How Judaism and Christianity Diverged

The origins of Christianity can be originated in Judaism and for that reason it is no surprise that both religions have many beliefs in common. During the earliest beginnings, Christianity was a part of Judaism, but currently they are two distinct communities. However, they are bound together by their belief in one God and to worship any other is to deny Him. The separation between both religions did not happen fast or easy. The entire division took some hundred years and the very complex separation didn’t happen all at once. Christianity began with Jesus Christ and his disciples about 2000 years ago in Judea. Throughout that duration of time, Judea was ruled over the emperor of Rome, Constantine. The Romans were pagan and had polytheistic beliefs that made it difficult for the Jews. Therefore, the Jews began to disgust Romans and wait for their Messiah as was promised. The Jewish law secures that a descendant from the house of David will come to set up God’s Kingdom on earth. Jesus Christ has been known in many names: Son of Man, Son of God and the Word. â€Å"Christ† comes from the Greek word Christos which can be translated of the Hebrew word Messiah. Jesus Christ himself followed the Jewish faith and the Jewish law. From village to village, Jesus began teaching synagogues and healing the suffering. Before long, a group of twelve men followed Jesus after his teachings motivated many people and caused instability that the Jewish authority weren’t pleased of. This had threatened the Jewish people. Jesus commenced on talking about the â€Å"new covenant† that God would bring people through him. It would restore the association between humankind and God that was gone because of sin. It would, also, re-establish the fellowship of forgiveness and love. As a prophet, Jesus knew he would be crucified on the Roman cross to pay for the sins committed by all humanity. As he was saying that he was the Son of God, the Jews weren’t opened to his message. Priests of temples have called Jesus Christ blasphemous because he didn’t fit the mold as the Son of Man, â€Å"Glory of the Heavens†, or the Messiah. He doesn’t look like a king they have imagined and thought of him as pathetic and rejected him. When Jesus first came to Israel, Jesus said publicly, â€Å"I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. † â€Å"Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One? † a high priest ask him and Jesus replied, ‘I am,' †¦ And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven† (Mark 14:61-62). This haven’t convinced them that Jesus was the Messiah and condemned him to torture and death for lying. â€Å"Eli Eli lama sabachthani! † was Jesus’ last words as he was crucified as stated in the New Testament. After three days, he was resurrected and ascended to the heavens in front of six hundred people. His disciples began to spread his word to various parts of the world. After Paul, one of Jesus’ disciples and his right hand man, failed to convince the Jews, Paul had to resort to converting the Romans. Around 312 A. D. , Emperor Constantine I adopted the Christian faith and, therefore, legalized Christianity. He supported the Christian Church and tried to abandon all the pagan temples. In 325 A. D. , he sent for the Council of Nicaea to establish the Nicene Creed. The emperor wanted to enforce orthodoxy and to eradicate heretics. Christianity began to spread and detached it’s way from Judaism. The Roman government began to acknowledge its independence and the emperor let them go from paying the fiscus judaicus, a tax for Jewish people as a penalty after the revolt of 66 A. D. Finally, the success of Christianity made it the official religion of the Roman Empire in 324 A. D. The main Christian belief was that Jesus was the savior of all people. Those who believed that Jesus was the fulfillment of messianic prophesy of the Old Testament converted to Christianity, including some Jews. Judaism and Christianity both share the Old Testament and the Word of God. However, in Christian teachings Jesus Christ is the Messiah and the Savior and Judaism denies the idea of him being the Messiah. Initially being a Jewish sect in the first century, Christianity stretched into the Greco-Roman areas. During the Middle Ages it spread into Northern Europe and Russia. Currently, Christianity extended to all parts of the world and is now the largest religion in the world with around 2 billion followers. The religion has broaden to many sects such as Roman catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant and so forth. Bibliography: The Bible. N. p. : n. p. , n. d. RSV Bible. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. . â€Å"Christianity. † Religion Facts. N. p. , n. d. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. . Wenner, Sarah. â€Å"History of Christianity. † MNSU. Ed. Salman Hakim. N. p. , 2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. . All About Religion. N. p. , n. d. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. .

Beauty Within The Cultures by Phillip Namara Essay

How do you define beauty? Is it a small waist and large breasts? A perfect smile and straight hair? If you flip through the pages of an American fashion magazine, you may think beauty is narrowly defined†¦but that’s not the case. From thick ankles to small noses, women from five continents are revealing what’s considered beautiful in their countries. â€Å"It’s a way of connecting yourselves from your kitchen, your living room, your bedroom †¦ to the rest of the world.† The first culture I will speak about are the Koreans. In any subway car you will see young Korean women checking their hair and makeup in mirrors that come attached to their cell phones. For those with less image-savvy devices, the windows provide ample reflection for women to fretfully fix stray stands of hair or rouge streaks of foundation. This preoccupation with beauty is no less reflected in how many Korean women dress. High heels, mini-skirts and frilled blouses are not reserved for nights out on the town – they are the norm for many women going about their daily business. While looking good is a matter of boosting self-esteem for many women, there are often more practical reasons for going under the knife. A lot of women believe that their chances of employment are largely dependent on their looks and will improve significantly after a cosmetic touch-up. In this highly competitive society, where it is routine to send your photo attached to your resume, a pretty face can give you the edge in a job or college interview. The next country/culture we will look at is Africa. There are some countries in Africa who have recently adopted a new definition of beauty accepting the same beliefs as Western culture. However, many countries maintain a quite different perspective of what beauty means within Africa. This different perspective defines beauty as: * Large Breasts: In some countries, women with large chests are much more desirable and considered much more beautiful than women with small chests. * Ample Backside: In some countries, generally the same ones that consider big breasts to be beautiful, a large backside is desirable and considered beautiful. * Fat vs. Skinny: Although it has become a newly accepted form of beauty, being skinny is not desirable in every country in Africa. There are countries where brides are force fed in order to make them fat or to make them more desirable to their male counterparts. Although this may not be considered healthy, it is what many in the culture of these countries consider beautiful. * Skin Color: Another aspect of beauty in Africa relates to skin color. Many countries believe that a lighter skinned African woman is more desirable than those who have darker skin. Therefore, a market has grown for skin creams that will lighten the complexion of African women in order to make them more attr active to the opposite sex. Importance of Curves in African Beauty Looking at this list of what beauty means in certain parts of Africa, we can deduce that the more curves a woman has in some countries across the African continent, the more desirable she is to the opposite sex. The idea of this form of accepted beauty has caused many clothing designers in Africa to increase their sizes available in their clothing lines in order to show their acceptance that even a bigger woman can be beautiful. In Southwestern Asia, the area often known as the Middle East, the rejection of Western culture and beauty standards, along with the insurgence of Islamic traditions, has seen the rise in more traditional, Arabic clothing. This clothing tends to cover more of the body and gives only an alluring glimpse at the feminine figure within as a clear denunciation of the revealing outfits worn by many in the Western world. These outfits display the humble, demure and secret beauty of the wearer, whose husband is the only one with access to the body hidden within the folds of fabric. Still, with increasing globalization, many Western beauty ideals have spread throughout the world, while cultures with little contact outside their indigenous communities continue to observe their own beauty practices. Either way, ideals of beauty are ever-present throughout the diverse communities of world. Beauty Throughout The Ages It’s hard to believe that once upon a time, women were celebrated for their natural god-given bodies. In fact, the female standard of beauty has gone through many drastic changes over the last several hundred years. I’ve compiled a timeline of all the major trends over the past 600 years, starting with the Renaissance up until the last decade. Renaissance Body Type: The ideal Renaissance woman was more voluptuous than any other time in history. Paintings from this era depict women who would be considered beyond curvy by today’s standards – but at that time, these full-figured ladies were the epitome of sexiness. For the first time in recorded history, women were prized for their natural bodies. Beauty: The term â€Å"blondes have more fun† may have stemmed from the Renaissance, because they believed that the lighter the hair color, the better. As for make-up, pale ivory skin was considered sexy, and vermillion was used to tint the lips to a deep red color. Pale complexion and blood red lips – it seems like the Renaissance era may have originated the popular vampire-chic look. Victorian Body Type: Unlike Renaissance women, Victorian women were very body conscious. Sexy meant having the smallest waistline humanly possible, and in order to achieve this look, women wore corsets. Some corsets were wound so tight that women could hardly breathe, to the point where sitting down was completely out of the question. Many women would even break ribs trying to get their waistlines down to an inconceivable 12 inches. Beauty: Modesty was the operative word when it came to Victorian makeup. High-class women were expected to use makeup sparingly. Bold colors were considered trashy, and reserved for prostitutes. Some religions at the time even proclaimed beauty products to be â€Å"the look of the devil.† 1920’s Era Body Type: The 1920’s was a time when women didn’t want to look like women at all. We can’t imagine that men today would find this sexy, but some women from the 20’s era would even bind their chests with strips of cloth to achieve a â€Å"little boy† look – quite contradictory to some of the measures that today’s women take in order to amplify their chests. The loose silhouette of the flapper dress was in stark contrast to the corseted waist of the Victorian era. Elastic webbed girdles replaced corsets and gave off the look of a flat boyish abdomen. Beauty: Going right along with the boyish look, the hair bob or finger wave was a big trend. Bold make-up, which had once been considered â€Å"trashy,† was now considered sexy. Powder was applied to make the skin look as pale as possible, and eyebrows were lifted and penciled in to appear thin and bold. Kohl was used to line the eye and achieve an overall dramatic look. 1930-1970s Era Body Type: As they became more body conscious, women started to pay attention to what they ate. Fashions accented the arms and legs, so women lifted light weights to build muscle tone. The new padded stretch cotton bra was introduced – something we’re sure all men and women are very thankful for. Designers like Chanel (credited as the originator of the â€Å"little black dress†), Dior, and Elsa Schiaparelli started designing glamorous attire that allowed women to show off their feminine curves. Beauty: Hairstyles became more feminine than they had been in the 1920’s. Hair color varied, depending on which movie star one was trying to emulate. Jean Harlow made platinum blonde a trend, and meanwhile, Rita Hayworth made being a redhead popular. Last, but not least, Marlene Dietrich was a symbol for all the brunettes out there. Make-up became a little less drag, and more girl-next-door than in the 20’s. The pasty white skin trend was final ly passà ©, and women started opting for foundations closer to their natural complexions.

Notes of a Native Son as a Literature of African-American History Essay

African-American rights were not easily given but rather earned throughout decades of protests. Struggles for race equality in America have gone peaceful and violent. There are numerous African-Americans (blacks) leaders and personalities who stood up to proclaim the world their stories and sentiments. Some of them tried to enter the politics, some excelled in academics and some devoted their time in propagandizing through their literary works. James Baldwin is one of the remarkable black writers whose essays have powerful impact on the civil rights struggle. This essay aims to provide insight on James Baldwin’s Notes of a Native Son essay through searching for facts and patterns of African-American history. To begin with establishing the essay let us take a short review about the writer’s biography. James Baldwin was born on Harlem, New York City in August 2, 1924 and an illegitimate son of a domestic worker. He adopted his surname from his stepfather and was raised in great poverty. He began full-time writing on 1943 and produced various novels and essays like Go Tell It on the Mountain and Notes of a Native Son, respectively. The book Notes of a Native Son (1955) is a collection of his Baldwin’s personal essays about the social environment of America during the era of Civil Rights Movement. One chapter of the book is entitled Notes of a Native Son which commenced with the events of August 3, 1943 which is the day we now know as the Harlem Race Riots. The essay Notes of a Native Son was themed and patterned after the life of James Baldwin especially his relationship with his parents. Baldwin has mixed emotions towards his father and he tried to explain the complexity of their relationship in his works. He provided a creative link of his experiences with his parents with the ongoing public and private happenings in his era. The story was stressed in the historical Harlem Race Riots of 1943, a city-wide riot following the famous Detroit Riot. The Detroit Riot is one of the most violent riots in America which lasted for almost two full days and took out about 34 lives and done casualties of injuries and property damages. What is the cause of such riot? Similar to what Harlem Riot has, the causes are not specific. Generally, it was considered to be caused by culmination of petite situations such as gossips, hot tempers and neighbour riots. Whites and blacks were pointing their fingers to each other as to who started or provoked the fights (Hughes, et al. 104). Similar to Baldwin’s personal life as metaphorically illustrated in his essay, his relationship with his parents was chaotic and there were several personal issues and causes that triggered every persona to act the way they were in the story. Baldwin showed his insights into the lives of African-Americans after the World War II. The essay mainly discussed the white versus black riots thus it is crucial to understand the essay using the history and facts. The story employed the history of Harlem Race Riot, a commotion exploded in New York City exactly at the date of his father’s death and days before Baldwin’s nineteenth birthday. It is not far that Harlem became a place of riots because since the turn of twentieth century the place has been a home to many ethnic groups including whites and blacks. With the diverse people converging in the place, arts and culture has become diverse as well. However, having diverse cultures cause difficulties aside from the beauty diversity has brought unto them. Difficulties such as racism emerge which are expressed n theatre, fiction, music, literature and other art forms (â€Å"Harlem History†). Harlem riots have two periods, one in 1935 and one in 1943. Both periods started with a confrontation between blacks and the police. In 1943, the riot began with a clash in a hotel between black soldier Robert Bandy and a policeman. The story was distorted and versions like Bandy was killed by the police came out in gossips. With the confusion and bursting emotions of the blacks, fires broke out and glasses were shattered while police struggled to maintain control (Gilje 157). If we are to look close, there is a pattern between the riots in Detroit and Harlem. The emotions of Detroit blacks might be shared by Harlem blacks thus made Harlem riot of 1943 more dramatic than the original. The one in Harlem was more physical and emotional than the one in Detroit because of the use of guns. In relation with the essay Notes of a Native Son, parents of Baldwin and the people at Harlem were treated as parallels. This is the reason why the essay was considered to be an autobiographical piece of Baldwin’s life. Baldwin loved and despised his father at the same time because his father gave him essential lessons in life but demonstrated lack of hope when it comes in blacks struggling for civil rights. Being a wide reader and socially conscious person, Baldwin did not share the same emotions with his father and became a civil rights advocate. With his wide knowledge on the undergoing of blacks during his time, he came out with insights reflecting the sentiments of blacks, especially Harlem people. Baldwin’s father can be compared with majority of the blacks during his time. Just like the passive blacks, Baldwin’s father needed an event that could awaken and trigger him to stand up against black oppression. For Baldwin, it is not enough to just see what the existing things but rather it is much important for people to act upon calling. There was already a need for a change in American society and Baldwin was trying to provoke the hearts of blacks to unite through his powerful fiction. The fiction is not actually fiction as it served as a mirror of Harlem society at his time. The public share sentiment but there was a need to unite them because without oneness, the protests will not be seriously taken and the riots will not promote change. The diverse culture gave Harlem problems but Baldwin used its product (powerful literature) as the tool which can help them solve the problem. Without the literature Baldwin and other black essayists wrote, the public black will not be more vigilant with their surroundings. The blacks will continue resorting with riots which is not the only effective key to cry out for change. Baldwin was successful in showing that his insights were not only due to his personal experiences. His sentiments and insights were product of the root problems of the society. He has the clear picture of the reasons why blacks need change. His personal experiences may be not so similar with all other blacks but the message he wanted them to realize was acceptable. Although there is no definite or exact truth about the root of Harlem race riots, Baldwin still brought to the public the summary of their problems. With this, aside from the literary expertise he showed, he can be coined as one of the strongest black personalities during his time. He inspired many other writers like Toni Morrison and photo-journalist Kevin Brown who founded the National James Baldwin Literary Society. With the number of existing essayists acknowledging Baldwin, his legacy continues and the struggle of blacks for full civil rights remain alive.

John Von Neumann Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

John Von Neumann - Research Paper Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that John was the mathematical genius who was born to the Neumann family. At the age of ten, John educational career started when he was enrolled into one of the best schools in Hungary, Lutheran Gymnasium. Von Neumann got interested in mathematics and logical problems of the society at a very early age. It is recorded that at the tender age of six, he once asked his mother what was she calculating when she was staring blankly ahead in space. This reveals that his observational skills and logical mind already had started analyzing the world from a very tender age. He had varying interests in different subjects as a child, so at the age of eight he started reading universal history, a fourth four-volume collection was owned by his parents in the family library. His parents soon realized the budding genius child so they were careful not to push him overboard with attention and did as much as they could to polish his academic skills while lettin g him grow socially which resulted in his charming manner as a boy and a man. Before he even graduated high school, many university professors considered him a colleague instead of a high school student. His first paper about mathematics was published in 1922 in the Journal of German Mathematicians, dealing with the zeros of certain minimal polynomials. This was at the time when he was still studying at the Lutheran Gymnasium and he was only seventeen years old. In 1921 John Von Neumann enrolled in the University of Berlin to pursue Chemical engineering. Despite the fact that John’s own interest lied in the field of mathematics and physics, his father encouraged the career path for chemical engineering which would guarantee him a good career.

COMMENT 2 INT LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

COMMENT 2 INT LAW - Essay Example In the case at bar, assuming that the Red Cross emblem was put up to lure soldiers into vulnerable positions, the soldiers can legally fire on the building and against the insurgents occupying the building. Many experts acknowledge that the Red Cross emblem may be used by both conflicting parties. And â€Å"once the unity of the emblem is breached, its protective value –and hence the safety of the wounded and the medical personnel—is threatened† (International Committee of the Red Cross and the Red Cross Crescent, p. 6-7 as cited by McCormack, p. 266). However, as the commander of the platoon engaged in armed conflict with the insurgents, it is my obligation to ensure that no unnecessary harm is visited upon civilians, the wounded, and the Red Cross personnel in the hospital building. Therefore, an air strike on the building would be out of the question because it would potentially bring harm and danger to civilians and medical personnel in the building. The Hagu e Rules of Warfare emphasize that aerial bombardment is legitimate only when directed at a military objective and in case such objective is established, aerial bombardment cannot be carried out if possible harm to the civilian population may be caused (Article 24: 3). The International Committee of the Red Cross Draft Rules of 1956 also sets forth that distinctions should be made between military and civilian objects in warfare. They emphasize that â€Å"the obligation to respect the distinction between military and non-military objectives as well as persons participating in hostilities and members of the civilian population remains and fundamental principle of international law†. Therefore, in neutralizing the situation at hand, I will order return fire via automatic weapons directed to the second floor of the building. If possible, snipers should be called in to fire on the

Personal development and careers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Personal development and careers - Assignment Example Learning can be presented in terms of two theories, cognitive and behavioural. Cognitive behaviour or cognition focuses on a person’s thought processes to determine his or her behaviours and emotions. Behavioural theory is based on the changes, which can be observed in behaviour, and concentrates on a response to some type of stimulus. Other differences between the two theories include the fact that cognition helps to explain how the processes of brain work and store new information, while the behaviourists are involved in applying laboratory outcomes to elucidate the performance of human beings. Cognitive problem solving involves insight and understanding compared to behaviourist’s problem solving method which occurs via trial and error. Learning is frequently defined by the terms cognitive or behavioural. But there are numerous definitions for it. These include definitions such as ‘changes in an individual's behaviour arising from experience’, ‘the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge’, ‘a relatively permanent change in cognition, resulting from experience and directly influencing behaviour’ and ‘changes in a person's behaviour caused by information and experience.’ Although there is no exact definition of the term learning, but the essential premise from the explanations provided above is that of a change or transformation in behaviour through the acquisition of knowledge, some skill or experience. McShane and Travaglione (2003) recognized the process of learning as direct experience, reinforcement, feedback, and observation. Reinforcement is the strengthening of behaviour that is expected to occur in the future. Operant conditioning shows how new behaviours become conventional through association with particular stimulus. Any behaviour that is reinforced or rewarded will tend to be recurring. Operant conditioning or reinforcement considerably improves learning in a work setting. Feedback is defined as any information that people receive about the consequences of their former behaviour. Feedback has an effect on behaviour, hence learning improves performance and enhances the individual’s ability and motivates them.  A person can learn a lot about him/her and the organisation through feedback, including his strengths and weaknesses, which may enable him to undertake specific courses (steps) to build knowledge and improve the quality of work.   Observation helps people to learn by observing the behaviours of others, resulting in people modelling the behaviour that leads to a constructive and positive outcome as opposed to a behaviour that will lead to unfavourable results. Observation helps in increasing an individual’s motivation and ability by watching others accomplishing their objectives and identifying themselves within that position. The majority of what is learnt in an organization today occurs through experience. Direct experience is sometimes required to gain understanding and change, refine, or create a mental model. Direct experience provides built-in opportunities for active involvement in a learning environment which determinedly shapes individual’s understandings. These four activities which identify the procedure of learning are further supported by Nonaka’s process. Here the learning process is also divided in four phases: socialization, externalisation, combination and internalisation. Socialisation is where

Logistics Problems Generated by Crossrail and Their Solutions Essay

Logistics Problems Generated by Crossrail and Their Solutions - Essay Example to be able to solve these problems it is necessary to identify the root cause of the problem and try to tackle it so that it does not come up again. Crossrail has managed to realize some of these problems and has already provided solutions to them. This paper will give a brief introduction to crossrail and its intended advantages, it will then discuss the logistic problems that will be generated by the construction work, and it will follow by outlining solutions to these problems before making a conclusion. Introduction Crossrail is an ambitious project to build a major railway link in central London. The name is used to refer to the first two routes which are under the responsibility of Crossrail Limited. It is based on a different and new east-west tunnel with a central section from Paddington to Liverpool street station. This project was approved in 2007 after a very long time of debate. The crossrail act received royal assent in July 2008 (Crossrail, 2011). The services offered w ill complement the enhanced north-south Thames link route. Ten-car trains are expected to run at frequencies of up to 24 trains per hour in each of the channels through the central tunnel section. In the original plan the first train was scheduled to run in 2017 but in a comprehensive review in 2010 that saw the saving of ?1 billion changed the initial plan to 2018. Fig. 1 Crossrail route Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CrossrailLine1Map.svg#filehistory Crossrail benefits The benefits of constructing the cross rail are many. The first benefit is easing transport problem in London which has been a huge headache for London. The second benefit is that it will provide better access to the capital for over 750,000 workers who are said to commute daily into London. Lastly the project is also aimed at providing job opportunities to many people who will be employed in the in the construction process and after the completion of the project to manage the various services offered by the train service. It is estimated that crossrail will generate up to 14,000 jobs when the construction reaches peak (Crossrail, 2011). Fig 2 source: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=158506&page=7 Fig 3 source: http://www.thameslinkprogramme.co.uk/cms/pages/view/33 Fig 4 source: http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/flickr_api/set_list.php?page=2&uid=72157627734615808&title=Crossrail%20Royal%20Oak%20Portal Fig 5 finished product Source: http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/flickr_api/set_list.php?page=2&uid=72157627734615808&title=Crossrail%20Royal%20Oak%20Portal Logistics in construction Logistics refers to the efficient transfer of goods and services from the source of supply through that manufacturer to the consumer in a cost effective manner that will provide service to the customer (Rushton, Croucher, & Baker, 2006, p. 6). Logistic management tries to minimize costs by providing a cost effective system across the whole process and ensuring the evaluation of facilities and issues tha t may have any impact on logistic costs and make the product conform to the customers’ requirements. Many construction projects ranging from the small projects to the major projects like the crossrail project face many logistic problems that contractors work hard every day to avoid. The proper management of logistic issues will either lead to the successful implementation of a project or lead to its failure. Research has shown that effective logistic management has rarely been applied in construction

Religion and Theology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religion and Theology - Essay Example Sufism has a various significance or importance, and they encompass helping to mold big parts of the Muslim society. Sufism pursuits for an unswerving supernatural understanding of God and of his love; its objective is to develop away from plain logical understanding to a supernatural encounter that would immerse man in the immensity of God. Sufism had an essential part in the creation of Muslim communities as it cultivated the multitudes and fulfilled their felt necessities, providing the spiritual significance to their lives and guided feelings. Sufis are vital teachers who transform new constituencies to Islam. Mysticism is an encounter of the straight closeness with Divinity. Mysticism is attractive because it includes the exercise of meditation both in the logical wisdom of the review of reality and in the paranormal sense of having understanding of God through a life of prayer. It is initially practical and not theoretical, where it engages the whole self. It is, thus, true to say that, mysticism is found in all the key religious traditions with the common presumption that all mystical encounters are similar and cannot be illustrated. #2) my answer is; The five pillars of Islam bid an agreement of training in the middle of the civilization`s rich collection. The pillars comprise the affirmation of faith, and according to this pillar, a Muslim is any person who witnesses that there is only one God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God. By declaring this plain statement, which is recognized as the shahadah, a person becomes a Muslim. The initial portion of the shahadah confirms the monotheism of Islam as an inflexible faith in the unity of God, while another pillar involves the prayer, which encourages the Muslims all over the world to adore God (Esposito, Fasching& Lewis, 2012). They are supposed to pray five times a day including daybreak, at noontime, midafternoon, sunset, and in the evening. Prayer is led by a pattern of washings to cleanse the body and to signify the cleanliness of mind and body needed to worshipping God. The next pillar is the almsgiving pillar; this pillar emphasizes that Muslims have the responsibility to attend to the social welfare of their society by remedying differences together with sharing correspondingly all their roles to worship God. This is done together with the yearly contribution of two point five percent of a person`s accumulated richness and assets. The forth pillar is the fasting of Ramadan, where Muslims are supposed to fast during the ninth month of Islam’s lunar datebook. This done by all vigorous Muslims who refrain from having meals, drinks, and sex from morning to evening. The main aim of this period is to encourage self-control, meditation as well as the enactment of great works; this period is ended by a great feast marked as the holy day in the calendar of Muslims. The journey of Mecca is the fifth and the last pillar, which comes after Ramadan; this pillar inspires all Muslims who are economically and substantially able to carry out the trip to Mecca one time in their generation. This journey unites the Islamic society, as it is the spiritual center. #3) my answer is; According to research, both Sunni and Shiite Muslims share the greatest vital Islamic principles and apprenticeships of faith. The variances amid these two main subdivisions within Islamic are primarily not from spiritual variances, but political differences; nevertheless, the political variances have resulted into a number of changing activities and points that have come to carry a divine importance. The separation among Sunni and Shiite formerly began after the expiry of the prophet Muhammad, and

Six Sigma versus Total Quality Management Essay

Six Sigma versus Total Quality Management - Essay Example During the past few decades, quality management has emerged as a major competitive edge in business and a source of long term profitability. Different techniques and concepts have evolved to improve product or service quality, including Zero Defects, Six Sigma, quality circles, TQM, Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001 and others) and continuous improvement. Essentially, it means setting up systems and processes that ensure product or service quality and that people are rewarded for doing the right thing, thus keeping their highest-quality performance strong and accurate. This paper attempts to compare, contrast and analyze two such techniques i.e. Six Sigma and Total Quality Management. What is Six Sigma? Bill Smith, a senior engineer and scientist at Motorola in the year 1986 introduced the concept of Six Sigma (Quinn, 2002). The main purpose was to standardize the way defects are counted. Six Sigma provided Motorola the key to addressing quality concerns throughout the organization, from manufacturing to support functions. The application of Six Sigma also contributed to Motorola winning the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality award in 1988 (Motorola University, 1994). Six Sigma not only improved Motorola’s products and processes, it also saved the company more than US $15 billion in the 10 years after it began the program (Microsoft Office System, Operation Agenda, N.D.).

Wk8 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Wk8 - Assignment Example The second reform in the military intelligence was in the revision of foreign policy between the USA and other countries especially in the Gulf region2. Changes in the intensity of the US surveillance system was important because from the attacks, the USA military realized that with the use of satellite cameras, such attacks from external forces are preventable. The failures in the military prompted the intelligence to conduct an investigation on the possible prior plans that led to the attack. The investigation recommended that a special unit be established that was going to be responsible for collecting information concerning the security situation and sensitive information that could probably lead to attacks. The surveillance system after the attack was able to monitor the terror risk indicators and advise on appropriate timely actions. The US military’s decision to reform its foreign policies was equally important because from then, the US declines to make any diplomatic ties with any country associated with terror3. The failure to prevent the war in Iraq further led to poor relationship between the USA and the Gulf count ries, including abolishment of the already existing diplomatic

Analysis on my Favorite Poems Essay Example for Free

Analysis on my Favorite Poems Essay Dorothy Parker’s poem entitled â€Å"One Perfect Rose† is a simple verse that talks about the joy of the narrator. Despite of all the odds and confusion, she remained happy with the rose that she received. The narrator is not actually contented with what she has because she wants more than what she already received despite of its â€Å"perfection,† but she tried to be satisfied with it. The main theme of the poem is joy or happiness. Like many other woman, the narrator was very happy after receiving a very special and perfect flower just for her from the one she loved. The phrase â€Å"One perfect rose† was scattered all over the poem to justify the happiness of the narrator that happens in reality because we used to express our happiness by saying a certain thing often that delighted us. The author used irony or comparing two things with different identity or individuality such as rose and limousine also leaves and heart. Based on my interpretations, I have seen that the author wanted to show the distinction of the two terms as well as its similarity. In realism, a woman wants to enjoy herself riding a limousine after receiving a flower. From this, she feels that she is the most beautiful woman ever. On the other hand, the existence of metaphorical heart of the narrator’s man as it refers to the leaves shows irony because a leaf drops once it began to pale, which is different from a loving heart that became stronger and dignified even if it is the only one who loves. Those literary terms in the poem made me think of its sense in a deeper manner. Even if the author already gave all the details without making her readers think or imagine the emotion of the narrator, she used literary terms to make each stanza complex by showing ironies, metaphors, simile, and images or symbolisms that hides the true meaning of the poem. From here, I can say that the poem is nice and understandable that made its readers capable of reading the poem without any boundaries of uncertainties. My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke Theodore Roethke’s poem, entitled â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† shows the life of a boy within the hands of his father. The author wanted to convey a deeper meaning in his poem. By way of reading it, I can see that it was not just a simple learning of dancing that made the narrator struggled into his father’s authority. From learning how to follow his father’s dance step signifies his pursuance of obeying his father as well as making his life the same his father’s life. The main theme of the poem is fear. The narrator was afraid to counter-attack his father from all its way of educating him but he could not do anything because even his mother could not talk or act against his father. Based on my interpretation, the author wrote this poem because he experienced the same pain and struggle of his narrator. Readers could feel each situation and waiting for the next occurrence that can happen. The poem has no resolution at all. This verse illustrates the entire situation without any act of resolving the conflict. The father is the only authority because both the child and the mother could not speak for their rights. From this, I can also say that the author justified a simple way of describing a woman and child abuse that happened within a family that many could not able to perceive. The author selected literary themes to show the emotion of the narrator as he described his experience while â€Å"dancing. † Within those literary themes is the resemblance of fear and unknown future that awaits the child. I have felt the senses and attempt of the narrator to escape but he could not because of his fear and inability to pursue his life alone. From this, I can say that I thoroughly understand each line and stanza that the author wanted to interpret that brought me a new light of this kind of situation that happened in the society that many of us could not understand. The Ruined Maid by Thomas Hardy The poem entitled â€Å"The Ruined Maid† by Thomas Hardy shows the struggle of a maid within her employers. The author showed and discussed the life of a maid without happiness but always failure. The author used two different characters in the story to show the emotions of a maid by using her friend. The author utilized jargons or terms that usually used in African-American community. Through this, even if the author did not state the physical characteristics of the maid, it shows that it refers to the Blacks by way f acknowledging the usage of words and terms in the whole poem. The author putted different literary terms or symbolisms to justify his claim about the ruined maid. Tired of digging potatoes, and spudding up docks; / And now you’ve gay bracelets and bright feathers three! (Hardy 6-7). These lines showed that work of the maid was not just to clean a house or to take care of the children, but becoming like a farmer. The metaphorical symbolisms of potatoes and bracelets also docks and feather shows the evolution of the maid’s life and â€Å"prosperity. † By comparing the bracelets and potatoes, the bracelets are light, beautiful and clean while the potatoes are full of dirt, hard, and dark. It shows that the life of the maid progresses from being a potato to become a bracelet. The maid also becomes a feather that was led by the wind even if she was already ruined. Despite of the uncertainties, the maid leaves her painful and sorrowful life in the hands of his master to find her self and new beginning alone. These literary terms made the poem more fun and entertaining. As I have read the poem, it gives me the right kind of laughter that I can feel while imagining the characteristic and lifestyle of the ruined maid. Because of this, I enjoyed every line and stanza of the poem because of the symbols, images, ironies, similes, and metaphors that exist all throughout the verse. From this, I can say that the author’s intended audiences in his poem are the middle-class people especially the Blacks because despite of all the struggles and pains that they went through, they still have the capability to laugh and entertain their selves. Conclusion As a whole, these poems are not just simple verses. They are social constructs that we usually take for granted. They are also part of realism that we tend to ignore because these occurrences exist commonly. However, if we look at the content and its context in human society, we can perceive each scenario as a sensitive issue that we need to understand and tackle. Through this, we can demonstrate some solutions to these complex problems to avoid or at least lessen its existence within the society whether it came from the minority or majority communities that we lived in. The importance of these poems is not only to entertain us but to give as the right perspectives and justifications of the â€Å"simple† truth. References Hardy, T. (2005). The Ruined Maid. Retrieved 19 February 2008. http://rpo. library. utoronto. ca/poem/926. html Parker, D. (n. d. ). One Perfect Rose. Retrieved 19 February 2008. http://www. web-books. com/classics/Poetry/Anthology/Parker_D/One. htm Roethke, T. (n. d. ) My Papa’s Waltz. Retrieved 19 February 2008. http://gawow. com/roethke/poems/43. html

Food Inc, opinion paper Essay Example for Free

Food Inc, opinion paper Essay Question 1: Based on your viewing of Food, Inc., how does your view of â€Å"farm-fresh† and other marketing messages that suggest a more organic flow of food products relate to the realities of 21st-century marketing channels for food? The American Marketing Association defines marketing as â€Å"the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large† (https://www.ama.org/AboutAMA/Pages/Definition-of-Marketing.aspx). The marketing mix consists of product, price, place, promotion, which means that a company needs to sell the right product at the right price and in the right place, using the best promotion. Because of all of this, â€Å"farm-fresh† and organic foods must fight in the marketplace against traditionally farmed foods. Looking at the product: what exactly makes a food organic? Organic can mean different things to different people, and even has a different meaning between companies. According to organic.org, the USDA defines organic food as that which is produced with emphasized use of renewable resources, plus conservation of soil and water. Organic food is produced without conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetics or waste, bioengineered, or ionized radiation. â€Å"Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones† (http://www.organic.org/home/faq). A government-approved certifier must inspect farms where organic foods are grown to assure that the farmer follows all USDA rules and meets organic standards. Price is a large factor when most people go grocery shopping, especially during these tough economic times. Many, including myself, can argue that organic or â€Å"farm-fresh† foods are just too expensive to buy on a regular basis, or even at all. Personally, I will buy whichever brand is cheapest, without paying attention to where or how it is produced. According to organic.org, one should consider the following facts when wondering why an organic product might cost more than it’s traditionally grown counterpart: Conventional farmers receive federal subsidies, while organic farmers do not, so the price of organic food reflects the true cost of growing. Environmental cleanups, that we pay for with our tax dollars, is not reflected in conventional food. Organic production is more labor and management intensive. And finally, organic farms do not benefit from the economies of scale that larger, more conventional farmers receive. The placement of organic foods is generally next to conventional foods in most grocery stores. Some stores may have a separate organic section, or the organic product could be placed next to its conventionally grown counterpart. Some grocery stores, such as Natural Grocers, only sell USDA approved organic or naturally grown produce and meat, and would not be concerned with placement. Organic foods are generally promoted as being more nutritious than conventional foods. Although, organic.org admits that there is not research to back this claim, at this time, there are studies that show that organic food has a higher nutritional value. This makes since, considering they are grown more naturally, with less chemicals. This film does expose something about organic or â€Å"farm-fresh† foods: the American food industry is supposed to be protected by the USDA and FDA, but they have been allowing these suppliers to focus on profit and put aside consumer health, the environment, and worker safety. Question 2: Based on your answer to Question 1, are you likely to change how and where you procure your foods (i.e., grocery stores, farmers’ markets, fast-food outlets)? Please explain your reasons. I have never been concerned about how my food was made or where it came from. I have never paid attention to organic foods, GMOs, all-natural, or anything related to the production of the foods I eat. As far as I know, my parents never paid attention to these things either. Because of this, â€Å"farm-fresh† and other marketing of organic foods has not affected me. I just purchase the foods that I want and pay no attention to whether they are â€Å"farm-fresh†, organic, locally grown, etc. I will buy whatever is cheapest,  not whatever is healthiest, most natural, or whatever. My opinion and food purchasing habits will most likely not change after viewing this movie. This question reminds me of high school health class, where we had to watch â€Å"Supersize Me.† Everyone started saying how gross it is, that they are never eating at McDonalds again, or whatever other promises they were making. All I could think was that I could totally go for some McNuggets after school that day! I guess it is just because I have never worried about where the food I eat comes from. However, I have always paid attention to salmonella and E. coli recalls. I remember not eating beef or spinach or peanut butter when there was an outbreak in their plants, because why would I want to get sick? So, I would say no, I will not change where or how I procure my groceries. I will not say that I did not get sad watching those little baby chicks die, or the chickens getting slung around. And those poor cows getting slaughtered, and that one that had that hole and the guy was digging around in her stomach, and said that she was not in pain†¦how does he know?! He’s just cut a big hole in her and is sticking his hand in her stomach, and she cannot tell you that she is in pain! Question 3: Finally, do you think there are any ethical and/or social responsibility issues that confront marketing channels for food distribution? Chicken are manipulated to grow bigger breasts, tomatoes are genetically engineered to not go bad by being picked while they are green, then ripened with chemicals. Tens of thousands of Americans get sick from new strains of E. coli every year. Levels of obesity are shooting upwards, and diabetes in adults and children have reached epidemic proportions. If Americans knew how corporations used subsidies and exploited laws to make more money, would they think more carefully about what they are eating? The truth is, most people have no clue where their foods come from. Below, I will list secrets and other things that the public should know about the food that they are putting into their bodies. I found a list on www.takepart.com (http://www.takepart.com/photos/food-inc-facts/the-impact-of-food-inc-lives-on-) of 18 â€Å"Food, Inc.† facts that everyone should know, which I have compared  with my notes and compiled the following paragraphs. I feel that if everyone was aware of these facts, it would increase the social responsibility of these companies, and people would have trust in them. These facts pertain to the slaughterhouses and meat packers. In the 1970s, the top five beef packers controlled about 25% of the market, while today, more than 80% of the market is controlled by the top four. In the 1970s, there were thousands of slaughterhouses producing the majority of beef sold, while today, there are only 13. In 1972, the FDA conducted 50,000 food safety inspections. Approximately 32,000 hogs a day are killed in Smithfield Hog Processing Plant in Tar Heel, NC, the largest slaughterhouse in the world. In 2006, the FDA only conducted 9,164. These facts pertain to Monsanto and the USDA. Prior to renaming itself an agribusiness company, Monsanto was a chemical company. In 1996 when Monsanto introduced Round-Up Ready Soybeans, the company controlled only 2% of the U.S. soybean market. Now, over 90% of soybeans contain Monsanto’s patented gene in the United States. In 1998, the USDA implemented microbial testing for salmonella and an E. coli strain so that the USDA could shut down the plant if they repeatedly failed these tests; the USDA no longer has this power after being taken to court by the meat and poultry associations. These facts pertain to the FDA, USDA, and congressmen. During the Bush administration, the head of the FDA was the former executive vice president of the National Food Processors Association. Also during the Bush administration, the chief staff at the USDA was the former chief lobbyist for the beef industry in Washington. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was an attorney at Monsanto from 1976-1979; after his appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice Thomas wrote the majority opinion in a case that helped Monsanto enforce its seed patents. The SB63 Consumer Right to Know measure, requiring all food derived from cloned animals to be labeled as such, passed the California state legislature before being vetoed in 2007 by Governor Schwarzenegger, who said that he couldnt sign a bill that pre-empted federal law. The rest of these facts are just interesting. The average chicken farmer (with two poultry houses) invests over $500,000, but only makes $18,000 a year. The average American eats over 200 pounds of meat each year. The modern supermarket stocks, on average 47,000 products, most of which are being produced by only a handful of food companies. About 70% of processed have some genetically modified ingredients. According to the American Diabetes Association, 1 in 3 Americans born after 2000 will contract early onset diabetes. Among minorities, the rate will be 1 in 2. E. coli and salmonella outbreaks have been more frequent in America. In 2007, there were 73,000 people wicked by the E. coli bacteria. Organics is the fastest growing food segment, increasing 20% annually.

Reflection on Communication in Intensive Care Setting

Reflection on Communication in Intensive Care Setting LPD 3 SUMMATIVE ESSAY My identified learning need is enhancing my ability to communicate articulately and assertively with the multidisciplinary team (MDT) members, as I portrayed lack of assertiveness and competences in communicating with other healthcare professionals on my previous clinical practice experience. Hence, it is essential to improve this identified aspect of my practice as it compromises patient safety and limits my professionalism. Thus, I will critically reflect upon the identified learning need and how it impacts on my patient’s care, my personal and professional development as a nurse. Furthermore, I will critically reflect and analyse on how the learning need identified was met in my final year placement. In order to structure my reflection, I have decided to use Gibb’s (1988) reflective model which consists of description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action plan (Gibb’s 1988). I will apply relevant parts of this model when required. Also, in accordance to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) Code of professional conduct, confidentiality shall be maintained in the essay and all names and trust identifiers will be anonymous to protect identity. Additionally, In reference to the Post- registration education and practice (PREP) guidelines (2011), I have spent 52 hours using different databases to research for relevant articles and government policies to enable me to write the essay. The conclusion of the essay will discuss my reflection skills and acknowledgement of my level of assertiveness and competence, showing my personal and professional development. As a student nurse, I go to clinical areas to gain experience and acquire key nursing skills that will enhance my nursing practice. For the final stage of my second year placement in the year 2013, I was allocated to an intensive care setting where treatment and monitoring was given to critically ill patients. I mainly assisted and worked with my clinical practice mentor. I had been caring for an intubated patient during my shift under strict supervision from my mentor. Although I had been caring for the patient for the duration of my shift, I was unprepared to pass on the necessary patient details to the relevant healthcare professionals. The incident occurred when my mentor insisted I followed her to the MDT meeting where a group of professionals collaborated together to make decisions regarding that specific patient’s treatments and improvements (Richards Edwards, 2012). I thought I was just accompanying her to observe the inter-professional collaboration that was taking p lace. Unfortunately, my mentor asked me to handover the patient I had been caring for to the MDT. As a result, I instantly became nervous and shaky, to the point that I struggled to articulate my first sentence coherently and I was unable to communicate assertively with the MDT members. Although I correctly delivered the basic patient’s information, I instantly panicked and gave confusing information regarding the patient’s reasons for admission and care plan. Unfortunately, it was clear to both my mentor and the other members of staff that I was flustered and needed assistance. My mentor then took over and continued with the patient’s information. As a result, I felt I was intimidated by the hierarchy, I felt nervous, embarrassed and upset by my own inability to communicate effectively with the MDT. I thought that I could not be a professional nurse if I let my nerves get in the way of my nursing care. Also, I felt frustrated when my mentor put me on the spot and I could not communicate effectively. Afterwards I also felt that she had not given me adequate t ime to settle my nerves and compose myself before the MDT meeting. On searching the literature, I realised that feeling nervous is a natural reaction for student nurses when interacting with other clinicians and even experienced nurses were once nervous students (Cardillo, 2010). This made me feel less embarrassed and gave me the impression that everybody has experienced these feelings at one stage or another. However, other literature does not support this belief. In fact, several recent studies show that the experience of nervousness could be due to the student being frightened and not committed in carrying out tasks (Youngberg, 2014). In my case, I did not feel it was through lack of commitment. Confidence comes with experience; however, being prepared and organised is the key to my gradually becoming more confident. Hence, to avoid this repeating itself, I will start preparing myself mentally assuming I have to handover patients’ care to other clinicians. As I reflected on the incident, I realised I lack assertiveness in communicating with the MDT and I did not have enough confident to set an appropriate inter-professional working as it is the key to patients improvements (Royal College of Nursing (RCN), 2010). Also, reflecting back, I realised that I was really worried about the communication difficulties I encountered in the MDT meeting. Many researchers advocate the importance of maintaining an effective communication among the MDT as it is a fundamental nursing skill which plays a major role in the development for student nurses (Moss, 2008). I realised that I needed to improve on this learning need as my inability to communicate assertively and effectively with the MDT impacted on my nursing care to the patient because not going in-depth and not providing the accurate patient information limited my nursing care to the patient. The concept of poor communication among the MDT is highlighted in a phenomenological study by Leonard, Graham and Bonacum (2011), where the authors explored communication failures as the leading causes of inadvertent patients harm. The article was of particular interest to me as it emphasised on sustaining improvement for student nurses in communicating among the MDT because it compromises patient’s safety, and the need for improvement. It is also relevant as it sufficiently discusses the issues surrounding my identified learning need and the need for improvement. In the article, the authors proposed that effective communication among the MDT is essential for delivering high quality care and safe of care to patients. Also, the points the authors raised is a very significant issue to consider, because the in 2014, RCN verified that communication issue have been identified as contributing to a large number of patient safety incidents in the United Kingdom. Thus, they require all nurses and trained student nurses to effectively hand the care of patients over to another clinicians, with an accurate communication and co-ordination to improve patients’ quality of care. Although Sharif and Masoumi (2010) qualitative research states most second year nursing students often experience anxiety and nervousness when interacting with other clinicians compared to final year students, which there is a bit of agreement on, I strongly believe my experience reflects more on Leonard, Graham and Bonacum’s (2011) findings as I was unable to communicate assertively with the MDT during the meeting, which limited by nursing development. It impacted on my clinical ability when I failed to provide the accurate patient information to the MDT. This resulted in creating confusion to the other healthcare professionals as what I stated about the patient did not match with the information the MDT had on their patient handover sheet. Resulting in one of the healthcare professionals asking if am providing them with the accurate patient details which led to a break down in the inter-professional collaboration (Vincent, 2011). This did not just impacted on my nursing care to the patient but also impacted on my personal and professional development. As stated by the Dougherty and Lister (2011), a good nurse is the one who knows what he or she is doing as there is an expectation that nurses and trained nurses must show assertiveness and competencies in carrying out duties. There is a reflection to this approach to my personal and professional development recognising that being assertive and competence does not just mean how you carryout tasks, but understanding the rationale behind it and the impacts it may have on patients (Masters, 2014). This demonstrates how relevant and essential it is to communicate assertively with the MDT as reflecting back on my learning need, not being able to collaborate inter-professionally with the MDT limited my professional development and hindered my patient not receiving a high standard care from me. Although Leonard, Graham and Bonacum’s (2011) findings adequately outline and provide insights into the importance of being assertive among the MDT, the results of their study do not show the significant increase in the enhancement of patients’ care due to the small amount of sample size the authors used. The data was collected from a medium size hospital where performance of the reporting system might be different from other hospitals. This was seen as a weakness, but I felt the article was helpful as it is relevant to my learning need and reminds me of how poor communication impacts negatively on patients safety (Burnard Gill, 2013). Also, in a qualitative study by Krautscheid (2012) the author explored the need for improving communication among other clinicians for student nurses, preparing them for practice. In the article, the author identified that most student nurses have a great deal in communicating effectively to other healthcare professionals, which should not be so as it compromises patients care. There is an agreement on this research even though a study by Burton (2013) identified that not all student nurses’ presents lack of assertiveness in their training but I feel my clinical experience reflects more on Krautscheid (2012) findings as my inability to communicate assertively with the MDT limited my nursing development because it impacted on my clinical ability when I failed to show a competence workforce to the other clinicians in the MDT meeting, which also limited my nursing care to the patient as I did not deliver a high standard of care to the patients’ development. For instance, i f high-quality care is been delivered to patients by the ones looking after them, it increases the opportunity for patients to benefit from therapeutic nursing (Freshwater, 2007) as evidence demonstrates that this does contributes to the highest degree of patient care (Scott, 2008). Therefore, by not communicating assertively with the MDT limited my personal and professional development as the issues surrounding it was not being confidence, prepared , proactive and not portraying an accurate level of competencies hindered my patient not receiving an excellent standard of care from me. As a result, not providing the accurate information about the patient to the MDT compromised the patient’s care. Youngberg (2014) affirms that effective clinical practice involves instances where critical information must be communicated accurately with a team and as a nurse, exploring ineffective communication in a teamwork does not only puts patients safety at risk but also demonstrates not being competence. As such, this highlights the needs to be more assertive and competence in communicating with the MDT as student nurses also plays a vital role in the multidisciplinary team approach to patient care (Miller, 2009), and effective involvement enhances patient outcome (Hughes Quinn, 2007). Although Krautscheid (2008) research shows lack of detailed information on how to effectively deal with miscommunication, its qualitative design allows insight into the need of improving communication among healthcare providers. I found the results of the thematic analysis linked to my ow n clinical experience including the feeling of being nervous. The author provided a relevant and a valid article as a large sample size of 285 student nurses was used and had significant results which were inherently repeatable. The article was helpful in reminding me how important effective communication implements the aspects of patient safety. Hence, it is significant to enhance on my identified learning need. On reflection it was clear that my lack of assertiveness in my ability, when put on a spot by my mentor contributed to my feelings of inadequacy. Through reflection and what my mentor did enabled me to clarify that my weakness was not skill or knowledge level. But my inability to communicate articulately and assertively with the MDT during the meeting was due to being intimidated by the hierarchy. This led to a lack of assertiveness, and confidence in my skill level and clinical knowledge, which also enabled me to know the need to change my practice. Furthermore, after the incident, I received feedbacks from my mentor who stated I should be more proactive in the future, show a competence workforce and develop a tool that will enable me hand in the care of a patient accurately in the future. As explained by West (2012), teamwork is vital if care is carried out efficiently in clinical areas as effective communication creates a positive contribution to patients’ outcome. Thus, I decided to action plan on this reflective experience to develop my nursing knowledge in my final year clinical placement. I looked at various nursing journals and government policies detailing how to communicate effectively with the MDT and use the advice I gained to plan out how to do so. As shown in Watts (2011) phenomenology study, student nurse can further develop their skills in understanding and applying latest research evidence by looking into journals, clinical guidelines and policies to enable them develop their skills. NMC (2010) further supported this statement stating that, trained nurses and nurses need to keep updating their basic knowledge and skills, and be fully equipped and work effectively to deliver essential care to patients. Therefore, to develop my confidence and communicate assertively, I adapted the Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation (SBAR) tool which was published by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement in the year 2004. I chose this tool because it has proven to be an effective communication tool (RCN, 2014). It was also seen to be an easy to remember method that enabled me to frame conversations and to clarify what information should be communicated between members of the team and how. This was a relevant tool to adapt as it assisted me develop teamwork and have confidence to deliver safe quality care. Also, there is a good evidence to suggest that communication improves when nurses used structured format such as SBAR (RCN, 2014). In 2010, the National Patient Safety Agency suggested that effective communication among MDT is a key factor in enhancing clinical practice and patient outcome. Therefore, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2010) supported t hese findings and recommended that nursing and medical staff should use the SBAR tool in structuring patients’ clinical information to other clinicians, supported by written plan as this will prevent healthcare providers from giving unclear patients’ documentation and miscommunication of patients’ details. As a result, they released these guidelines for nurses and medical staff to adhere to in order to enhance patients safety as communication failures causes inadvertent patient harm. This is a reliable guideline as it is a national policy and discusses the need to adapt the SBAR tool. Upon using the SBAR tool, I became proactive and requested the assistance of my first final year clinical mentor to assess my communication skills and knowledge base as it is something I won’t to improve on. By doing this, I was able to reinforce my communication skills and most importantly developed my self confidence as I ensured that I was always prepared, organised and able to successfully communicate assertively with other clinicians during my third year clinical placement while completing the necessary skills unassisted to become more independent as a final year student nurse. Webb (2011) comments that one of the basics of good nursing is effective communication between clinical staffs as failure to communicate efficiently with the MDT destroys the delicate nurses’ inter-professional relationship. As a result, through reflection, practice and the use of my mentor and awareness of factors that affects my assertiveness in communicating with the MDT, and the adaptati on of the SBAR tool, I was able to confidently and assertively communicate with other clinicians. As seen in O’Daniel and Rosenstein (2011) study, to enhance the ability of nursing students, they must have a strong focus to develop skills that will enhance their own professional identity. This is significant as this approach ensures that student nurses become aware of their own competencies, and resulting confidence in their value as a team member. Reflecting on my identified learning need and adapting the SBAR tool have made me attempt to protect my patients from harm and have improved me as a nurse. In addition, I feel I have become more assertive in communicating with other clinicians as assertiveness is an important behaviour for a nurse, which is necessary for effective inter-professional communication (Cardillo, 2010). This implies to the Chief Nursing Officer’s (2012) 6 C’s which states communication is central to successful relationships and effective team working. Thus, improving on my ability to communicate assertively with the MDT is essential and have made me a committed nurse who desires the very best for all her patients, and provide them the very best of care and not to put them at risk. This is in accordance to the NMC Code of Professional Conduct (2014) which states nurses are accountable for their practice. Thus, they must maintain professional knowledge and competence and act to identify and minimise risk to patients. I believe upon reflecting on my identified learning need and improving on it, I am now a better nurse as I have learnt how to do things differently, and deliver the most up to date evidence based care to enhance my patients care and my nursing development. Reflecting back on my final year clinical experience, I have now identified a new learning need which needs development. In reference to the PREP (2011) guidelines and the NMC Code (2008), nurses need to be responsible and accountable for keeping their skills and knowledge up to date through continuing professional development, and must aim to improve their performance to enhance patients’ safety and care. Thus, my new identified learning need is to be able to develop more competent in recognising and addressing challenges relating to patients care. This is essential to develop as according to the NMC (2014), all nurses must be fit to practise and show professionalism by being able to identify and address ethical challenges that relates to patients and decision making about their care, and act within the law to assist with acceptable solution. Consequently, it is vital to develop on this. This essay has critically reflected and analysed on a personal learning experience from a clinical practice. The key points that have been discussed in the essay are that of the importance of communicating assertively with the MDT and how student nurse and nurses can improve their communication skills and maintain assertiveness to enhance patients’ safety. This is because we as nurses must provide a gold standard of care for our patients. Thus, upon improving on my identified learning need, I have been able to enhance my nursing practice in order to deliver safe care to my patients.

Argumentative Essay: American Have the Right To Bear Arms :: Argumentative Essays, Persuasive

Being a young American I have witnessed many problems with growing up in this great country of ours. We have homeless people who can't find work, rising inflation rates, an unbalanced budget, and more importantly, a problem with guns. Like every other good ol' boy, I am concerned about being the victim of a random shooting, but at the same time, I want to be able to take down a nice10-point buck during hunting season. Guns effect every one of us every day. They fill us with fear or they make us feel protected. My point is this: guns are a problem, but using gun control to abolish them isn't necessarily the best solution. In gun control I mean laws that keep firearms off the street by preventing their purchase. I agree that some form of gun control is needed, butwhat we really need to concentrate on is gun licensing and more gun safety. I believe in my constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and I don't feel that legislators should be allowed to take away that right. Gun control can be a good thing, but if it leads to gun prohibition I will fight it until the day I die. Â   Our country was founded on the basis of guns. The wars were won with guns and the people were protected by guns. Guns were so important that they were placed in the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution: Â   A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Amendment II Â   From this amendment it is apparent that the founders of our country knew in 1791 that guns did and would continue to play a role in the lives of Americans. Things haven't really changed that much. Â   Gun control was brought into play to protect citizens from criminals and lunatics who shouldn't have guns in the first place. But only 27 percent of the criminals who are in prison for crimes involving guns have obtained them legally (Henderson 23). If criminals can find guns illegally now, how is more gun control going to stop them from getting them later? Groups against gun control,the most dominant being the NRA (National Rifle Association), are afraid gun control is the first step in outlawing guns.

Inhibition of Nitric Oxide Synthase Impairs a Distinct Form of Long-Ter

Introduction Nitric oxide (NO), which has demonstrated plasticity regarding processes of learning and memory, has revealed its specific function in memory formation for the honeybee. The predominant amount of NO synthase (NOS) activity has been shown to participate in the processing of olfactory information of a honeybee. A honeybee's antenna (*- Application of appetitive stimuli to the antennae of honeybees elicits extension of the proboscis (PER)) lobes are the primary centers of olfactory processing that exhibit highest NOS activity, which takes place in the brain. The lip of the mushroom body, which is involved in this process, calyces and the lateral protocerebral lobe receives input from the antennal lobs via a median and a lateral pathway; this indicates strong labeling. Neuropils of the central brain exhibited intermediate labeling. The effects of NOS activity on honeybees were revealed injecting a hemoglobin assay. The hemoglobin assay is able to detect NO and other substances (CO, etc.), therefore, these assays reveal at least two signals. By adding NOS inhibitors to the assay mixture, the first signal can be inhibited, but the second signal cannot be inhibited. The second signal includes enzymes other than NOS. Total NOS activity (*- NOS activity: defined as that part of the signal which is sensitive to NOS inhibitors added to the assay mixture) is divided into a major Ca2+ and a minor Ca2+ independent NOS activity which suggested that the existence of at least two NOS isoforms in the honeybee brain. Applying only 1 (l of 100 (l N-nitro-L-arginine or N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) 20 minutes inhibits total NOS by 80% (*-show figure 2A). Maximal inhibition of NOS was attained at an approximate conc... ...at MTM (medium term memory) is not affected by the inhibition of NOS, but that blocking the NOS in regards to LTM reduces the LTM to the "level of the single trial-induced memory," (Muller 5). It was further speculated that the NOS activity depends on a sequence of conditioning trials. It was concluded that "the initial conditioning trial leads to an amnesia-resistant LTM, independently of NOS activity, formation of amnesia-resistant LTM by the subsequent conditioning trials requires NOS activity," (Muller 5). NOS plays an important part in the retention of memory, and these findings in honeybees can be used to understand how memory works in other organisms such as vertebrates. References Journal Article Muller, Uli. "Inhibition of Nitric Oxide Synthase Impairs a Distinct Form of Long-Term Memory in the Honeybee, Apis mellifera." Neuron 1996; 16: 541-549.

GMR Applications :: science

GMR Applications A Microcontroller-based scheme for measurement of magnetic field position using Giant Magnetic Resistor (GMR) in Contactless Measurement and Robotics Omidreza Esmaeili Motlagh Faculty of Electronic Engineering, Mazandaran University ( UMZ ), Babol, Iran Magnetic sensors in contactless applications: Magnetic sensors can be used for all sorts of applications where a contactless measurement of position and orientation is required. For instance in cars, where a large number of sensors are employed, magnetic sensors obviously have great advantages over their counterparts which involve the use of moving parts. Also they are variety of Magnetic sensors used in industry to simplify designs in different cases. For instance the current measurement using shunt resistor is in some cases impractical or impossible. For large currents the shunt resistors are heavy and they cause voltage drop and dissipate heat. They are not insulated and the conductor should be disconnected for mounting. Contactless current sensors may be used for remote conductors at high potentials, underground cables etc. Today a wide range of AC and DC contactless current sensors is produced. Also precise contactless magnetic sensors are always required by car industry, chemical industry and many other industries, for measurement of power and many other applications. Solid-state magnetic field sensors are moving into a growing range of new contactless applications because of their small size, low power consumption, and relatively low cost. The first aim of the project therefore will be to become familiar with different kinds of magnetic sensors, especially new GMR family and to investigate their characteristics and behavior in presence of applied magnetic field. [1] Giant Magnetic Resistor (GMR): Structure: The sensor consists of stack of magnetic and non-magnetic layers and Giant Magnetic Resistivity or GMR effects occur when these ultra-thin magnetic layers are set in close proximity to each other. Alternately magnetic and non-magnetic layers can be built up with the magnetic fields either parallel or anti-parallel, creating very sensitive low to high resistance components. The resistance of a GMR sensor as a measure for the applied field varies with the angle between the hard internal magnetization and the soft magnetic covering layers which follows the magnetic field. [2] The Giant Magnetic Resistor is a resistive device whose Ohmic value changes gradually only when a nearer external magnetic field changes its relative orientation and the originated field intensity or the distance between magnet and GMR are not relevant within certain limits. Any rotary button or knob containing a magnet on it, may work as a contactless switch when its rotation is detected by a GMR.

Breach of Contract in the Business World

| Breach of Contract in the Business World| | | | | | | Table of Contents Executive Summaryiii I. Introduction1 II. Breach of Contract1 III. Immaterial Breach of Contract1 IV. Material Breach of Contract2 V. Remedies3 VI. Remedies at Law3 VII. Remedies in Equity5 VIII. Summary6 IX. Bibliography8 Executive Summary This paper discusses the legal concept of a breach of contract and the options a business has in pursuing a breach of contract case.It defines what constitutes a breach of contract, how a party may breach a contract, and it compares the legal distinction between an immaterial and material breach of contract. This paper concludes with a description of what remedies are available to the non-breaching party when a contract has been breached. It describes the types of remedies at law (monetary damages) and remedies in equity that may be awarded in a breach of contract case. Introduction Contracts form the very foundation of every legal business endeavor.They can dictate how a bu siness is formed, the terms and conditions of employment, or a sales agreement between a business and its customer. In a perfect world, both parties would benefit from a contract and no disputes would arise. In the real business world, delays occur, financial problems happen, and unexpected events may prevent a contract from being fulfilled. It is imperative that a business understands what constitutes a breach of contract, how a party may breach a contract, and what legal remedies are available to recover any damages that may be incurred.Breach of Contract A breach of contract occurs when one party fails to perform any term of a contract, written or oral, without a legitimate legal excuse (Hill, Breach of Contract). A businesses’ course of legal action against a breach of contract will depend on what type of breach has occurred, whether the breach is material (substantial) or immaterial (minor), and what damages have been incurred. Immaterial Breach of Contract An immaterial breach of contract does not substantially impair the value of an entire contract.An immaterial breach allows the non-breaching party to sue for the actual damages it sustains, but it does not excuse the injured party from its contractual obligations (Gifis, 2010). In the contract case of Jacob & Youngs v. Kent, the court dealt with the matter of an immaterial breach of contract (Jacob & Young v. Kent, 1921). In the case, the plaintiff sued the defendant for not paying for the installation of pipes in his home.The defendant refused to pay because the defendant learned that some of the pipes installed in his home were of the brand name Cohoes, instead of Reading. The defendant argued that the plaintiff should replace all of the piping with the brand agreed upon in the contract before having to pay the plaintiff. The plaintiff refused and asked that the final payment be made. The court found that the breach of contract by the plaintiff was immaterial because the pipes that were instal led were the same type and quality to which the parties had originally agreed.The only difference between the two pipes was the brand name. The defendant was ordered to remit the final payment to the plaintiff and received no damages because the actual difference of value between the two brands of piping was zero. Material Breach of Contract A material breach of contract discharges the non-breaching party from further performance under the contract and entitles the injured party to sue for damages or for performance of the contract (Jentz & Miller, 2007, p. 218).The Restatement (Second) of Contracts lists the following criteria to determine whether a specific failure constitutes a material breach: In determining whether a failure to render or to offer performance is material, the following circumstances are significant: (a) the extent to which the injured party will be deprived of the benefit which he reasonably expected; (b) the extent to which the injured party can be adequately c ompensated for the part of that benefit of which he will be deprived; (c) the extent to which the party failing to perform or to offer to perform will suffer forfeiture; (d) the likelihood that the party failing to perform or to offer to perform will cure his failure, taking account of all the circumstances including any reasonable assurances; (e) the extent to which the behavior of the party failing to perform or to offer to perform comports with standards of good faith and dealing. (Restatement (Second) of Contracts, 1981) In the previously mentioned law case of Jacob & Youngs v. Kent, if the piping installed had been an inferior quality or material, the breach of contract would have been a material breach. In this case, the court would have agreed with the defendant and ordered the plaintiff to replace all of the piping with the correct brand and quality of piping. RemediesA remedy is the relief given to an innocent party to enforce a right to compensate for the violation of a ri ght (Jentz & Miller, 2007, p. 7). In law there are two types of remedies: remedies at law and remedies in equity. Remedies at law are typically classified as monetary damages while remedies in equity usually include rescission and restitution, specific performance, and contract reformation. A breach of contract case normally entitles the non-breaching party to sue for monetary damages (a remedy at law). In some cases, however, when the remedy at law is inadequate, a court will allow the non-breaching party to sue for an equitable remedy. Remedies at Law In most breach of contract cases, the non-breaching party is entitled to sue or monetary damages, also known a remedy at law. Monetary damages are designed to compensate the non-breaching party for the loss of the bargain and to try and put the innocent party in the position they would have occupied had the terms of the contract been fulfilled (Jentz & Miller, 2007, p. 226). Compensatory Compensatory damages are an amount of money aw arded by the court to compensate the non-breaching party for a particular detriment or injury sustained as a direct result from the loss of a bargain due to a breach of contract. The amount awarded is intended to replace the amount the non-breaching party lost and nothing more (Gale, 2010). ConsequentialConsequential damages or â€Å"special damages† are damages that arise only from the consequences of a breach of contract. Consequential damages may be awarded in a breach of contract case when it includes the loss of profit or revenue as a result of a breach of contract. The damages may only be collected if it is determined that the damages were reasonably foreseeable when the contract was made (Hill A. , 1974). Punitive Punitive damages are awarded to compensate the injured party, to punish the breaching party, and to deter others from committing the same act. Punitive damages are monetary damages awarded above and beyond what is necessary to compensate a party for their los ses.Punitive damages are normally not awarded in a breach of contract case unless a tort is involved but some suggest the stance on this may be changing (Sullivan, 1976-1977). Nominal Nominal damages are a small amount of money (such as one dollar) awarded to the non-breaching party in a lawsuit to show that the loss or harm suffered was technical rather than actual. It is also used to establish that the defendant acted wrongfully (Hill G. a. , Nominal Damages, 2010). Remedies in Equity In some breach of contract cases businesses are not interested in monetary compensation. In these cases, money is an insufficient substitute to the original terms of the contract and the non-breaching party may wish to sue for an equitable remedy instead. Rescission and RestitutionThe rescission of a contract essentially terminates the contract and returns the non-breaching parties to their former positions before the contract was made. Rescission is available when fraud, mistake, duress, or failure of consideration is present in a contract. The rescinding party is also entitled to restitution (Williston, 1922, p. 1455). Restitution requires both parties to return any goods or money that was given to the other party. Restitution is used to prevent the unjust enrichment of another party (Williston, 1922, p. 1456). Specific Performance Specific performance is an equitable court-ordered remedy that calls for the precise performance of the act promised in the contract (Wild, 2006).This remedy is often ordered by the court in the sale of a rare article or unique piece of land because awarding monetary damages would be insufficient to cover the perceived loss by the non-breaching party. Reformation Contract reformation is an equitable remedy available to parties of a written contract when the contract does not truly express the intention of both parties. â€Å"The mistake may be the mutual error of both parties to the contract, or the oversight of one party which the other knew or s uspected at the time of entering the agreement. † (American Home Ins. Co. v Travelers Indemnity Co, 1981) Contract reformation is also used when fraud is present and it allows the contract to be rewritten to reflect the parties’ true intentions. SummaryA breach of contract occurs when one party fails to perform any of the contract terms. The breach may be immaterial or material depending on whether or not the value of the contract has been substantially impaired. Remedies are the compensation awarded to the non-breaching party in a breach of contract case. There are two types of remedies for a breach of contract: remedies at law and remedies in equity. Remedies at law are pecuniary damages awarded to the non-breaching party to compensate them for the loss of the bargain while remedies in equity may include rescission and restitution, contract reformation, and specific performance. Bibliography American Home Ins. Co. v Travelers Indemnity Co, 122 (Cal.App 3d 951,961 1981 ). Gale, T. (2010). West's Encyclopedia of American Law. Retrieved April 21, 2010, from Answers. com:http://www. answers. com/library/Law%20Encyclopedia-cid-6927283 Gifis, S. H. (2010). Law Dictionary. Retrieved April 21, 2010, from Answers. com: http://www. answers. com/topic/breach-of-contract Hill, A. (1974). Breach of Contract as a Tort. Columbia Law Review (74), 40. Hill, G. a. (n. d. ). Breach of Contract. Retrieved January 6, 2010, from Law. com Dictionary: http://dictionary. law. com/Default. aspx? selected=93 Hill, G. a. (2010). Nominal Damages. Retrieved April 21, 2010, from The Free Dictionary by Farlax: http://legal-dictionary. hefreedictionary. com/Nominal+Damages Jacob ; Young v Kent, 230 (N. Y. 1921). Jentz, G. , ; Miller, R. (2007). Fundamentals of Business Law: Summarized Cases (Seventh ed. ). Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning. Restatement (Second) of Contracts  § 241. (1981) Sullivan, T. J. (1976-1977). Punitive Damages in the Law of Contract: The Reality and the Illusion of Legal Change. Minn. L. Rev (61), 207. Wild, S. (Ed. ). (2006). Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Retrieved April 21, 2010, from Yourdictionary. com: http://www. yourdictionary. com/law/specific-performance Williston, S. (1922). The Law of Contract. New York: New York Baker, Voorhis & Co.

Inventory Management and Operations Efficiency Essay

Background of the Study In recent years, buffet restaurants are increasingly getting popular among other kinds. Buffets are effective for serving large numbers of people at once. Diners also see it as advantageous on their part because they get to have a great deal of choice and the ability to closely inspect food before selecting it. A more free form of buffet is called â€Å"eat all you can† wherein customers pay a fixed fee and then may help themselves to as much food as they wish to eat in a single meal. Therefore, customers have the privilege to eat to their heart’s content. However, on the part of the restaurant operators and managers, it is difficult to forecast how many people would come and how much one head could eat in a single meal. In case they run out of dishes, they must always be able to refill the buffet. After all, no one likes to get inside a restaurant that is not able to serve the customers well. It may affect customer retention, the level of customer satisfaction and may leave negative impressions on the restaurant’s efficiency. This means that the restaurant should have enough stocks to avoid running out of food to serve. This is now where the role of inventory management takes place. To ensure availability, an inventory system is adopted that provides the organizational structure and the operating policies for maintaining and controlling goods to be stocked. The system is responsible for ordering and receipt of goods; timing the order placement, keeping track of what has been ordered, and how much and from whom ordered. Regardless of the type of restaurant you operate, or whether the restaurant is in the start-up phase or has been operating for many years, adopting an inventory system is essential. Therefore managing inventory is very important in operating a restaurant. In the provinces, there are quite a number of eat-all-you-can restaurants that one can find. But in Butuan City, among the most popular is Roldan’s Eat All You Can. It is such a popular place that even locals from the nearby provinces prefer to eat lunch there when they happen to be in the city. Every day they offer variety of foods- from appetizers to desserts which make it irresistible for the customers. On the other hand, in their daily operations they face problems with inventory management such as running out-of-stock and other stock-related problems. The problem on inventory motivated the researchers to study about the inventory management and operations efficiency of Roldan’s Eat All You Can, Montilla Boulevard, Butuan City. Review of Literature The review of related literature is an essential part of the research. This section consists the ideas and studies and of various authors that will be of great help in the conceptualization of the research. According to Jacobs (2008), an inventory system provides the organizational structure and the operating policies for maintaining and controlling goods to be stocked. The system is responsible for ordering and receipt of goods: timing the order placement and keeping track of what has been ordered, how much and from whom. Restaurants guests are looking for value when they purchase menu items. In the same way, the restaurant manager is looking for value in the product purchase decisions he/she makes. Price is important but so are other components in the purchasing goal. During the growth of a new venture the management of inventory is an important task. Too much inventory can be a drain on cash flow since manufacturing, transportation, and storage costs must be borne by the venture. On the other hand, too little inventory to meet customer demands can also cost the venture in lost sales, or it can create unhappy customers who may choose another firm if their needs are not met in a timely manner. According to Ninemeier (2006), the typical restaurant requires several hundreds of food ingredients and, if alcoholic beverages are offered, many additional products must be purchased. Numerous decisions must be made to assure that the right products are purchased and are available when needed. According to David Kurtz (2005), inventory control captures a large share of a logistics manager’s attention because companies need to maintain enough inventories to meet customer demand without incurring unneeded costs for carrying excess inventory. Some firms attempt to keep inventory levels under control by implementing just in-time (JIT) production. The goal of purchasing is to receive the right quality of product at the right time in the right quantity from the right supplier at the right price. This goal is very easy to state but much difficult to attain. Products needed for Saturday’s banquet must be available on a timely basis and for example, if they are received on the Monday before the event, they will not be fresh or, if they are received on the Monday after the event, they are of no use. The standard recipe indicates products which are needed to help assure that the menu items which are served are of consistent quality and consistent cost. The concept of the right product in our purchasing goal relate to quality and quantity. If an insufficient amount of product is purchased, stock-outs are likely to happen; guests will be disappointed if their favorite item is not available, and operations may not be disrupted if substitute items must be produced. By contrast, if an excessive quantity of product is purchased, excess funds are tied up in inventory, there is an increased chance of spoilage, pilferage may occur, and there may be insufficient storage space. Restaurant managers in most areas have alternative sources of supply for most products. More than a product is purchased when a purchase agreement is made. Information and service are also very important, and some suppliers do a better job of providing this assistance than do others. A supplier offering a â€Å"good† price but does not deliver a product on time is not providing an advantage to the restaurant. Restaurant managers must implement systems to determine what to purchase, how much to purchase and when to purchase. Still according to Ninemeier and Hayes (2006), after products are purchased, they must be received. It is ironic that some restaurants implement many of the purchasing tactics but then fail to follow through when products are received. Purchasers are likely to pay for the quality of products which they ordered and are delivered. In spite of this, however, receiving procedures are lax in some properties and may involve little more than counting incoming packages and comparing that number to the quantity listed on the delivery invoice before it is signed. How much will the supplier charge the restaurant for its products? The answer is determined at time of receiving. Unless there is a credit memo, the restaurant will be charged for the quantity of products noted on the delivery invoice. Also, unless an error is noted on the invoice, the unit cost will be that noted on the voice. Effective restaurant managers, therefore, assure that proper receiving practices are consistently used. In the receiving process, first, delivery invoice from the supplier should be compared to the restaurant’s copy of the purchase order. This will assure that the quantity and price of products agreed upon at time of purchasing were, in fact, incorporated into the delivery invoice. The second step in the receiving process involves confirming that the product quality is in concert with that required by the purchase specification.According to Feinstein (2005), the basic goal of storage management is to prevent loss of merchandise due to: (1) theft, (2) pilferage, and (3) spoilage. Theft is premeditated burglary. It occurs when someone drives a truck up to the back door of an operation and steals all of the expensive foods, beverages, and equipment. Generally, storage facilities are not designed to prevent this. Management would need a citadel to eliminate theft by keeping honest employees honest. In some parts of the United States, and the rest of the world, theft is common. Thus, hospitality operators must see to it that storage facilities are designed so as to make theft more difficult, generally by some combination of clear visibility of general access storage located elsewhere. Locking storage areas when not in use and minimizing the number of persons who have access to the keys appear to be good practices. Pilferage is a serious problem in the hospitality industry and centers on the employee who sneaks off with a bottle of mustard or a couple of ashtrays. Eating on the job is another form of pilferage, unless the owner-manager allows it. Shoplifting also falls in this category. Pilferage is sometimes referred to as â€Å"inventory shrinkage† or â€Å"skimming†. The estimated dollar losses resulting from pilferage vary considerably, but industry experts feel that approximately two to four percent of every sales dollar is lost to employee and customer dishonesty. Several potential ways to control pilferage exist, some of which we discuss. Unfortunately, in some cases, the cure may be more expensive than the disease. Spoilage can be controlled a little more easily than neither theft nor pilferage. Generally, spoilage can be minimized by adhering to rigid sanitation practices, rotating the stocks so that old items are used first, and providing the proper environmental conditions for each time in storage. Rigid sanitation is, in fact, a must in all storage facilities. This involves two quite different kinds of steps. First, products that might induce spoilage in others through migration of odors or chemicals must be separated properly. For example, fresh fish is not stored with butter and cleaning agents are segregated from food products. A second and more obvious sanitation activity involves keeping the storage facility clean, for instance, by mopping it daily. The proper environmental conditions for storage seem easy enough to achieve. But the expense of providing for all the various temperature and humidity requirements for an entire spectrum of food products can be burdensome for small restaurants. Nonfood storage is a not so large problem, but a good deal of value space may be required. Freezers; separate produce, dairy, and meat refrigerator; and separate dry storage areas for groceries, beverages, and cleaning supplies can all add up to a large investment. This can be so large, in fact, that small operations often try make do with outdated facilities, which can get them into trouble with the local health department. The benefits of proper environmental conditions are definite but sometimes not readily apparent. The prevention of food-borne illness does not carry a price tag. Moreover, improper storage can cause a significant loss of nutritional value and taste. The value here is difficult to quantify. Lost nutrition does not necessarily concern restaurant customers, but school food service operations might consider this loss unacceptable. Fortunately, even though a hospitality operation msy maintain an old, erratic refrigerator, proper stock rotation and a reasonably quick stock turnover can minimize quality loss. On Issuing, according to Mill (2007), for control purposes, it is advisable that as few people as possible have access to signing as someone in authority, and such signature is needed before food and beverage items can be released from storage. A system of inventory management helps ensure cost control. Such forms aid in inventory control and analyzing menu costs. The objective is to ensure that only authorized personnel are allowed to requisition food and beverage items. Based on the study of Hayes (2006) there is a relationship between the quantity of food and beverage products produced and sold by the restaurant and the quantity of products removed from its storage areas. Some restaurants use an: open door approach to issuing: whenever someone needs something, they simply retrieve it. With this tactic, every employee is in charge of issuing. According to Dittmer (1999) anyone who has patronized restaurants and other foodservice operations can recognize that a number of different types of service are available. Some aid of very high quality, some much less so. Fast food restaurants and cafeterias tend to provide comparatively little service beyond the basic fine restaurants offer extraordinary levels of service, with some appearing to have more staff than customers. In establishments offering extensive service, it is sometimes of very high quality- swift, unobtrusive, and approximating an art form. More than commonly, however, the service is likely to be different-slow, disorganized, intrusive- with the servers obviously untrained. Each individual diner has a personal view, consciously or unconsciously, of the standards of service that he considers appropriate for any given occasion when a meal is consumed outside the home. Whenever possible, the customer will tend to select a restaurant offering a type and level of service that he finds appropriate to the occasion. If the individual’s time is strictly limited, he is likely to select a restaurant with limited service- one that allows a customer to eat within a limited time available. On the other hand, there are customers for whom time is of no concern. Sometimes they are celebrating some special occasion. Managers who seek to optimize restaurant sales should be aware of the extent and quality of service that their customers want. With that in mind, they may find it comparatively easy to adjust some aspects of service in ways that will increase customer satisfaction. According to Kurtus (2008), Restaurants are in the business of serving food to their customers. In other words, they are providing a product (food) and a service (waiting on the customer). The quality of the food and service is defined as meeting or exceeding the expectations of the customer as if promised by the restaurant. The food should be properly prepared and the service should be prompt and courteous. The benefit of quality food and service is that customers will come back and will recommend the restaurant to friends (http://www.school-for-champions.com/tqm/restaurantquality.htm). According to Khan (2006), â€Å"the primary function of any type of foodservice operation is to convert raw food into cooked products†. Profits come from converting and serving the food as efficiently as possible. High quality dishes come from high quality ingredients. The objective is â€Å"to obtain the right quality and quantity at the right and price and from the right source†. Food quality is more than just taste; it includes attributes such as texture, consistency, hold times, shelf life, and visual appeal. Restaurants need to guarantee food quality in every aspect of food preparation, from the moment the food is produce and delivered to the time it is stored, cooked and served(http://www.bukisa.com/articles/4355869how-important-is-restaurant-food-quality). According to Dittmer (1999), quality is a term that conveys different meanings to different people. Those with particular refined tastes-people sometimes referred to as gourmets- are more likely to seek perfection in food and may be inclined to accept nothing less. For them, this may mean that the quality of restaurant food must meet long list criteria: all ingredients must be fresh rather than canned or frozen, soups must be prepared from freshly made stocks, vegetables must be cooked only just tender, and so on. Unless the food products offered in a particular restaurant meet their exacting quality standards, they will not patronize it. There are some who appear to be completely different to all the quality standards for foodservice products that the majority insists on. For them, food is food- a necessity similar to fuel for an engine. They seem perfectly prepared to accept foodservice products of very low levels of quality – for patronizing restaurants do not appear to be related to product quality defined terms that the majority accepts. In any given population, various segments demand food products of various levels of quality such that they will appeal to large enough segment of the market to ensure the level of sales volume required for profitability. According to Stefanelli (2005), maintaining quality is not quite the same as establishing the firm’s desired level of quality. Some buyers have comparatively little to say about the quality of products they must purchase. They do, however, have a major responsibility to make sure that, once set, the quality standards vary only within acceptable limits. For some products, such as liquor and soap, brand names assure uniform quality. Unfortunately, the quality of fresh foods can change drastically from day to day and from one supplier to the next. This situation can make it particularly difficult to maintain quality standards. In addition, occasional overbuying or a sudden breakdown in storage facilities, such as refrigeration facilities, can wreaker or bring havoc on quality standards. Regardless of the associated difficulties, however, operators insist that their buyers maintain quality control. Food quality in restaurants seems to be accepted as a fundamental component to satisfy restaurant customers; however, it has been often overlooked in restaurant service quality and satisfaction studies. Upon starting a restaurant business, one could have attended a seminar that discusses the importance of food quality in restaurants. Most fast-food and restaurants claim to maintain a high degree of supervision in their food preparation process. Restaurants owners spend a lot of money to train their staff; they even have an excellent infrastructure that facilitates maintenance of cleanliness and hygiene. But despite all the rules and assurances, the complete safety of food bought from a restaurant is questionable. With a structural equation modeling technique, overall food quality significantly affects customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions and also revealed that the relationship between food quality and customer behavioral intentions is mediated by satisfaction. Subsequent regression analyses demonstrated that taste and presentation were the two greatest contributors to customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Thus, managers should pay attention to the key food quality attributes that elicit customer satisfaction enhance return visits in the restaurant business. Customers want to have exactly what they ordered, so food consistency is crucial to one’s business. Cooks should be able to cook the same dish and the same blend over and over. Otherwise, inconsistency of food will remove the customers’ interest from buying the best sellers over and over. It is a good move to conduct a training regarding ingredient proportions and standard preparation procedures. When a customer says that he or she has a food allergy, servers must pay close attention. Also, knowledge on the food quality standards is important. As a restaurant owner, one should carefully monitor how food is being consumed in the restaurant and how they are being prepared. Otherwise, the food quality will diminish overtime, and it would definitely differ and taste and would involve sanitary and health issues(http://www.bukisa.com/articles/435869how-important-is-restaurant-food-quality. Based on Mill’s study (2007), management is responsible for serving food that is nutritious, appeals to the senses, and is safe to eat. Sanitation refers to the hygienic measure for ensuring food safety and control of environmental factors that could arm human development, health or survival. According to the National Assessment Institute, a restaurant manager is responsible for identifying health hazards in the daily operation of the restaurant, develop and implement policies, procedures, and standards to prevent food borne illnesses, coordinate training, supervision, and direction of food handling and preparation while taking corrective action as required to protect the health of customers and employees and inspect the operation periodically to ensure that policies and procedures are being followed correctly. Any sanitation slip up not only hastens spoilage but also increases the risk of customer or employee sickness. Some states and local municipalities have legislation that requires hospitality management personnel to successfully pass some sort of a sanitation course. There is also discussion suggesting that eventually all of the hospitality employees will have to pass some type of sanitation certification exam. At fast food restaurants, kitchen workers are assigned a specific task which they have to perform throughout the day, because fast foods cater to hundreds of customers each hour the work volume is very high and workers get little or no time to clean their work area. Under a tremendous work load, workers usually do not find the time to implement their food safety training. So it may be concluded that despite all the quality assurances that the fast foods and other forms of food establishments offer eating out is not a safe thing to do. Perishable items should be carefully maintained. Each product has a shelf life, and a good idea is always to cook first those that are longer in the fridge. It follows the queuing concept of what comes in first must first go out since food that are longer in the fridge might likely spoil and could affect every single ingredient that is inside your chiller(http://www.bukisa.com/articles/436859how-important-is-restaurant-food-quality#ixzz1Vo7zZHq00). According to Stefanelli (2005), limiting prices a supervisor may suggest some flexible price limits for certain products, especially those products that represent the bulk of the purchasing dollar. And, for instance, if an item’s price rises above that limit, it may be time to reevaluate the item’s place in the operation. It is no secret that good pricing practices are good for business. They increase customer satisfaction, increase profits and go a long way toward assuring compliance with the law. While satisfied customers generally mean repeat business, price errors that stem from haphazard or inefficient pricing practices can cost store’s money. For one thing, the dollar amount of undercharges often exceeds the dollar amount of the overcharges. For another, it is against the law to charge more than the advertised shelf price. Stores that do may be subject to civil and criminal fines (http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus11-good-pricing-practices-scan-do). According to Griffin (1999), restaurants normally have standard sales prices for the menu items they offer. The sales prices for menu items are usually established by restaurant owners or managers and are communicated to customers via printed menus or conspicuously posted signs. Because the sum of the prices paid by all customers for their menu selections is the total food revenue for a restaurant, it should be evident that these sales prices are critically important in determining the degree of profitability for any restaurant.