The Odyssey Study Guide Flashcard

The Odyssey Study Guide

Essay Sample on the Dichotomy of Estrogen

Essay Sample on the Dichotomy of Estrogen Hormone replacement therapy has attracted a lot of attention over the past few years. A combination of progestin and estrogen therapy was  believed to reduce dementia and stroke, and other risks associated with aging such as heart attacks.   A 2002 report on preliminary outcomes from the Women’s Health Initiative changed this  belief (Fletcher and Colditz). This report included data from 16,000 post-menopausal women collected at various sites throughout the US.   The authors concluded that hormone combination therapy increased the risk of heart attack, stroke, cancer, and blood clots and had numerous ramifications in the medical community.   Estrogen therapy alone continued to be studied, but was also found to carry significant risks to health including increased risk of dementia and  stroke (Anderson et al.).   The biological   mechanisms behind these finding are still unclear, however there is some evidence that estrogen has varying effects across the lifespa n in females. Estrogen can be neuroprotective in the brain by reducing the size of infarct and neuronal death after stroke in animal models (Jover et al.; Rau et al.).   This is generally studied in healthy, young animals and not aged animals; which may partially account for the discrepancies between findings in animals and humans.   It is unknown if the neuroprotective effects of estrogen are mediated through cells in the brain, such as microglia, or immune cells in the periphery, such as leukocytes. A recent report(Johnson and Sohrabji) sought to determine if   estrogen dampens inflammation by reducing the immune response in peripheral immune cells and/or brain derived cells (microglia) from young and old female rats. The authors used two groups of rats: young adult females (four months) and reproductively senescent females (13-16 months). Ovaries were removed and replaced with pellets secreting estradiol resulting in physiological levels of circulating estrogen. Microglia from the brain and blood cells were removed and cultured separately in the lab to asses the effects of immune stimulation in each cell population. Immune activation was induced through administration of Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and the amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines (immune signaling molecules) were measured. Johnson Sohrabji found that estrogen could not attenuate the immune response in microglia in either age group.   However, estrogen could attenuate the peripheral immune response in young females, but increased cytokine production from peripheral immune cells in aged females. The authors also report that this effect is only found after chronic pretreatment, and mention unpublished results suggesting that acute estrogen treatment after inflammation has no effect. What does this mean in terms of hormone replacement therapy? These findings suggest that estrogen is neuroprotective in young females, and that estrogen restrains neural inflammation through suppression of circulating immune cells in the periphery. In humans, immune cells from post-menopausal women secrete higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines than pre-menopausal women (Schurman et al.). These results suggest that when estrogens are given to older women, they are likely to increase pro-inflammatory cytokines, which could potentially increase neurodegenerative events in the brain. A separate report has shown that cognitive impairment in the elderly are associated with higher amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines (Yaffe et al.).   In summary, it is clear that estrogen replacement therapy has benefits in young females, but these same benefits may not occur in aged females. This is a sample Biology essay written from scratch by one of our academic writers. If you want to order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis/dissertation on any topic contact our company to get professional academic writing help.

Project management risk management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Project management risk management - Essay Example Risk can be defined as the possibility of loss. Risk arises due to the inability to achieve objectives within defined cost, schedule and technical constraints. Risk has two components, one the possibility of not achieving a particular outcome, and the second is the result of failure to achieve the outcome. The former is the probability of risk and the later is the loss. Risk management is a set of action that help the managers plan to deal with uncertain occurrences. It is through risk management managers assess risk and manage to reduce it to an acceptable level. The key idea in risk management is not to wait passively for a risk to materialize and become a problem. The objective of risk management is to ensure that for each perceived risk we know well in advance how to tackle it. The process of risk management begins during the analysis phase and the actual process of managing risks continues throughout. Risk management is a dynamic process because it deals with the activities that are yet to happen. Risk management has two fold agenda. First deciding actions for preventing risk from happening and second deciding actions for tackling risk that materialize. Therefore risk management is all about preempting a risk, coming up with a plan for resolving the risk and finally executing the plan. Risk identification: In this step manager gathers information about the potential risks in the project. The project manager plans the strategies for avoiding risks or controlling them. They discuss availability of technology, manpower, prevailing environment and the project related factors. The manager picks up the thread from these and creates a risk log. After risk log is prepared, the project manager calls a meeting within the team and technical experts to discuss the risk log and the mitigation plans. One of the effective ways of identifying risks is using a questionnaire to list out risks. Risk analysis: It consists of three steps i.e. Risk probability, Risk impact and Risk factor. After identifying the risks the manager needs to analyze the risks. Uncertainty and loss are the two characteristics of risk. The uncertainty factor in risk means that the unknown event may or may not happen. While analyzing risk manager needs to quantify the level of uncertainty and the degree of loss. Based on this, manger plans schedules and costs. During analysis, information on risk is converted into information on decision-making. There are various tasks involved in risk analysis; initially the task in risk analysis phase is to describe the risk. The risk can be product related, process related, organization related, client related or infrastructure related, secondly the manager quantifies the probability of occurrence of risk and thirdly the risks are rated depending on their probability of occurrence. Based on the probability of risk the manager identifies the impact of risk on cost, schedule, and quantity, which needs to be calculated and graded. Each risk is prioritized relative to other risks. The manager can prioritize risks based on the probability and impact of risks. High impact risks with moderate to high probability will catch the attention first. Risk Mitigation: Risk mitigation is the best possible approach adopted by the manager to avoid risks from occurring. The probability of

The World of Word Processing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The World of Word Processing - Essay Example The word processor for several years featured a monochrome display and the ability to save documents on diskettes or otherwise. The later models had innovations like grammar checking, formatting options, and the dot matrix printing (Ward, 2005). This Microsoft word is the most widely used processing software with over one billion users across the globe. Other commonly used word processing applications are the word perfect that dominated in the years of the mid 1980s and early 1990s, the Microsoft MS-DOS, and the open source application. The current word processor is very power and consists of images, graphics, and the text latter handled with typesetting capability. The term word processing, invented in the late 1960s by IBM, got recognition by the by the New York Times as a buzzword in 1971. The international Business Machines provided a program that would generate printed documents on a mainframe computer and described it as a word processor. The new software combined peoples, proc edures, and applications that would transform idea into printed communications. The original Microsoft word contained a dictating machine and a manually operated S electric typewriter. The term word processor was taken to mean a semi automated typewriters with some form of electronic editing and correction ability (Gordon, 2010). Most of the persons working in the United States as secretaries utilized the word processing and it had impact on their careers. By this time, the word processing replaced the traditional secretary and emphasized more on the administrative roles of the businesses and industry. The invention of the word processor occurred in two phases. There was first the standard operating system control program that vastly brought increased standardization in the 1970s. The format for all the files and memory had similar structure across all the machines of that class. To change the type meant stopping the printer and a manual change of printing element (Castro, 2003). Th e additional memory made bi-directional printing possible hence eliminated delay caused by the return of print head to the left of the margin possible at the start of every program. The second phase was the introduction of the Microsoft disk operating system to replace the control program Microsoft (Word processor is a facility that records keystrokes from the keyboard and prints the same onto a paper in a separate operation system. It is used in the production of any sort of printable material (Ward, 2005). The word processor encompasses a stand-alone machine that combined the keyboard text-entry and printing function with a dedicated processor for the editing of texts. The features and the designs varied between the manufacturers but new features added advanced the technology. The word processor for several years featured a monochrome display and the ability to save documents on diskettes or otherwise. The later models had innovations like grammar checking, formatting options, and the dot matrix printing. This Microsoft word is the most widely used processing software with over one billion users across the globe. Other commonly used word processing applications are the word perfect that dominated in the years of the mid 1980s and early 1990s, the Microsoft MS-DOS, and the open source application. The current word processor is very power and consists of images, graphics, and the text latter handled with typesetting capability (CP/M computers). The IBM for its microcomputers first chose this system though it

Honeybees Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Honeybees - Essay Example Large farms even hire beekeepers to increase the number of bees that will make pollination faster. Another importance of honeybees is that they produce wax which are used in candle and polish making. These facts are not new discovery though. In old walls and caves, pictures of bees were found painted believed to be done thousand years ago (USDOA). Amusingly, while honeybees play important roles in agriculture industry of the United States, they were brought to United States by European colonizers during the early days and not really native of the country. Honey bee is a highly adaptable insect that can live to a wide range of climate and geographic location. It is indigenous and able to adjust to a wide variety of climes and geographic regions. The natural territory of honeybees is the area of Southern Africa to somewhere in Southern Scandinavia, and from continental Europe to West Asia(USDOA). It is the southwestern part of United States and northern Mexico where honeybees are most likely abundant and of different variety. Carl Hayden from Bee Research Center in Tucson, Arizona said that are about 1000 to 1200 species of bees within a one hundred mile radius of Tucson. However, it was found out that neither one is native honeybee. Identified are around 25,000 species of bees and almost 40,000 are in waiting to be listed down. Placing them to specific genus takes time for the entomologists. Unluckily, out of 25,000, 8 to 10 species believed to be honey bees. This number is still growing though because there are lot of identified species already (USDOA). Interestingly, honey bees are classified by strain and not through genus and species. If we say strain, it means place of origin. Most common strains of honey bees currently found in the United States are the Apis mellifera ligustica, the Italian bees, and the Apis mellifera carnica, the Carniolan bees. But science learns to discover on how to interbreed. This practice is brought about by the need to produce more honey and enhance pollination. One considered as most famous attempt at creating such a hybridized line was the crossing of the European lines and the African lines (USDOA). Mating the unassuming but high honey producing European bees to the aggressive African counterparts is the goal of crossing the lines of African and European. It was in 1956 when the test was done by Brazilian researchers hoping that a more hardworking bee will be the result. However they did not succeed. Test result showed that the aggressive traits dominated and in essence veiled the characteristics of the European bees. The conducted test became popular when a worker in the laboratory where the bees were located accidentally removed the screens which kept the queens in their hives (USDOA). Accordingly, around 26 group of the Africanized bees flew. Ever since, the descendants have been moving northward. After 40 years later, African honey bees are found in the southwestern United States. This is causing concerns due to their aggressive nature and capacity to replace the well-known colonies of productive European lines (USDOA). There is a caste system among colonies of bees. The queen ranks at the top of the caste which primary duties are to populate the colony by mating with male honey bees. Directing activities to the workers is another duty of the queen. The queen

Reasons For The Economic Instability In The 1930s Politics Essay

Reasons For The Economic Instability In The 1930s Politics Essay Abstract: This paper examines the reasons for the instability in the world economy in 1930s. First, the main causes are listed and given brief overview of the explanations. The most detailed attention is paid to the Hegemonic Stability Theory, as I believe it provides one of the most comprehensive answers for all the issues of the specified period. I also directly quoted the vision of R.Keynes regarding some of those issues. In conclusion I tried to draw up a parallel with the current realities and point out main lessons from the history and their reflections of the events of 1930s. The reason why I chose this essay title is the fact that most of the issues of the specified period are not just still relevant, but they also directly reflect current realities. As the old Kazakh proverb says: Tamyry zhoktyn erteni bolmas (Those who have no rootes [do not treat heritage], have no future). Therefore, it is vital to study the origins of the world crisis of 1930s, as it is often referred to as one of the worst turmoil in the modern world history for its spread, length, and depth. The recent protracted crisis is often compared to it lately. As any river has lots of springs to start from, the instability of world economy of 1930s started from many fragmented issues and events. The most commonly accepted causes are: the end of the Pax Britannica epoch, the World War I and its consequences, the lack of hegemony from US, the collapse of the gold standard, the chaotic international economic relations in the Interwar period, crash of the liberal approach in economy, the switch to intensified technological advancement in production and etc. The list of the causes can go on and on, due to the variety of visions and approaches to the issue. There are as much explanations and theories as much causes as listed above and even more. In my opinion, the Theory of Hegemonic Stability (main theorists: C.Kindleberg, R.Gilpin, and S.Krasner) gives the most comprehensive answer for all the issues of the specified period. Under this theory the world order is secured in terms of stability only under a dominant rule of one leading state. Kindleberg directly states that the main reason of the interwar crisis was the lack of will from United States to replace the Great Britain as the hegemonic power. (Kindleberg, 1973). As it is directly stated in the core books on IPE, throughout the whole nineteenth century Great Britain possessed economic hegemony over the most of the world. According to Kindleberg, not until 1931 was it clear that Britain could not provide the leadership. (1973) Great Britains supremacy leadership was closely associated the openness of international trade and capital movements, with the beginning of globalization of the markets, the rise of first multinational corporations, and the general economic and political stability of that period. World War I resulted in the end of British hegemony and most of the conditions that it had promoted. Soon there was an increase of the protectionism all across the world and further uprise of regional blocs. Foundations of the global economy were eroded by the decline in capital mobility, which finally resulted in the growing economic instability and the depression. So, the overall situation was not so positive for the new hegemon. The cause of this tragic chain of events has often been laid at Americas doorstep. The United States was, at the end of World War I, the worlds strongest economic power. But it steadfastly refused to take on the leadership role that Britain could no longer play. This irresponsibility was most vividly exemplified in the minds of many people by the infamous Smoot-Hawley Tariff (1930), which raised the average tax on imports to the United States by about 40 percent. At the beginning of the depression, the United States shut its markets to foreign goods and thus helped propel the world economy into its worst swoon ever. The unwillingness of the United States to coordinate its monetary and currency policies with other countries merely exacerbated the situation. This isolationist posture on the part of the worlds economic hegemon had negative consequences for most other countries and the United States itself. (H.Milner, 1998) As stated above the chaotic economic relations that arose in that period contributed significantly to the destabilization of the world economy. As states Kerry A.Chase, international relations theorists attribute the collapse of the world economy into protectionism and rival trading blocs to global causes such as hegemonic decline, problems of collective action and free riding, or the macroeconomic disturbance of the Great Depression (Kerry A. Chase 2004). We find that the different currency blocs of the 1930s had very different implications for trade. Sterling area countries traded disproportionately among themselves and with the rest of the world. Gold bloc members, in contrast, did not trade disproportionately with one another or with the rest of the world, reflecting their indiscriminate use of tariffs and quotas to prop up increasingly overvalued currencies, which neutralized any stimulus derived from exchange rate stability. Countries applying exchange controls, despite stabilizing their exchange rates, traded less with one another than their economic characteristics would predict, due to the trade-inhibiting effects of those policies.(Kerry A. Chase 2004). Also, within the Interwar period happened a crash of former liberal approaches in economy. The economy proved to be incapable to regulate itself under a new circumstances and it finally led to government intervention and creation of new economic model under the theories of R.Keynes, or so called Keynesian revolution. He was among first researchers that stressed on principal difference of new order and incapability of prompt readjustment to it. As he stated in his Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren (1930): We are suffering from the growing-pains of over-rapid changes, from the painfulness of readjustment between one economic period and another. The increase of technical efficiency has been taking place faster than we can deal with the problem of labour absorption; the improvement in the standard of life has been a little too quick; the banking and monetary system of the world has been preventing the rate of interest from falling as fast as equilibrium requires. (R.Keynes, 1 930).   The war debts and associated issues are also constantly mentioned in the literature. Yes, there were winners and there were losers. The contradictious reparation payment system resulted in strive for jusice, which further pre-set conditions for escalating into World War II. But were war debts really affecting the economy within the specified period? At the conclusion of World War I, war- related debts were about $12 billion, an amount greater than total U.S. private long-term foreign assets, and equivalent to perhaps 15% of U.S. national income. Every major western country owed some- thing to someone, but on net most of the war debts were owed to the United States by France, Great Britain and Italy; these four countries in turn, were to receive most of the payments by Germany on the reparations account. The largest single net creditor was the United States. The largest single net debtor was Germany. The heated and lengthy economic debate about war-related debts, conducted in the context of passionate moral and political disputes, produced two distinct strains of thought: one was the well-known discussion of transfer; the other, less adequately incorporated into the literature, held that the war-related debts critically disrupted the international financial system, possibly started the depression, and probably aggravated it. No simple, direct line can be drawn, however, from war-related debts to world economic activity: payments on war- related debt were made in the 1920s with no obvious adverse effect on economic activity; payments were cancelled in the 1930s with no obvious beneficial effect on economic activity. Accordingly, most accounts of the world depression center on elements other than war-related debts (H.Fleising), The failure of the gold standard was also one of the reasons for the world crisis of 1930s. Why? Natalia Chernyshoffa, states that gold had emerged as the dominant monetary regime of its time and as a robust nominal anchor. She goes further and states: The claim was made that it helped to promote international trade and investment, and the data now back it up. Small wonder, then, that after the violent disruptions of World War One the world anchored again to gold in the 1920s. Unfortunately, despite its past record for stability, the reconstituted gold standard failed; it is now generally thought to have exacerbated volatility and contributed substantially to the Great Depression (N.Chernysheva, 2009). In conclusion I would like to draw a parallel to nowadays. For the past ten years there were constant prophecies regarding the so-long expected decline of US hegemony and glorious emergence of China as a new world leader. Recent crisis made those claims sound louder, because China is the only country that maintained comparative stability and gradually started turning into the largest creditor. It actively acquires assets worldwide (mostly energy sources, but interested in finance investment as well), plays more dominant role in regional and more active role in international organizations. With some discrepancies, but nevertheless, we might see the New China just as the world saw New US at the beginning of XIX century. There are also non-stop debates regarding the final emergence of unified Europe, which might overshadow the current US and proposed Chinese dominance. And there is a smart combination of all propositions proclaiming the New Order by the triangular US-Europe-China dominance. The same way, back in 1970s there were precautions regarding the rapid rise of Arab OPEC-states backed up by rapid growth of oil prices. As there were precautions regarding the Japan, backed up by its miraculous economic achievements in 1980s. Now the whole fuss is about whether it be China or Europe that would step into US left vacuum So, the history teaches us a good lesson: that time passes and all of those propositions regarding the New Ruler of the World either prove in reality or die in dust on the book shelves. Another lesson that was learned well from the history is: that none of the Empires of the Past had repeated their successful fate twice. So, if US would decline sooner or later, and its place gets occupied by the New Hegemon, it is doubtful that US would rise again like Phoenix. And the final and the most relevant to this essay lessons are: a) that the throne never stays vacant for long b) the period between two rulers (hegemons) is characterised by instability, anarchy and chaos (the worst curse in Chinese is: I damn you, may you live in chaotic period) Therefore, I would conclude that it was natural for US to step forward and replace Great Britain as soon as it was no longer acting as a hegemon in world affairs. But, not willing to bear the full burden of the obligations of the new ruler US did not act like a real hegemon. It did not use all of its available muscles to stabilize the situation neither in Europe nor in other parts of the world, and in fact, it was not really interested in it. Therefore I would say that the bad hegemon is worse than no hegemon at all. At the end, going back to our days, I would say that regardless of who is going to be a lead nation in future or would US somehow recover soon, it is crucial for my country (Kazakhstan) and for the rest of the world to maintain positive political and economic relations with all of the candidates for the Hegemones throne as good as with the existing leader US (proverb The old lion can still roar is still actual). Hegemons rise and fall, crisis come and leave, but life goes on and we have to be flexible under any circumstances Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren Source: Scanned from John Maynard Keynes, Essays in Persuasion, New York: W. W. Norton Co., 1963, pp. 358-373.   http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/economics/keynes/1930/our-grandchildren.htm War-Related Debts and the Great Depression Author(s): Heywood Fleisig Source: The American Economic Review, Vol. 66, No. 2, Papers and Proceedings of the Eighty-eighth Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association (May, 1976), pp. 52-58 Published by: American Economic Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/181719 International Political Economy: Beyond Hegemonic Stability Author(s): Helen V. Milner Source: Foreign Policy, No. 110, Special Edition: Frontiers of Knowledge (Spring, 1998), pp. 112-123 Published by: Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, LLC Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1149280 Accessed: 16/11/2009 03:12 (Natalia Chernyshoff a, David S. Jacks b,c, Alan M. Taylor, Stuck on gold: Real exchange rate volatility and the rise and fall of the gold standard, 1875-1939, Journal of International Economics 77 (2009) 195-205)

Dave Speaks to the World :: Dave Barry Essays

Dave Speaks to the World When I was back home and lived with my mom, we were reading the paper together one day, she was reading the Tropic and I, the comics. When she was through with the Dave Barry column, she gasped and said out loud, "I know that shark!" Now, of course this startled me and I wondered what on earth she meant. Mom explained that the article was about a hammerhead shark, famous to Miamians and Florida Keys residents, playfully named "Big Moe". She continued to tell me that when she was about nine she went lobstering under Bahiahonda Bridge in the Keys with her dad. While lifting an old sunken car hood to retrieve the bugs, she saw a shadow pass over her. She stopped abruptly and dropped the hood to swim back to the boat. On her way back, if I remember the story correctly, the huge hammerhead passed directly over her head. This time it wasn't just the shadow she saw. Sitting in our living room at home my mom was insisting that the shark Dave Barry wrote about just HAD to be the same one . I thought this was pretty cool. Ever since then I've known who Dave Barry is. He speaks in mysterious ways. Dave Barry is a humor columnist; his fans express what can only be explained as hero worship. After doing some light research I learned that not only is he a writer for the Miami Herald, but also for many newspapers throughout the United States. It was also brought to my attention that he has won a Pulitzer Prize for his articles and he is, or was, the lead guitarist in a rock band called the Rock Bottom Remainders. It's been said that they weren't the greatest musicians and they are no longer playing. To quote my Internet source, Dave is "an all-around nice guy who tries to protect his readers from the dangers of the world around them . . ." The text goes on to say that these dangers are exploding cows and trout falling from the sky. I suppose we would have to be devout Dave fans to really understand that. Something else I recently learned about Dave Barry is that there is a show based on his personality.

Psychology Reflective Paper Essay

This class has not only enabled me to become a better student, but also a more productive adult in various ways. Initially, I came into your class ecstatic because I knew the journey I would embark would be an exciting one; however, I encountered challenges throughout the course although learning new psychological methods is enthusing to me. I learned about the origin of psychology and the evolution of modern psychology. In further detail, I will discuss how the learning goals of this course have influenced my career and personal life. When I began college, I was undecided about what to study. Initially, I enrolled as Biology major. I majored in biology for three years of my college career. Because I was not happy or even satisfied, I decided to pursue studying a subject that genuinely grasped my interest. I knew in my heart that whatever I was searching for had to be something I would love doing for the rest of my life or at least most of it. Therefore, I went on an exploration to find that one particular area of study that would be of great significance to me and my future endeavors. I came across Psychology. I didn’t know much about it. All I knew was that I took it during my freshman year because it was a requirement to take Psychology 101. The entire time while I was reminiscing about this class, all I could remember was the professor lecturing about the human mind and why people do what they do. I found it to be sort of interesting and I said, â€Å"Hey, why not give it a try?† Previously, I had skeptic views. I contemplated about making this big change because I thought there was nothing else left for me to do but to†¦ â€Å"Just do it!† Because I am new to everything that is going on around me within my Psychology courses, there is plenty that I wish to obtain and learn: not just from my professors but also from my peers. One class that I have taken is History and Systems of Psychology, and it is one of my most interesting Psychology courses here at the University. This course is very different from many classes that I have taken. There are seminars, blogs, essays, Greeks, and much more that surround this course. The seminars consist of in class discussions where we converse about different readings and how we feel about what was read, as well as what the writer was trying to convey to his or her audience. Sometimes the discussions can become intense but it is stimulating. I am not much of a public speaker, but the seminars are beneficial to me conquering my phobia of speaking in front of a crowd of people. The course is informative but surprisingly it isn’t boring. I perceive as motivation to do well through the learning goals that are set out before us by the professor. Contrary, to my previous study of Psychology, I have learned a vast amount of information from being in this course. Yes, History and Systems of Psychology will inform and teach me about the ancient Greeks and their attributes towards the development of Psychology but I will also learn skills that will definitely be beneficial in my career as a Speech Pathologist. A Speech Pathologist evaluates and diagnosis speech, language, cognitive- communication and swallowing disorders. They also treat speech, language, cognitive- communication and swallowing disorders in individuals of all ages, from infants to the elderly. The class is not only lecturing, but also growth for future purposes. My fellow classmates and I will be able to network with one another on a more intellectual level. We are all able to discuss our opinions about different topics through seminars. This is a way to help better our communication and listening skills. Patience is gained when waiting for others to speak, even though you may be eager to express your views on a particular situation. It helps us to be more open-minded to others’ opinions which provide us with the opportunity to learn from one another and just the professor. Because it is proven that the focus of psychological studies in modern society may not reflect its colorful and amusing history, its roots however fluctuate from the modern philosophies of the field. In order to totally comprehend psychology, one must first go back into its history and explore its origins. A question that I asked myself and became informed of throughout the course of this semester is: â€Å"How did the studies of Psychology originate? What period was Psychology created?† Because I was able to question myself, I became more involved and interesting not only in Psychology 445, but the overall studies of Psychology. As I answered these questions, I realized that Psychology involves a massive range of topics; alongside, examining the human’s developmental patterns and mental practices from cultural level to neural level. Interestingly, I learned that Speech Pathologists study the same materials as Psychologists. For example, both patricians must know matters pertaining to human mental concerns. These issues can begin right from delivery and endure up until the death of the person. Through the knowledge developed in Psychology 445, I will be able to better comprehend how the individual topics are studied and what has been taught thus far. One of my most beloved and studied psychologist has been Sigmund Freud (Freud). Independently, I studied Freud; the famous Austrian physician transformed the entire face of psychology in such an intense way by creating a theory of personality that strained on the significance of the unconscious mind. Freud’s involvement with clients anguish from mental ailments like hysteria directed him to consider that one’s early childhood encounters as well as our unconscious impulses contribute greatly towards the development of our adult lifestyle behavior and characteristics. You may ask yourself: â€Å"Why is this information important to?† As stated in our learning goals there are many historical psychologists who can give an account for the evolution of modern psychology. It is important for me to understand the history and previous studies because past determinations will enable me to diagnose my clients when I work as a speech pathologist. There are commonalties between psychologist and speech pathologist. Because of these similarities, I have encountered psychological skills that I plan to utilize as a speech pathologist. Interestingly, Psychology continues to evolve! Currently, majority practices do not identify themselves with a distinct school of thought. Instead, workers prefer focusing on certain specialty ranges or perspectives, often creating conclusions from a wide range of theoretical experiences. This methodology has contributed new theories and ideas that still carry on to shape the future of psychology. In conclusion, I learned quality listening and observance skills. In order for me to be a good Speech Pathologist, I must be able to listen and communicate with the patients. I must be patient, stable, tolerant of others, confident, and the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. Surprisingly, in class being emotionally stable really is a great trait to have and learn. Because everyone does not have identical in personalities and background life experiences, everyone may not think alike. In most cases, when there is a discussion and there are many different thoughts and opinions being tossed in the air, some individuals tend to become a little upset because they may feel that what they believe is correct. However, when engaging in conversation with others who may have different point of views, there is no right or wrong. Therefore, having emotional stability is important. I believe that this change which I have made is for the best. I feel that with every moment I attend class, I am discovering something new and opening myself up to bigger and brighter opportunities.

Dispute Resolution Coursework The WritePass Journal

Dispute Resolution Coursework 1.0 Introduction Dispute Resolution Coursework 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Concurrent Delay3.0 Causes of a Concurrent Delay4.0 Approaches to Concurrent Delays4.1 Apportionment Approach4.2 The ‘but for’ Approach4.3 First in Line Approach4.4 Dominant Approach4.5 Malmaison Approach5.0 Analyse of City Inn v Shepherd Construction Ltd 5.1 Lord Drummond Young’s Decision5.2 The Appeal Decision6.0 ReferencesRelated 1.0 Introduction This report will discuss the different approaches to concurrent delays in construction contracts by reviewing various construction cases where disputed have arisen. I will also analyse the findings in the recent Court of Session case of City Inn v Shepherd Construction (2010) and assess the extent to which an appeal against the decision to the Supreme Court may succeed. 2.0 Concurrent Delay A â€Å"concurrent delay† is a term used loosely by the construction industry without any real definition. It is not uncommon for more than one delay to occur on a construction project at any given time which delays the completion of the works. A concurrent delay usually occurs when actions by the client and contractor simultaneously delay the project. However there is no clear guidance on the most suitable method for considering an extension of time when there is a concurrent delay usually involving the contractor and employer. (Cushman et al, 2001). Judge Seymour in the case of Royal Brompton Hospital NHS Trust v Frederick A Hammond Ors1 describes a concurrent delay as, â€Å"Two or more delay events occurring within the same time period, each independently affecting the Completion Date.† He goes on to say; â€Å"It is, I think necessary to be clear what one means by events operating concurrently. It does not mean, in my judgement, a situation in which, work already being delayed, let it be supposed, because the contractor has had difficulty in obtaining sufficient labour, an event occurs which is a Relevant Event and which, had the contractor not been delayed would have caused him to be delayed, but which in fact, by reason of the existing delay, made no difference. In such a situation although there is a Relevant Event, the completion of the Works is not likely to be delayed thereby beyond the Completion Date.† (www.charlesrussell.co.uk, February 2011). From Judge Seymour’s statement a concurrent delay can therefore be defined as two events that happen at the same time. 3.0 Causes of a Concurrent Delay A delay can vary due to the different consequences for example an excusable delay is the fault of the employer such as late issuing of drawings which entitles the contractor to an extension of time and an inexcusable delay is due to the fault of the contractor. A neutral event may occur as a result of unforeseen ground conditions or adverse weather conditions. There a number of different scenarios that arise where delays are considered to be concurrent. They are as follows: A delay that is caused by both employer and contractor. A neutral event and contractors delay. A neutral event and employers delay. A neutral event where the contractor is entitled to more time and a financial payment. An employer’s delay where the contractor is entitled to more time and a financial payment. A contractor’s delay where the employer is entitled to a financial payment. (www.theqsi.co.uk, February 2011) 4.0 Approaches to Concurrent Delays There are a number of approaches when considering an extension of time with some having more success than others. They are as follows; Apportionment approach ‘but for’ approach First in Line approach Dominant approach Malmaison approach 4.1 Apportionment Approach The apportionment approach is where the total cost of the delay is distributed between the parties responsible for that delay. Although this is a logical approach it is not supported in the courts as when it comes to a breach of contract they usually look to relate any loss to a single cause. (www.alway-associates.co.uk, March 2011). If a dominant cause cannot be identified the courts say, â€Å"It may be possible to apportion the loss between the causes for which the employer is responsible and other causes. In such a case, it is obviously necessary that the event or events for which the employer is responsible should be a material cause of the loss. Provided that the condition is met, the apportionment of loss between the different causes is possible in an appropriate case.† (www.cila.co.uk, March 2011). One of the most controversial cases that adopted the apportionment approach is City Inn v Shepherd Construction Ltd. As the causes of the delay were the fault of both the employer and contractor the contractor was entitled to an extension of time. Lord Drummond said, â€Å"where there is time concurrency between a relevant event and contractor default, in the sense that both existed simultaneously, regardless of which started first, it may be appropriate to apportion responsibility for the delay between the two causes; obviously, however, the basis for such must be fair and reasonable.† (www.clarkslegal.com, March 2011). It was the contract administrator’s duty to award Shepherd construction an extension of time on a â€Å"fair and reasonable† basis. (Smith, 2010). However shepherd construction did not deem this to be sufficient and wanted a significantly longer extension of time as well as payment of loss and expense. As there was no dominant event causing the d elay the court apportioned the delay between the causes. (Smith, 2010). In case of John Barker Construction Ltd v London Portman Hotel Ltd [2004] Lord Young indicated the most appropriate approach would be to apportion the cost of the delay between the employer and contractor he states, â€Å"This is a case where delay has been caused by a number of different causes, most of which were the responsibility of the employer, through the architect, but two of which were the responsibility of the contractor. It is accordingly necessary to apportion the defenders prolongation costs between these two categories of cause. I consider that the same general consideration, the causative significance of each of the sources of delay and the degree of culpability in respect of each of those sources, must be balanced.† (www.dac.co.uk, March 2011). Another case that applied the apportionment approach is the case of Musselburgh and Fisherrow Co-operative Society Ltd v Mowlem (Scotland) Ltd (2005). This case involved a number of defects to a swimming pool. The court decided to apportion the costs of defect s which included changing channels and gratings and the replacing of the waterproof membrane. (www.scotcourts.gov.uk, February 2011). For the apportionment approach to apply the causes contributing to the loss must start and finish at the same period which is highly unlikely. It also depends on the court’s understanding of the particulars and the use of complex ideas. Keating (2000) encourages the use of apportionment he states, â€Å"Where the loss or damage suffered by the plaintiff results partly from his own conduct and partly form the defendants breach of contract it is correct in principle for the damages to be apportioned.† (Keating et al, 2000). 4.2 The ‘but for’ Approach This approach has not had great success and is reflected in the fact no cases can be found to support this approach. However despite its low success rate it is favoured by contractors as they tend to adopt this approach in reply to the first in line argument even though it is usually rejected by the courts. The contractor’s argument is based on the circumstance that a delay to a particular event would not have happened ‘but for’ an architect’s instruction requesting additional work to be carried out. (www.charlesrussell.co.uk, February 2011). Basically the contractor believes the additional work the reason a delay has occurred. This is supported by Fletcher (1998) who states that the ‘but for’ approach exonerates the contractor but only when, â€Å"events for which the contractor is not responsible compound delay already caused by the contractor.† (Fletcher, 1998). 4.3 First in Line Approach This approach adopts the logic that if a delay has arisen due to a number of events the event that occurred first will be responsible for the whole delay. This means any other contributing events to the delay will be overlooked so long as the completion date is not affected and it does not carry on after the first event. (www.rics.org, March 2011). For example it is the responsibility of the employer to give the contractor access to the site on the day the works are due to commence i.e. 29 January. However if access is not provided a delay occurs commencing on the 29 January and if severe weather prevents work from starting on the 7 February the first in line approach will apply therefore the delay in access will take priority over severe weather until access is provided. If the contractor gains access to the site on the 16 February but the severe weather conditions persists until the 21 February then an extension time can be granted with regards to the severe weather. (www.rics.org, March 2011). 4.4 Dominant Approach The dominant approach analyses the causes of a delay and decides which event is the most dominant or predominant. (www.charlesrussell.co.uk, February 2011). Keating (2000) defines a dominant event as, â€Å"If there are two causes, one the contractual responsibility of the defendant and the other the contractual responsibility of the plaintiff the plaintiff succeeds if he establishes that the cause for which the defendant is responsible is the effective dominant case. Which cause is dominant is a question of fact, which is not solved by the mere point of order in time but is to be decided by applying common sense standards.† (Keating, 2000). An important case in Scotland that adopted the dominant approach is case of John Doyle Construction Ltd v Laing Management (Scotland) Ltd (2004). John Doyle claimed for loss and expense of  £4.8 million and a twenty two week extension of time as they believed Laing Management had disrupted and delayed the progress of the works. Laing Management contended that as John Doyle claim was global and therefore it could not succeed so long as any one of the claims where proven not to have been caused by them. (www.cila.co.uk, March 2011). However Lord McFayden who was involved in the case stated, â€Å"The global claim may fail, but there may be in the evidence a sufficient basis to find casual connections between individual losses and individual events, or to global claims and the problems of concurrent cases arise time and again in relation to delay and loss and expense claims.† (Ross, 2004). Lord McFayden allowed the claim to proceed however Laing appealed his decision to the Court of Session. At the Court of Session Lord Drummond young agreed with Lord McFayden he said, â€Å"if any events or events for which the employer is responsible can be described as the dominant cause of an item of loss, that will be sufficient to establish liability, notwithstanding that other events played a part in its occurrence.† (Ross, 2004). Therefore if the contractor can prove the events for which he depends on are the duty of the employer then he will be required to, â€Å"prove casual links between individual events and particular heads of loss.† (www.cila.co.uk, March 2011).   Where loss has occurred through events the employer is responsible for and through events that he is not, the court states that the contractor must prove the events that the employer is accountable for are the â€Å"proximate or dominant cause of loss† In order for the claim to succeed. However there are problems associated with the dominant approach especially when there are events that contribute equally to the cause of the delay. Therefore the grounds for recuperating loss and expense could be unfair to one party. For example as a dominant cause apportions responsibility to one party which therefore gives the bases for recovery of loss and expense by the other party. However this gives the claiming party the right to recover cost for the entire delay even though the causes contributing to the delay may not be sufficient enough for grounds of recovery. (www.alway-associates.co.uk, March 2011). In the case of H. Fairweather Co. Ltd v. London Borough of Wandworth (1988) the dominant approach was rejected by the court due to the problems discussed previously. (www.alway-associates.co.uk, March 2011). During the construction of the works, consisting of 480 homes, the project was delayed due the late issue of variations and strikes by the workforce. When the case went to arbitration it ruled in favour of the architect and suggested that the strikes had been the dominant cause. However the contractor appealed the decision to the courts who overruled. The judge stated, â€Å"On the assumption that condition 23 is not solely concerned with liquidated or ascertained damages but also triggers and conditions a right for a contractor to recover direct loss and expense where applicable under condition 24 then an architect and his turn an arbitrator has the task of allocating where the facts require it the extension of time to the various heads. I do not consider that the dominant tes t is correct.† (www.brewerconsulting.co.uk, March 2011). 4.5 Malmaison Approach This approach was established in the case of Henry Boot Construction (UK) Ltd v Malmaison Hotel (Manchester) Ltd (1999). It came about not because the dispute was resolved but by both parties agreeing to resolve elements of the dispute which the court then approved. (www.alway-associates.co.uk, March 2011).   This was the first instance the court acknowledged that an extension of time should not be refused when a delay caused by the contractor is concurrent with a delay caused by the employer. During the case concurrent delays were discussed in detail but the main focus was on how delays caused by both the contractor and employer should be interpreted.   Judge Dyson said, â€Å"It is agreed that if there are two concurrent causes of delay, one of which is a relevant event, and the other is not, then the contractor is entitled to an extension of time for the period of delay caused by the relevant delay notwithstanding the concurrent effect of the other event,† (www.alway-associates.co.uk, March 2011). Judge Dyson went on to explain this in simpler terms he said, â€Å"For example if no work is possible on a site for a week not only because of exceptionally inclement weather (a relevant event) but also because the contractor has a shortage of labour (not a relevant event) and if the failure to work during that week is likely to delay the works beyond the completion date by one week, then if he considers it fair and reasonable to do so, the architect is required to grant an extension of time of one week. He cannot refuse to do so on the grounds that the delay would have occurred in any event by reason of the shortage of labour.† (www.alway-associates.co.uk, March 2011). This approach entitles the contractor to an extension of time when they are responsible for the delay at the same time the employer is also causing the delay. This is due to the contractors delay occurring at the same time as a neutral event i.e. inclement weather. In the more recent case of Steria Limited v Sigma Wireless Communications Limited (2007) the Malmaison apporoach was adopted. A dispute occurred between both parties as Sigma did not pay the final contract price owed to Steria. Sigma argued that completion of the works were delayed due to events caused by Steria and therefore where entitled to claim loss and expense. Judge Davies considered whether or not Steria should have been entitled to an extension of time. The judge ruled that Steria should have been granted an extension of time as the delay was not predominantly caused by them and because the matter relied upon was not the dominant cause although it did have equivalent contributing influence with other events relating to the delay. (www.pinsentmasons.com, March 2011). 5.0 Analyse of City Inn v Shepherd Construction Ltd In 1997 City Inn appointed Shepherd construction to construct a hotel in Bristol under a JCT form of contract. The initial completion date of January 26, 1999 was extended by the architect but only by two weeks. The project was not completed until the 29 March 1999 therefore incurring a nine week delay. The same day the architect issued a two week extension of time he also issued a non-completion certificate and stated the contractor had failed to complete the works by the extended completion date therefore allowing City Inn to deduct liquidated damages. (www.jonesday, March 2011). The dispute arose as Shepherd construction claimed they were entitled to eleven weeks extension of time as a result of the architect issuing instructions late and also demanded damages for loss and expense at  £11,500 per week.   City Inn argued that as the works were completed late they were entitled to liquidated damages of  £30,000 per week for nine weeks therefore proceeded to withhold  £270,000 of damages. (www.cila.co.uk, March 2011). In summary the concurrent causes of delay claimed by both parties are as follows; Employer- Defective work and late completion Contractor – Architects Instructions and variations issued late The dispute went to adjudication where the adjudicator ruled in favour of the Shepherd construction. The adjudicator awarded Shepherd construction a nine week extension of time and instructed City Inn to repay the monies owed to the Shepherd construction. However City Inn did not agree with the adjudicator’s decision and appealed to the Scottish Court of Session. The case went to court before Lord Drummond Young.    5.1 Lord Drummond Young’s Decision The experts of both parties agreed that a critical path analysis could not be carried out as there was no accurate programme establishing how the contractor intended on carrying out the works. Lord Drummond Young therefore had to judge what impact the actions of City Inn and Shepherd construction had on the overall delay of the whole project. (www.cila.co.uk, March 2011). Lord Drummond Young concluded that all the delays identified by City Inn and Shepherd construction were concurrent causes of delay.   Therefore under clause 25 of the contract Lord Drummond Young was required to make a judgement and reach a â€Å"fair and reasonable† decision on an extension of time. (www.pinsentsmasons.org, March 2011).   Due to the absence of a dominant cause Lord drumming Young adopted a â€Å"common sense† approach and apportioned the delay between the relevant event and other events to reach a fair and reasonable outcome.   (www.cila.co.uk, March 2011). Lord Drummond Young stated the adjudicator was correct to award Shepherd Construction a nine week extension of time. However City Inn where not happy with his decision and decided to appeal his ruling to the Supreme Court. 5.2 The Appeal Decision The appeal launched by City Inn was rejected by all three judges however they did not all fully support Lord Drummond Young’s ruling on awarding an extension of time. Lord Osborne delivered the bulk of the judgment with Lord Kingarth agreeing with his assessment. Lord Osborne set five propositions for the proper approach to be taken when granting an extension of time: Before a claim for an extension of time can succeed a relevant event must be proven to have caused a delay and as a result the works will be delayed. When considering whether or not a relevant event has caused a delay a common sense approach must be taken. A critical path analysis will help the decision maker determine the cause of the delay however it is not relied upon for the claim to succeed. If a dominant cause of delay can be identified then effect will be given to that delay by leaving out of account any cause of or causes that are not material. The claim will fail if the relevant event is not a dominant cause. If there is no dominant cause the contractors claim should not automatically fail. The decision maker should, â€Å"approach the issue in a fair and reasonable way, to apportion the delay in completion of the works between the relevant event and the other event.† (www.pinsentsmasons.org, March 2011). Although Lord Carloway agreed with the result of the case however he rejected the Lord Drummond Young’s apportionment approach. Lord Carloways stated it was the architect’s responsibility to judge whether or not a delay was the result of a relevant event. Therefore the contractor should be granted an extension of time so long as he can prove the cause of the delay is a relevant event. 5.3 Likelihood of an Appeal Succeeding I believe an appeal by City Inn to the Supreme Court would be unsuccessful. From the two cases already put before the courts all four judges have agreed that the decision to award the contractor an extension of time was the correct one after considering the arguments of both parties. The judges put great emphasis on adopting a common sense approach when considering an extension of time in order to make a fair and reasonable decision.   Concurrent causes of delay arose as no dominant cause of delay could be identified and therefore apportionment approach was adopted which had strong support from all the appeal judges. If an appeal was made to the Supreme Court I believe the judge would reject City Inns appeal as it is clear to see a common sense approach has been adopted to achieve a fair result between City Inn and Shepherd Construction. 6.0 References Literature Cushman, R., Carter, J., Gorman, P. And Coppi, D., (2001). Construction Disputes: Representing the Contractor Fletcher A. (1998) Key issues in Time Extension claims, Building and Construction Law Keating D., Ramsey, V., Furst S. (2000) Keating on Building Contracts Ross J., (2004) Knowledge Is Power: The Freedom of Information Act comes into Force Smith H., (2010) Construction Dispute Avoidance; Herbert Smith, Newsletter no.18 Websites alway-associates.co.uk/legal-update/article.asp?id=24 Accessed 03/03/11 brewerconsulting.co.uk/cases/RPC_CES4.htm Accessed 01/03/11 cila.co.uk/files/Construction/Kennedys/Concurrency%20Talk.pdf Accessed 04/03/11 charlesrussell.co.uk/UserFiles/file/pdf/Construction%20%20Engineering/BB_sept_2010/concurrent_delay.pdf Accessed 26/02/11 clarkslegal.com/Article/533/Counting+the+cost+of+lost+time+-+apportioning+concurrent+delay+in+EOT+claims Accessed 13/03/11 dac.co.uk/documents/resources/articles/Delaying_tactics_Property_Law_Journal Accessed 13/03/11 jonesday.com/extensions-of-time-concurrent-delays-and-causation-city-inn-v-shepherd-judicial-guidance-from-the-uk-courts-at-long-last-05-14-2008/ Accessed 16/03/11 pinsentmasons.com/PDF/SteriavStigma0408.pdf Accessed 17/03/11 www.pinsentsmasons.org/PDF/CityInnLtd.pdf Accessed 18/03/11 rics.org/site/download_feed.aspx?fileID=3400fileExtension=PDF Accessed 05/03/11 scl.org.uk/node/533 Accessed 26/02/11 scotcourts.gov.uk/opinions/2006hcjac27.html Accessed 29/02/11 www.theqsi.co.uk/cpdmod/concurrent%20delays%202.doc Accessed 28/02/11 tonybingham.co.uk/column/articlepick.php Accessed 07/03/11

Pan the Goat-Footed Greek God

Pan the Goat-Footed Greek God Pan- or Faunus in Roman mythology- is the noisy goat-footed god of the Greeks. He looks after shepherds and woods, is a capable musician, and invented the instrument named after him- panpipes. He leads the nymphs in dances and stirs up panic. He is worshiped in Arcadia and is associated with sexuality. Pan's Family of Origin Pan was born in Arcadia. There are various versions of the birth of Pan. In one, his parents are Zeus and Hybris. In another, the most common version, his father is Hermes; his mother, a nymph. In another version of his birth, Pans parents are Penelope, wife of Odysseus and her mate, Hermes or, possibly, Apollo. In the bucolic Greek poet of the third century B.C. Theocritus, Odysseus is his father. Attributes of Pan The attributes or symbols associated with Pan are woods, pastures, and the syrinx- a flute. He is depicted with goats feet and two horns and wearing a lynx-pelt. In the Pan painters vase, a goat-headed and tailed young Pan pursues a youth. Pan's Death In Plutarchs Moralia, he reports a rumor about the death of Pan, who as a god, couldnt die, at least in principle. Sources Ancient sources for Pan include Apollodorus, Cicero, Euripides, Herodotus, Hyginus, Nonnius, Ovid, Pausanias, Pindar, Plato, Statius, and Theocritus. Timothy Gantz Early Greek Myths itemizes many details about the Pan traditions.

Innovation in Vodafon Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Innovation in Vodafon - Case Study Example Hendricks & Singhal (1997. pp432-435) conducted a research in relationship between timing of new product introductions and market value of firms to discover that all firms that are late in introducing new products to the market lose market value. These theories indicate the importance of innovations for organization to remain competitive in the markets & the overall industry. As presented by Brown and Kozinets et al (2003. pp30-33), just carrying forward the heritage of the brand will not ensure its survival - old brand need to keep on learning new tricks of survival. In this essay, the author presents a brief introduction of innovations of Vodafone whereby the history, innovation characteristics and most innovative service of Vodafone have been covered in brief. In the end, the author has presented they perspective of his contribution to the innovations of Vodafone. Vodafone has slightly more than two decades of history and hence is relatively younger compared to many competitive firms in the telecommunications industry. It started in 1988 as a 100% owned subsidiary of Racal Electronics Plc and was operating in the name of Racal Telecom Plc which first time got listed in 1988 offering 20% of the overall capital to the public. Racal Telecom Plc became independent of Racal Electronics Plc in 1991 and was renamed as Vodafone Group Plc after the de-merging. As on today, the Vodafone Plc executive board is chaired by Sir John Bond and the Group CEO is Vittorio Colao who has taken charge from Arun Sarin very recently after the latter's retirement. Vodafone operates in 20 countries directly or through franchises that are Albania, Australia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Spain, Turkey and the UK. In every country, the local operations are led by the country CEO who acts as the business in-charge of Vodafone in the country. All the country CEOs collectively report to the group CEO. (http://www.vodafone.com/start/about_vodafone/who_we_are.html) Vodafone Group Plc is one of the largest global mobile communications company having the vision to achieve the number one position in this industry. The vision statement of Vodafone states that "Our goal is to be the communications leader in an increasingly connected world". The "Cute Dog" advertisement with the "Happy to Help" message at the end itself is an innovation. Currently, this advertisement is getting close to hearts of the Indians with many variants of it floating in the local markets (http://www.resourcesforlife.com/docs/item1413). Vodafone has largely focussed on the global wireless communications market unlike their nearest global counterparts AT&T Inc. & British Telecom Plc. that are engaged more in wired telecommunications markets across the world. In the statement by the Group Chairman, Sir John Bond, it is emphasized that Vodafone is actively looking at mobile communicat

Week 2 workshop Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 2 workshop - Assignment Example The graph is now positively skewed from mean as shown in the diagram below: The appropriate measures of central tendency for skewed distribution are either mean or median. Median is a more appropriate measure for highly skewed distributions. The skewness of the graph that we have plotted is not very high. Hence the best measure of central tendency is the mean. The average salary of the corporate customers is now $345,455. Gender is an example of nominal data. It can take either of the two values: Male or Female. Mode which is the value which has the highest frequency in the given data set is the best measure of central tendency in this case (QuickMBA, 2010). The mode of the distribution will tell us whether the data has more males or more females which is an appropriate measure for central tendency. The three key different measures of central tendency are Mean, Median and Mode. All the three are not the best measures for all types of distribution. They have different values for differently skewed distributions. For a symmetrical distribution, all the three measures converge on the same value. Mean is the most sensitive measure to skewness (Levin and Rubin, 2009). In case the distribution contains outlier values which impact the skewness of the distribution positively or negatively, the mean moves from being the highest (positively skewed distribution) to being the lowest (negatively skewed distribution). In any distribution, median is always in the middle of mean and mode. Median is the least sensitive measure for skewed distributions. Standard deviation and variance are both the measures of dispersion. Standard deviation is the square root of variance. Variance is the average value of the squared difference of the each value and the mean. Since variance is calculated after squaring, all the differences take positive value. Moreover, larger differences get more weight and are more suitable in cases where there are more outliers. Standard