Usual arrangement of chairs in a college classroom Essay

Usual arrangement of chairs in a college classroom - Essay Example The problem with the classrooms today is that the schools and universities tend to overcrowd them, thus destroying the effectiveness of the seating arrangement in class. Although the U-shaped form of arranging desks helps ease the problem of whether the student can hear the professor or not, it does not solve the problem of whether the professor can effectively see his students when one raises his hand to pose a question or clarification on a topic being discussed. That has been a problem that I have struggled with ever since I got to college. My learning is hindered by the arrangement of the seats and the fact that the arrangement is meant to pack in as many students as possible within a class. Interaction among students? That isnt necessary in a classroom setting where the main focus should be on the teachers lecture and not what is happening at the next desk. That can be saved for group study hour. What I am trying to say is this. I believe that effective learning fully depends upon how much of the class lecture a student can hear, absorb, and a take note of. The most effective learning tool for a student is being in a position within the classroom to ask questions of his professor. But that will not happen when the desks are disorganized in the classroom. So Mr Stone is right, the arrangement of the chairs within a meeting can actually dictate the successful outcome of a gathering. If a student has a comfortable desk set within a good enough distance from which to see, hear, and question the professor, and an attentive professor to boot, then a student will be in the finest form possible to learn as much as he can within the

Research information analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research information analysis - Essay Example The health diet that is used to treat diabetes is manly made up of the sugar free foods and drinks. Therefore, to understand the treatment of diabetes, through the application of health diets, then undertaking a study regarding the sugar free foods and drinks becomes necessary, which is the basis of this study. The importance of undertaking this research is to understand sugar free food and drinks, regarding how they can be applied as health diet for the treatment of diabetes, overweight and obesity. The research also seeks to help the manufacturers understand the market available for the sugar free products, in that, through a clear understanding of the market, then, they will target this market in producing their products, by availing those products that perfectly suits their target market. Sugar free foods and drinks have most of the sugar substance in foods, sucrose, replaced with other sugar substitutes. This way, the sugar free food s and drinks are deemed appropriate not only for their use as health diet for the treatment of diabetes, but also for their role is assisting weight loss and reducing chances of obesity (Metcalfe, 2007 p18). The difference between the foods and drinks suitable for the treatment of diabetes and the normal foods is in the fact that, these food stuffs should be low in energy content, consists of carbohydrates that are easily absorbed and have a higher fructose content, than is necessary for the normal foods (Blades, 1993 p6). Thus, the observed increase in the trends of preference and consumption of sugar free foods and drinks have emanated from the concern for the role of sugar in causing diabetes, overweight and obesity. According to the theory of consumer behavior, consumers follow a given process in making purchase decisions. They perceive the need for a product, evaluates available information, in this case, such as the pro and cons of sugar free foods, and their relationship to diabetes and weight

Budgets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Budgets - Essay Example Performance budget on the other hand classifies the expenditure on the basis of the administration units and by the functions of the units, and the items under such administrative unit functions (Rubin, 185). This makes the performance budget so detailed, since it entails a hierarchy of components, starting with the administrative unit, down to the functions under each administrative unit, and then to the items falling under each function of the administration unit. Performance budgeting entails the formulation of and programs to be implemented, their funding from the available revenue sources, and their execution (Rubin, 180). Therefore, activities are given preference over specific items under each activity, and the management of the performance budget is centralized. There are various reasons why the Congress might choose to use the line-item approach. First, it is a simple form of budgeting, since it requires just tracing the expenditure items and linking them to the revenue sources, eliminating unnecessary budgeting details and complexity (Rubin, 187). Secondly, this type of budgeting provides a greater relationship between sources of revenue and expenditure items, through linking

Keepers of the Future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Keepers of the Future - Essay Example The shortage of well-trained, credible teachers who possess the right personal qualities necessary for preschool teachers is becoming widespread.   Government funds simply cannot provide the proper training for them, much less, the salaries and benefits they need.   Hence, it is a sad reality that many children miss out on the benefits of quality care and education.   More basic than education, health of children all over the world, is likewise at risk, as reported by UNICEF (2008) in its report on the State of the World’s Children 2009.   These articles have impressed upon me a sorry future for today’s young children if people will not move to make it better for them. The shortage of well-trained, credible teachers who possess the right personal qualities necessary for preschool teachers is becoming widespread.   Government funds simply cannot provide the proper training for them, much less, the salaries and benefits they need.   Hence, it is a sad reality that many children miss out on the benefits of quality care and education.   More basic than education, health of children all over the world, is likewise at risk, as reported by UNICEF (2008) in its report on the State of the World’s Children 2009.   These articles have impressed upon me a sorry future for today’s young children if people will not move to make it better for them. Third world countries may suffer a more dire reality, depending on the people’s priorities.   In the Philippine setting, education is seen as a major priority and investment of parents. Hence, many families believe in preschool education.   At least in the metropolis, the country’s growing profiles of dual-income earning families is pushing more and more parents to enroll their young children in preschools instead of leaving them with the household help.   As children turn two years, many parents already go out to choose the right preschool for their toddlers. This cho ice must be seriously made since a wrong choice of preschool may cause more harm than good for the children. Like in the articles, many teachers in the Philippines are not appropriately trained to handle very young children.   Traditional approaches such as lecturing and expecting young children to learn from mere workbooks and rote still prevail.   Although there are a lot of preschools in existence upholding more progressive methods and developmentally-appropriate practices, their market is very limited since such schools tend to charge higher rates.   And even if training is available for teachers in carrying out progressive methods, it is a common complaint among them that administrators of their school are just not open to implementing it because of their resistance to get out of their comfort zones.

The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business Essay

The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business - Essay Example This is not the case where recoveries can be made directly from the agent or person causing the harm, rather the principle behind vicarious liability is that an employer exerts control over the physical conduct of an agent and is therefore responsible for the harmful conduct. In a recent case, Arena Group 2000, the maker of a sign that fell on a San Diego man and paralyzed him, was held vicariously liable for the injury caused.2 There are also several cases where private actions for securities fraud under Section 10(b) show that corporate officers and law firms are being held vicariously liable for preparing misleading disclosure documents.3 It was held in this case that even where secondary agents are involved, where they participate in a fraudulent activity to an extent which could characterize them as authors or co-authors they may be liable for damages accruing from such harmful activity4. Another case where vicarious liability for tort was imposed upon an employer was in the cas e of American Society of Mechanical Engineers Inc v Hydrolevel Corp5 where common law agency principles were used to impute liability upon an employer in a position of sufficient authority to exert control.An employer can also become liable for vicarious liability for the harm caused by its employees under a theory of negligent hiring, where adequate checking of references and skills are not carried out by an employer before the hiring is completed6. The Strict liability rule may be enforced in corporations such as DWI and especially public corporations where the corporation will be expected to assume the liability for the tortious acts of its employees.

Principles and Contemporary of Mental Health Essay

Principles and Contemporary of Mental Health - Essay Example In this area, nurses receive specialized training in psychological therapies that builds on therapeutic alliance in dealing with challenging behavior which leads to administration of psychiatric medicine. In summary, mental health is a psychological state of well being in which one has an achievement of a satisfying amalgamation of one’s instinctual motivations tolerable to both oneself and one’s social locale; an apposite balance of leisure pursuits, love and work (Wilkin, 2003, p. 139). The Patient: Barker’s model In one of his theories, Barker wrote that a mental patient care should encompass a Meta theoretical approach. This is to say that several theories are necessary while dealing with mental patients. The application of this theory helped in taking care of the patients. First, there was demonstration of the nursing knowledge, the grand theory, where there was stating the empirical terms and hypotheses to demonstrate understanding of the theory of nursing. To demonstrate a clear understanding of the situation, I applied the Barker’s tidal model, which is philosophical in nature. With this model, I had to understand the fact that I knew little about the experiences of my patient. I took my patient as a mystery to be learnt and explored in developing a nurse-patient relationship and identify the needs. This characteristic of curiosity helps to understand more about the patient (Barker & Barker, 2005, p. 108). Secondly, the key to understanding my patient was taking them in with their resourcefulness in acknowledging the reality of my patient’s problems as the resources towards proper therapy. Other resources were within their social and interpersonal network, which I had to explore to help in proper therapy. Another important aspect that I had to consider was to understand the personal wishes of the patient. This laid emphasis on the importance of collaboration with the patient. This helped in identification of the needs of the patient. Respect to the needs also helped to ease therapy towards quick recovery. Mental health is more psychological and therapy has to be more collaborative through identification of what the patient deems important. However, this did not mean ignoring professional knowledge about the patient’s condition, but the wishes of the patient remained at the heart throughout the therapy session. Then there was viewing the patient’s condition as an opportunity, a natural signal indicating the need for services, my services. It was an opportunity for change and a chance for the patient to take a new opportunity in life. In mental health care, there are goals that professional nurses set to achieve. They are to be the end point of the nursing care process. I had to consider the fact that there are small steps which I needed to take in order to move away from the circumstances that brought my patient to the care setting. Finally, Barker’s model in practice helped m e to understand the fact that I had to identify the simplest possible action that helped to bring about the help necessary for the patient to get well from their condition. Basing On Evidence Because I had to administer psychotherapy basing on evidence, I had to employ several techniques that had to base on empirical relationship building, communication, dialogue and behavior change with a designation to improve mental

Hybrid electric vehicle Essay Example for Free

Hybrid electric vehicle Essay Product: The #1 selling hybrid is the Toyota Prius Hybrid. Toyota is already on its third generation of the Prius. The gas/electric Prius hybrid retains its lock on this category for the fifth straight year. Despite lots of new hybrid models, the Toyota Prius 44 mpg (overall) is still the best in any five-passenger car. The interior is roomy and versatile, and the Prius has proven to be very reliable. Other Hybrid cars include the Honda Insight Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid; SUV’s include the Ford Escape Hybrid and the Chevrolet Equinox Hybrid. Luxury SUV’s included the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid and Lexus RX 400h. Current hybrid cars can get up to 60 miles to the gallon on the highway. In addition to fuel economy, they boast lower emissions and depreciation than gasoline-powered cars. Environmentalists embrace hybrid cars as a solution to todays pollution problems. Despite tough economic times and a shrinking US vehicle market, demand for hybrids continues to outpace the overall market. Price: The 2010 Toyota Hybrid price ranges from $22,800 $28,070. Toyota sold 271 of its $US38, 000 Prius cars in China last year. Overall passenger-car sales in the nation totaled 10. 3 million. Hybrid sales; as a percentage of all new car sales—are likely to remain flat from 2008 levels at about 2. 5 percent. But considering the overall car market is shrinking in 2009, the total number of hybrid sales will drop to about 250,000. The Toyota Prius the third-generation version that debuted in January; will continue to be the biggest seller. Compared to the Prius, the Honda Insight Hybrid price is $19,800 $23,100. And the Toyota Camry hybrid sells for $26,400. Demand for good is elastic: The Toyota Prius Hybrid would be very elastic because we dont have to buy that brand of car we have lots of substitutes such as the Honda Insight Hybrid or Ford Escape Hybrid. Determinants of Demand: 1. Substitutes (814,173 Toyota Prius units registered by December 2009) †¢Conventional cars, public transportation, trains †¢Only 7 percent of Americans take public transportation to work †¢Higher gas prices will help hybrid car sales †¢The 2009 Honda Insight, a compact which emphasizes affordability. The Honda Insight, billed as the cheapest gasoline-electric hybrid on the market, ranked as the top-selling vehicle in Japan for April 2009 2. Overseas Markets: The Prius first went on sale in Japan in 1997, making it the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle. It was subsequently introduced worldwide in 2001. The Prius is sold in more than 40 countries and regions, with its largest markets being those of Japan and North America. In May 2008, global cumulative Prius sales reached the milestone 1 million vehicle mark, and by early 2010, the Prius reached worldwide cumulative sales of 1. 6 million units. As the global top seller market, the U. S. made up more than half the Prius sold worldwide, with 814,173 units registered by December 2009. In Japan, it is reported that Toyota cut the price of Prius from 2. 331 million yen to 2. 05 million yen to compete with Honda Insight. Toyotas goal is to sell about 400,000 units annually around the globe and 180,000 units in the U. S. by 2010. 3. Income: Hybrid drivers have higher income, much higher than the average car buyer. In 2004, J. D. Power reported that hybrid owner incomes are $100,000 a year versus $85,000 a year for the average buyer. In a 2007 survey of 118 Prius drivers by Topline Strategy Group, 71 percent of respondents earned more than $100,000 per year. 4. Demographics: Hybrid drivers are a few years older than the average car buyer—closer to 50 rather than the average age of 40. J. D. Power’s 2007 review of auto industry marketing showed that only 2 percent of hybrid owners are 24 or younger; while 29 percent are between 45 and 54; and 33 percent are 55 and older. The 2007 Scarborough Research pegged the number of age 50+ hybrid drivers at 23 percent. 5. Consumer Preference: demand and gas prices for the most popular hybrid and best-known fuel-efficient compact car, the only U. S. model to exclusively offer every trim as a hybrid: the Toyota Prius. Prius leads the compact car segment in share of segment interest. The compact car segment has grown from 26% of the market in July of 2007 (peak summer gas prices) to over 33% today. 6. Convenience: Efficiency Hybrid cars are electrically operated and are thus able to function well and consistently at any motor speed. This is in contrast to conventional gas-powered engines, which tend to produce less power in low revolutions per minute episodes. Hybrid cars do not need to use transmissions to make their engines run at full capacity even at reduced speeds. Economy One of the advantages of hybrid cars is that the feature called regenerative braking. Since a hybrid car works using both electric power and fuel power, each can function by itself or conjunction, depending on which is stronger at the time of use. This means that both engines complement each other and do not simply bog one when one of them becomes weaker. Convenience Because hybrid cars are part battery powered, they do not create huge holes on the pocket, compares to users of traditional cars who feel the pain of the continuing oil price increases. Determinants of Supply: 1. Resource Prices: In 2008, when oil hit $147 a barrel and the price of gasoline exceeded $4 a gallon, US buyers made a massive shift away from large SUVs to small fuel-efficient cars and hybrids. But US consumers returned to larger vehicles, and driving more miles, when prices dropped. The return of triple-digit oil prices is expected to bring renewed interest in the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the market, such as hybrids and plug-in vehicles expected in late 2010. The percentage of hybrids COMPARED to auto sales is seen in the graph below. 2. Technological Changes: The varieties of hybrid electric designs can be differentiated by the structure of the hybrid vehicle drivetrain, the fuel type, and the mode of operation. In 2007, several automobile manufacturers announced that future vehicles will use aspects of hybrid electric technology to reduce fuel consumption without the use of the hybrid drivetrain. Regenerative braking can be used to recapture energy and stored to power electrical accessories, such as air conditioning. Shutting down the engine at idle can also be used to reduce fuel consumption and reduce emissions without the addition of a hybrid drivetrain. In both cases, some of the advantages of hybrid electric technology are gained while additional cost and weight may be limited to the addition of larger batteries and starter motors. 3. Labor Costs: Most experts agree a replacement hybrid car battery can range anywhere from $1,000 to more than $6,000, depending on the year and model of car, and without including dealership or independent labor costs. While this may seem like a big expense, car makers are set on reducing prices. Basically, car manufacturers want their products to succeed. Failures in performance hinder that success, so most hybrid car batteries are designed to last the lifetime of the automobile. The state of charge, temperature and longevity in each battery are carefully managed by automakers who know full well that any setback could throw a wrench into the growth of the still relatively nascent hybrid market. 4. Producer Expectations: Toyota Motor Corp. will invest in two U. S. plants to keep up with the growing demand for its eco-friendly stalwart. This is a major step for Toyota’s overall goal to reach 1 million hybrid vehicles annually for the global marketplace. It aims to hit this number within the next five to seven years. Honda has also ramped up its green car plans with an affordable small hybrid expected for next year. The carmaker forecasts annual global sales in the 200,000 unit range, with half of those sales coming from the United States. Honda is striving to elevate its total global hybrid output number to 500,000, a significant boost over the 55,000 cars it produced in 2007. If-Then 1. If the price of gasoline increases then the demand of hybrid cars will increase 2. If the Toyota Prius Hybrid remains at #1, then other Hybrid automakers like Honda and Ford will have a decrease in Hybrid sales. 3. If the price of Hybrid cars increases, the demand will decrease. 4. If U. S income increases, Hybrid sales may increase for better fuel efficiency. Elasticity Estimates: 1. As demand increases for hybrid cars, the technology should become more affordable, especially for subsequent model years. While it is unlikely that prices will decrease dramatically, prices probably will not increase either, as the cars will become more efficient to build. This will, in the long run, lead to more affordable hybrid cars. In the end, affordable hybrid vehicles could provide a big boost to the ailing automobile industry. 2. Higher production volumes may lead to lower hybrid vehicle costs and prices. Every little bit of supply will be needed with hybrids becoming hot sellers. In the past automakers had limited supply with the increase of demand, but since there are so many automakers who make hybrids, supply is no longer an issue. It is much easier now to find the Toyota Prius versus in 2007. Supply and Demand Curves Incomes increase The price of gasoline decreases The graph below demonstrates the Hybrid market, car market, petrol market and the oil market. Market Structure: The automobile industry in the United States is an oligopoly because only six firms (General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan) account for almost 90% of U. S. Automobile sales. Barriers to Entry: The recent economic crisis has provided an impetus to a massive structural change in the auto industry, setting the stage for growth over the next decade. Given the high barriers to entry and the need for scale economies, the global auto industry landscape is expected to be ruled by global automakers and suppliers based in the six major auto markets – China, India, Japan, Korea, Western Europe and the U. S. Foreign Competition: In the world of hybrid cars, there is Toyota and everybody else when it comes to sales. Toyota sold 195,545 hybrids in the US in 2009, largely led by 139,682 Prius hybrid sales. Still, even without the Prius, Toyota still sold significantly more hybrids than did either Ford or Honda. The Toyota Prius II hybrid has the highest fuel economy of any comparable hybrid model. The Toyota Prius II hybrid gets 51 miles per gallon in the city and 48 miles per gallon on the highway. This far exceeds its competition, the Honda Insight, which gets 40/43 miles per gallon city and highway, and the Honda Civic hybrid, which gets 40/45 city and highway. The MSRP for the Toyota Prius II is $23,150, which is about a little more than $2,000 higher than the Honda Insight but about $1,000 lower than the Honda Civic hybrid. Government: The purchase of hybrid electric cars qualifies for a federal income tax credit up to $3,150 on the purchasers Federal income taxes. The tax credit is to be phased out two calendar quarters after the manufacturer reaches 60,000 new cars sold in the following manner: it will be reduced to 50% ($1700) if delivered in either the third or fourth quarter after the threshold is reached, to 25% ($850) in the fifth and sixth quarters, and 0% thereafter. Hybrid Tax Credit (bill): AB 174/SB 90 would create an income and franchise tax credit of up to $1,000 for the amount of sales and use tax paid on the purchase or lease of a hybrid vehicle that has an EPA rating of at least 40 mpg or an EPA rating that is at least 15 percent greater than the same non-hybrid model. The credit may be claimed for sales and use tax paid during the 2007 to 2011 taxable years. The senate bill would extend the credit to the purchase or lease of flex-fuel vehicles that are E85 capable. Introduced and referred to committee 03/12/07. Failed to pass before the end of the legislative session. Sources: http://online. wsj. com/mdc/public/page/2_3022-autosales. html#autosalesD http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Toyota_Prius http://www. hybridcars. com/hybrid-drivers/profile-of-hybrid-drivers. html http://www. hybridcars. com/frontpage http://www. hybrid-car. org/ http://go. ucsusa. org/hybridcenter/incentives. cfm#WI http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Hybrid_tax_credit http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Hybrid_electric_vehicle.