Many of today’s drivers have dangerous habits

Observing driver’s behavior nowadays, one can conclude that undoubtedly many are said to be poor when it comes to driving skills. Now there is more than anecdotal evidence that American drivers are woefully in need of refresher courses in basic driving skills. The results of the second annual GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test suggest that licensed Americans â€Å"lack basic driving knowledge and exhibit alarming behaviors on the road.† The study revealed that one in 11 drivers out of nearly 18 million people would fail a state drivers test if one were administered to them today. Furthermore, the study shows drivers deliberately disregard pedestrians and treat driving as the new â€Å"down time,† where they catch up on the day's activities, diverting their attention from the road. (Ripley, 2007) New finding had come up but still indicates that drivers still do not have adequate knowledge of basic rules of the road, and they exhibit bad habits behind the wheel. One of the most dangerous behavior for drivers is the concern for pedestrians. Roughly one out of three drivers usually do not stop for pedestrians even if they’re in a crosswalk or at a yellow light. Another things is that one out of five drivers do not know that a pedestrian has the right of way at a marked or unmarked crosswalk. Another concern that has a connection with the latest trends is that some drivers treat driving as a time to catch up on activities that they failed to do in their hectic day. Doing stuffs like cellphone chatting, texting, e-mailing friends, selecting songs on their iPods, putting on make up, changing clothes and reading. These activities are considered to be distracting and of course dangerous. Most drivers also drive through yellow lights. Drivers also drive at least 10mph over the speed limit they are always in a hurry and cannot be bothered to slow down. The most common driver’s dangerous habits are: use of handheld cellular phones while driving, not respecting pedestrians in crosswalks, drivers do push through driving even though they are drunk, driving under the influence of drugs, too fast driving when raining, not slowing down when passing through humps, not blowing horns when there are people crossing the street, too many unskilled drivers are on the road, drivers are not using hand signals, bike lanes are out of hand, drivers use to cut lines and the speed limits are too low. Its good to break the rule sometimes but one must remember that life should never be put at risk so we must remember to drive responsibly. Work Cited Ripley, Tom . â€Å"Study Says American Drivers Suck† December 4, 2007 Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ;http://www.drivingtoday.com/sweetridz/features/archive/amer_drivers_suck/index.html;

Louis XIV and the Greatness of France by Maurice Ashley

For all of his foibles and eccentricities, King Louis XIV of France stands in history as an important and effective leader in 17th century France.   His impact on the course of French history is undeniable, and the story of his life and rise to power is fascinating to study.   One of the pivotal works on Louis XIV in the last several decades is â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France† by Maurice Ashley.   In this book review, Ashley’s work will be discussed within the historical context of 17th century France in an effort to better understand Louis XIV and the writing of Ashley himself. Overview of the Work Maurice Ashley, in writing â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France† created a work that is rich in historical details about the life and rule of the man who would come to be known throughout history as The Sun King (Ashley, 1965), combined with literary techniques and contemporary viewpoints, which will be presented in subsequent portions of this review. The work takes a biographical format, beginning literally with the conception of Louis XIV and following the course of his life and monarchy to its conclusion, and ultimately, discussing how France continued forward after the end of his life and reign.   In retrospect, Ashley’s book has come to be known as one of the pivotal modern writings about The Sun King as well as a highly regarded historical record. The Use of Descriptive Language in the Work Interestingly, Ashley uses vivid descriptive language to bring Louis XIV to life for the reader by describing his physical, emotional and monarchical presence, written in the third person.   In doing this, the reader is able to relate to Louis XIV as a character in the drama of French history, rather than just as a statistic or footnote to history.   Because of this, one gains additional insight into the psyche of the king, and can better evaluate his decisions and rule. A perfect example of personal information about Louis XIV comes in the form of a direct quote form deMotterville, one of Louis XIV’s contemporaries, when he observes: â€Å"I often noticed with astonishment that in his games and amusements, the king never laughed† (Ashley, 1965, p. 11).   The text is full of such quotes, which make the book more understandable and enjoyable. Central Theme of the Work If a central theme were to be assigned to Ashley’s book, it would be absolute power, or as historians would describe it, Absolutism, which is to say that Louis XIV sought to hold control of all of the government of France, which went against the parliamentary systems that other nations were adopting during this time (Ashley, 1965).   The author makes an excellent point when he implies that Louis XIV’s rule, which ran contrary to the popular opinion of the world at that time, did not continue despite France’s greatness, but because of it.   Not even an autocrat like Louis XIV could destroy the French empire. Use of Contemporary Viewpoints Ashley wisely utilized commentary from his contemporaries to add depth to â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France†.   By including modern leaders such as Winston Churchill as part of the book, Ashley cleverly brought hundreds of years of history into the modern arena of thought, again helping the reader to better understand Louis XIV in a present-day context. Summary In closing, what should be noted about Maurice Ashley’s â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France† is that the author wove literary technique and solid facts to create and informative and entertaining work that has withstood decades of scrutiny to become one of the pivotal works about this formative period in the history of France. References (Ashley, 1965) (Ashley Maurice 1965 Louis XIV and the Greatness of France)Ashley, Maurice (1965). Louis XIV and the Greatness of France. New York: Free Press.      

Unit four Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Unit four - Assignment Example There are different behaviors that can be used to identify child abuse. In the caregivers or parents of the child, these may include: Any reluctance to expose their children or charges to medical examination. Some parents also take their children to different medical facilities in order not to draw suspicion or added questions about the true cause of injuries. There are parents who have offered no valid reasons to explain why their children have wounds or injuries. Some parents refuse to let medical workers speak to their children alone. They also answer on their children’s behalf. There are instances where the caregiver or parent is unresponsive to the child even though the child appears to almost be a young adult who seeks to meet the emotional needs of the parent In the case of the child, these may include: The presentation of a depressed child who seems unduly anxious and is too eager to please the parent. Some children even show a deep fear of the parent. The child may al so exhibit emotional problems that are inconsistent with their young age. These may include nightmares or temper tantrums. Other children appear to be emotionally unavailable and do not seek comfort even when they are exposed to suffering. On the other hand, they may appear to be overly-obedient towards their parent or care-giver. When expected to undress, the child may show a reluctance at taking their clothes off, or exhibit extreme passivity when the nurse or doctor starts to examine them In most cases where the child is being severely physically abused, the child will warily follow the parent or care-giver with his eyes as though seeking to perceive when the next blow might come (Wortans, Happell and Johnstone, 2006). 2) Identify where the ethical principles of autonomy, justice, fidelity, beneficence, non-malfeasance, and veracity are implied in the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurse with Interpretive Statements (ANA, 2001) to guide the practice of the manager. The ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses  was created to be a guide for conducting nursing responsibilities in a way that would maintain or preserve the best standards of nursing care. This code also seeks to uphold the ethical obligations of the nursing profession. The first code, non-malfeasance, or ‘first do no harm’, is descriptive of the nurse's obligation to preserve the patient's safety. It is a throwback to the ancient ‘Hippocratic Oath’, and states that the doctor’s first responsibility is to keep from taking actions that will further compromise the health of the patient even before starting to treat the ailment or injury that is affecting the patient. Beneficence, which is the second principle, speaks to ethical concerns; particularly when there is a discrepancy between what may be considered as being good between the patient and hospital, nurse and patient, or even between patients themselves. Options that may have varied moral consequences include approved services , financial reimbursement, matters concerning physical or sexual abuse, or organizational issues like the peck-of-command. Autonomy is the third ethical code and refers to patients’ right to self-determination. For instance, patients have the right to

Culture Serves as Informal Structure in Organizations - Organisational Research Paper

Culture Serves as Informal Structure in Organizations - Organisational Behavior - Research Paper Example Organizations both small and large multinational conglomerates can achieve high profits in their business by matching their needs with the structure they employ in operation. There are various forms of organizational structures and they include function, matrix and division structures. In a functional structure, an organization is set up in order to group every portion of the organization according to its purpose and this structure works well for small businesses where each department relies on the talent and knowledge of workers and support. Nevertheless, the main drawback for the structure is that coordination and communication-linking departments are restricted by organizational boundaries that have various departments working separately. Divisional structure is employed in large organizations that work in large geographic location or in organizations that have different small organizations in the same company to take care of different forms of products or even market areas. The s tructure is beneficial in that it enables needs to be met rapidly although communication is inhibited since employees are in various divisions thus not working together; besides, the structure is costly owing to its size and scope. The matrix structure is a hybrid of both functional and divisional structures and is often employed by multinational companies since it allows the benefits of functional and divisional structures to exist in a single organization. Nevertheless, the structures create a potential for power struggles since many areas of the organization have dual management like a functional manager as well as a product or divisional manager working in the same stage and covering same managerial territory (Singh, 2010).  

The Minimum Wage Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Minimum Wage Law - Essay Example Opponents contend that the law costs jobs and is an unwarranted and unnecessary intrusion into the affairs of business. In fact, the minimum wage law is an unproductive and unconstitutional law that increases unemployment, does not reduce poverty, and should be repealed. Labor is one of the few commodities that is marketed in the US that has a price floor, and this artificial subsidy is counter-productive in a capitalist economy. Subsidies on items such as agricultural goods serve the purpose of stabilizing the market during periods of unusual production gluts or shortages. However, this is not the case for labor. The low skilled, low-end worker is subsidized by their co-workers and the employer as a form of economic welfare. For example, an employer needs to hire two people and he has a budget of $13.10 per hour for labor. One of the positions is more skilled, and the other is part time so he would like to hire an $8 per hour employee and a $5 per hour part time worker. However, the law says that he must hire two employees at $6.55 each to stay within his budget. The part time worker receives a $1.55 subsidy from his more skilled co-worker. The employer is faced with hiring a sub-standard employee for the $8 per hour slot, or hiring only one employ ee. According to Sowell, "Making it illegal to pay less than a given amount does not make a worker's productivity worth that amount, and if it is not, that worker is unlikely to be employed" (163-164). When goods, in this case labor, are overpriced the market demand is reduced. Rather than providing a living wage and a job, the minimum wage law drives down the cost of labor and transfers wealth from the lower economic classes to the minimum wage job holder. In addition to the reduction in demand for labor that comes as the result of mandatory pricing, there is also an oversupply of labor as many people make their services available that may not have been offered at the previous and lower prices. Teenagers, first time job seekers, part time workers, and seasonal workers may drive up the supply as their labor becomes worth more and working becomes more worthwhile. This adds to the evidence that most minimum wage jobs are filled by teenagers working summer jobs, part time help, and entry level workers, rather than coming from a background of poverty or the working poor (Even and MacPherson ii). Rather than increasing wages, the current minimum wage law creates an oversupply of labor and actually keeps wages down. The US has traditionally been a free market capitalist system, and intervening with an artificial floor on wages that is determined outside the market, reduces total employment in this environment of market economics. Labor, just as goods and services, is subject to the law of supply and demand. According to Ferguson, "The main influence is the pressure of demand on the supplies of goods and services and on the supply of labor. When demand exceeds supply there will be pressure on wages to rise" (215). The law of supply and demand further states that when prices rise, demand falls. This is especially true with prices that are set by a legal mandate. Sowell states, "a price artificially raised tends to cause more to be supplied and less to be demanded than when prices are left to be determined by supply and demand in a free market" (163). As

Business law case study questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business law questions - Case Study Example Thus under the general notion, the company is liable for its debts and not the shareholders. (Ridley 2011) The landmark decision in respect of company incorporation was of Salomon v Salomon ([1897] AC 22) where Mr. Salomon, formed a company which included his wife, five children and himself (so as to fulfill requirements of shareholders as per the Companies Act prevailing at that time). He went on to purchase the sole trading business which was operated by him albeit overvaluing the business, but that too because of his confidence in the business. The company went into liquidation and the liquidator evaluated that the company was a sham and was an agent of Salomon and conclusion was that he should be held personally liable to the debts of the company. The House of Lords reversing the decision of the Court of Appeal observed that it was reasonable if shareholders held shares merely to fulfill technical requirements and so the procedure of setting up a business could be used by any per son and if so done it would be a separate legal entity. The current Companies Act 2006 (s.7) allows a company to be formed by a single person. The next decision that was made by the House of Lords was Macaura v Northern Assurance Co. ([1925] AC 619) the court went on to say that under corporate personality assets belong to the company (Dignam et al 2012). The courts have scrutinized the concept of separate legal entity by lifting the veil of incorporation, whereby rights and liabilities of company and shareholders are treated as the same thereby removing the concept of limited liability as a result of which the shareholders are held liable for the acts of the company. This is known as lifting the veil, which is done mainly where the company is found to be a â€Å"sham† or â€Å"fraud†. The current position in respect of lifting the veil is that of Adams v Cape Industries plc where it was held that the veil would be lifted only if the company is created with the intent or purpose of fraud or where the reason was for avoidance of an existing obligation. (Dignam et al 2012) In respect of the position of McDaid Development (Ireland) Ltd and its shareholder, it is important to note that McDaid is a private limited company and has one shareholder who owns all the shares. Under the Companies Act 2006, a single person can also set up a company. The benefit that the shareholder would derive from the company is that of limited liability which means liability would be limited to the extent of unpaid shares and the shareholder would not be held accountable for the losses that have been incurred by McDaid Development (Ireland) Ltd. Q2. The Companies Act 2006 prescribes several duties on company directors. Discuss the general duties of directors according to the law. Analyze and discuss the duties breached by Peter McDaid as the managing director of McDaid Developments (Ireland) Ltd. In accordance with the provisions of section 171 of the Companies Act 2006, t he directors must act within powers and to exercise them for a proper purpose. If a director breaches the same such breach is generally considered to be a breach of the director’s duty to act in good faith. Difficulties have arisen when the directors act in good faith but not for a proper purpose. In the decision of the Privy Council in Howard Smith Ltd. v.

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

Arguments - Assignment Example Conclusion: Casey Anthony murdered her daughter. My argument is everyone deserves a fair trial. It would be better for murderers to go free than one innocent person is sentenced to death row or jail. My friend’s argument is murderers must be punished even if some innocent people are sent to jail or death row. I am just concerned if one person’s rights are violated, my rights could be violated. My friend takes the view it would never happen to her. We both walked away agreeing to disagree. 2. The Scope and Limits of Logic Logic can help individuals understand our arguments. By studying logic, individuals can understand how to look at both sides of an argument to make a decision. When an individual only looks at one side of the argument logic cannot take place. It is based on personal feelings and experiences instead of looking at different sides of the argument. No matter how obstinate or one sided a person can be, they still use logic in some circumstances. Everyday ind ividuals debate within themselves on actions. Whether it is to take the Interstate or a side road to work or school, people have to make decisions everyday. So everyone uses logic. By studying logic, an individual can understand the why and how they make decisions.

Business Crime - Christies Ltd Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Crime - Christies Ltd - Essay Example Before proceeding to the topic of Christies Ltd. and business crime, it is important to understand how and why the Theft Act 1968 came into existence. This Act was original for it was the first British legislation, which the dealings of criminal law accessible to all citizens and not just limited to attorneys. An article from bbc.co.uk (2001) tells this history: Before 1968, theft and other, similar, offences were governed by a mass of conflicting legislation and common law and was over-complex. Before 1968, if 'ownership' passed by means of deception, the offence was 'obtaining by false pretences'. If 'possession' was passed, the offence was 'larcency by a trick'. Other offences existed, including 'larcency by a servant', 'fraudulent conversion' and 'embezzlement'. It had reached the point where it was harder to discover which crime the accused may have committed rather than whether or not the accused was guilty. The 1968 Theft Act, as well as the 1971 Criminal Damage Act, did much to overcome this problem. All previous theft legislation and common law were overruled, resulting in the creation of the first codified definition of law in England and Wales.

Service Request Essay Example for Free

Service Request Essay Section1 Complete Section 1 of the Service Request SR-rm-022 paper. Using the Service Request SR-rm-022, analyze the HR system. Prepare a 4- to 6-page paper that accomplishes the following: †¢What key stakeholders in Riordan Manufacturing would you gather requirements from? †¢Describe the information-gathering techniques and systems analysis tools you would propose for the project. †¢Identify the key factors that help ensure the information required for the project is gathered successfully. †¢Explain what project scope is and why it is important. Describe the areas of project feasibility that are examined in the analysis phase of the SCLC. †¢Cite and discuss 2 to 3 references, in addition to the required readings, that are relevant to the assignment. Include citations and references formatted consistent with APA guidelines. Submit Section 1 of the final paper. Note to Faculty: To assist faculty in scoring this benchmark assessment, scoring rubrics have been provided for Weeks 2-4 individual assignments. Please submit the completed scoring instrument into the Gradebook system with the student’s assignment grade. Faculty members are not required to use this instrument, and it may be adapted. Section2 Complete Section 2 of the Service Request SR-rm-022 paper. This week’s assignment incorporates the transition from analysis to design. Consider revising Section 1 based on faculty feedback. Note: The content of the Week Three assignment should not be changed because this assignment has been selected for the university’s Programmatic Assessment Project. As such, completed student assignments may be periodically sampled for program analysis purposes. Prepare a 4- to 6-page paper that includes the following: †¢Describe the application architecture and process design. Include a high-level description of the security controls you recommend for the design of this HR system. †¢Apply the tools of systems analysis to describe the information systems architecture in terms of data, processes, interfaces, and network. You can use a Microsoft ® Visio ®diagram to draw examples of flow charts, data flow diagrams, and any other design tools. †¢Cite and discuss 2 to 3 references, in addition to the required readings, that are relevant to  the assignment. Include citations and references formatted consistent with APA guidelines. Submit Section 2 of the paper. Note: To assist faculty in scoring this benchmark assessment, scoring rubrics have been provided for Weeks 2-4 individual assignments. Please submit the completed scoring instrument into the Gradebook system with the student’s assignment grade. Faculties are not required to use this instrument, and it may be adapted. Section 3 Complete Section 3 of the Service Request SR-rm-022 paper. This section incorporates the transition from design to implementation. Consider revising Sections 1 and 2 based on faculty feedback. Note: The content of the Week Four assignment should not be changed because this assignment has been selected for the university’s Programmatic Assessment Project. As such, completed student assignments may be periodically sampled for program analysis purposes. T Prepare a 4- to 6-page paper that accomplishes the following: †¢Describe the implementation stage for this project. †¢Include a discussion of the six major activities for the implementation stage as described in the text: Coding Testing Installation Documentation Training Support †¢Describe in the discussion of these six activities how each activity would be specifically planned for the individual project situation. †¢Discuss the benefits of using defined and repeatable processes for accomplishing these activities for the implementation stage. †¢Cite and discuss 2 to 3 references, in addition to the required readings, that are relevant to the assignment. Include citations and references formatted consistent with APA Guidelines. Compile Sections 1 through 3 into one final paper. Note: To assist faculty in scoring this benchmark assessment, scoring rubrics  have been provided for Weeks 2-4 individual assignments. Please submit the completed scoring instrument into the Gradebook system with the student’s assignment grade. Faculty members are not required to use this instrument, and it may be adapted.

Jacobite opposition to the Whig Oligarchy Essay Example for Free

Jacobite opposition to the Whig Oligarchy Essay Why was Jacobite opposition to the Whig Oligarchy so unsuccessful between 1714-60 The Jacobites were a British group who repeatedly tried to reinstate the old Stuart kings onto the English throne, as opposed to the Protestant monarchy that began in 1689. From 1714-60 parliament was dominated by the Whig party, to the detriment of the pro-Jacobite Tories. There were many Jacobite attempts in this period to overthrow this Whig oligarchy and the kings that supported it. P Monod attributes the failure of the Jacobites to a lack of leadership and inadequate military forces. J Stephenson, on the other hand, argues that a lack of foreign and domestic support for the old stuart monarchy is the predominant reason for the lack of success of the Jacobites. This essay will examine the four main factors that are cited as the reasons for the failure of Jacobites poor leadership, weak military, little foreign support, declining domestic support and will evaluate which one of them is the most important. The Jacobites that they never had adept leaders. Jacobite officers were normally of Scottish brethren, with little experience of warfare. Furthermore, as they were Scottish, they did not know the territory when they entered England. This is considered by Monod as one of the reasons for their failure to sustain themselves upon exit of Scotland. The best attempts at Stuart restoration were the rebellions of 1715 and 1745. However, both of these are characterised by poor leadership. In the 15 the commander of the Jacobite army was the Earl of Mar. He raised the Jacobite flag too early, before the army was prepared and, at the Battle of Sherifmuir, failed to take advantage of his victory and the 3:1 ratio of forces, instead allowing the British battalions to retreat and regroup. On top of this, James Francis Stuart, the Pretender King, was absent from the rebellion. Thus, the Jacobites were without their inspirational figurehead. The rebellion of the 45 endured similar problems, despite having their true leader, Bonnie Prince Charlie present. Having successfully driven down to Derby, instead of marching for London, the Jacobites fled to Scotland, allowing the British to regroup and pursue them. The issue of poor leadership was compounded by the inherent weakness of the Jacobite forces. They were predominantly comprised of Scottish highlanders, and anyone else that wished to join them, normally farmers. The men had little, if any, fighting experience and had never been trained in combat. Furthermore, they were poorly equiped, relying on homemade and captured weapons. The force was usually small, at its largest during the 45 when it reached 12 000 men. This is contrast to the British armies that were defending London. Although, they were slow to react to both rebellions, they were far superior when they engaged the Jacobites in combat. In 1715, the British army had just emerged victorious from the War of Spanish Succession. After famous victories, such as Blenhim, it became known as one of the most formidable fighting forces in Europe. It was large and well trained. Moreover, the Jacobite armies were hampered by internal divisions. The bulk of their men came from highland clans which were historically opposed. Many refused to fight with each other. This problem was particularly present in the rebellion of 45. The Jacobite cause had little hope when it was so weak in the face of such strong opposition. In Britain and Scotland the Jacobites support for the Jacobites was slight, waning further during the period. While Scotland may have been very pro-Jacobite in 1714, the Jacobite influence influence decreased radically until 1760. This is largely down to the fact that the people were forgetting the reasons for their hatred of the British crown. The Glencoe Massacre of 1690 was soon moved into oblivion. Memories of the stuart kings faded as Britain enjoyed peace and prosperity under Hanoverian rule. Lastly, the benefits of Union with England became more apparent as Scotland grew economically and was less heavily taxed than before. In England itself, followers of the Jacobites were always few and far between, only decreasing in the period until 1760. England had always been very anti-Stuart, accusing James II and his predecessors of despotism. Thus, the Glorious Revolution of 1689 was welcomed by the majority of the population. The support that had come from the Tory party also wavered. This was because, after their defeat in the 1714 election, they were keener to rebuild politically than waste time on what was considered a hopeless task. This was compounded by the fact that two Tory leaders, Oxford and Bolingbroke were impeached in the run up to the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 and because Jacobitism grew to be associated with treason. The Jacobites could never rely on foreign support. Louis XIV had originally pledged his allegiance to James Francis Stuart, proclaiming him as King of England and promising resources. However, the loss of the War of Spanish Succession, and the subsequent acknowledgement of the Hanoverian succession, esnsured France would not, and could not, fund the Jacobites for a very long time. This was reinforced by the Anglo-French Entente of the 1720s, whereby Walpole and Fleury were keen to maintain the peace. The French did promote the Jacobites in the run-up to the 45, with a 15 000 invasion force at Dunkirk ready to embark for England. However, poor weather and the War of Austrian Succession diverted the troops. Similarly in 1719, a Spanish fleet was ready to set sail for England, in support of the Jacobites, only to be stopped by a storm. Few other European nations were willing to fund the Jacobites. Seeing it as an worthless cause that would just bring unnecessary aggression from Britain, the pre-eminent power in Europe. The lack of foreign support was no doubt significant, as a large, well-supplied army was never received in Britain. However, even with the absence of this, the Jacobite rebellions drove deep into Britain. Similarly, the claim that Jacobite leaders were inept, while maybe true, does not fully explain the failure of the rebellions. The armies still enjoyed many victories and the British were often commanded by similarly worthless men. The inadequacy of the troops and the lack of domestic support are the most significant explanations for the failure of the Jacobites. Against such a strong British army, the Jacobites had little hope of victory. Linked to this, is the lack of pro-Jacobite people in Britain. This was an underlying reason for the small number of people that would join the rebellion and further ensured that both times the revolts extended into England, they petered out due to the prevalent hostility of the people.

Wellbore Instability and Borehole Breakout

Wellbore Instability and Borehole Breakout Introduction: Despite the development of oil and gas industry technology, Wellbore instability remains one of non productive time that cost industry billions every year. wellbore instability has been one of the well planning stage and been studied widely (Bradley,1979; Bell, 2003; Zhang et al., 2003; Gentzis et al., 2009; Zhang et al., 2009; Ding, 2011). Drilling through a formation led to stress changing a round the borehole due to rock removal. In this analysis, mud weight pressure is the controllable parameter during the drilling. The mud weight pressure effects can cause two failure mechanisms which are shear failure (breakout) and tensile failure (fracturing), these problems consider as the main wellbore failure. Borehole breakout happens when the mud weight is lower than expected. in other word, the breakout failure occurs when the stress imposed by drilling mud lower than compressive strength. On the other hand, higher mud weight can lead to tensile failure due to invade of mud into the fo rmation. The consequences behind these problems are stuck pipe, reaming operation, lost circulation, and sidetracking. To eliminate these problems many parameters should be considered such us rock strength, pore pressure, in-situ stress, and stress orientation. Furthermore, breakout and fracturing can be diminishing or eliminate by choosing the suitable mud weight for drilling. By using a constitutive model to predict the stresses around the wellbore connected with a failure criteria, Strength of reservoir rocks can be calculated. Hence, selection of the suitable failure criteria will consider as the main part of wellbore stability analysis. Borehole breakout is an enlargement and elongation of wellbore in a particular direction and it considers as the important indicators to predict the orientation of min. horizontal stress. This enlargement can be predicted by using 4-6 arm caliper tool, Optical imaging log, resistive image log, and acoustic image log (Jaeger et al.,2009; Bell and Gough, 1979; Zoback et al.,1985).   Figure (1) shows wellbore enlargement pattern via 4 arm caliper. The 4 arms caliper has 4 pads in two calipers (pad 1 and 3) represent Caliper 1 (C1) and (pad 2 and 4) represent caliper 2 (C2). The diameter of the hole can be identified from those two calipers. Fig 1a represents an in-gauge hole cause C1 and C2 have same reading of bit size. In contrast 1C shows a severe washout in hole size and caliper reading show this enlargement. Stand on well logs data and empirical equations, the rock strength and mechanical properties can be obtained (Rahimi, 2014). (Westergarrd. 1940) in-situ stress can be obtained by elastic characteristic equations. Also, from elastoplastic characteristic equation in-situ stress can be calculated (chang et al., 2006). As well , (LOT) and mini frac. test can help us to determine in-situ stresses (Bardley 1979b). Many models have been built to determine the induced stress in a circular well and predict the suitable mud pressure by using Failure criteria. In this analysis, three failure criteria have been used to predict the proper mud weight in the Nahr Umr formation in southern Iraq. The three failure criteria are Mohr-coulomb, Mogi-coulomb, and modified lade. Fig (1) Caliper log responses due to wellbore enlargement (Tingay ) Geological properties of the field and the target reservoir. The H oil filed is a land-based field located in southeastern Iraq between the city of  Basra and the Kuwait border (Figure 2). The field is an anticline that runs roughly north-west to south-southeast approximately 60 km long and 10-15 km wide. The anticline of H field has four domes divided by saddles, from the northwest to southeast these are: Al-Hamar Shuaiba Rafidyah Safwan Fig (3) The four domes in H filed The discovered reserves are contained in five reservoirs: Mishrif, Nahr Umr, Zubair 3rd Pay, Zubair 4th Pay and Yamama. (Figure 3) represents well stratigraphic. Nahr Umr Formation is an interesting potential water source zone due to the abundance of log data through the unit, water salinity that is compatible with the Mishrif and Zubair Formation waters, and the reported extent and strength of the aquifer. It is composed mainly of Sandstone interbedded with streaks of (Shale, Siltstone Limestone). Average thickness of Nahr Umr formation is +/- 260 m and the porosity exceed 25% with an average of 20% permeability ranges from 1000 md to 9000 md. Depends on information from more than fifteen wells, shear failure has been noticed in Nahr Umr formation specially at the shale layers. This breakout has been shown on shale shaker and by caliper log. Fig (4) stratigraphic of H field

College Admissions Essay: My Summer in Europe :: College Admissions Essays

My summer in Europe    I spent six weeks in Florence, studying renaissance art and art history. After this, I traveled across Europe for three weeks and experienced the many beautiful countries and cultures that exist on this continent.    Studying renaissance art in Florence, the place of it's birth, was literally a moving experience. To see works that I thought only existed in books and also to live in the same city that housed the masters, was amazing. I took a drawing class as well in Florence. This proved to be a challenging and beneficial class. Drawing street scenes, landscapes, figures, or anything for that matter, is always a challenge. However to do this in a city where there are masterpieces lining churches and museums all around you, made the action a bit more challenging. It was a wonderful and astounding resource to be able to refer to a Michelangelo sculpture or a Botticelli painting. The museums in Florence proved to be my most favorite pastime and the greatest tool for any artist. The Uffizi and Pitti Palace house some of the most famous and also not so famous (but just as wonderful) works.    Living in Florence for six weeks was such a wonderful learning experience. Each day was an adventure. By buying food and asking for directions, I slowly learned enough Italian to get by. Sadly, I found that like many places in Europe, Florence has also become Americanized. English was just as prevalent as Italian. Honestly, it was convenient to know that my waiter would be able to converse with me in English. Yet, at the same time, I felt a little guilty in knowing that through tourism, Italy has lost a small part of its culture and history.    After my stay in Florence, I had the chance to see more of Europe. I went to Salzburg, Prague, Lucerne, the Italian and French Riviera, and Paris. Three weeks of trains, hostels, new places and people proved to be an exciting and tiring time! I saw the Alps, the Mediterranean, the historic neighborhoods of Prague, and then Paris. Each day I woke up with excitement, ready to go and explore the new place we were in. And each night I fell asleep, and dreamt of what tomorrow would bring. It was a beautiful and simple three weeks. My only job was just to experience and see all that I could of a place.

Media Use of Stereotypes Essay -- Media Stereotypes Stereotyping

Media Use of Stereotypes We live in a world of technological innovation where mass media is a major part of us today. People make assumptions on what they hear. They do not try to analyze the situation to see who is right and who is wrong, and mass media is the main source of manipulating one's mind. The concept of propaganda has changed over time. Propagandists create ideas stereotypically through the use of propaganda and use media to promote it and target people's minds to have influence on their views towards a certain group of people. These ideas create negative or positive images in the intended audience's minds. However, it is notable that the information is only the one that is exemplified through media and therefore, can be wrong or changed than what reality is. Different stereotypes work well in propaganda with the help of propaganda tactics through the use of political campaigns and commercial advertising exposed by mass media. Many critics define propaganda differently; however, there is a general agreement that propaganda is concerned with influencing opinions (Cole, 1998). The word propaganda has many other synonyms such as big lie, persuasion, brainwashing, disinformation, etc. Propaganda is not a realistic portrayal of an issue; rather it is something that is changed to manipulate the intended public. Propaganda is the aim to change people's views about an issue and the way these aims are intended on the targeted audience is the way propaganda is presented, especially through mass media. Evidently, people strongly tend to select the media, which carry contents with which they already agree (Jackall, 1995). Media tends to produce what they know people will like to hear. On the other hand, people make ce... ...hat how much of the information they consume reflects reality and therefore, propagandists benefit by creating stereotypical views, which work well in portraying propaganda. WORK CITED "Definitions of Propaganda." Ed. Robert Cole. The Encyclopedia of Propaganda. 3 vols. New York: Sharpe Reference , 1998. "Do The Math." FIRST For Women On The Go 19 Apr. 2004: n. pag. Johnston, Carla B. Screened Out - How The Media Control Us & What We Can Do About It. Armonk: M. E. Sharpe, Inc, 2000. 23-24. LaRose, Robert, and Joseph Straubhaar. Media Now - Understanding Media, Culture and Technology. 4th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth Thomson Learning, 2004. 379. Propaganda. Ed. Robert Jackall. New York: New York UP, 1995. 89. Ryan, John, and William M. Wentworth. Media & Society - The Production of Culture in the Mass Media. Needham Heights: Allyn & Bacon, 1999. 52.

The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations

Research Reports The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations Leaf Van Boven, Thomas Gilovich, and Victoria Husted Medvec The authors examined whether negotiators are prone to an â€Å"illusion of transparency,† or the belief that their private thoughts and feelings are more discernible to their negotiation partners than they actually are. In Study One, negotiators who were trying to conceal their preferences thought that their preferences had â€Å"leaked out† more than they actually did. In Study Two, experienced negotiators who were trying to convey information about some of their preferences overestimated their partners’ ability to discern them. The results of Study Three rule out the possibility that the findings are simply the result of the curse of knowledge, or the projection of one’s own knowledge onto others. Discussion explores how the illusion of transparency might impede negotiators’ success. I most cartoon depictions of negotiators in action (a tiny fraction of the cartoon universe, we admit), negotiators are shown with dialog bubbles depicting their overt comments and thought bubbles revealing their private thoughts. These conventions convey the different levels at which negotiators operate: Some of their wants, wishes, and worries are conveyed to the other side, but some are held back for strategic advantage. Because one task in negotiation is deciding how much information to hold back (Raiffa 1982), Leaf Van Boven is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Campus Box 345, Boulder, Colo. 80309. Email: [email  protected] edu. Thomas Gilovich is a Professor of Psychology at Cornell University, Department of Psychology, Ithaca, N. Y. 15850. Email: [email  protected] edu. Victoria Husted Medvec is the Adeline Barry Davee Associate Professor of Management and Organizations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, 2001 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Ill. 60201. Email:[email  protected] orthwestern. edu. 0748-4526/03/0400-0117/0  © 2003 Plenum Publishing Corporation Negotiation Journal April 2003 117 it follows that part of the phenomenology of negotiation is monitoring how well one has conveyed what one wants to convey and concealed what one wants to conceal. Do negotiators know how well they have conveyed or concealed their preferences? Typically, negotiators know what they have and have not said, of course, so they may g enerally have a good idea what their partners know about their preferences. But how well calibrated are negotiators’ assessments of what they have conveyed and concealed? We explored one source of potential miscalibration, namely, whether negotiators experience an illusion of transparency, overestimating the extent to which their internal states â€Å"leak out† and are known by others (Gilovich, Savitsky, and Medvec 1998). Most research on the illusion of transparency shows that people overestimate their ability to conceal private information. But there is also evidence that people experience the illusion when trying to convey private information. Individuals who were asked to convey emotions with facial expressions alone overestimated observers’ ability to discern the expressed emotion (Savitsky 1997). Likewise, participants who were videotaped while exposed to humorous material thought they had been more expressive than observers subsequently rated them as being (Barr and Kleck 1995). These findings suggest that, when trying either to conceal or convey information, negotiators may experience an illusion of transparency, overestimating what their partners know about their preferences. Whether they do so is important, because previous research has shown that the likelihood of (optimal) settlement is often contingent on accurate perceptions of what others know about one’s own preferences (Bazerman and Neale 1992; Raiffa 1982; Thompson 1991). We conducted three different studies to examine whether negotiators experience an illusion of transparency in negotiations. Studies One and Three examined whether novice negotiators trying to conceal their preferences tend to overestimate the likelihood that their negotiation partners would be able to identify those preferences. Study Two investigated whether experienced negotiators attempting to communicate some of their preferences also succumb to an illusion of transparency. Study Three was also designed to distinguish the illusion of transparency from the â€Å"curse of knowledge,† or the tendency to project one’s knowledge onto others (Camerer, Loewenstein, and Weber 1989; Keysar and Bly 1995; Keysar, Ginzel, and Bazerman 1995). Specifically, we examined whether observers who are â€Å"cursed† with the same knowledge as the negotiators exhibit the same biases as the negotiators themselves. Study One Method Twenty-four previously unacquainted Cornell University undergraduates participated in pairs in exchange for course credit. Participants learned that 118 Van Boven, Gilovich, and Medvec The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations they would complete a negotiation exercise in which they would each represent the provost at one of two campuses of a multi-campus university system. Because of budget constraints, all of the system’s eight social psychologists needed to be consolidated at the two provosts’ universities. The provosts were to negotiate the distribution of the social psychologists between the two campuses. Participants were informed that some social psychologists were more valuable than others, and that some were more valuable to one campus than the other. These differences were summarized in a report describing the strengths and weaknesses of each psychologist and assigning each a specific number of points. The eight psychologists were among the fifteen most frequently cited in social psychology textbooks (Gordon and Vicarii 1992). To familiarize participants with the psychologist and his or her expertise, each psychologist was depicted on a 2- by 4-inch laminated â€Å"trading card† that displayed a picture of the social psychologist, his or her name, and two of his or her better-known publications. Each negotiator’s most and least valuable psychologists were assigned +5 and –5 points, respectively, and the other psychologists were assigned intermediate values. The experimenter said that all psychologists must be employed at one of the two universities because all were tenured. The most and least valuable psychologists were not the same for the two negotiators; the correlation between how much each of the eight psychologists was worth to the two participants was . 79. Participants were told that they should conceal their report, which was somewhat different from the other participant’s report. Because pilot testing indicated that many participants were unsure how to negotiate, we showed them a five-minute videotape of a staged negotiation in which two confederates bartered over who would get (or be forced to acquire) each psychologist. Confederates were shown trading cards actively back and forth. Participants were given as much time as they needed to negotiate, usually about 30 minutes. They were told that several prizes would be awarded at the end of the academic term (e. g. , a $50 gift certificate to the Cornell book store, dinner for two at a local restaurant) and their chance of winning a prize corresponded to the number of points they earned in the negotiation. We asked participants both early in the negotiation (after approximately five minutes) and at the end to name their partner’s most valuable and least valuable psychologists. At both times, we also asked them to estimate the likelihood (expressed as a percentage) that their partner would correctly identify their most and least valuable psychologists. We pointed out that the probability of correct identification by chance alone was 12. 5 percent. Question order was counterbalanced, with no effect of order in any of our analyses. Negotiation Journal April 2003 119 Results and Discussion Our key analysis was a comparison of participants’ mean estimates to a null value derived from the overall accuracy rate. Participants can be said to exhibit an illusion of transparency if their estimates, on average, are higher than the actual accuracy rate. As predicted, negotiators overestimated their partners’ ability to detect their preferences, but only after the negotiation was complete (see Table One). Early in the negotiation, individuals slightly underestimated (by 2 percent) the likelihood that their partners would correctly identify their most valuable psychologist and slightly overestimated (by 8 percent) the likelihood that their partners would identify their least valuable psychologist. Neither of these differences was statistically reliable. 1 Following the negotiation, participants overestimated the probability that their partners would identify correctly their most and least valuable psychologists by 14 percent and 13 percent, respectively. Both of these differences were statistically reliable. That is, the probability that negotiators overestimated by pure chance how much their partners knew about their preferences is less than . 05 (the t statistics for these two comparisons are 3. 16 and 3. 30, respectively). Negotiators thus experienced an illusion of transparency at the end of the negotiation, overestimating their partners’ ability to discern their preferences. Table One Negotiators’ estimates of the likelihood that their partners would be able to identify their most and least valuable social psychologists, and the corresponding percentages actually able to do so. Estimated % Early negotiation Most valuable Least valuable Post negotiation Most valuable Least valuable 72%* 76%* 58% 63% 69% 58% 71% 50% Actual % Note: * indicates that the estimated percentage is reliably greater than the corresponding actual percentage, p < . 5 120 Van Boven, Gilovich, and Medvec The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations These findings extend earlier research on the illusion of transparency, showing that negotiators believe their inner thoughts and preferences â€Å"leak out† and are more discernible than they really are. This result was obtained only during the second assessment, but we do not wish to make too much of this finding. First, it is hardly surprising because, at the time of the initial assessment, most groups had yet to engage in much discussion of specific candidates, and thus there was little opportunity for participants’ references to have leaked out. Furthermore, it was only participants’ estimates of the detectibility of their least valuable psychologists that rose predictably (from 58 to 76 percent) from early in the negotiation to the end — an increase that was highly statistically reliable (t = 3. 78). Their estimates of the detectibility of their most valuable psychologists stayed largely the same across the course of the negotiation (from 69 to 72 percent) and it was only a decrease in identification accuracy (from 71 to 58 percent) over time that led to the difference in the magnitude of the illusion of transparency. These subsidiary findings may result from the usual dynamics of the negotiation process: Negotiators typically focus initially on the most important issues, postponing a discussion of less important issues or of what they are willing to give up to obtain what they want until later in the negotiation. This would explain why negotiators felt that they had already leaked information about their most important psychologists early in the negotiation, but that a similar feeling of leakage regarding their least important psychologists took longer to develop. This tendency might also explain why it may have been relatively easy for the negotiators to discern one another’s â€Å"top choices† early in the discussion. It may have been harder to do so later on, after the negotiators discussed all of the psychologists and the various tradeoffs between them. Study Two In Study One, participants experienced an illusion of transparency when they were instructed to conceal their preferences from their partners. In many negotiations outside the laboratory, however, negotiators often attempt to communicate rather than conceal their preferences. In fact, negotiation instructors often advise MBAs and other would-be negotiators to communicate information about their preferences. Do negotiators experience an illusion of transparency when they attempt to communicate rather than conceal their preferences? Past research has shown that people experience an illusion of transparency when trying (nonverbally) to convey thoughts and feelings in settings outside negotiations (Barr and Kleck 1995; Savitsky 1997). We therefore examined whether negotiators attempting to communicate some of their preferences, whose efforts at communication are not limited to nonverbal channels, would likewise experience an illusion of transparency. Negotiation Journal April 2003 121 As part of a classroom exercise, MBA students in negotiation courses completed a complex six-party negotiation simulation (Harborco, a teaching tool available from the Clearinghouse of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, www. pon. org). The course emphasized the importance of negotiators communicating some of their preferences to one another in negotiations. Prior to the Harborco negotiation, students had engaged in numerous other exercises in which their failure to convey information resulted in nonoptimal settlements. To verify that the Harborco negotiators were attempting to communicate information about their preferences, we asked 22 Cornell and Northwestern University MBA students (not included in following study) who had just completed the Harborco negotiation to indicate which strategy they engaged in more: an information-sharing strategy (attempting to communicate their preferences to others), or an information-hiding strategy (attempting to conceal their preferences from others). Everyone indicated that they used the information-sharing strategy more. We hypothesized that the same psychological processes that lead novice negotiators trying to conceal their preferences to experience an illusion of transparency would also lead experienced negotiators trying to communicate at least some of their preferences to experience a similar illusion. We thus predicted that participants would overestimate the number of other negotiators who could correctly identify their preferences. Method Two hundred and forty MBA students at Cornell and Northwestern completed the Harborco simulation, negotiating whether, and under what circumstances, a major new seaport would be built off the coast of a fictional city. There were six parties to the negotiation. The negotiator who represented Harborco (a consortium of investors) was most central. A second negotiator, representing the federal agency that oversees the development of such seaports, had to decide whether to subsidize a $3 billion loan Harborco had requested. The other negotiators represented the state governor, the labor unions from surrounding seaports, the owners of other ports that might be affected by a new seaport, and environmentalists concerned about the impact of a new seaport on the local ecology. The negotiation involved five issues, each with several options of varying importance to the six parties. For each negotiator, points were assigned to each option of each issue. Student performance was evaluated according to the number of points accumulated. For example, the most important issue to the Harborco representative was the approval of the subsidized loan (worth 35 points for approval of the full $3 billion, 29 points for approval of a $2 billion loan, etc. ); the second most important issue was the compensation to other ports for their expected losses due to the new seaport (worth 23 points for no compensation, 15 points for compensation of $150 million, 122 Van Boven, Gilovich, and Medvec The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations etc. ). The Harborco negotiator’s preference order for the five issues was somewhat different from the preference order of the other five negotiators. Participants were given approximately one and a half hours to reach an agreement. They were required to vote on a settlement proposed by the Harborco negotiator at three points during the negotiation: after 20 minutes, after one hour, and at the end. A successful agreement required the approval of at least five negotiators. Any agreement that included the subsidized loan required the approval of the federal agency representative. The Harborco negotiator could veto any proposal. The dependent measures, collected after the first and final rounds of voting, concerned the Harborco negotiator’s estimates of the other negotiators’ identification of his or her preference order. The Harborco negotiators estimated how many of the other five negotiators would identify the rank ordering (to the Harborco negotiator) of each issue — for example, how many would identify the approval of the loan as their most important issue? We made clear that one negotiator would guess the exact importance of each issue by chance alone. Meanwhile, each of the other negotiators estimated the issue that was most important to Harborco, second most important, and so on. Figure One Number able to identify each issue 5 4 3 2 1 0 Predicted Number Actual Number ird co nd rth co nd Th ird th Fo ur h Fi rs Fi rs Fi ft Fi rs Th Se Fo u First Round ISSUE IMPORTANCE Predicted and actual number of negotiators able to identify correctly the importance of each issue to the Harborco negotiator after the first and final rounds of voting. Results and Discussion The dashed lines in Figure One indicate that, as predicted, the Harborco negotiators’ estimate of the number of other negotiators who could identify the rank of each issue was greater than the actual number of negotiators able Negotiation Journal April 2003 123 Se Second Round Fi ft h t t t to do so (as indicated by the solid lines). Following the first round of voting, the Harborco negotiators overestimated the number of their fellow negotiators able to identify the importance — to them — of all mid-range issues. All these differences were statistically reliable (all ts > 2. 0). Negotiators did not overestimate the number of negotiators able to identify their most and least important issues. Following the final round of voting, Harborco representatives overestimated the number of negotiators able to identify their four most important issues. This overestimation was statistically reliable for the four most important issues (all t > 2. 25), and was marginally reliable with a probability level of . 14 for the least important issue (t = 1. 5). These findings replicate and extend those of Study One and of previous research on the illusion of transparency. Experienced negotiators who were attempting to convey (rather than conceal) their preferences to other negotiators tended to overestimate the transparency of those preferences. Study Three We contend that negotiators’ overestimation of their partner’s ability to discern their preferences reflects an egocentric illusion whereby negotiators overestimate the transparency of their internal states. An alternative account is that negotiators experience a â€Å"curse of knowledge,† overestimating the knowability of whatever they themselves know (Camerer et al. 989; Keysar and Bly, 1995; Keysar et al. 1995). Negotiators may thus overestimate the discernibility of their preferences because they cannot undo the knowledge of their own preferences, not because they feel like their preferences â€Å"leaked out. † Studies One and Two provide some evidence against this alternative interpretation because participants did not significantly overestimate their partnersâ€⠄¢ ability to discern their preferences early in the negotiation — when they were â€Å"cursed† with the same knowledge, but had little opportunity for their preferences to leak out. To provide a more rigorous test of this alternative interpretation, Study Three employed a paradigm in which observers were yoked to each individual negotiator. The observers were informed of their counterpart’s preferences and thus were â€Å"cursed† with the same abstract knowledge, but not with the phenomenology of having — and possibly leaking — the negotiators’ preferences. After watching a videotaped negotiation between their yoked counterpart and another negotiator, observers estimated the likelihood that their counterpart’s negotiation partner would identify their counterpart’s preferences. We expected that observers’ estimates would be lower than actual negotiators’ estimates because observers would not have the experience of their preferences â€Å"leaking out. † 124 Van Boven, Gilovich, and Medvec The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations Method Twenty-four previously unacquainted Northwestern University undergraduates participated in pairs in exchange for the opportunity to earn between $4 and $13, based on their performance in the negotiation. Negotiators were taken to separate rooms and given instructions for the negotiation. The negotiation was similar to that used in Study One, except that it involved a buyer-seller framework, with which we felt our participants would be familiar. Participants learned that they would act as a provost of one of two campuses of a large university system. Because of budget cuts, the larger of the two campuses (the â€Å"seller†) needed to eliminate fifteen of its 35 psychology department faculty. Because the fifteen faculty were tenured, they could not be fired, but they could be transferred to the smaller of the two campuses (the â€Å"buyer†), which was trying to acquire faculty. Participants were to negotiate over the fifteen psychologists â€Å"in play†; any faculty not acquired by the buyer would remain at the seller’s campus. Participants were given a report that described each psychologist and his or her associated point value. Some of the psychologists had a positive value to buyers and a negative value to sellers, others had a positive value to both, and still others had a negative value to both. Participants were told that they should not show their confidential reports to the other negotiator. Participants earned 25 cents for every positive point and had to pay 25 cents for every negative point they accumulated. To give buyers and sellers an equal chance to make the same amount of money, we endowed sellers with an initial stake of $10 and buyers with an initial stake of $4. If buyers obtained all nine of the beneficial faculty and none of the four costly faculty (two were worth 0 points) they earned an additional $8, for $12 total. Similarly, if the sellers eliminated all eight costly faculty and retained all five beneficial faculty (two were worth 0 points) they earned $2, for $12 total. If no agreement was reached, sellers retained all faculty, losing $6, and buyers acquired no psychologists, leaving both with $4. As in Study One, we gave participants laminated trading cards with a picture of each psychologist and two of that psychologist’s better-known works on the back. The fifteen faculty members, although in reality all social psychologists, were arbitrarily divided into the three subdisciplines of social, clinical, and human-experimental psychology. We designed the payoffs so that the sychologist within each discipline who the buyer most wanted to obtain was not the psychologist the seller most wanted to eliminate. To encourage participants to obtain or retain psychologists across the three disciplines, sellers were offered an additional two points if they eliminated at least one faculty member from each discipline, and an additional four points if they eliminated at least two from each discipline. Similarly, buyers were offered an additional two points if they acquired at least one faculty Negotiation Journal April 2003 125 member from each discipline, and an additional four points if they acquired at least two from each discipline. Thus, maximum earnings for buyers and sellers were $13 (the $12 earned by accumulating all possible positive points, no negative points, plus the $1 bonus). After negotiators understood their task, they were brought together and given as long as they needed to negotiate a division of the fifteen psychologists, usually about 20 minutes. Afterward, buyers estimated the likelihood (expressed as a percentage) that the seller would correctly identify the psychologists from each subdiscipline who were the most and least important for the buyer to obtain; sellers estimated the likelihood that the buyer would correctly identify the psychologists from each subdiscipline who were the most and least important for the seller to eliminate. Participants were told that the chance accuracy rate was 20% percent. Buyers were also asked to identify the psychologists from each subdiscipline who were the most and least important for the seller to eliminate, and sellers were asked to make analogous judgments about the buyers’ incentive structure. Control Condition. Twelve pairs of previously unacquainted Northwestern undergraduates were paid $6 and â€Å"yoked† to one of the 12 pairs from the negotiation condition — one student matched to the buyer and one to the seller. Participants read the instructions given to t heir yoked counterpart (either the buyer or seller) in the actual negotiation before viewing their counterpart’s videotaped negotiation. Participants then made the same estimates as their counterparts in the negotiation condition, identifying the psychologists from each subdiscipline who were most and least important for their counterpart’s negotiation partner to acquire (or eliminate), and estimating the likelihood that their counterpart’s negotiation partner would be able to guess the psychologists in each subdiscipline who were most and least important for their counterpart to obtain (or eliminate). Results Negotiators. As anticipated, negotiators exhibited an illusion of transparency. As can be see in the left and right columns of Table Two, buyers and sellers overestimated their partners’ ability to identify their most important psychologists by 20 percent — both statistically reliable differences (ts= 3. 58 and 3. 45, respectively). Buyers and sellers also overestimated the likelihood that their partner would be able to identify their least important psychologists by 4 percent and 25 percent, respectively, with only the latter result statistically reliable (t = 4. 34). Control participants. Control participants displayed a â€Å"curse of knowledge,† overestimating the likelihood that their counterpart’s negotiation partner would correctly identify their counterpart’s preferences (compare the center and right columns of Table Two). This was particularly true for 126 Van Boven, Gilovich, and Medvec The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations those yoked to sellers: They reliably overestimated the likelihood that their yoked counterparts’ negotiation partners would identify their counterparts’ most and least important psychologists by 12 percent and 19 percent, respectively (ts = 2. 58 and 4. 9). Control participants who were yoked to buyers, in contrast, did not overestimate the likelihood that their yoked counterparts’ negotiation partners would overestimate their counterparts’ preferences. Table Two Participants’ estimates of the likelihood that their negotiators’ partners were able to identify the negotiat ors’ most and least important psychologists, and the corresponding percentages actually able to do so. Negotiators’ Estimates Control Estimates Actual Accuracy Most Important Buyers Sellers Least Important Buyers Sellers 62% 68%* 56% 63%* 58% 42% 70%* 59%* 53% 51%* 50% 39% Note: * indicates that the estimated percentage is reliably greater than the corresponding actual percentage, p < . 05 More important, in every case the control participants’ estimates (overall M = 56 percent) were lower than the actual negotiators’ estimates (overall M = 64 percent) — a statistically reliable difference (t = 2. 53). Thus, negotiators overestimated the transparency of their preferences more than yoked observers who were â€Å"cursed† with the same knowledge, but did not have the same subjective experience as negotiators themselves. Discussion The results of Study Three indicate that negotiators’ overestimation of their partners’ ability to discern their preferences stems from both a curse of knowledge and an illusion of transparency. Observers who were provided with the same abstract knowledge as the negotiators — those provided with Negotiation Journal April 2003 127 abstract information about sellers’ preferences at any rate — overestimated the likelihood that those preferences would be detected. However, this effect was not as strong as that found for actual negotiators’ estimates. Those participants, possessing more detailed knowledge about how it felt to want to obtain some psychologists and avoid others, apparently thought that some of those feelings had leaked out to their partners because they made significantly higher estimates of the likelihood of detection than the observers did. Negotiators experience an illusion of transparency over and above any curse of knowledge to which they are subject. What Does it All Mean? These three studies provide consistent support for an illusion of transparency in negotiations. Undergraduate students who were instructed to conceal their preferences thought that they had â€Å"tipped their hand† more than they actually had (Studies One and Three). Likewise, business students experienced in negotiation who were attempting to communicate information about some of their preferences overestimated how successfully they had done so (Study Three). These results are not due to an abstract â€Å"curse of knowledge† because observers who were cursed with the same knowledge as the negotiators did not overestimate the detectibility of the negotiators’ preferences to the same extent as the negotiators did (Study Three). The illusion of transparency is thus due to the sense that one’s specific actions and reactions that arise in the give-and-take of negotiation — a blush here, an averted gaze there — are more telling than they actually are. These results complement and extend findings by Vorauer and Claude (1998) who examined participants’ ability to estimate how well others could discern their general approach to a joint problem-solving exercise — i. e. , whether they were most interested in being assertive, being fair, being accommodating, and so on. They found that participants thought their goals would be more readily discerned than they actually were. Their findings, however, appear to reflect a curse of knowledge rather than an illusion of transparency because their participants’ estimates of the detectibility of their own goals were just the same as those made by observers who were simply informed of the participants’ goals. The Vorauer and Claude findings should not be surprising since their participants did not actually engage in face-to-face interaction. Instead, each participant exchanged notes with a â€Å"phantom† other, whose responses were crafted by the experimenters. Without interaction, it is difficult see how an illusory sense of transparency could emerge. Vorauer and Claude’s studies, along with the results of Study Three, suggest that the curse of knowledge can likewise lead to exaggerated estimates of how readily one’s negotiation partner can discern one’s own perspective on the negotiation (Keysar et al. 1995). 128 Van Boven, Gilovich, and Medvec The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations It is important to note that both the illusion of transparency and the curse of knowledge reflect people’s difficulty in getting beyond their privileged information. In the curse of knowledge, this information is abstract knowledge of one’s beliefs, preferences, or goals; in the illusion of transparency, this information is more detailed, phenomenological knowledge of how one feels or how difficult it was to suppress a particular reaction. At one level, then, it may be fair to characterize the illusion of transparency as a special case of knowledge — more detailed and affect-laden — with which one is cursed. At another level, however, the differences between the two phenomena may be sufficiently pronounced that there is more to be gained by viewing them as distinct. Ultimately, a more complete understanding of the relationship between the curse of knowledge and illusion of transparency must await the outcome of further research. Future research might also further examine the underlying mechanism proposed for the illusion of transparency. Gilovich et al. (1998) attribute the phenomenon to a process much like Tversky and Kahneman’s (1974) anchoring and adjustment heuristic. When attempting to ascertain how apparent their internal states are to others, people are likely to begin the process of judgment from their own subjective experience. Because people know that others are not as privy to their internal states as they are themselves, they adjust from their own perspective to capture others’ perspective. Because such adjustments tend to be insufficient (Tversky and Kahneman 1974; Epley and Gilovich 2001), the net result is a residual effect of one’s own phenomenology, and the feeling that one is more transparent than is actually the case. This account suggests that the illusion of transparency should be particularly pronounced when the internal state being assessed is one that is strongly and clearly felt, such as when negotiating especially important issues. In addition, future research might examine the impact of the illusion of transparency on negotiation processes and outcomes. Thompson (1991) has shown that when negotiators have different priorities, negotiators who provide information about their priorities to their partners fare better than those who do not. The illusion of transparency may lead negotiators to hold back information about their priorities in the mistaken belief that one has conveyed too much information already. By leading negotiators to believe that their own preferences are more apparent than they really are, the illusion of transparency may give rise to the belief that the other side is being less open and cooperative than they are themselves — which may lead each negotiator to hold back even more. The process can thus spiral in the wrong direction toward greater secrecy. Negotiation Journal April 2003 129 It may be advantageous, then, for negotiators to be aware of the illusion of transparency. If negotiators know they tend to conceal less than they think they do, they may open up a bit more and increase their chances of reaching optimal agreements. In other words, knowing that one’s own â€Å"thought bubbles† are invisible to others can lead to more successful negotiations. NOTES This research was supported by Research Grant SBR9319558 from the National Science Foundation. We thank Tina Rackitt her help in collecting data and Dennis Regan for his comments on an earlier draft. 1. Because the data for each pair of negotiators are interdependent, all analyses in this and subsequent studies used the dyad (or group) as the unit of analysis. 2. A t statistic is a measure of how extreme a statistical estimate is. Specifically, a t is the ratio of the difference between a hypothesized value and an observed value, divided by the standard error of the sampled distribution. Consider negotiators’ estimates, following the negotiation, that their negotiation partner had a 72 percent chance of correctly identifying their most valuable psychologist. Because, in actuality, egotiators identified their partners’ most valuable psychologist only 58 percent of the time, the difference between the hypothesized value (58 percent) and the observed value (72 percent) is 14 percent. The standard error, in this case, is the standard deviation of the difference between a negotiators’ predicted likelihood and the actual likelihood (the average squared difference betw een these two scores), divided by the square root of the sample size. In general, t statistics more extreme than 1. 96 are statistically reliable — that is, the probability that the observed difference is due to chance alone is less than . 5. 3. We also asked negotiators to estimate which subdiscipline was most important to their partner, and to estimate the likelihood that their partner would discern correctly their own preference order vis-a-vis the three subdisciplines. During debriefing, however, participants said they found these questions confusing because they did not parse the 15 faculty according to their subdiscipline, but instead focused on the value of each individual faculty. These responses are therefore not discussed further. REFERENCES Barr, C. L. and R. E. Kleck. 1995. Self-other perception of the intensity of facial expressions of emotion: Do we know what we show? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 68: 608-618. Bazerman, M. H. and M. Neale. 1992. Negotiating rationality. New York: Free Press. Camerer, C. , G. Loewenstein, and M. Weber. 1989. The curse of knowledge in economic settings: An experimental analysis. Journal of Political Economy 97: 1232-1253. Epley, N. and T. Gilovich. 2001. Putting adjustment back in the anchoring and adjustment heuristic: An examination of self-generated and experimenter-provided anchors. Psychological Science 12: 391-396. Gilovich, T. D. , K. K. Savitsky, and V. H. Medvec. 1998. The illusion of transparency: Biased assessments of others’ ability to read our emotional states. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 75: 332-346. Gordon, R. A. and P. J. Vicarii. 1992. Eminence in social psychology: A comparison of textbook citation, social science citation index, and research productivity rankings. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 18: 26-38. Keysar, B. and B. Bly. 1995. Intuitions about the transparency of intention: Linguistic perspective taking in text. Cognitive Psychology 26: 165-208. Keysar, B. , L. E. Ginzel, and M. H. Bazerman. 1995. States of affairs and states of mind: The effect of knowledge on beliefs. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 64: 283293. Raiffa, H. 1982. The art and science of negotiation. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press. 130 Van Boven, Gilovich, and Medvec The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations Savitsky, K. 1997. Perceived transparency of and the leakage of emotional states: Do we know how little we show? Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Cornell University. Thompson, L. 1990. An examination of naive and experienced negotiators. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 26: 528-544. ———. 1991. Information exchange in negotiation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 27: 161-179. Tversky, A. and D. Kahneman. 1974. Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases. Science 185: 1124-1131. Vorauer, J. D. and S. Claude. 1998. Perceived versus actual transparency of goals in negotiation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 24: 371-385. Negotiation Journal April 2003 131

Dealing with Angry Parents!

We often feel that parents are scolding us or angry with us for things that we feel were not so bad as to warrant such a reaction. While this is not very comforting for us, we must know that parents don’t want to do this either. It’s just that sometimes when life is a little hard on their end, they expect support from their kids — no matter how young they might be. When they don’t find this support, they tend to get upset. If you are one of those young people who often see their parents angry, then you must learn how to deal with parents and adults who are not in the best of spirits.Learning the proper way to deal with parents who are upset either at us or because of something else is crucial — regardless of the reason behind their anger. However, doing so is not completely impossible and here are some simple techniques that can help you out. Find out the reason Study the behavior of your parents. Try to notice what makes them unhappy and identify t he things that annoy them the most or trigger their anger. The first and most important step is, knowing what makes your parents angry.You will never be able to help yourself or improve the situation without knowing so. Once you find out the reason you can move on to the next step and avoid the nagging or doing something that makes them angrier. Avoid the reasons If you parents get mad at you for not completing your homework on time, try to avoid delaying your work. Similarly, if they get mad at you for not eating healthy food, try to add healthy food to your diet. Whatever the reason may be, you must know that parents always know better.They have far more experience than us and they certainly don’t want us to do the wrong things or do things the wrong way. If they are telling you to do something or to stay away from someone or something, there must be a valid reason for that. Just try to avoid situations that are going to trigger their anger. It might be hard but it’s going to benefit you eventually. Speak to them If you can’t identify what makes them angry, speak to them. Ask them where you are wrong and tell them that you want to make an effort to rectify. Also tell them how their anger has negative effects on you.Don’t have this talk when they are angry because they might not be in a state to listen to you properly, but do it after things cool down a little, perhaps an hour or two after the incident or maybe even a day later. You can also bring up the topic randomly according to their mood. Letting them know that their anger disturbs you and you are ready to comply with their instructions, will help immensely. Consult others If you think they’re not ready to understand or it’s not possible to talk to them you might want to consult a third person. If you can’t talk to your parents, you must find someone to talk to about it.You cannot keep it inside. If you do, the situation will get even worse. And with so ma ny people around it is never too difficult to find someone to talk to. If you have older siblings, consult them and ask how they dealt with the situation in their younger years. If you’re close to friends, share their experiences. However, you must know that not all friends are positive with the problems of other people; some might even take advantage of you and lure you into doing bad things. You must be wise and sensible while consulting a third person.And also be mindful of the fact that if you talk to someone who likes to gossip, he or she might just spread stories about your parents and family which will put them in a bad light. So choose the person wisely. Teachers and school counselors are great pillars of help and support. They are also wise people so their advice will always help you and guide you to find a solution of the problem. Moreover, teachers are generally trustworthy and you cannot discuss such matters with anyone who is not reliable. Hence the easiest bet i s to talk it out with your teacher and ask him or her for suggestions to improve the situation.Another safe bet can be your grandparents. They will never exploit the situation because they love you and your parents both. You can brief your grandparents about the situation and ask them to help and suggest you what to do. They might also be able to have a word with your parents and tell them about your feelings and emotions, which you’re not able to convey yourself. Techniques to help you out As mentioned earlier avoiding things and situations that trigger anger will help greatly but at times there are so many other small techniques to make your parents feel happier and less stressed.Try to become responsible, be more obedient, complete your work on appropriate time, take meals properly, apologise even if you think you were right, move to a quiet location, avoid confrontation and arguments and maintain discipline in the house. While all of these put together might seem like a h eavy doze, you must know that once incorporated into your lifestyle, all these are very small positive changes that will help you deal with angry parents and also nurture your personality as you grow up.Our parents do so much for us; they literally work day in and day out just so we can get the best of education and a comfortable life. They compromise on their social life to give more time to us. They pick and drop us from school even in the scorching heat of summers without complaining once. They get up before us in the morning and go to bed after we sleep at night, yet don’t complain once. And while doing all this, they might get tired and stressed — after all they are humans and not robots. Hence, we need to understand them and give them the special attention and care they deserve.

Informative Speech on Leukemia Essay

Hope, denial, anger, fear, and worry are words that come to mind when we think of the word cancer. Cancer is a word we never want to hear. I’m sure at some point in your life, everyone in here knows someone who has been affected by cancer. On September 19th of this year, not even a month ago, I did one of the hardest things I was ever faced to do†¦ I attended one of my best friend’s funeral. Kali suffered from Leukemia since the young age of 10 and fought her battle until the age of 24. This topic is so dear to my heart because it was not until after she passed away that I found out exactly what she suffered from. So today, I would like to inform you about Leukemia’s symptoms, treatments, and who can be affected by it. So, what exactly is Leukemia and what are some symptoms to be aware of? Leukemia is characterized by an increase of abnormal white cells in the blood and bone marrow. In lamer terms, â€Å"Cancer of the blood cells.† If you have Leukemi a, the first thing affected are your white blood cells that fight infections. If you have Leukemia, your white blood cell count becomes almost non-existent making it extremely difficult to fight any infection. A simple cold would feel like pneumonia to a Leukemia patient. Kali told me that her immune system was equal to a 6 month old baby. In addition to your white blood cells, your red blood cells are also affected. Red blood cells help carry oxygen from your lungs throughout your entire body. If you lack red blood cells, you will most likely experience shortness of breath. This explains why at times Kali would speak very slowly in order to catch her breath. Lastly, your platelets are affected. Platelets help control bleeding and bruising on the body. When affected you are more likely to experience excessive bleeding and easily bruised. When the oncologist, a doctor that specializes in cancer, suspects that you have cancer he or she will question your symptoms. Common symptoms include fever, paleness of the skin, fatigue, pain in the bone and joints, weight loss, discomfort in the abdomen, and night sweats. Furthermore, the oncologist will perform a bone marrow biopsy. If the patient is not put to sleep, this procedure can be extremely painful. They take a 12 inch needle, stick it into your hip, and extract the bone marrow. The bone marrow is then tested to determine if you have Leukemia and wha t type of treatment is best for you. This brings me to my next point. Medicinenet states there are three major types of treatment: Chemotherapy,  steroid therapy, and stem cell transplant. With the stem cell transplant, doctors use high dosages of chemotherapy and basically remove your entire immune system and replace it with someone else’s. This person can be a related or unrelated donor. If it is a related donor, this person is usually someone very close to the patient such as a parent, sibling, or close relative. Kali was given the stem cell transplant and had new blood in her body. She informed me that her childhood vaccine shots were no longer in her bloodstream and she could not get them again because they could work against her in a negative way sort of putting her between a rock and a hard place. Like Kali, once a patients transplant is complete, they are given lots of medicine to help support the body and pain in hopes of preceding with a normal life. This brings me to my final point. Are you at risk? Can you be affected? According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society, approximately every 3 minutes someone in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer and approximately every 10 minutes someone dies from a blood cancer. There were an estimated 310,000 people living with or in remission from Leukemia in th e United States. In this year alone, roughly 52,000 people were diagnosed and 24,000 are expected to die- 14,000 males and 10,000 females. While there is no known ways to prevent Leukemia, the National Cancer Institute states that developing Leukemia increases with several factors such as: smoking cigarettes and air pollution. Why should this be important and relevant to you? According to the Washington Post, Louisiana has been given the name â€Å"Cancer Alley† because of the 150 petrochemical companies and 17 refineries that line the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Baton Rouge releasing dangerous levels of toxins in the air we breathe in every day. We live in a state where cancer rates are to the roof. Leukemia is most frequent in Caucasian males than in any other population. Kali was an African American female. This lets me know, no one is susceptible. I’m sure after listening to me, you are more knowledgeable about Leukemia, its symptoms, treatments, and risks. Although it may not affect you directly, I encourage each and every one of you to get regular check-ups, stay healthy, and give to those who are affected. I’ll leave you with this quote by John F. Kennedy, â€Å"When written in Chinese, the word crisis is composed of two components, one represents danger, the other represents opportunity.†

Positioning Strategy of Grameen Phone

Positioning Strategy By creating product, service, channel, people & image differentiation Grameenphone reach the consumer touch point more effectively & efficiently in comparing with their competitors in the highly competitive telecommunication sector. 1. Product Differentiation: Network (best, quality): Grameenphone has the largest network with the widest coverage around the country, bringing 98 percent of the population under the coverage of its network. The entire Grameenphone network is also EDGE/GPRS enabled, allowing GP subscribers to access the Internet from anywhere within its coverage area.The 10,000 Base Stations are located in about 5,700 sites around the country. The company has so far invested more than BDT 10,700 crore (USD 1. 6 billion) to build the network infrastructure since its inception in 1997. It has invested over BDT 3,100 crore (USD 450 million) during the first three quarters of the current year while BDT 2,100 crore (USD 310 million) was invested in 2006 al one. Grameenphone is implementing an aggressive roll-out program by installing new network elements with an emphasis on maintaining quality service.A number of steps are being taken to identify the problems spots in the network in order to constantly improve quality. Special efforts are being taken to constantly monitor and ensure network quality in the urban areas. In Dhaka and other major cities in- building coverage solutions and microcells have been deployed to provide improved coverage in important high-rise buildings and busy street junctions. 2. Service Differentiation: Business Solutions is a complete, quality business communications service from Grameenphone – designed especially for the business community in Bangladesh.Their Business Solutions teams are here to help provide their customers with customized telecommunications solutions through consultation with their customers. Messaging Services GrameenPhone have various messaging services allow the customers ways to communicate smarter, faster, more efficiently and more cost- effectively on the go. SMS (Short Message Service): Fast and affordable messaging through SMS. Send a SMS to any mobile phone in Bangladesh and to more than 115 countries with their international SMS service. Voice SMS: Save time and personalize message through a voice SMS.This service provides the flexibility to record it up to 120 seconds of audio – MMS (multimedia messaging): The MMS service provides to take pictures customize it with animation, music, video clips and send it across the globe within seconds. Cell e-mail: Send emails without a computer. With cell e-mail, Customers have the facilities to e-mail any GP number through an SMS and email any PC across the globe. SMS Banking: Enjoy hassle-free account updates from renowned banks like Standard Chartered Bank, BRAC Bank, Bank Asia, etc. Customer ServicesGP strive to take care of their customers all telecommunications needs. Key Account Managers and Custom er Service Managers are assigned to provide prioritized service to Business Solutions subscriber’s right from the beginning of the relationship. Priority Service GP believe in the importance of human touch in the business world. As they step into third year of providing innovative communication solutions, Business Solutions aims to provide enhanced priority services. Prioritized Hotline 121 Enjoy prioritized customer service by simply dialing 121.Dedicated customers care managers are available round-the-clock, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week only to serve. Business Solutions postpaid subscribers can call 121 absolutely free of cost. Value Added Services Take customer business to new heights. Business Solutions pioneers in introducing state of the art Value Added Service to help. Missed Call Alert Missed Call Alert and get SMS notification of the attempted call when phone was off. To subscribe the service, type on and send to 6222. Stock Information The latest updates of the Dhaka and Chittagong Stock Exchange are now in consumer palm.To avail this service, go to GP WORLD (wap. gpworld. com), then Business City, and download the Bull application. 4. Channel Differentiation GP gain competitive advantage through the way they design their channels coverage expertise & performance. 3. People Differentiation: Almost half the total number of employees of GrameenPhone Ltd. today (Tuesday), participated in the company's biggest customer care program to date. â€Å"This customer service campaign follows up on the â€Å"Stay Close† promise from GrameenPhone.As a caring company, GrameenPhone values its subscribers, stands by them and takes care of them when they need help,† explained GrameenPhone CEO Anders Jensen. Management Team led by, over 2000 employees, representing most of the functional divisions and all the regional offices of GrameenPhone, spent the day interacting with the customers in 124 popular local area markets and important public pl aces across the country. The purpose was to interact with the customers, help them in solving their mobile phone related queries, and demonstrate Grameenphone's commitment as a helpful and customer-oriented company. . Image Differentiation GrameenPhone logo differentiates from the other companies. For that reason customer easily identify them in the market, which is another effective competitive advantages for GrameenPhone. Positioning Statement: Company and Brand Positioning should be summed up in a positioning statement. GrameenPhone positioning statement is â€Å"Stay Close† which explain that customer can easily express their emotion with their close relatives & friends through using GrameenPhone.

Acinetobacter Baumannii - Article Review

Background Acinetobacter baumannii is a pleomorphic aerobic gram-negative bacillus (similar in appearance to Haemophilus influenzae on Gram stain) commonly isolated from the hospital environment and hospitalized patients. A baumannii is a water organism and preferentially colonizes aquatic environments. This organism is often cultured from hospitalized patients sputum or respiratory secretions, wounds, and urine. In a hospital setting, Acinetobacter commonly colonizes irrigating solutions and intravenous solutions. Acinetobacter species have low virulence but are capable of causing infection. Most Acinetobacter isolates recovered from hospitalized patients, particularly those recovered from respiratory secretions and urine, represent colonization rather than infection. Acinetobacter infections are uncommon but, when they occur, usually involve organ systems that have a high fluid content (eg, respiratory tract, CSF, peritoneal fluid, urinary tract), manifesting as nosocomial pneumonia, infections associated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), or catheter-associated bacteruria. The presence of Acinetobacter isolates in respiratory secretions in intubated patients nearly always represents colonization. Acinetobacter pneumonias occur in outbreaks and are usually associated with colonized respiratory-support equipment or fluids. Nosocomial meningitis may occur in colonized neurosurgical patients with external ventricular drainage tubes. A baumannii is a multiresistant aerobic gram-negative bacillus sensitive to relatively few antibiotics. Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter is not a new or emerging phenomenon, but A baumannii has always been an organism inherently resistant to multiple antibiotics. Pathophysiology In the uncommon situations in which Acinetobacter causes actual infection, the athological changes that occur depend on the organ system involved. The pathological changes, as observed in patients with pneumonia, are indistinguishable from those caused by other noncavitating aerobic gram-negative bacilli that cause nosocomial pneumonias. Similarly, Acinetobacter urinary tract infections are clinically indistinguishable from catheter-associated bacteremias caused by other aerobic gram-negative bacilli. Frequency International Acinetobacter commonly colonizes patients in the intensive care setting. Acinetobacter colonization is particularly common in patients who are intubated and n those who have multiple intravenous lines or monitoring devices, surgical drains, or indwelling urinary catheters. Acinetobacter infections are uncommon and occur almost exclusively in hospitalized patients. Mortality/Morbidity   Although Acinetobacter is primarily a colonizer in the hospital environment, it occasionally causes infection. Mortality and morbidity resulting from A baumannii infection relate to the underlying cardiopulmonary immune status of the host rather than the inherent virulence of the organism. ЂÃ'ž Mortality and morbidity rates in patients who are very ill with multisystem disease are increased because of their nderlying illness rather than the superimposed infection with Acinetobacter. Race Acinetobacter infection has no known racial predilection. Sex Acinetobacter infection has no known sexual predilection. Age Acinetobacter infection has no known predilection for age. Other Problems to Be Considered The main differential diagnostic problem presented by Acinetobacter is to differentiate colonization from infection. In the presence of pulmonary infiltrates in ICU patients, CAPC)-associated peritonitis, meningitis, wound infection, or catheter-associated bacteruria, the differential iagnoses include other aerobic gram-negative bacilli that colonize or infect these fluids, ie, Enterobacter species, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Burkholderia cepacia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Flavobacterium meningosepticum, and Serratia marcescens. Because Acinetobacter is predominantly a colonizing organism, the burden of proof is on the clinician to demonstrate its pathogenic role in a given situation.