Organisation behaviour--business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Organisation behaviour--business - Essay Example Emotional intelligence is such factor; emotional intelligence (EI) can be characterized as a quite complex framework, incorporating many different elements, as indicatively presented in Graph 1, Appendix. The relation between the EI and the employee performance is critically discussed in this paper. The theories and the empirical studies that have been developed in the specific field have been used in order to explore whether EI is related and at what level to the employee performance. It is revealed that EI has a key role in the increase of employee performance, but this role is likely to be perceived differently in organizations with different structure and culture. In any case, EI and employee performance are closely related being depended on one another using different paths and methods of interaction, as explained in the studies presented below. 2. Emotional intelligence and employee performance – presentation and analysis of their relation In accordance with Sala, Druska t and Mount (2006) emotional intelligence (EI) can directly affect the employee performance in the following way: employees are expected to interpret differently their leader’s decisions. ... The above problem becomes more critical because of the following fact: employee intelligence of employees cannot be controlled by the leader of the organization; on the contrary, employee intelligence is related to the background, knowledge and personal experiences reflecting the freedom of employees to develop their own views as members of the organization. In other words, the control of employee intelligence within a particular organization would be in opposition to morals and ethics. Moreover, the actual views of employees on one or more organizational issues are quite difficult to be retrieved; from this point of view, employee intelligence in the organization cannot be controlled because of its nature, being involved in personal thoughts, cognitive capabilities and emotions. The above conditions do not affect the importance of EI in the workplace. In fact, EI is closely related to job performance, as noted by many theorists who studied the particular field. At a first level,â₠¬â„¢ a positive relation has been identified between the job performance and the emotion recognition accuracy’ (Elfenbein, Marsh and Ambady 2002, in Sala, Druskat and Mount, 2006, 168). Another aspect of emotional intelligence is presented in the emotional intelligence model of Tao de Haas (2005, see Graph 2, Appendix). In the specific model it is made clear that EI is based on empathy – the ability to identify/understand the feelings of others; it is on this psychological characteristic that the responses of the employee in the workplace are based; in any case, a high level of EI would require an excellent ability to understand and manage the personal

The Duke and the Dauphin Essay Example for Free

The Duke and the Dauphin Essay The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, two conmen called the duke and the dauphin (or the king) constantly cause trouble for Huck and Jim. Though many say these two characters weaken the overall plot, they are actually quite important factor in the plot of the story and help move things along. When Huck and Jim first meet the duke and the king, they introduce themselves as an impoverished duke of England and the long lost son of King Louis XVI of France. Of course Huck is smart enough to realize the men were con artists and didn’t believe their silly lies. This is yet another example of Huck’s â€Å"street smarts†, for if someone like Tom Sawyer had met them he would have easily believed the two because it would have been something like the stories he was so fond of. As the group of four travels down the Mississippi River, they come across the funeral of a wealthy man by the name of Richard Wilks. In his will, Wilks left his small fortune to his daughter and two English brothers who were rumored not to arrive. Of course with the real brothers most likely not stopping by and loads of money sitting around, the duke and the dauphin jump on the opportunity and plan their next scheme. Almost anyone would agree that their latest plan was extremely low, even for two con artists. Huck is extremely disgusted with their scam saying â€Å"It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race† (Twain 159). If the duke and the dauphin been a part of the plot, this scam wouldn’t have happened and as a result the audience wouldn’t see how empathetic and compassionate Huck really is. Through the intensity and seriousness of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a bit of the comic relief is needed and the duke and the king are the perfect pair. Though they may seem to play a pointless part in the book, the conmen are actually important to the plot by giving Huck and Jim a reason for moving from place to place and ultimately to their final destination, but more importantly for bringing out certain characteristics in Huck that the audience may not have seen without the duke and the dauphin.

Biogeography Essay Questions

Biogeography Essay Questions 8 Biogeography Essay Questions 1.) What is the science of biogeography? Biogeography is that study of geographical distribution of flora and fauna considering the different taxonomic levels, present and past, the habitats in which they are found together with the involved ecological relationships. Today, there are two theories in biogeography that have been developed to discuss more on the distribution of biological species in the world. The two of them are Distance-decay and Island biogeography theories. The distance-decay theory asserts that the correlation and similarity between species in any two geographical locations will continue decreasing as the distance between the two increases. The second biogeographical theory, island biogeography asserts that those pockets of life (islands) that are closely spaced will support more biological life/species. It is still this second theory that explains that these closely spaced islands are rarely threatened by extinction if compared to the tiny isolated islands of the world. The Geographic Information Systems Scientists say that the above two theories were developed in order for us to be able to fully understand the distribution of species but not the distribution or even movement of human beings. As it was developed, the science of biogeography was meant to answer so many questions that are varied. It was developed so that it can answer some of the questions like why are there so many kinds of animals and plants in the world. It seeks to answer why some of these animals and plants are rare while others are common. Some animals and plants are widely dispersed while others are confined to a limited place. The science of biogeography seeks to explain the reason as to why this is so. There are some parts of this world that are richer in terms of species compared to others. Its only by use of the study of biogeography that we can be in a position to understand this. There are several major types of biogeography distributions. They include; Endemic (restricted to specific locations), cosmopolitan (e.g.Caenorhabdities elegans and Drosophila melanogaster), and Disjunct (separated). The disjunct biogeographic distributions are believed to have been caused by Vicariance and dispersal. In biogeography, evidence that can be based on its history can be classified in terms of Paleontology and systematics. 1.) Describe the 5 observations upon which the science of biogeography is founded. Give TWO examples for each observation. a) Each and every species and other higher group animals are said to have a discrete and a non random distribution in time and space. A good example of this is the gorilla that is only found in two African forests. b) In different geographical regions of the world there is an assemblage of animals that are distinct and they coexist. A good example to explain this is the fauna that is found south of the desert of Sahara together with its monkeys, antelopes, pigs and this is totally different from the Australian fauna and its duck billed platypus, wombats and kangaroos. c) The differences and the similarities in these regions cannot be in any way be described in terms of the distance between them or even the area of origin. A good example is that the fauna of eastern Asia and Europe is to large extent similar although they are both separated by 11,500km of land. Also the fauna of New Guinea and Borneo are different though are separated by a small piece of land compared to the ones abov e which is across water and land. d) All those faunas that look different from those of today once previously occurred in all other geographical regions. An example is the dinosaurs which existed in most parts of the geographic locations in Cretaceous. e) The faunas which resemble the ones found today and their antecedents once occurred, but its sometimes at far distances from the current range. A good example is the subtropical-warm temperature fauna which is found in Eocene Wyoming. This includes fishes which are fresh-water, turtle groups and salamander which are restricted to southeastern parts of the United States. 1.) Discuss this statement: â€Å"The history of biogeography is essentially a continuing conflict between creation myth and empirical science.† Empirical science describes that the distribution of organisms in the whole world was as a result of continuous evolution of the past existing species. Science asserts that the present fauna and flora are as a result of evolution from past organisms which were not developed as they are today. On the other side of the creation myth, people and especially the Christians believe that the current population of plants and animals are a product of what God created long time ago. Some of the things that are explained in the bible are in total conflict with what science has provided a detailed account on. A good example is the Global Flood during the time of Noah. The Bible says that God instructed Noah who by then was 600 years old to construct an ark. Noah was then supposed to take two of every unclean animal and seven of every clean animal. All food and fresh water was then supposed to be in the ark. Noah and his family were to remain in the ark for six months until the flood waters subsi ded. This creation story in the book of genesis continues to explain that after the flood waters subsided, Noah, his family and the animals that were released then were the ones who later repopulated the earth. This is in total conflict with the empirical scientists who argue that today there is too much of genetic diversity in the world for us to be consistent that every animal that is land based descended from the few breeding pairs and this is just some few thousands years ago. According to empirical science, some of the species we have today in the planet will evolve locally. This thus means that they are immobile geographically according to scientists. The scientists will ask today how comes the Duckbill platypus ended up only in Australia and not anywhere else in the planet. Scientists still argue that Noah did not take any fish or coral in the ark. During the flood thus, all the fish would have become extinct and all the corals would have been swept away. Some of the corals according to the scientists even appear older than the given history of the floods. For scientists they believe that there is no way the short lived species could have survived the time they were in the ark. They say that the adult mayflies would have died in just a few days while the larvae of many mayflies will require shallow fresh and running water. Other similar insects and many of them would actually face the same problems. There is no way the scientists would believe that the human population could rebound in such a short period. Other controversies apart from the field of evolutionary biology can also be seen in cosmology, thermodynamics, paleontology, geology and nuclear physics. 1.) Describe the main contributions to biogeography of the people listed below. Alexander von Humbolt, Liebig, MacArthur and William. Alexander Von Humbolt: He was German naturalist who is normally referred to as the father of phytogeography. He was the one who felt that study on geographical distribution was an important scientific inquiry that could lead to the discovery of laws of nature that are fundamental. He was the one who did the explorations of South and Central America together with Aime Bonpland who was a French naturalist. These two travelled along the Orinoco and Amazon rivers as they explored the Andes and the present day parts of Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia. He managed to study vegetation and climatic conditions of Urals Mountains, Siberia and Caspian Sea. He was the one who invented the isobar and isotherm which are used today in description of climatic associations of plant communities. He had a passion for the beauty of nature. He had a good description of the physical environment together with the plant distribution that are widely used in biogeography. Liebig: He was born in Darmstadt, Germany. He went to Paris where was working in the laboratory of Joseph Gay-Lussac. His main interest was in chemistry. He did much in order to establish chemistry as a discipline. He started the first chemical periodical for scholars. He was the one who showed that studies like physiology, agriculture, and psychology are only intelligible if based on sound chemical principles. He was one of the contributors in discovery of isomerism (a condition where two different compounds may have the same chemical formula). He showed that organic compounds can actually be dealt with in a rational way. He once rejected the current humus theory. He showed his contrasting idea by describing that some plants will leave the soil richer in terms of carbon that they really found it. He visited England once and was not happy with the way they were setting out their sewage to the sea. He was of the opinion that they should use their sewage as a fertilizer. William: He collected vertebrates in many remote regions of Hispaniola between the years 1916 and 1923. He also did collections in other regions of the world like the famous Himalayas. To date, most his collections are still in Smithsonian. He is landscape ecologist and a biogeographer. He has made tremendous contributions in the understanding of landscapes and disturbances. His research in these fields has made tremendous influence on the field of biogeography and also the academic biogeographers. MacArthur: He came up with the MacArthur and Wilson equilibrium model on insular biogeography. This is a model that is used to provide a good foundation on the distribution of species on islands. Its also useful in explanation of the composition of insular biotas. Its because of his model that many analyses have been made on the distributions of mammals on insular habitats. 5) Describe the relationships among the following physical factors:pressure, physiography, ocean currents, latitude, temperature, light, precipitation, and wind Physiography is a description of the features and even phenomena of nature. Most of the physical features of the world cannot be well described unless we use other factors like temperature. Physiography stands for physical geography. What is in physical geography is all the physical features like the mountains, forests/vegetations among others. When we attempt to describer any climatic condition of a place or of a certain region, we use temperature, the level of rainfall/precipitation and the effects that winds may have on it. It therefore translates that we cannot describe most of the physical phenomena without using the other factors mentioned. They interdepend on each other for description of physical phenomena. Ocean currents depend on pressure. They usually move from where the pressure is low to where its high. Wind is said to be air in motion. Air can only be in mo0tion if one region has a high pressure compared to another. Air moves from high pressure centers to low pressure centers. This is wind. It therefore means that wind can only be thee if there is difference in pressure amounts in two regions. Ocean currents are usually associated with the precipitation. They usually make the nearby areas in the ocean to receive rainfall if they are usually accompanied by high temperatures. Areas of low latitude have high temperatures while high latitude areas are generally cool. Light intensity in certain ecosystems helps the growth of specific organisms. Physiography/physical geography cannot be fully described if light intensity is not going to be applied to describe some of the conditions in some places (physical phenomena). 1.) Give the Holdridge Bioclimate Classification of climate for the following places: Honolulu, Hawaii; Adelaide, Australia; Timbuktu, Mali; La Paz, Bolivia. Timbuktu (Mali) Class 35; according to Holdridge bioclimatic classification it is in a tropical dry forest. The climate is characterized by high temperatures all year. There is however a better developed dry season compared to the tropical rain forest. The soils are just like for the tropical rain forest. Most of the evergreen tree species become deciduous. Tree canopy is lower compared to tropical rain forest. Undergrowth is dense. There is lower species diversity. Trees have thicker back and small leaves. Roots are long and trees have thorns also. Larger mammals are more dominant Honolulu (Hawaii) Class 25; subtropical desert scrub with an annual climate of 24 degrees. Average temperature in a day is 29 degrees and the minimum is 21 degrees. Its humidity is moderated by its mid-ocean positioning. There is intense rainfall in the winter months though most of the winter days have warm bright sunshine. Rarely will temperatures go beyond 32 degrees. Adelaide (Australia) Class 30; subtropical rain forest Generally, rainfall is more than 1300mm. there are fertile eutrophic rocks. A multi layered canopy of between 10 and 60 species of trees. Most of these trees will exhibit buttressing w2hich is a feature that is common in rain forest areas. La Paz (Bolivia) Class 27; subtropical dry forest 2.) Define endemism. Give and explain five characteristics associated/correlated with areas of endemism. This is a situation where a plant or an animal taxon is said to be restricted in a geographical range or a particular region. Since the times of Darwin, it has been known that islands are the ones which are mostly rich in endemic species. Endemism will arise because of several mechanisms. The major one is the geographical isolation. In this geographic isolation, a small population that has a limited genetic diversity may be isolated. After several generations, the drift in genetics will lead to formation of a distinct species. A population that may arrive on a new island may fill different ecological niches. Other generations of natural selection may result in formation of distinct species. Again, a certain species that was widespread may suffer extinction. This island may now become a â€Å"refugia†. This describes the origin of the major species of Macaronesian endemic â€Å"laurels†. These are mostly found in the Mediterranean region. Latitude: species richness of most organisms in an endemic region increases form high temperature to low tropical latitudes. Lower latitudes have high levels of endemism. Species richness: The levels of species richness and those of endemism cannot be said to be infrequently correlated. Oceanic islands have high levels of endemism but will have low numbers of species. Unusual environmental conditions: Most endemic areas are known to have environmental conditions that are very different from other areas. There occurs independent evolution of the local adaptations. These will mostly enable the species to persist under the existing conditions. Isolation: Almost all areas of endemism are separated or isolated from others geographically. There are barriers to other areas such that even independent evolution is going to give rise to endemic taxa. Historical: In these areas there are usually changing abiotic and biotic environmental conditions. High levels of endemism may be associated with areas that have long-term ecoclimatic stability. This can even enable these populations to be able to survive global changes in climate conditions. 1.) Describe the three possible tectonic plate boundaries, give an example of each and explain the possible consequences of a convergent boundary. Divergent boundary: Its the soft boundary and its also called the spreading center. Two plates move away from each other and mid-ocean ridges will be formed. Magma from the mantle will move though a crack to the ocean and it then cols. This cooling causes the formation of oceanic crust on both sides of the vent. When the plates continue to move, more crust will be formed. The ocean basin then expands forming a ridge system. This crust formed causes the pushing of the plates on either side further. A good example of this kind of plate boundary is that of North America and Europe. Convergent boundary: Its also called a subduction zone. This is a plate margin where one plate will override the other. This forces the other into beneath its mantle. They are boundaries which are in the form of trench. Old oceanic crust will go into these systems as there is new crust formed when the centers are spreading. They are usually locations of strong earthquakes as the action of the plate that is going down interacts with the overriding one. It can also be as a result of volcanic activity. A good place to be associated with it is Japan. The plate that is going down the other will continue to become even hotter. This is because of its proximity to the mantle. The plate will thus melt to form magma. This magma will move upwards through the crust and volcanoes are formed. A good example is the Aleutian Islands. Conservative/transform boundary: Its called conservative as there is neither creation nor destruction of plate materials at the boundaries. What usually happens here is that the plates will slide past each other. These are usually areas where there are many earthquakes. They are caused by the accumulation and release of strain when the plates slide past each other. Good examples of conservative boundaries are the San Andreas Fault in California and mid-ocean ridges, the Rockies in North America. Possible consequences of convergent boundary: These are areas that are earthquake prone. These earthquakes can cause a lot of deaths to human beings and animals. A good example is the 1883 eruption of Krakatau volcano of Indonesia that killed more than 37,000 people. The hot magma contains some chemical that may be harmful to the human beings and also the existing vegetation. Where these big mountains are formed after the plate boundary formation, climatic conditions may change which may not be conducive to the existing flora and fauna.

Siddhartha :: essays research papers

The Buddhist religion originated from a man named Siddhartha Gautama who founded the religion in the late 6th century B.C. The Buddhist religion is very different from Western religions which believe in an actual religious figure. The religious beliefs of Buddhists are based on the actual teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Commonly known as The Buddha, he emphasized self-awareness. Much like Hinduism, both of these religions seek enlightenment and attempt to reach nirvana by breaking the â€Å"samsara† cycle of life. As in many Indian re1igions, both believe in concepts such as karma, reincarnation and raja yoga (deep meditation). The most significant difference between the two religions is that the Buddhists believe in the Middle Path to enlightenment. The Middle Path is considered the medium between the extreme practices of the Hindus and the common village practices. Siddhartha decided to seek enlightenment after viewing four disturbing sights. Siddhartha grew up living an extravagant life of a young prince and was raised in luxury to be protected from harsh realities of life. His father was the ruler of the Sakya people. It is said that Siddhartha’s father had summoned fortunetellers to tell of his son's destiny. The fortunetellers’ had two very different predictions for the ruler – they stated that his son was destined for greatness and could reach this greatness two different ways. One prophecy stated that if kept sheltered from the world, he would become the â€Å"Universal King† and unify India by being the greatest conqueror. The other prophecy said that if he were exposed to the world, then he would emerge as a great religious leader and redeem the world. Scared that his son would become a monk Siddhartha’s father decided to create a world where his son would never experience the world completely and shielded him from all kinds of suffering and hardship. He hired only beautiful youn g people to work in the palace and when Siddhartha would go outside the palace riding he would have the streets clear prior of any sickness, death and of all elderly people. According to legend, Siddhartha married a young girl named Yasodhara, at the age of sixteen, and they had a child. One day, Siddhartha ventured outside of the palace where he encountered an old man that was overlooked. Curious, Siddhartha questioned the old man and realized that no one can escape the fact that people age. The second day he saw a man who was terribly ill and he learned of illnesses.

Policy of Neutrality and the United States of America

In 1792, the European struggle began which started when the French Revolution concluded with the Napoleonic Wars. During the same year, the American government first noticed that a state of war subsisted when Thomas Jefferson, then the American Secretary of State, received a message from the French Minister at Philadelphia. In reply to the notification, Jefferson assured that the United States will remain forthcoming to France â€Å"and render all those good offices which shall be consistent with the duties of a neutral nation.†(Hyneman) During that time, President Washington was art Mount Vernon, this statement from the Secretary of State seemed to be the only direct acknowledgement by the government; thus, the United States was placed in an arrangement of a neutral state. Alongside the implementation of the policy, there were various acts and bills that were made and ratified to effectively compromise with the current state of the nation. Amongst the bill, acts, treaties that were made during that time were the Non-Intercourse Act, Macon’s Bill No.2, Pickney’s Treaty, Treaty of 1778 and the Convention of 1800 (Brodeur). For most of the treaties and acts that were made, it became ineffective and unimportant for most of its existence. The Neutrality Policy fulfilled the idealistic objectives of the nation but it did not fulfill the realistic objectives of the country. The United States did not want to partake in the European War and they were successful in doing so by agreeing with France; however, the acts and bills that were signed to further protect themselves from war caused them futile or even more losses. Works Cited: Brodeur, Paul. â€Å"Restitution: The Land Claims of the Mashpee, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot Indians of New England.† American ndian Quarterly 12.4 (1988): 337-39 pp. MArch 2, 2008 . Hyneman, Charles S. â€Å"Neutrality During the European Wars of 1792-1815: America's Understanding of Her Obligations † The American Journal of Internationla Law 24.2 (1930): 279-309 pp. March 2, 2008 .      

Essay about Hypnotherapy Summary

Essay about Hypnotherapy Summary Essay about Hypnotherapy: Summary Hypnotherapy For years hypnotism has been regarded as a form of entertainment in front of audiences. When children think of hypnotizing, they probably imagine the black and white spiraling circle eventually convincing someone to fall into a trance. However, hypnosis digs a lot deeper in the surface that just a form of entertainment. Hypnosis is classified as the social interactions between a hypnotist and a patient that consists of suggestions of certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts or behaviors will erratically occur (Myers, 2004). This is carried about through strategically formed systems that cause misbelief amongst the five senses. Hypnosis can be carried through sense of touch, smell, meditation, and visually. Hypnotherapy is the process of conditioning a patient using guided relaxation, concentration, and focused attention in attempt to achieve improvement in behavioral issues, anxiety, and more (Goldberg, 2012). It has been regarded in numerous cases that hypnotherapists achieve success ful hypnotherapeutic results aiding to several aspects such as anxiety, pain relief, and behavioral problems amongst a variety of people. There are distinctive techniques a hypnotherapist must obtain in order to effectively receive positive results during treated cases. The main goal of a hypnotherapist is to try to help patients harness their own healing powers to improve selfs of these improvements would include exterminating bad habits such as nail-biting and smoking. The second is analysis which uses the relaxed state to find the root cause of a disorder/symptom (Goldberg, 2012). This is a process of extreme patience and intense concentration between the hypnotist and patient that encourages the patient to open up to bad sheltered memories, anxiety issues, or symptoms of a potential disorder they might have. With these processes in mind, it’s apparent that hypnotherapists need to have a great deal of specific qualities to become intensely influential over another human. Traits such as flexibility, sensitivity, and empathy need to be expressed along with patience and dedication (Rhue, Lynn, and Kirsh, 1993). A hypnotherapist also needs to be capable of critically applying concepts that conclude what traits are required for successful implantation of altering techniques (Rhue, Lynn, and Kirsh, 1993). Generally people do not steer in the direction of hypnotherapeutic treatment; however it has been proven to be very successful and productive. Hypnotherapy has resulted in improvements dealing with several behavioral and emotional problems. It has been known to allow people to explore their painful thoughts, feelings, and memories they might have hidden from their conscious minds (Goldberg, 2012). This can result in relieved anxiety, depression, or changes in behavior such as correcting bad habits. For example, a study experimented with people with a smoking addiction to see if hypnotherapy could help them break their habit; the results showed a 90.6% success rate for those under hypnosis (Hypnosis studies and statistics, 2011). However behavioral modifications are not the only aspect improved by hypnotherapy. The hypnotic phenomena are an extension of normal social and cognitive processes

systems media table Essay Example

systems media table Essay Example systems media table Essay systems media table Essay Systems Media Table Name: Course: Institution: Tutor: Date: System Purposes Examples Uses Word processorThese word processors are computer appliances used in producing typed text. The main purpose is to carry out all forms of manipulation in a created document in accordance to the user requirements through editing. In addition, word processors also enable the exchange of information and processing inputted data to output.One example is Microsoft word, which is used in creating a document through typing words. The second example is Microsoft excel which is used in performing calculations, creating and manipulation of tables.There are various applications of word processors including the use of footnotes, inserting and drawing tables and diagrams, and the appliance of arithmetic functions. Other uses includes checking and assessing grammatical errors, finding and replacing words, brings in information and arranges data in the order specified by the user.Hierarchical databaseThis is a data representation, which follows a tree-form arrangement. The main purpose is in present ing the different types of association that help in connecting a number of information presented in tables.An example is in a school database that includes several features listed in columns such as student number, first name and last name. The hierarchical database can be applied when relating this database to another that contains student grades.The hierarchical database is used for presenting a sequence of information in a particular structure that is able to show the link between the various involved fields. It is also used in collecting and arranging data in a way that the various fields can be traced.Flat databaseIt is a database made of only one table. The singular table consists of a group of fields including rows and columns. It ensures easier storage of data by storing various categories of data in a single location.A mobile phone list can be a good example of a flat database since it contains two fields including the name and the corresponding telephone numberA flat datab ase can be applied in several fields including the creation of tables in word processors like Microsoft excel and web documents that include tables using HTML.Object-oriented databaseThis is a database providing facilities for database management. It enables storage of data in a way that can only be understood through applying techniques defined by its group. The connection among the same objects is reserved as indications between the objects.An example of an object-oriented database is the Virtual Object Storage System or VOSS that specializes in offering visible multi-user availability and operation processing of constant and versioned Smalltalk objects.An object-oriented database enables computer programmers to build up a certain product, accumulate them as objects and adjust the current objects to new ones that can be used within the database system.Stand alone information systemThis type of information system has the ability to operate autonomously without the assistance of con necting to other information systems.Examples of stand-alone system include the Mac operating system, Linux OS, Vista, Unix, Netware and Solaris operating systems.Stand-alone information systems can be used in the implementation of household security systems and telephony systems.Hospital information systemThis system ensures that the various medical institutions provide the utmost quality in healthcare and administrative service by providing information where it is required and acquiring it when generated through electronic data processing.An example of a Health Information System is the Radiology Information system that performs functions such as storage, manipulation, retrieval and interpretation of information concerning the x-rays performed on patients.The information system is used for managing information revolving the medical and administrative sectors in order for the medical staff to operate more effectively.Specialty information systemIt deals with handling processes that are specialized and connected to the Information Technology appliances. In addition, it is responsible for the management of information technology.An example is the Enterprise Resource Planning system, which is an incorporated information system that is used for managing the internal and external sources of a computer.Specialty Information Systems can be used in processes including management of projects, system analysis and design, database and network management, systems integration and engineering.Administrative information systemThey are information systems that are responsible for storing, retrieving and maintaining the flow of information that backs up the administrative structure of a particular organization.Examples of administrative information systems found in academic institutions include myWeb that gives information on students and the administrative staff and DUReports that deals with managing flow of information within the administrative sector.This system can be app lied in analyzing business processes, designing information systems, evaluation and assessment in technical research, programming systems and administrating databases for other several databases.Operations support systemsThe operating support system consists of applications that assist the communication service giver in monitoring, analyzing, controlling and managing a communication network.An example of an operating support system is the Transaction Processing System in which information is recorded and processed from business operations. Process Control Systems is another example that deals with monitoring and controlling the processes that take place in a computer hardware.It can be used for configuring network elements, sustaining the network list, providing customer service in communication agencies and managing network errors.Documentation systemThe system is designed to give particular information on the requirements, structure, operations and functionality of a yet to be dev eloped system.An example is the medical documentation system, in which the medical service providers are able to be updated on the status of their patientsThe system can be used in accessing a general overview of other systems in order to borrow concepts when developing the new system.Electronic medical recordThis is an automated hospital record that is developed in health organizations including hospitals and clinics that deals with storing, retrieving and modifying information included in the records.Examples of softwares that show automated medical records include the Meditouch, and eClinical, that includes medical data of patients from the arrival to leaving period.The automated medical records can be used in assessing the interactive processes that take place between the patients and the medical staff. It can also be used for financial reference whereby the cost of medical supplies is calculated by referring to the list including the amount of medical supplies.SpreadsheetSpread sheets enable arithmetic calculations to be carried out through electronic means. Users can also be able to make corrections and changes to the numbers during the calculating process.An example is in the case where students are asked to get the statistical figures of their surrounding population. In this case, a spreadsheet will be used in arranging different population categories where the data is entered in different rows and columns.Spreadsheets can be used in the financial fields of accounting, assessment and evaluations of financial records, presentation of statistical graphs and financial budgeting.Presentation/graphicalThis system allows users in using different graphic styles to present extremely stylized pictures for slide show presentations. It consists of functions for inserting charts that helps in presenting information.An example is of a presentation or graphical application is the Microsoft PowerPoint, which enables users to transform the information to be in a presen table manner by increasing font size plus the inclusion of images and graphs.The system can be used for presenting ideas in business management projects. It can also be used in presenting statistical figures when analyzing the costs involved in a business project.Decision aidA Decision aid system offers assistance in reaching a final decision given a selection of various alternatives. It focuses on helping individuals in selecting the most appropriate choice among various alternatives.An example is the Diagnostic decision Aid System for selection of surgical treatment. Another example is the Weed control Decision Aid System for selecting the preferred method of controlling weeds.A decision aid can be used where in assisting the medical staff where they have to make critical decisions concerning the appropriate medical diagnosis to follow when examining a patient.Decision support systemIt is a system meant for analyzing and presenting information in order to simplify the decision-mak ing process. In addition, it supports activities of a particular business or organization that supports decision-making.An example of this system is the Knowledge Based System, which is a set of artificial devices aimed at providing intellectual justified decisions. Another example is the banking system in which the credit status of a loan applicant is validated.Used for planning and managing the business activities in an organization. It can be used for financial analysis when making decisions based on the statistical figures of sales, costs and income. Expert SystemIt is a computerized system meant for giving solutions to composite problems through the process of reasoning about information. In addition, it does not follow the processes used by a developerAn example is known as the PXDES, or the Pneumoconiosis X-ray Diagnosis System, which is used for diagnosis of lung illnesses and x-rays. It integrates the inference locomotive to scan the shadows generated by the x-ray.They can be used in diagnostic appliances, making critical decisions within the financial sector, configuration of personal computers. Other uses include monitoring real time systems and underwriting insurance guidelines.

dental phobia essays

dental phobia essays My intervention is based on "John", a 15-year-old boy who has a phobia of dentists. Other than this, he shows no other mental problems, he has had some unrelated disciplinary problems at school, and also has no fear of doctors or needles. His dental phobia has prohibited him from seeing a dentist in 6 years. He has avoided dental appointments by not turning up, whilst also undertaking strict teeth cleaning behaviours, such as religious brushing, to avoid the chance that he may need dental intervention. He has even expressed a dislike for very hard food as he may damage a tooth, requiring dental intervention. John's parents could not specify the phobia's starting point, only that it had been around ever since they could remember. He has not tried any methods to solve his phobia to date, however his parents have attended dental appointments and offer him support to get through them. These have only produced refusals to get in the car to go to appointments, and to even go inside the surgery. I conducted an interview with John on our first meeting, where I simply talked to him and asked him questions in order to get background information on his problem and gauge the severity of it. There was no specific questions asked, or recordings made. The first scale I used to gauge the progression of John, was the Dental Fear Survey (DFS) presented in Appendix 1. This was administered at the start of therapy, and then again at the halfway point of therapy, as well as at the end. The DFS is a 20 item self-report measure that allows assessment of dental anxiety on three subscales, fear stimuli (items 14-18), physiological arousal (items 3-7), and dental avoidance tendencies (items 1,2"9,10,11,12,13 & 20) (Malouff & Schutte, 1995). Each item is scored with a 5-point scale, with 1 being low anxiety and 5 highly anxious. The higher the score in each section, the more dental anxiety experienced. The DFS is also a very accurate test to administe...

Intellectual Capital development through Soft Systems Thinking Essay

Intellectual Capital development through Soft Systems Thinking - Essay Example In truth, all of the components of a business are essential in the systematic flow of finances (Strassman, 1998). This paper discusses the importance and significance of 'intellectual capital' and its impact to a business endeavour through the application of soft systems thinking methods. Intellectual capital can be defined in many ways and its definition usually depends on the economic theory applied to it. The most common definition of intellectual capital states that it is a combination of both instructional (e.g. training materials coming from the employers) and individual capital (e.g. enthusiasm and mindset of an employee) in a financially-productive enterprise. Another common definition is that it is a form of capital that generates intellectual rights. 'Intellectual capital' is assumed to be intangible but is nevertheless significant in any enterprise. It has no monetary value and is not include in the actual accounting but it generates products that are considered to be intellectual in nature (Wikipedia, 2006a). Economic theorists apply the term 'intellectual capital' in most modern financial sectors such as information technology (IT), innovative research, technological protocols and many more fields which are associated because of their use of modern technology. This definition may be due to the emphasis of modern economic theorists to industrial concepts. These definitions may have also originated from the Internet boom of the mid-nineties and the early years of 2000. During this period in history, professionals working on the information and computer technology sectors banded together to form several computer companies, some of which has achieved monumental success which continues up to today. This notion relates to the 1970's-80's 'tulip boom', where the whole world seemed to be entranced with tulips and their complimentary products. During that time, manufacturers and distributors of came up with various permutations of their products as they assigned different prices for each of the combination of tulips and their complimentary products such as pots. In the same way, computer professional constantly repackage and revise their products to market them in some other price group. Many consumers consider this as a sly ploy done by manufacturers for them to buy their products (Wikipedia, 2006a). Leonard-Barton (1992 -1995) emphasised on the significance of knowledge in the formation of creative and innovative ideas on brainstorming activities done by most companies. Her studies reveal that the distribution and dissemination of knowledge to persons that are involved sparks innovation. She believes that the added social interactions done in the brainstorming activities are crucial and proves to be very effective in the creation of new ideas and knowledge for the firm. When persons contribute their own ideas to each other, organisational knowledge is formed thereby increasing the firm's knowledge base and creative capacities. These capabilities are innate to the participants and are not easily copied, obtained or stolen by others forming the so-called 'competitive edge' of the company (Gao et al, 2002). The management of (restricted) knowledge among employees now becomes an actual part of intellectual capital which will provide the necessary 'push' or leverage needed for

How have the criminal justice system evolved Research Paper

How have the criminal justice system evolved - Research Paper Example Criminal justice system forms an essential part of the society in every country. Enforcements of the laws, courts and corrections are the major components of the system, where every part has their individual responsibilities and has to work independently keeping in focus the effects of their decisions on the other parts as well as on the human societies as well. The Anglo-Saxons and the Tithing system are known to be the oldest system as far as criminal justice is concerned. In this system, a division of civil government involving ten families launched the standard of cooperative liability for preserving law and order. The ten families were referred to as the tithings (Hess & Orthmann, 2011, pp.1-7). Hue and cry was referred to the shout by a citizen by whom any crime has been witnessed. This would be followed by grabbing the attention of any other individuals present in the scene who might chase the offender and catch him if possible. It was considered as a general alarm leading to citizen’s arrest. In 1066, the Norman Frankpledge System came into existence that demanded for loyalty to the law set by the king and communal neighborhood accountability of all free Englishmen to uphold tranquility. In the twelfth century, the enforcement of law was developed into a public matter by Leges Henrici. The jury system was established by Henry II in 1154 where people had to give information to a judges panel in regard to any crime that has taken place (Hess & Orthmann, 2011, pp.7-8). The current system of criminal justice has been based much on the Magna Carta which refers to a â€Å"decisive document in the development of constitutional government in England that checked royal power and placed the king under the law† (Hess & Orthmann, 2011, p.9). This document involved the rights of the individuals and rested the establishment for necessitating leaders to support the law; forbade taxation lacking illustration; obligatory outstanding procedure

Nursing Leadership College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nursing Leadership College - Essay Example This being a very reasonable business strategy, hospitals have downsized their nursing staff. The registered nurse-patient ratio is definitely decreasing at this time when there are more patients who are sicker. Registered nurses are thus required to delegate nursing tasks as more health care facilities utilize UAPs to attempt to resolve cost-containment issues. Delegation is defined as the process of transferring a specific task to be performed in a situation to another competent individual (Delaune & Ladner, 2006). However, the ultimate responsibility and accountability of the patient's health care still lies on the registered nurse. It is only the task that is delegated, not the responsibility (Delaune and Ladner, 2006). UAPs are allowed to perform nursing procedures provided that it is under the supervision of a registered nurse but the nurse is still accountable for this delegation (Best, Cohen, Dykes, Fredrick, & Heller, 2000). There are only a number of procedures that are allowed to be delegated to UAPs. More invasive procedures and procedures that require the nurse's professional judgement may not be delegated. An argument, however, still remains of whether this strategy is really cost-efficient than having more registered nurses in the staff. Nurses develop judgements using critical thinking to determine what to observe directly or indirectly for patient responses to come up with the proper nursing diagnosis and plan of care. This is one of the many reasons why even the most experienced and most competent UAP cannot measure up to even a new nurse ("Nurisng Legal Issues," 2006). The strategy of replacing registered nurses to UAPs may be cost-effective for the hospital. However, the quality of care that patients receive may be compromised. As there are more patients and lesser nurses, the practicing registered nurses are more tired and stressed. In addition to having more patients, these nurses have the additional responsibility of supervising the UAPs under their wing. If these unlicensed assistants make any mistake and compromise the health of a patient, it is the nurse who is still accountable. The use of unlicensed assistants helps the hospital in their cost-cutting ordeals, but does not help the nurse or the patient. If any, it only gives the nurse more workload and responsibility, and less personalized attention and care for patients. The utilization of UAPs would be more efficient if there are still more nurses. On the other hand, administrators claim that having more UAPs would relieve nurses of menial tasks such as taking temperatures, changing bedpans and feeding patients so that they can concentrate on assessment and devicing the plan of care (Gordon, 1995). This, however, redefines the nursing process to a kind of dettached and impersonal care, and cuts off the importance of the relationship that is built by the nurse with the patient to give utmost personalized care. The American Association of Nurse Attorneys has proposed that only the UAPs who have undergone competent training and evaluation be allowed to practice alongside nurses (The American Assoc

Service quality and customer's satisfaction in academic libraries Essay

Service quality and customer's satisfaction in academic libraries - Essay Example A real library contains these along with various instructional and access tools and a high quality customer service. In a library, the fundamental goal of a librarian is to make sure that the service provided is consistent with the mission of the institution of which library forms a part. Service quality of academic libraries: Past and present: Service quality of an academic library is a measure of the customer satisfaction and the extent to which customers feel that their expectations have meet met by the service given. Calculation and management of the customer satisfaction has remained a usual practice in for-profit sector for long. The assessment of service quality in the present age finds its roots in the same old trend of measurement of customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction has frequently undergone many changes in the last four decades as a concept. According to Crosby (1993), the contemporary concept of service quality is significantly influenced by all the approaches m ade to it in that past that include the 1960s’ corporate image studies and the 1980s’ total quality approach adopted by many economies in the West. The corporate image studies formed the very initial stage of calculation of customer satisfaction that emerged in the 1960s. The image surveys included questions about customer satisfaction and customers’ views about the quality of service given. These questions investigated the progressiveness and the company’s level of engagement with the community. In the later half of the 1960s, the commencement of studies about the product quality emerged as the second stage of customer satisfaction measurement. A satisfaction index resulted from the adequacy-importance model which served as the cardinal means of measurement of the customer satisfaction, and played an important role in defining the attitudes of the customers. A revolution in the customer satisfaction measurement occurred in the 1980s when the American aut omobile business increased manifolds in competition and many syndicated studies were made. The measurement of customer satisfaction in the contemporary age is quite similar to the trend introduced in the 1980s. The businesses turned to customer satisfaction as a measurement of their quality of service rather and the process of assessment became more intangible. The Gaps Model of Service Quality: Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml (1985) formed a research group to measure the customer satisfaction using the Gaps Model of Service Quality. The Gaps Model made a totally new approach to the measurement of customer satisfaction by determining the gaps between the expectations of customers and their views regarding the quality of service. In this model, customers establish their expectations, as well as the lowest quality of service that would be acceptable to them. Then once the service has been delivered, the customer explains how he thinks about the quality of service he/she was delivered. The equation, thus, goes as follows: Perceived service quality – expected service quality = gap in service quality. According to Hernon and Nitecki (2001), there are four basic perspectives that define the quality of service namely, excellence, value, compliance with specifications, and achievement of expectations. It is the fourth perspective

International Business (Domino's Pizza) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International Business (Domino's Pizza) - Essay Example The paper will discuss the methods of international expansion the company used to date and its appropriate development methods, Domino's Pizza methods using in different markets, as well as the possible combination of international expansion methods. The paper will also critically appraise the current strategy and give appropriate recommendations for further development. 2. The most appropriate Domino's Pizza development method, as well as the best method of international expansion is licensing and franchising: "We have developed a large, global, diversified and committed franchise network that is a critical component of our system-wide success and our leading position in pizza delivery. As of March 21, 2004, our franchise store network consisted of 6,878 stores, 63% of which were located in the contiguous United States" (7). These system has doubtless advantages namely for such global international company as Domino's Pizza. The franchise system allows minimizing such negative barriers of international expansion as language barrier, local governmental measures and the registration of trademark. The system also provides the adaptation of Domino’s Pizza rights and regulations to the cultural differentiations of various countries: â€Å"We also adapt our system to the local market to accommodate cultural differences in delivery vehicles, store design, signage, etc. Pizza toppings are the most common cultural adaptation. We have pickled ginger in India, squid in Japan and green peas in Brazil† (3). Domino’s Pizza quick service restaurants in different countries are not a wholly subsidiary of Domino Pizza Company (like McDonald’s in the UK). 's in the UK). They are based on Franchising Agreement with Domino's Pizza International, Inc. A franchisee must have appropriate local market, business strategies and experience knowledge: "Internationally, we have also been able to grow our franchise network by attracting franchisees with business experience and local market knowledge. We generally use our master franchise model, which provides our international franchisees with exclusive rights to operate stores or sub-franchise our well-recognized brand name in their markets" (7). Through well developed franchising system Domino's Pizza Company gains constant royalty payments which allow the company to develop an d expand to international markets: "A substantial percentage of our earnings is generated by our committed, owner-operator franchisees through royalty payments and revenues to our vertically-integrated distribution system. Royalty payments yield strong profitability to us because there are minimal corresponding company-level expenses and no capital requirements associated with their collection" (3). The growth and revenue of Domino's Pizza is mainly provided by its franchising system development and royalty payments from numerous stores throughout the world. The company has chosen the most appropriate method of international expansion. Domino's Pizza makes franchising agreements with appropriate firms working in relevant market segments and having local market features knowledge.

Letter of recommendation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Letter of recommendation - Essay Example Of specific importance to me as her former supervisor was Kathren’s spirit of team work, enthusiastic embrace of change, working with minimal or no supervision as well as steadfast dedication to exceeding patients’ anticipations .I constantly got unsolicited praise from patients commending Kathren’s exceptional service level ,follow through and professionalism. Kathren is dedicated, reliable and forever enthusiastic. Her ability to keep patients calm and contented is amazing. Kathren while working with us was able to competently carry on with our exceptionally intense and demanding patient load while at the same maintaining a positive and lively attitude in addition to treating every patient with much respect. Kathren’s professionalism is faultless in addition to being self-motivated and well organized. During the course of each day Kathren was tasked with interacting with various patients by taking their medical histories and subsequent recording of them in every patient’s electronic medical record file, examining and looking out for vital signs, drawing blood, administering injections as well as collecting various lab specimens. When requested to cover for clerical staff responsible for such roles as scheduling appointments, answering phones, authenticating insurance coverage as well as responding to patient’s queries, Kathren gladly did so with a positive attitude with no complaints at all. Kathren, in addition has always been a dependable and reliable team player together with being well-liked and respected not only by the patients but also fellow co-workers and doctors. Kathren has demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt a distinctive talent for calming both children as well as elderly patients especially the ones too sick, in pain or too anxious regarding their examinations. In conclusion, it is my sincere hope that Kathren will be seriously considered for the post of medical assistant open at

Service quality and customer's satisfaction in academic libraries Essay

Service quality and customer's satisfaction in academic libraries - Essay Example A real library contains these along with various instructional and access tools and a high quality customer service. In a library, the fundamental goal of a librarian is to make sure that the service provided is consistent with the mission of the institution of which library forms a part. Service quality of academic libraries: Past and present: Service quality of an academic library is a measure of the customer satisfaction and the extent to which customers feel that their expectations have meet met by the service given. Calculation and management of the customer satisfaction has remained a usual practice in for-profit sector for long. The assessment of service quality in the present age finds its roots in the same old trend of measurement of customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction has frequently undergone many changes in the last four decades as a concept. According to Crosby (1993), the contemporary concept of service quality is significantly influenced by all the approaches m ade to it in that past that include the 1960s’ corporate image studies and the 1980s’ total quality approach adopted by many economies in the West. The corporate image studies formed the very initial stage of calculation of customer satisfaction that emerged in the 1960s. The image surveys included questions about customer satisfaction and customers’ views about the quality of service given. These questions investigated the progressiveness and the company’s level of engagement with the community. In the later half of the 1960s, the commencement of studies about the product quality emerged as the second stage of customer satisfaction measurement. A satisfaction index resulted from the adequacy-importance model which served as the cardinal means of measurement of the customer satisfaction, and played an important role in defining the attitudes of the customers. A revolution in the customer satisfaction measurement occurred in the 1980s when the American aut omobile business increased manifolds in competition and many syndicated studies were made. The measurement of customer satisfaction in the contemporary age is quite similar to the trend introduced in the 1980s. The businesses turned to customer satisfaction as a measurement of their quality of service rather and the process of assessment became more intangible. The Gaps Model of Service Quality: Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml (1985) formed a research group to measure the customer satisfaction using the Gaps Model of Service Quality. The Gaps Model made a totally new approach to the measurement of customer satisfaction by determining the gaps between the expectations of customers and their views regarding the quality of service. In this model, customers establish their expectations, as well as the lowest quality of service that would be acceptable to them. Then once the service has been delivered, the customer explains how he thinks about the quality of service he/she was delivered. The equation, thus, goes as follows: Perceived service quality – expected service quality = gap in service quality. According to Hernon and Nitecki (2001), there are four basic perspectives that define the quality of service namely, excellence, value, compliance with specifications, and achievement of expectations. It is the fourth perspective

Letter of recommendation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Letter of recommendation - Essay Example Of specific importance to me as her former supervisor was Kathren’s spirit of team work, enthusiastic embrace of change, working with minimal or no supervision as well as steadfast dedication to exceeding patients’ anticipations .I constantly got unsolicited praise from patients commending Kathren’s exceptional service level ,follow through and professionalism. Kathren is dedicated, reliable and forever enthusiastic. Her ability to keep patients calm and contented is amazing. Kathren while working with us was able to competently carry on with our exceptionally intense and demanding patient load while at the same maintaining a positive and lively attitude in addition to treating every patient with much respect. Kathren’s professionalism is faultless in addition to being self-motivated and well organized. During the course of each day Kathren was tasked with interacting with various patients by taking their medical histories and subsequent recording of them in every patient’s electronic medical record file, examining and looking out for vital signs, drawing blood, administering injections as well as collecting various lab specimens. When requested to cover for clerical staff responsible for such roles as scheduling appointments, answering phones, authenticating insurance coverage as well as responding to patient’s queries, Kathren gladly did so with a positive attitude with no complaints at all. Kathren, in addition has always been a dependable and reliable team player together with being well-liked and respected not only by the patients but also fellow co-workers and doctors. Kathren has demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt a distinctive talent for calming both children as well as elderly patients especially the ones too sick, in pain or too anxious regarding their examinations. In conclusion, it is my sincere hope that Kathren will be seriously considered for the post of medical assistant open at

Asi Questions Essay Example for Free

Asi Questions Essay The Interview Format Does It Have to be an Interview? This is perhaps the most often asked question regarding the ASI. In the search for faster and easier methods of collecting data many clinicians and researchers have asked for a self-administered (either by computer or paper and pencil) version of the instrument. We have not sanctioned the use of a self-administered version for several reasons. First, we have tested the reliability and validity of the severity ratings by having raters use just the information that has been collected on the form without the interview. This has resulted in very poor estimates of problem severity and essentially no concurrent reliability. Second, we have been sensitive to problems of illiteracy among segments of the substance abusing population. Even among the literate there are problems of attention, interest and comprehension that are especially relevant to this population. Finally, since the instrument is often used as part of the initial clinical evaluation, it has been our philosophy that it is important to have interpersonal contact for at least one part of that initial evaluation. We see this as simply being polite and supportive to a patient with problems. We have seen no convincing demonstration that the interview format produces worse (less reliable or valid) information than other methods of administration and we have found that particularly among some segments of the substance abusing population (eg. the psychiatrically ill, elderly, confused and physically sick) the interview format may be the only viable method for insuring understanding of the questions asked. Particularly in the clinical situation, the general demeanor or feel of a patient is poorly captured without person-to-person contact and this can be an important additional source of information for clinical staff. There are of course many useful, valid and reliable self-administered instruments appropriate for the substance abuse population. For example, we have routinely used selfadministered questionnaires and other instruments with very satisfactory results (eg. Beck Depression Inventory, MA ST, SCL-90, etc.) but these are usually very focussed instruments that have achieved validity and consistency by asking numerous questions related to a single theme (eg. depression, alcohol abuse, etc.). The ASI is purposely broadly focussed for the purposes outlined above, and we have not been successful in creating a viable self-administered instrument that can efficiently collect the range of information sought by the ASI. Thus, it should be clear that at this writing there is no reliable or valid version of the ASI that is self-administered and there is currently no plan for developing this format for the instrument. We would of course be persuaded by comparative data from a reliable, valid and useful self-administered version of the ASI and this is an open invitation to interested parties. Role of the Interviewer What are the qualifications needed for an ASI interviewer? Having indicated the importance of the interview process it follows that the most important part of the ASI is the interviewer who collects the information. The interviewer is not simply the recorder of a series of subjective statements. The interviewer is responsible for the integrity of the information collected and must be willing to repeat, paraphrase and probe until he/she is satisfied that the patient understands the question and that the answer reflects the best judgment of the patient, consistent with the intent of the question. It must be emphasized that the interviewer must understand the intent of each question. This is very important since despite the range of situations and unusual answers that we have described in the manual, a new exception or previously unheard of situation occurs virtually each week. Thus, ASI interviewers should not expect to find answers in the workbook to all of the unusual situations that they will encounter in using the ASI. Instead it will be critical for the interviewer to understand the intent of the question, to probe for the most complete information available from the patient and then to record the most appropriate answer, including a comment. There is a very basic set of personal qualities necessary for becoming a proficient interviewer. First, the prospective interviewer must be personable and supportive capable of forming good rapport with a range of patients who may be difficult. It is no secret that many individuals have negative feelings about substance abusers and these feelings are revealed to the patients very quickly, thereby compromising any form of rapport. Second, the interviewer must be able to help the patient separate the problem areas and to examine them individually using the questions provided. Equally important qualities in the prospective interviewer are the basic intelligence to understand the intent of the questions in the interview and the commitment to collecting the information in a responsible manner. There are no clear-cut educational or background characteristics that have been reliably associated with the ability to perform a proficient ASI interview. We have trained a wide range of people to administer the ASI, including receptionists, college students, police/probation officers, physicians, professional interviewers and even a research psychologist!! There have been people from each of these groups who were simply unsuited to performing interviews and were excluded during training (perhaps 10% of all those trained) or on subsequent reliability checks. Reasons for exclusion were usually because they simply couldnt form reasonable rapport with the patients, they were not sensitive to lack of understanding or distrust in the patient, they were not able to effectively probe initially confused answers with supplemental clarifying questions or they simply didnt agree with the approach of the ASI (examining problems individually rather than as a function of substance abuse). With regard to assisting the interviewer in checking for understanding and consistency during the interview, there are many reliability checks built into the ASI. They are discussed in some detail in the workbook and they have been used effectively to insure the quality and consistency of the collected data. Severity Ratings How important and useful are they? It is noteworthy that the severity ratings were historically the last items to be included on the ASI. They were considered to be interesting but non-essential items that were a summary convenience for people who wished a quick general profile of a patients problem status. They were only provided for clinical convenience and never intended for research use. It was surprising and interesting for us to find that when interviewers were trained comparably and appropriately, these severity estimates were reliable and valid across a range of patient types and interviewer types. Further, they remain a useful clinical summary that we continue to use regularly but only for initial treatment planning and referral. A Note on Severity It should be noted that much of the reason for the reliability and validity of these severity ratings is the structured interview format and the strict (some would say arbitrary) definition of severity that we have adopted: ie.need for additional treatment. Many users of the ASI have selected the instrument exclusively for research purposes and these ratings have never been used for this purpose especially as outcome measures. Other users do not agree with our definition of severity. Still others do not have the time or inclination to check and recheck severity estimates among their various interviewers. For all of these potential users the severity ratings would not be useful or worth the investment of man-hours required to train reliability. Even for those with primary clinical uses, these ratings are not essential and are perhaps the most vulnerable of all the ASI items to the influences of poor interviewing skills, patient misrepresentation or lack of compreh ension and even the surroundings under which the interview is conducted. Therefore, it is entirely acceptable to train ASI interviewers and to use the ASI without referral to the severity ratings. Composite Scores What are they for, why were they constructed this way and what are the norms? Users familiar with earlier editions of the ASI know there is a separate manual designed to describe their use and to show how to calculate them (See Composite Scores from the Addiction Severity Index McGahan et al. 1986). The composite scores have been developed from combinations of items in each problem area that are capable of showing change (ie. based on the prior thirty day period, not lifetime) and that offer the most internally consistent estimate of problem status. The complicated formulas used in the calculation of these composites are necessary to insure equal weighting of all items in the composite. These composites have been very useful to researchers as mathematically sound measures of change in problem status but have had almost no value to clinicians as indications of current status in a problem area. This is due to the failure on our part to develop and publish normative values for representative groups of substance abuse patients (eg. methadone maintained males, cocaine dependent females in drug free treatment, etc.). At the risk of being defensive, our primary interest was measuring change among our local patients and not comparing the current problem status of various patient groups across the country. Further, we simply did not foresee the range of interest that has been shown in the instrument. A Note on Norms for the Composite Scores At this writing, we are collecting ASI data from a variety of patient samples across the country. These samples will be used to convert the composite raw scores into T-scores with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10 (as MMPI and SCL-90 scores are presented). Our intention is to publish these normative data and to circulate copies of the tables to all individuals who have sent to us for ASI packets. We will also provide programs written in Basic, Lotus 123 ® or Excel ®to calculate these composite scores and to convert existing composite scores into Tscores. In this way we hope to make up for the lack of standardization that has been a problem with the composite scores to this time. Appropriate Populations Can I use the ASI with samples of Substance Abusing Prisoners or Psychiatrically Ill Substance Abusers? Because the ASI has been shown to be reliable and valid among substance abusers applying for treatment, many workers in related fields have used the ASI with substance abusing samples from their populations. For example, the ASI has been used at the time of incarceration and/or parole/probation to evaluate substance abuse and other problems in criminal populations. In addition, because of the widespread substance abuse among mentally ill and homeless populations, the ASI has also been used among these groups. While we have collaborated with many workers on the use of the instrument with these populations; it should be clear that there are no reliability or validity studies of the instrument in these populations. This of course does not mean that the ASI is necessarily invalid with these groups, only that its test parameters have not been established. In fact, workers from these fields have turned to the ASI because they felt that no other suitable instrument was available. In cases where this is true, it is likely that the ASI would be a better choice than creating a totally new instrument. However, it is important to note circumstances that are likely to reduce the value of data from the ASI among these groups. For example, when used with a treatment seeking sample and an independent, trained interviewer, there is less reason for a potential substance abuser to misrepresent (even under these circumstances it still happens). In circumstances where individuals are being evaluated for probation/parole or jail there is obviously much more likelihood of misrepresentation. Similarly, when the ASI is used with psychiatrically ill substance abusers who are not necessarily seeking (and possibly avoiding) treatment, there is often reason to suspect denial, confusion and misrepresentation. Again, there is currently no suitable alternative instrument or procedure available that will insure valid, accurate responses under these conditions. The consistency checks built into the ASI may even be of some benefit in these circumstances. However, it is important to realize the limits of the instrument. Regardless, systematic tests of the reliability and validity of the ASI in populations of substance abusers within the criminal justice system and within the mental health system are necessary but have not been done and this is an open invitation to interested parties. A Special Note on Adolescent Populations Despite the fact that we have repeatedly published warnings for potential users of the ASI regarding the lack of reliability, validity and utility of the instrument with adolescent populations there remain instances where the ASI has been used in this inappropriate manner. Again, the ASI is not appropriate for adolescents due to its underlying assumptions regarding self-sufficiency and because it simply does not address issues (eg. school, peer relations, family problems from the perspective of the adolescent, etc.) that are critical to an evaluation of adolescent problems. At this writing, there are two versions of the ASI that have been developed for adolescent populations and have shown at least initial evidence of reliability and validity in this population. A third instrument is not in the same format as the ASI but has shown excellent reliability and validity. Interested readers may contact these individuals directly for more information about these instruments. Kathy Meyers, Research Department, Carrier Foundation, Belle Meade, New Jersey Carrier Addiction Severity Index or Yifrah Kaminer, Adolescent Chemical Dependency Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. Teen Addiction Severity Index or Al Friedman, Adolescent Substance Abuse Program, Department of Psychiatry, Philadelphia Psychiatric Center, Phila., Pa. Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Diagnostic Assessment ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR THE ASI Can I ask additional questions and/or delete some of the current items? As indicated above, the ASI was designed to capture the minimum information necessary to evaluate the nature and severity of patients treatment problems at treatment admission and at follow-up. For this reason, we have always encouraged the addition of particular questions and/or additional instruments in the course of evaluating patients. In our own work we have routinely used the MAST, an AIDS questionnaire, additional family background questions and some self-administered psychological tests. We do not endorse the elimination or substitution of items currently on the ASI. Again, the ASI items (regardless of whether they are good or bad for particular individual needs) have been tested for reliability and validity as individual items and as part of the composite and/or severity scores. The elimination or substitution of existing items could significantly reduce the reliability and comparability of these ASI scores. It is possible to eliminate whole sections (problem areas) of the ASI if particular problems are not applicable for specific populations or the focus of specific treatment interventions. In the current version of the ASI and in this workbook, we have included a set of additional items and instruments that have been developed by us and others over the past ten years, to add information in areas that are now inadequately covered by the existing ASI questions. The items themselves are presented on the latest version of the form (See Appendix 1) and the specific instructions for asking these questions and for interpreting the answers are discussed in each of the problem areas in the Specific Instructions part of the workbook. It should be clear that we have not used these items in the calculation of the composite scores or in the determination of severity estimates. Obviously, the use of additional information for these purposes would alter the reliability and validity of the ASI and reduce the comparability of the resulting scores across sites and time points. Thus it is important to stress that the use of earlier ASI versions will still provide comparable data on the composite scores and on the majority of items, since they have not been changed or eliminated, only supplemented in the current version. In addition to these items, there has also been significant work over the past ten years in the development of general and specialized information collection interviews and questionnaires for substance abusers. Some of these instruments bear special note in that they can be used instead of or in addition to the ASI to provide enhanced or specialized information. Some of the more widely used and better validated instruments are presented below but the interested reader is advised to consult the tests and measurements literature for additional information.

Kant And Mill A Comparison Of Ethical Theories Philosophy Essay

Kant And Mill A Comparison Of Ethical Theories Philosophy Essay John Mills Utilitarianism and Immanuel Kants Fundamental Principle of the Metaphysic of Morality present the two philosophers divergent views on the field of moral philosophy. Mills Utilitarianism is a more refined ethical theory compared to Kants breakdown of the metaphysics and its use in proving what is right and what is wrong. Kant employs his corroboration of the subsistence of metaphysics as a discipline in his ethical philosophy. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦if a law is to have moral force, i.e., to be the basis of an obligation, it must carry with it absolute necessity. (Kant preface). This dictum forms the base for Kants ethical theory. Mill disputes Kants assertion that our moral force must be driven by an obligation. Instead, Mill argues that humans are driven by a desire to be happy. Immanuel Kant utilized practical reasoning in his moral theory and suggests that there exists only one moral obligation; categorical imperative. He states, Act only on that maxim whereby thou canst at the same time will that it should become a universal law (Kant second section). This obligation is derived from the notion of duty, and describes the categorical imperatives as the demands of moral decree, and further emphasizes that an individuals behavior ought to live up to the moral laws. These categorical imperatives should be the constitution governing all men; they should be the principles of human life. Kant argues that all ethical duties inherently expected of humans stem from these categorical imperatives, and it systematically follows that human obligations are put to the test. He goes on to state that employing these imperatives, an individual regarded as rational could be able to achieve specific ends using certain means. Kants categorical imperative forms the basis of the deontological ethics. The fundamental principle of the metaphysics of morals postulates that moral law is a base or foundation of reason in itself and it does not have to be influenced by other contingent factors. The biggest flaw of Kants moral theory is that it fails to mention the role of human desire in the choices individuals make. Kant theory succeeds only in highlighting moral versus immoral human actions, and specifically makes it easier in making choices that exclusively involves evil versus good. It does not provide insight into what an individual should do in case he or she is faced by two evils, a nd he or she has to make a choice between the two. For instance, what does one do when faced with the exclusive choices of either lying or killing? Mills ethical theory offers an insight. Mills utilitarian ethical theory provides a rule that illuminates this quandary. Utilitarian theory supports Machiavellis the end justifies the means; according to the utilitarian opinion, the end of human action, is necessarily also the standard of morality (Mill ch II). The greatest happiness principle proposes that humans should inherently choose the option that gives them the most happiness. Mill constructs a world where the happiness of humans is judged. Mill believes that the best happiness is achieved when everyone is happy; the absence of suffering and pain. He believes that true happiness must be moral or intellectual in nature. Physical happiness does not qualify as true happiness. Happiness is greater than feeling of contentment. Mill talks of different forms of happiness, high and low happiness. When an individual experiences both forms of happiness, he or she develops a preference of one over the other. Mill opines that simple pleasures are preferred by individuals who have not experienced greater ones. Nevertheless, he still holds that higher pleasures are really valued. Because happiness predetermines human desires, it is only logical that our actions are determined by will; will to be happy. Mill however posits that the realization of human desire can at times be subjective to the will of an individual or an individuals habit. Mills utilitarian therefore covers more on human motives as compared to mere indulgence. Every intrinsic human desire is a derivative of elementary human desires to be happy or achieve gratification. Sometimes the pursuit of basic human pleasures may result in pain as a result of sacrifices humans consciously or subliminally make. Such sacrifices for the sake of happiness in the en d are fully justified. A significant difference between Mill and Kant, based on the two writings, is the gradation of ethics. Under Kants metaphysics of science, an individual can be regarded as morally upright while still being selfish. Under Mills utilitarian, an individual cannot be morally right if he or she is selfish since Mills ethical theory requires humans to extend happiness to others. All honour to those who can abnegate for themselves the personal enjoyment of life, when by such renunciation they contribute worthily to increase the amount of happiness in the world (Mill ch II). Kant negates the utilitarian idea by stating that there exists a divergence between desires and ethics and that contemplations of human rights temper estimations of cumulative utility. Kant holds that everything in existence possesses a price or a dignity. He adds that whatever possesses a price can be easily replaced by something else of the similar value as it, but whatever has a dignity can never be replaced. Both philosophers have deep thought on the issue of morality. Mill has his thoughts based on utilitarian grounds, which is an elaborate system that revolves around happiness of people. It hypothesizes that an individual ought to act in a way that ensures the happiness of those around them. Kant has his philosophy of giving morality a good versus bad angle. He, on the other hand, hypothesizes that reasoning and human nature should be the determinants of morality and not human desires. Morality is the root of human interaction and without it, humans would not discern right from wrong. Morality is very important but between the two philosophers John Mill offers an upgraded version of ethical philosophy that is more elaborate and practical.

Change Essay -- essays research papers

Experimental Strategies and Conceptual Change The article The Development of Scientific Reasoning in Knowledge-Rich Contexts written by Leona Schauble relates a series of experiments which give some insight as to how conceptual change and experimental strategies effect subjects of varying ages, ten fifth and sixth graders and ten noncollege adults. The conclusions drawn from the article are relevant in determining the cognitive strengths and weaknesses in the subjects as well as how these strengths and weaknesses vary as a result of differing ages. The objective of the study was to track changes in both the theories and reasoning strategies used by participants who conduct and interpret repeated cycles of experiments over several sessions to learn about the causal structure of two physical science systems. The exact experiments are not needed to understand the results of the experiments as long as the experimentation strategies and conceptual changes are understood. The experimentation strategies approach tends to emphasize concern for logical validity, (i.e. how the problem pieces together and why). The conceptual change approach tends to be more concerned with the plausibility and explanatory coherence as tests for deciding whether knowledge should be adopted. Schauble (1996) states that "because previous work focused either on the validity of strategies or the coherence of conceptions, it has tended to mask these close interrelations" (p.102). Therefore the re... Change Essay -- essays research papers Experimental Strategies and Conceptual Change The article The Development of Scientific Reasoning in Knowledge-Rich Contexts written by Leona Schauble relates a series of experiments which give some insight as to how conceptual change and experimental strategies effect subjects of varying ages, ten fifth and sixth graders and ten noncollege adults. The conclusions drawn from the article are relevant in determining the cognitive strengths and weaknesses in the subjects as well as how these strengths and weaknesses vary as a result of differing ages. The objective of the study was to track changes in both the theories and reasoning strategies used by participants who conduct and interpret repeated cycles of experiments over several sessions to learn about the causal structure of two physical science systems. The exact experiments are not needed to understand the results of the experiments as long as the experimentation strategies and conceptual changes are understood. The experimentation strategies approach tends to emphasize concern for logical validity, (i.e. how the problem pieces together and why). The conceptual change approach tends to be more concerned with the plausibility and explanatory coherence as tests for deciding whether knowledge should be adopted. Schauble (1996) states that "because previous work focused either on the validity of strategies or the coherence of conceptions, it has tended to mask these close interrelations" (p.102). Therefore the re... Change Essay -- essays research papers Experimental Strategies and Conceptual Change The article The Development of Scientific Reasoning in Knowledge-Rich Contexts written by Leona Schauble relates a series of experiments which give some insight as to how conceptual change and experimental strategies effect subjects of varying ages, ten fifth and sixth graders and ten noncollege adults. The conclusions drawn from the article are relevant in determining the cognitive strengths and weaknesses in the subjects as well as how these strengths and weaknesses vary as a result of differing ages. The objective of the study was to track changes in both the theories and reasoning strategies used by participants who conduct and interpret repeated cycles of experiments over several sessions to learn about the causal structure of two physical science systems. The exact experiments are not needed to understand the results of the experiments as long as the experimentation strategies and conceptual changes are understood. The experimentation strategies approach tends to emphasize concern for logical validity, (i.e. how the problem pieces together and why). The conceptual change approach tends to be more concerned with the plausibility and explanatory coherence as tests for deciding whether knowledge should be adopted. Schauble (1996) states that "because previous work focused either on the validity of strategies or the coherence of conceptions, it has tended to mask these close interrelations" (p.102). Therefore the re...

How to Write an Essay :: essays research papers

How to Write an Essay What is the point of the paper?To see if you can write at length about some topic, in a focused and sustained way. Focused -- not rambling disconnectedly on "everything I know about X", but discussing a specific topic or cluster of interrelated topics in an integrated way. Sustained -- following through some clear line(s) of argument in some depth (e.g. discussing not just objections but objections to the objections). That still leaves options. You may go 'vertically' and dig more deeply into one particular issue; or you may go 'horizontally' and be concerned to make connections, and show how different parts of the philosophical landscape fit together -- or a bit of both. But whichever way you go, you should aim for a clearly structured story and some meaty arguments. 'But typical one-word questions like "Necessity" or "Scepticism" or "Justice" are not very focused!' True. But they are intended as invitations to write on some specific topic that falls under the one-word heading. What the the Faculty Handbook says about Extended Essays and Dissertations applies here too. "The candidate in effect sets their own question [in the given area], and is expected to define this question and then write about it, not about its general philosophical environs." To emphasize again, you cannot construct a good extended essay merely by collecting a lot of points about a topic and setting them out one after the other. They need to be organized into an argument in favour of some particular conclusion, which you have specified as your target. 'How much should I aim to write?' Quite a bit! If your essay is hardly longer than a typical answer to a single question on one of the other papers, then it is almost certainly too short. (Of course, you might be a Gettier, about to make a Major New Point in a couple of pages -- but then again, probably not ...!) On the other hand, you might well write rather less overall than in other three hour papers, because you need to spend somewhat more time in thinking out and planning your work. Don't just dive in -- plan your answer very carefully. And certainly, you should avoid padding your answer out with material irrelevant to your main theme (that way, you can well end up with lower marks than if you had stopped sooner). 'It's a lottery. How can I be expected to predict questions?

Both ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Of mice and men’ are concerned with the themes of loneliness and dependency Essay

Compare the way Mary Shelly and John Steinbeck write about these human conditions. In this essay I will discuss and compare the similar themes of loneliness, isolation and dependency in ‘of mice and men’ and ‘Frankenstein’. Victor Frankenstein is the main protagonist character in the book ‘Frankenstein’. He is a scientist who challenges common science. He lives in a big family mansion in Geneva with all of his family. At first Frankenstein’s relationship with his family and friends is really close. When he moves to the university in Igolstadt he writes frequent letters to his family and Elizabeth. Frankenstein has an obsession with a desire to create life. He gets this uncontrollable desire from the unfortunate loss of his mother during the birth of his brother William. Frankenstein studied professor Waldman’s research on darker science and when the professor died it gave him the final push towards creating life. Frankenstein thought he owed it to the professor to finish his research. The research was time consuming this made his letters less frequent and shorter. Elizabeth felt isolated because of this and this made Frankenstein lonely as well. Captain Walton is the first narrator of the book. We learn the story of Frankenstein’s monster through his letters to his sister. He is the captain of a ship on an expedition to the North Pole. His ambition is to reach the North Pole where no man has been before. He doesn’t have a good relationship with his fellow crewmates because he is selfish and reckless you know because in the book the crew threaten to mutiny if he doesn’t let them go back home. Frankenstein and captain Walton have a link between them; they both have this deep imbedded urge to follow their ambitions without care of how reckless they are. I think this is the reason they connect so well and become close friends. George is a young, migrant ranch worker who is reasonably small and has well-defined features. He is like a father to his mentally handicapped friend. He shares the dream of owning his own ranch with Lennie. George is a quite a quite lonely man because he hasn’t got a real future, can’t have any long term relationship because Lennie takes up mostly all his time. In the book George explain how he would be able to live easily without Lennie â€Å"God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could get a job an’ work, an no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the mouth come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want†. Lennie is a mentally challenged ranch worker. He is a big strong man who is impetuous. Lennie and George are a magnet, Lennie is the north pole and George is the south pole. They are completely opposite however they still attract each other and stay together. Lennie is childish and maybe mentally handicapped however he can still manipulate George. You see this in this quote just after George was complaining about Lennie stopping him doing what he wanted to do with his life. Lennie say â€Å"if you don’ want me I can go off in the hills an’ find a cave. I can go any time.† And George relied by saying â€Å"No-look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ’cause I want you to stay with me.†. Lennie likes to pet soft things he gets in trouble because of this. Lennie is very lonely because he can’t do what the other men do due to him being mentally challenged and irrational. You can see he is lonely from what he does in this quote † Ever’body went into town,† he said â€Å"Slim an’ George an’ ever’body. George say I gotta stay hear an’ not get in no trouble. I see your light.†. This shows that he is lonely and is searching for a friend because he has been left out. This also illustrates that Lennie is an outcast. Crooks is a black busted back stable buck. He is called crooks due to having a crooked spine where a horse kicked him. Crooks is lonely and isolated from the rest of the workers, he has to sleep in his own place in the stables because he is black and in the time of the book there was a lot of racism and it was accepted that blacks were inferior to the whites. He is bitter and angry due to the way he is treated, it’s a defence mechanism to try and stop him from getting hurt however when Lennie is left alone and he goes in to Crooks room he doesn’t judge him by his ethnicity still Crooks acts bitter because he doesn’t trust that a white man can be his friend this parallels with Frankenstein. In Frankenstein the monster thinks a kid wouldn’t judge him however the kid does. Even though there are differences the theme of judgement are in both texts. The monster in ‘Frankenstein’ is a man made from the severed body parts from dead criminals that Frankenstein put together and brought it to life. He has overwhelming strength and is impetuous. The monster is lonely because he is incredible hideous, repulsive and horrifying which cause people to panic and run away from him. The monster just wants to be loved and have a friend he can talk to; he doesn’t care who it is. In the book he lived in the woods for a while and noticed a family called the De Lacys who where struggling to survive during the winter. He became friends with them and helped the by doing hard manual work. Over time the monster saw what the de Lacy’s had and he fell in love with one of the de Lacys. When he told her his intensions she panic and gave him a look of disgust. Then the monster was mad with anger so he burnt them alive. The monster and Lennie a really quite similar they both are strong, impetuous and similar in appearance. The monster and Lennie have similar dependencies on their creator or carer. The monster is dependant on Frankenstein to build him a companion and eventually to be a father. Lennie is dependant on George to look after him and stop him getting in trouble. Curley’s wife is very lonely, bored and frustrated. She lives on a ranch where there no other women and during the day all the men go to work so she is left on her own being bored because she has no one to talk to. This is shown in this quote â€Å"Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?†. She is also frustrated that her life turned out this way. She married a violent man who she didn’t love. She imagined her life to be full of glamour, fame and stardom. In the book Lennie and Curley’s are in the barn. Curley’s wife is flirting with Lennie. Lennie starts stroking her hair softly then he got harder and harder until Curley’s wife screams. Lennie panics, covers her mouth and shakes until she was dead. A similar thing happens in the book Frankenstein, the monster tries to be friends with William however William panics and the monster accidentally kills him. The structure and style of both texts are very different. Mary shelly told the story of Frankenstein through letters that captain Walton wrote to his sister and at the end of the book we hear the monster’s side to the story. The style of Frankenstein is gothic horror. It is dark, gory and intense. Steinbeck’s is written in a more traditional structure in the third person. It is an emotional drama. Steinbeck uses description of scenery and animals to build characters however Mary shelly focuses on developing characters. In conclusion I believe that both books illustrate loneliness and dependency very well however I prefer the story of Frankenstein more than Of mice and men because Frankenstein is more surreal and is gory which I like. Of mice and men is realistic and quite boring. I think the fact that they are very different types of books that were written at very different times and still have the same themes is quite interesting.