Polygraph Research Essay

I began my research thinking I wanted to find out where we were today in our advancement of the lie detector machine and its accuracy. There was a time it was heard of often and considered quite controversial in its legitimacy. My research took me on a different journey then I had expected. A journey discovering that the Polygraph Machine is not only just as controversial today as ever, but also that there appears to be behind the controversy then simply its technology. The Polygraph Machine was traditionally known for its use in lie detection within law enforcement. So I began my search in the Criminal Justice data base of our school library. I came across an interesting article, â€Å"The Truth Surrounding Lie Detection Technology†, written by Rebecca Kanable, a freelance writer specializing in law enforcement topics for the periodical Law Enforcement Technology. Her article, although informative of the details in how the polygraph machine works, what it detects physiologically, and why it might be considered inaccurate, revealed to me there may be more behind the controversial system then simply its technology. She would reference an important sounding entity called the APA (American Polygraph Association), explaining the APA founding, their development, and purpose. After discussing the APA and its extensive research and technology, another official sounding entity was introduced, the NAS (National Academy of Sciences). The NAS reported that contrary to the APA’s pride in their more than 80% accuracy in detecting deception, a majority of the research was unreliable, unscientific, and biased. The APA responded that the NAS findings were confined to a review of the research on polygraph testing in particular, and how it relates to personnel screening. The APA said the NAS relied on 57 of more than 1000 research studies available. The NAS in turn responded that a century of research in psychology and physiology provided little basis for expecting the polygraph test could have extremely high accuracy because the physiological responses are not uniquely related to deception only. At this oint a third entity was introduced, the NACVSA (National Association of Computer Voice Stress Analysis), who also bashed the APA as a flawed method and flawed technology. They would tout how they were supported in agreement by the NITV (National Institute for Truth Verification), yet another official sounding entity. This back and forth seemed a bit odd, as though one or the other had an agenda. That is what redirected my research into whom these entities were, and who was considered more rel iable for the truth about lie detection. First stop was the APA web site (APA. org). I discovered it was a profit driven business selling technology, instruments, research, and advanced training and education programs, as well as advertising their APA magazine. Their primary customers were law enforcement, the legal community, and private sector security screening. It certainly was official, but only in the business sense. Ironically, in my search for the APA web site, it was paired with Antipolygraph. org web site. A location for message board discussions against the polygraph, most of which was specifically directed at the APA. I then moved on to the first entity contradicting the APA in Kanable’s article, the NAS. NASonline. org had nothing to sell, but rather a non profit society established by an act of congress signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 and extended by President Woodrow Wilson charged with the mission of providing independent objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology. It definitely carried some weight in legitimacy, but to be sure it was not a bias source about this topic, I search its site database for this particular topic, and although it spoke about the technology of the polygraph, it made no specific mention of the APA itself. I was unable to do the same of the APA site as you had to be a paying member to access their database. I felt the NAS response to the APA research was legitimate coinciding with their purpose. What about the NACVSA? It turns out they are a direct competitor of the APA. Upon arriving at the CVSA1. com web site, it was immediately obvious in their solicitation of CVSA software and training. Also solicited were funding assistance through grants from both Walmart and Target to purchase the technology. They tried to hide behind government looking signs and symbols to appear more â€Å"official†. They covered the bases offering insight of cases solved by their technology, who was using their technology, and the history of their technology. They would repeatedly indicate their direct support from the National Institute for Truth Verification. Of course this institute must be official and have a web site. A Google turned up nothing for the NITV, and any mention of them would link you to the CVSA1. com web site. An attempt at Wikipedia also only had them listed as a vendor and tied to the NACVSA. Returning to the CVSA1 website for further investigation, I noticed in small print in the corner the following, â€Å"the NITV is the manufacturer and sole source for the Computer Voice Stress Analyzer†. That certainly did explain their avid support of the CVSA technology. One last scroll through all the sites having mention of the NITV, I noticed a Government site with their mention. Eforia. bis. doc. gov. was a public posting of government documents from the department of commerce. It displayed 11 charges against the NITV of illegal exportation as a private business. So much for that. Realizing I only had information from either the biased private businesses of technology, or the seemingly unbiased sources of government documents and a science society founded by congress, I now wanted to find others with something to say about the polygraph. I went back to the school library database with a refinement for only magazines and newspapers. First was a eye catching title of an article in the Atlantic Monthly by Alan Berlow called â€Å"The Wrong Man†. I gave accounts of cases leading to the conviction and eventual carrying out of death sentences of what would turn out to be discovered as wrongful conviction down the road. The tie with the polygraph came in that the results of the polygraphs, although not admissible in court, did find in agreement with what resulted in their convictions, even in contradiction of there being no physical evidence. This article revealed why the DA in one of those cases was so adamant in ignoring the lack of evidence for guilt and continuing till a conviction. He had knowledge of, and was influenced by, the non admissible results of the polygraph. The Wall Street Journal offered opposite perspectives on the polygraph. In 2003, an Article by Sharon Begley called â€Å"Inertia, Hope, Morality, score TKO’s in Bouts with â€Å"Solid Science†. The dispute with the polygraph was no different then others but with her particular method and terminology of expression. The second Wall Street Journal article, â€Å"For The Polygraph Paradox; Lie Detectors Aren’t Perfect; But convicted Sex Offenders Concede, They May Be Good Enough†, by Laurie P. Cohen. Although alluding to a positive use for the polygraph in spite of its controversy, I doubted the weight of this perspective as the only source of data was that of those who were convicted. It has no opposite data of those who were not convicted. I didn’t take either article as being to far out of bounds as the Wall Street Journal is widely known as quite reputable, whether you agree with a particular article or not. So I then narrowed my search to the immediate locality, and took an article from the Telegram & Gazette. It was a General interest periodical in 1989 with no specific author. It was merely stating a factual outcome of the Massachusetts Supreme Court having ruled the polygraph test as inadmissible in this state. My research into the polygraph, although somewhat informative about its accuracy, was far more revealing about the source of opinions about the polygraph.

Macro Environmental Analysis

Melanie Verreault STMT-500 Strategic Management Analysis of Child and Family Services of Timmins and District Word Count: 2,494 November 8, 2009 Tracy Hillier Table of Contents Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 External Situation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 Internal Situation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 Five Forces Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Competitor Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 Objectives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 11 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 3 Introduction In 2000, CFSTD became the second social servic es organization in Ontario to amalgamate Children’s Mental Health and Protection Services. An appreciation of CFSTD and its services can be obtained by visiting its website: http://www. timminschildfamily. org In order to gain a greater understanding of CFSTD, a strategic management analysis will be completed. This goal will be achieved by completing the following: 1. an analysis of CFSTD’s external and internal situation; 2. an evaluation of CFSTD by using Porter’s Five Forces model, and; 3. an analysis of CFSTD’s main competition. Based on this assessment, strategic objectives will be identified and recommended. External Situation As presented by Grant (2007), macroenvironmental factors are beyond a firm’s control. To adapt and remain competitive, a firm must understand how these external influences â€Å"affect the firm’s industry environment† (p. 66). The six factors impacting the endeavours of a firm are demographic, economic, political/legal, ecological, socio-cultural, and technology. Barney (2007) states an analysis of the external situation identifies a firm’s â€Å"critical threats and opportunities in its competitive environment† (p. 1) and â€Å"examines how competition in this environment is likely to evolve and what implications that evolution has for the threats and opportunities a firm is facing† (Ibid). The following outlines these factors and their level of influence on CFSTD. Demographic:High The population of the City of Timmins can best be described as aging with a decrease in birth rate. It is important to add that the population of Native People migrating to the Timmins area from the James Bay coast is increasing. Since CFSTD’s main reason for operating is to offer services exclusively to youth under the age of sixteen and their respective families, the demographic factor scores high. Without this, threats such as decrease in ministry funding and personnel layoffs can occur. To 4 adapt to the changing demographic environment, CFSTD can implement new and creative initiatives by collaborating with other service providers. Economic:High The current economic situation has impacted most if not all of the world. As a result, government funding to organisations has been affected. Due to current budget cuts, CFSTD is facing threats of potential downsizing in various services, capping travel and other expenditures and suspending relevant personnel training initiatives. To respond to the changing economic environment, CFSTD can explore amalgamating programs and services, developing new partnerships and increasing its capacity in the volunteer sector. Political:Medium Whenever a new government is elected, changes to the legislation can be anticipated. Amendments made to provincial legislation such as the Child and Family Services Act impact CFSTD’s operation. Threats CFSTD can face due to the changing political environment are mostly cost and time demanding: development of new operation and administrative procedures, staff training in these areas, to name a few. However, developing and implementing new initiatives can translate into opportunities for CFSTD with the influence of the political environment. Ecological:Low Although located in a city where extreme weather conditions are experienced such as harsh winters with abundant snowfalls, the ecological situation poses minimal impact on CFSTD’s service delivery. Fortunately, with the implementation of videoconferencing services, travel to various areas is reduced. Thus, programming continues to be offered to the client population. Social/Cultural:Medium CFSTD’s culture encompasses a unionized personnel, which is mostly female, with a diversity in educational backgrounds, expertise and work experience. In addition, some of the personnel are fast approaching retirement. This factor can pose threats such as a delay in services offered to clients due to union issues, potential work stoppage, and a wealth of knowledge and expertise lost when veteran personnel retire. Should this be the case, an opportunity that CFSTD could explore, as mentioned in an article by Dychtwald et al. (2004), is to â€Å"create a culture that honors experience† (p. 51), 5 that is, to offer flexible contracts to retiring staff who can â€Å"step in at a moment’s notice by filling gaps and help bringing the next generation of leaders up to speed† (p. 54). Technological:Low CFSTD ensures that new technological initiatives are implemented on a regular basis. Potential threats could be additional staff training and resistance to endorsing new technological initiatives. Technology creates many opportunities such as improving efficiency of work practices and reducing overall costs. In sum, the DEPEST analysis indicates that demographic and economic factors significantly impact CFSTD while technological and ecological factors are minor influences. The socio-cultural and political factors have a mid-level effect on the organization. The external analysis points out the possible threats and opportunities that CFSTD faces. To complement this external analysis, an internal assessment will follow. As noted by Barney (2007), â€Å"an internal analysis helps a firm identify its organizational strengths and weaknesses† (p. 11). Furthermore, it will illustrate â€Å"which of its resources and capabilities are likely to be sources of advantage and which of them are less likely to be sources of such advantages† (Ibid). CFSTD’s internal situation will be analyzed using the VRIO framework. Internal Situation Barney (2007) states the VRIO framework is a â€Å"structured in a series of four questions to be asked about the business activities in which a firm engages† (p. 138). In addition, the â€Å"answers to these questions determine whether a particular firm resource or capability is a strength or a weakness† (Ibid). The following table summarizes the VRIO questions as they apply to CFSTD. 6 TABLE 1: VRIO analysis of CFSTD RESOURCES| CAPABILITIES| VALUABLE| RARE| IMITABLE| ORGANIZATION| IMPORTANCE| Annual funding| Staff are remunerated for providing services; covers capital costs for overall agency functioning. Finances are ministry driven. | YES| NO| NO| YES| High| Technology| Records agency’s overall administrative tasks (i. e. reports). Communication vehicle for staff. Video-conferencing services are available. | YES| NO| YES| YES| Medium| Personnel| Certified employees providing expertise inservices to client population. | YES| YES| NO| YES| High| Quantitative and qualitative assurance measures| Data collected through client surveys and agency’s network enables the agency to identify the client needs, develop new programs and initiatives and ensures the client population is being adequately serviced. | YES| NO| YES| YES| Medium| Location| Where services are provided for clients. Programming occurs in these various locations. YES| NO| YES| YES| Medium| Services| Multi-disciplinary agency providing a wide range of services to meet client population needs. | YES| YES| NO| YES| High| The findings of the VRIO analysis indicate which resources and capabilities are of significant importance to CFSTD. Ministry funding, is extremely relevant. Although provided on a quarterly basis, funding can change based on data re garding client 7 volume. CFSTD is bound to a funding formula which is reviewed on an annual basis by the government. Despite its potential for fluctuation, funding is a strength for CFSTD. Technology is a pertinent vehicle of communication. Technology permits CFSTD to offer specialized services to clients that are not readily accessible in the North. CFSTD personnel present as a relevant resource. The diversity and expertise of the personnel is of great value, strength and rarity. Data is another noted strength. The gathered information, analyzed with evidenced-based qualitative and quantitative measures, enables CFSTD to assess the needs and pressure points and, in turn, develop proposals and implement new initiatives that will better serve the client population. Services are also a relevant resource. CFSTD is the largest social service organisation within the area offering more than twenty programs and services that are unique and valuable. Annually, service enhancements take place via the program review process. Furthermore, collaborative projects are occurring with other service providers to offer services that meet clientele needs. Currently, location resources are a weakness. CFSTD is facing a potential closure of one of its facilities due to the constant low number of young offenders coming into custody. CFSTD is communicating with the ministry at this time regarding next steps. Overall, the internal analysis of CFSTD clearly identifies areas of strength and weakness and those requiring improvement. It is important to analyze how and where CFSTD fits into the non-profit industry and determine the intensity of competition and profitability (in this industry, profit is viewed by client volume and ministry funding). In order to do so, an evaluation of CFSTD will be conducted using Porter’s Five Forces of Competition Framework. Five Forces Analysis Grant (2007) states â€Å"Porter’s five forces of competition framework views the profitability of an industry as determined by five sources of competitive pressure† (p. 71). The following table evaluates CFSTD with these five forces. 8 TABLE 2: Evaluation of CFSTD using Porter’s Five Forces FACTORS| INDUSTRY: Non-Profit Child and Family Social Services Organisations| Threat of New Entrants| New government policy and/or amendments to legislation directly impact licensing requirements and overall service operations in social services organisations. Thus, new procedures are developed and new criteria must be met to receive allocation of funds and subsidies for programs and initiatives. | Bargaining Power of Suppliers| Unionized organisations are threatened by disagreements on job descriptions, training and worker performance, thus creating significant delays in service delivery and having an impact on funding. There is a threat of the collective bargaining agreement review and negotiation turning into a strike thus halting service operations. | Bargaining Power of Buyers| Ministry allocated funds for program proposals regarding new initiatives that meet Ministry expectations. Other service providers looking to collaborate and develop new partnerships for Ministry driven initiatives in order to receive financial allocation. | Threat of Substitute Products or Services| Private firms offering similar services. New provincial initiative where psychiatric services in the north will be offered via video-conference instead of face-to-face thus, decreasing the wait-time and wait-list for clients. New legislation regarding young offenders indicates that youth involved with the law are kept out of custody and instead assisted in their local communities. Thus, the number of youth entering facilities has decreased to the point of facility closures. | Rivalry Among Existing Competitors| Similar firms within the industry are competing for Ministry funds. Some firms are collaborating and creating partnerships on some initiatives thus dividing Ministry funds among them. | The findings in this analysis reveal the most significant aspects of CFSTD’s competitive environment. In his article, Porter (2008) note the â€Å"strongest competitive force or forces determine the profitability of an industry and become the most important to strategy formulation† (p. 0). Threat of new entrants and bargaining power of buyers are significant forces for CFSTD. Interesting enough, these forces pertain to the same entity: government. More 9 specifically, government legislation and funding influence CFSTD’s course of action when it comes to service implementation and development. However, in the non-profit industry, there is dual influen ce occurring. Funding, for instance is service/client driven. Thus, if CFSTD’s client volume is high, funding forecasts are at a higher level. Another significant factor is the bargaining power of suppliers. In this case, it is the firm’s personnel. Similar to the government, staffing poses as a threat and/or opportunity. The vision of CFSTD is to offer services to clients in order to promote well-being and safety. This goal cannot be achieved without the expertise and efforts offered by CFSTD employees. Although Porter’s model is better served in the profit industry, it has validity in the non-profit sector. It identifies the fundamentals and constraints of CFSTD all the while permitting CFSTD to have a certain degree of flexibility and creativity in this prescribed environment. In sum, Porter’s model is good to predict changes of profitability. In the case of CFSTD, profitability is a combination of funding with client and service volume. How can CFSTD predict the competitive moves rivals are likely to initiate? One possibility is to conduct a competitor analysis. The following will examine how information regarding rivals can assist in predicting behaviour. Competitor Analysis Grant (2007) notes that competitor analysis is an intra-industry analysis involving a â€Å"systematic approach of information gathering that makes clear what information is required and for what purposes it will be used. The objective is to understand one’s rival† (p. 107). At present, there are social services firms offering similar services to CFSTD. This paper focuses on the competitor most similar to CFSTD: Kunuwanimano Child and Family Services (KCFS). More details about KCFS can be found at their website: http://www. kunuwanimano. com The tool selected to complete this analysis is Porter’s four-part framework for predicting competitive behaviour. The following table outlines these details. 10 TABLE 3: Analysis of KCFS Factor| Comments| Strategy| * KCFS focuses on delivering child welfare and mental health services to First Nations children within their catchment area and work collaboratively with the communities they service. * Children and families will be cared for by the community and inherit the skills, knowledge and cultural traditions that will be provided by community members (www. kunuwanimano. com) * Approaches to working with youth and families guided by the seven sacred teachings. | Objectives| * Develop a service model respecting the inherit authority for child protection matters. Develop policies and procedures and protocols with service providers and First Nations communities that will address decision-making regarding child protection matters. * Obtain Ministry designation to offer mandated services. | Assumptions| * All First Nations people want to obtain services from KCFS. * All First Nations people want to inherit and learn traditional, cultural skills, customs and knowledge. | Resources and Capa bilities| Strengths: * Culturally specific services offered by staff with Native ancestry. * Ability to service eleven Native communities. Weaknesses: * No child welfare designation. * Collaboration with service providers in order to develop protocols, policies and procedures. * Frequent changes in personnel. | Currently, KCFS is at a standstill in obtaining its designation due to their unwillingness to collaborate with similar community service providers. In order for a firm to obtain designation from the Ministry, supervision by a similar firm is required. KCFS refuses to have CFSTD as their supervisor. Based on the above-mentioned, CFSTD can predict the following: 11 KCFS will not obtain its designation for several years and thus will not take over CFSTD’s Native client population; * There is a probability that many of CFSTD’s Native clients will choose to remain as clients of CFSTD, and; * CFSTD will remain as the leading organisation in child welfare services for the Timmins area. It is important to note that CFSTD continues its efforts to work with KCFS, in most part, to no avail. This framework has enabled CFSTD to assess key components of KCFS in order to make future predictions. Objectives Based on the various analyses completed in this paper, recommended strategic objectives are for CFSTD to: * Develop and implement a performance appraisal tool that encompasses competency modelling and that is congruent with CFSTD’s strategic plan; * Develop a contingency plan with the Ministry in the possibility of the closure of one of CFSTD’s locations; * Research and identify a framework such as management innovation that can be applied agency wide and that is in alignment with CFSTD’s strategic plan, and; * Develop and implement a plan to recruit qualified Native professionals. Conclusion Overall, the analyses completed in this paper have allowed us to better understand CFSTD. Now, we can appreciate how CFSTD is doing, what is working well, what requires enhancing and what directions CFSTD plans on going into in the near future. 12 References Barney, J. B. (2007). Chapter 1: What is strategy? In Gaining and sustaining competitive advantage (3rd ed. , pp. 1-16). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Barney, J. B. (2007). Chapter 5: Evaluating firm strengths and weaknesses. In Gaining and sustaining competitive advantage (3rd ed. , pp. 127-169). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc. Dychtwald, K. , Erickson, T. , & Morison, B. (2004). It's time to retire retirement. Harvard Business Review, 82(3), 48-57. http://library. athabascau. ca/mbadrr/STMT-500/ Chapter 5-Evaluating firm strengths and weaknesses. pdf Grant, R. M. (2007). Contemporary strategy analysis (6th ed. ). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. Kunuwanimano Child and Family Services (2009). Retrieved November 7, 2009, from http://www. kunuwanimano. com . Porter, M. (2008). The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review, 86(1), 78-93. http://0-search. ebscohost. com. aupac. lib. athab ascau. ca/login. aspx? direct=true;AuthType=url, ip,uid;db=bth;AN=28000138;site=ehost-live

Brass heat treatment

Copper in pure form has found its significant use only in electrical applications. But with the continued study of copper, the addition of other metals called alloys was developed which enhanced its various properties. Now, different Copper-based alloys were widely used in different aspects of engineering and manufacturing. One of the best known and is widely used is the Copper-Zinc Alloy or Brass. (De Garmo, Black, Kohser, 1997) Brasses according to Yu Lakhtin (1979) are â€Å"binary and multiple-component alloys based on copper with which the main component is zinc.† Below is the phase diagram of Copper-Zinc Alloy at different Cu-Zi percentage and temperature. The commercial value of Brass is in its ? and ? +? ’ phases. At these two different phases, different characteristics were distinct. Their distinction according to Lukhtin (1979) depended on Zinc content from 48% to 50%. The single-phase or ? -brasses were characterized by Lukhtin (1979) as â€Å"can be readily worked in both the hot and cold conditions† while the two-phase ? +? ’ brasses are â€Å"hot-worked at temperatures corresponding to the regions of the ? ’ or ?+? ’ phases. † He also described ? +? ’ brasses as â€Å"having higher strength and wear resistance but less ductility. According to him, â€Å"? +? ’ brasses were often alloyed with Al, Fe, Ni, Sn, Mn, Pb and other elements. † And â€Å"the addition of these alloying elements, except Ni, reduces Zi solubility in Cu and promotes the formation of ? -phase. † Further he wrote, â€Å"the addition of alloying elements, except Lead, raised the strength and hardness of brass but reduced its ductility. Lead improved the machinability and antrification properties of brasses.† According to De Garmo, et. al, â€Å"Copper-based alloys are commonly identified through a system of numbers standardized by the Copper Development Association (CDA) which was adopted later by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and the US government. † Brasses were classified into wrought and casting brasses. According to Lakhtin (1979), â€Å"wrought brasses are used to make sheets, band stock, tubing, wire and other semi-fabricated products; and casting brasses for making foundry castings.† Owen Ellis (1948) further classified Brasses casting alloys into Red Brass, Leaded Red Brass, Semi-Red Brass, Leaded Semi-Red Brass, Yellow Brass, Leaded Yellow Brass, High-Strength Yellow Brass (Manganese Bronze), Leaded High-Strength Yellow Brass (Leaded Manganese Bronze), Silicon Brass, Tin Brass, Tin-Nickel Brass, Nickel Brass (Nickel Silver) and Leaded Nickel Brass (Leaded Nickel Silver). In his classification, Red Brasses consisted 2%-8% zinc, less 0.5% lead, and with tin less than the zinc; the same amount consisted the Leaded Red Brass except that lead is over 0. 5%; Semi-Red Brass consisted 8%-17% zin c, less than 6% tin, and less than 0. 5% lead; the same amount consisted the Leaded Semi-Red Brass except that lead is over 0. 5%; Yellow Brass consisted over 17% zinc, less than 6% tin, under 2% total of aluminum, manganese, nickel, iron, or silicon, and with less than 0. 5% lead; the same constitutes for Leaded Yellow Brass except for lead which is over 0.5%; High-Strength Yellow Brass consisted of over 17% zinc, over 2% total of aluminum, manganese, tin, nickel and iron, under 0. 5% silicon, under 0. 5% lead and less than 6% tin; Leaded High-Strength Yellow Brass has the same constituents except that lead is over 0. 5%; Silicon Brass has over 0. 5% silicon and over 5% zinc; Tin-Nickel Brass has over 6% tin, over 4% nickel and with zinc more than tin; Nickel Brass has over 10% zinc, with nickel in amount sufficient enough to give white color, and with lead under 0.5%; and Leaded Nickel Brass has the same but with lead over 0. 5%. From these differed composition of Copper-Zinc Allo ys different properties were possessed which gave them different uses. Ellis (1948) also wrote that tThe different required properties of Brass such as conductivity and hardness can be secured through heat treatment,† Below is a table of the different compositions, properties and uses of common Copper-Zinc Alloys. Works Cited De Garmo, P. , Black, J., Kohser, R. (1997). Materials and processes in manufacturing. (8th Ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall International, Inc. Ellis, O. (1948). Copper and copper alloys. Cleveland, Ohio: American Society for Metals. Lakhtin, Y. (1979). Engineering physical metallurgy and heat treatment. (Weinstein, N. , Trans. ). Moscow: MIR Publishers. Mayers, J. Visual library. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2007 from http://www. sv. vt. edu/classes/MSE2094_NoteBook/96ClassProj/pics/Cu_Zn1. gif.

Prophet Muhammad as a Religious and Political Role Model Essay - 6

Prophet Muhammad as a Religious and Political Role Model - Essay Example From the poor and needy to the rich and prosperous, the lonely and the weak, the students or teachers, the employer and employee, all of them, every person in every field of work or profession, they can all find inspiration in the life of Prophet Muhammad that entail an example for them to follow suit. Being a religious and political role model is a status that is founded on the Holy Quran as well as the Sunnah. Scholars of Islam have looked at this status of the Prophet and have concluded that the most effective manner is to look at the verses of the Sunnah and Holy Quran that demonstrate the Prophet’s status as a whole. It is from this exploration that things such as obeying the Prophet, believing in Him, agreeing with Him and following Him come to focus. From the Holy Quran, there are verses that refer to the Prophet as a role model. One verse, however, literally refers to Muhammad as a religious and political role model, and states thus: "Verily in the messenger of Allah you have a good example for him who looks unto Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much." The original verse had the Arabic word use, which translates to model or example that should be followed and obeyed. Someone who follows another person is bound to imitate them, follow their style as well as attitudes, in the end identifying themselves with that person. According to the Islamic faith, this word meant being a role model and is also an aspect that is considered to be found in people who possess beauty, goodness and righteousness. This verse is a revelation of the significance of the Prophet’s Sunnah in the Muslim’s lives. It is also worth noting that according to the Holy Quran, Prophet Muhammad has a superior character and is one who exemplifies a perfect lifestyle worthy of emulating.

Going Global-Issues in International Business Case Study

Going Global-Issues in International Business - Case Study Example Stropki as the president, chairman and CEO who was the seventh chairman of the organization. The operating income and net income of the organization increased significantly in the year 2005. The CEO introduced several strategies to expand their businesses in global market place. The study will discuss about the issues associated with business expansion strategies in global market place. Global Welding industry Welding is the most supporting activity in several industrial activities. Any two metals can be effectively or strongly joined through welding process. Arc welding is considered as the predominant method of welding. However, as of 2005, the welding industry became a 13 billion US dollar industry. Welding products play a key part in development of several important and strong structures around the globe. Welding products are highly required in civil and mechanical field. Day-by-day, the production and sales of welding products are increasing due to intense market demand around t he globe. North America, Europe and Asia Pacific are the major regions of welding industry. Global Strategies and Issues The first major global expansion of Lincoln Electric Company occurred between 1986 and 1992. The organization established 22 different manufacturing plants in 15 emerging countries around the globe during this period. The organization purchased the assets from an Australian organization named Air Liquide in the year 1987. The organization followed aggressive business expansion process based on their enormous success in US market. The organization followed aggressive acquisition process in Brazil, Norway, Scotland and Mexico. However, these acquisitions have resulted huge operating losses. In spite of profitable business operation in US market, losses in international market place forced the organization to borrow money from different entities to distribute rewards and bonus for the US employees. In terms of acquisition process, the organization undertook several i n adequate decisions. It is true that economic condition, access to market and resources cannot be similar in each and every country. Wrong market information and lack of in-depth primary research in international markets forced them to redefine their strategies after a certain period of time. The organization developed a series of determined financial goals, but the organization still depended upon its market growth rate in US to meet these organizational goals. Issues in Japanese, South Korean and Chinese Market The company faced several problems in selling the products in several emerging Asia Pacific countries, such as Japan, China and South Korea. The distribution of the organization in Japan was very limited. Lincoln Electric Company did not have any kind of access at the commodity end of the Japanese market. In addition to this, the organization had limited after sales support capability and limited in-country demonstration service facility in Japan. Therefore, it was difficu lt for the organization to achieve high-tech sales growth. The products of the organization sold in Japanese market as niche products for small groups of customers. The organization suffered from huge operating losses due to this factor. Lack of manufacturing plants, limited access to the market, improper decision, making strategy affected the business performance of the organization in Japan. In addition to this, the products were not optimized for effective and required application in Japan. Actually, the

Organizational Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Organizational Conflict - Essay Example The current Interactionist View of Conflict believes that conflict is not only a positive force in a group but that it is absolutely necessary for a group to perform effectively. An example of a criminal justice agency in the midst of functional conflict would be underscored by a number of factors including increased group performance, improved quality of decisions, stimulation of creativity and innovation, encouragement of interest and curiosity, provision of a medium for problem-solving, creation of an environment for self-evaluation and change. From data collected from 159 presentence reports, a Midwestern county's felony cases were grouped according to certain variables including race, socioeconomic status, age, criminal record, and marital status of the offender (Douglass 1979). Results showed the severity of bond and plea bargain correlated highly to race. Clearly, vice operations in criminal justice agencies are in the midst of dysfunctional conflict where the development of discontent, reduction of group effectiveness, retarded communication, reduced group cohesiveness and infighting among group members overcomes group goals. We have discussed the differing interpretations of organizational conflict through three viewpoints: the Traditional View, the Human Relations View, and the Interactionist View of organizational conflict.

Ethnic Study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethnic Study - Assignment Example Commonality that can unite women is therefore and focusing on context-specific positioning of women are the only tools that women can use to address the complexity of the multitude of oppressions confronting women. Heteropatriarchy and the Three Pillars of White Supremacy: Rethinking Women of Color Organizing by Andrea Smith is among the articles that are geared towards women of color where she describes three pillars of white supremacy as slavery/capitalism, genocide/colonialism and orientalism/ war. The author highlights common problematic trends in women of color that include the organizing principle of shared oppression against white supremacy faulty and assuming experiences with white supremacy and solutions for social change as universal. Smith seems to incite people in terms of racism and the notion that capitalist system ultimately makes all workers become commodities and racism is the hierarchy of commodification. Blacks are depicted to be at the top of the hierarchy while whites enjoy the top of it believing that they are not as much of a commodity as the blacks. The notion that whites are superior to blacks still hurts the current society amid voices calling for equality measures. This article offers some insight for homophobia and too many writers engaging in celebration of diversity and multiculturalism that he believes as people with good intentions. The truth of the matter is that books written by insiders tend to benefit the natives more than outsiders’ ideas. America, just like any other country are terribly racist full of self-righteous and bitter discourses. Rational use of various kinds of diversity is marred with nasty fights and protective behaviors because bitterness drives all thought out of expression making most people understand that learning institutions do not teach truth. It is worth knowing that ethnic studies is crucial to both abused groups

Eric Rauchways Murdering McKinley Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Eric Rauchways Murdering McKinley - Essay Example Such a system thereby magnified some of the social challenges that the political regime appeared slow to resolve. The murder of President William McKinley was an epitome of the of social revolution portraying the urgency with which the populace wanted some of the social and economic challenges resolved as discussed in the analysis of Eric Rauchway’s Murdering McKinley in the essay below. The historical masterpiece analyses the circumstances in the country prior to the murder of the president, the subsequent speedy apprehension and execution of his murderer, Leon Czolgosz1. The change in the political regime in the country thereafter ended the implementation of some of the policies formulated by McKinley and instigated the Roosevelt progressivism policies that the people believed would solve most of the social and economic problems thereby providing America with a progressive future by creating a conducive environment for the development of the economy. The murder of McKinley thus appears to have been engineered by his successors and the populists who succeeded the government soon after his death. The book analyses such thus providing more insights to the death and the influence of such to the development of the modern day political, economic and social structures in the United States. An industrial America would present better living conditions for the populace. The economy would grow rapidly and the states would grow, as different industries would begin operations thereby employing millions of America. The development of cities as a modern settlement pattern brought people together thereby intensifying integration in the society. However, the American society was grappling with serious social and economic issues that would stifle the industrial revolution. The inability of the different regimes prior to McKinley’s tenure

Role of national security advisor of US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Role of national security advisor of US - Essay Example Various stakeholders in tackling security issues in US play different roles to establish the causes and means effectively applicable to mitigate issues of security in the world. Among the major stake holders in security issues in US are; the president, the security advisor, the director of national intelligence, the congress among others. The US security stakeholders take interest in circumstances that affect values, economic prosperity, security and international order. US security sector investigates security status, formulate policies and offer support to the regions that are affected by insecurity. In making decisions related to security, the stakeholders contribute share information that determines the course of action to be taken by the US government. The action taken by America regarding a security issue is not solely decided by the president. In this paper, I will analyze the role of the US National Security Advisor and his place in offering advice to the government and the e ffect on the Instrument of National Power as a result of the course of action. In this analysis, I will take into consideration the role of the US National security Advisor in the situation of Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is because the US is concerned with the future outcome of the security situation in that area. This is because of the existence of terror groups which have destabilized security of the region for many years. Terrorist groups are considered a threat to the whole world since they are believed to be trafficking weapons of mass destruction into the region (Lesson 19 pg 237). Seth Jones, the author of the article, It Takes the Villages: Bringing Change from Below in Afghanistan addresses the issues surrounding the US involvement in security issues touching Afghanistan. According to Jones, the government of US has operated with little information about the cultural dynamics that surround the area of Afghanistan. For example, the author argues that the government of US has taken military to Afghanistan while they lack information on the values of the local people. In actual sense, the author supports his work by quoting the word of the Major General Michael Flynn who attested that they are working in an area where they know very little about. Flynn was quoted to have used these words eight years in to the war between US and terrorists in Afghanistan (Jones pg 240). In tackling the security situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the US national Security Advisor will be required to change the strategy he has presented to the US government concerning the implementation of military plans in those areas. This is because there are deficiencies in the way the US has been approaching the settlement of disputes in that region. In addressing security issues, the government of US has failed to put into consideration the culture of the people of Afghanistan. This would inform decisions Americans soldiers make in planning and executing plans since activities o f a people are linked to their values (Jones pg 241). It is evident that many of the American soldiers have minimal interaction with people of the rural areas of Afghanistan. To achieve settlement of disputes between the two areas, the government of US will be required to engage the allies to the warring sides and get exact information about causes of war. The government of America will need to execute a cultural study of the

Theory of Constraints Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Theory of Constraints - Assignment Example h a difference of four minutes, it means that the first customer to be served will leave when the last customer is left with 24 minutes to leave because the total time that is being lost before the servers finish with their last customer in the first round of 12 is 24 minutes. And suppose there is an increment in the number of servers then there will be decrease in time lost with increase in the number of customers served which is directly proportional to increase in general income of the process(Jacobs, Chase & Lummus, 2011). If the average cost per meal is 10$ then it means that in the first 50 minutes the process shall have generated 120$ and in the first 1 hour it shall have generated 144$. For a better understanding of that calculation the figures are tabulated as shown bellow Increment in the number of customers can comfortably accommodate by increment in the number of employees by a positive figure of one and at the same time the current employees must adjust their level of performance for the general success of the process(Jacobs, Chase & Lummus,

Introduction to Computer Application & Systems Essay Example for Free

Introduction to Computer Application Systems Essay Introduction to Computer Application Systems March 6, 2012 Dr. Xuan Yu ? Technology has gone from the days of the pony express to advancing at a rate of a mile a minute to now evolving to what seems like the speed of light or faster. With such a fast paced environment of change in technology, policies and laws must adapt to be compatible to those advancements in order to provide the best method to govern the laws and policies and protect its people. This paper will explore how technological advancements have influenced crucial changes in two essential policies: the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and the Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA). The Electronic Communications Privacy Act, an extension of the Federal Wiretap Statute, was endorsed in 1986 (Justice Information Sharing, 2010). This was a necessary implementation with how technology was diversifying ways to communicate and share information. In order to oversee and safeguard technological advancements such as email, cordless and cell phone communications, and electronically stored data the federal government had to amend and sometimes put into operation new policies. These policies, like the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, minimize many ethical issues that came along with the development of these advancements. As technology experimented with ideals such as wireless connection, it gave way to many unethical and at times illegal practices. Ethical issues that the Electronic Communications Privacy Act had to address included accessibility and privacy; information could be shared outside the confinement of a person’s home or business. The government needed to find a way that would control and guard how this information was access, collected and stored. Implementing the Electronic Communications Privacy Act allowed government officials to include devices outside the scope of the Federal Wiretap Statute. Eight years before the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, financial businesses latched on to this idea of transferring information which cause governmental official to step in and implement the Electronic Funds Transfer Act. This ct is intended to protect people who engage in transferring and sharing private financial information such as bank account numbers and personal information through devices such as automated teller machines (ATMs) and point-of-sale terminals

Mirror Neurons Essay Example for Free

Mirror Neurons Essay The sight of a strangers foot getting hammered induces an instant surge of sympathy within us. Watching a friend nauseate after eating something repulsive quickly causes our own stomachs to turn. This ability to understand and relate to another individuals internal state has provided great motivation for research. One source of explanation arose from research on mirror neurons-which fire both during execution and observation of a behaviour (Rizzollati Arbib, 1998). This particular class of neurons plays a crucial function in human social interactions. The importance of the mirror neuron system (MNS) for communication can be understood through its influence on nonverbal communication including facial expressions and hand gestures and verbal language. Furthermore, disorders affecting human communication-such as autism and schizophrenia-convey the impression of stemming from a malfunctioning MNS. Generally, human social interaction involves both verbal and nonverbal forms of communication. Obvious examples of nonverbal communication are facial expressions and hand gestures. A recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study by Montgomery and Haxby (2008) found evidence supporting the claim that the MNS contains distinct representations for facial expressions and hand gestures. Particularly, this study examined the inferior parietal lobule and the frontal operculum as the potential MNS brain regions involved in nonverbal communication. Further evidence comes from another fMRI study by Montgomery, Isenberg and Haxby (2007)-which demonstrated the activation of the MNS during hand movements used to manipulate objects and hand gestures used to communicate. A third fMRI study by Van, Minderaa and Keysers (2007) highlighted similar results by examining other putative MNS brain regions-inferior frontal gyrus, posterior parietal cortex, insula and amygdala-thought to be associated with facial expressions. Activity spontaneously increased in the MNS of participants that produced and observed certain facial expressions (Van et al., 2007). A study by Enticott, Johnston, Herring, Hoy, and Fitzgerald (2008) demonstrated an associations between mirror neurons and facial emotion processing. Instead of using fMRI as a method of analysis, Enticott and colleagues (2008) used the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) technique. In brief, much evidence supporting the involvement of the MNS in the processes of facial expression and hand gesture exists. Such forms of communication form the basis for the later, more complex, verbal language development. Taking this thought further, verbal language also seems to be linked to the MNS. Firstly, Rizzollati et al. (1998) marked the discovery of mirror neurons in the F5 area within the monkeys’ frontal cortex. This primate-specific F5 area has been considered to be the homolog of the human Broca’s area, which is a region crucial for language (Rizzollati et al., 1998). With this in mind, Horwitz et al. (2003) demonstrated that both spoken and signed language are associated with mirror neurons firing in Broca’s area as a result of the production of language. In addition, an fMRI study by Aziz-Zadeh, Wilson, Rizzollati, and Lacoboni (2006) made evident that the MNS of the premotor cortex is activated both when participants observed mouth, hand and foot movements and when participants read phrases related to these body parts. Overall, these findings suggest that indeed the MNS influences verbal language. Moreover, another way of understanding the importance of the mirror neurons’ influence on human social interaction is by considering the consequences of a malfunctioning system. Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by social and language impairments. In other words, individuals with autism tend to be less interactive when it comes to communicating with others. Part of the MNS-the posterior inferior frontal and rostral inferior parietal areas are affiliated with social behaviour and imitative learning; however these areas have deficits in autistic individuals (Locoboni Mazziotta, 2007). In one study individuals with autism spectrum disorder showed significantly different electroencephalography (EEG) recordings of mirror neurons compared to a control group consisting of healthy individuals (Oberman, Hubbard, McCleery, Altschular, Ramachandran, Pineda, 2005). Similarly, schizophrenia is another disorder characterized by deficits in social communication, especially of the nonverbal type. Research by Kato Y., Muramatsu, Kato M., Shibukawa, Shintani, and Mimura (2011) using magnetoencephalography recordings on the right inferior parietal cortex showed atypical mirror neuron activity in non-treated schizophrenia patients. Likewise, similar results were found in a study that tested mirror neuron activity using TMS,; it was demonstrated that during action observation a reduction in motor facilitation occurs in schizophrenia patients (Enticott, Hoy, Herring, Johnston, Daskalakis, Fitgerald, 2008). Clearly, communication impairments observed in individuals with autism and schizophrenia are influenced by the MNS. In conclusion, human social interaction is influenced by mirror neurons. Evidence supports this statement through research done on the involvement of the MNS in nonverbal communication, including facial expressions and hand gestures and verbal language. Research has also suggested that an impaired MNS negatively affects social interaction, which is exemplified in the cases of autism and schizophrenia. Taken as a whole, combining mirror neurons’ role in imitative behaviour and social interaction-the process through which humans possibly acquire new social knowledge becomes evident. Additionally, the presence of mirror neurons in primates as well as humans provide evidence for the development of social interaction over the course of evolution. Thus, in order to further strengthen their existing relationship, future research should examine the co-evolution of mirror neurons and social interaction.

Transit Oriented Development Tod Construction Essay

Transit Oriented Development Tod Construction Essay Transit-oriented development refers to a design of the area to maximize the access to so as the use of public transport to achieve sustainable transportation, and the sustainable transportation can help achieve sustainable society as a whole. Sustainable transportation is encouraged by promoting compact development around the major public facilities, improving the pedestrian walking experience, and increasing the accessibility to the public transit. It often incorporates the features to encourage transit ridership. TOD is a strategy to deal with dense population and it is a development to integrate with the transit system. A TOD neighborhood typically has a center with a transit station or stop of public transport, such as bus stop and railway station, surrounded by relatively high-density development with progressively lower density development spreading outward from the center. (Online wikipedia, 2012) High density population with mixed land use within short distance, TOD aims that people can access to place more easily with shorter time which would require less vehicle travel, save energy and emit less pollutants. Planning for compact growth of an area, rather than letting it sprawl out, has the potential to greatly increase the quality of the environment. It prevents problems of traffic congestion and the environmental degradation associated with urban sprawl. TOD contains specific features that are designed to encourage public transport use and differentiate the development from urban sprawl. Examples of these features include (Renne, 2009) the neighborhood is designed for cycling and walking, with adequate facilities and attractive street conditions. The streets have good connectivity and tracffic calming features to control vehicle traffic speeds, such as narrow streets. Mixed-use development is found that includes shops, schools and other public services, and a variety of housing types and prices, within each neighborhood. Efficient parking management to reduce the amount of land devoted to parking compared with conventional development and to take advantage of the parking cost savings associated with reduced automobile use. Transit stops and stations are convenient, comfortable and secure. (New urbanism) Implementation As discussed by Newman (2009), some strategic planning frameworks are needed as a set of policy tools to help implementing TOD. He suggests four strategic planning tools (Newman, in Curtis, 2009, p. 13): 1. A strategic policy framework that asserts where centers need to occur and at what kind of density and mix; 2. A strategic policy framework that links centers with a rapid transit base, almost invariably electric rail; 3. A statutory planning base that requires development to occur at the necessary density and design in each center, preferably facilitated by a specialized development agency, and 4. A public-private funding mechanism that enables the transit and the TOD to be built or refurbished through a linkage between the transit and the centers it will service. An area is created based on a set of urban design standard and zoning guidelines with a dense population and transit system. Increasingly, regional planning techniques are being used to control and shape of growth into compact, high-density, mixed-use neighborhoods, villages, towns, and cities, forming a hierarchy. Compact development provides sufficient population and demand to support transit system with a dense network coverage. TODs generally are located within a radius of 400-800 meters or up to 15-minute walk from a transit stop, it increases the location efficiency so people can walk and bike to take transit as it is considered as an appropriate scale for pedestrians. By improving the pedestrian walking experience and increasing the accessibility to the public transit, more people will take public transit and reduce the flow of automobiles. The area becomes an attractive and cohesive mixed-use area with commercial, retail and residential uses as self-sustaining. Many cities have faced the challenges of getting the right residential density because the density tends to be very low. Especially in the North America where people often rely on driving vehicles as their main transport mode, the higher-density residential development near transit system can limits the negative impacts to the environment. But TOD is suitable in Hong Kong, given the high density of population, it is able to support the development in transit system and develop the transit network into a comprehensive coverage with high accessibility. Hong Kong as an example of TOD Hong Kong has a total land area of 1098km2 and a population of 7 million in 2012. (Census Statistics Department, 2012) The land supply is scarce and residential use is dense. Worse still, large proportion of the land is hilly. While a certain portion of the land has been designated as country parks and catchment areas for reservoirs, much of the land are not feasible for development. With the rapid economic development, urban area in Hong Kong expands in a uncontrollable manner to the countryside which can be regarded as urban sprawl. This has created lots of unpleasant problems. To control urban sprawl and better utilize the limited land resource in Hong Kong, new towns are developed to relocate the soaring population and design them into a self-sustaining community with mixed land use. New town development with TOD is an appropriate planning strategy to deal with the dense population in Hong Kong. In early 1970s, the government implemented the New Town Development Programme in which new towns were planned to be served by railway linking to the urban area, for example, the New Towns such as Tai Po and Fanling in Northeast served by East Railway. Since the introduction of the Third Comprehensive Transport Study in 1999, the Government began to take a proactive role in integrating land use and railway development. Railway would form the backbone of the future passenger transport network. Railway stations would synchronize with land use development and become the hubs for transport interchanges. Some places were chosen to develop into new towns as the first planning tool mentioned above. New towns are designed to house a dense population with the sufficient provision of public facilities such as schools and shopping malls, and mixed land use. The new towns are developed into densely-populated area, we can know from the figures shown in the table below. New towns Time of development Population (in persons) Population density (persons/km2) Tsuen Wan 1959 774000 32300 Sha Tin 1973 630000 18000 Tuen Mun 1973 488500 25710 Tseung Kwan O 1982 350000 34800 Tin Shui Wai 1987 270000 63000 The buildings in new town are high rise and constitute a number of estates to concentrate the people, so stops and stations can be built to link them up and for more efficient transport. The housing estates are in various types, including public housing, private housing and so on at different price as choices to the residents. Cycling and walking lane are designed to improve the pedestrian experience and increase the accessibility to the public transit. Mixed land use with public facilities are developed based on the threshold of the goods and services to provide, many lower order goods and services can be found to make new towns self-maintaining, such as daily necessities and primary and secondary education. For example, Tin Shui Wai is a new town with many high rise buildings to house a very high density of population with the transit system of light railway among itself, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, and West railway connected to urban areas. For the second planning tool, the area is designed with a transit base. The compact growth of new towns can support every station of railway system and develop as a TOD neighborhood. Each new town is accessible nowadays by different lines in mass transit system. http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/getting_around/images/MTR_routemap_510.jpgLook at the map of MTR, we can see most of the area can be reached by taking railway. The railway network is dense and covers most of the dense populated area in Hong Kong. Populous area in daytime, Mongkok, Tsim Sha Tsui and Central, populous area in nighttime, Tin Shui wai, Tuen Mun and Shatin, all are linked by the railway system. The distance between every station is close, people can take railway to any destinations, and the walking distance from home to the stations is not long, within the radius of 15-minute walk. The development of transit system and the new towns should be synchronized, the new town development was failed in the past decades when the land use and transit development were not synchronized. Tseung Kwan O line (completed in August 2002) and Ma On Shan Rail (completed in 2004) were constructed after two areas have been densely populated, the inaccessibility hinders the development of two places. These are the examples of the lack of co-ordination between the land use development and transit system. The third and fourth tools are the development in a center is preferably facilitated by a specialized development agency or funded by public or private mechanism. It can be illustrated by the example of Taikoo Shing as one of the first successful TODs was Taikoo Shing by Swire Properties Limited (Swire). The development started in 1970s when the MTR Island Line was not yet in operation. When the Island Line started to operate in 1985 plus the opening of the East Harbour Crossing Tunnel in 1989, Swire realized the land use development is profitable from MTR system. In order to capture the impacts of mass transit system, development in Taikoo Shing has been diversifying in land use with retail, office, commercial and residential functions, and leisure amenities, such as a large shopping mall called City Plaza. As a result of the New Town Development Programme, a major railway in the New Territories has linked with the Hong Kong Island line; more housing developments including private housing grew along the major railway arteries. The closer distance to the MTR stations, the denser the residential development. And as the population increases, development also expands to meet the demand. TODs are thus well developed in Hong Kong. Benefits of TOD More intensive mixed-use development allows an increase in walking and bicycling within the neighborhood, when a transit connection is added to the mix then auto-free travel to other parts of the metropolitan area become more feasible. Less automobile use means less consumption of fossil fuels, less air pollution, and lower the spending on transportation. (Reconnecting America) When the characteristics of a particular place are recognized as supportive of lower personal transportation costs, the monetary benefits can be captured by both individuals (in the form of greater mortgage borrowing power) and the community (in the form of lower development costs stemming from reduced need to build expensive parking). In short, transit-oriented development can be a central part of a development paradigm that is more environmentally and socially sustainable, and that contributes to higher quality of life. Moreover, existing historic neighborhoods are being preserved and enhanced by the proximity of more diverse housing, shopping and entertainment choices, and the increases in traffic are minimal. Conclusion The railway transit system is under extension and Hong Kong population is surging, believing that Hong Kong is continue to develop at a fast pace. The development of TOD is beneficial to Hong Kong in the sense that sustainable transportation can be achieved.

Proving A Moral Principle :: Philosophy Philosophical Morals Essays

Proving A Moral Principle Once one has examined an ethical theory and knows what its fundamental concepts are — what kinds of factors are to be used in making moral judgments, whether its principles apply directly to acts or rules, and what concepts of the good life is proposed — one is certainly in a better position to judge which of all the competitive principles comes closest to fulfilling the task of giving a complete account of moral phenomena. Unfortunately this may not be enough to enable us to choose among them. Most of the classical principles do a reasonably good job of supplying a rationale for most if not all of our moral judgments. Yet the principles are often incompatible with one another. Must we then decide among them not simply on the basis of their adequacy to explain and justify moral judgments but on the basis of simple preference, i.e. because we "like" one better than another? We are more likely to believe a moral theory that says that most of our moral beliefs are correct, then one that says that most of our moral beliefs are inconsistent. Of course no theory will make them all come out true. We have to balance the question of our philosophical grounds for believing that the moral theory is in fact true — that it corresponds to the demands that actually exist for us in reality — rather than merely being an accurate codification of what we happen to believe. It could still turn out that the 'true' moral theory, the theory that comes closest to capturing the things one actually ought or ought not to do, coheres less well with our ordinary moral beliefs than another theory which is less revisionary in its consequences. The issue I'm addressing is the proof of a set of moral principles, the proof of the validity of a moral outlook or theory. Various attempts have been made to avoid this seemingly irrational consequence by supplying what often have been referred to as "proofs" of' moral principles. The term "proof" as so used had a widely variable meaning but in general what is intended is a set of considerations, other than the internal consistency and adequacy of the theory, which are particularly persuasive in making a choice of one theory or principle over another. There have been several different kinds of such proofs.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder :: Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD

In all honesty I did not hear the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) until some time after I re-deployed from Iraq in mid August 2003. Surely the term had been around long before them, but it wasn’t commonly used acronym in the military. I didn’t have nearly the frequent use that is has in today’s Army. Nowadays, everything a Soldier does is associated with PTSD even if the Soldier has not been diagnosed with it; it has become such a ill-used word that from what I can see everyone is try to jump on the band wagon. So if Soldier is late for my formation, the first thing he says is, â€Å"I must have PTSD or something, I need to get check out†, well the whole time I am thinking the Soldier just didn’t want to get up this morning, he doesn’t have PTSD. So I can understand how the screening for PTSD may be a bit diluted as everyone [thinks] they have it, even those who are new recruits and have never even been to combat. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011). Although not all individuals who have been traumatized develop PTSD, there can be significant physical consequences of being traumatized. For example, research indicates that people who have been exposed to an extreme stressor sometimes have a smaller hippocampus, the region of brain that plays a role in memory, than people who have not been exposed to trauma (MedicineNet, 2011). Often family member those diagnosed with PTSD find themselves often feeling hurt, alienated, or discouraged because the patient has yet to overcome the ordeal of this trauma (Hall, 2008, p. 226). The additional stressors that families face by their uniformed Soldier going to war is both physical and emotionally draining, however, they must understand in order for the Soldier to be effective, they must be able to cope with the warrior culture and warfare associated with the 21st century (Hall, 2008, p. 227). When a family member goes to war, the impact on those left at home can be challenging.

Naked Essay -- essays research papers

Naked David Sedaris; Little Brown & co. 1997 â€Å" The women’s open† 1. Throughout the essay â€Å" The women’s open† David’s father obsession for golf is shown. The power of his obsession leads him to forget what should be important to him. 2. Sedaris expresses the lack of heart his father shows towards people and even his children when it comes down to golf. For example the first day Lisa ever got her period was out on the golf course while her dad was watching a professional tournament, at first while she complained about her back pains he just simply brushed her off. At the moment he realized the problem he asked a women just as devoted to golf as he to accompany her to the ladies room for a sanitary napkin. He kept David with him so he could run after the thin tees that usually flew 20 feet away from the golfers swing, just so he could keep them for good luck. On another occasion Lisa’s mother had recorded a video of movies that they enjoy watching together. After her mother had passed away Lisa searched everywhere for the video her mother had made for her. She found it in her fathers basement along with all his golf videos. As she began to watch the video memories began to arise until a man bending down on a golf course appeared on the screen. Her father had recorded a golf tournament over her mothers memories. Sedaris succeeded in letting the reader know how obsessed his father was with golf and the pain it put the family through. 3. Sedaris begins with a short passage foreshadowing an event that will occur that day. He begins this way to let the reader know that there is importance behind the story. After his foreshadowing he commences with the story. 4. Sedaris uses descriptive sets of paragraphs followed by dialogue to express what is going on. For example, returning from the tournament they find Lisa lying in the back seat of his Porsche. the first word out of Lisa’s mouth were not too pleasant . â€Å" My father sighed and shook his head in disappointment. This was the same way he reacted to my mother when anger and frustration caused her to forget herself. Lisa was not a daughter now but just another female unable to control her wildly shifting emotions. â€Å" Don’t mind her,† he said wiping a thin coat of pollen of the wind shield. â€Å" She’s just having lady problems.† † 5. I think Sedaris was very effective in his writing. I don’t like g... ...fe to what I believe he wished it was. But when it comes down it, his family has as many money problems as an average family. 3. Beginning his first line of his first essay in his book with a command he would like to give one of his servants is misleading. Sedaris structures his essay in a way that makes the reader believe that he is rich. But he expresses how he was far from being rich. 4. Sedaris language is beyond effective, his sentences are full of considedness and snobby comments. â€Å"When asked most people say my greatest asset is my skin, which glows it really does! I have to tie a sock over my eyes in order to sleep at night. Other’s like my eyes or my perfect ,gleaming teeth my thick head of hair or my imposing stature, but if you want my opinion, I think my most outstanding feature is my ability to accept a compliment.† His conclusion to the story makes up for all the nonsense he had mentioned before. 5. I thought Sedaris’s first essay â€Å"chipped beef† was a hilarious arrangement of considedness and make believe. Although this essay is not arranged with the perverted humor featured in some of his other essays, he had a very effective way in making the readers laugh

Human Facial Expressions and Emotions Essay

To accept that the implications of human emotions are universal is indeed very extensive. It speaks to an issue that is deeply entrenched in human nature and it is by no means a trivial question. Much research has been conducted in this field of emotions through the analysis of facial expressions, categorizing evidence into two primary categories: those in favor of the universality of emotions, known as the Universality thesis, or those in favor of cultural influence on emotions. While it has been largely accepted that there is a basic universal language in the field, the bulk of the debate centers on where exactly factors controlling expression of facial expressions lie on this spectrum. There is undeniably overwhelming evidence in support of the universality thesis with both qualitative (judgment studies) and quantitative (muscle unit measurements and brain mapping techniques) data; however, one could not overlook the behavioral and anatomical evidence in favor of culture-specific expressions. Therefore, universal emotions may serve as a very fundamental framework among all humans; yet, it is cultural differences that fine-tune this structure into the emotions each individual expresses. Introduction to Universality Thesis: The Darwinian Hypothesis Principles for the Expression of Emotions The Work of Charles Darwin. Many of the ideas that Darwin formulated in his 1872 book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals have led to this field of research. On the book’s most basic level, he defended that emotion expressions are evolved and adaptive (Hess & Thibault, 2009). However, Darwin also posits three crucial principles from which many of the subsequent fundamental questions and debate over emotions and their purpose stem. The Principle of Serviceable Habits. As Hess and Thibault (2009) note, this first principle takes a Lamarckian view of the inheritance of emotions genetically through the force of habits. Darwin explicitly underscores the concept and force of habit. It also speaks very much to the functionality of emotions and their expressions, although most of them are vestigial. However, these traits could still be observed in animals because the civilization of humans would suppress such instinctual tendencies. A common example is that of rage and aggression as a â€Å"playful sneer† or â€Å"ferocious snarl† (Darwin, 1872) reveals animal descent. The Principle of Antithesis. In a reversal of the first principle, the second principle asserts that some expressions are so directly opposite to nature that the only means is that of expressive communication (Darwin 1872). This makes the expression almost analogous to the voice for the purpose of intercommunication. It is worth noting, however, the Darwin extends this principle to not only states, but to traits as well (Hess & Thibault, 2009). For instance, Darwin (1872) postulates that the enigmatic action of a gaping mouth could indicate a feebleness of character. Such actions eventually become ingrained through habit. The Principle of the Direct Action of the Excited Nervous System on the Body.  This final principle that Darwin outlines could be considered the direct product of the nervous system. Therefore, some expressions occur to balance excess emotions. For instance, consider the absurd nature of laughter (Hess & Thibault, 2009). Heckler (1873) proposed that laughter could in fact be a protective reflex that compromises the excess of the circulatory and respiratory systems through the irritation of vasomotor nerves. The work of Darwin and universality thesis will later by revived in the late 1960s and early 1970s by the judgments studies of Paul Ekman. Evidence in Support of Universality Evidence derived from Judgment Studies Introduction. The universality thesis is most contingent upon judgment data, evidence of observers seeing the same emotions in all faces (Russell, 1994). Paul Ekman is largely considered to be the pioneer and preeminent scholar in the field of emotions, and his judgment studies with overwhelming evidence supporting the universality of facial expressions are frequently cited in subsequent studies on this topic. The earlier view before studies conducted by Ekman and Friesen from the late 1960s was that facial expressions completely differed from culture to culture (La Barre, 1947). With Ekman and Friesen’s groundbreaking work on the constancy of facial expressions throughout cultures in 1971, however, the tremendous evidence has persuaded much of the psychology world to accept the universality thesis although skeptics still remain (Ekman & Friesen, 1987). Pan-cultural udgment studies. Among the first of these pan-cultural judgment studies was conducted by Ekman, Sorenson, and Friesen (1969) in New Guinea, Borneo, Brazil, the United States, and Japan where they found evidence in favor of pan-cultural elements in facial displays; observers in these cultures were able to recognize similar emotions in the a standard set of photographs. They first obtained samples of photographed facial expressions that were free of cultural differences. The subjects, too, were carefully selected as data needed to be collected from virtually isolated preliterate societies to eliminate the variable of mass media (Ekman et al. , 1969). Photographs of Caucasians—male and female, adult and children—were used, all of whom were professional and amateur actors. The observers observed primarily the preliterate societies from New Guinea and Borneo, two isolated communities that required translators. 1] The emotion Happy (H) was most universally recognized with tremendous accuracy in responses—United States: 97 H; Brazil: 97 H; Japan: 87 H; New Guinea: 99 H (Pidgin) and 82 H (Fore); and Borneo: 92 H. Fear (F), however, seem to generate a more varied response between different cultures, with Surprise (SU) and Anger (A) as answers as well—United States: 88 F; Japan: 71 F, 26 SU; New Guinea: 46 F, 31 A (Pidgin) and 54 F, 25 A (Fore); Borneo: 40 F, 33 SU. There were also variations within Disgust-Contempt (D) with some mixtures of A and in the Borneo society, even H; A included some D and F; SU included F and A, which these variations occurring primarily in the isolated societies; and finally, Sadness (SA) was sometimes interpreted as A, with A being the only given response in the Fore group of New Guinea. While there is certainly evidence for some basic universality, Ekman, Sorenson, and Friesen attributed the discrepancies to language barriers and task unfamiliarity in the illiterate societies. Flaws and how they were subsequently addressed. Ekman and Friesen (1987) later published a study in which they acknowledge some flaws of previous judgment studies. With respect to the study above, three problems that limited them are: (1) there has only been one such study, (2) not all six emotions were accurately recognized, and (3) the facial expressions were posed as opposed to spontaneous (Ekman & Friesen, 1987). In response to the last criticism, Ekman and Friesen (1972) designed a study of facial expressions shown by Japanese and Americans while watching stress-inducing films of body mutilation and neutral films of natural andscape. When subjects from each of the two cultures viewed the films in the absence of a scientist with a hidden video camera, the facial expressions from both groups were virtually identical; when viewing the same films in the presence of a scientist, however, the Japanese tended to mask negative expressions with smile, lending support to the presence of cultural display rules when different cultures ma nage and mask universal expressions. The primary criticism, however, was (1) again, there has only been one such study, and (2) the films only elicit two emotions (disgust and fear)—other universal expressions were not determined for (Ekman & Friesen, 1987). Later studies, however, involving photographs of facial expressions shown to observers of across 12 literature cultures found very high agreement by multiple researchers including Ekman, Friesen, Sorenson, and Izard (Ekman et at. , 1969; Izard, 1971). The multiple replications of this design lends to its credibility (Ekman & Friesen, 1987). Universality of the recognizing intensity. Ekman and Friesen (1987) sought to further extend their basic judgment studies by testing for four different hypotheses of cross-cultural agreement for (1) single-choice judgment tasks; (2) the strongest emotion; (3) the second strongest emotion; and (4) strength of emotion. The nations that were chosen included 8 different languages from both Western and non-Western countries. In (1), the single-choice judgment task that replicated previous studies, once again, produced accurate results in terms of the percentage of subjects in a country correctly identifying with a predicted emotion. For instance, two examples include Happiness, in which the percentage ranged from 98% (Scotland) to 69% (Sumatra); for Surprise, 94% (Japan) to 78% (Sumatra), while Sadness, ranged from 92% (U. S. ) to 76% (Turkey). Overall, the emotional term chosen by the majority of the subjects in each culture was accurate 178 out of 180 times. Hypothesis (2) was also supported: 177 out of 180 times, the emotion that was judged to be the most prominent by the majority of each culture was also the predicted emotion. Hypothesis (3), which predicted the universality of the secondary emotion, was sustained as well: in every culture, there was complete agreement about the secondary emotion signaled by expressions of disgust and fear. The results for sadness and surprise, however, were too infrequent to be conclusive (5 out of 30 opportunities and 8 out of 30 respectively). Further research needs to be conducted to determine the cause for this discrepancy (Ekman & Friesen, 1987). Hypothesis (4) required subjects to judge the intensity of emotions on an 8-point scale (1-slight, 4-moderate, 8-strong) to predict the universality of judging. This, according to Ekman and Friesen (1987) however, led to inconclusive results. Using a one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), F(54,2743)=3. 95, signifies a moderate association between culture and intensity judgments. However, instead, the six univariate tests ranged from 2. 3 in Sadness to 6. 66 in Surprise, indicating that there are significant differences among cultures in this respect. These differences, according, to Ekman and Friesen, could have 2 possibilities: (1) politeness and a greater uncertainty about a foreigner or (2) the language barrier, as observers had make judgments in language other than English (Ekman & Friesen, 1987). Nevertheless, with three of these hypotheses confirmed, the evidence for universal facial expressions is undeniably overwhelming despite these flaws. Evidence based on Facial Action Coding System (FACS) and Action Units Introduction. Based on the evidence for the presence of six basic emotions across cultures,—happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and surprise—qualitative descriptions of facial muscles associated with each of them have been identified. For instance, happy expressions include tense lower eyelids, raised cheeks and lip corners pulled up, while sad expressions include inner eyebrows raised and drawn together, and lip corners pulled down (Kohler et al. 2004). Based on such observations, Ekman and Friesen (1978) developed the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) by identifying the presence of action units (AU). They serve as the standard set of facial expressions. Target AUs in universal emotions. Kohler et al (2004) sought to identify which AUs characterized the four universal emotions of happiness, sadness, anger, and fear. A total of 128 images of emotional expressions were used in a sample of 105 sub jects from Drexel University. Of these subjects, 63 were men and 42 were women. There were also 71 Caucasian, 9 Africa-American, 4 Hispanic/Latino, and 21 Asian-American participants, indicating ethnic diversity. They were then asked whether each facial expression matched the target emotion. FACS ratings revealed that uniquely absent and present AUs were found for each emotion (Kohler et al, 2004). In Happy, the presence of AU 6, 7, and 26 was ositively associated with happy recognition, and determined that the presence of 6 increased recognition four times; in Sad, AU 4, 17, and 25 were positively while 15 was negatively associated; in Anger, AU 4, 5, and 16 were positively while 23 was negatively associated[2]; and in Fear, AU 5, 1, and 26 were positively while 4 was negatively associated. By defining expressions quantitatively with unique muscle patterns over a diverse subject group, the universality thesis is further strengthened. The 2004 Athens Olympics Game. Psychologist David Matsmoto[3] (2006) conducted a field behavioral study of the facial expressions displayed by medal winners of the judo competition during the 2004 Athens Olympics Games using F F ACS. With judo photographer Bob Willingham, they captured the spontaneous reactions of 84 medal winners from 35 different countries—the most diverse ethnic group in a spontaneously intense emotional field study—at 3 different times: (1) when they completed the match, (2) when they received their medals from the dignitary, and (3) when they posed on the podium. Matsumoto (2006) found that independent of cultural backgrounds, there are very specific facial expressions that occur in emotionally-charged contexts. This study was designed in response to some criticisms of judgments studies and previous field studies conducted in other sporting events including bowling and soccer (Kraut & Johnson, 1979; Ruiz-Belda et al. , 2003). A crucial concern about judgments studies held in laboratories is their posed stimuli and artificial nature because they lack the investigation of the expression within a social context (Matsumoto, 2006). While later field studies were conducted in order to address this concern, there were three flaws that Matsumoto (2006) in turn addresses. The first two are the strength of the elicited emotional response—a factor that is not intense enough with bowling spares and strikes—and the time allowed for expressions to unfold. The third and most important aspect of the study was the type of smile elicited in the social context, something that Kraut and Johnson (1979) had failed to distinguish. Matsumoto determines two types of smiles: the Duchenne smile and the non-Duchenne smile; the former is associated with enjoyment and the latter is associated with pleasantry or social convenience even though the person does not feel positive emotions. While Ruiz-Belda et al (2003) uses the FACS, which detects the muscle movements associated with these smiles, they were not differentiated. In order to isolate photos or victory, Willingham took pictures from the gold and bronze matches (Matsumoto, 2006), the most emotionally intense matches as they both occur at the margin; the former wins the first place while the latter made the cut for a medal. Negative emotions of defeat were searched for in silver medal winners and athletes who placed fifth. Again, as aforementioned, it is important to distinguish the timing of emotions, as the first expressions upon completing a match are often the most instinctual and natural ones. Thirteen out of 14 gold medalists and 18 out of 16 bronze medalists smiled for a total of 31 smiles; of those 31 smiles, 29 were Duchenne and 24 were open-mouthed. In the defeat silver medalists, none smiled and 1 of the 26 fifth placers smiled. Instead, 43% of silver medalists and 35% of fifth placers showed sadness, 29% and 23% showed nothing (respectively), and 14% and 15% showed contempt (again, respectively). Upon receiving the medal, which is a much more public event than initial expressions, 54 of the 56 athletes smiled. All 14 gold medalists (12 open-mouthed), 6 silver medalists (out of the 14), and 20 bronze medalists (out of 28) had Duchenne smiles. Cultural differences were tested for, but none were found. In the final situation, the most public of the three, the athletes’ expressions were taken on the podium. Again, all the gold medalists smiled; only 9 silver medalists of the 14 smiled (only 5 of these were uncontrolled, of which 3 were controlled Duchenne); and 26 bronze medalists of the 28 smiled (13 of which were open-mouthed and Duchenne). Interestingly in this last scenario, cultural differences was evident: gold and bronze medalists from North America-Western Europe and East Asia were much more prone to displaying Duchenne smiles (96%) as opposed to gold and bronze medalists from other countries (47%). This study of facial expressions further reinforces the notion of universal emotions. Because no other emotion other than the Duchenne smile was prominent in these expressions of victory, the data suggests that it may be the only facial marker of the joy of victory (Matsumoto, 2006). Matsumoto then proposed an evolutionary reason why this may be the case along the lines of behavioral ecology: facial expressions provide rapid means of communication, and it may not have been absolutely adaptively necessary to communicate various emotions of enjoyment. However, while this last point is highly speculative, the data that Matsumoto provides for universal facial expressions, which were displayed most prominently in more private settings but still detectable in more public ones using FACS, is very thorough and convincing.

Detroit Electric Essay

1. What organizational structure do you believe is being used to produce Detroit Electric vehicles? Detroit Electric concentrates theirs efforts on research and development of the motor, vehicle design, marketing and distribution. The company does not produce cars; the actual manufacturing of cars is outsourced. From the case I conclude that technology design is the core business of Detroit Electric. Technology changes rapidly and therefore Detroit Electric has to be flexible in conditions of change and uncertainty. Technical excellence and efficient use of resources is the key to compete and to avoid wastage as the cost of R&D is high. Based upon the above observation, I believe that the organizational structure used is the matrix model. 2. How has differing organizational structures influenced the pace of development between these two companies? Ford and Detroit Electric are both car companies. The major difference is that Ford manufactures cars whereas Detroit Electric does not. Ford’s organizational structure will most likely resemble other manufacturers’ structure, i. e. functional departmentalization. A major disadvantage of this structure is that because specialists are working with and encouraging each other in their areas of expertise and interest, organizational goals may be sacrificed in favor of departmental goals; hence, the inability to coordinate efforts amongst competing department to achieve the goal of producing electric vehicles. Detroit Electric’s matrix structure on the other hand gives the organization the flexibility to respond to challenges faster in conditions of change and uncertainty; hence their relative pace (fast)in developing electric cars. 3. What issues may arise from this cooperative arrangement of international companies? The first issue is control. How does Detroit Electric ensure that their exact specifications are followed by their licensees? Regular audits will have to be conducted and these audits are costly. Who will bear responsibility if problems arise (faulty products) due to failure of any of its licensees do not follow procedures? The second issue is differences in objectives. For example, Detroit Electric’s performance and quality standards objectives may differ from their licensees.

Respect Towards an NCO Essay

Respect is an important value in any professional organization, especially in the military. Giving respect to an NCO is an important role as a soldier in the United States military. NCO’s have earned the respect throughout the years of service given. Also, by proving to their chain of command that they have the ability to lead soldiers both on and off the battlefield. They have gone to schools and put in the hard work that is required to lead soldiers by mentoring them. Not only about the military aspect of their lives but also their personal lives. The most important reason to show respect to an NCO is that we are able to keep our attention on the mission at hand instead of having a horrible breakdown in communication in the heat of battle. Another, just as important, reason to respect an NCO is that without respect there would be no discipline. Baron Von Steuben was the first to recognize to that in order to have a successful military we would need to put into effect certain values, one of which was respect for NCO’s. And so you see when you have respect between soldiers and NCO’s and there is no breakdown in communication then we are less vulnerable to attack. (1) Army leadership begins with character, the values and attributes that shape what the leader must BE. Army leaders must demonstrate exemplary conduct in their professional and personal lives. They adopt and internalize the Army Values and develop the requisite mental, physical, and emotional attributes of a warrior. Additionally, the ambiguous nature of the operational environment requires Army leaders to know themselves and deal with circumstances as they are, not as they want them to be. (2) Not only should you respect NCO’s and anyone in the chain of command but everyone around you at all times. It would be in your best interest to be cognizant of your surroundings and watch what you say around others. If an individual finds what you have to say disrespectful then they have the right to file a SHARP complaint which could lead to disciplinary actions from your chain of command. SHARP ( Sexual Harassment Assault Response and Prevention) deals with the lack of respect to fellow soldiers and civilians alike. To  prevent SHARP complaints one should respect oneself and treat others like how you would treat yourself. We must consistently enforce all policies related to sexual assault and harassment. We must execute prevention policies, training initiatives, and education programs; in order to get on top of any incident. (3) Respect towards NCO’s is one of the Army’s most important values because it could prevent any failures in communication between the soldier and the NCO. If there is no respect then there would be no discipline within the junior enlisted. To an NCO they are a leader and to be a leader they must live and be the Army values. When a soldier starts being disrespectful to their NCO’s, anyone in their chain of command, or anyone those people can file a SHARP complaint against the soldier. The only way to not get SHARP complaints is to be mindful of your surroundings, be careful of what you say, and to respect yourself and others. REFERENCE PAGE 1) (2011,04). Respect to NCO’s. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 04, 2011, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Respect-To-Ncos-661493.html 2) FM 1-68 3) SHARP