The film versions Essay Example for Free

The film versions Essay The setting in this version is very ominous. It begins with a boy, Pip walking along a road past the gallows, which gives the audiences the feeling that danger is about because gallows were we criminals were murdered so it hints that a criminal is about. The sky is gloomy and looks like it is going to rain. You can tell this even though it is not it colour. As Pip goes into the graveyard, you can see the empty moors in the background. The graveyard looks intimidating because of the gravestones that look like people so it seems like someone is watching Pip, this makes the audiences feel like someone is watching them too. As there is no one about, it makes it more frightening because there is no one to see what happens or anyone to look after Pip. This is exaggerated because there are no people around so it makes it daunting. All together the setting is a place that most people wouldnt go to unless there was a good reason or if they did go in they wouldnt go in alone. This makes the audiences fell nervous and part of the action. There is a lot of sound in the 1946 version, the wind is howling and you can hear the trees creaking, because of new technologies and special effects some people might say the it sounds fake but it would have sounded very atmospheric at the time it was made. The sounds make the audiences feel like they are in the situations where the wind is howling and the tress are creaking. When Pip speaks his voice sounds very innocent and childish which makes the audiences think he is more venerable, Magwitch voices is dark, menacing and forceful which would send a chill down the audiences spin. The differences in the voices and the atmospheric sounds build up the tensions in the first scene. Pip is dressed in poor-looking clothes but he still looks like he is well cared for because he is wearing warm clothes, we already know from the sounds that it was cold, the wind in the trees. Magwitch is wearing rags and looks poor and scruffy. We know that he is a criminal because of the shackles around his feet. Portraying them like this tells the audiences straight away who the people are so it doesnt need to be explained. The lighting is used to great effect and helps create the atmosphere which colour does now. Although there is not any colour they are still ably to show some things though light. You can tell if it is light black and white or dark black and white. The most effective part is when Magwitch has Pip on the gravestone, when you see the both together it looks like Pip is in the light and Magwitch is in the dark, this is trying to express that Pip is nice and innocent and Magwitch is the malevolence person, this is done by making the light and setting brighter behind Pip than it is behind Magwitchs this makes the audiences think Pip is nice and Magwitch isnt all though they my not notice it. Nonetheless the light helps you to feel what the setting is like for, example the dark sky suggests it gloomy, if you didnt use lighting it would make it harder to tell. Being in black and white some people say it looks boring but I think it creates a misty atmosphere that adds to build the tension. The camera changes between the two characters Pip and Magwitch and doesnt show them both together to start with, this is done quickly when each one is talking, doing these speeds up the pace of the first scene. It only showed part of their face to start with not all of it. Its also effective when Magwitch looks down at his feet, which shows us the shackles, this is done because it make the audience feel like they know what he is thinking. Having the camera change between the two doesnt give the audiences time to take in the face until it show them together, this makes the audiences eager to see what he looks like.

Value of Health Care Essay -- United States Healthcare

The Value of Health Care The development of value based healthcare reimbursement systems between healthcare payers and healthcare providers is evolving from the need to provide patients with beneficial healthcare technologies under conditions of significant economic uncertainty. The concept examined centralizes on shifting the focus of the healthcare system from volume to value. Value is measured by outcomes achieved based on a full cycle of care not volume of services rendered based on each service performed. Summary of Article The article chosen for this assignment was published on December 23, 2010 in the New England Journal of Medicine (Porter, 2010). The author, Porter (2010) examines the role of value in the healthcare system in the United States. According to Porter (2010) â€Å"Value should define the framework for performance improvement in healthcare.† Porter indicates that value in healthcare should be measured by outcomes achieved not the volume of services rendered. According to Porter (2010), â€Å"The proper unit for measuring value should encompass all services or activities that jointly determine success in meeting a set of patient’s needs. Posistive and Negative Affects, Cost, Quality, Access, Trade-offs The national pay for value based system development has positive and negative aspects. System implementation will require multiple entity participation. Hospitals, physicians, outpatient centers, and clinics all will be responsible for collaboration in developing an integrated communication system which will present additional expense on the front end. Government mandates will be required; from implementation dates to specified circumstances in which assistive funding may be available. Multi provider ... ...g outcomes are important actions towards improving outcomes. True reform will require both moving toward restructuring the care delivery system and a national system of consistency, regulation and payment. References Lee, T.H. (2010). Putting the value framework to work. New England Journal of Medicine. 363:2481-2483 Porter, M.E., (2010). What is the value in healthcare? New England Journal of Medicine. 363:2477-2481 Porter, M.E., (2009) A strategy for helath care reform – Toward a value-based system. New England Journal of Medicine. 361:109-112 Carlson, J.J., Sullivan S.D., Garrison, L.P., Neumann, P.J., Veenstra, D.L. (2010). Linking payment to health outcomes: A taxonomy and examination of performance-based reimbursement schemes between healthcare payers and manufacturers. Health Policy, 96(3), 179-190. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2010.02.005

Distingusih Between Assertive and Submissive Style of Communication

Distinguish between assertive and submissive style of communication What are assertive and submissive styles of communication? Assertive communication is a way of acting that does not make the people to hurt physically or emotionally. In addition, it allows us to declare our own rights and the rights of others. We are able to show our feelings, wants and needs openly. When we communicate with other people, we are open to listening their feelings or needs as well as are willing to compromise. Thus, it consists of strong self-esteem, self-respect and self-confidence.Submissive communication is a passive action that is self-denying and not searching for achieving goals. Moreover, it does not express needs, wants, opinions or feelings and then it always avoids conflict even though it is discomfortable. When we fail to communicate our concerns or hesitations, other people will not know how we feel or will misinterpret our actions. There are two differences between assertive and submissive style of communication such as behaviors and responses. To begin with, behavior is a difference of these communications.This is because assertive behavior is to pretend in a sense, which is neither passive nor aggressive. It demonstrates honest, self-confident and direct communication. When we are able to behave as an assertive person, we will express and use direct ways, which respect the feeling of the other people. For example, while you and your friend discuss about the assignment, you listen what your friend want to say first and then you give feedback honestly what it should be or not. Submissive behavior gives the priority to the other and is afraid of meeting conflict.It allows others to dictate to them, denies their rights and ignores the needs. In group projects, some group members take one task of their projects. Then, only one person needs to take two tasks of the projects but he has to do another project. Nevertheless, he does not refuse the tasks to take. And then he does not express the feeling that is not comfortable. Response is a kind of verbal and non-verbal interaction between the speaker and the listener. A basic assertive response may involve a simple request such as â€Å"You can help me how to calculate the equation†.But using â€Å"I† statement is not simply response to other people ‘s statement. For example, â€Å"I like the way you handled this project† or â€Å"I feel good when you accept my opinion†. In submissiveness, its response can encourage treatment that reinforces a passive role. While the underlying causes of passive responding are often poor self-confident and self-esteem, passive responding itself can serve to further reduce the feelings of self-worth. For instance, if a submissive person may tend to have poor eye contact that he has trouble looking others in the eye.He does not use any gestures when he is talking with someone as well as he doesn’t show much expression on his face . If he does responses an expression, it’s probably a constant smile or a blank look. In conclusion, behaviors and responses are the ways of acting in communication. We do need to be careful in using behaviors and responses as some of these actions will lead to bad attitude. We will apply suitable behaviors and responses in appropriate situation. I think that using assertive style can get successful in life because it is not anxious to face good things or bad things.However, submissive communication cannot achieve the goals hopping in the mind owing to the fact that it fears to experience an unmet thing. References Harris, G. (2011). The difference between Passive, Aggressive and Assertive Communication. The Recovering Engineer. Retrieved on March 19, 2013, from http://recoveringengineer. com/2011/10/ Changing Minds. (n. d. ). Submissive Behavior. Retrieved on March 20, 2013, from http://changingminds. org/techniques/assertiveness/submissive_behavior. htm

Cement Sector in Pakistan

1. INTRODUCTION 2. 1 Objective and Scope The report will present a holistic overview of the industry; current situation, industry structure, critical revenue and cost drivers, exposure of BOP in the sector and its future outlook. 2. 2 Cement Sector of Pakistan The Cement sector of Pakistan has 23 players, operating 29 units, with a total production capacity of 44. 8 million tons, divided into North and South, as follows: North Zone| South Zone| * Punjab and Khyber Pakhtoon Khwa| * Sindh and Baluchistan| * 19 manufacturing units| * 10 manufacturing units| * 80% of rated capacity, i. . 35. 9 million tons| * 20% of total rated capacity, i. e. 8. 9 million tons| The overall capacity utilization of the sector, as per FY-10 dispatches is at 76%. The basic raw materials for cement include limestone (upto 80%), clay (upto 15%) and gypsum (5%), all of which are abundant in Pakistan making basic raw material very cheaply available to cement manufacturers. None of the cement producers in Pakist an enjoys any material product differentiation because of the highly standardized nature of product therefore consumers usually regard ‘price’ as a key determinant. Major constituents of the cost are energy & power – over 60% of cost of production of cement – and transportation costs. In addition to these elements efficiency of production process is critical in keeping the overall cost structure competitive. In this regard, size of the plant, its age, and origin – European or Chinese – are of importance. Until recent years, almost all the plants operating in the country were based on furnace oil, but the increasing furnace oil prices forced the cement industry to switch over to Coal-powered/dual-fuel plants. However, the price of coal has shown significant volatility over the recent periods therefore, some producers, having dual-fuel plants, use a mixture of coal and gas, alternating between the two as per changes in prices and availability. 2. 3 Cement Sales during FY-10 Compared To FY-09 Source: All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers’ Association As per All Pakistan Cement Manufacturer’s Association (APCMA), the cement sales in FY-10 totaled 34. 20 million tons, registering a decent Year-on-Year (YoY) growth of 9. 30% compared to 31. 29 million tons in FY-09. The local dispatches remained at 23. 54 million tons, up YoY 14. 63% compared to 20. 53 million tons in FY-09 whereas export sales in FY-10 remained almost flat with a minor decline at 10. 66 million tons, down YoY 0. 89% compared to 10. 75 million tons in the previous year. As shown in the table, the local sales were the primary driver behind the growth. It is pertinent to note that the growth on the local front was mainly private-sector driven rather than Government’s infrastructure spending, showing signs of recovery in the construction sector. 2. INDUSTRY STRUCTURE 3. 4 Industry Characteristics Cement industry is highly cyclical in nature and its performance depends largely upon the economic growth of the country. There is a high degree of correlation between the GDP growth and the growth in local cement consumption. Source: State Bank of Pakistan & All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers’ Association Cement exports depend largely upon the demand/supply situation, price levels and economic situation in the export regions. Cement, being a voluminous product, is a regional commodity. 3. 5 Critical Factors The cyclical nature of the sector along with excess supply situation, whenever it persists, makes cement price a very critical factor. Some level of industry ‘co-opetition’, i. e. cooperative competition, is evident in cement industries globally such as consensual pricing. In the absence of such an arrangement, along with a supply glut, cement industries have witnessed intense price wars. * Power & Energy costs c onstitute over 60% – 65% of the total cost of cement production. Therefore, smart inventory management of coal, along with hedging techniques etc. lead to significant savings in energy costs. * Plants closer to the port have cheaper access to exports and can maintain higher profit margins. Therefore, distance to port is an important consideration. * Leverage, both financial and operating, is a major concern owing to the price-sensitivity of the sector. Pakistan’s cement sector is highly leveraged. Cautious capital structure management and utilization of relaxations / incentives provided by the government, whenever possible, such as Export Refinance facility offered by the State Bank of Pakistan, create a significant difference. . 6 Industry Concentration Concentration refers to the number of major competitors in a given industry. This has important implications for the inherent profitability of a sector. We have applied the Eight-Firm concentration ratio to determine c oncentration in the cement sector. Concentration ratios can generally be categorized into low, medium, and high concentration being 0% – 50%, 50% – 80% and 80% and above, respectively. An eight-firm concentration ratio over 90% is a good indication of oligopoly, i. e. an industry dominated by a small number of sellers. Based on FY10 market shares, the Eight-Firm concentration ratio in cement sector is 80% which show clear signs of high industry concentration. Therefore, cement sector has an oligopolistic structure. However, given the excess capacity situation cement industry has been behaving like a ‘low concentration industry’ from time to time such as the intense price war in the recent past, spanning nearly a year, with participants vying for higher volumes. 3. 7 Market Share The following pie-charts show the local, export and total market shares of top 8 players in the sector for FY-10. The charts show that D. G. Khan Cement is the leading player in the local market (17% market share) closely followed by Bestway (16. 7%) and Lucky Cement (13. 3%). In the export market, Lucky cement leads with its roaring 32. 8% share, followed by D. G. Khan and Bestway cement’s 9. 3% share each. Overall, Lucky Cement appears to hold the highest market share (19. 4%), followed by D. G. Khan (14. 6%) and Bestway (14. 4%). Maple Leaf Cement ranks fourth in all three categories with 9%, 11. 1% and 9. 7% market share in the local, export and overall market. Source: Fortune Securities . SECTOR OVERVIEW – FY10 Cement Sector in FY-10 witnessed low prices, rising energy costs, slowdown in construction activities locally and regionally and a large amount of new supply availability in regional markets resulting in drying out of certain lucrative export avenues especially the Middle East. However, exports to African countries, Iraq, Sri Lanka etc. mitigated the effect and exports remained flat at 10. 66 million tones (YoY down 0. 89%). As expected by market participants and analysts local sales picked up to close the year at 24. 53 million tons (YoY up 14. 63%). Overall, the sector closed the year at 34. 20 million tones, registering a decent YoY increase of 9. 30%. Cement prices and energy costs remained the key issues in FY-10. Since the dismantling of the alleged cement cartel, after Competition Commission of Pakistan imposed a fine in the colossal sum of Rs. 6. 35 billion on 20 cement manufacturers (equivalent to 7. 5pc of each company’s FY08 net revenue), in August 2009, cement prices plunged and went down to Rs. 249/bag in North and Rs. 280/bag in the South zone, compared to Rs. 335/bag and Rs. 370/bag in FY09 in North and South, respectively. CCP’s decision has been challenged by the cement manufacturers on a number of grounds in the Lahore High Court, the Sindh High Court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In all these cases stay orders have been granted by the Courts and the matter awaits court’s verdict. Given the increased overall supply in the regional markets, the cement export price hovered around $47-$52 per tone, compared to average export price of $60-$62 in FY09. On the other hand, energy costs remained on the rising trend and coal prices averaged around $88 (FoB) per ton compared to 2nd half FY-09 average of $70. Australian (Newcastle) coal price made its 18-month high of $108 (FOB) per ton on April 27, 2010, after making a low of around $61 (FoB) per ton in Mar-09 last year. Thus, as a result of subdued prices and increasing energy costs a sub-breakeven scenario prevailed in the industry for the most part of FY-10. In 9 months FY10, cement companies posted cumulative losses of Rs. 3. 3 billion compared to profits of Rs. 3. 7 billion in the corresponding period last year, YoY down 189%. Cement prices hiked by Rs. 40 per bag in North in June 2010. With no price moves in South – a region that was already enjoying higher prices due to lower intensity of price war largely for its geographical advantages – prices in the two regions finally came at par. FY-10 also saw the announcement of 35% inland freight subsidy, during March 2010, on cement exports. It is likely to make Pakistan’s cement exports more competitive in the regional market, as cement manufacturers will be able to reduce their export prices by almost 10% going forward, if needed, without hurting their margins. However, the government needs to make timely payments to the manufacturers for the subsidy to be of much use. Source: Invisor Securities Source: Federal Bureau of Statistics & Invisor Securities 4. SECTOR OUTLOOK 5. 8 Local market * Short Term Cement prices have risen by Rs. 24 per bag since the beginning of ongoing financial year to Rs. 312 and Rs. 325 per bag in North and South, respectively. This bodes substantially well for the sector after bleeding profusely in a price war and indicates a price consensus among the manufacturers. Also, we believe there is limited appetite for price wars going forward especially as seasonal 1Q demand slowdown kicks in (Monsoons, floods, Ramadan etc. ). The recent floods have severely affected the roads and the distribution network which will inevitably hurt the local cement sales as well as export sales to some extent. We expect cement demand from local market to remain subdued during first half of FY11, due to monsoons, flood related issues, slowdown in construction during winters etc. , and start picking up from 3Q FY-11, in the wake of reconstruction activities. Overall, we expect local dispatches to remain flat during FY-11 and believe that the real impact of the increased demand from reconstruction activities will materialize during FY-12. We believe the cement prices have hit the ceiling for now and do not expect further increase in them and expect the recent price hikes to sustain for a relatively longer time than the one-step ahead, two steps back situation that prevailed throughout FY-10. Going forward, Fauji Cement’s capacity expansion, due in FY-11, of 2. 27 million tons, would create downward pressure on utilization levels. However, we expect capacity utilization levels to remain between 70% to 75% range. * Medium to Long Term We have a positive outlook for the local market on a medium to long-term basis. The rehabilitation work along with construction of dams will boost demand and possibly push prices upwards as cement manufacturers operate on higher and higher capacity utilization levels. Construction of dams seems inevitable given the power crisis and the recent flood. The Council of Common Interests (CCI) unanimously approved the construction of Diamer Bhasha dam on July 18, 2010, leading the way for the release of funds from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The projected timeline for completion is stated till the end of 2019. Manufacturers estimate a total requirement of 9. 0 to 11. million tons cement for the project with annual demand in between 1. 0 to 1. 5 mn tons. While all northern manufacturers would directly or indirectly benefit from the project, we believe the big players such as Askari and Bestway would be the key beneficiaries with proximity to the project. 5. 9 Export Market We are pessimistic about the export dispatches during FY-11 owing to i) increased availabili ty of cement in the regional markets, especially after lifting of export ban in Saudi Arabia, ii) slowdown in construction in the Middle East and iii) local transportation problems ensuing from the flood. Therefore, we expect a decline of 10-15% in exports during FY-11. Our export price outlook remains flat around $45, keeping in view the competitive environment in the export market. During FY-10 exports to Qatar, Oman, UAE and Kuwait declined whereas exports to Afghanistan, Djibouti, Sudan, Sri Lanka and other African Countries increased, as shown in the chart. We expect the trend to continue going forward as cement producers penetrate further into the African markets. Source: TDAP 5. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS – CEMENT MAJORS 6. 10 Financial Analysis 6. 11. 1 Liquidity On 9M-FY10 basis, the top-7 cement players face a tight liquidity situation with Current ratio at 0. 71x, Quick ratio at 0. 63x, Cash Ratio at 0. 05x and an Operating Cash Flow ratio at 0. 16x. Among the Top-7, Attock Cement is most liquid with Current ratio at 2. 67x, Quick ratio at 2. 33x, Cash ratio at 0. 66x and Operating Cash Flow ratio at 1. 02x. Overall, the Top-7 Average liquidity ratios show a low ability to settle short-term financial obligations as well as finance additional sales without incurring further debt. 6. 11. 2 Financial Leverage Financial leverage (average) among the top-7 cement players is at 0. 1x, which seems moderate. Bestway, Maple Leaf and Pioneer Cement have financial leverage at 2. 32x, 3. 56x and 1. 64x, respectively, which is high. Lucky and Attock Cement have financial leverage in control, at 0. 35x and 0. 25x, whereas D. G. Khan Cement’s financial leverage stands at 0. 67x. The average Interest Coverage ratio is at 1. 04x, which means, on aver age, the cement players barely have enough earnings to meet their financial charges. Given the high financial leverage and low Interest Cover, we believe cement companies’ ability to take on further financing is highly subdued, with the exception of Lucky and Attock Cement. 6. 1. 3 Asset Utilization We have adjusted the Asset Utilization ratios to reflect the full year (extrapolated) sales by a 4/3 adjustment factor. The resulting ratios, fixed asset turnover at 0. 65x and total assets turnover ratio at 0. 45x, suggesting overall low asset utilization, point towards the capital intensive nature of the industry marred with low capacity utilization levels. Among the top-7 players, Lucky Cement seems to have the most efficient asset utilization with fixed assets turnover at 0. 90x and total assets turnover at 0. 75x levels. Lafarge Pakistan cement’s asset utilization ratios rank lowest among the Top-7, being 0. 3x and 0. 11x on a fixed and total assets turnover basis, res pectively. Lafarge’s extremely low asset utilization levels call for further investigation into the causes. 6. 11. 4 Profitability We have adjusted the Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE) ratios to reflect the full year (extrapolated) sales by a 4/3 adjustment factor. The resulting ratios suggest moderate gross profitability and basic earnings power, at 21. 26% and 9. 68%, respectively. However the final profitability is extremely low at 0. 03% reflecting the sky-rocketing financial charges. Bestway, Maple Leaf, Lafarge and Pioneer have negative net margins at -6. 7%, -18. 33%, -24. 86% and -14. 38%. Attock Cement appears most profitable during the period under review, with Net margins at 13. 32% followed by Lucky Cement at 12. 02%. Both these players have managed to post decent net profitability partially due to higher retention prices in South, compared to North, and higher export contribution margins. During 9M-FY10, Maple Leaf, Lafarge and Pioneer Cement pos ted negative Basic earnings power at -3. 14%, -13. 94% and -10. 95%, respectively, which points towards the intense price war, especially in North, throughout the period under review. D. G. Khan cement has managed to post a decent EBIT margin, at 16. 91%, however, the financial charges, which amount to Rs. 1. 5 billion for 9M-FY10, have left only 3. 79% in net margin. 6. 11. 5 DuPont Analysis DuPont analysis is an expression which breaks Return on Equity (ROE) into three parts, profit margin, asset turnover and equity multiplier representing, the operating efficiency, asset utilization efficiency and financial leverage, respectively. Our DuPont analysis of the top-7 players suggests that the main reason behind the low industry ROE during the period under review has been low profitability. The price wars during the period under review, along with high financial charges have severely affected the ROE. Asset utilization is not too healthy either, but is moderate. 6. 11. 6 Conclusion Based on our financial analysis, we have a liking for Lucky and Attock Cement and feel that these are safe companies to lend to. D. G. Khan Cement seems to be under stress at the moment due to its current maturity of long-term debts, worth Rs. 4 billion (approx. ), and an O/S Forex loan of US$ 40 million (FY-09 carrying value Rs. 3. 5 bn), payments commencing June, 2011, therefore it is expected to go for re-financing arrangements with banks. However, strong sponsors’ support, good reputation, largest local and 2nd largest total market share, large portfolio of liquid investments worth Rs. 17 billion (approx. ), and Income from investments serve as strong mitigating factors. Bestway, Maple Leaf and Pioneer Cement have financial leverage ratios at 2. 32x, 3. 56x and 1. 64x levels which are certainly not sustainable. The DuPont suggests both profitability and leverage are a cause of concern for these companies. Lafarge Pakistan’s low profitability and poor asset utilization have greatly affected its financial results. Overall, we recommend caution for the above three players.

Review of Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

Review of 'Blink' by Malcolm Gladwell To over-generalize, there are two types of nonfiction books worth reading: those written by an eminent specialist summarizing the current state of his or her field, often focusing on the singular idea that defines the authors career; and those written by a journalist without special knowledge about the field, tracking a particular idea, crossing the boundaries of disciplines when required by the pursuit. Malcolm Gladwells Blink is a bravura example of the latter sort of book: he ranges through art museums, emergency rooms, police cars, and psychology laboratories following a skill he terms rapid cognition. Rapid Cognition Rapid cognition is the sort of snap decision-making performed without thinking about how one is thinking, faster and often more correctly than the logical part of the brain can manage. Gladwell sets himself three tasks: to convince the reader that these snap judgments can be as good or better than reasoned conclusions, to discover where and when rapid cognition proves a poor strategy, and to examine how the rapid cognitions results can be improved. Achieving three tasks, Gladwell marshals anecdotes, statistics, and a little bit of theory to persuasively argue his case. Gladwells discussion of thin slicing is arresting: In a psychological experiment, normal people given fifteen minutes to examine a students college dormitory can describe the subjects personality more accurately than his or her own friends. A cardiologist named Lee Goldman developed a decision tree that, using only four factors, evaluates the likelihood of heart attacks better than trained cardiologists in the Cook County Hospital emergency room in Chicago: For two years, data were collected, and in the end, the result wasnt even close. Goldmans rule won hands down in two directions: it was a whopping 70 percent better than the old method at recognizing patients who werent actually having a heart attack. At the same time, it was safer. The whole point of chest pain prediction is to make sure that patients who end up having major complications are assigned right away to the coronary and intermediate units. Left to their own devices, the doctors guessed right on the most serious patients somewhere between 75 and 89 percent of the time. The algorithm guessed right more than 95 percent of the time. (pp. 135-136) The secret is knowing which information to discard and which to keep. Our brains are able to perform that work unconsciously; when rapid cognition breaks down, the brain has seized upon a more obvious but less correct predictor. Gladwell examines how race and gender affect car dealers sales strategy, the effect of height on salary and promotion to top corporate positions, and unjustified police shootings of civilians to demonstrate that our unconscious biases have genuine and sometimes tragic consequences. He also examines how the wrong thin slice, in focus groups or in a single-sip test of soft drinks, can lead businesses to mistake consumer preferences. There are things that can be done to redirect our mind along lines more conducive to accurate thin-slicing: we can alter our unconscious biases; we can change products packaging to something that tests better with consumers; we can analyze numerical evidence and make decision trees; we can analyze all possible facial expressions and their shared meanings, then watch for them on videotape; and we can evade our biases by blind screening, hiding the evidence that will lead us to incorrect conclusions. Takeaway Points This whirlwind tour of rapid cognition, its be, efits and pitfalls, has only a few pitfalls of its own. Written in a forthright and conversational style, Gladwell makes friends with his readers but rarely challenges them. This is science writing for the broadest possible audience; people with scientific training may chafe at the substitution of anecdote for study results, and may wish that the author had gone into greater depth with any or all of his examples; others may wonder how they can broaden the reach of their own attempts at rapid cognition. Gladwell may whet their appetites but will not fully satisfy those readers. His focus is narrow, and this helps him meet his goals; perhaps this is appropriate for a book titled Blink.

Ethical-legal issues as an Advanced Practice Nurse Assignment

Ethical-legal issues as an Advanced Practice Nurse - Assignment Example Therefore, their liability and accountability levels are unmatchable with those of other nurse practitioners. Further, they act within their competence limits as well as their boundaries limits. Ethics, also referred to as moral laws are mainly concerned with fundamental principles distinguishing between right and wrong, defining what people ought to do. Ethics purposely inform our judgements, offering guidance to individual on making decisions on how to best act in any situation. Westrick & Dempski (2009) observe that accepted ethical theories, practices and frameworks offer guidance on how people ought to act in an ethical manner, and all binds advanced nurse practitioners. It is an expectation of the advanced practitioners to make their individual judgements about what they perceive as best for their individuals. While making any form of decisions, ethical theories and principles bind their actions. While ethics is broad and offer a brief summary of exactly how they purposively should undertake their actions, advanced nursing practitioners feel that their roles are ethically demanding from their very own nature. Law on the other hand is a system of rules governing a particular society with the main intention of upholding social order, justice system as well as preventing any form of either harm to individuals or public and private property. Law systems often base their principles on ethical or religious principles. It is the duty of the police as well as the criminal systems such as the courts of law to enforce law in a jurisdiction. Different laws govern the healthcare, which seek to protect the public from any harm from healthcare givers. Therefore, advanced nursing practitioners have to be more knowledgeable on the relevant legislations guiding their actions (Kelly & Tazbir,

Art and gender assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art and gender assignment - Essay Example Women are the objects that are looked† (Finzsch). In Mulvey’s male gaze, the male’s patriarchal role is extended to the film where the male imposes a hegemonic gaze to the women as mere objects of desire. Thus, it produces an imbalance relationship as women are reduced to an object of two distinct modes of male gaze where they became Madonna’s in male perspective (voyeuristic) or whores (fetishistic). In her work, viewers tend to identify with the protagonist of the film who is typically a male and thus, the perspective conveyed by the film is that of a man and it follows that women will be looked upon as an object of desire. Another view that I would like to point out about gaze in art that breeds oppression is the binary and heterosexual nature of gender orientation of gaze which alienates sexual orientation that is not heterosexual. By defining sexual desirability to merely exist between men and women as often observed in gazes in art, it unconsciously negated the existence of other sexual orientation and sense of desirability other than heterosexual relationship and thus, the assertion itself produced another type of oppression – that is, discrimination against heterosexual orientation and their preferences. Good artworks are not only in museums. They can also be found in other places and the experience is just as exhilarating as going to a museum. Art after all are not created just be placed in museums and galleries but to be appreciated and to bring joy and uplift its audience. Thus, I would like to discuss about graffiti or murals painted on the many walls of San Francisco, California. It is painted on a brick or wooden wall by combination of spray and brushed paint. There may be people who would disagree in this in art form calling it as vandalism but for me, its art and it reflects my state of feeling. I would rather call it as urban painting rather vandalism that instead of using canvass shown in the restrictive