Consumer behaviour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Consumer behaviour - Assignment Example True to John’s case, he had a need for replacing the television he had lost due to burglary. He got an insurance compensation, and this; therefore, put him at the point of need to find another television set. Mr John explains that he could not imagine staying any longer in that state of boredom without getting a TV set, and this prompted him to think of how to capture one. Need recognition entails identifying the need, which he or she has to satisfy. This marks the beginning of the buying process. Notably, the identification of the need is the foundation of the buying process, since the customer has to satisfy an existing need. In this case, the desire to watch movies or TV programs was the process of the need recognition that led to the identification of T.V as the only thing that would satisfy the need to watch movies and programs and reduce boredom. Notably, need recognition is the most significant stage of the buying process because without a need there is no purchase. The second step involves the search for relevant information on the product identified that can satisfy the need. In this case, the customer looks around to identify the best product that would satisfy the need (Singh, 2007). Notably, the customer seeks for the best product in the market that would solve their problem. In this case, the search for relevant information would involve a search for information on TV sets from distinct manufacturers in the market. Most customers search for information through friends, relatives, adverts, the internet and catalogs and other booklets (Armstrong, 2009). In his response on whether he searched for various products before settling on Sony T.V, he acknowledged that he browsed the internet in search of different models and brands. He gave the reason for this as the fact that he did not want to buy the same model he had lost to burglary since its spare parts were not readily available at the local electronic shops.

Criminal Justice Experiential Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Criminal Justice Experiential Paper - Essay Example It is interesting because how people react is a good indication of the state of society today; although there are many definitions of deviance such as absolutist, reactivist or normative, suffice it to say at this point that deviance refers to anything that is out of norm. Along this line, it is perhaps proper to first identify the importance of norms to society and in our everyday lives (Clinard & Meier, 2008, p. 8). This is because without norms being discussed it would be difficult to put deviant behavior into a proper context. The social norms therefore are references to expectations people place on everyone regarding what is correct conduct on certain situations or in occasions when people normally gather among themselves. Simply, deviance is anything that is quite different from the accepted social norms; it implies that deviance is a very relative notion or matter of perception. On a deeper level, deviance is something that is not valued or dis-valued (perceived or evaluated i n a negative light). The social gathering which I had chosen to implement my experiment was our school reunion. There were several batches present, those ahead of us and those who studied after us, besides the batch mates to which I belonged. It was a silver jubilee (25th year) since our high school graduation and many of us attended; some went together with their families. Discussion In this section, I will discuss some of the deviant behaviors which I engaged in during our high school reunion. It must be emphasized at this point that at no time did my egregious behavior endangered anyone or put someone even remotely at risk. I may have offended some people's sensibilities but that was almost all about it; it was all intended to elicit reactions. The actions I took and the varied reactions I elicited with them are discussed below. Deviant Behaviors – I intentionally arrive late for the start of the festivities. Although it was agreed by our batch that everyone should endeavo r to arrive early or even on time, the time I got there was already almost an hour late and naturally, my batch mates were not happy with the way things turned out for our batch as I missed an early pictorial for our group. Moreover, I did not apologize or offer some explanation as to why I was that late. My guess was that everyone expected me to at least give an alibi which I think was not necessary. This was because everyone in our batch had been reminded a few times several days before the event to please arrive on time; reminders were sent to each one of us by text messages. It is therefore almost inconceivable for someone to be late; the implication was that the party or occasion was not accorded the importance it deserves. I tried to appear grouchy as well. There was a fund raising activity to coincide with the momentous occasion in which I had promised to buy two tickets as my contribution to the charity works of the school. This is a raffle in which ticket holders are suppos ed to win some prizes but I purposely remarked that the prizes were too cheap considering the price of the tickets being sold. That remark was for the purpose of giving them an impression that I was not too happy with paying for my tickets. At the very least, it was construed by our batch president and others that I tried to sneak out of a firm commitment to buy those two tickets. I also mumbled something about having to pay a hospital bill for a close relative who was rushed to the

Online Examination Management System

Online Examination Management System Online Examination Management System CHAPTER- 1: Introduction 1.1 Topic of the system Now a day, the use of information technology in educational institutes and private organization is very common. In educational institutes you will find presentation software, course websites, Intranet facility and online homework assignments and the automation of organization have been found very commonly with the rapid development in information technology. Now a day, in organization due to automation all the works is done by computers. It makes work easier, faster reliable as compare to the previous way of working. Information technology is growing day by day still we fail to provide proper IT assistance to education industry. At the time of Exam, Still we follow the same old method of collecting questions from different teachers , then arranging them in proper order and then setting up a questionnaire and even at the places where we are following online or automated examination system we are not able to prevent the drawback of same or repeated question paper. The system which developer is going to propose is an â€Å"Online Examination Management System†. This system is used to solve many problems faced by education organization or any other organization (who are conducting an exam for any purpose). This system is used to conduct objective based/multiple choice based online exam; it will also generate the question paper for an online exam and written exam (which is a common method of conducting an exam). It will generate random question in online exam for each candidate, it will also assess online exam generate a result for the candidate at the same time after completing an exam. This system will generate all the required report to keep the record in files. 1.2 Purpose of the Situation As the Information technology is growing day by day still we fail to provide proper IT assistance to education industry. Still we follow the same old method of collecting questions from different teachers, then arranging them in proper order and then setting up a questionnaire and even at the places where we are following online or automated examination system we are not able to prevent the drawback of same or repeated question paper. With the help of proposed system user can solve all the problems and make work easier, faster, and reliable. 1.3 Target Reader The main target readers of the proposed system are stake holder of educational or other institute/organization, who conducts exams for admission purpose, exam preparations or jobs. Candidates those are willing to appear in exams for any purpose like admission, preparation etc. 1.4 Topic Background Online Examination Management System is a system which is used by any educational institute or any organization who are conducting exam for job or any other purpose. This system will help them to conduct an online exam. This system is used to conduct an aptitude paper for admission or job purpose and it will also help to generate a question paper for educational institute. The most important feature of proposed system is that this system is not only a web based application it is a combination of web-based and stand alone application. So that user can take the benefit of proposed system in any situation. User never depends on the net connectivity for his work user can do his work with the help of standalone module. Proposed system will help to keep the record of students/candidates who are willing to give exams. It will also store the records of members of the institute/organization. It will store all the data related to examination like Question, Exams Detail, and Exam Schedule etc. Proposed system will also help to conduct an online exam so that user can take exam at any time and candidate can also participate in exam from any part of this world. Online exam consist mainly two type of question multiple choice and multiple response. At the time of online exam random question will generate for exam so that no one candidate will get the same question at the same time if questions are available in database. Proposed system will also help to assess paper at the same time after the completion of exam. This will also help to generate a question for free format question which is very commonly used in any educational institute. This can only assess by the examination authorities. Another important thing in proposed system is that it can save data at real time if any problem will take place it store all the data at the same time, so that there is no lose of data. 1.5 Problem Context and Rational Tangible benefit The use of â€Å"Online Examination Management System† will also help in institute organization to achieve many objectives. They are†¦. 1. Frequently you can assess student learning: With the help of online exam you can take exam any time to check the learning of the candidate. 2. Elimination of grading requirement and cost:- All the things will done with the help of computer like taking an exam of the candidate, generating a question paper for online exam written paper, assessment of online exam paper generating the result of candidate. So that there is a less requirement of manpower time. So that it will reduce the cost requirement to take an exam. 3. Immediate feedback of student performance: With the help of this system you can give feedback to the student at the same time because paper of online exam will assess at the same time by the system. So that there is no need to wait the candidate for there result. 4. Elimination of paper copying cost: Online exam will help to eliminate the requirement of paper work. With the help of this system all the work will done with the help of computers so that, it will reduce usage of paper. Certain statistic quote that 18% of corporate printed material becomes outdated after 30 days. Imagine that what happened after a year what. Now, imagine if that material were always online or on your system. So that there is no requirement of buying the paper for paper work it will also reduce storage problem for storing bundles of paper. 5. It will help to save time: This system will help to save the time of the people who are involved in exam. Already question where stored in database of the system. No need to set the paper many days before the exam you can generate the paper at the same time of exam. There is no need to check the paper. All the paper will be checked with the help of system. There is no need to wait for result candidate can see result after completing the exam. Intangible benefit 1. Access is possible from any where: You can give an exam from any centre in the world there is no restriction of borders to give an exam. 2. It gives more security as compare to present system: -If you come to know that exam paper is hacked so that you can change the paper at the same time. But we are generating random question so there is no use of hacking the paper. 3. It will make work consistence: With the help of this software you can assure that your exam paper or result will not be modified by any person without your permission. There is no chance of paper leak. If you come know that exam paper is hacked then you can change the paper at the same time. Then there is no partiality in checking of paper the entire candidate will get marks according to their caliber. This will help to generate a randomly question in question paper. So that each candidate will get different paper in the same exam, so there is no chance of cheating. 1.6 Objective of the System In the proposed system â€Å"ONLINE EXAMINATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM†, people will find solutions for all their queries and loopholes in the existing exam assessment methodology. The system which developer is going to develop will help in institutes organizations to take an exam, for admission in colleges for placement in companies. This system will work on both side client side as well as server side. It means its a combination of web application stand alone application. So that with the help of this system people can take online exam with the help of web technology with the help of standalone application you can save questions any time there is no need of internet connection. This system will help to take an online exam so that candidate can access the exam from any one of the exam centre in the world. This system will help them to store the question in database of the system for exam. This system will help to generate the question paper from the database with the different level of difficulties grades. Now if you want to take a written paper of the candidates then this system will generate the question paper for return paper also. The questions for written exam are randomly generated so that there is very less chance to repeat the question in the question paper. It will happen only if there is less amount of question in database. This system will help them to assess the exam paper of the online exam. This system will automatically generate the result of the exam. You can export a question paper in â€Å".doc† format for written paper. 1.7 Functionality of the System Modules of the system Candidate/Student Information: This module will help to keep the record of the entire candidate of exam.Teacher Information: This module is used to keep the record of the entire faculties in institute.Generate Question Bank: This module will help to insert the question in the database.Generate Question Paper: This module will help to generate the question paper which includes all types wattage of question for the candidate. It will export the paper in â€Å".doc† format for written exam.Online Examination: This module is used to take an online exam.Reports: This module will help to generate all the reports. 1.8 Deliverables of the system v Creating data bank 1. Question can be categorized according to topic, types etc. 2. Exam can be created random basis per student. 3. System can automatically add the marks allocated in each question to determine the total mark for the exam. v Control Mechanism in the Exam 1. Time limit can be set for the exam. 2. The sequence of question can be randomized. 3. Student can navigate within a exam (i.e. backward forward) can be set navigation tool/button can be selected for a exam these button can be switched. 4. Student can be allowed to exit the exam before completing the entire question. 5. A specific date for a exam to be active can be set. v Question Types Multiple Choices: This allows the user to select one correct answer.Multiple Responses: This allows the users to select more than one answer.Free Format: This type of question will used to take a written exam of the student which is very often used by educational institute to conduct an exam. v Other Essential Requirements Negative marking should be possible in all the question types.Remaining time can be displayed.Free format question can be saved in Data Bank.A paper for written exam can be generated with the help system Data Bank.Answer can be saved at real time. v Security Only registered student are able to access the exam.Exam can be made available on special dates. v Reporting The following results on the exam performance can be obtained. Student number, name mark in word format.Average time used by the studentTime taken for each individual student to complete the test. CHAPTER- 2: PROBLEM DESCRIPTION Introduction to problem area Isnt it an irony that the agent which is solely responsible for the development of these technologies, itself has not been served fully? Examination is one such component of educational system which has always held a very high importance. Since time immemorial examinations are held to separate the best out of rest. The formal examination system is a very long procedure to conduct an examination. From the respect of the recruiter, they should give extra effort on the examination to select employees for the organization. This is a huge responsibility and extra load to the recruiter to conduct an examination. This is very costly and extremely tedious to conduct an examination. Side by side online examination is a very sophisticated examination conducting system. Nowadays, almost all of the organizations or companies are using computerized system to manage their organizations data. At the same time most of the universities or campuses are using computerized system for storing and managin g their education data excluded the examination data (exam question, exam answer and so on). Therefore, lecturers have to create new exam papers manually, it will bring a lot of troublesome while they want to retrieve back previous exam question or answer for references purpose. In this process, still a lot of messy work is involved such as manually clicking or searching the old set of questions. Even they have a common hardcopy or softcopy without systemisation. Furthermore, the admin is always busy in arranging the exam papers and headache of managing a flexible exam time schedule. Also without the computerized system, the examinee cheating issue and the security issue (sneaked out the exam paper before the exam) cannot be controlled well.Internet connectivity often gets lost which is another problem being faced by the examinees. Nature of challenge The main challenge in developing this system will be to understand the concepts and fundamentals behind managing examinations online. As I am not one of the administrative staff it will be quite an uphill task to get to the basic functionalities of this system. The main challenge that would be required for building this system is that it will generate the random question paper to each student so as to avoid cheating. It would evaluate the answers very instantly. It would have a time limitation for each and every section of the questions and would be ideal for the competitive exams like GRE, CAT etc. The notification of results would be sent to the candidate by email or text message. The generation of admit card is another challenge which would require a lot of effort as a huge crowd would be attempting the exam. We can also save the current exam and would rather provide facilities to both the examiner and students. Another serious challenge is to handle the power failure. It is requi red to for me to learn how to generate the questions papers and the admit cards randomly. I also need to learn how to handle the power failure and the advanced features of ASP.NET which includes the report generation, session management and all the security features that needs to be incorporated in the system so as the system may be hack proof. I need to learn how to generate different sets of questions from a set of questions. Maintaining the database is another challenge which needs a lot of efforts. CHAPTER- 3: PROJECT PLANNING Development Plan The Development Plan is the essential part as it provides the action plan for developing the â€Å"Online Examination Management System†. The development plan will show what will be done and in what time. Since the methodology selected is RUP methodology, the development plan is developed by concerning the stages of RUP methodology. Project Duration: 30 weeks 1. Inception phase (Estimated Time =41 Days) 1.1 Iteration 1: [Task: Pre-proposal and planning] (Duration: 25 Days) 1.1.1 Project Identification 1.1.2 PPF discussion with supervisor 1.1.3 Preparation of PPF 1.1.4 Online submission of PPF 1.1.5 Finalization of project title 1.2 Iteration 2: [Task: Development Plan] (Duration: 17 Days) 2.1.1 Specification research of the project 2.1.2 Identification of project module 2.1.3 Limitation of project scope 2.1.4 Identification of resources 2.1.5 Identification of required techniques to be learned 2.1.6 Methodology used 2.1.7 Preparation of development plan 2.1.8 Preparation of test plan 2.1.9 Submission of PSF 2.1.10 Gantt chart 2. Elaboration Phase (Estimated Time= 67 Days) 2.1 Iteration 1: [Tasks: System Investigation and Research] (Duration :14 Days) 2.1.1 Collect user requirements 2.1.1.1 Primary research 2.1.2.1.1 Questionnaire 2.1.2.1.2 Interviews 2.1.2.1.3 Observation 2.1.2 Research on the functional areas of the system 2.1.3 Identification of modules 2.2 Iteration 2: [Tasks: System Analysis] (Duration: 41 Days) 2.2.1 Analysis of user requirements 2.2.2 UML diagrams 2.2.3 Screen design 2.2.4 Database design 2.2.5 Evaluation of the screen and database design 2.3 Iteration 3: [Tasks: Technical language learning and research] (Duration: 12 Days) 2.3.1 Secondary research 2.3.2 Finalization of language 2.3.3 Finalization of development methodology 2.3.4 Learn technical skills 3. Construction Phase (Estimated Time= 58 Days) 3.1 Iteration 1: [Tasks: Interface Design and Database Design] (Duration: 26 Days) 3.1.1 Database Design 3.1.2 Prototype design 3.1.3 Documentation of the system 3.2 Iteration 2: [Tasks: System Modules] (Duration: 32 Days) 3.2.1 Analysis of the system 3.2.2 Identification of modules 3.2.3 Implementation of modules 3.2.4 Documentation of modules 4. Transition Phase (Estimated Time= 45 Days) 4.1 Iteration 1: [Tasks: Testing] (Duration: 27 Days) 4.1.1 Integration of all the modules 4.1.2 Preparation of test plan 4.1.3 Finding the target users 4.1.4 Testing and debugging the entire system 4.2 Iteration 2: [Tasks: Documentation] (Duration: 15 Days) 4.2.1 Completion of system documentation 4.3 Iteration 3: [Tasks: Luck Iteration] (Duration: 3 Days) 4.3.1 Finishing tips CHAPTER- 3: LITERATURE REVIEW 3.1 Domain Research 3.1.1 Online Examination As a change in model world all the things are going to be automated know a day all work done with the help of computer. Which makes our work more easy, fast (time consuming) reliable. Same in education field also examination is also will taken with the help of computer it means the process of online examination will help the education institute to take an exam online which can help them to take an exam from anywhere in this world. Online examination is completely objective based exams which assume simple answers that can be formally checked and easily evaluated online. The typical type of questions are 1) one word answer, 2) multiple choice, 3) free format Question in this type of question system need to grade manually by the instructor. System Architecture Online Examination system has four major components. 1) Examination Preparation, 2) Examination System, 3) Examination Monitoring, 4) The Auto Grading System. Examination Preparation This component is used to manage the data bank of the question answer of the question, Assign the test Id, Schedule the test. Data base is opened to the teacher to add the question for the exam. Examination System This component is used to control all the functionality of the system. Like client side Control, Time Control, Security of the system. This component is very important because it used to keep the control on the security time. Examination Monitoring This component is used for real time monitoring which can help to keep the track of exam processing, test ID statistic and collect all the answers. The Auto Grading System This Component is used to grade the exam automatically with the help of this system. All the answer of the exam is graded with the help of this system automatically. Component of Online Examination It is a multi-layer system composite of Web Server, Database Server and Middleware Server, Such as Internet browser. In this developer using Microsoft .Net Frame Work 2.0 and Internet Information Server (IIS) 6.0 as the Web Server, The Database Server is My SQL. Multi Layer System Middleware Server and the client Module which is designed according to the Microsoft DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model Standard) standard is the kernel of the Examination System. DCOM is the binary objects extension jointing LAN, WAN and Internet, which can instance and bind objects over different network. It is an advanced network protocol used to co-operate with COM based components of two processes in different locations. Server-side component is middle ware of the system which provides communication interface between clients and the web server or database server. Client is a client-side component which is called by the browser to control the client computer and submit or receive information from the server. This technology guarantees the flexibility and the potential for extension of the test system. In addition, it allows access to local files, whereas in conventional systems, the IE security prevents such access. Communication of Client and Server (http://fie.engrng.pitt.edu/fie2003/papers/1300.pdf Retrieved on Aug, 16, 2007) 3.1.2 Exam Assessment Exam Assessment is also known as Auto-Grading System. This will help to assess an exam paper of the exam. It helps teacher to assess the paper which are collected from examination system. There are two type of grading: 1) Objective Question 2) Operational Question. Objective question such as Choice question, True/False etc can be graded efficiently by accurate matching or fuzzy matching. But to grade an Operational question is not an easy task with the help of a simple matching algorithm. To check operational question there are two possible solutions. First way to grade an operational question is reading the answer file directly and comparing it to key file. But it is not practical because of Microsoft office file is very complicated to read the question file and another way to grade the operational question is with the help of office OLE object. This is method is convenient and efficient but it have big disadvantage practically not possible. The source code of the system is closely related to concrete question so it will create problems at the time of question are changed which result large amount of work. (http://fie.engrng.pitt.edu/fie2003/papers/1300.pdf Retrieved on Aug, 16, 2007) and (http://www.iacis.org/iis/2005_IIS/PDFs/Davidrajuh_Tharmalingam.pdf Retrieved on Aug, 7, 2007) So developer decided that the grading of operational questions is not possible because to grade an operational question we have to create complete dictionary which contain thousands of words. 3.1.3 Distributed Computing- As the technology changed many things become easier which make our work more efficient and easy. Distributed computing is also very helpful to do all this work. As we all know the power of computer. What he can do for us to make our work efficient. Know assume all the work is done with the help of single computer; it is also know as regular computing or Grid Computing. But it will work but only if we are doing simple things, if we want to do many complicated work with the help of single computer it makes our work very slow. This is not a good approach to do our work so the better way to do our work. So in this situation distributed computing is very helpful it will do work with help of many computers. It divides its workload very smartly with the help of many computers which are available on network. With the help of distributed computing we can do our work very efficiently and quickly. Regular vs Distributed Computing (http://library.thinkquest.org/C007645/english/0-definition.htm , Retrieved on Aug 19, 2007) The main advantages of distributed computing over traditional supercomputer is its economy, Distributed computing can take full advantage of a computers capabilities by keeping it busy with numbers to calculate. If enough users sign up, these linked computers — often referred to as virtual parallel machines — can improve the fastest supercomputer by as much as four times for a fraction of the supercomputers cost. (http://library.thinkquest.org/C007645/english/images/103-advantages.jpg, Retrieved on Aug, 19, 2007) 3.1.4 Client/Server Architecture 3.1.4.1 2-Tier Architecture 3.1.4.2 3-Tier Architecture 3 tier architecture After the research of Client/Server Architecture developer decided that 3-tier Architecture is the best way to develop the proposed system because proposed system is used by many number of user and it is an examination system, so that it require lots of security from the hacking of question paper which is only possible with the help of 3-tier architecture because all the data will stored on the main server of the system, and user can only interact with the Presentation layer of the system with the help of business logic. As the study of Client/Server Architecture developer come to know that C# and .Net Framework is the best development tool to develop an application in 3-tier architecture. So that developer decided to develop a proposed system in C# and .Net Framework. 3.2 Study of Existing System There are many other examination system are available in market for the users. They are:- 3.2.1 Online Examination System (OnEx) This examination system is developed by Knowgence Technologies Pvt. Ltd. This system also provided many features like. Administrator will assign exam to users.Ease of creation and modifying exam at any time.Online monitoring of exams showing percentage completed.Student can move from any question to question.Automatic checking against predefined answer (if there is no Subjective question).Automatic disabling of exam when it is completed.Last 10 min alert. And many more. (http://www.knowgence.com/Download/OnExBrochure.pdf, Retrieved on October 18, 2009) 3.2.2 CUE Assessment System This Assessment System is developed by CALM, Department of Mathematics,Heriot-Watt University, this existing system is also used to assessed online examination. The features which are provided in this system are 1. Easy to create and modify the questions. 2. Checking of question and delivering exam. 3. Assessment for online exam accepts free format questions. Varity of questions like multiple choices, multiple responses etc. And many more. (http://www.calm.hw.ac.uk/cue.html, Retrieved on October 18, 2009) Why developer system is better than Existing system? After the study of existing system developer come to know that many features are not available. But proposed system will take care of all the features. 1) No one system is a combination of standalone and web. So that it system is only used when internet is available. 2) No one system has the entire feature like online exam, exam assessment and paper generator. 3) Generating a question in an exam with random order so that no one student/candidate will get same question in an exam if question are available in a database. 4) Data will be saved at real time if any problem will occur so that data will store at the same time. It will help to reduce the chance of data lose. 5) Generating a paper for written exam which is very helpful for education institute like school and colleges that are very often used. As the above features are not available in one complete system so that developer decided to provide this entire feature in proposed system. CHAPTER-4: SECONDARY RESEARCH 4.1 Academic Research 4.1.1 Process Models Process model defines a distinct set of activities, actions, tasks, milestones, and work products that are required to engineer for developing the software. These process models are not perfect, but they do provide a useful road map for software engineering work. Software engineer and there managers adapt a process model and then they follow it. In addition the people who have requested the software have a role to play as the process model is followed. Process model is important in the project as it provides the stability, control, and organization to an activity. There are many Process Models like waterfall model, spiral model, etc. A project can be made under any model. 4.1.1.1 Waterfall Model The waterfall model is also called as the â€Å"classic life cycle†. It suggests a systematic, sequential approach to software development that begins with customer specification of requirements and progresses through planning, modeling, construction, and deployment. It produces deliverables at each phase like software requirement specification, design documents, actual code and test cases, final product etc. The waterfall model is the oldest paradigm for software engineering. (http://www.digitella.co.uk/brochures/Digitella%20SDLC.pdf , Retrieved on August 9, 2007) Some of the advantages are-: * The single requirements phase encourages specification of what the system is to do before deciding how the system will do. (i.e. specification before design). * The single design phase encourages planning of the system structure before building the components (i.e. design before coding). * The use of the reviews at the end of each phase permits acquirer and user involvement. * Each preceding step serves as an approved, documented baseline for the succeeding step. Some of the disadvantages of waterfall model are-: * Baselines and milestones place heavily emphasis on documentation in the early phases of the project. * Customers must be able to express their requirements completely, correctly, and with clarity. * Delays can occur in designing, coding, and testing. * It is difficult to access the true state of progress during the first two to three stages. * The developer must understand the application from the beginning. * No demonstration of system capabilities can occur until the end of the project. 4.1.1.2 Spiral Model The spiral model is another iterative model that has been proposed. As the name suggests, the activities in this model can be organized like a spiral that has many cycles. A spiral model is divided into a number of framework activities, also called task regions. Typically there are six task regions. 1. The customer communication task to establish effective communication between developer and customer. 2. The planning task to define resources, time lines and other project related information. 3. The risk analysis task to assess both technical and management risks. 4. The en

Mars: :: essays research papers

Mars: Is There Life Out There?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since 1976, when the Viking Landers took off toward the red planet, people have been wondering if there is life on Mars. There have been questions of pictures taken from Mars and skepticism about why some of the recent landings have failed. Scientists, up till now, have been doubtful about life on Mars. Everything changed on August 7, 1996, when NASA and President Clinton told the world that a very primitive life form had been found in a meteorite, from 1984. President Clinton had this to say about the matter: “This is a product of years of exploration and months of intensive study by the world’s most distinguished scientists. Like all discoveries, this one will and should continue to be reviewed, examined and scrutinized.'; After Clinton said this it was almost as if a scientific boom had occurred. NASA research teams of scientists at Johnson Space Center began to look for life as well. NASA began to send robots and Satellites to Mars. Unfortunately, they found nothing or lost contact with the robots or Satellites in the process. During the year of 1999 NASA sent up two rockets toward Mars and both were failures. Due to the failures, time has been given for scientists to blueprint a credible and step-by-step search for life on the Red Planet. Without the pressure to ret urn Martian samples to Earth any time soon, new schemes for automated, on-the-spot detection of past or present Mars life can be flown. Recently, two probes were sent back and they made it to Mars. They landed on the South Polar Caps of Mars. That is where NASA plans to find water. After landing on Mars, the probes extracted water like crystals from the surface of Mars. They found that there was a small amount of water in the crystals, which means that there is a strong chance that life, was on Mars at one time. In a recent interview with Bruce Jakosky, Ph.D., Professor of Geologic and Planetary Sciences at the University of Colorado, Linda Howe asked a series of questions pertaining to Mars and what had exactly happened to the planet. The first question was: Q.) “What might have Caused Mars to lose both its surface water and magnetic field?'; A.) “The CO2 that would have produced a greenhouse atmosphere could have been lost to space. It could have been incorporated into the ground as carbonate minerals, and once that happens, the water could have frozen out in the ground.

Goal statement

I strongly believe that academics should always support the dreams that I carry. And this is the main reason why I opted todo MBA. I felt this very important as management is a field which we must be trained in its right manner and at the best place. Being at the right place, I believe I can get the best training and I can develop my skills. I believe it will help me explore the best in me. Post MBA I aspire to be an Marketing manager in an MNC.I would like to work with top media firms like Fox News, BBC, CNN or MTV. Marketing and Human resource management plays an important role in both the success ofa firm And also its downfall. Being an aspirant of it, I had always tried to develop qualities which should foster it. Active listening . co-ordinating team ,motivation, trustworthy advisor are some qualities which I found in me which could go along with my ambition.To work with media involves a lot of ressure from all sides of the society. Being an arts lover and from former experience s of theatre and short film industry I like to manage and coordinate programs at media firms. Apart from the academics and soft skills I learn, I believe values and ethics have a very important role to play in one's life. To earn good values, to think good and do good, I feel the surroundings where I study and where I live will teach me and help me. Goal statement By kv_ashith

Ogre to Slay, Outsource It to Chinese Essay

David Barbosas brilliantly engages his audience with a catchy title that urges the reader to complete the piece to understand what it is that he is discussing. â€Å"Ogre to Slay? Outsource It to Chinese† is eye-catching and its content and is very thought-provoking and well researched. His preparation for the article includes him finding sources in China, who are engaged in illegal outsourcing of computer game players and contributing to what the Chinese government are attempting to halt, what they call â€Å"internet addiction†. Not only does Barbosas find these valuable sources for information and quote them, he also cites workers in these gaming factories. The effort of his research and concise conclusions to an interesting technological issue makes this piece very well put together and easily readable and understandable to a diverse audience. Barbosas says that this is an issue that spans from â€Å"Seoul to San Francisco† and he is very eloquent in his comparison between the affluent gamers, who are willing to pay Chinese workers to complete initial rounds of computer games and the gamers, themselves, who work 12 hour days, 7 days a week for a mere $250 a month. He does well, also, in showing the change of contrast from what has in history been a clear line between fantasy and reality to illustrate how these lines have blurred. He makes the point of outlining the beginning of the changes in the virtual world of gaming, when gamers began playing others worldwide a few years ago and then when they began becoming so enmeshed with their avatars (or characters that they create), that they pay others to essentially baby-sit them, as the Chinese do or use virtual currency to buy components, such as weapons to help their avatars. Barbosas does well in explaining the complex and intricate world of virtual gaming to even readers, who have no familiarity of the subject. He simultaneously delves into explaining this strange new world while vividly describing the Chinese workers behind the scenes or, more accurately, behind the screens. He paints an interesting picture of what he refers to as, â€Å"virtual sweatshops†. There gamers are playing in dark basements, surrounding by posters of the games they play. These Chinese farmers make up an estimated 40-50% of the gamers involved worldwide in these popular games and it is believed that 1 in 4 internet users in China use their online connection for gaming. In addition to the other staggering statistics Barbosas integrates into his commentary, he integrates what those involved in gaming have to say and what experts share on this issue. One conclusion by an American professor is that this illustrates how the time of Americans is valued more over the time of persons in countries, such as China. In contrast, one owner of a â€Å"sweatshop† believes that if these gamers were not working for him that they would be going back to hard farm work with smaller wages or on the streets. In conclusion, Barbosas shows his journalistic talent in this piece. His research, illustrated by interview citations and statistics, demonstrate his expertise in this strange, technological world. He presents many trends in the world of gaming, in reality versus fantasy, and in the currency involved in these questionable online enterprises. His work is easily readable by a wide audience and his lead-in to the article with it’s catchy title definitely lives up to the interest that title holds.

Free Essays on Challenges Of Spanish Colonization

Challenges of Spanish Colonization The Challenges of Spanish Colonization can be found in chapter three of â€Å"Major Problems in Texas History† the immense Distances, contemptible communication, and aggressive Indians tribes were only a few of the problems Spain faced during the mid-eighteen century. The religious society and civil settlements set up by Spain remained little more than remote islands in a massive region very much conquered by its native people. This perspective gave specific attention to structures of Spain’s empire, a design forced on the borderlands by Spanish officials in which colonist, member of the clergy, and Indians were all obedient participants. An understanding of the problems which these communities faced can be found in the documents and essays. The start of the chapter echo’s the power struggle and conflict that at first characterized relations among the missionaries and the settlers of the borderland communities. Fifteen families from the Canary Islands arrived in San Antonio in 1731 and quickly found themselves in contest with the local missionaries and soldiers for the areas resources. The Canary Islanders protest to the governor of Mexico City of the suffering and complexity which the Islander have stumble upon in San Antonio. First, the people experience the need of a church in which mass could be carried out; the settlers had to conduct mass in unconditional presidio. The islander had no method in maintaining themselves; the Islanders would farm their own land because the province had no means of trade or anything that would provide work. The settler cultivated their own farmland and found a disadvantage of not being able to obtain permission for the missionaries to have the Indians to work in Spaniards fields which lead to the missionaries to put a stop to all communication between the Spaniards and the Indians. Both parties suffered the damage in their fields from cattle of the mission... Free Essays on Challenges Of Spanish Colonization Free Essays on Challenges Of Spanish Colonization Challenges of Spanish Colonization The Challenges of Spanish Colonization can be found in chapter three of â€Å"Major Problems in Texas History† the immense Distances, contemptible communication, and aggressive Indians tribes were only a few of the problems Spain faced during the mid-eighteen century. The religious society and civil settlements set up by Spain remained little more than remote islands in a massive region very much conquered by its native people. This perspective gave specific attention to structures of Spain’s empire, a design forced on the borderlands by Spanish officials in which colonist, member of the clergy, and Indians were all obedient participants. An understanding of the problems which these communities faced can be found in the documents and essays. The start of the chapter echo’s the power struggle and conflict that at first characterized relations among the missionaries and the settlers of the borderland communities. Fifteen families from the Canary Islands arrived in San Antonio in 1731 and quickly found themselves in contest with the local missionaries and soldiers for the areas resources. The Canary Islanders protest to the governor of Mexico City of the suffering and complexity which the Islander have stumble upon in San Antonio. First, the people experience the need of a church in which mass could be carried out; the settlers had to conduct mass in unconditional presidio. The islander had no method in maintaining themselves; the Islanders would farm their own land because the province had no means of trade or anything that would provide work. The settler cultivated their own farmland and found a disadvantage of not being able to obtain permission for the missionaries to have the Indians to work in Spaniards fields which lead to the missionaries to put a stop to all communication between the Spaniards and the Indians. Both parties suffered the damage in their fields from cattle of the mission...

Zara Market Segment Essay Example

Zara Market Segment Essay Example Zara Market Segment Paper Zara Market Segment Paper Founded in 1975 in Spain, the clothing company Ezra owns over 2000 stores in 88 countries. Its parent company, Inedited, one of the worlds biggest fashion retailers with eight brands and more than 6390 stores worldwide, made a net profit of over 2. 3 billion euros last year. Ezra builds its global success on speed, which allows it to deliver the new designed product to different stores around the world within fourteen days. Ezra strategically opened its stores in leading cities with high population. Obviously it is related to Saras market segment. Though Inedited designs various similar fashion clothing brands like PullBear, Shoo and Strabismus, their targeted customers and market segments are not the same, but complementary. Ezra targets its own market segment and accordingly has separate design, production and positioning strategy. Demographic segmentation plays a vital role. Saras market segment focuses on women rather than men. Specifically, its targeted customers are between 18-40 with mid-range income. Most of them are interested in fashion and hold a hectic lifestyle. Though they are fashion freaks they might not be affordable to the luxury couture and they may not focus on the quality. Based on this, what they expect particularly from the market is the fancy and trendy clothing with medium-priced and rapid replacement, which means the speed of design, producing and delivery is crucial. In order to satisfy their needs, Saras designers get their inspiration and design and then stylish clothes can be presented in every Ezra store only fourteen days later, whilst, most fashion brands sell their clothes in four seasons. Lower price, moderate quality, fast and reliable delivery, wide range of fashionable products are the competitive factors of Ezra. Such competitive advantages rely on the continuous creation and fast speed of shipping new products. To achieve these, Saras young designers design around 40000 new clothes per year and launch 10000 of them. Most new designs are the latest trend but with a lower price, which helps Ezra beat its luxury fashion brands who provide the similar design products. Thus, lower cost, fast speed and reliable delivery are all order winners.

Everybody Speaks Hamlet

Everybody Speaks Hamlet Everybody Speaks Hamlet Everybody Speaks Hamlet By Maeve Maddox Someone once said that every generation has its favorite Shakespeare play. Hamlet was a favorite with the Victorians. Macbeth enjoyed a great popularity in the first half of the 20th century; Othello in the second half. It seems to me that King Lear may be the play that will come to be associated with the early 21st century. Whatever the general trend, Hamlet is always near the top of Shakespeare favorites. As a result, quite apart from the famous To be or not to be and What a work is man soliloquies, many of the speeches, lines, and phrases have become embedded in our everyday speech. English speakers who have never read the play or seen it acted are likely to use one or more of the following expressions or some form or another: To thine own self be true Though this be madness, yet there is is method in t. The lady doth protest too much, methinks In my minds eye The plays the thing Frailty, thy name is woman! Neither a borrower nor a lender be to the manner born Alas, poor Yorick! Ay, theres the rub Brevity is the soul of wit Conscience does make cowards of us all Dog will have its day Get thee to a nunnery Hoist with his own petard in my heart of hearts It smells to heaven murder most foul Sweets to the sweet Not a mouse stirring something is rotten in the state of Denmark Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comma After i.e. and e.g.On Behalf Of vs. In Behalf OfThe Difference Between "Shade" and "Shadow"

When does the use of professional discretion cross ethical boundaries Research Paper

When does the use of professional discretion cross ethical boundaries - Research Paper Example In the process of carrying on with responsibilities at the workplace, an employee would often find it necessary to rein in his personal activities and conduct, this behavior continuous on even if what is being done is not related to the job (Thomas 56). In the business world, consumers always make judgments about a company depending on the actions of its employees. This happens even if the particular activities are done with a positive intention. Professional discretion can be described as the choices an individual makes in his professional duties to be cautious about the things he says or takes part in. People that are fond of making discussions over issues relating to their personal are described as being indiscreet or lacking discretion. Ethics, which are also called moral philosophy, describes a category of philosophy that deals with learning of issues related to right or wrong, as well as the manner in which we are expected to live by such an understanding (Thomas 24). The concept of ethics concerns our ability as human beings to make proper moral judgments concerning practices that are right or wrong in accordance with the societal and moral expectations (Reynolds 23). Right and wrong refers to the qualities or judgments that are placed on people’s actions and their manner of conduct during their daily lives. Ethics play an important role in helping people establish proper moral choices especially when it comes to situations where moral issues are involved. It is important to realize that in our everyday lives, it is a desirable habit to have moral rules. This is not because they are useful in expressing absolute truth, but it is because they offer essential guides as far as normal circumstances of life are concerned. Different views have been raised concerning the need for ethics in our general life and professional activities. One of the views holds that human beings, in their professional and

A business plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A business plan - Essay Example The Banking industry faces challenges concerning the financial systems in place. This is because the systems do not favor the small-scale entrepreneurs’ needs. This is manifest in the hard conditions set for the small-scale loan seekers. Finansol requires capital of US$25M to start operations (Austin, 2008, 34). The changes of regulations that govern the financial institutions will also enable the bank to obtain these funds through lease financing. The company has also access to funds through certificate of deposits and the issuing of bonds. Additionally, Finansol can seek funding through the exchange of loan portfolios for favourable percentage of stock. The start of the banking business will proof realistic because of the favorable business environment in the banking industry. The banks will offer favorable sources of lending facilities to the clients in a bid to boost business activities. The financial forecast of Finansol is realistic because the figure provided indicates the true position of the organization in the next five

THE LABOR MARKET Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

THE LABOR MARKET - Essay Example No individual firm can influence the wages of labor, and neither can labor unions, whose primary role is to fight for better work conditions and better pay for its members. In the short-run, the curve for labor demand is not flexible and is steep because, in a short time, firms do not get the adequate opportunity to respond to rapid changes in the market (Flinn, 2010). But in the long-run, this curve is flexible and flat since firms can adjust their schedules and processes to meet market changes. In a competitive market, a company will only hire some workers whose marginal benefit in productivity is the same as the marginal cost of labor. The company will only employ the number of employees it will be able to afford at the wage rate set by the market. When a firm uses cheaper substitutes of labor, like machines, the demand for labor will decrease. If these tools are readily available, more efficient than manual labor, and the cost of employing labor substitutes is less than the marginal cost of labor, firms will demand less of labor. Availability of labor alternatives is being enhanced by rapid changes in technology, which produces equipment and machinery that can easily replace human labor. Another factor that would lead to a decrease in the demand for labor is a change in the number of firms in a particular industry. When there are numerous barriers to entry into an industry, the firms there will be few, and demand for labor will not increase when all other factors are held constant. Where there are few or no barriers to entry, an industry becomes very competitive so that firms can easily enter and trade. An increase in firms increases the demand for labor since human capital is needed to run these new companies. If the market price of the product or service a company produces increases, the demand for labor will increase in the short-run and reduce in the long-run. When the prices rise, sales will yield

Market Entry Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Market Entry Project - Research Paper Example Considering this strategy in mind Target has planned to expand in the market of their neighboring country Mexico. We choose to enter Mexico, with the idea to expand our business base obviously, to cater to their competitor Wal-Mart who is doing great business in Mexico by providing the experience of ‘Like shopping in the US’ (Luhnow, David), with similar purchasing trends observed in US, Low Land and Central Mexico it was easy to understand consumer’s psychology (Portilla, Fabiola de la), people in Pacific, North and Southeast tend to spend more (Portilla, Fabiola de la). If we look at the Nielsen’s survey results closes we’ll come across the fact that Big Supermarkets still capture a very small proportion of the retail universe in Mexico-Pacific, 26%, Valley of Mexico 30%, (Portilla, Fabiola de la), which is extremely low and reflects the fact that markets displays huge blue spaces for expansion by large retailers like Target. Consumers tend to visi t markets in weekdays in Pacific and on weekends, Sunday etc in Low Land, Central Region and Valley of Mexico (Portilla, Fabiola de la). Negligible tariffs on trade between US and Mexico is acting as a major incentive for businesses to expand across borders and become transnational in nature. Target also has the advantage of learning and getting insights from Wal-Mart’s experience (Luhnow, David) so far in the Mexican market. Hence all the factors mentioned above drove us to the conclusion of tapping into Mexican market as our host country. The environmental opportunities which the host country offers are as follows; Economic factors, the country’s economy is back on track with a GDP of 3.8% in 2011 (6 Reasons why US retailers should enter Mexico), and shows good signs of growth with huge margins of blue spaces left to be exploited by the retailers with retail sales of 5.4% by may 2011 (6 Reasons why US retailers should enter Mexico), this increased economic stability has also impacted the purchasing power of Mexicans resulting in growing confidence in retail; Legal factors, like there are very low trade tariffs in Mexico as compared to the US, the act named NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) made in 1994 and renewed in 2008 created the world’s largest free market with almost negligible trade tariffs between US, Mexico and Canada (6 Reasons why US retailers should enter Mexico), hence very low legal restrictions act as an opportunity; Social Factor of emerging middle class in Mexico (6 Reasons why US retailers should enter Mexico) has given foreign retailers a hope that more people now have the power to experience a purchase in huge retail stores and with the emerging and still weak middle class discount stores can actually help the people and strengthen their own presence in the market as well. Cultural factors changes and flexibilities (Hernandez, Mariana) also act as an opportunity an opening for foreign retailers to jump into the market, thought it took time but now Mexicans have accepted and encourage foreign brands specially those manufactured or originated from US because of their own growing aspirations. Upon further analysis I would not exactly put this as a threat but a disadvantage faced by the retailers in Mexico’s trade environment could be of the huge power distance (Hernandez, Mariana) amongst the people living in the same region, existing large amount of

Reaction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 21

Reaction paper - Essay Example The problem is the historical facts can be questioned due to the circumstances of the last days of World War II. If revisionists want to change the way history is remembered, picking and choosing facts to attack are not an option. To convince the general public, much less experts, Mr. Cole would have to look at Auschwitz as a whole. He focused all of his attention on Auschwitz I. Eye witness accounts (which he totally dismisses) and camp records show that Auschwitz I was not made of solely Jews. Political prisoners and privileged prisoners were housed in this camp. Auschwitz-Birkeneu was the place most eyewitnesses reported gassings. These gas chambers and crematoriums were destroyed as the Germans retreated from the Russians. Mr. Cole only briefly mentioned the destroyed remains and solid proof at this camp. If the goal was to find proof that gas chambers did not exist, why did Mr. Cole not explore this avenue more? The truth lies in the middle. Mr. Cole wants irrefutable proof now about Auschwitz. That is impossible due to the fact Russia controlled the area until the collapse of communism. Why not research the records of the time that do exist? Too many questions linger to conclude that the gas chambers did not

Multi Modal Speech Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Multi Modal Speech Communications - Essay Example This paper will dissect two current commercials to demonstrate how manufacturers and marketing firms suggestively and creatively capitalize on the interconnected processes of language that humans use. In this particular commercial the advertisers selected a highly acclaimed and celebrated professional athlete to endorse the product. The essence or aesthetic presentation is one of playfulness and light-heartedness using the game of golf as the medium of persuasion. The outdoors environment of the backdrop of the velvety, smooth grassy knolls of the golf course is suggestive of the smooth, enjoyable gliding ride of traveling and driving a Buick. The technique of using a â€Å"trap† is a creative lure of language associated with the sand traps when playing the game of golf and the hidden cameramen, but it is a subtly suggestive ploy of deflecting again to enticing the players into the game of buying a Buick. The commercial is brilliant in that it playfully uses a game of golf as a means of introducing and displaying the amenities of the automobile’s design and features. Because of Tiger Woods’ boyish and attractive good looks viewers of the commercial make the association that by owning and driving the new Buick they in turn will project a similar image. The language, the backdrop of the golf course(s), lightness of the exchange between the actors in the commercial project and the unsuspecting participants represent a carefree and enjoyable image. The conveyance of a subconscious mental â€Å"trap† and the physical unconsciously convey to viewers that similar experiences await them as a result of owning the Buick Reiner SUV. Words that come to mind as a result of watching the commercial are: youthful, lightheartedness, fun, playful, beautiful, peaceful, happiness, refreshing, and attainable. This commercial reached back into a time when a full length featured cartoon series was a novelty. The marketing firm

Reaction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 21

Reaction paper - Essay Example The problem is the historical facts can be questioned due to the circumstances of the last days of World War II. If revisionists want to change the way history is remembered, picking and choosing facts to attack are not an option. To convince the general public, much less experts, Mr. Cole would have to look at Auschwitz as a whole. He focused all of his attention on Auschwitz I. Eye witness accounts (which he totally dismisses) and camp records show that Auschwitz I was not made of solely Jews. Political prisoners and privileged prisoners were housed in this camp. Auschwitz-Birkeneu was the place most eyewitnesses reported gassings. These gas chambers and crematoriums were destroyed as the Germans retreated from the Russians. Mr. Cole only briefly mentioned the destroyed remains and solid proof at this camp. If the goal was to find proof that gas chambers did not exist, why did Mr. Cole not explore this avenue more? The truth lies in the middle. Mr. Cole wants irrefutable proof now about Auschwitz. That is impossible due to the fact Russia controlled the area until the collapse of communism. Why not research the records of the time that do exist? Too many questions linger to conclude that the gas chambers did not

Project Design Plan Essay Example for Free

Project Design Plan Essay This experiment is to test the theory that the temperature of water affects the duration of time it takes to water to reach freezing? Hot water freezing faster than cold has been observed for many centuries. The earliest known reference to this effect is by Aristotle, who wrote: The fact that water has previously been warmed contributes to its freezing quickly; for so it cools sooner. Hence many people, when they want to cool hot water quickly, begin by putting it in the sun. . . (Jeng) Literature review 1. According to a study of the Mpemba effect by Monwhea Jeng Many factors impact water as it cools and eventually freezes, evaporation can contribute to a loss of mass, Hot water can hold less dissolved gas than cold water and large amounts of dissolved gas escape upon boiling, convection currents and non-uniform temperature distribution happen as water cools, the environmental of the hot sample also impacts the environment around it. Super cooling may also have an important role in the effect, super cooling occours when water freezes not at 0c but at some lower temperature. (Jeng, The Mpemba effect: When can hot water freeze faster than cold? , 2006) 2. In 1963 a student named Erasto B Mpemba noticed that placing recently a recently boiled mixture of milk and sugar into the refrigerator it froze into ice-cream faster than another students mixture that was not heated. He asked his physics instructor why this had happened and his physics instructor informed him â€Å"you are confused, that cannot happen† this response highlights the need for objectivity in scientific studies. After repeatedly asking various instructors to explain his observations Mpemba took two 50ml beakers and filled one with water from the tap and one from hot water from a boiler and put them into a freezer, after an hour he discovered that their was in fact more ice formation in the sample from the boiler. Dr Osborne visited the school where Mpemba studied and Mpemeba asked him to explain the effect, he could not but unlike previous instructors and peers Dr. Osborne conducted experiments and did infact repeat Mpemba’s discovery (Osborne) Variables The Dependent variable is the starting temperature of the water being placed into the freezer. The Independent variable time elapsed until each sample freezes The Controlled variables are temperature of the freezer, the volume of the water samples and the sample containers. Hypothesis My hypothesis is that the hot water will freeze in a shorter elapsed time than the cold water due to a combination of loss of volume during the heating/cooling process; I arrived at this hypothesis through researching the Mpemba effect and reviewing the results of other experiments. Experimental design After reading multiple possible ways to conduct experiments on the Mpemba effect I chose this design plan because the experiment could be conducted with supplies I had on hand and should be easily reproducible. I will measure the temperature with a common digital kitchen thermometer every fifteen minutes until the water sample has frozen solid enough that the thermometer cannot penetrate the ice to take measurements. The tools I will be using are 1 Plastic measuring cup,1 Thermometer, Two .30 l plastic storage containers,1 Kitchen timer, 1 Clock, 1 Range cook top, 1 Sauce pan. Threat Reduction to Internal Validity To reduce the threats to internal validity I will use the same procedure’s to objectively measure the variables of temperature and volume in my experiment. Each temperature reading will be taken using the same thermometer; each volume measurement will be taken using the same measuring cup. Identical storage containers will be used to store the water samples and they will be placed at the same time into the same freezer on the same bare shelf. Experimental procedure. Step 1 Draw two samples of tap water 250ml each and record initial temperature Step 2 pour one sample into sauce pan heat to boiling; pour other sample into .30 l plastic storage container Step 3 pour boiling  sample into measuring cup and note any loss of volume Step 4 return samples to .30l plastic storage container Step 5 measure temperatures of boiled sample and room temperature sample Step 6 place both .30l plastic storage container into freezer Step 7 measure temperature of both samples every 15 min logging results until both samples are held at or below zero degrees Celsius long enough that the thermometers temperature probe cannot pierce the surface of the sample. . Step 8 Allow both samples to thaw at room temperature and measure for any loss of volume Experiment Results In my investigation the boiled sample of water did in fact freeze faster than the colder tap water sample the greatest temperature differential during my experiment arrived in the first 15 minutes of the boiled sample being introduced to the freezer, the boiled sample entered the freezer at 99.6C and 15 minutes later the temperature was 18.1c this represents a reduction of 81.5 degrees. No notable change of temperature to the environment was recorded. The cold sample also experienced the greatest reduction in temperature in the first 15 minutes of my experiment with a starting temperature of 14.3c and 15 minutes later the temperature was 2 degrees Celsius The hot sample continued to lose heat faster than the cold sample until 120 min into my experiment where both samples reached -0.6c and were too solidly frozen to continue measurements. After both samples were too solid to continue measurements I removed both samples from the freezer and allowed them to thaw once both samples were thawed I measured the remaining water volume the hot sample lost 30% of its volume whereas the cold sample had only lost 10% Conclusion This experiment has proven my hypothesis the hot water sample did in fact freeze in a shorter elapsed time than the cold water. The hot sample also lost 30% of its volume. The experimental design was a key factor in proving my hypothesis as it controlled many of the variables that could impact the outcome of my investigation. To replicate my experiment you will need a thermometer 500ml of water, two identical storage containers and a freezer with a constant temperature of 18 degrees Celsius . I replicated my experiment using the same experimental procedure and achieved the same results with a slight variation in the loss of volume in the hot sample, in my second attempt the hot sample lost 35% of its volume. Because I achieved similar results using the same experimental design I believe my observations are valid. Works Cited Jeng, M. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/hot_water.html#History Jeng, M. (2006). The Mpemba effect: When can hot water freeze faster than cold? . American Journal of Physics, 514. Kurtus, R. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/mpemba.htm Osborne, E. M. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.rsc.org/images/Cool-Mpemba-Osborne1969_tcm18-222099.pdf

Structure Of Travel Tourism And Hospitality Tourism Essay

Structure Of Travel Tourism And Hospitality Tourism Essay The purposes for this essay are to present the structure of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. Firstly, we need to know what the definition of tourism is. As the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), tourism is the activities of person travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes (World Tourism Organisation, 1993). Therefore, the tourist is a person who travels to another place outside of their normal place of residence at least 100 miles for more than 24 hours and less than 12 months. Travel and tourism does not necessary involve travelling abroad. It could be in domestic tourism such as peoples home country, on visits to attractions, city breaks, trips to business meetings, sports events or concerts, and visits to friends or relatives. According to Weaver Lawton (2002, p.3), tourism includes the businesses that provide goods and services wholly or mainly for tourist consumption such as restaurants and food/beverage services, and lodging. Hence, it linked to hospitality industry which including accommodations segments, food services segment and other hospitality operations segments. Structure of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry The travel, tourism and hospitality industry is one of the largest industries in the world. It includes many sectors that we need to go through each part of the industry on its own. The key sectors in the travel and tourism industry can be distributed into three different parts. They are public, private and voluntary sectors. Figure 1: Tourism industry Tourism industry The private sector The public sector The voluntary sector Tour operators Travel agents Accommodations Government NTOs NATA UFTAA IATA SHA Private sector The private sector is generated of commercial operators run or owned by individuals or companies such as travel insurance, travel press, travel marketing, private colleges, tour operators or travel agents, whose main purpose is to produce benefits from the facilities and goods, which they deliver to their consumers. In addition, these agencies play a very important role in the development of the travel and tourism industry. They are the components which communicate directly with customers. For instance, they arranged a group which understand the demands of visitors and advertise their packages at different tourist locations through interactive methods of communication such as distribute brochure or advertise in their websites. Accommodations are the basic needs in tourism industry which including hotels, resorts and timeshares or condominiums, conference centres, camp and park lodges, food and beverages. For example, resorts offer good services such as spa, massage, hot tub for customers who come to relax on holiday. They gain high benefits due to customers consumptions when they provide good services. Therefore, the private sectors are commercial businesses with the objective of making a profit for shareholders and owners. They run businesses at all levels of the distribution chain suppliers, wholesalers and retailers. Public sector Public sectors are major groups who decide on the strategy and leadership for the growth of the tourism sector. This is the government body which supporting the tourism industry. The role of this organisation is to work with the industry and provide the required amount of support. The services offered by the public sector are delivered to the public and paid through government. Public sector includes NTOs and RTOs (national regional tourist offices). It may also be suppliers, especially in transportation and visitor attractions. Most of the public services are non-profit-making. Voluntary sector Voluntary sector contains different bodies involved in the lobbying and being the force factors who work for the benefit of the tourism sector and the benefit of the respective associations they represent. They are namely National Parks Association, YHA (Youth Hostels Association), National Trust, ANTOR (Association of National Tourist Office Representatives), FTO (Federation of tour Operators), ATOC (Association of Train Operating Companies), Museums Association, UK Inbound Tourism, Tourism Concern and PSA (Passenger Shipping Association). Organizations of the voluntary sector are controlled and ran mainly by volunteers. These organizations are usually not making profit or contributively. This creates some financial benefits that may include reduced rates and VAT, income tax exemption for investments, covenants and bank deposits. Voluntary sector organisations that register as contributions have to satisfy specific terms. Their purposes must be charitable, non-profit-making, for the educations improvement or for other aims beneficial to the society. Horizontal integration According to Weaver Lawton (2002), horizontal integration takes place when firms reach a higher level of consolidation or control within their own sector. Horizontal integration is where an organisation owns two or more companies, on the same level of the buying chain. For example, EasyJet took over Go! in 2002. It was a case of one budget airline taking over another no-frills airline. Although the two companies became one, they could have retained their different brand names. In fact in this case, EasyJet rapidly re-branded all of Go!s planes with their own distinctive livery. Principal Figure 2: Horizontal integration Principal Tour operator Tour operator Travel agent Travel agent Vertical integration Vertical integration occurs when a company achieve greater control over elements of the product chain outside its own sector (Weaver Lawton, 2002). This integration can be forward in the direction of the chain, or backward against the direction of the chain. Forward vertical integration is more common. Company gains greater control over distribution. It helps them getting closer to the customer. For example, an airline sets up a subsidiary to distribute or market products to consumers such as buying-out a hotel chain or car rental operation. Figure 3: Forward vertical integration Tour operator Principal Travel agent Backward vertical integration is buying upward in the distribution chain. In contrast to forward vertical integration, company gains greater control over supplies using backward vertical integration. For instance, First Choice is a tour operator which also has an airline named First Choice Airways, or Thomas Cook Holidays setting up Thomas Cook Airways. Principal Figure 4: Backward vertical integration Tour operator Travel agent Key historical developments Socio-economic Leisure time: Tourism currently very popular and it is widely acknowledged as a global social phenomenon. In most advanced developed countries, the natural of society has now changed from an economy based on manufacturing and production to focus on the services and consumer industries. Simultaneously, the disposable income and the amount of leisure time and holiday in many countries increased in the post-war period. Therefore, employees have the opportunity to engage in the new forms of consumption such as tourism. Incomes/holiday taking: The income is produced from wages, profits and interest, has increased every year. The UK economy is one of the strongest in Europe, levels of disposable income and consumer credit are rising and expenditure on leisure is growing at around 6 per cent. Depend on that, employees life is improved. They can spend time to enjoy their life such as travel without worry too much about money. Most people today will have travelled abroad and expect to take at least one holiday a year. When tourists are willing to pay for travel, tourism industry will generate more profit. Car ownership: By the early 1900s the car was being used for public transport in most cities. But it wasnt until the 1950 when the car really took off. There were only 8,000 cars in the whole of Britain at the start of the 20th century. By the end of the century the car population had soared to 21 million. Car ownership statistics gives an indication of the level of personal mobility in a population (domestic, continental travel). In 1989 in Britain, each car was used for an average of 30 trips per week, which declined to 24 by 2006. The distance travelled by car per week slightly decreased. Car ownership in the UK has increased considerably in recent decades. It is not uncommon for a household owning two or more cars in nowadays. Technological Transportation is an essential need in the tourism sector. It is divided into different areas such as air, road, rail, sea. Transportation is a tool to assist travellers to get to where they want to go. Sea: Up until the 1920s the only way to travel abroad was by boat. It used to take days/weeks to travel abroad. Nowadays, ships are mainly used for ferries to mainland Europe and for cruises. Road: Road travel is the first method people used to travel. In the past, people used to travel by horses, camels,  or even humans carrying goods over dirt tracks that often followed game trails. The most famous road in the past is Silk Road. The start of the Silk Road was on 2nd century BC when Chinese ambassador Zhang Qian visited the countries of Central Asia with diplomatic mission. Thus, travel by road is the pioneer in tourism. Nowadays, road travel can be buses, private cars, bicycles, motorbike, etc. People using those transportations to travel are much faster than in the past. Rail: After sea and road, rail is the third method people use to travel. By the end of the 2nd world war (1940s) the rail network covered nearly every town and village. Japan is the country famous for mass and high-speed trains. Moreover, Japan has an impressive number of subway systems. Air: Travel by air is the latest and fastest transportation in the world. The first commercial flight from the UK was to Paris in 1919, but it was very expensive. In the 1970 the introduction of the Boeing 747 brought flying cost down dramatically and open doors to mass tourism. In our time, people can travel from one place to another place very convenience. For example, a flight from Singapore to Vietnam only need 4 hours including food and beverage in the plane, while traveling by sea needs days. As we can see, tourism cannot develop without technological. It is a part has a great contribution to the tourism industry. Business developments Airlines/air travel: Airlines or air travel play a very important role in the travel and tourism industry. Early forms of technology in the travel and tourism industry were systems which linked tour operators to travel agencies via terminals and allowed travel agents to make bookings through the system. Meanwhile, airlines developed computer reservation systems (CRS). Airlines started to use computers in the 1950s to store and change the huge amount of information they needed to access. The CRS was used internally by airlines, and agents would use the OAG publication to look up flight times etc., and then telephone the airline to make a booking. Tour operators: The role of tour operators is to put together all the different components that make up a holiday and sell them as packages to the consumer. They make contracts with hoteliers, airlines and other transport companies to put the package together. All the holiday details are incorporated into a brochure which is distributed either to travel agents or directly to customers. In simple terms, they organise and package different elements of the tourism experience, then offer the product for sale to the public through different mediums like leaflets, brochures, advertisements, etc. Travel agents: The role of travel agents is to give advice and information and sell and administer bookings for a number of tour operators. They also sell flights, ferry bookings, car hire, insurance and accommodation as separate products. Thus, they are distributors of products. Increasingly, travel agents also do a little tour operating, for example putting together a holiday for a group. Some industry professionals believe that the role of the travel agent is in decline as many people are booking their own holidays and travel on the Internet or by telephone directly to tour operators. Conclusion In conclusion, this assignment helps me know more about the structure of travel, tourism and hospitality and key historical developments of its industry. Hence, I will know how tourism and hospitality work. Briefly, tourism and hospitality industry is one of the largest industries in the world. It plays a very important role in the industry. There are many sectors which contribute and help to generate the tourism and hospitality industry. They are indispensable parts of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry.

Turnitin Sucks :: plagiarism police

Turnitin Sucks It's with a great deal of interest that I've been following the most recent uproar in the blogoshpere about Turnitin.com and about whether or not higher ed is taking the proverbial low ground in the ethical battles by the increasing use of Turnitin. It is my opinion and always has been that there is something fundamentally wrong with the whole process of requiring students to turn in their work to the plagiarism police. I think this graphic from the Honk Kong Polytechnic University is especially humorous. I didn't have their permission to show it on my site so I created my own sign at the Ronald McHummer site. About 2-3 years ago we had the conversation on campus about whether we should license (or is it subscribe to) the Turnitin service. Of course there were some people who were in favor of it, but the majority was put off by the same things that have always bothered me about the deal. The arguments at that time against using Turnitin appear to still be the main arguments. In no particular order, they include: "I am currently taking a course that requires me to submit my papers to Turnitin. My objection to Turnitin is that they are not only infringing my copyright, but that they are doing so for commercial profit. If they want to make money from storing my paper in a database, they should pay me for a license." (EricSmith comment on Slashdot) "Why are we violating authorial integrity to teach students that violating authorial integrity is wrong?" (by Bob, first comment) "can shift attention away from teaching students how to avoid plagiarism in the first place. In â€Å"Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices,† the Council of Writing Program Administrators urges teachers to â€Å"use plagiarism detection services cautiously,† for they should â€Å"never be used to justify the avoidance of responsible teaching methods.† "I find it more than a bit ironic, that this company works with WebCT and Blackboard, who argue that one should use Course Managment software to protect student's privacy (alah FERPA) when turnitin.com fundamentally violates student's rights." (Dave, Sept. 7, 18:05) "It's just like music composition. People with similar music education backgrounds end up producing similar music. That's just how it is. Are you seriously going to argue that the standard educational texts HAVEN'T been mined for every bloody original idea they contain a thousand times over?" (read the whole comment by Cadallin)

Essay --

Herman Melville, one of the more iconic names in Gothic literature, saw the world differently. Free from the Puritan rhetoric, Melville very much enjoyed the pleasures of the natural world. Melville traveled, and spent time among Natives. In several accounts he described his favorable time amongst them, and showcased the idea of noble savages beyond the borders of America. Without such tragedy to fuel him, Melville penned optimistic stories of adventure and excitement. The world wasn't a trap or a test, but a rich pearl oyster to be pursued and celebrated. True fame, or at least legacy, came later, with the publication of Moby-Dick. A darker story, but still heavy with adventure, Moby-Dick was undoubtedly a story of tragedy. Ahab, the iconic captain in the story, was driven by an obsession to hunt down a whale that injured him years prior to the story's beginning. Rather than accepting this as nature being a bit dangerous Ahab, against the better judgment of other members of his crew , anthropomorphised the titular whale, seeing it as a someone, not something, that wronged him and des...

About a Boy film review

Will Freeman (Hugh Grant; – Bridget Jones's Diary) is enjoying his rich, meaningless life, living off of his dad's Christmas song as a bachelor who lives in London. He is a lazy, self-centred man who thinks about no-one but himself. Will is a player; he joins a single parent group called SPAT (Single Parents Alone Together). He goes to these meetings and ends up going on a date. She has to bring her best friend's son called Marcus Brewer (Nicholas Hoult). When they get back to Marcus's house they find Marcus's mother; Fiona (Toni Collete), unconscious on a sofa after a suicide attempt. Fiona recovers and Marcus realises two people is not enough. Marcus calls up Will and arranges them to go to dinner. Marcus starts to follow Will and finds out his doesn't have a child. Marcus starts coming to Wills; watching television and they become friends. Marcus and Fiona spend Christmas and New Year's with Will. At the SPAT group Will meets another woman called Rachel. She believes Marcus is Will's son and he plays along. He then realises where he went wrong and he tells her and he realises what he is. Fiona starts to cry before Marcus goes to school and he worries for her, and before she had told him, his voice makes her happy. He decides to sing at a school concert to make her happy. The next part is for you to find out. Will invites some people around his flat for Christmas, and Rachel is there. This film was directed by Paul and Chris Weisz; they directed American Pie. About a Boy is quite similar to that film. Also it was written by Nick Hornby who also wrote the book High Fidelity. He has turned lots of books into films and has had his novel published in 1998: Fever Pitch. The music was written and performed by Badly Drawn Boy, Damon Gough, Nick Hornby asked him to provide music for the entire movie. Hornby believes his music had the power to enchant and change people. The main themes of this movie are; Growing up (changing), Consequences of suicide, Family & Friends (Love), Responsibilities, Relationships, Truth & Honesty and Single-parents. The scene that really stood in my mind is when Marcus commits social suicide where he sings ‘Killing Me Softly' for his Mum to make her happy. Will convinces Fiona to go and watch, and Will drives her up to the concert. Marcus had paid a boy in his school to play with him, but he wouldn't play so Marcus goes out on stage himself; Can Will Stop Marcus from singing? The audience claps Marcus onto the stage and then he starts to sing and they laugh at his face is shown by a close-up on him and zooms out changing from time to time. Will comes onstage playing a guitar and plays backup. When they finished Will carried on playing the guitar expressing his, weird but funny, feelings. Rachel notices Will is not just thinking about himself for a change. This compares with the theme of changing people as Will used to think about nobody but himself but now he thinks about helping Marcus. This gives the effect that people can change if they really try to. If you wanted to make the film better, I feel that you wouldn't have to change that much. The thing I would change is the music should be varied, as the same style of music and get repetitive. Most films do not always have the same genre of music in. Other than that, I do not have any other criticisms. This is a really brilliant film and I could watch it over and over again.

Analysis of Bandura’s Cognitive Theory and Beck’s Cognitive Theory

The study of human behavior or behaviorism focuses on attributes of humanity that are discernible, measurable and which can be manipulated. The emphasis of behaviorism is on experimental methods and avoids attributes that are subjective, internal or unavailable.The experimental method involves the manipulation of one variable and measurement of its effect on another variable. It is from the study of variable and effects that a Canadian psychologist, Albert Bandura found the cognitive theory (or social cognitive theory) (Bandura, 2006).Bandura for instance observed aggressive behavior in adolescents and opined that the aggressiveness is caused by the environment in which the adolescents grow. On the other hand, he also realized that behavior causes an environment as well.Thus, since behavior and environment are causes and effects of each other, Bandura referred to the concept as reciprocal determinism (Bandura1986). In short, Bandura’s theory was based on the fact that the worl d and a person’s character (behavior) affect each other (Bandura, 1986).While it would appear that the environment was the cause of behavior and personality, Bandura also realized that personality is an interaction of a person’s psychological responses in relation to the environment (Bandura, 2006).The psychological processes consist of the human being’s ability to entertain different images and languages. Thus, the cognitive theory is built on two essential principles. The first one is a framework for explaining how different personalities function, whereas the other one addresses the type of variables (that is the elements of analysis) on which the personality theory should be centred (Bandura, 2006).In analysis of the influence of reciprocal determinism, Bandura categorically uses the word â€Å"determinism† to imply the aspect in which effects are produced by events (Bandura, 2006). However, this opinion does not mean that a human being’s actio ns arise from straightforward and predictable chains of cause and consequence.Rather, it implies that events produce effects by chance. As a result, the probability or chance of an event producing an effect is emphasized in Bandura’s cognitive theory (Bandura, 2006). Perhaps the most significant aspect of Bandura’s theory is the way in which the theory treats behavior.Unlike many other theoretical frameworks, this theory has equal action on both the input of the personality and the output of personality (Bandura, 1986). In essence, Bandura’s opinion is that a person’s actions and the resultant effects shape the person’s aptitude, feelings and belief in one self (Bandura, 2006).For example, many behaviorist theories depict scant curiosity in self-process because the theorists assume that human functioning is caused by external stimulus rather than the internal stimulus which is only considered as transmitting rather than causing behavior (Bandura, 1 986).This paper critically evaluates the notable features of Bandura’s cognitive theory and discusses in detail the viewpoint of the Bandura at the time of formulation of the theory and the theory’s subsequent modification.The paper will also appraise the strengths and weaknesses of the theory based on the discussion. Analysis of the salient features of Bandura’s cognitive theory The most notable feature of Bandura’s social cognitive theory is the concept of reciprocal determinism (Bandura, 1986).Reciprocal determinism is a phenomenon that implies the causes and effects of different actions on behavior and environment and how they affect each other. Thus, Bandura’s theory was based on the point that personal factors in the form of cognition, biological events and affect, behavior and environmental factors create interfaces that result in a triadic reciprocality as illustrated in Figure 1. Bandura modified the label of his theory from the common per spective of social learning to social cognitive in order to distance it from the common social learning theories of his time (Bandura, 1986).He also wanted to lay emphasis on the idea that cognition plays a significant role in people’s capability to construct reality, regulate their personality, encode information and display other kinds of behavior. According to Bandura (1971), the reciprocal form of the determinants of individual human functioning in social cognitive theory enables services such as therapeutic and counseling efforts to be rendered with focus on personal environment or behavioral factors as illustrated in the diagram above.Based on this, strategies to improve a person’s well-being can be aimed at ameliorating the emotional, cognitive and motivational process of the human being (Bandura, 1986). The focus can also be on improving behavioral capabilities or changing the communal conditions under which people live and work.As an example, teachers in schoo ls have a role to not only improve their students’ academic learning and confidence, but also boost their (students’) self-beliefs and habits of thinking. Hence, teachers and students have to embrace all the components of Bandura’s triadic expression of cognitive theory.As earlier mentioned, Bandura’s social cognitive theory sets itself aside from other theories that overemphasize the role played by environmental factors in the development of human behavior (Bandura, 1986; Bandura, 2006).These theories are often dismissed since they have the redundant factor of cause and effect that is unworthy in the context of evaluating the psychological aspect of human beings. Thus according to Bandura, psychology per se without a clear self-examination cannot purport to explain the complexities of human intricacies of human functioning.Bandura (1986) further noted it is by evaluating their own conscious minds that people discern their own psychological processes. The refore, in order to predict how the human behavior is affected by environmental outcomes, it is imperative that the individual’s cognitive process and how he or she interprets the outcomes be understood.Personal determinants An important factor in addressing how a person interprets the outcomes is recognition of the personal determinants. This is affected by the choice of variables to be used in the evaluation process.Bandura’s choice for such variable depicts what may be the most distinctive aspect of human life, that is, people have abilities to adapt to different environments (Bandura, 1986). For instance, people are able to live in a variety of physical environments such as deserts, rainforests, Polar Regions and so on.They are also able to live and engage in a variety of social environments such as nomadic systems, diverse religious beliefs, different socio economic and socio cultural activities and so on. People also exhibit a variety of unique capabilities that cannot be attributed to the occurrence of evolution over time (Bandura, 1971).In fact, the list of human beings’ unique capabilities relative to animals cannot be exhausted in a single book. Hence, in order to perform an analysis of psychological functioning, one must specify the psychological mechanisms that facilitate the unique capabilities. Bandura’s (1986) theory has a focal point on the cognitive methods that enable people to learn about the world around them (environment) and also about themselves, and use the knowledge gained to control their behavior and mental experiences.In particular, Bandura (1986) enlisted five basic capabilities that facilitate the learning process, as described below. Symbolizing capability implies the ability of people to represent their knowledge symbolically. The most common symbolic representation or conveyance of messages is language (Bandura, 1971). The ability to use symbols in terms of language is perhaps the most fundamental ca pability in human beings as it serves as a leeway for the other capabilities.Vicarious capability is the ability to acquire skills, knowledge and other emotional tendencies through observation or a similar approach (Bandura, 1971). Bandura’s (2006) assiduous analysis of vicarious processes that are involved in acquiring skills makes the cognitive theory not only realistic but also unusually easy to comprehend and interpret. In addition, it clears most of the issues that are usually overlooked by psychological theories such how people acquire knowledge and skills that enable them to act efficiently.According to Bandura (1997), vicarious capability enables people to keep away from risky or costly undertakings that could lead to fatal outcomes. This is because the people ideally have a sense of experience by observing their own characters relative to the characters or behavior of others.Bandura (1986) referred to the ability to anticipate future contingencies as the forethought capability of human beings. Forethought capability is vital for both emotional and motivational perspectives of life.For instance, contrary to popular belief, psychological distress arises from peoples’ anticipated dreadful experiences and not the present or actual experiences. It is because of the ability to derive alternative approaches that one can foresee the consequences of an action without actually being involved in it.According to Bandura (1986), the fourth unique human capability is the self-regulatory capability. This is the capacity of an individual to set goals. In addition, this capability allows individuals to evaluate their performance in relation to their own (internal) standards of performance.Bandura (1986) further noted that the ability of people to evaluate their self-concept, esteem and values enables them have a sense of self-direction and ability to lead life without much reliance on others. Much similar to the above capability is the self-reflective ca pability.According to Bandura (1997), this is the capacity of human beings to have personal thoughts. In this context, personal reflections lay a course for action and formulation of ideas by individuals based on self-efficacy. The aforementioned capabilities do not work in isolation but in concert.In particular, according to Bandura (1997), the aspects of self-reflection, self-regulation and forethought act in synergy to form a self-system, which comprises the framework of personality. Furthermore, people are able to control their emotions and social lives by integrating the constituents of the self-system (Bandura, 1986).Self-reflection in particular is â€Å"distinctly human† and forms a prominent feature of the social cognitive theory. Through self-reflection, individuals derive sense from their experiences and embrace their cognitions and self-beliefs.Consequently, they are able to engage in self-evaluation and are able to shift their thinking and behavior accordingly (B andura, 1986). Self-efficacy When the capabilities so far described are integrated effectively, the self-system acquires a state of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997).Perceived self-efficacy refers to people’s ability to evaluate their own efficiencies in solving problems and attaining certain levels of performance (Bandura, 1997). The relevance of perceived self-efficacy to the social cognitive theory postulated by Bandura is that self-efficacy judgments have a pervasive role in human affairs.In the scope of both achievements and interpersonal relationships, people’s stances are calculated by how effectively (and wisely) they can make decisions and how efficiently they can act in fulfilling the decisions taken. From the above perspective, it is evident that evaluation between an individual’s skills and the requirements of the environment is pertinent in determining the courses of action that are viewed as being the determinants of one’s personality. Efficacy beliefs are vital in that not only do they act on overt behavior but they also address the internal psychological affairs of individuals.This is an important aspect of the social cognition theory with respect to the triadic scheme. This is because an individual’s personality is judged from acts that are done both overtly and covertly. In view of Bandura’s (1997) ideas, people with robust perceptions of their efficacy envisage more positive futures, experience less distressing emotions, and are capable of planning for their life programs more effectively. In addition, such people are able to deal with demanding tasks more efficiently than people who have lower opinion of their efficacy. How personal determinants relate with individual differences and dispositionsWith reference to Bandura (1999), the basic capacities of the social cognitive theory are dissimilar in three ways from the units of measurement employed in the character-related theories of personality. To begi n with, the capabilities are not single variable differences with reference to personality.For instance, Bandura (1999) accentuated that a single-difference analysis may hinder the realization of other vital capabilities possessed by an individual. Such an instance would occur if the ability in an individual is rare and is therefore not detected as an important factor in analysis (Bandura, 1999).As is common with many forms of analysis, there is usually an investigation for a small number of primary units of variation, or for capabilities that are common but possessed to uniformly high level by many individuals.The fact that almost everyone possesses a unique capability (for example the ability to use symbols of the ability to be self-reflective and self–conscious) does not necessarily make the capabilities less important in the context of the functioning of personality. These capabilities are still important in spite of the fact that they may not be identified as the primary dimensions of individual dissimilarity.The second difference in the context of the capabilities in the social cognitive theory is related to average tendencies. For instance, Bandura’s (1999) category of cognitive capabilities does not just mention the average tendencies.Rather, Bandura opines that self-reflection and self-regulation contribute to both constancy and variability of actions among individuals. Along this line, it is important to note that people’s goals, choices and cognitive abilities are displayed in the manner in which they act and handle different circumstances that they come across in their lives.This point is of importance in describing an individual’s personality (Bandura, 1999). It implies that dispositional characteristics per se cannot suffice the description of personality as they refer to the average tendencies in behavior and are devoid of reference to particular individuals (Bandura, 1999).In addition, a single individual’s so cial cognitive may not contribute significantly to the distinct patterns of behavior that are not in line with the contemporary descriptive characteristics that are used in the analysis of standard individual difference categories.The third point is that the social cognitive theory’s definition of personality and the role personality factors play in contribution to social behavior is significantly different from the dispositional approach. The social cognitive theory does not view dispositional tendencies as personality structures. Instead, the theory realizes personality structures as consisting of cognitive and affective systems, which contribute to the patterns of individuals’ behavior in a much informal way. These, according to Bandura (1999), are the dispositional tendencies.In this context therefore, dispositions are effects and not causes. Bandura opposed the proponents of personality description based on behavior as being mistaken since the aspects of behaviora l description â€Å"locate the personality structure in the wrong place† (Bandura, 1999, p 200).Therefore, the Bandura’s social cognitive theory views the standard dispositional units of personality description as being inadequate to fully describe an individual or to explain his or her personality functioning. Strengths and weaknesses of the theoryAs discussed, Bandura’s theory has many points of strength, notable of which being that it describes the relationship between behavior and the environment. In addition, the theory gives a clear picture of how behaviors are learned and developed.On the other hand, it is evident that the theory puts too much emphasis on what happens to people rather than what the people do. Along the same line, the theory does not address consistent differences among individuals as they go through different developmental stages. a