts to provide maximum benefits to human beings. In early ages of 18th century this development was much limited with construction and better reconstruction works. But with the passage of time it became more of an electronic era rather then human society, this approach gave a boost to highly develop technology and use it for ease of humans. Except of lot of positive reviews and lovers of electronic era this truth can not be neglected that it made humans rusty with the same ratio! And to enlighten this aspect of modern life Neil Postman contributed with a lot of efforts and different approach. In an interview he mentioned his views about the new technology when he was asked about the positive and beneficial effects on society especially of the Internet and Email. Itââ¬â¢s true that technology has been advancing nowadays, too fast, therefore we are at an era of speed, where computers as we ll as everything that has to do with growing technology rules our life, in the frame of Technopoly, having a relative impact on all fields of today life, mainly in USA, but no one is basically responsible for this, and all we have to do is follow growth of Technology, as Technopoly contributes to financial growth and we just have to follow the stream. Technopoly is a reality and we have to accept it and adjust to this reality. Technopoly is a need nowadays. But we should not compromise our moral values, nor can technopoly replace them, or substitute them. Our culture has changed, and we cannot do something else for it, just follow the stream. But this may not mean that we prefer Technopolis or culture based on Technopolis, and destruction of our old culture with books and manual work. Technology shouldââ¬â¢t becomes a way of life as it is nowadays, but just a helping tool, tool of adaption and not adoption. "Most of our daily news is inert, consisting of information that gives us something to talk about but cannot lead to any meaningful action.â⬠(68).1 ââ¬â Neil Postman In our digital era, all fields such as knowledge and education are ruled by technology. Postman claims that our today culture satisfies its needs from technology, also taking its orders from it. We can claim further by analyzing this argument that technology functions in a way of pyramid whereas: On the base is culture, on the center is technology and on the top is multicultural and globalization, being as superstructure, identified with globalization and digital era with all consequences in the moral and social field of technopolis, which rules our life. Thus education is by ruled by technology, a new culture is formed throughout technopolis, and work is based on it. Technology may mean the end of education, as instead of reading a book of literature we prefer surfing on the Internet. USA in the past two centuries, thus from 1865 and hence up to the two last decades of 20th centur y and even more, had been a country with a grown population and too many immigrants. These people used to go there to work, in the dawn of industrial revolution, and when still USA was a state the development of which was based on agriculture initially. Then multicultural society was not only enhanced by technology, but it created itself the conditions for technology development and a further relative developed culture, that today rules technopolis and it
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Final Speech Essay Example for Free
Final Speech Essay Through the new King Henry Vââ¬â¢s speech to his brothers after their fatherââ¬â¢s death Shakespeare deals with the realities of succession, the difficult negotiation between governmental stability and a confused power struggle, and the death of a king while trying to keep his character true to their personality. This speech touches on everything from politeness and external observation, to the fear that naturally comes in a shift of power, to different kinds of mourning. Hal, newly King Henry V, must take his place as king and reassure everyone of the continuing stability of the kingdom, demonstrate a proper degree of public mourning as both a subject and the son of the former king, and deal with his own grief. When he says ââ¬Å"this new and gorgeous garment, majesty, sits not so easily on me as you thinkâ⬠(Henry IV, Part 2, 5. 2. 44-45) he is not just simply trying to dismiss any jealousy or thought of resistance amongst his brothers, but he is also telling the absolute truth. Just like he did with the eulogies of both Hotspur and Falstaff in earlier parts of the play, Hal continues to use honesty in order to lend a more genuine tone to his otherwise fairly formal words. He reassures them of his intention to support them by bluntly telling them that he knows they fear what he may do, implying even that they might fear for their own lives, but that it ââ¬Å"is the English, not the Turkish court, not Amurath an Amurath succeeds, but Harry Harry. â⬠(Henry IV, Part 2, 5. 2. 7-49) He introduces and dispels the comparison between himself and a ruler who literally strangled his brothers, addressing the most extreme possibilities quickly. By the end, he assures them that not only will he not harm them; he will protect them and do well by them ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ll be your father and your brother too. Let me but bear your love; Iââ¬â¢ll bear your cares. â⬠(Henry IV, Part 2, 57-58) In that, he additionally introduces the potentially uncomfortable issue of personal relationships. Once their brother, he is now also their king; once his brothers, they are now his subjects. He works with this beautifully, referring to their mourning and sadness for the death of their father as ââ¬Å"a joint burden laid upon them allâ⬠(Henry IV, Part 2, 5. 2. 55) before he moves on to the things he promises, connecting himself with them in one way even as he has to separate himself from them in another. In this speech Hal starts off responding to a greeting by the chief justice by saying that his new robe doesnââ¬â¢t fit him as comfortably as the justice might think. Then turning to his brothers he tells them he knows that their sadness over their fatherââ¬â¢s loss is now mixed with the fear of him now being king. He mentions to them that they are in an English court, not the Turkish one and unlike the Turkish king, Amurath, he is not going to have his brothers killed when he inherited his father, King Amurathââ¬â¢s, crown; he explains saying he is ââ¬Å"but Harry Harryâ⬠(Henry IV, Part 2, 5. 2. 49) basically saying he is a Harry, following another Harry and they have no reason to worry. He tells his brothers to be sad because being sad truly suits them. He explains that they look so regal in their sorrow that he too will put in the sense of sadness, saying he will also wear it in his heart. He warns them to yes be sad, but donââ¬â¢t let it become anything more than a burden that they all share jointly. He assures them that as far as he is concerned, he will be both their father and their brother now. That they are to just trust him with their love, and they can trust him to care of them. He concludes his speech by saying they should keep weeping for Harry, who is dead and he will keeping mourning also, but he says one Harry still lives, and he will convert those tears one by one into hours of happiness. This speech is important for Hal to give because it is not only Hal talking to and reassuring his brothers but also introduces him as the new King Harry V. Hal defines and explains his newly adjusted relationship with his brothers, explains that the kingdom is stable and there is no worrying over if anything bad would come out of the shift in power, and finally he tries to battle with how he wants mourn his father and what is the correct way to mourn him according to his new position as king. Hal was motivated to give this speech after the death of his father as he explains to his brothers that he must take his place as king keep the kingdom stable, and explaining to them the appropriate amount of public mourning for them as the sons of the former king. His final motive is subtle but he dismisses any jealousy or thoughts of confrontation amongst his brothers. Hal flawlessly and eloquently delivers his speech that maintains the balance between a familiar conversation with family and the regal words of a king. Revealing ultimately that the wild rebellion he previously upheld was truly an act and has so far worked in his favor going from a pub-crawler with the drunks to a newly regal king who would never be suspected of having such a rebellious past. In an earlier version of Halââ¬â¢s speech there is not much change from that version to the newer version of the speech. In the older version of the speech somethingââ¬â¢s that have changed is the grammar and spelling. Many of the words in the older text are spelled wrong either with different letters or extra letters added to the end. In total there are thirty one misspelled words with either different letters or extra addition of letters. Most of the different letters include an ââ¬Ëfââ¬â¢ where anââ¬Ësââ¬â¢ should be in most words or the addition of an ââ¬Ëeââ¬â¢ at the end of the word. There are also more parentheses around more words in the old text versus the new. In the newer version these words are part of the text rather than in parentheses where they could potentially be excluded depending on the preference of the actor or director. Although many of the words are misspelled the meaning between the older version and the regular text are extremely similar. The true meaning and the imagery and meaning of the words in the speech have not been affected by the different in the different versions of the text. Throughout the speech there is recurring imagery both in his words exactly and some underlying imagery. The underlying imagery is centered on atonement, and the burden of leadership and duty. Atonement is an underlying image specifically for Hal, who has spent most of his time hanging around with the pub-crawlers, atonement has to become part of his new reign. He has planned all along to become a responsible king and at his fathers deathbed, he promises that his reign will be great. After he is crowned, and again during his speech to his brothers he promises those assembled that his actions as king will atone for his past. Also underlying in the speech Hal speaks of the crown as a burden. The duties of kingship come first, surpassing friendship. Hals crown will make the betrayal of Falstaff and the Eastcheap crowd a necessity. Even more important than the underlying imagery is the imagery of his exact words centered mostly on brothers and sadness. Hal refers to his brothers as a whole addressing them as ââ¬Ëgood brothersââ¬â¢. He addresses them as brothers at key parts in his speech giving the imagery that they are a united, unchanging force. He seems to use brothers to give a slightly personal feel to his regal words and to show that even though the dynamic of their relationship has changed they are still and always have been brothers. In Shakespeareââ¬â¢s other plays brother is used almost the same way. It is used to show a close relationship between people or showing the personal unity between or amongst a group. Shakespeare has also used the imagery of brothers when someone in power is addressing a group of people he needs something from or in a speech before battle. The other imagery of sadness and of loss is also important in his words, mostly the sadness and loss of losing his father but also the loss of more than life itself but also the loss of old friends through circumstance like when Hal loses his friends when he accepts his new role as king, though Falstaff still believes himself to be Hals friend, they rarely interact. The time is past for Hal and Falstaff; Hals throne demands it, and Henry V will betray the man who has been his surrogate father and friend. The speech that the new King Henry V delivers to his brothers after their fatherââ¬â¢s death touches on many different topics, emotions, and has hints of imagery that effect everyone he is speaking to. Hal must now take is fathers and show to everyone that his rebellious days are behind him. In the speech Hal has to desperately balance the familiarity of his family with the new responsibility as king and to make sure everyone knows that no one will be harmed and there is no need for jealously. By the end of the speech it is clear that Hal realizes the burden that has now been put on him but he makes his intentions clear as he ends his speech with ââ¬Å"But Harry lives that shall convert those tears by number into hours of happiness.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Fat Chance Essay Example for Free
Fat Chance Essay Introduction to the use of computer-based statistical software packages and applications in the analysis and interpretation of the data. Topics include both descriptive statistics and inference methods. Software packages include EXCEL, Minitab, SAS and R. Prerequisite: MATH1107 OR MATH3332 OR ECON2300 OR STAT3125. (Kennesaw State University Undergraduate Catalog). Required Text All reading material is available free on our D2L website in the Resources folder. The manuals are the Basic Concepts Manual, Excel Manual, SPSS Manual, Minitab Manual, SAS Manual and R Manual. We will also be using the Supplemental Text written by Dr. Daniel Yanosky. It will be advantageous to use a flash drive in this class. It is not required, but highly advised to use one. 1 Learning Outcomes Students will receive instruction in the four major data analysis software packages listed above. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to use each of these packages to: ? Function as an informed user and critical consumer of statistics able to answer questions in an intelligent, informed, and insightful manner and pose intelligent questions concerning data, data analysis, and software use. ? Obtain and correctlyà interpret the measures of central tendency and dispersion of a data set. ? Generate and correctly interpret a variety of graphics for both univariate and multivariate analyses. ? Generate random numbers and use them to perform Simple Random Sampling. ? Generate and correctly interpret confidence intervals. ? Represent themselves as proficient in each of these packages in a job interview or professional environment. Moreover, students will be able to do the following irrespective of computer software: ? ? ? ? ? Identify types of statistical variables. Differentiate the roles of explanatory and response variables. State a proper research hypothesis. Choose an appropriate statistical analysis for a given situation. Summarize and communicate analysis results through a professional document. Course Website Materials We will be using D2L exclusively for this course. Quizzes, assignments, the textbook, additional readings,videos and other materials are posted there. Students are expected to check their D2L email account on a daily basis. In order to understand fully the organization of the course and how to navigate the website, the student should read all documents and watch all videos in the Start Here learning module. Communication The preferred method of communication is through the D2L e-mail. The instructor will answer all e-mails as soon as possible. This should be within 24 hours during the week and by Monday morning for weekends. There may be exceptions. 2 Grading Policy Each students final course grade will be determined based on their performance on the following: Class Component Quizzes (7) Homework 1 Homework 2 Final Project Percentage of Final Grade 10% 25% 30% 35% Letter Grade A B C D F Percentile Grade 90% 100% 80% 89% 70% 79% 60% 69% Below 60% Quizzes Required Readings. Completion of required readings will be assessed through timed online quizzes on D2L. Students are provided study guides to be completed while reading. These should be completed and available when taking the quizzes. Students are not allowed to collaborate on the quizzes. However, because they are online, they are essentially open book, open note quizzes. Use your quiz study guides. A total of seven (7) quizzes will be administered. With the exception of the syllabus quiz, each student will have two attempts with 15 minutes to complete the quiz (10 questions). If you have completed the study guide, it will be easy to score well on these quizzes. For the syllabus quiz, each student will have 30 minutes and two attempts. You will be required to use the Respondus LockDown Browser when taking all quizzes. Instructions on how to download this browser will appear the first time that you take a quiz. Homework Assignments Two (2) homework assignments are scheduled for the semester. Timely completion of all homework assignments is required. Homework must be submitted via D2L by midnight on the due date specified in the course schedule in order to receive full credit. Homework may be submitted up to 1 day late with a penalty of 15 points. After that time, no homework will be accepted. Students are encouraged to work together in groups and discuss problems and their answers for homework assignments ONLY. Nonetheless, all work submitted to the instructor must be an authentic product of each individual student. In other words, if you collaborate with someone else on an assignment, it is best to work together at first, but then separate and write your final product on your 3 own. Please ask questions if this expectation is not clear. Homework assignments may be checked on TurnItIn. Ensure that your final product is your original work. If evidence arises that a student has submitted someone elses work as their own or has committed some other academic violation of the University Code of Conduct, the instructor reserves the right to apply any academic penalty up to and including a failing grade (i. e. , ââ¬Å"F) for the class. In any case, the student will be referred to the University Judiciary Program for formal documentation and/or charges. The charges and penalty decided by the University Judiciary Program may be different and/or more severe than that of the instructor. Final Project The final project will be performed using SAS. A complete data analysis will be performed and a professional report prepared. There will be no collaboration on this project. Final Projects will not be accepted after the due date. Further information concerning the final project is posted in the Drop Box on D2L. Attendance You are allowed to miss two days without penalty. Upon the third absence, you will lose one (1) letter gradeâ⬠¦NO EXCEPTIONS. Attendance will be recorded twice during each class. It is your responsibility to sign the attendance record when you enter the room. Because it is disruptive and distracting to the other students for you to arrive late or leave early, repeated incidences will need to be addressed. If you are more than 15 minutes late, you will be marked absent. You may not leave early unless you have discussed the reason with me before class. There is no distinction made between excused and unexcused absences: A student is either in attendance or not. Please do not bring excuses to class. A student who misses a class is responsible for all material missed. This class will only meet 8 times; therefore, attendance is important to your success in the class. It is essential that you are in class on time with the computer booted up, the materials that you need for class downloaded from D2L and signed on to Citrix (when appropriate). If you are late, you will be behind. I will be opening the classroom between 7:45 and 8:00 so that you can be in class and prepared by 8:00. The class will not slow down or wait for late arrivals. The material that we cover in class is not the material covered in the videos. You are responsible for both elements of the class. 4 Technology ? Students must have access to the course website and be able to download appropriate materials from that site. If you are having problems with access, try a different browser. Also, make sure that you have the most recent version of Java installed on your computer. ? Students are expected to use the software applications via the KSU Citrix server in order to complete homework and other assignments. The website is https://science-citrix2. kennesaw. edu/Citrix/XenApp/auth/login. aspx ? The Excel Manual covers Excel 2010. We will only use 2010 in class, If you do not have 2010 or 2007, you will need to use a school computer or the Excel program offered on the Citrix server. There is little to no difference in Excel 2007 and Excel 2010. The same instructions will work for both. ? Students will need a media player installed on their computers. If you donââ¬â¢t have one, you can download one free on the internet. Some websites where you may obtain these are listed below: VLC http://www. videolan. org/vlc/ KSU KSU has free software downloads for students. Visit the website and see what is available for you. https://apps. kennesaw. edu/portal/prod/app_uni_sso/login. asp ? If you use a Mac, you will find that some of the functionalities of Excel are not the same, or may not work. If this happens to you, use Citrix, find a friend with a PC or use one of the school computers. This is not an excuse for your homework product to be inferior or late. If you have technology problems, o Call the IT help desk, 770-499-3555 or visit the walk-in STS Helpdesk, BB475. o For D2L, call 866-588-5293. o For Citrix, fill out a ticket using the link on the log-in page. If you do not get a response within 24 hours, let me know and I will check with them for you. ? 5 Classroom Policies Procedures 1. The instructor holds the following expectations for all students. (a) Show respect for other class members at all times. (b) Uphold the University Code of Conduct. (c)Participate in class activities in such a way as to maximize learning opportunities for yourself and others. (d) Arrive to class on time and prepared This includes both academic preparation (i. e. , having completed required readings and watched the assigned videos, being prepared to discuss topics and otherwise participate in class activities when appropriate) 2. The students name, ââ¬Å"STAT 3010. 01, the date, and the assignment type and number (e. g. , ââ¬Å"HW3) should appear at the top right hand corner of the TITLE page of all products submitted to the instructor for evaluation. 3. Ringing cell phones will NOT be tolerated in class. If you elect to bring your cell phone to class, SILENCE it and put it away (out of sight). Texting, etc. in class will result in the student being requested to turn the phone off. All cell phones will be placed in backpacks, out of sight, for the duration of the class. 4. Talking to other students during the lecture will result in your being asked to leave the classroom. 5. At the end of class, log off of the program you are using, log off of Citrix and log off of the computer (Do not turn it off. ), carefully lower the screen and push your chair in. Suggestions for Academic Success The class is purposefully designed so that if you do the following, you will succeed: 1. Read, take notes and study the required reading. 2. Complete the study guides and use them when taking the D2L quizzes. 3. Watch the assigned videos and come to class prepared to perform related activities and to answer questions about the videos. 4. Attend class. 5. Participate actively in class. 6 6. Practice what we have learned in class each day. 7. Work on the associated homework while referencing the reading, your notes, the videos and optionally working with your classmates. Be sure to follow the homework instructions and guidelines specified in Part 1 of the 3010 Supplemental Text. Use the posted sample papers, when available, on D2L as models for your work. Use the rubric. 8. Submit all work on time through D2L. 9. Watch the videos and use the associated teaching notes, when they are available. The videos cover different material than we cover in class. 10. Do not procrastinate! WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UNIVERSITY OR FROM INDIVIDUAL COURSES AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Summer Term, 2013. Withdrawal Students who find that they cannot continue in college for the entire semester after being enrolled, because of illness or any other reason, need to complete an online form. To completely or partially withdraw from classes at KSU, a student must withdraw online at www. kennesaw. edu, under Owl Express, Student Services. The date the withdrawal is submitted online will be considered the official KSU withdrawal date which will be used in the calculation of any tuition refund or refund to Federal student aid and/or HOPE scholarship programs. It is advisable to print the final page of the withdrawal for your records. Withdrawals submitted online prior to midnight on the last day to withdraw without academic penalty will receive a ââ¬Å"Wâ⬠grade. Withdrawals after midnight will receive a ââ¬Å"WFâ⬠. Failure to complete the online withdrawal process will produce no withdrawal from classes. Call the Registrarââ¬â¢s Office at 770-423-6200 during business hours if assistance is needed. Students may, by means of the same online withdrawal and with the approval of the university Dean, withdraw from individual courses while retaining other courses on their schedules. This option may be exercised up until June 28th,2013. This is the date to withdraw without academic penalty for Summer Term, 2013 classes. Failure to withdraw by the date above will mean that the student has elected to receive the final grade(s) earned in the course(s). The only exception to those withdrawal regulations will be for those instances that involve unusual and fully documented circumstances 7. Academic Integrity Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities, as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. Section II of the Student Code of Conduct addresses the Universitys policy on academic honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to University materials, misrepresentation/falsification of University records or academic work, malicious removal, retention, or destruction of library materials, malicious/intentional misuse of computer facilities and/or services, and misuse of student identification cards. Incidents of alleged academic misconduct will be handled through the established procedures of the University Judiciary Program, which includes either an informal resolution by a faculty member, resulting in a grade adjustment, or a formal hearing procedure, which may subject a student to the Code of Conducts minimal one semester suspension requirement. Final Notes ? ? This syllabus is subject to change at the sole discretion of the instructor. Any changes will be announced class-wide in a timely manner. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities act, qualified students with a disability may be entitled to reasonable accommodations. It is the students responsibility to disclose to the teacher any approved accommodations she/he may have before the end of the first week of class, or within a week of any change of status during the semester. .You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the disAbled Student Support Services office, located in the Student Center room 267, and obtain a list of approved accommodations. IMPORTANT: I am available to help you when you need help. Simply email me and set up a time to meet with me. WARNING! Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not create a crisis on mine. Make sure that you plan and work ahead so that there will be time to ask the questions and for me to respond. ? 8 Additional Information Writing professionally is a major part of this class. It is important to be able to communicate your statistical findings. Incorrect grammar and misspelled words can and will cause a reduction in points on your homework. If you know that this is a problem, the following resources are available: The Writing Center (for all students) http://www. kennesaw. edu/writingcenter/ ESL Study Tutorial Center (International students) The ESL Study Tutorial Center (University College, Department of University Studies) will be open in the fall Monday through Thursday from 9 AM to 5 PM. At the ESL Study Center, we offer the following services and programs for international students: tutoring in writing, reading, and pronunciation; general education academic advising and registration assistance; the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency entrance examination; and the Conversation Partners Program, which matches international students with native English-speaking faculty, staff, and students in an exchange of languages and cultures. The ESL Study Center is located in Library Room 442. Please tell your colleagues and the international students in your classes about the ESL Study and Tutorial Center. For further information, please contact David Schmidt at [emailprotected] edu or 770-423-6377. 9 The syllabus and/or schedule is subject to change at the sole discretion of the instructor. Any changes in the syllabus or the schedule will be announced in class and via e-mail. It is important that you check your e-mail daily. You will not receive grades for Homework if you have not returned this form. Course Syllabus Review Statement and Signature Form. I have carefully read the syllabus for STAT 3010/01, Spring Semester 2013, and have had the opportunity to ask the instructor any questions I may have about it. I understand it contents, including the course requirements and grading policy. _____________________________________________ Print Name _______________________________ Signature _________________________ Date Acknowledgment and Acceptance of Academic Integrity Statement In any academic community, certain standards and ethical behavior are required to ensure the unhindered pursuit of knowledge and the free exchange of ideas. Academic honesty means that you respect the right of other individuals to express their views and opinions, and that you, as a student, not engage in plagiarism, cheating, illegal access, misuse or destruction of college property, or falsification of college records or academic work. As a member of the Kennesaw State University academic community you are expected to adhere to these ethical standards. You are expected to read, understand and follow the code of conduct as outlined in the KSU graduate and undergraduate catalogs. You need to be aware that if you are found guilty of violating these standards you will be subject to certain penalties as outlined in the college judiciary procedures. These penalties include permanent expulsion from KSU. Read the Academic Integrity Statement and then sign and date in the space below. You are required to abide by these ethical standards while you are a student at KSU. Your signature indicates that you understand the ethical standards expected of you in this academic community, and that you understand the consequences of violating these standards. ___________________________________ Print Name ___________________________________ Signature 10 _________________________ Date STAT 3010/01 Tentative Schedule This schedule is subject to change at the sole discretion of the instructor. Any changes will be announced in class and an e-mail will be sent on D2L. The information in grey is the portion of the class to be covered online each week. It can be done at your convenience, although it is listed on Tuesday. The time spent watching the videos is no more than 2. 5 hours, in most cases. This is the day that you would have spent in class. If you do not complete the tasks for the online day, you will not be prepared for the next inclass day. The readings and quizzes are homework. Reading is an important part of being prepared for this class. The quizzes are over the reading. There are study guides posted. If you fill these out as you read, you will find that most of the quiz questions are on the study guide. There are also teaching notes posted for the Excel and Minitab videos. It is highly advised that you use the notes as you are watching the videos. All work is to be submitted through D2L. All quizzes are taken on D2L. The quizzes will close at 8:00 AM on the date listed and will not be reopened. You have two attempts. This will cover the event that your internet freezes during one of your attempts. Because this is an applied class, there are no tests in this class; but as you can see, there is a lot of reading and work to be done. Your homework assignments should be treated with the same level of seriousness as a test would be. You may work in study groups; however, the work you turn in should be your original product. Homework papers will be randomly selected to be submitted to Turnitin to check for plagiarism. When watching the R videos, use the student R Lessons and type in the code to use in class. If you have not done this prior to class, you will not be able to participate in class. We will be using the code that you create while watching the videos to complete tasks in class. When watching the SAS videos, use the student SAS Lessons and type in the code to use in class. If you have not done this prior to class, you will not be able to participate in class. We will be using the code that you create while watching the videos to complete tasks in class. Final Note: There are basic statistics review videos and videos explaining interpretation of graphics/tables on D2L in the Resources module. 11 LEARNING MODULE 1: EXCEL COVERAGE The days in white are days in class and the days in gray are the online days. Class Date Class Coverage Videos Coverage Homework/Assignments All Quizzes are due at 8 am on the morning listed. Quiz 0 is over the syllabus. Quizzes 1 ââ¬â 6 are over your reading assignments. If you complete the study guide as you read and use it to take the quiz. , you should do well on these. Due today: Read the Basic Concepts Manual (use the Quiz 1 study guide) Supplemental Text Ch. 1,2 4 Take Quiz 0 and Quiz 1. These quizzes are due at 8:00 AM on Monday, June th 11 due to add/drop) 1 Thurs. Introduction to class/Syllabus 05/30 Review of basic statistics Statistics Videos are available in the Resources Learning Module. If there is a concept that you donââ¬â¢t understand or want to review further, refer to these videos. Introduction to Excel Formatting Tables Using Microsoft Equation Data Analysis Tab Descriptive Statistics Histograms Frequency Tables The If Statement Stratified Analysis Pie Charts Bar Charts Contingency Tables More Contingency Tables Stacked Bar Charts 100% Stacked Bar Charts Random Number Generation and Sampling Confidence Intervals Sample Size 2 Tues. 06/04 Excel Video 1. 0 (13:50 min) Excel Video 1. 1 (7:34 min) Excel Video 1. 2 (7:34 min) Excel Video 1. 3 (10:. 29 min) Excel Video 1. 4 (12:36 min) Excel Video 1. 5 (8:30 min) Excel Video 2. 1 (9:50 min) Excel Video 3. 1 (9:01 min) Excel Video 3. 2 (3:36 min) Excel Video 3. 3 (4:53 min) Excel Video 3. 4 (8:08 min) Excel Video 3. 4B () Excel Video 3. 5 (4:35 min) Excel Video 4. 1. (5:56 min) Excel Video 4. 2 (9:22 min) Excel Video 4. 3 (2:48 min) 3 Thurs. Basic Statistics Review 06/06 Discuss homework expectations and how to make an A in the class. Due today: Read the Excel Manual (use the Quiz 2 study guide) Supplemental Text Parts 3 5 8:00 AM Quiz 0 (syllabus/schedule quiz) Quiz 1 (Excel quiz) Quiz 2 (R quiz) 12 LEARNING MODULE 2: R The days in white are days in class and the days in gray are the online days. Class 4 Date Tues. 06/11 Class Coverage R Video 1 (3:07 min) Video Coverage Downloading Installing R Launching R R Basics R as Calculator Manually Entering Data in R Opening Working With Script Importing Data R Help Pages Saving the Work Space Loading a Previously Saved Workspace Variable Naming Convention the attach() function Subsetting Data Importing Data Subsetting Measures of Central Tendency Frequency Tables. Homework/Assignments All homework/assignments should be completed by the data on which they appear. R Video 2 Work on Homework 1, due at midnight on Saturday, June 15th. R Video 3 (8:10 min) R Video 4 (15:40 min) R Video 5. 1 (12:37 min) R Video 5. 2 (7:13 min) R Video 5. 3 (11:09) 5 Thurs. 06/13 Questions on Excel Introduction to R R Activity Due today: Read R Manual (use the study guide) 8:00 AM Quiz 3 (over the R reading) Bring Code from Videos 2,3, 4 and 5 to class. Saturday 06/15 Homework 1 is due at midnight. If you have problems with the submission, e-mail the document to me immediately. The box will close at midnight. It will be reopened the morning of 6/16 for late submissions. It will close to all submissions at midnight on 6/16. 13 LEARNING MODULE 2: R continued Class 6 Date Tues. 6/18 Class Coverage Video Coverage Homework/Assignments R Video 6 (11:34 min) R Video 7 (13:35 min) R Video 8 (21:05 min) R Video 9 (21:06 min) R Video 10 Measures of Dispersion Visualization of Univariate Data Visualization of Multivariate Data Random Number Generation and SRS Confidence Intervals Due today: Read the Minitab Manual 7 Thurs. 6/20 R Activity R Lab Day (Use Quiz 4 Study Guide) Supplemental Text Parts 6 7 8:00 AM: Quiz 4 (Minitab) LEARNING MODULE 2: Minitab The days in white are days in class and the days in gray are the online days. Class 8 Date Tues. 6/25 Videos for this week are continued on page 15 (SAS) Class Coverage Minitab Video 1 ( 9:59 min) Mintab Video 2 (6:28 min). Minitab Video 3 (2:13min) Minitab Video 4 (7:23 min) Minitab Video 5 (2:25 min) Minitab Video 6 (3:24 min) Minitab Video 7 (5:53 min) Minitab Video 8 (2:44 min) Minitab Video 9 (8:36 min) Minitab Video 10 (4:27 min) Minitab Video 11 (4:03 min) Minitab Video 12 (2:49 min) Minitab Video 13 (6:06 min) Minitab Video 14 (7:37 min) Minitab Video 15 (4:28 min) Videos Data Management Descriptive Statistics Recoding Variables Stratified Analysis Frequency Tables Categorizing Quantitative Variables Pie Charts Ordering Ordinal Variables Bar Charts Boxplots Histograms Scatterplots Contingency Tables Random Number Generation Confidence Intervals. Homework/Assignments Work on Homework 2 14 LEARNING MODULE 3: SAS SQL The days in white are days in class and the days in gray are the online days. Class 8 Contââ¬â¢d 9 Date 6/25 Thurs. 6/27 Class Coverage SAS Video 0 (7:35 min) SAS Video 1 (19:35 min) SAS Video 2 (12:47) Introduction to SAS Libraries Practice using the code that you received in Videos 0-2. Video Coverage Introduction to SAS SAS Libraries Importing Data Note: Have the code from Videos 1 2 ready to use in class today. Homework/Assignments Due Today: Read The SAS Manual (Use Quiz 5 Study Guide) Quiz 5 (SAS) 8:00 AM 10 Fri. 6/28 Tues. 7/2 Last Day To Withdraw Without Penalty SAS Video 3 (19:17 min) SAS Video 4 (15:34 min) SAS Video 5 (8:24 min) SAS Video 6 (13:32 min) SAS Video 7 (4:16 min) SAS Video 8 (10:21 min) SAS Video 9 (9:49 min) SAS Video 10 (7:07) No Class Today Descriptive Statistics Stratified Analysis Frequency Tables Formatting Contingency Tables Pie Charts Bar Charts Stacked Bar Charts, 100% Stacked Bar Charts Histograms, Grouped Histograms Boxplots, Side-by-side boxplots. Reminder: Homework 2 is due at midnight tonight. 11 Thurs. 7/04 Select your dataset for the final project. You will find the information for data selection in the Data Selection document on D2L. Only one person may use each dataset. They will be assigned first come/first served. Please email me your first three choices in order. You will receive a confirmation from me by email. 15 12 Tues. 7/09 SAS Video 11 (14:24 min) SAS Video 12 (7:52 min) 13 Thurs. 7/11. SAS Video 13 (11:46 min) SAS Video 14 (15:13 min) Practice activities using the Note: Have the code from Videos 1 ââ¬â 14 code you received in ready to use in class today. Videos 1 ââ¬â 14. Random Samples Confidence Intervals Stratified Confidence Intervals Exporting Data Sampling Confidence Intervals Due Today: Read SAS Prep Guide Little SAS Book (Use Quiz 6 Study Guide) Quiz 6 ( SAS Prep Guide Little SAS Book) 8:00 AM: 14 Tues. 7/16 SAS V 15 SQL V 1 (18:17 min) SQL V 2 (29:01 min) Macros Introduction to SQL SAS SQL. Your data set for the final project should be submitted for approval by today. After this date, there will be a five point deduction from your project grade. Work on your Final Project 15 Thurs. 7/18 Tues. 7/23 Tues. 7/23 SAS Lab Day Extra Lab Day 8:00AM ââ¬â 10:45AM Bring your final project to class to work on. Bring all code that you have collected in this unit. Attendance is required unless you have turned in your Final Project. I will be available in our classroom to give last minute help with your project. Your final project is due today at midnight. No Late Submissions Will Be Accepted.
Barriers to Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
Barriers to Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Communication is a process and has many aspects to it. Communication is a dynamic process by which information is shared between individuals (Sheldon 2005). This process requires three components (Linear model Appendix figure 1.1), the sender, the receiver and the message (Alder 2003). Communication would not be possible if any of these components are absent. While Peate (2006) has suggested that communication is done every day through a linear process, Spouse (2008) argues that it is not so simple and does not follow such a linear process. He explains that due to messages being sent at the same time through verbal and non- verbal avenues, it is expected the receiver is able to understand the way this is communicated. Effective communication needs knowledge of good verbal and non-verbal communication techniques and the possible barriers that may affect good communication. The Nursing and Midwifery council (2008) states that a nurse has effective communication skills before they can register as its seen as an essential part of a nurses delivery of care. (WAG 2003) Reflecting on communication in practice will also enforce the theory behind communication and allow a nurse to look at bad and good communication in different situations. This will then enforce the use of good communication techniques in a variety of situations allowing for a more interpersonal and therapeutic nurse patient relationship. This assignment discusses health care communication and why it is important in nursing by: Exploring verbal and non-verbal communication and possible barriers By exploring the fundamentals of care set out by the Welsh assembly and the nurse and midwifery councils code of conduct a better understanding of the importance of communication is gained. Reflecting in practice using a scenario from a community posting. VERBAL COMMUNICATION Verbal communication comes in the form of spoken language; it can be formal or informal in its delivery. Verbal Language is one of the main ways in which we communicate and is a good way to gather information through a question (an integral part of communication) and answer process (Berry 2007; Hawkins and Power 1999). Therefore verbal communication in nursing should be seen as a primary process and a powerful tool in the assessment of a patient. There are two main types of questioning, open-ended questions or closed questions (Stevenson 2004). Open-ended questions tend to warrant more than a one word response and generally start with what, who, where, when, why and how. It invites the patient to talk more around their condition and how they may be feeling and provoke a more detailed assessment to be obtained (Stevenson 2004). The use open-ended questions make the patient feel they have the attention of the nurse and they are being listened too (Grover 2005). It allows for a psychological focus to be given, this feeling of interest in all aspects of the patients care allows for a therapeutic relationship to develop (Dougherty 2008). Closed questions looks for very specific information about the patient (Dougherty 2008). They are very good at ascertaining factual information in a short space of time (Baillie 2005). There are two types of closed questions: the focused and the multiple choice questions. Focused questions tend to acquire information about a particular clinical situation (e.g. asking a patient who is been prescribed Ibuprofen, are you asthmatic?) whereas multiple choice questions tend to be more based on the nurses understanding of the condition being assessed. It can be used as a tool to help the patient describe for example the pain they feel e.g. is the pain dull, sharp, throbbing etc (Stevenson 2004). For verbal communication to be effective, good listening skills are essential. Sharing information, concerns and feelings becomes difficult, if the person being spoken to doesnt look interested (Andrews 2001). Good active listening can lead to a better understanding of the patients most recent health issues (Sheldon 2005). Poor listening could be as a result of message overload, physical noise, poor effort and psychological noise. Therefore being prepared to listen and putting the effort and time are essential in a nurses role (Grover 2005). NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION This type of communication does not involve spoken language and can sometimes be more effective than words that are spoken. About 60 65 per cent of communication between people is through non verbal behaviours and that these behaviours can give clues to feelings and emotions the patient may be experiencing (Foley 2010, p. 38). Non-verbal communication adds depth to speech; to re affirm verbal communication; to control the flow of communication; to convey emotions; to help define relationships and a way of giving feedback. The integration between verbal language and paralanguage (vocal), can affect communication received (Spouse 2008) Berry (2007, pg18) highlights the depth of verbal language due to the use of paralinguistic language. The way we ask a question, the tone, and pitch, volume and speed all have an integral part to play in non verbal communication. In his opinion, personality is shown in the way that paralanguage is used as well as adding depth of meaning in the presentation of the message been communicated. Foley (2010) identifies studies where language has no real prevalence in getting across emotional feelings, in the majority of cases the person understands the emotion even if they dont understand what is being said. Paralanguage therefore is an important tool in identifying the emotional state of a patient. Non-verbal actions (kinesis) can communicate messages, such as body language, touch, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact. By using the universal facial expressions of emotion, our face can show many emotions without verbally saying how we feel (Foley 2010) refer to Appendix table 2. For example, we raise our eye brows when surprised, or open our eyes wider when shocked. First impressions are vital for effective interaction; by remembering to smile with your eyes as well as your mouth can communicate an approachable person who is open. This can help to reassure a patient who is showing signs of anxiety (Mason 2010). BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION An understanding of barriers in communication is also very important. The Welsh Assemblys fundamentals of care (2003) showed that many of the problems associated with health and social care was due to failures in communication. These barriers may be the messenger portraying a judgmental or power attitude. Dickson (1999) suggested that social class can be a barrier to communication, feeling inferior to the nurse may distort the message being received, making communication difficult to maintain. Environmental barriers such as a busy ward and a stressed nurse could influence effective communication. This can greatly reduce the level of empathy and communication given as suggested by Endacott (2009). People with learning disabilities come up against barriers in communicating their needs, due to their inability to communicate verbally, or unable to understand complex new information. This leads to a breakdown in communication and their health care needs being met (Turnbull 2010). Timby (2005) stresses that when effectively communicating with patients the law as well as the NMC (2008) guidelines for consent and confidentiality must be adhered to. This also takes into account handing over to other professionals. He suggests that a patients rights to autonomy should be upheld and respected without any influence or intimidation, regardless of age, religion, gender or race. The use of communication in practice is essential and reflecting on past experience helps for a better understanding of communication, good and bad. REFLECTION Reflecting on my experience while on placement in a G.P with a practice nurse in south Wales Valleys, has helped me understand and gain practical knowledge in communicating effectively in nursing practice. The duration was for one week and includes appointments in several clinics to do with C.O.P.D (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). I will be reflecting upon one appointment using the Gibbss reflective cycle (1988). Description Due to confidentiality (NMC, 2008) the patient will be referred to as Mrs A.E. The Nurse called Mrs A.E to come to the appointment room. I could see she was anxious through her body language (palm trembling and sweaty, fidgety, calm and rapid speech). The nurse asked her to sit down. The nurse gained consent for me to sit in on her review (NMC, 2008). The review started with a basic questionnaire the nurse had pre generated on the computer. It was a fairly closed questionnaire around her breathing including how it was, when it was laboured. Questions were also asked around her medication and how she was taking her pumps. Reflecting on these questions, I feel the questions did not leave much opportunity for Mrs A.E to say anything else apart from the answer to that question. The nurse controlled the communication flow. The Nurse did not have much eye contact with the patient and was facing the computer rather than her patient. I wondered if the nurse had notice the anxious non-verbal communication signs. The patient seemed almost on the verge of tears, I wasnt sure if this was anxiety, distress from being unwell, or she was unhappy about something else. I felt quite sorry for her as all her body language communicated to me that she was not happy. She had her arms crossed across her body (an indication of comforting herself) and she did not smile. She also looked very tense and uncomfortable. The Nurse went on with the general assessment and did the lung test and I took the blood pressure and pulse, gaining consent first as required by the NMC. Once all the questions had been answered on the computer the Nurse turned to face Mrs A.E and I noticed she had eye contact with her and had her body slightly tilted toward the patient (non verbal communication). The Nurse gave her information on why her asthma may be a bit worse at the moment and gave her clear and appropriate information on how she can make manage her COPD at this time of year. The Nurse gave her lots of guidance on the use of her three different pumps, and got her to repeat back to her the instructions, to make sure she understood. I could feel the patient getting more at ease as the communication progressed and also on the confirmation that she understood the instruction. The Nurse knew this patient well and then set the rest of the time talking to the patient about any other concerns she had and how she was fe eling in herself, using a more open question technique. The nurse used her active listening skills and allowed the patient to talk about her problems and gave her empathy at her situation as well and some solutions to think about. She gave the patient information of a support group that helped build up confidence in people with chronic conditions and helped them deal with the emotional side of their condition. Feelings After the patient had gone, my mentor explained that the patient was a regular to the clinic, she had many known anxiety issues which werent helped by her chronic asthma. Through-out the beginning of the review I felt very awkward. I thought, because I was sitting in on the review, may have been the reason the lady had not said why she seemed so anxious and upset. I also felt the nurse was not reacting to the sign of anxiety from Mrs A.E and this made me feel uncomfortable. I felt like I wanted to ask her if she was ok, but felt that I couldnt interrupt the review. However by the end of the review I felt a lot better about how it had gone. I did feel that by building up a relationship with the patients allowed the nurse to understand the communication needs of the patient and also allowed her to use the time she had effectively. She used empathy in her approach to the lady and actively listened to her. I understand that the start of the review was about getting the facts of the condition using a lot of closed questions, whereas the later part of the review was a more open questions and non verbal communication approach, allowing the patient to speak a bout any concerns and feelings about those questions asked earlier. Evaluation Effectively using closed questions allow for a lot of information to be gathered in a short space of time, and can be specific to the patients review needs. These pre-generated questionnaires are good at acquiring the information needed by the G.P. and also for good record keeping which are essential in the continuity of care delivered to the patient (NMC 2008). It can also protect the nurse from any litigation issues. The use of open and closed questions also allowed for the review to explore the thoughts and feelings of the patient, thus allowing for empathy from the nurse and is considered a vital part of the counselling relationship (Chowdhry, 2010 pg. 22). However the use of the computer screen facing away from the patient, did not allow for good non-verbal communication skills to be used. The lack of eye contact from the nurse may have exacerbated the anxiety felt by the patient. Hayward (1975, p. 50) summarised in research that anxiety highlighted an uncertainty about illness or future problems. This link to anxiety was also linked to increased pain. Nazarko (2009) points out, it is imperative that a person has the full attention of the nurse when they are communicating. He states that being aware of ones own non-verbal behaviours, such as posture and eye contact can have an effect on how communication is received by the patient. As evident in the reflection, the patient at the beginning of the review was anxious, upset and worried. By the end of the review her body language had significantly changed. The patient looked and felt a lot better in herself and had a better understanding of how her condition was affecting her and understood how to manage it. However if this information was badly communicated, the patients anxiety could have been prolonged (Hayward, 1975). This also links back to the need to understand medical conditions so that communication is channelled to the patients needs at the time. The fundamentals of care set out by the Welsh Assembly Government (2003), states that communication is of upmost importance in the effectiveness of care given by nurses. By looking at all the fundamentals of communication and the effect on patient care we can understand and recognise that the communication in this reflection was good communication in practice. Analysis The closed questions were used at the beginning of the review, had their advantages. They allowed the nurse to focus the on the specific clinical facts needed. The start of the review used mainly closed questions to get all the clinical facts needed to be recorded, such as Personal information, Spirometry results, blood pressure, drug management of COPD (Robinson, 2010). The structured approach allows the nurse to evaluate using measurable outcomes and thus interventions adjusted accordingly (Dougherty, 2008). The closed question approach allows the consultation to be shortened if time is an issue. However the disadvantage of this as identified by Berry (2007) is that important information may be missed. The use of closed questions on a computer screen hindered the use of non-verbal communication. Not allowing for eye contact, which is an important aspect of effective communication. The use of open questions in the review allowed the patient to express how they were feeling about their condition or any other worries. The nurse used active listening skills, communicated in her non-verbal behaviour. It gave the opportunity to the patient to ask for advice on any worries they might have. The use of open questions can provoke a long and sometimes not totally relevant response (Baillie, 2005), using up valuable time. Eye contact is another important part of communication in the reflective scenario. The eye contact at the start of the review was limited. The nurse made slight eye contact when asking the closed questions, but made none when given the answer. This may have contributed to the patients anxious state. However, the eye contact given during the open questions section. At this stage, there were several eye contacts between the nurse and patient and information was given and understood. The value of eye contact in communication is invaluable and has great effect at reducing symptoms of anxiety (Dougherty 2008). Reflection conclusion The use of communication in this COPD review was very structured. The use of closed questions helped to structure the consultation and acquire lots of information from the patient. The open questions allowed for the patient to express any feeling or concerns. The nurse used verbal and non-verbal communication methods, to obtain information about the patient; assess any needs and communicate back to the patient, within the time period. However in my opinion, if the computer screen was moved closer to the patient during the closed question section, better interaction could have been established from the beginning. It would also allow the nurse to look at the patient when asking the questions leading to a more therapeutic relationship, whilst still obtaining and recording a large amount of information. Therefore, the use of effective communication skills as seen in this review along with a person centred approach can significantly increase better treatment and care given to the patient (Spouse, 2008) and thus signifies good communication in practice. Action Plan The goal of the plan is to increasing patient participation in the use of the computer as an interactive tool. By allowing the patient to see what is on the screen and being written, allows the patient to feel more involved in the assessment and takes away any feeling of inferiority from social class difference. In attempt to achieving these goals, the following steps would be taken: Set up a team to investigate the issue which could involve nursing staffs or other hospital staffs. Drawing up a feedback questionnaire, to investigate how patients feel about the closed questions on the computer, including a section on how they would feel if they were allowed to look at the screen. Collation, analysis and review of the results of the feedback Identify barriers to the implementation of the plan (e.g. willingness of nurses to this change). Inform the NMC on the issues and the findings from the feedback questionnaire. Implementation of the plan. Set up a monitoring and evaluation team to see if the plan is being implemented appropriately. CONCLUSION This assignment has looked at communication and its importance in nursing practice. Communication is thus an important process involving the interaction between one or more persons using verbal and non-verbal methods. Understanding the barriers to communication contributes significantly to how effective a nurse communicates in practice. The use of questioning in nursing has been a valuable tool in assessing a patient and obtaining information. However the way this is done can have an effect on the development of empathy, trust, genuineness and respect, between the nurse and the patient. It is imperative for nurses to however reflect on their communication in practice to further improve the therapeutic relationship between them and the patient as has been identified as essential in the delivery of care (WAG 2003). REFERENCES Alder, RB. Rodman, G. 2003. Understanding human communication: (8th edition). USA: Oxford university press Andrews, C. Smith, J. 2001. Medical Nursing: (11th edition) London: Harcourt Publishers limited Berry, D. 2007. Basic forms of communication. In: Payne, S. Horn, S. ed. Health communication theory and practice. England: Open university press. Chowdhry, S. 2010. Exploring the concept of empathy in nursing: can lead to abuse of patient trust. Nursing times 160(42), pp. 22-25 Dickson, D. 1999. Barriers to communication. In: Long, A. ed. Interaction for practice in community nursing. England: Macmillian press LTD, pp. 84-132 Dougherty, L. Lister, S. ed. 2008. The royal marsden hospital manual of clinical nursing procedures. Student edition. 7th ed. Italy: Wiley-Blackwell Egan, G. 1990. The skilled helper: A systematic approach to effective helping. 4th ed. California: Brooks /Cole Ekman, p. Friesen, WV. 1975. Unmasking the face. Englewood cliffs, NJ: prentice-hall INC Endacott, R. Jevon, P. Cooper, S. 2009. Clinical Nursing Skills Core and Advanced. Oxford : Oxford University Press. Foley, GN. 2010. Non-verbal communication in psychotherapy. Psychiatry (Edgemont) 7(6) pp. 38-44 Gibbs, G. 1988. Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Oxford further education unit. Grover, SM. 2005. Shaping effective communication skills and therapeutic relationship at work. Aaohn journal 53(4) pp.177-182 Hawkins, K. Power, C. 1999. Gender differences in questions asked during small decision-making group discussions, small group research.(30) pg.235-256 Hayward, J. 1975. Information A prescription against pain. London: Royal college of nursing. p. 50 Marie- Claire Mason 2010. Effective interaction: Nursing Standard 24(31) p 25. Nazarko, L. 2009. Advanced communication skills. British journal of healthcare assistants. 3 (09) pp 449-452 Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)2008. The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. London. NMC Peate, I. 2006. Becoming a nurse in the 21st century. England: Wiley and Son Robinson, T. 2010. Empowering people to self-manage COPD with management plans and hand held records. Nursing times. 106(38) pp. 12-14 Sale, J. Neal, NM. 2005. The nurses approach: self-awareness and communication. In Ballie, L. ed. Developing practical nursing skills. 2nd ed. London: Oxford university press. Pg. 33-57 Sheldon, L. 2005. Communication for nurses: Talking with patients. London: Jones and Bartlett publishers. Spouse, J. Cook, M. Cox, C. 2008. Common foundation studies in nursing (4th edition). London: Churchill livingstone. Stevenson C, Grieves M, Stein Parbury J. 2004. Patient and Person: Empowering Interpersonal relationships in Nursing London. Elsevier Limited. Timby, BK. 2005. Fundemental Nursing Skills and Concepts Philadelphia. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Turnbull J, Chapman ,S. 2010. Supporting Choice in Health Care for People with Learning Disabilities. Nursing Standard 24 (22) pp 50 55 Welsh Assembly Government 2003. Fundamentals of Care Guidance for Health and Social Care Staff Cardiff: WAG
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