Liberated and society Essay

Some products portrayed women as the traditional housewife like ‘Shake ‘n’ vac’ does with their commercial. However the house used was fairly modern for the time as it had huge windows, which for the time were very modern and the furniture was better than the average shown in television programmes of the time, signifying a middle class house. However the woman in the advert is not middle class but she is portrayed as working class. The woman is portrayed as enjoying doing the housework and when the person purchases the product they too can enjoy doing the housework. During the period of the advert women were portrayed as being able to have a job but the majority were still in the house unemployed and cooking and cleaning. However throughout the large part of the twentieth century women were campaigning to be liberated and society did not agree with this at all. The liberation began in the early part of the twentieth century after the First World War between Christmas 1914 and 1918. The big push came in the nineteen sixties and women started to appear more in advertisements like in the Fairy Liquid advert in the mid-sixties. Women being liberated started a huge difference in the amount of advertising containing women. The graph below shows what happened to women in advertising and as you can see the amount of adverts which contain women steadily goes up.  From about the nineteen eighties onwards women were used as sex objects more unlike previously. For example Lucky Strike used a woman as an upperclass role model, something the men wanted to have and something the women wanted to be. However companies like Milk Tray use women in a more sensual and seductive way. For example when the lady walks out of the shower in a dressing gown whilst drying her hair and finds the box of Milk Tray on her dressing table. As opposed to the Oxo advert in the early nineteen eighties which showed the traditional Mother serving her husband and then later on feeding a whole family. Oxo’s adverts on television have always been long term campaigns, which started off with ‘Katie’ which lasted for eighteen years and then moved onto a family after surveys had been carried out. In the nineties women were used as sex objects to appeal to the male population for the majority of the time unless the product was obviously aimed at women. For example Wonder Bra used a woman to advertise their product however the advertisement may have also captured a small male audience because of the visual aspect of the advert. This is the same for the Round the clock panty hoses, which was unveiled in the late eighties. Many adverts made in the nineteen nineties recognised a niche in marketing when creating their adverts for their campaign, which was aimed at the male population. For example if an advertising campaign were to be aiming at men then they may appeal to their sexual weakness. This is what H(agen-Dazs has done, they have used a good-looking male to appeal to the women and they have used a good-looking female who happens not to be wearing much. The advert also has the hidden meaning of the product being a seductive ice cream. At present day there are many adverts on television usually aged between twenty to on average about thirty-five and also some adverts. Like the direct line car insurance advert for example, which used an over 40, middle class woman because it was the same age range as the advert was targeting. The majority of the adverts which use women without much on are normally found in magazines, which helps the producers to target their audience more effectively, also they have a fair idea of which age range may see them if in magazines instead of on the television. However this is not always the case because some companies may use channels on Sky or Digital which people have to pay for to watch, which again allows the advertisers much more accuracy in who they are targeting. Throughout the last century women in advertising has changed dramatically as well as the way in which advertising occurs through our daily routines. This is a change, which most probably will not stop. Women started off in the beginning of the century as being icons in which men aspired to have and who women aspired to be. Women then changed along with societies opinions and as wars were fought not just abroad but equality for women as well. This liberation led to women appearing more frequently in advertising and appearing more in the work place than they may have done twenty years before. I feel that women in advertising is a good thing because society is equal and therefore women are just as likely to purchase goods as much as men.

Music Video Games Essay

Since 1972, video game industry has shown drastic changes concerning music in video games. And its progression has led to the stream of revenue not only to the game developer but also has publicized the music composers of the video games. With the passage of time, explicit improvements can be seen in the quality likewise, increment in the output channels, a great improvement in the quality of timbres, and also shifted to programmatic music in a game to make it more interesting. The increase in portrayal of human emotions was one of the first steps towards the programmatic music in video games which attracts more people towards video gaming. One would examine by the contribution of the former technological advancements that the technology is the main cause of great improvements for music in the video game industry. One of the top music composers John Wall tells host Andrea Seabrook in an interview that he never bother to listen the sounds of arcade games as it never attract his mind. But music video games invade one’s brain and force player to concentrate on the music as well. The purpose of the music video games is to make one feel and deeply connect them to the world of video games. Tallarico see video game music as proactive experience. And for that reason he used to say that if Beethoven were with us today, he would love to compose music for video games. In current times, similar to movies, games also have complex soundtracks. And these video games soundtracks has been publicized so much commercially that more and more revenue is being generated by selling tickets of concerts that focus on video game music. It has not just increase the purchasing of video game but also gave popularity to artists and composers. Previously released or recorded music streams and new music streams that are specifically made for video games, both of them are usually use to develop sound tracks in today’s world. X-games sports-based video games like, SSX, Tony Hawk, Initial D come with popular artists’ releases whereas, videogames like, Grand Theft Auto and Need For Speed: Underground has come with heavy cultural demographic themes. Sometimes the combinations of both are used in video games, as used in Dance Dance Revolution. A famous composer, Nobuo Uematsu got fame for his outstanding performance for the popular video game Final Fantasy. All the tickets were sold out with three days and even fans fought at the box office when they couldn’t get tickets. As mentioned above, video game music is also one of the most marketable products even if separate from the game in the form of concerts by popular artists or by distributing game music CDs. Businesses starts flourishing with the entrance of music in video games that it had little before. Employment rate prosperous as many of the music composers and pop artist have been hired for composing music for upcoming videogames as they would like to produce for theatrical movies. Japan was the first country in the world, who sold video game music separately from games and later on many other countries adopted this practice. Sub-genres of music like, remixes, live performances and interpretive albums were also distributed. Koichi Sugiyama was one of the former music composers in the practice of releasing sub-genres like the Dragon Quest game that he produced in 1986. Later, a live performance CDs were published that was gigged by the London Philharmonic Orchestra In the early 2000s, music industry has seen declining sales but on the other hand, the video game industry starts to grow. PwC’s Global managing partner, media practice and entertainment, Marcel Fenez perceive video gaming as the most electrifying stories which grows and grows. He further elaborates the generated revenue in U. S. by online and wireless games. The estimated amount should be $1. 1 billion to $2.7 billion till 2011 in online games whereas, the estimation should be double till 2011, from $499 million to $1 billion. According to the PricewaterhouseCoopers project, the game industry will get success and its market will go beyond the expectations whereas, music sector will not at the best next year in 2008. It shows that games markets are flourishing far better than the music industry which is down because game industries are providing music of their favorite composer with games as well. Advertising industry is also generating stream of revenue from video games in U. S. The expected estimated amount will grow much higher till 2011 from $80 million last year to $950 million. But still can’t say because many youngsters would be attracted if more and more new games will be advertise. In recent times, Rock Band is one of the newest hit for published music in video games, owned by Harmonix Music Systems and published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. In this game, at elementary level the player has to complete playing a song. New and difficult songs unlocked as well as the instruments to play and an avatar of a rocker also unlocked with the difficulty of level. The use of their favorite rocker’s avatar and the popular songs in the game stick the player to the gaming experience and make them feel themselves as Rock Star. Many songs in Rock Band are major radio and sales successes. Furthermore, the release date of rock band music announced much before which highly motivate music lovers to get a song they have heard before. In 2007, Rock Band video game has received the sale of 4 million copies and generated $600 million in revenue. 30 million downloadable songs were purchased by the players since Rock Band Releases. (Bhaskaran, Blankenship, Cohen, Koparkar and Rashid, 2010, pg 2) The video game industry has changed so thoroughly that it has come out from the sounds of bleep blips to the programmatic music and human emotions. As far as music is concerned, over the last decade it has progress beyond the limitation of human expectations. Music has not given new dimension to video game industry only but also expands gaming audiences which were not attracted before. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bhaskaran, Blankenship, Cohen, Koparkar, Rashid. â€Å"Collaboration and Learning in the Video Game Rock Band† Proceedings of the Emerging Technologies Conference (ETC) (2009): Web. 31th July. 2010. â€Å"The Evolution of Video Game Music,† Interview. Npr Music: Music Interviews. April 12, 2008. Web. 31 July 2010. â€Å"Video-Game Sales Overtaking Music. † Msn. com. June 26, 2007. Web. 31 July 2010.

Identifying and Managing Risk Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Identifying and Managing Risk - Research Paper Example The market risk is associated with the uncertainties in the areas of foreign exchange rate fluctuations, fluctuation of interest rates, fluctuation of stock prices and commodity prices. The market risk is managed by the use of interest rate swaps, options and future. The use of derivatives in financial market is important to hedge market risks. The risk management techniques are used to reduce the credit risk of the organization which occurs as a result of default of the counterparties. The credit ratings are used to assess the credit risk of organizations. The credit risk is reduced by limiting the exposure to the parties considered to be risky for repayment (Deventer,  Imai and  Mesler, 2013). The other credit risk management tools used are by the use of collaterals, periodic marking to the market, captive derivative subsidiaries and netting. Netting is a risk management technique through which the amount of cash owed by one party to another is reduced by the amount by the latt er to the former. There are various methods of netting which includes bilateral netting, multilateral netting, payment netting, cross product netting and close-out netting. Several types of derivatives like over the counter derivatives and credit derivatives are used to mitigate the exposure to credit risks. The types of credit derivatives include Total return swaps, Credit Swaps and Credit Options. Several authors have explained different financial risk management techniques that are widely used in the industries. Analysis: Comparison of financial risk management techniques A comparison of the financial risk management techniques explained by Kallman  to that of Cohen and Palmer is given below. Kallman explained that we should a clear idea of the nature of risks that need to be mitigated. According to Kallman, the risk exposures could be categorized into strategic risks, operational risks and economic risks. The strategic risks are the uncertainties that rise in the long term. Th ese may be quality risk, brand risk, etc. The operational risks are the uncertainties that occur within a single operating period as a result of the operations of the company. The economic risks are the areas of uncertainty created as a result of volatility in political and financial conditions (Kallman, 2007). These risk exposures are mainly due to the changes in macro and micro economic conditions. The economic risks take the form of interest rate risk, foreign exchange risk, etc. The risk exposures may be pure which results in a loss of values or speculative which may either result in a gain or loss. The popular risk management tools proposed by the author are risk surveys and checklist. The survey and checklist are important tools to build a risk register in the organization. Flowcharts of organizational process are useful in identifying the risks involved. After identification of risk, the risks are managed by risk management techniques that include statistical analysis, financ ial statement analysis and also personal inspection. The risk management techniques explained by Kallman could be compared to the risk management techniques explained by Cohen and Palmer. According to Cohen and Palmer, the

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example The main goal of creating internal business policies dedicated to advancing corporate social responsibility is to ensure that the organisation takes direct responsibility for regulatory compliance and encourage the production of positive outcomes that impact a diverse group of organisational stakeholders. There are some members of society that believe corporate social responsibility detracts from the organisation’s primary objective which, according to respected business theorist Milton Friedman (1970) is to advance attainment of profitability. Other societal stakeholders believe that CSR is a fundamental obligation of businesses to protect the interests of society whilst also maintaining a dependability and conscientiousness, thereby providing a valuable good to all stakeholders in society. This paper critically examines the conception of corporate social responsibility, its historical ramifications, and the potential future implications of contemporary CSR policy for busines s leaders. The historical context of CSR By the late 1800s and early 1900s, with the advancement of modern commercialism and production capacity with thriving industrial businesses, CSR took on a more modern context that did not focus specifically around God’s potential condemnation for failing to abide by ethical and moral principles. Andrew Carnegie, a 19th Century business philanthropist and an influential figure in expanding the prowess of the American steel industry, was a well-respected theorist who often publicly condemned businesses for seeking profitability as a primary goal whilst abandoning social welfare as a business objective. In 1868, Carnegie drafted a letter which stated, â€Å"amassing of wealth is one of the worst species of idolatry. There is no idol that is more debasing than the worship of money† (Klein 2004, p.57). The philanthropist philosophy of Carnegie (as well as several other 19th Century businesspersons) served as a foundation for opening new avenues for business leaders to seek moral and ethical business behaviour as a primary business objective, which laid the foundation for much of modern corporate social responsibility that guides contemporary business practices. From a regulatory perspective, in 1976 the United Nations, utilising the ethical support of many member nations, began establishing a rigorous and strict code of conduct for businesses that would serve as the modern foundation for corporate social responsibility (Asongu 2007). Further, in the 1980s, the pro-business Ronald Reagan presidential administration in the United States began to seek corporate deregulation in an effort to open new trade channels internationally and expand overall corporate profitability. What occurred was a short-term stalling on negotiations that would enhance the UN CSR contract for ethical and responsible business behaviour as businesses sought to expand their domestic operations across the globe, thereby exploiting cheap labo urers and a wide variety of negligent environmental standards. The stalling of long-standing corporate codes of responsibility changed after the post-September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center which again put ethical and moral behaviours into the proverbial spotlight, giving such groups as Amnesty International and the

MRKT - Real-World Write-ups Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MRKT - Real-World Write-ups - Article Example 2). The trend in fashion was exemplified by Liberty, a UK based retailer of clothes, in terms of organizing groups of clientele who endeavor to learn on crafts such as knitting and sewing, among others. The same strategy was reported to be applied by Nike, as the company organized sports activities in various community groups that share the same interests. In doing so, the strategy of highlighting shopping as a social activity is reinforced. The value of conversation and effective communication to clients was enhanced by Pizza Express through hiring â€Å"actor Karl James to teach its staff how to better interact with diners† (ibid, par. 17). In addition, retail shops realized the need to retain front line personnel whose role includes persuasion in the sales process. Finally, as stated, â€Å"pop-ups, temporary shops often in unusual spaces, whose lifespan can range from just a couple of hours to a few weeks, are helping to bring some spontaneity and excitement to retailingà ¢â‚¬  (ibid, par. 26).

Internal Business Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Internal Business Process - Essay Example From the case study, the first step of the internal business process relates to the invoicing. For any business to be successful, it is vital that the invoices are carefully examined by the finance officers. After receiving the invoice, the data must be entered, the data validated and finally, issuance of payment. The invoicing process aims at ensuring that there are no complications between the company and the clients. Upon receiving the invoice, the client must confirm the invoice- a key aspect in invoicing-, after which the company categorizes the invoices and forwards them to the concerned departments. Next in line is checking the invoice. This process determines if the invoicing process is complete or not. After the particulars of the invoice are entered, the scrutinizing process takes charge. In the case of an incomplete invoice, the management informs the client through official requests through telephone calls or e-mails. In the event of no responses after five days, it is th e responsibility of the administration to send the clients’ more reminders. On the other hand, for normal invoices, the administration must contact the client and request for the authorization for completion of the invoicing process. ... After checking the invoice, the next step is filling in the details of the invoice as required in the entry form. The details in the invoice entry form are useful for the internal business process as the forms act as the blueprint of the business operations. With the provision of the client’s details- inclusive of their name, address and arrival date- makes it easier for the administration to deliver the required information to the right people at the right time. This turns down to efficiency and effectiveness of the entire business process. In essence, the filling in phase, can be described as the main process between interaction between the administration and the clients of the business. Besides the process of filling in the data by the administration, the administration cannot escape the step of entering the invoice data. This process begins from the client collecting the invoice forms from the administration then assessing the invoice through the SAP system. After accessin g the forms, the client gets a reference number on their forms, which allows them complete the forms then send the invoice to the required department. After the administration receives the invoices, the invoice is then validated through a sorting process, so as to ensure, that the correct details are filled in the invoice sheet. After entering the details in the invoice, the form is validated by the validation officer who batches the form and forwards it to the next stage. The internal business process cannot be complete if the process of invoice validation is not achieved by the organization. This process begins with the validation officer receiving all the invoices received in their office. The next step included taking a batch for the invoices and sorting them

Micro8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Micro8 - Essay Example e Americas Cup sailboat races increases interest in sailing, it will have two effects: raising the equilibrium quantity and raising the price of sailboats. There will be a shift towards the right for the demand curve, driving price and quantity. b) If producers expect the price of sailboats to rise next year, there will be two effects: the lowering quantity supplied and raising the price of the sales boat. The will be a leftward shift of the supply curve. c) If the cost of fiberglass used in the production of sailboats increases the supply of the sailboats will lower and the price will increase. The supply curve shifts rightward driving the price and quantity as indicated in the graph. a) Price elasticity of demand for food is higher in Tanzania than United States because of the difference in average income. The larger the amount of income spent on food purchases, the larger is the price elasticity of demand for food (Parkin, 2007, p.93). The average income in Tanzania is very low when compared to that of United States, implying that the proportion of income spent of food is large. This high price elasticity imply that much of the income in Tanzania is spent on food purchases while only a small amount of income is spent on food in US. Note that the high price elasticity does not mean that food purchases in Tanzania are more compared to US, but only indicate income spending on food. b) Tax on gasoline will provide more tax revenue than tax on restaurant meals. This is because gasoline does not have really close substitutes like restaurant meals. Despite the price changes in gasoline, automobiles must drive on the product. However, if restaurant meals became expensive, people may opt to cook by themselves and evade the high prices of restaurant meals. Therefore, tax revenue which is dependent on the quantity of goods sold and tax will be higher for gasoline than restaurant meals. a) Consumer surplus at the competitive equilibrium = the area above the price

The impact of smarts phones and tablets in the modern busniess Literature review

The impact of smarts phones and tablets in the modern busniess - Literature review Example Some of the mobile technologies available include mobile marketing, location based marketing (LBS), video on demand and social media. These applications are known to increase both distribution and communication channels. The thesis of this paper is that there is a need to access the actual impact of smart phones and tablets in modern businesses, in a holistic way. This shall assist in maximizing on the merits of device mobility and minimizing the setbacks of the same. Leveraging on mobile technologies is helpful in improving efficiency and performance of companies. Quality and affordable cloud based (Saas) software-as –service applications facilitate sales a management and workforce automation (Van Akkeren & Cavaye 1999). Modern businesses are able to reduce cost and save time due to seamless data connectivity (Al-Qirim 2007). This improves their connectivity. Simple and powerful tools have been of help when it comes to connectivity and mobile device applications. The main cha llenge in modern businesses is how to adopt a suitable app or platform in large organizations (Halonen & Melero 2003). According to Henry Blodget, smart phones and tablets must be seen as enablers are vital in the modern business fraternity. ... According to the CEO Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, a luxurious hotel, guests can contact the customer care through an application on their smart phones or tablets. The guest can also comment the process of booking a room through the social media. According to a business week research, small businesses have benefited from smart phones. They have identified that smartphones and tablets are vital in the acquisition and retention of customers. According to Research in Motion, owners of modern small businesses in the United States of America are focusing on new technologies to expand their market share. They have given preference to technologies that enhance mobility. According to the research, most business owners believe wireless or mobile application and communications enhance customer relations. However, the observation falls short of revealing the real impact of smart phones and tablets in the modern businesses. Surprisingly, about 75 per cent of the businesses surveyed are not tapp ed the benefits of using smart phones and tablets. Smart phones, tablets and other portable devices are increasingly becoming powerful, complex and popular (Paelke & Rosenbach 2003). Many knowledge workers prefer to work using personal devices. Personal data and workplace information is converged in one mobile device. Proliferation of portable computing devices has an impact in consumer behavior (Basso 2006). According to Jameson, smart phones and other computing devices have an impact in business practices. Most previous researches tend to suggest that portable computing devices have a significant impact in modern businesses. However, the details

Industrial Waste Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Industrial Waste - Essay Example Both criminals and legitimate entrepreneurs sense handsome profits from this excess of hazardous waste, from steering a flow of harmful substances along the path of least resistance toward what they hope will be a final resting place. "I'd slash my wrists if I didn't think that there is enough greed in the world to find someone to take Philadelphia's trash," said one official of that city (Perks, 1986). All too often, however, the waste ends up in poor communities, migrating within the United States from the industrial Northeast to the more rural South; or in Great Britain, from England to Wales. Similarly, on the world stage, hazardous waste from the industrialised nations frequently has a one-way ticket to the developing world. Some Africans have even equated the traffic in toxic waste to the slave trade, although the direction has been reversed: the toxic substances that the industrialised world wishes to discard now flow to the developing world. More than 3 million tons of wastes were shipped from the industrialised world to less-developed nations between 1986 and 1988, according to the environmental organisation Greenpeace (Portney, 1991). Sometimes the deals were made with the approval of governments, sometimes not. The amounts of money to be earned from waste imports were so large that despite the health and environmental risks, some impoverished nations felt they could not refuse to enter this trade. The West African nation of Guinea-Bissau, for example, hoped to make $120 million a year, more than its total annual budget, by agreeing to store industrial wastes from other countries, until public protest over the hazards involved forced the government to back out. A series of odysseys in the late 1980s first drew worldwide attention to the issue of waste exports. Ships laden with hazardous wastes were refused admittance by country after country and, with their cargoes of poison still aboard, sent back to roam the seas. The gravest danger to less developed countries, however, stems not from vagabond ships carrying deadly cargo, but from the legal, routine shipments of "recyclable" wastes: mercury residue, lead-acid batteries, and other refuse from which valuable materials are extracted by low-paid Third World laborers and then reprocessed or sold for reuse. This extraction often takes place in plants filled with choking fumes and lead dust, where workplace safety rules and enforcement are far less stringent than those in the First World. Both the workers and the people living near these factories are threatened as a consequence of this legal recycling trade. According to industry estimates, at least 70 million automobile batteries were discarded in the United States each year during the 1990s, a figure that translates to roughly 70 million gallons of sulfuric acid and more than a billion pounds of lead. Although the United States has one of the world's safest and most sophisticated systems for recycling its used batteries, anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of them end up dumped unceremoniously by the side of a road, thrown away with the regular garbage or just left in a garage and forgotten. Of the 80 percent or more that are recycled, a substantial number are sent overseas, where they are smashed apart, melted down in lead smelters like those in Brazil and poured into

Story Murderers Walk Essay Example for Free

Story Murderers Walk Essay In the story murderers walk, Gary Kilworth conveys his ideas on law and justice very effectively by using narrative voice, narrative structure, setting, use of language, plot and characterisation. The central premise of this story is that natural justice should and will always prevail. The plot of this story is a game. You are introduced in the exposition to murderers walk, a free city state with no law. Kilworth explains about the elated feelings of criminals that have escaped the law, which leads on to an explanation of the game they play in the inns. Groups of nine murderers play a card game to decide their own death sentences. The loser, the player receiving the ace of spades must commit suicide within 24 hours. We are introduced to our main character that remains nameless throughout. He is a newcomer, who begins to play the game to feel that rush of adrenaline at escaping death again. We reach the climax as he loses. 24 hours of pure hell, thinking about death, before his life is over. Then denouement, just before death another player enters with two jokers and the game is declared void. The resolution being you are dragged kicking and screaming to play another game and relive the torture. The narrative voice of the story is quite unconventional. It is told in second person, and in the present tense, which makes it direct and involves the reader which is very effective as it makes the reader want to continue reading the story. The unconventional way in which the story is told conveys how unconventional the justice system is in Murderers walk. There are no laid out laws but justice is still carried out by nature. Narrative structure in Murderers Walk is in the style of the rules of a game which is ironic because in the story there are no rules, this suggests that Gary Kilworth believes rules are needed in society. If there are no rules then humanity will simply create some showing the power of imagination and that natural justice will prevail eventually. The story usurps the readers expectations. At the beginning of the story, in the first paragraph, the last line says it is not unusual to see a man or woman being dragged, or driven, or forcibly carried. Sometimes they are screaming; sometimes they are stiff with fear. This reader automatically assumes that the character in question is being taken to their death but this is wrong and only as you reach the end of the story do you discover this. The last paragraph says They have stolen your death from you That is when they drag you along the street kicking and screaming, like a man being led to his execution. This clearly conveys Kilworths opinion on law and justice. Natural justice will always prevail, even though the criminals can escape death they go through a worse torture having their deaths stolen from them as they were ready to die. Now they have to play the game again and undergo all the stress and tension again. During the whole of Murderers Walk there is no mention of dates or times. There is a mention of cobbled streets and old houses that overhang the alleys which suggests it may be set in Tudor or Stuart times but then there are still many streets now that have Tudor/Stuart buildings in them so it is quite possible it could be set anytime. It is like the place has been frozen in time. Because its a lawless place it doesnt keep up with everyone elses time, its a law unto itself. This emphasises the eeireness and the feelings of terror and fear. This shows Kilworths view of the law and its failings. It cant control everything, and it never will, nature will always be a law unto itself eventually. Kilworths uses powerful language to great effect. He uses strong words to create powerful images, for example the pallor of your distended face: purple perhaps? Your eyes, huge balls easing out of their sockets? Your tongue hanging long between blue lips? You weep. Your head is full of a thousand active thoughts, each one a nightmare. These words create a powerful atmosphere of fear. Showing how natural justice can be just as bad, worse even than human laws. Gary Kilworth uses numerous words relating to law and justice, like refuge, justice, law, escaped, rules, execution, guilt, fear, sanctuary, victims, and innocent. These words are repeated all through the story hinting at the theme of the story and continuously suggesting Kilworths views on law and justice. It is ironic how Murderers walk is described as a sanctuary. Leave the city-state and the sanctuary of Murderers Walk to take Sanctuary means safe and holy whereas Murderers walk is perhaps the exact opposite, it is a haven for criminals and its quite dangerous considering the games they play. This adds to the dark atmosphere Kilworth is trying to create. The setting he creates is dark and sinister. Its cobbles, slick even on dry days, tread the malefactors who have run to its shadows to escape the rope He tries and succeeds to put across a hostile setting to show that natural justice can be just as effective and worse than normal justice. No attention is given to character details in this story. We arent even given names. This adds mystery to the plot. Only one character is mentioned singly, the main character. All we are told about him is that he is a murderer that has escaped the law, we dont know who he murdered or how. All the other characters in the story are only mentioned collectively. During the story the characters dont interact at all except through the game. Its as though theyve become nothing, they live only for the adrenaline rush of the game and theyre all just waiting to die. Kilworth lets the reader get to know the character through his emotions rather than letting the reader know all the details of the characters life and the reader immediately stereotyping him. Its a very effective way of writing. It emotionally involves the reader rather than them just learning about the characters, he tries to bring the reader into the story. The place is empty of emotions yet at the same time full of them. The limited usage of characterisation makes the place seem hostile and uncaring which simply re-emphasises that natural justice is just as bad as human law and that justice will always prevail. Gary Kilworth conveys his ideas on law and justice effectively from the beginning to the end of the story. He uses many words throughout Murderers Walk relating to law and justice, such as execution, guilt and death. He uses narrative voice in an unconventional way. He directly involves the reader by using second person, drawing them into the dark, dank, terrifying underworld of criminals. He structures the story like the rules of game, like societies rules, except theyve created their own. He creates a hostile setting which is very effective in proving his point that natural justice can be worse than government law. He effectively puts across that natural justice will prevail. He blends a mix of menacing pictures and dark meanings to show everything resolves itself in the end. Although the justice is very unconventional, the criminals in the story get what they really deserve in many ways. Their torment forces them to try and cheat death until they are released by death. So in Murderers walk, Kilworth shows an innovative and effective way to show that justice finds its own way in the end.

Memristor Spice Model For Designing Memristor Circuits Economics Essay

Memristor Spice Model For Designing Memristor Circuits Economics Essay Memristors are novel electronic devices, a device that can be used and give a great advantage in many applications such as memory, logic, neuromorphic systems and so on. A computer model of the memristor would be a useful tool to analysis circuit behavior to help in develops application of this memristor as passive circuit element via simulation. In this paper, we incorporate a memristor SPICE for designing memristor circuit which is more focusing on non-linear model and analog circuits. SPICE model would be appropriate way to describe real device operation. We incorporating the memristor with various window functions that have been proposed in non linear ion drift memristor devices. In investigating and characterizing the physical electronic and behavioral properties of memristor devices, the circuit analysis of the proposed memristor models are then been studied. The simulation output should have a current-voltage hysteresis curve, which looks like bow tie. The loops map the switch ing behavior of the device. Then, we come out with a simple analog circuit which in this case we construct a simple integrator op-amp and differentiator op-amp circuit and make comparison between memristor implemented circuit and normal circuit. The research verifies the proposed memristor model, the possibilities of implementing memristor model and the advantage implementing the memristor in analog circuit. Keywords memristor, SPICE model, non linear, window functions, analog circuit. Introduction Memristor is the contraction of memory resistor which is a passive device that provides a functional relation between charge and flux. It is a two-terminal circuit element in which the flux between the two terminals is a function of the amount of electric charge that has passed through the device [1]. A memristor is said to be charge-controlled if the relation between flux and charge is expressed as a function of electric charge and it is said to be flux-controlled if the relation between flux and charge is expressed as a function of the flux linkage [2]. In 1971, Leon Chua proposed that there should be a fourth fundamental passive circuit element to create a mathematical relationship between electric charge and magnetic flux which he called the memristor which is short for memory resistor [2]. The current is defined as the time derivative of the charge. The voltage is defined as the time derivative of the flux according the faraday law. A resistor is defined by the relationship between voltage and current dv=Rdi, the capacitor is defined by the relationship between charge and voltage dq=Cdv, the inductor is defined by the relationship between flux and current dà Ã¢â‚¬  =Ldi. The fourth fundamental circuit element completes the symmetry of the relation between charge and magnetic flux dà Ã¢â‚¬  =Mdq. Table 1 show the relationship between the fundamental circuit element. Basic two terminal devices Equation Relationship between fundamental circuit element Resistor,R dv=Rdi v and i Capacitor,C dq=Cdv v and q Inductor,L dà Ã¢â‚¬  =Ldi i and à Ã¢â‚¬   Memristor,M dà Ã¢â‚¬  =Mdq q and à Ã¢â‚¬   Table 1: The four fundamental element (resistor, capacitor, inductor and memristor). In 2008, Stanley Williams and his team at Hewlett Packard had succesfully fabricated the first memristor in physical device form which is a long wait from Leon Chua discovery in 1971 [3]. Memristance is a property of memristor. When the charge flows in one direction through a circuit, the resistances of the memristor increase. The resistance decreases when the charge flows in the opposite direction in the circuit. If the applied voltage is turned off, thus stopping the flow of charge and the memristor remembers the last resistance that it had [1]. In HP memristor model, to create a memristor, they used a very thin film of titanium dioxide (TiO2). The thin film is then sandwiched between the two platinum (Pt) contacts. One side of TiO2 is doped with oxygen vacancies denoted as TiO2-x which x is usually 0.05. The oxygen vacancies are positively charged ion and make it conductive, thus it behaves as a semiconductor. Another side of the TiO2 junction is undoped. The undoped region has insulating properties. The device established by HP is shown in Figure 1 [3]. Figure 1: Memristor model adapt from [3]. When a positive voltage is applied, the positively charged oxygen vacancies in the doped TiO2-x layer are repelled and moving them towards to the undoped TiO2 layer. When the boundary between the two materials moves, the percentage of the conducting TiO2-x layer is increase. Thus, the conductivity of the whole device increases. When a negative voltage is applied, the positively charged oxygen vacancies are attracted and pulling them out of TiO2 layer. This increases the amount of insulating TiO2, thus increasing the resistivity of the whole device. When the voltage is turned off, the oxygen vacancies do not move. The boundary between the two titanium dioxide layers is frozen. This is how the memristor remembers the voltage last applied [1]. Methodology Our aim in this research is to provide a simulation program adequately simulates and can be used as a circuit element in design work. To model the electrical characteristics of the memristor, SPICE would be appropriate way to describe real device operation [4]. Moreover, using the model as a sub-circuit can highly guarantee a reasonable high flexibility and scalability features [5]. We use LTSPICE to create a memristor model and design new symbol of the memristor circuit for the simulation because LTSPICE is much easier to handle compared to others. On the other hand, LTSPICE is a freeware and it will give a great advantage to the students in doing research for this newly devices. We use SPICE model that been adapt from [6] and we made some adjustment so we can use it for several window functions that has been proposed for non linear ion drift model. The SPICE model is created based on the mathematical model of the HP Labs memristor. After the memristor has been modeled, we first studied the difference between proposed memristor and then we will start design and implement the memristor with an analog circuit. We also investigate and made a comparison between the memristor circuit with analog circuit to see the difference and study the behavior of the circuits. Model Of The Memristor from HP Labs In the model of a memristor presented here, there is a thin semiconductor film that has two regions, one with a high concentration of dopant that behaves like a low resistance called RON and the other with a low dopant concentration with higher resistance called ROFF [3]. The film is sandwiched between two metal contacts as in figure 1. The total resistance of the memristor, RMEM, is a sum of the resistances of the doped and undoped regions, w is the width of the doped region and D is the total length of the TiO2 layer. ROFF and RON will be the limit values of the memristor resistance for w=0 and w=D. The ratio of the two resistances is usually given as 102 103. (1) (2) From the ohms law relation between the memristor voltages and current, we get (3) Then, we insert (1) into (3). The voltage v(t) across the device will move the boundary between the two regions causing the charged dopants to drift. So, there is a drift ion mobility  µv in the device. The change of the boundary is denoted as in (5). (4) (5) To get x(t), we then integrates the right side of equation (5) which then yields the following formula (6) By inserting equation (6) into equation (4) and since usually RON (7) Where  µv is the average drift velocity and has the units cm2/sV, D is the thickness of titanium-dioxide film ROFF and RON are on-state and off-state resistances and q(t) is the total charge passing through the memristor device. Non Linear Ion Drift Model Even a small voltage across the nanodevices will produce a large electric field [7]. This causing the ion boundary position will move in a decidedly non-linear. Nonlinear dopant drift adds nonlinear window function f(x) to the state equation. The window function decreases as the state variables drift speed approaches the boundaries until it reaches zero when reaching either boundaries [8]. The speeds of the movement of the boundary between the doped and undoped regions are depending on several factors. (8) Where  µv is the dopant mobility. The speed of the boundary between the doped and undoped regions decreases gradually to zero at the film edges [1]. We simulate the nonlinear ion drift memristor model with these window function to see the difference and the issue that been faced by them. Window Function Window function is a function of the state variable. Window function forces the bounds of the device and to add nonlinear behavior close to these bounds. In other words, it creates the boundary for the memristor. Any effective window function should therefore fulfill the following conditions [8]: Take into account the boundary conditions at the top and bottom electrodes of the device; Be capable of imposing nonlinear drift over the entire active core of the device; Provide linkage between the linear and nonlinear dopant drift models; Be scalable, meaning a range of fmax(x) can be obtained such that 0 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ fmax(x) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 1; Utilize a built-in control parameter for adjusting the model. There are several window functions that have been proposed for non-linear model till date which are by Strukov, Joglekar and, Biolek, and Prodromakis. Strukov proposed the following window function [3]. (9) However, as we can see in the figure 2, this window function lacks of flexibility. Figure 2: Plot of Strukov window function. Another window function was proposed by Joglekar [4], which has a control parameter p which is a positive integer. The purpose of having a control parameter as an exponent is to incorporate scalability and flexibility in window function f(x) that describes the dopant kinetics. (10) Figure 3 displays a graphical representation of the window function described by Joglekar for various p parameter (p=1, 5 and 10). This control parameter controls the linearity of the model, where it becomes more linear as p increases. This window function ensures zero drift at the boundaries. From the plotted graph, we noticed that the maximum f(x) value is occurs at the center of the device and zero is obtained at two boundaries. However, a significant liability of this model lies in the fact that if w hits any of the boundaries (w = 0 or w = D) the state of the device cannot be further adjusted. This will be from now on termed as the terminal state problem. Figure 3: Plot of Joglekar window function for p=1, 5 and 10. Then, Biolek proposed another window function that allows the memristor to come back from the terminal state problem. (11) The reversed bias is now should move back the state variable after it reaches either boundary. This feature is described by a current dependent step function, stp(i), which is a part of a new window function f(x) that behaves differently in each voltage bias direction. (12) Figure 4: Plot of Biolek window function for p=1, 5 and 10. Figure 4 displays a graphical representation of the window function described by Biolek for various p parameter (p=1, 5 and 10). When x starts at 0, we noticed that the function equal to 1. As x increase approaching D, the function approaches 0. Once the current reverse the direction, the function immediately switch to 1. As x decrease back to 0, the function also decreases to 0. Biolek window function eliminates convergence issues at the devices boundaries. The last window function for non-linear model is proposed by Prodromakis [8]. (13) Figure 5 displays a graphical representation of the window function described by Prodromakis for various p parameter (p=1, 5 and 10). As we can see, it allows the window function to scale upwards which implies that fmax(x) can take any value within 0 Figure 5: Plot of Prodromakis window function for p=1, 5 and 10. SPICE Model of Memristor Figure 6: Stucture of the SPICE model from [6]. In the above circuit in figure 6, VMEM is the input voltage and Imem is modeled to be the current through the memristor. The flux is calculated by integrating the voltage VMEM and the charge is calculated by integrating the current IMEM. Figure 7: Resistive port of the memristor model. As we can see in figure 7, the circuit is actually referred to total resistor RMEM. RMEM (x) = ROFF -xà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  R where à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  R= ROFF-RON. ROFF is the resistor in series voltage source whose terminal voltage is controlled by the formula -xà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  R. Figure 8: Differential equation modeling of the memristor. Figure 8 shows the differential equation modeling of the memrsitor. It consist a part of the voltage controlled source xà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  R and the differential equation from equation (6) which serves as an integrator of the quantities on the right side of the state equation (6) which is to get the value of normalize x. EMEM is the voltage source whose terminal voltage is controlled according to the formula -xà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  R. GX is a current source whose current is controlled according to the equation IMEMf(V(x)) where V(x) is the voltage across the capacitor Cx and it models the normalized width x of the doped layer. F(V(x)) is the window function, k is  µvRON/D2 and x0 is the initial voltage of the capacitor.[6]. The relation between memristor current and voltage is modeled as on the basis of RMEM (x) = ROFF -xà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  R where à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  R= ROFF-RON. The voltage V(x) across the capacitor CX models the normalized width x of the doped layer. The initial state of x is modeled by the initial voltage of the capacitor. The flux is calculated by the time-integral of voltage, and the charge is calculated by the time-integral of current. Result and Discussion All models were simulated in LTSpice using SPICE model that was given in [6], we add new nonlinear window functions that was proposed by prodromakis and strukov to the model and compare all suggested window functions. memristor Figure 9: Memristor circuit. Figure 9 shows configuration of single memristor for measuring the behavior of memristor model in LTSPICE with a sine wave input voltage of 1.2V with 1Hz frequency. The values for the memristor parameters  µv, D, RON, ROFF and RINITIAL are 10-10cm2s-1V-1, 10 nm, 100ohm, 16kohm and 11Kohm. All model are using same window function parameter p=10. C:UsersFadzDesktopresultstrukovstrukov1.png Figure 10: Strukov memristor model voltage, IMEM, RMEM and normalized x. Figure 10 shows the simulation result of memristor SPICE model for Strukov window function of voltage, IMEM, RMEM and normalized x. As we can see, the current of the memristor, IMEM is varying up to approximately 100 µA for maximum of 1.2V voltage applied. The RMEM for this model show that the values are in range of 11kOhm till 12kohm which means the effect of the voltage applied to the memristor only give slightly changes on the value of the memristor. Noticed that when positive voltage is applied, the conductivity of the device increases thus the memristance is decrease. When negative voltage is applied, the resistivity of the device increase thus the memristance is also increase. This verifies the memristive system on the device. In normalize x graph, we also noticed that the normalized x is at higher state in the beginning. Figure 11 shows the I-V characteristic of the devices and the relationship between charge and flux. The charge and flux curve curves confirms the well known fact that there is a one-to-one correspondence between them in spite of the 1-4 hysteresis effect. Strukov memristor shows lack of flexibility of controlling the device. C:UsersFadzDesktopresultstrukovstrukov4.png Figure 11: Strukov memristor model I-V loop hysteresis and relationship of charge and flux. C:UsersFadzDesktopresultjoglekarjoglekar1.png Figure 12: Joglekar memristor model voltage, IMEM, RMEM and normalized x. Joglekar window function seems to be promising as the existence of controlling parameter. Figure 12 shows the simulation result of memristor SPICE model for Joglekar window function of voltage, IMEM, RMEM and normalized x. Same as strukov memristor, when positive voltage is applied, the conductivity of the device increases thus the memristance is decrease. When negative voltage is applied, the resistivity of the device increase thus the memristance is also increase. The current of the memristor, IMEM is varying up to approximately 300 µA for maximum of 1.2V voltage applied. Joglekar window function give higher current compared to others. It shows that the current in the memristor are much easier to move. The RMEM are within range of nearly 0ohm to 11kohm which give full range of value for the memristor. Figure 13 show the I-V hysteresis loop of the devices and the relationship between charge and flux. The switching behavior is much more sensitive on the voltage level than Strukov w indow function. But, in term of stability, Joglekar window function cannot perform for an arbitrary length of time. This failure is caused by the convergence issue where when the memristor reach w=0 or w=D, the state of the device cannot be further adjusted. C:UsersFadzDesktopresultjoglekarjoglekar4.png Figure 13: Joglekar memristor model I-V loop hysteresis and relationship of charge and flux. Biolek window functions are supposed to solve terminal state problem as in literature [4]. It should solve the boundry problem of the terminal state. Figure 14 and 15 shows the simulation result of memristor SPICE model for Biolek window function. The current of the memristor, IMEM is varying up to approximately 220 µA for maximum of 1.2V voltage applied. The RMEM are within range of nearly 1kohm to 11kohm. Figure 15 show the I-V hysteresis loop of the devices and the relationship between charge and flux. From the figures, we observe that the biolek memristor preserve the highly non-linear device characteristic behavior. In addition, Bioleks model allows for general asymmetric I-V device behavior modeling. C:UsersFadzDesktopresultbiolekbiolek1.png Figure 14: Biolek memristor model voltage, IMEM, RMEM and normalized x. C:UsersFadzDesktopresultbiolekbiolek4.png Figure 15: Biolek memristor model I-V loop hysteresis and relationship of charge and flux. Prodromakis window functions are also said to solve the boundry issue. Figure 16 shows the simulation result of memristor SPICE model for Joglekar window function of voltage, IMEM, RMEM and normalized x. The current of the memristor, IMEM is varying up to approximately nearly 180 µA for maximum of 1.2V voltage applied. The RMEM are within range of nearly 3kohm to 11kohm. C:UsersFadzDesktopresultprodromakisprodromakis1.png Figure 16: Prodromakis memristor model voltage, IMEM, RMEM and normalized x. Figure 17 show the I-V hysteresis loop of the devices and the relationship between charge and flux. The hysteresis loop is shown to be asymmetrical while the OFF state of the device is highly non-linear compared with other. C:UsersFadzDesktopresultprodromakisprodromakis4.png Figure 17: Prodromakis memristor model I-V loop hysteresis and relationship of charge and flux. In comparing of I-V characteristic hysteresis loop, as we can see in figure 18, it shows all hysteresis loops for all proposed window functions. By using same parameter we can see the difference in each model. Joglekar window function seems to have a strong memristance compared to others.All models seem to be a good approximation of the measurement of the real memristor produces by HP Labs. But, Prodromakis memristor model satisfies all the prerequisites and improves on the shortcomings of existing models. C:UsersFadzDesktopresultall iv loop hysteresisiv hysteresis loop all.png Figure 18: I-V Hysteresis Loop for all models. C:UsersFadzDesktopresultdiff parameterprodromakis p=1, p=5, p=10.png Figure 19: Prodromakis I-V Hysteresis Loop when p=1, p=5 and p=10. Then, we try change the parameter of p of the model. In this case, we use prodromakis memristor model and change the value of integer p=1, p=5 and p=10 to see the difference. As we can see in figure 19, as the value of p is increase, the hysteresis is shrinking. Similar with changing the parameter p, figure 20 also confirm that the hysteresis shrinks at higher frequencies. C:UsersFadzDesktopresultdiff frequency1hz-5hz.png Figure 20: Prodromakis I-V Hysteresis Loop when frequency f=1Hz, f=2Hz and f=5Hz. In term of power dissipation, as we simulates our results. We can get the value of maximum IMEM for each model. We can calculate the power by using P=IV equation. Table 2 show the maximum power dissipation for each memristor. Memristor model Max IMEM,  µA Power, W Strukov 100 µA 120 µW Joglekar 300  µA 360 µW Biolek 220 µA 264 µW Prodromakis 180  µA 216 µW Table 2: IMEM and Power dissipation for all at the memristor. As in table 2, we can see that the Strukov model give lowest power which is 120 µW while Joglekar model give much higher power dissipation which is about 360 µW compared to the others. We also noticed that as the memristor model is improves, the power become lesser. Prodromakis give quite good power dissipation which is 216 µW as the best windows function and model as till now. In implementing memristor with analog circtuit, we pick a two simple analog circuit to be tested. Figure 21 shows the SPICE topology of the memristor based integrator op amplifier with the input voltage Vp-p=2.4V from -1.2V to 1.2V and C1=25 µF. Using the memristor model that we create earlier with various types of window functions, we see the difference on the simulated result on each model. The values for the memristor parameters are same for all model with uv, D, RON, ROFF and RINITIAL are 10-10cm2s-1V-1, 10nm, 100ohm, 16kohm and 11Kohm. memristor integrator op amp Figure 21: Memristor Implemented Integrator Circuit C:UsersFadzDesktopresultintegrator+ve integrator .png Figure 22: Positive Integrator simulation C:UsersFadzDesktopresultintegrator-ve integrator .png Figure 23: Negative Integrator simulation Figure 22 and 23 shows the simulation result for the implemented memristor integrator op amplifier for positive input and negative input respectively. In this case, we implement prodromakis memristor to the integrator circuit. As we know, the integrator acts like a storage element that produces a  voltage  output which is proportional to the integral of its input voltage with respect to time. The magnitude of the output signal is determined by the length of time a voltage is present at its input as the  current  through the  feedback loop  charges or discharges the  capacitor  as the required  negative feedback  occurs through the capacitor. For positive starting input, we vary the voltage from 1.2V down to -1.2V and going back to 1.2V over time. When positive voltage are applied in the beginning, the output voltage tend to discharge and drop from 0V to negative voltage and charging back to 0V when the input voltage are drop to negative voltage. The output for neg ative voltage applied from starting point give a vice versa result. The charging and discharge are depends the voltage applied over time and the value of the capacitor. We can say the memristor models give quite good result for an integrator. Figure 24: Memristor Implemented Differentiator Circuit. C:UsersFadzDesktopresultdifferentiatordifferentiator.png Figure 25: Saw tooth input of Memristor implemented differentiator op-amp simulation. Figure 25 shows the simulation result for the implemented memristor differentiator op amplifier. We are using prodromakis memristor model for the memristor implementation. As we know, for differentiator op-amp, the magnitude of its output is determined by the rate at which the voltage is applied to its input changes. The faster the input voltage changes, the greater the output voltage becomes. If a saw tooth input signal is applied to the input of the differentiator op-amp a square wave signal will be produced. As we can see in figure 25, the simulation shows a quite good result for differentiator. We also noticed some spikes at the output voltage. Each spikes occurs only occurs the brief moment the saw tooth is changing from one level to the next. The voltage spikes represent a temporary output voltage. Conclusion As a conclusion to this research is that it could bring a new light of familiarization in the integration of memristive components in any kinds of electronic devices that are at nanoscale. It is useful to have a computer model of the memristor as a tool for the analysis of the behavior of the circuits in developing application of this memristor as passive circuit element via simulation. SPICE model will definitely help us to conduct interesting simulation experiments and can be of great importance for such a research in future while the memristor are still hard to fabricate to study the behavior of the circuit. Different models with strong behavior and reason give a lot of benefits in development purpose to create the possibilities of the implementation in an integrated circuit. The possibilities for implementation of the memristor with analog circuit are wide open. Appendix .SUBCKT memristor plus minus PARAMS: + Ron=100 Roff=16K Rinit=11K D=10N uv=10F p=10 *********************************************** * DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION MODELING * *********************************************** Gx 0 x value={ I(Emem)*uv*Ron/D**2*f(V(x),p)} Cx x 0 1 IC={(Roff-Rinit)/(Roff-Ron)} Raux x 0 1T * RESISTIVE PORT OF THE MEMRISTOR * *********************************************** Emem plus aux value={-I(Emem)*V(x)*(Roff-Ron)} Roff aux minus {Roff} *********************************************** *Flux computation* *********************************************** Eflux flux 0 value={SDT(V(plus,minus))} *********************************************** *Charge computation* *********************************************** Echarge charge 0 value={SDT(I(Emem))} *********************************************** * WINDOW FUNCTIONS * FOR NONLINEAR DRIFT MODELING * *********************************************** *proposed by joglekar ;.func f(x,p)={1-(2*x-1)**(2*p)} *proposed by biolek ;.func f(x,i)={1-(x-stp(-i))**(2*p)} *proposed by prodromakis ;.func f(x,p)={1-(((x-0.5)**2)+0.75)**p} *proposed by strukov .func f(x,p)={x-x*2} .ENDS memristor Acknowledgment This paper participates in the IEEE Student Conference Research Development SCORED 2012. The author would like to thank Dr. Wan Fazlida Hanim bte Abdullah for being supervisor in this final year project. The author also would like to thank Universiti Teknologi MARA for funding the research work through the Excellence Fund Grant 600-RMI/ST/DANA 5/3/RIF(360/2012).

Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy Essay -- Biology Biological Essays

Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy Olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA) was first described in 1900 by Dejerine and Thomas. OPCA is a group of dominant inheritance and sporadic neurological disorders characterized by a chronic, progressive, cerebellar ataxia that begins in middle age. The cerebellum and its connections are the primary sites of the disease in chronic progressive disorders that often occur in familial or hereditary patterns. Postmortem studies indicate an atrophy of the cerebellum, pons, and inferior olives. This neuropathological neuronal cell loss permits classification of OPCA as a non-Alzheimer’s neurodegenerative illness. Gross postmortem inspection of the brains of patients with OPCA shows marked shrinkage of the ventral half of the pons, and disappearance of the olivary eminence on the ventral surface of the medulla. These brains also exhibit an atrophy of the cerebellum with degeneration of the middle cerebellar peduncles, and to a lesser extent, of the inferior peduncles. Thus, the cerebellum suffers mainly through atrophy of its afferent fibers. The neocerebellum and the olive undergo the primary degeneration. The purkinje cells of the cerebellar cortex are affected secondarily. Histological examination shows severe degeneration of Purkinje cells, reduction in the number of cells in the molecular and granular layers of the cerebellar cortex, severe loss of the number of cells in the pontine nuclei and olives, and demyelination of the middle cerebellar peduncle. The cerebellar nuclei are well preserved. The tegmentum of the pons, the corticospinal tracts, and the restiform body are also usually unaffected. In clinical cases involving extrapyramidal symptoms, degenerative changes in the striatum, espec... ...s Elevated in Brain of Patients with Dominantly Inherited Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy. Neuroscience Letters (submitted publication). Kish, Stephen J. et al : Brain Amino Acid Abnormalities in Dominantly Inherited Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy. Revised manuscript in preparation for resubmission to J. Neurochemistry. Kish, Stephen J. et. al. Cognitive Deficits in Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy: Implications for the Cholinergic Hypothesis of Alzheimer’s Dementia. Annals of Neurology: 24 (2), 200-206, 1988. Rowland, Lewis P. (ed.): Merritt's Textbook of Neurology, eighth edition. Lea and Febiger. Philadelphia, 1959, pp. 630--631. Snell, Richard S: Clinical Neuroanatomy for Medical Students. Little, Brown, and Company, Boston, 1957, pp. 220--222. Walton, Sir John. Brain's Diseases of the Nervous System. Oxford University Press. New York, 1955, pp. 365. Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy Essay -- Biology Biological Essays Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy Olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA) was first described in 1900 by Dejerine and Thomas. OPCA is a group of dominant inheritance and sporadic neurological disorders characterized by a chronic, progressive, cerebellar ataxia that begins in middle age. The cerebellum and its connections are the primary sites of the disease in chronic progressive disorders that often occur in familial or hereditary patterns. Postmortem studies indicate an atrophy of the cerebellum, pons, and inferior olives. This neuropathological neuronal cell loss permits classification of OPCA as a non-Alzheimer’s neurodegenerative illness. Gross postmortem inspection of the brains of patients with OPCA shows marked shrinkage of the ventral half of the pons, and disappearance of the olivary eminence on the ventral surface of the medulla. These brains also exhibit an atrophy of the cerebellum with degeneration of the middle cerebellar peduncles, and to a lesser extent, of the inferior peduncles. Thus, the cerebellum suffers mainly through atrophy of its afferent fibers. The neocerebellum and the olive undergo the primary degeneration. The purkinje cells of the cerebellar cortex are affected secondarily. Histological examination shows severe degeneration of Purkinje cells, reduction in the number of cells in the molecular and granular layers of the cerebellar cortex, severe loss of the number of cells in the pontine nuclei and olives, and demyelination of the middle cerebellar peduncle. The cerebellar nuclei are well preserved. The tegmentum of the pons, the corticospinal tracts, and the restiform body are also usually unaffected. In clinical cases involving extrapyramidal symptoms, degenerative changes in the striatum, espec... ...s Elevated in Brain of Patients with Dominantly Inherited Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy. Neuroscience Letters (submitted publication). Kish, Stephen J. et al : Brain Amino Acid Abnormalities in Dominantly Inherited Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy. Revised manuscript in preparation for resubmission to J. Neurochemistry. Kish, Stephen J. et. al. Cognitive Deficits in Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy: Implications for the Cholinergic Hypothesis of Alzheimer’s Dementia. Annals of Neurology: 24 (2), 200-206, 1988. Rowland, Lewis P. (ed.): Merritt's Textbook of Neurology, eighth edition. Lea and Febiger. Philadelphia, 1959, pp. 630--631. Snell, Richard S: Clinical Neuroanatomy for Medical Students. Little, Brown, and Company, Boston, 1957, pp. 220--222. Walton, Sir John. Brain's Diseases of the Nervous System. Oxford University Press. New York, 1955, pp. 365.

An Icon in the Window - An original biography on Bill Gates :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What does it take to become a cultural icon? Through the perspective of the world today, just a few of the basics might be fame, power, IQ, and enough motivation to utilize it all. But did we forget something? Perhaps. How about all of that, and also enough money and power gobble up any and every company that may stand in your way? This is especially true if you happen to be the CEO of an $18-million company called Microsoft, and even more so if you bare the name â€Å"Bill Gates† on your VISA card.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mr. Gates began his life in Seattle, Washington. He was born on the 28th of October in 1955. Being the middle child in his family, he found himself often working by his lonesome due to his differing interests from his siblings. As a boy, he was sent to Lakeside School; an all-boys prep school. Seemingly though, not even 40 years ago was the world safe from his genius, being that the school’s mini-computer was Bill’s primary source of amusement. It was at Lakeside that he first learned how to ‘hack’ code and write programs. In fact, his first program was not anywhere close the eloquent interfaces of Word 97, Encarta, or Windows. No fancy-shamncy monitor. Not even a keyboard or mouse. It was a tic-tac-toe game where he and other classmates would flip switches and wait for minutes to get the computer’s output. Nonetheless, everyone must begin somewhere, and it was here that it all started.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In his later school years, Gates met Paul Allen, and the two co-founded what would eventually become Microsoft. The dynamic duo’s first commercially-based job was to write up a program to manage payroll services. This first job worked out so well, that Gates and Allen later formed a pint-sized company called â€Å"Traf-O-Data† which studied traffic patterns for small towns around Seattle. Microsoft was slowly taking it’s first baby steps into the technology business.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gates was 19 when he graduated from high school and went on to Harvard. There he kept working with Paul Allen night and day in their dorm room to create one of the first micro-processors that would run the latest in computer technology: software. The computer was known as the MITs Altair, and was the first computer to be accompanied by the BASIC computer programming language, as well as Intel’s 8088 8 KHz processor.

Lrc Paper

1. What are the three ways that students may receive counseling services through the LRC? You can receive counseling from the student center in three different ways- over the phone, in person and online through their online counseling center. 2. What heading are the Health Tools and Health Challenges found under? Health tool and Health challenges can be located under the â€Å"Thriving† heading. 3. Where is the Assess Your Health tool located?To access â€Å"Assess Your Health† tool you go to thriving, then to health tool and assess health tool is located to the right of the page. 4. What are the five categories on the Live Healthy Page? The five categories are How healthy are you, lifestyle change, physical fitness, prevention and screening and lastly tips for healthy living. 5. Where can resources and articles about good nutrition be found on the LRC? Information about good nutrition can be found under healthy eating located in the thriving tab. . What are three of th e health topics that can be found on the LRC? There are many health topics on LRC but three of them are â€Å"action items to lower your blood pressure, action steps for sun protection, and kids in action. 7. What are two categories found under the Medical Care heading? Two categories found under medical care heading our medical and dental care. 8. Where on the LRC would a person find information on addiction and recovery?To find information on addiction and recovery you would go to the Balancing tab and it will be located at the very bottom labeled â€Å"Addiction and Recovery†. 9. Where on the LRC would a person find information about health issues related to aging? You would locate the aging tab and then select Health and there is a lot of information related to health and aging. 10. What are three psychosocial health topics that are available on the LRC? Under balancing and relationships there’s many categories that cover psychosocial health like friendships, rela tionships and divorce.

Boston Beer Analysis

Matthew Schreck Management 511: Financial Decision Making Boston Beer Company April 18, 2013 Amelia Drobile Boston Beer Company History and Financial Position Boston Beer Company (SAM) is a brewery in Massachusetts most commonly known for its Samuel Adams line of â€Å"craft† beers. The Samuel Adams line of beer was introduced in 1985. Since then the company has grown to do over 580 million dollars in revenue each year. 580 million is a very small piece of the food and beverage industry but the amount of shareholder wealth they are providing is impressive.Boston Beer Company has been named one of the top publically traded businesses to watch in 2013 by Forbes. Boston Beer Company is actually part of two markets. In the overall U. S. Beer market they have a mere one percent of the market. However, they own 22% of the craft beer market. In their industry, 66% of those competing in the craft brew market are brewpubs, which generally do not do mass distribution giving Boston Beer Company an edge. (Smith, 2011) Boston Beer Company has one major difference from its competitors. The company has no debt.The entire company runs on cash even though they have a 50 million dollar line of credit available to them, which they have never used. The company purchased Diageo’s Pennsylvania Brewery in June of 2008 for 55 million dollars cash so that they could produce 100% of their product without having to subcontract larger orders out. Boston Beer Company is capitalized with no bonds or preferred stock, only 13. 6 million shares of common stock. (Smith, 2011) Boston Beer Company’s cost of capital is 6. 60% since their weighted cost of equity is 6. 60% and their weighted cost of debt is 0. 00%. Market Grader Inc. , 2013) Price to Revenue Ratio (Price to Sales) Boston Beer Company’s price to revenue ratio (TTM) is 3. 54 The price to revenue ratio is usually applied in place of the price to earnings ratio. This ratio is usually applied to companies with in the same industry, however it excludes debt and expenses so the information the ratio provides is limited. Price to Cash Flow Ratio The current price to cash flow ratio for Boston Beer Company is 25. 76. The price to cash flow ratio is used to evaluate the price of a company’s stock as compared to the amount of cash flow it generates.The price to cash flow ratio is important for one main reason, it allows the comparison of companies from different jurisdictions because it removes depreciation (which may vary by country) and other non-cash factors. Therefore, it would allow an investor to compare Boston Beer Company’s stock to that of AB InBev along similar financial values. Price to Book Ratio (MRQ) The price to book ratio for Boston Beer Company is 8. 34. The price to book ratio measures a company’s market value in comparison to its book value.The price to book ratio indicates whether or not a company’s asset value is comparable to the market price of it’s stock. Because the price to book ratio for Boston Beer Company is well over one it may be an indicator that the stock is overvalued. An over valued stock for Boston Beer Company could imply the rapid decline in stock value in the near future, especially since the stock has climbed almost 25% in the last quarter alone. With the book value ratio as high as it is, a drop in stock price seems likely in the near future. Current Ratio (MRQ) Boston Beer Company’s current ratio is 1. 83.Current ratio is defined by a company’s current assets divided by is current liabilities. A company’s current ratio is a liquidity ratio that measures a company’s ability to pay short-term obligations. This ratio also takes into account inventory as current assets, although it may easily be converted into cash quickly. Because Boston Beer Company’s ratio is well over one, it means they have the assets and cash flows available to pay off any immediate debt shoul d it be made due. The company’s amount of inventory provides a great deal of assets that makes the company much more liquid when this formula is used.Quick Ratio (MRQ) The quick ratio for Boston Beer Company is 1. 33. A company’s quick ratio is an indicator of a company’s short-term liquidity. This ratio is a more conservative form of the current ratio because it does not take into account inventory of the company when determining its current assets. Boston Beer Company still has a favorable ratio well above 1. 0. While their current ratio is much better with all the inventory, Boston Beer Company is still a reliable company that can pay off its short term debts if need be. Measuring ReturnsPrimary Stakeholders Boston Beer Company has five primary stakeholders within company, Martin F. Roper (President and CEO), C. James Koch (Founder and Chairman), William F. Urich (CFO and Treasurer), John C. Geist (Vice President of Sales), and Thomas W. Lance (Vice President of Operations). Of the five of them C. James Koch holds more than 34% of the shares and is the sole holder of the class B common stock that gives him the right to appoint five of the eight members that are chosen to be on the board as seen in the following quote from the 2013 Proxy Statement. At the Annual Meeting you will be asked to elect three Class A Directors and cast an advisory vote on executive compensation. As the sole holder of Class B Common Stock, I will elect five Class B Directors and cast a vote to ratify the selection of our independent registered public accounting firm. † (Boston Beer Company, Inc. , 2013) While Koch may have stepped down from CEO in 2001 he has maintained a great interest in his company and has positioned himself to have great control over the Company with his position as Chairman of the Board.His actions and goals are seen laid out in all of the company’s press releases and the company is continuing to be grown and maintained the sam e as it always has been with the exception of Boston Beer Company running its own breweries instead of subcontracting out their orders. Capital Budgeting Boston Beer Company runs just like any cash business. They have no money tied up in debt and any investment they make is paid for in cash. There is an upside and downside to this method of running a company.On the upside, the company is very liquid, meaning they can pay for most investments on the spot without accruing any debt. However, no debt might deter some investors from buying into the company. Having no debt throws off a company’s ratios in comparison with other companies within the industry and can make it difficult for investors to trust in the company. A typical investment for Boston Beer Company would be opening a new brewery or purchasing an existing one to help the company keep up with the demands for their products.The acquisition of the Diageo brewery 60 miles outside of Philadelphia in 2008 was the companyâ €™s most recent investment. Since the purchase, Boston Beer Company has been pouring tens of millions of dollars into the facility that used to employ 220 people to make Smirnoff and now employs 260 people to brew Sam Adams. â€Å"Boston Beer's Breinigsville facility employs 260, up from 220 workers when the plant was purchased from Diageo. † (Richardson, 2012) Boston Beer Company now has three breweries.They are located in Cincinnati, Ohio, Breinigsville, Pennsylvania, and Boston, Massachusetts. Boston Beer Company has been weary to invest in the western half of the U. S. because they believe the craft beer market is oversaturated and they will not have much success, however, some market specialists believe they should do a trial batch with a brewery in the western market and measure real results. The only real measure of value for Boston Beer is the volume being sold. Boston Beer used to lease brewery locations in order to brew according to their demand.Within the last five years the demands for craft beers have grown significantly especially among the younger alcohol consuming demographic that is looking for something more the generic beer taste of the three big beer companies, Anheuser Busch InBev, MillerCoors, and Pabst. Boston Beer Company no longer has the need to lease other breweries after the purchase of the Diageo brewery. Now that they have the capacity to brew their own beer and staff accordingly Boston Beer Company has not only added value to the company, but have positioned them self to expand as the demands for their products continue to increase.The only place that Boston Beer Company seems to be struggling with is the money that they are leaving sit idle. While the company is very profitable and is run as a cash business, some of their cash flows could be invested to generate a better return than they are currently getting. Strategy and Governance The Boston Beer Company is currently governed by a board consisting of eight members. The board consists of C. James Koch, David A. Burwick, Pearson C. Cummin III, Cynthia A. Fisher, Jay Margolis, Martin F. Roper, Gregg A. Tanner, and Jean-Michael Valette.The board has a committee that reviews the current members of the board at least annually and determines what characteristics and skills should be sought in new board members to be elected. Board members for the Boston Beer Company board members are asked to limit the number of boards they are on in order to keep them focused. â€Å"The Chairman of the Board and the Chairman of the Nominating/Governance Committee should be advised in advance of a director’s intention to accept an invitation to serve on another board† (Boston Beer Company, Inc. , 2013) ManagementBoston Beer Company’s executives have deep roots within the company. C. James Koch founded the company in 1984 and was Chief Executive Officer up until 2001 when he stepped down and became Chairman of the Board. Martin F. Roper the Presi dent and Chief Executive Officer replaced C. James Koch as CEO in 2001. Martin F. Roper has been with the company since 1994 when he was hired as Vice President of Operations. In 1997 he became Chief Operating Officer and in 1999 he became the President of Boston Beer Company. William F. Urich is the CFO and Treasurer since 2003. Before joining Boston Beer Company Mr.Urich served as Vice President of Finance and Business Development for United Distilleries & Vinters from 1998 to 2000. From 2001 to 2003 Mr. Urich was Chief Financial Officer for Acirca, Inc. John C. Geist, the Vice President of Sales has been with the company since 1998 when he was first brought on as the National Sales Manager. He was made Vice President of Sales in February of 2007. David L. Grinell has been the Vice President of Brewing since 2008. Prior to that he started working as the Manager of Brewing Operations in 1988 before being promoted to Director of Brewing and Quality in 2001.The Vice president of Oper ations, Thomas W. Lance, joined the company in 2007 after leaving the Executive Vice President of Operations position at Ken’s Foods. A position which he held for five years. Ai-Li Lim is the Vice President of Human Resources. She joined the company in February of 2012 after leaving Vistaprint USA, Inc. as Senior Director of Human Resources. Robert P. Pagano, the Vice President of Brand Development joined the company in 2011. Prior to joining Boston Beer Company Mr. Pagano was the Managing Director at the brand strategy firm, Red Sky Insights, LLC, for five years. Kathleen H.Wade is the Vice President-Legal and Corporate Secretary. She joined the company in 1999 as Corporate Legal Director and Corporate Secretary. She became Secretary of the company in 2010 and was appointed to the vice president position in 2012. Average Ceo Compensation In This Industry Industry Range Salary686. 8K Bonus871. 2K Total Short Term Compensation1. 0M Total Value of Options4. 9M Key Executive Com pensation Boston Beer Company, Inc. SAM Name/Title 20082009201020112012 Key Executive Compensation10,037,7063,868,6674,181,5019,897,5693,718,707 Martin F. Roper/President and Chief Executive Officer ,415,9181,049,3031,094,238933,8181,052,493 William F. Urich/Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer 834,313766,768938,3183,437,998599,363 C. James Koch/Chairman of the Board 589,496546,005836,895754,163817,949 Thomas W. Lance/Vice President, Operations 449,636858,643479,857693,401721,454 John C. Geist/Vice President, Sales 748,343647,948832,1934,078,189527,448 *A publicly-traded company is only required to disclose information concerning the amount and type of compensation paid to its CEO, CFO, and the three other most highly compensated executive officers in a given year.Information about compensation for these individuals may be unavailable in prior years if they were not in their current roles or did not qualify as among the most highly compensated officers at the time. (MorningStar, 20 13) For the most part Boston Beer Company pays below the industry average with the exception of the executive bonuses that certain members of upper management received for reaching certain sales goals. Boston Beer Company is not nearly as large as the other beer conglomerates so it is expected that their executive compensation would be to scale.Corporate Social Responsibility Boston Beer Company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) is heavily mandated by the government. Because they deal in the alcoholic beverage industry there are numerous amounts of taxes and laws restricting their advertising and sales. â€Å"The alcoholic beverage industry is regulated by federal, state and local governments. These regulations govern the production and distribution of alcoholic beverages, including permitting, licensing, marketing and advertising, distributor relationships, sales, environmental, and occupational health and safety issues.To operate its breweries, the Company must obtai n and maintain numerous permits, licenses and approvals from various governmental agencies, including the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, the Food and Drug Administration, state alcohol regulatory agencies and state and federal environmental agencies. † (Boston Beer Company, Inc. , 2013) Growth and Opportunity Boston Beer Company has grown significantly in the last decade. It has grown organically through increasing sales and demand from their marketing campaigns.It has also grown a great deal through acquiring two more breweries, one in Ohio and one in Pennsylvania in addition to the original Massachusetts brewery. Boston Beer Company is known primarily for its Samuel Adams line of â€Å"craft† beers however they also compete in other segments of the alcoholic beverage industry for those that don’t prefer beer. Boston Beer Company also makes Twisted Tea and Angry Orchard Cider. The concept of making several types of beverages allows Boston Beer Company to be more diversified and attract more sales by appealing to a larger demographic by providing a wider selection of products.Boston Beer Company has what most market analysts would call a â€Å"niche market†, meaning they will never produce a large scale generic beer like the big three beer companies (Anheuser Busch InBev, Miller, and Coors). So the need to diversify is not a necessity for survival or growth for the Boston Beer Company. Of the three major lines of alcoholic beverages the company produces, there are 56 varieties of them combined. Boston Beer Company essentially has it’s own market because 66% of their competitors are brewpubs that do not mass distribute. The only thing limiting Boston Beer Company other than its sales are it’s distribution network.Since the firm operates entirely on cash the value of the company has skyrocketed. Boston Beer Company has plenty of capital to reinvest in itself and increase shareholder wealth all while maintaining a balance sheet with minimal debt. Boston Beer has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade, which is reflected by their total sales, volume of product produced (measured in barrels), and price per share, which is currently leveling out around $166. 00 per share. While companies like Anheuser Busch InBev have a much larger market cap (157. 93B) compared to Boston Beer Company (2. 1B), Anheuser Busch InBev’s price per share is only $98. 78. The overall value to the shareholders for Boston Beer Company is much greater because of the way the business operates and finances its investments. The company finances everything without debt controlling the company’s resources carefully and allowing rapid growth. Boston Beer Company will be one of the premiere firms to watch over the next decade to see how they will combat the much larger competitors within the industry as they try to compete in the craft beer market. References Smith, B. (2011, August 30). Buffett-Munger S creener Highlight – Boston Beer Company (Sam).Retrieved from Guru Focus website: http://www. gurufocus. com/news/144123/buffettmunger-screener-highlight–boston-beer-company-sam Market Grader Inc. (2013, March 30). Boston Beer Co. , Inc.. Retrieved from Market Grader Inc website: http://www. marketgrader. com/MG. Services/servlet/pdf. PDFServer? ticker=SAM Boston Beer Company, Inc. (2013). Proxy Statement 2013. Retrieved from Boston Beer Company website: http://www. bostonbeer. com/phoenix. zhtml? c=69432&p=irol-overview Richardson, T. (2012, January 27). Boston Beer pouring millions into Lehigh Valley. Retrieved from The Morning Call Website: http://articles. mcall. om/2012-01-27/business/mc-allentown-boston-beer-20120127_1_craft-beers-samuel-adams-beer-yuengling Boston Beer Company, Inc. (2013) Corporate Governance Guidelines. Retrieved from Boston Beer Company website: http://www. bostonbeer. com/phoenix. zhtml? c=69432&p=irol-governance MorningStar. (2013, April 18) . Boston Beer Company, Inc. Class A (SAM). Retrieved from MorningStar website: http://insiders. morningstar. com/trading/executive-compensation. action? t=SAM Boston Beer Company, Inc. (2012) 10-K Annual Report 2012. Retrieved from Boston Beer Company website: http://www. bostonbeer. com/phoenix. zhtml? c=69432&p=irol-overview

Religious Views on War Essay

1. To complete this Graded Assignment, retrieve the Religious Views on War DBQ. Use this document with its essay instructions and the DBQ Checklist to complete this DBQ essay. Please consult the rubric throughout the process. Using the documents, compare the views of major world religions on war. What additional kind of document(s) would you need to compare the views of major world religions on war? Essay: Three major world religons have their roots in India: Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Buddhism and Sikhism both grew from Hinduism. All three share the idea of non-violence (ahimsa). The term ‘non-violence’ was actually coined in English (about 1920) by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) as a direct translation of ‘ahimsa’, ‘avoiding harm to others’. The idea of non-violence was very important to Mahatma Gandhi’s thinking and actions as a Hindu leader during India’s approach to independence in 1947. He wrote: ‘I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent Hinduism is perhaps the oldest world religion; in some of its writings ahimsa has been considered the highest duty from the beginning of time. Jainism also grew out of Hinduism; Jainists believe that people should strive to become detached from the distractions of worldly existence; and that the practice of ahimsa is an essential step on the way to personal salvation Buddhism developed from the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama, called the Buddha (c.563 – 483 BC), who believed that human suffering could be overcome by following a particular way of life. The first precept of Buddhism is ‘non-harming’ (ahimsa): Buddhists reject violence. Buddhism is clearly pacifist in its teaching, and many Buddhists say quite bluntly that it is ‘better to be killed than to kill’. Some Buddhists have been very active in promoting peace, particularly during the Vietnam War (1961- 1975), when they  offered a ‘Third Way’ of reconciliation between the American and Communist armies. Some Buddhist monks burned themselves to death in self-sacrificing protest against the war. In the Guru’s house, religion and worldly enjoyment should be combined – the cooking pot to feed the poor and needy and the sword to hit oppressors.

Essential Skills for Higher Education and Healthcare: A Reflection

Abstract This reflective essay aimed to present the key learning and gaps in knowledge and practice of a student nurse. The Gibbs model of reflection was used to evaluate and analyse the learning needs of the author. An action plan is presented at the end of the essay to demonstrate the learning aims and activities needed to achieve these aims. These are needed to prepare the author in her future work as a registered nurse. Introduction Reflection allows student nurses and healthcare practitioners improve current and future nursing practice by learning from one’s experiences (Bulman and Schutz, 2013). This essay aims to present a reflective account on my role as a student in health education and as a future healthcare practitioner. Gibbs (1988) model of reflection will be used to reflect on my experiences as a student nurse. Description My work as a Health Care Assistant in the past six years helped me decide to pursue a nursing education. I was able to work in a busy environment and experience working with patients with different ethnic background and a multicultural healthcare team. Seeing patients improve as a result of the care they receive from healthcare professionals was one of the significant events that helped me decide to become a nurse. My life as a student nurse is challenging since I have to balance family life with work and my studies. I have to demonstrate key nursing skills, become a self-directed and independent learner, take responsibilities, manage my time and follow rules and regulations of the university. I also have to prepare myself to become a future healthcare practitioner. For instance, I have to acquire skills to meet the physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs of my patients. I also have to ensure that care received by my patients is evidence-based. In addition, I have to achi eve the competencies required by the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC, 2008) code of conduct. Feelings I am excited in my new role as a student nurse. My training in the past has been in accounting and business and my career shift brings some challenges. However, I am happy pursuing what I love to do. While I am passionate with my new role, I am also aware that becoming a nurse requires extensive training and study. Hence, I want to develop skills such as becoming an independent and self-directed learner in order to succeed as a student nurse. I also need to demonstrate key skills in order to prepare myself to become a registered nurse. At times, I am worried if I would be able to acquire all the skills needed to become an effective nurse. For instance, I feel that communicating with patients with different ethnic backgrounds could be a challenge. While I was able to witness how nurses communicate with patients of different ethnic backgrounds, I am aware that this would not be easy in actual practice. I also feel that I need to develop skills on how to deliver patient-centred care thi s is holistic. Analysis and Evaluation Developing the self-directed and independent learning style is crucial during the undergraduate nursing years. Kaufman and Mann (2010) suggest that problem based learning is common in medical education and helps students to become independent learners. Learning styles differ amongst adult learners. Biggs and Tang (2007) emphasise that an individual’s learning style is a result of affective, physical and cognitive factors. An individual’s learning preference is influenced by motivation, cognitive style, attitude, personality and a student’s stage of development (Cassidy, 2004; Biggs and Tang, 2007). On reflection, I have to consider my own motivation and cognitive style in order to become a successful independent learner. I also have to determine my own stage of development as a student. Learners are identified into at least four types of learners. These are the visual, aural, read, write and kinaesthetic learners (Cassidy, 2004). During independent learning, students should be able to identify their learning style in order to optimise the learning process. On reflection, I learn best through observation (visual), reading and writing (R) and practicing what I learned (K). I can use all forms during self-directed learning. For instance, I can participate in simulation training to visualise the skills that I need to learn. Next, I can read on the topic and write a reflection or notes on what I learned. Finally, I can report my learning to my supervisors or mentors through presenting clinical skills. While self-directed learning is only one method employed in my nursing curriculum as a means to acquire knowledge and skills, this learning method is very important in my future role as a nurse. It should be noted that the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC, 2008) code of conduct stresses the importance of providing quality evidence-based care to my patients. To meet the competencies contained in the NMC’s code of conduct, it is necessary that I inform my current nursing practice with current evidence from published literature. This is also emphasised in the NMC (2010) standards for nursing students in the UK. Evidence-based care (Greenhalgh, 2010) is described as the type of care supported by findings from published literature, personal experiences, expert opinion and patient experiences. Becoming an independent learner will help me in future role as a nurse since this will help me search for literature and evidence on the current and best form of intervention for specific healthcare conditions. Apart from becoming an independent learner, I also realised the importance of developing my communication skills. The NMC’s code of conduct states the importance of developing empathy to patients and providing them with quality care. This is only possible with effective communication (Purden, 2005). Barclay et al. (2007) suggest that effective communication is possible if patients have learned to trust their healthcare practitioners and are allowed to participate in healthcare decision-making. Communication involves listening to both verbal and non-verbal messages of the patients and identifying their healthcare needs (Barclay et al., 2007). It is noteworthy that language barriers may become a deterrent to effective communication (Leonard et al., 2004). This is especially evident when patients and nurses have different ethnic background (Leonard et al., 2004). These differences may contribute to misunderstanding especially if patient education is not culturally sensitive or nu rses fail to consider the patient’s preferences, cultural background, tradition and beliefs before introducing an intervention. As a student nurse, I am aware of the importance of communication and why it is necessary for me to develop communication skills that are sensitive to my patients’ culture, traditions and beliefs. Developing these skills during my student years will help me become more sensitive to the needs of my patients. It has been shown (Barclay et al., 2007) that effective communication is a prerequisite to quality care. Many patients (Majumdar et al., 2004) express that the time nurses spent with them allowed them to communicate their feelings and needs better since they were able to communicate in an unhurried environment. On reflection, it is essential that as a student nurse, I will learn how to listen to my patients and determine their needs. It is also essential that I receive training on how to develop cultural sensitivity when dealing with patients with different ethnicity. Majumdar et al. (2004) stress the importance of assigning patients with different ethnicity to healthcare w orkers who share similar ethnic background. However, this might not be achieved in all instances in actual healthcare settings. Hence, it is essential that nurses should be trained on how to develop cultural sensitivity. On reflection, I also learned the importance of developing skills on how to promote psychological, social, emotional, physical and spiritual care of patients. As a student nurse, I am still beginning to develop these skills and understand that it will take time to develop all these skills. I realised that these skills are best learned when working with other healthcare professionals. Hence, it is crucial that I learn how to collaborate effectively with other healthcare workers. Apart from developing effective communication skills, I also need to learn how to work with others and manage conflicts during meetings. It is suggested that conflicts (Leonard et al., 2004) do not lead to poor team working but provides an opportunity for team members to choose the best form of intervention for a specific healthcare condition. Conflicts also allow team members to view an issue from different perspectives. Conclusion In conclusion, there are many skills that I still need to develop as a nursing student preparing to become a registered nurse in the future. To date, I need to hone my skills in independent or self-directed learning. I also need to develop communication skills, cultural sensitivity and learn how to collaborate effectively with other team members. All these skills are necessary to help me observe the NMC’s code of conduct and gain competencies for registered nurses in the UK. Action Plan The following are the objectives of my action plan: Improve skills on how to carry out independent or self-directed learning. Develop communication skills. Develop cultural sensitivity. Learn how to collaborate effectively with team members Table 1. Action Plan AimActivitiesWeek(s)Mentor/Supervisor Comment(s) Improve skills on how to carry out independent or self-directed learningEngage in self-directed learning on specific topics in nursing.1-4 Develop communication skillsAttend simulations on how to communicate effectively with patients suffering from chronic or acute conditions; Observe/shadow senior nurses on how they communicate with patients suffering from different conditions5-8 Develop cultural sensitivityAttend simulations on how to develop cultural sensitivity; watch videos showing nurses demonstrate cultural sensitivity when caring for patients with different ethnic background; shadow senior nurses and observe how they show cultural sensitivity to patients with different ethnicity9-12 Learn how to collaborate effectively with team membersBecome part of healthcare teams/ shadow healthcare teams and observe how they collaborate with each other13-16 References Barclay, J., Blackhall, L. & Tulsky, J. (2007) Communication strategies and cultural issues in the delivery of bad news. Journal of Palliative Medicine. 10(4). p. 958-977. Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2007) Teaching for quality learning at university. 3rd ed. England and New York: Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press. Bulman, C. & Schutz, S. (2013) Reflective Practice in Nursing. 5th ed. London: John Wiley & Sons. Cassidy, S. (2004) Learning styles: An overview of theories, models and measures. Educational Psychology. 24(4). p. 419-444. Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Further Educational Unit, Oxford Polytechnic. Greenhalgh, T. (2010) How to read a paper: the basics of evidence-based medicine. 4th ed. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. Jarvis, P. (2010) Adult education and lifelong learning: Theory and Practice. London: Routledge. Kaufman, D. & Mann, K. (2010) Teaching and learning in medical education. In: Swanwich, T. (ed.). Understanding medical education. ASME: Blackwell Publishing. Leonard, M., Graham, S. & Bonacum, D. (2004) The human factor: the critical importance of effective teamwork and communication in providing safe care. BMJ Quality & Safety. 13. p. i85-i90. Majumdar, B., Browne, G., Roberts, J. & Carpio, B. (2004) Effects of cultural sensitivity training on health care provider attitudes and patient outcomes. Journal of Nursing Scholarship. 6(2). p. 161-166. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2010) Standards for pre-registration nursing education. London: Department of Health. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008) The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. London: Nursing and Midwifery Council. Purden, M. (2005) Cultural considerations in interprofessional education and practice. Journal of Interprofessional Care. 19(1). p. 224-234.