Attitude and Knowledge Scale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Attitude and Knowledge Scale - Essay Example (3) ___ 29. The ability of an individual to cope with stress diminishes in old age. (4) ___ 30. All people should be required to retire at age 70. (5) ___ 31. Most aged persons resist change. (4) ___ 32. As people get old, they become more difficult to get alone with. (3) ___ 33. Older people are more nervous than younger people. (3) ___ 34. Most young people have difficult communicating with aged persons. (3) ___ 35. Many young people feel uncomfortable in the presence of the aged. (2) ___ 36. Most young people would prefer not to be around the elderly. (4) ___ 37. As a person grows older, diminishes in all activities grows. (2) ___ 38. The greatest fear of most older people is their own impending death. (2) ___ 39. In old age, illness is the constant companion of elderly persons. (4) ___ 40. Most people don't want to grow old. (3) ___ 41. Most people fear the prospect of growing old. (3) ___ 42. Most people view the elderly as burdens upon society. (2) ___ 43. When a person is young, he/she tends to look on old age as something that happens only to other people. (2) ___ 44. People in their nineties generally don't know what is going on around them. (4) ___ 45. It is best to use relatively simple language when talking to older people. (4) ___ 46. Older people tend to respond to questions more slowly than do younger people. (4) ___ 47. For most, old age is characterized by bitterness and regret. (3) ___ 48. Most older people regret many things they did during the course of their lives. (3) ___ 49. Most older people regret many things they don't do during the course of their lives. (3) ___ 50. As people grow older, they tend to be more demanding and self-centered. (3) ___ 51. The majority of elderly persons enjoy being grandparents. (4) ___...I have a balanced outlook of old age and realize that the needs of all old people may not be the same. If there are some old people who feel desolate and left out, there are also many who may have a fascinating zest for life. I believe that rather than sympathy, what old people require is empathy. All of them are unique individuals who have a very personal history of their own, and so all care should be taken to give each one of them their own personal space. It is true that they may require aid in performing many common chores of life. But this I feel should be done in such a manner which not only bolsters their self confidence (that is if they need any), but also make them feel wanted, loved and be themselves. Again, while doing this I would like to point out, that it is very natural to fall into the traditional credo that all people require sympathy and kindness. We should remember that if we are extra kind to old people, it is neither because of their subject position nor for humanitarian causes but simply because we are human beings. 2. One fact of old age is paramount. It is possibly a physical detoriation of one's health.

War and Conflicts in Africa and Its Effects on Childhood and Health Term Paper

War and Conflicts in Africa and Its Effects on Childhood and Health - Term Paper Example Maintaining and enhancing childhood and child health has not been easy for nations in the developing world, particularly conflict-plagued nations in Africa. These nations are often plagued by war and conflicts. These conflicts make it difficult for Western-influenced medical and social intervention difficult. Childhood is seen as the early years of a person’s life where the person socializes with members of the society and gains an understanding of the world around him or her in preparation for a productive life after age 18 (NICHD Early Childhood Research Network, 2005). In most studies covered by this research though, childhood seems to stretch from the time of birth to about age 12, where a child needs care and attention. As a child grows, s/he needs to get a proper blend of emotional, mental and physical health (Kehily, 2004) in order to become a stable and healthy adult. Emotional health encompasses the right bonds with adults, care and protection from trauma and other harsh conditions that may make a child disturbed. Mental health has to do with the right structures that will give the child a stable mind. Physical health means protection from diseases and other physical injuries that would prevent the child from normal life. In the modern setting, these things should be available to the child as he goes through contact with his or her parents, school and the local community. Clarke et al (2003) stress that a good childhood is one in which a child gets the opportunity to grow up an ideal setting. This includes access to good and healthy food, the opportunity to learn and play, protection from diseases and harsh environmental conditions as well as access to proper health care.  

Electronic Project Management System Project in Construction

Electronic Project Management System Project in Construction Introduction Construction is one of the most complicated industries in the world. It engages in many kind of industries and processes to complete the building project. Therefore, construction also needs to use project management methodology to manage the project. Nowadays, information technology is a very useful tool to help the business. Construction also use much information technology to helping in the building processes, therefore, a construction company would like to implement a electronic project management system to manage the building processes. In this electronic project management system project, it would like to choose the PRINCE2 instead of PMP for the project management methodology. We would like to compare those methodologies and suggest the most suitable one for the similar case in construction industry. We have many project management methodologies in the world but it is difficult to choose one for special project. We will use PRINCE 2 to compare with PMP in several areas. Prince 2 â€Å"PRINCE† is a project management methodology and it is stand for PRojects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE). PRINCE2 is the second version of this methodology and it is a registered trademark of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) of UK. PRINCE2 is widely in use by UK government and other company in UK. PRINCE2 is a structure project management methodology for different kind of project, not only for Information Technology. Pmbok â€Å"PMBOK† also is a project management methodology and it is stand for â€Å"Project Management Book of Knowledge†. PMBOK is a guide of best practice in a project and it is published by PMI (Project Management Institute). PMBOK is widely in use in the world but not only in US or North America. PMP (Project Management Professional) is a well known certificate for the PMBOK. You could use PMBOK standard in different kind of industry that runs a project. Project Life-cycle based versus Knowledge Area based In PRINCE2, it has clearly defined the project life-cycle in eight main processes as follows, l Starting up a project (SU) l Directing a project (DU) l Initiating a project (IP) l Managing stage boundaries (SB) l Controlling a stage (CS) l Managing product delivery (MP) l Closing a project (CP) l Planning (PL) Each of the main process has its sub-process and totally in 45 processes with their own documentation. Compare with PRINCE2, PMBOK has discuss in nine functional based knowledge area rather than use project life-cycle, l Project integration management l Project scope management l Project time management l Project cost management l Project quality management l Project human resource management l Project communications management l Project risk management l Project procurement management Each of the knowledge area has its sub-process and totally in 42 processes. It seems PRINCE2 has well defined the project life-cycle than PMBOK. PRINCE2 has defined easy to follow procedure, checklists and hints for project manager to use through the project life-cycle. PMBOK mainly discuss the skills, tools and techniques in the nine knowledge areas. In PRINCE2, the project life-cycle is not starting from the needs or feasibility study. In PRINCE2 manual stated â€Å"Most of what in PRINCE2 terms will be stages will be divisions of ‘implementation in the product life span.† Therefore, PRINCE2 is more likely to be implementation methodology than project management methodology. PMBOK recognize any projects needs the assessment and feasibility study before the project start. It is more likely is a project management methodology. Documentation In PRINCE2, it has heavily on documentation. PRINCE2 has described thirty-six standard management documents such as plans and reports that are involved through the whole methodology. Acceptance Criteria, â€Å"A definition in measurable terms of the characteristics required of the final product(s)for it/them to the customers and staff who will be affected.† It seems to be provided by the project management team and written during the project starting and it should be a mandatory documentation in the project. Communication Plan, â€Å"To define all parties interested in the project. It contains a description of the means and frequency of communication between them and the project team.† It is a document stated all interest parties, what information is required, how often is the communication and the method. It is to be provided by the project management team and written during the project starting for future as a communication roadmap. End Project Report, â€Å"This report is the Project Managers report to the Project Board (who may pass it on to corporate or programme management) on how well the project has performed against its Project Initiation Document.† This report should provided by the Project Manager and written during the Closing a Project stage. Also, it is a mandatory document in the project. Issue Log, It is use to record all issues raised in the project those need to take attention. It may include any concern in the project or any requirement out of the project scope the need of the change of scope. â€Å"Project issues may be raised by anyone associated with the project at any time.† In PRINCE2, the issue log is a mandatory document in the controlling project stage. It should has access control and kept in a safe place Lesson Learned Log, â€Å"To be a repository of any lesson learned during the project that can be usefully applied to other projects.† It should be written at the closing stage of the project and it may be a mandatory document to act as a â€Å"Learning Library† for future use. Project Mandate, â€Å"The information in the Mandate is used to trigger Starting up a Project(SU). It should contain sufficient information to identify at least the prospective Executive of the Project Board and indicate the subject matter of the project.† It should come from the Project committee that can approve the cost, the project and any resources. It also is a mandatory document in the project starting stage. Except the â€Å"Lesson Learned Log†, those documents are not discussed and mentioned in the PMBOK. It seems PMBOK is discussing on the project management skills and techniques more than the documentation. Schedule And Planning In PRINCE2, it is more focus on the project goal or objective to be delivered and the quality. It is using some common techniques or tools such as Gantt Chart, Pert Chart or any other method in the Planning (PL) stage. PRINCE2 introduce several steps in the planning stage. Firstly, create a Product Breakdown Structure (PBS). Secondly, write down the Product Description. Finally, create the Product Flow Diagram. PRINCE2 has provided examples and defined clearly in each step what is the project manager should do. It has provided an easy to follow instruction for the project manager to manage the project. In PMBOK, planning is a general skill in the project management. It also applied to each project phase and through the whole project life-cycle. Also, PMBOK will use Gantt Chart or Pert Chart for the project planning and tracking. However, project planning in PMBOK always discussing in different knowledge areas and it seems across and integrated through the whole project. Control In Project Management In PRINCE2, according to the materials, control is talking about the decision making by the project management team. It is targeting to produce the project goal, fulfill the defined project quality condition, meet the project schedule, cost and resources planned and to deal with any crisis it may rose in the project life-cycle to complete the project. As mention at above, it is the responsibility of the project manager. PRINCE2 has defined very clearly between â€Å"Tolerance†, â€Å"Contingency† and â€Å"Change Control†. â€Å"Tolerance is the permissible deviation from a plan without bringing the deviation to the attention of the next higher authority.† Tolerance for the project manager is needed because there has no any project will run as hundred percent as planned in the world even the project manager with a good plan. â€Å"Contingency, in PRINCE2 terms, is a budget including the time and money set aside to carry out a contingency plan which will only be invoked in a linked risk actually occurs.† Contingency plan is needed in the project because the any project has some critical accident issue to cause the project fail. â€Å"Change Control, the control of change means the assessment of the impact of potential changes, their importance, their cost and a judgmental decision by management on whether to include them or not.†[14] In any project, change is inevitable but it need to under control and approved to ensure the project could meet the schedule and budget. IN PMBOK, control is discussed in several knowledge areas. As change control, it is discuss in â€Å"Project Integrated Management† Like the schedule and planning, control is always to be discuss in the several knowledge areas through the whole project life-cycle. Conclusion As a project management methodology, PRINCE2 and PMBOK have very different approaches for project management. It is because both methodologies serve in different areas. Therefore, they cannot directly to do the comparison. PMBOK, it demonstrates the best method for teaching the project management skills and techniques in each knowledge area, but it did not provide an effective guidance or examples for running a project. Compare with PMBOK, PRINCE2 use a project life-cycle base method to demonstrate its methodology is difficult to judge in each knowledge area. After the study of PRINCE2, its most likely to serve as customer vs supplier situation. In the PRINCE2s book, it has been pointing out the project will be running for a customer instead of a self manage situation. That means PRINCE2 is basically use to running a outsource project by the vendor more than running a project by the project sponsor. As describe in the book of PRINCE2, it also has an assumption the project is running for a customer with only one vendor. In the reality of construction management, it always deals with multiple vendors and the coordination or responsibilities are more complex than the example in the book. Compare with PRINCE2, PMBOK is more likely to run the project by the project sponsor rather than outsource to external vendor. It is because the book of PMBOK is written from the point of view of the project sponsor rather than the external vendor. Furthermore, PMBOK has discuss much in human resource management, financial management or procurement management more than PRINCE2. As this papers topic, it is talking about a construction company would like to implement an electronic project management system for construction project. Of course, construction company always in running a construction project. Therefore, project management skills and techniques are their professional and specialty. Although, construction company is a specialist in project management, they are only professional in building project but not software implementation. Since, construction industry is a complicated industry and almost all building project is outsource and subletting to their subcontractor. Therefore, the electronic project management system also needs to deal with different kind of supplier and processes. In the case, the heavily and robust documentation system of PRINCE2 may help to write down all necessary information about the software project. Moreover, outsource and subletting already has best practice in construction industry, it is an easy task for the construction company instead of running the project by themselves. So, PRINCE2 is most prefer to use as the software project management methodology in the construction industry. Bibliography 2005.Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2.2005 ed. TSO (The Stationery Office). 2000. A Guide To The Project Management Body Of Knowledge. 2000 ed. Project Management Institute Reference [1] PRINCE2, p13 [2] PMBOK, p7 [3] PRINCE2, p234 [4] PMBOK, p12 [5] PRINCE2, p341 [6] PRINCE2, p341 [7] PRINCE2, p345 [8] PRINCE2, p351 [9] PRINCE2, p360 [10] PRINCE2, p361 [11] PRINCE2, p379 [12] PRINCE2, p233 [13] PRINCE2, p236 [14] PRINCE2, p285 [15] PMBOK, p41

Independent Medical Examination :: essays research papers

Dear Dr.: is the authorized representative of in all of its workers’ compensation matters. The purpose of this file review is to determine whether the alleged condition of lumbar sprain is causally related to the claimant’s work activities. This claim has been allowed by the BWC for a sprain lumbar region following the claimant’s allegations that he felt back pain after slipping on ice while opening a gate at work. The claimant presented himself to St. Vincent Charity Hospital later that day complaining of sharp pain more on the right than on the left. The claimant admitted to prior back injuries and frequent chiropractic manipulations by a chiropractor during the examination, but was unsure of his previous diagnosis. The claimant stated that his back â€Å"has never been great, and I’ve always had problems with it†. On examination, Dr, Daniel Ryu found mild to moderate right paralumbar tenderness. The claimant was diagnosed with a lumbar sprain and given medications. The claimant followed up on March 9, 2005 with Dr. Ryu, reporting minimal improvement. At this examination, the claimant stated that he had a history of multi-level degenerative disk disease in the lumbar spine. Dr. Ryu requested an MR I, which was administered on March 7, 2005 by Dr. Shockley. The MRI revealed severe degenerative disc disease and mild to moderate facet disease at all levels of the lumbar spine. On March 18, 2005, the claimant returned to St. Vincent Charity Occupational Medicine, stating that he was feeling â€Å"better†, and had been participating in physical therapy. The BWC allowed the claim for a â€Å"Sprain Lumbar Region† on March 9, 2005. The employer does not believe that the claimant’s current condition is a result of a workplace incident. The claimant has a history of severe degenerative disc disease in the lumbar spine and frequent chiropractic manipulations. The employer believes that the claimant’s current complaints stem from the severe degenerative disc disease and is unrelated to the claimant’s 3/1/05 work activities.

“Macbeth”: The Tragic Hero Essay

Witches cause Macbeth’s downfall) By placing this thought in his mind, they effectively guide him on the path to the beginning of his own destruction. (Witches cause Macbeth’s downfall) After Banquo is killed, his ghost attends Macbeth’s banquet however his ghost is visible only to Macbeth. Evoking Sympathy for Macbeth) Shakespeare creates sympathy towards Macbeth when, Macbeths loses all composure in front of his guests when he sees Banquds ghost. His deteriorating mental state becomes known to all when he first beholds the ghost. He cries out, â€Å"Thou canst say I did it / Never shake thy gory locks at me† (3. 4. 61-62) The reader feels pity for a defenseless Macbeth as it becomes evident that his mental balance is diminishing and this ghost is a direct result of Macbeth’s guilty conscience (Evoking Sympathy for Macbeth). Macbeth, who was once a strong, righteous character, has urned into a paranoid shell of a man (Evoking Sympathy for Macbeth). In his rise to power, after Macbeth heard the prophecies of the witches he did not personally have the ambition and eagerness to take the throne and become king of Scotland (The Direct and Indirect Cause). On the other hand, however, once Lady Macbeth heard that her husband had been fortuned to be king, her lust for greed and selfishness drove her to insist that Macbeth take action immediately to seize the opportunity to become king. The Direct and Indirect Cause) After Lady Macbeth eads the letter from her husband detailing the confrontation with the witches she immediately resolves to have Duncan killed to fulfill the prophecy. Lady Macbeth mentions how she will persuade and talk Macbeth out of whatever is keeping him away from the crown, this includes the killing of Duncan . † Hie thee hither, / That I may pour my spirits in thine ear [And chastise wi th the valor of my tongue / All that impedes thee from the golden round, IWhich fate and metaphysical aid doth seem / To have thee crowned withal. † (1. 5. 4-29) Macbeth is unsure of the morality of the oth against the deed† (1. 7. 14-15). While Macbeth contemplates whether murdering Duncan is possible, Lady Macbeth goes on to remark that if he murders Duncan, Macbeth â€Å"would be so much more the man† (1. 7. 58). This convinces Macbeth into committing the murder. The audience, however, feels sympathy for an insecure Macbeth as he begins his spiral into ultimate destruction (Evoking Sympathy for Macbeth). It appears that without the push of Lady Macbeth the deed would have been unlikely to have taken place. (Evoking Sympathy for Macbeth) Even though Macbeth was influenced by his wife Lady Macbeth and by the witches, Macbeth is also responsible for the actions that lead to his fate. Because ignoring the voice in his own mind telling him right from wrong, Macbeth has set himself to his own destruction. He knows what he is doing is wrong even before he murders Duncan, but he allows Lady Macbeth and greed to cloud his Judgment. (Evoking Sympathy for Macbeth) Macbeth could have dismissed the prophecies like Banquo did, but he instead chose to believe in the predictions, which ultimately lead to his own downfall. Evoking Sympathy for Macbeth) Yet again, Shakespeare allows the readers to sympathize for Macbeth by displaying Macbeths hopelessness in the final act. Until the last moment, Macbeth believes that â€Å"none of women born / shall harm Macbeth. † (4. 1. 88-89) However, Macduff crushes Macbeth’s last hope when he informs Macbeth that he, Macduff, was â€Å"from his mother’s womb untimely ripped† (5. 8. 19-20) â€Å"The reader feels sympathy for Macbeth because of his brave display of conviction and pursuit of honorable death. Macbeth dies with dignity by not trying to fght his fate, also invoking pity from the reader. Macbeth Causes His Own Downfall) Macbeth is considered a tragic hero because his actions lead to his defeat. However, his wife Lady Macbeth’s mad plans and the witches prophesies also had a major contribution to his downfall. Taking into consideration that Macbeth started off as a respected general, a devoted husband, and a loyal subjec t of the king, sympathy towards him was evoked even after he transformed into an evil, deceitful, and corrupt leader (Evoking Sympathy for Macbeth). Macbeth is considered a tragic hero because his actions lead to his defeat.

Consumer Behavior Essay

Consumer behavior is an attempt to understand & predict human actions in the buying role. It has assumed growing importance under market-oriented or customer oriented marketing planning & management. Consumer behavior is defined as â€Å"all psychological, social & physical behavior of potential customers as they become aware of, evaluate, purchase, consume, & tell others about product & services†. * Each element in this definition is important. * Consumer behavior involves both individual (psychological) processes & group (social processes). * Consumer behavior is reflected from awareness right through post-purchase evaluation indicating satisfaction or non-satisfaction, from purchases * Consumer behavior includes communication, purchasing & consumption behavior * Consumer behavior is basically social in nature. Hence social environment plays an important role in shaping buyer behavior. * Consumer behavior includes both consumer & business buyer behavior In consumer behavior we consider not only why, how, & what people buy but other factors such as where , how often, and under what conditions the purchase is made. An understanding of the buyer behavior is essential in marketing planning & programmes. In the final analysis buyer behavior is one of the most important keys to successful marketing. MAJOR FACTORS INFLUENCING BUYER BEHAVIOUR CULTURAL FACTORS Cultural factors exert the broadest and deepest influence on consumer behavior. The roles played by the buyers culture, sub culture and social class are particularly important. * CULTURE- Culture is the most fundamental determinant of a person’s wants and behavior. The growing child acquires a set of values, perceptions, preferences, and behavior through his or her family or other key institutions. * SUB-CULTURE- Sub-culture includes nationalities, religions, racial groups, and geographical regions. Many sub-cultures make up important market segments, and marketers often design marketing programs tailored to their needs. * SOCIAL CLASS- Social classes are relatively homogenous and enduring divisions in a society, which are hierarchically ordered and whose members share similar values, interests, and behavior. Social classes do not reflect income alone but also other indicators such as occupation, education, and area of residence. SOCIAL FACTORS * REFERNCE GROUPS- A Person’s reference groups consist of all the groups that have a direct or indirect influence on the person’s attitudes or behavior. Groups having direct influence on a person are called membership groups. * FAMILY- The family is the most important consumer buying organization in society, and has been researched extensively. Family members constitute the most influential primary reference group. * ROLE AND STATUSES- A person’s position in each group that he participates throughout his life –family, clubs, and organizations can be defined in terms of role and status. A role consist of activities that a person is expected to perform. Each role carries a status. Marketers are aware of the status symbol potential of products and brands. PERSONAL FACTORS A buyer’s decisions are also influenced by personal characteristics. These include the buyer’s age & stage in the life cycle, occupation, economic circumstances, lifestyle, personality & self concept. * AGE & STAGE IN THE LIFE CYCLE- People buy different goods & services over their lifetime. They eat baby food in the early years, most foods in the growing & mature years & special diets in the later years. People’s taste in clothes, furniture & recreation is also age related. * OCCUPATION- A person’s occupation also influences his or her consumption pattern. Marketers try to identify the occupational groups that have above – average interest in their products and services. A company can even specialize its products for certain occupational groups. * ECONOMIC CIRCUMCTANCES- Product choices are greatly affected by one’s economic circumstances. Economic stability consist of their spend able income (its level, stability and time pattern), saving a nd assets (including the percentage that is liquid), debts, borrowing power, attitude toward spending versus saving. * LIFESTYLE- People coming from the same subculture, social class & occupation may lead quite different lifestyles. A person’s lifestyles the person’s pattern of living in the world as expressed in the persons activities, interests & opinions. * PERSONALITY AND SELF-CONCEPT- Each person has a distinct personality that influences his or her buying behavior. By personality, we mean a person’s distinguishing psychological characteristics that lead to relatively consistent and enduring responses to his or her environment. Personality can be a useful variable in analyzing consumer behavior, provided that personality type can be classified accurately and that strong correlations exist between certain personality types and product or brand choices. PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS A person’s buying choices are influenced by four major psychological factors-motivations, perception, learning, beliefs and attitudes. * MOTIVATION- A person has many needs at any given time. A need becomes motive when it is aroused to a sufficient level of intensity. Motivational researchers hold that each product is capable of arousing a unique set of motive in consumers. * LEARNING- When people act they learn. Learning involves changes in an individual’s behavior arising from experience. Learning theory teaches marketers that they can build up demand for a product by associating it with strong drives, using motivating cues and providing positive reinforcement. * PERCEPTION- Perception is the process by which an individual selects, organizes, & interprets information inputs to create a meaningful picture of the world. A motivated person is ready to act. How the motivated person actually acts is influenced by his or her perception of the situation. * BELIEFS & ATTITUDES- A belief is a descriptive thought that a person holds about something. Through doing & learning, people acquire beliefs & attitudes. These in turn influence their buying behavior. Particularly important to global marketers is the fact that buyers often hold distinct disbeliefs about brands or products based on their country of origin. An attitude is person’s enduring favorable or unfavorable evaluations, emotional feelings, and action tendencies towards some object or idea. People have attitude toward almost everything: religion, politics, clothes, music, food, and so on. Attitude put them into a frame of mind of liking or disliking an object, moving toward or away from it.