Persuasive paper rough draft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Persuasive paper rough draft - Essay Example Hybrid cars are still in the experimental stage, meaning there are numerous different models and types to choose from. While some hybrids do not seem to meet the needs of consumers, offering too many negative attributes to offset the positives, plug-in hybrid cars should be considered a good alternative to partially meet the country’s future energy needs. Plug-in hybrid cars are essentially what they would seem to be; they plug into a normal electric circuit and charge from the same electrical source found in a typical home. Research shows that most U.S. drivers travel, on average, less than 25 miles per day, which is a range easily reached by the plug-in hybrid vehicle enabling people to get to work at a fuel rate much lower than that of today’s current gasoline prices (Sanna, 2005). This switch would also mean a significant reduction of CO2 emissions and reduces the nation’s need for non-renewable natural resources. While this does classify it as an electric vehicle, the plug-in hybrid has an additional feature that makes it feasible even for long-distance use. The plug-in hybrids, not intended to run on electricity alone, also carry a liquid fuel tank and combustion engine, which enables owners to fill up when the battery runs dry and continue driving for as long and as far as they wish, all while recharging the elec tric battery. â€Å"The hybrid electric vehicle is a move in the right direction. Its battery/electric motor combination provides the quick starts, so when the vehicle is standing still, the gas engine can be shut off automatically to prevent idling and conserve fuel. In fact, the hybrid can achieve an increase in fuel efficiency of roughly 30 percent. The battery also boosts the performance of the [internal combustion engine] at takeoff and for passing† (Sanna, 2005). As the combustion engine is running and during the process of braking, the battery becomes charged by the

An Analysis of Marketing Communications Tools Used by Venture Capital Essay

An Analysis of Marketing Communications Tools Used by Venture Capital Investment funds to attract Investors and Gain their Trust - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that Venture Capital funds are attracting cash from all over the world to fuel the organic growth of the â€Å"new economy†. The new economy may be defined as an economy characterized by the absence of business cycles or inflations. The new economy usually has an accelerated rate of productivity growth. Industries such as the software industry and e-commerce characterize the new economy. It is the most trending financial services area with huge external interest caused by the recent Silicon Valley IPO(Initial Public Offering) success. Due to the fact that financial services Industry is relatively new Context for academic marketing literature, this dissertation will investigate current and potential utilization of marketing communication strategies that are or could be applied by Venture Capital (VC) Investment funds to attract investors and gain trust in their brand. Marco factors in the background of this research make this case par ticularly interesting. Post credit crisis effects on the financial industry, current global sovereign debt crisis, consumer skepticism, have external, negative impact on trust in the industry. Lerner contends that â€Å" financial crisis appears to have had a substantial negative effect on investors’ willingness to finance innovative entrepreneurship†. However, is it always the case? Most recent 2011private equity sector successes and boom in Venture Capital (VC) investments demonstrate that this sector is somewhat different and despite the economic crisis, money from institutional and private wealth is flowing into these funds with the expectation of high-risk – high-return. Not just high-risk, on top of that, in comparison to traditional Hedge funds, VC funds are perceived as being less transparent and even sometimes associated with money laundering. Hedge fund manager presenting in front of the panel of investors would normally quantify the nature of investme nt strategy.

Humans Cause Global Warming Essay Example for Free

Humans Cause Global Warming Essay Today we are debating the important topic of global warming. As the affirmative team, we strongly believe that global warming is caused by the actions of humans. But this is not just a belief, this is a fact. Global warming, by definition, is a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earths atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants. The greenhouse effect is the trapping of the suns warmth in a planets lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planets surface. In simpler terms, this means that the pollution emitted from the earth, such as the gasses from factories, cars etc. enter the atmosphere and the co2 from these gases absorb the heat from the sun and intern warms the climate. The pollution or carbon dioxide enter the Earths atmosphere and absorb heat from the sun, heating the environment, therefore an increase in co2 means an increase in heat, this resulting in bigger problem for global warming. The main producer of this pollution and greenhouse gases are ofcourse humans, our environment and climate are the ones that have to pay for the humanly actions causing global warming. Scientists have determined that a number of human activities are contributing to global warming by adding excessive amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. These gases such as carbon dioxide (co2) accummulate in the atmosphere and trap heat that normally would exit into outer space. The main source of excess greenhouse gases is the human use of fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels to generate energy for example driving cars, using electricity from coal-fired power plants, or heating homes with oil or natural gas, humans release carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. Over 100 years ago the co2 level was 35% less than it is currently and since the beginning of the industrial revelution, has been increasing gradually. Nowadays modern society is producing more co2 and other gases than ever before, this being the result of the economic problem, with humans having unlimited wants and needs that can only be produced in a way that influences global warming. (Figure 1) Another significant source of greenhouse gases is deforestation, this is because fewer trees means less carbon dioxide conversion to oxygen. (Figure 2)Deforestation in rainforests add more co2 to the atmosphere than the sum total of most vehicles on roads. In fact 25-30%,of the gases released into the atmosphere each year is a result of deforestation. The reason that logging is so bad for the climate is that when trees, which are 50 percent carbon, are burned or felled they release the carbon they are storing into the air, where it mingles with greenhouse gases from other sources and contributes to global warming. As humans, we do not take our actions into precaution and many of us act before thinking. This is the same situation with global warming and because of this, the result is negative. Global warming affects not only our climate but the environment and air mankind needs for survival, however how can us humans survive when we are the ones destroying our planet and risking our own lives. Greenhouse gases can stay in the atmosphere for an amount of years ranging from decades to hundreds or thousands of years. No matter what we do, global warming is going to have some effect on Earth. These effects range from diseases and economic consquences to different types of hazzards. (Figure 3) Floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, they are all weathering patterns that are directly altered by the differences in temperature. Most of them are occuring due to high sea level or heavy rainfall. This was seen in 2004 and 2005. (Figure 4) It can be a devastating shock for crops and other agriculture, and also bring death and injury to humans and animals through accidents, hypothermia and starvation. It may seem illogical at first to attribute harsher cold weather to global warming, but a change in atmospheric patterns brought about by receding glacial ice can lead to the redirection of polar air currents and the suns rays being absorbed by the larger areas of dark blue sea. However this process can also be reversed to achieve opposite results. (Figure 5) Some areas suffer serious droughts and heat waves and the severity of these hazzards are increasing by large numbers. Countries such as Africa and India recieve the worst of these affects, since water is already a dangerous rare essential. (Figure 6) As the planet continues to become warmer and warmer as global warming increases and the dry lands that are already susceptible to wildfires are likely to be ravaged by even more frequent and destructive episodes. In 2007, more than 3,000 fires brought destruction to Southeastern Europe thanks to a long summer that created arid and parched conditions, a situation that would become normal as a consequence of the greenhouse effect. As countries warm, disease carrying insects migrate, bringing their diseases with them. Climate greatly influences some of the most deadly and widespread diseases currently affecting millions of people across the world with the spread of diseases like Malaria, West Nile virus and Dengue fever to parts of the planet. With greatly reduced rainfall, more severe droughts and loss of soil fertility, food and water supplies would soon diminish, resulting in higher prices, famine, disease, malnutrition, starvation and, ultimately, death. These effects spell one thing for the countries of the world: economic consequences. Hazzards cause billions of dollars in damage, diseases cost money to treat and control and conflicts aggravate all of these. There is simply no other mechanism that can explain the significantly altered climate path and the changes in the radiative forcing other than human causes. Animals are a major source that are affected by the influences of global warming, some not only lose their habitat and homes, but also suffer in the drastic measures that humans have put them up against. Animals such as polar bears and penguins are the most obvious evidence of consequences of having warmer climates. (Figure 7) They and other animals that are dependent on cold enviornments retreat to more northerly locations as the planet heats up, leading to encroachment upon other eco-systems and displacement of other animals from their natural habitat. Animals that are driven from their natural habitats or normal migration routes by environmental factors could easily come into contact with human settlements, leading to many deaths among humans and already endangered animals. (Figure 8) The world’s oceans absorb roughly 30% of all carbon dioxide that seeps into the atmosphere, and so inevitably, as more gases are released, ocean life will continue to suffer the negative consequences placed upon them by human actions.

How can humans produce knowledge?

How can humans produce knowledge? There are only two ways in which humankind can produce knowledge: through passive observation or through active experiment.† To what extent do you agree with this statement? What is knowledge? Knowledge from what we understand is a thick concept as it is the understanding of or information about a subject that you get by experience or study, either known by one person or people genrally dictionary.cambridge.org(add citation). Though in the T.O.K text by Richard van de Lagemaat knowledge can be said to be â€Å"justified true belief† and hence if something is observed, an idea that is believed, that it is true and if justified then that is knowledge. These two meanings can both can be said to be correct definitions of knowledge. Though how do we gain this understanding or belief in the first place? The tittle of this TOK essay it states that â€Å"there are only two ways in which humankind can produce knowledge: through passive observation and active experimentation.† Active experimentation can be seen as an act where there is voluntary cognisant engagement on the activity at hand while passive observation be seen as proccesses that are more fixed by environmental forces and therefore involuntary. Though knowledge questions based of this deduction on what are passive observation and active experimentation are; is it ever possible for a cognisant mind to be in a passive state? And are there forms of knowledge production in addition to passive observation and active experimentation? In both scientific and behavoural experiments is it ever possible for a cognisant mind to be in a passive state? Experiments such as the bobo doll experiment could be brought into question in this case as well as certain simple highschool science experiments. A bobo is an inflatable toy that is approximately five feet tall and usually made of a soft durable vinyl or plastic. This experiment was headed and created by Albert Bandura in 1961 and 1963 in which he studied the behaviour of children. This experiment involved two different observational rooms both would have a bobo doll, adult role model, a child and the same toys. In one room the adult role model acted in a violent manner towards the doll verbally abusing it and acting aggresive physically using the toys or his/her fists. While in another room the adult role model simply played by his or herself showing no direct signs of aggresion after a small period of time both adult role models left the room. The room which contained t he violent role model the child acted violently towards the bobo doll while in the room with the adult that did not show aggresion the child would either keep doing what he was doing or played in friendly with the bobo doll. It was seen by Bandura that through the passive observation of the children they learned how to act towards an object or person. The child was not able to control the environment he/she was is it was fixed. Though is it possible to say that all these children did not have a cognisant mind when it came to behaviour? What had not been taken into account in the experiment where the experiences that the child had gone through at his/her home with their respective parents what had effected them emotionally. Say for example in the case a home where parents had been violent to each other and so this child would have percieved what to do when he/she saw violence, to act back with violence. Would it be a lie to say that this child’s mind is not congnisant in this case? I believe so. At this point he/she actively experiments the position of his/her mother or father by acting violently based on what he/she had percieved, this could be the case with some of the children who acted violently towards the bobo doll and hence the child’s cognisant mind would be not in a passive state this also brought in the ways of knowing both perception and emotion affecting each childs reponse in the experiment. In a situation I was forced against my will to swing a bung tied to a string around in a circle and keep it going in a circular motion. It is not possible for me to passively observe as I know the mechanics behind it learnt though my physics class at school hence I am able to deduce that a certain force is required to keep the bung swinging in a uniformly circular motion and as such I do not need to apply a larger force than what is needed. Therefore the velocity of the bung will not make it more difficult to hold the string and apply the force and it won’t stop or go out of control suddenly. Though another question remains. Are there forms of knowledge production in addition to passive observation and active experimentation. As innate knowledge comes in to question, and so does the knowledge given to us by authority. It is hard to judge if the evidence is sufficient enough for many new things such as theories or if this is knowledge that has been produced through this active experimentation during this time due our explosive growth of knowledge, over that last hundred years, a short time when compared to the creation of the universe, expert opinion’s changed the ways we think of things such as Isaac newton who came out of nowhere one day and uprooted the laws of physics, but it is rare for that to happen again in this millennia since Albert Einstein. Experts are human beings and therefore imperfect so we can also say that they can be wrong, just because they might specialize in a certain field and they have been in that field for years doesn’t mean that everything they state is â€Å"just ified true belief† or correct information. This knowledge was brought on by a transition from a passive observation to an active experimentation for the authorities but given to us as second hand information so do we say that it is through passive observation that we learned this or active experimentation or does it fall under both? As expert’s opinions tend help shape the world so does the news media, stating what is currently happening in the world; bad news, extraordinary news or relevant news. As they can be seen as authority giving knowledge to persons who watch or read about what is reported. In the case of innate knowledge it tends to be a mystery as to when did it begin? Was the only reason that it had been passed down was that it was necessary for life? Innate knowledge is produced through a species evolution. Can other knowledge that is not nessecary for life be transmitted down through the DNA, from a Father to a son? As baby birds hatch they function the same as almost every animal in terms of eating and excreting. Though the only reason as to why the nest does not fill with excrement is innate knowledge that was in their DNA, no one or thing had tought them do to such a thing they just knew they had to do it. Other cases include a babies knowledge that they can suckle at their mother’s breast in order obtain nutrients or satisfy their hunger. So due to this knowledge that is innate is possible to say that it was produced through evolution or through the DNA? Another example of innate knowledge is the swimming reflex for small toddlers, stated when face down in water that covers their face’s they instictively paddle and or kick in a swimming motion. These reflexes were neither gained through passive observation nor active experiment but what are some examples of such knowledge producing situations in which there was either passive observation or active experiment. In basic physics we learn of the law of gravity and hence in an experiment to test the law you would release an object from your hand such as a ball we would have prior knowledge and expect the ball to drop due to the force of gravity. If your hear the sound of rain drops outside hitting the pavement or objects which are outside we can passively deduce that it is raining. Or for when you are outside in the middle of the day when the sun is supposed to be out though there dark gray clouds blocking the sun’s rays of light then it rains now knowledge is produced where the person knows that with dark gray clouds rain follows soon after. These three situations are one active experiment and two passive observations in which knowledge was produced. I agree to an extent seeing as how most knowledge is usually produced through passive observation or active experimentation. Through both obeservation and active experiment we use many ways of knowing such as perception, emotion, intuition and memory. Though these are not the only ways that humankind can produce knowledge. As innate knowledge that is passed down through the DNA whether learned through the passive observation of someone dying before them or a near death experience which etched into their very DNA. I believe that the roots of all knowledge production stems from either passive observation or active experimentation. What is American Exceptionalism? What is American Exceptionalism? American Exceptionalism Definition American exceptionalism is a concept which depicts that the United States is unique and different from the rest of the world. According to various research conducted over the years, it can be deduced that most Americans believe the United States is an exceptional nation (Onuf, 2012: 1). The question now remains- what makes it unique? Is being different really a good thing? Based on the above definitions, it can be considered more on the positive view since it is portrayed as having predominance over others. On the contrary, exceptionalism tends to come with its own disadvantages, for instance the United States has been particularly exposed with negative qualities like racism, discrimination, violence and so forth. Even though, Americans had a different aim or purpose, which is to uphold human rights and display liberty and democracy. Thanks to Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt, in 1948 the United States started the process of becoming a United Nations by writing a universal declaration of human rights (Ignatieff 2005: 1). This decision made America to be at the top in international level. If being exceptional means that Americans believe their country is special, then there is nothing special about this exception since all nations treasure their national myth. If this  means that the U.S. is very benevolent, gifted, dedicated to civil and religious freedom, equality, justice, prosperity, social mobility, peace and harmony with all countries, and then plays by the book, then it is very contradictory to the facts because the United States has time without number fallen so short from these ideals. On the other hand, American exceptionalism refers to its strength, values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹and indispensable status, and the United States are exempt from the rules of conduct and implementation of other countries, the enemy, neutral, and allies must be pushed back (Hodgson 2009: 14). For these reasons, the exception becomes a burden, may be even more dangerous than it is worth. American exceptionalism is indeed a complex topic and shall need not to explore all the twist of it, from a historian point of view says that the United States of America can be exceptional in the sense that they know where they are coming from and the development they have gone through without associating it with ethnical involvement. OVERVIEW OF EXCEPTIONALISM Throughout American history, idealists and materialists have changed the theme of exceptionalism. Their different interpretation relative importance of the nationalist intention ideological and material interests dominance of foreign policy historians obsessed republican principles and national interest. They served as or disguised export and universal focus. At one extreme, a materialist view that, in the United Kingdom the United States is unique in facts on the ground never is replicated elsewhere: Patriot propaganda of the role is remind fellow colonists to the interests endangered and arouses them in their defence. After series of terrorist attacks in the Iraq war, American exceptionalism has become one of the dominant issues discussed. This abstraction is not just a popular idea, but, on the hostile, a concept common in the United States. These deep historical roots can be traced back to its origin and development of the main characteristics and influence. On one hand, freedom and equality of the highest priority. However, many U.S. citizens feel proud to consider their way of life is superior to other countries, and actively seek to share on the basis of the Constitution, which often is not logically consistent with equality and freedom. The term American exceptionalism was actually founded from the brilliant work of Alexis de Tocqueville which stands for qualitatively different from all other western countries. One of the important reasons of this exceptionalism was the freeing of the United States from the British. Exceptionalism itself was sought out from colonial period up to 1776 when American became a separate independent country from the British. Since then, the concept became more popular and replaced the idea of apparent destiny. The essence of uniqueness went back to 16th century, when John Winthrop expressed his opinion to his peer Puritans, that there will be a city upon a hill were they would never have to experience the bad things they had gone through in old Europe. One of the main factors that influenced the National identity of America at that time was that they had vast pool of resources, which Europe didnt have at that moment. America now as a nation which supports human rights can refer to the fact that the first people who populated North America were usually eager seekers of a new destiny, better living and the dominant encouragement for their risky location was basically land and the possibility of recognition of their own values and ideas. So now North America was called new world and this cut the eyes of those who were against the old world. The illustration regarding society, liberties, wealth, government and God were polished to create a better place for surviving than old Europe. Now the question is what makes a country to be exceptional? For a country to be exceptional is has to have these four qualities. Firstly, is to have the eagerness to stand on its own to face variety of issues, along with the perceived liberty to withstand the pressures and strong evaluation of others. Secondly, it also believes that its national values and routine are widely known and its policy positions are right, not just beneficial. Thirdly, is to have strong ability to visualize things inwards, domestic political study and development, being persuasive in international meetings. Lastly, but not the least is the national policy which states that makers and legislators are not obligated to follow their nations interest and acting through multilateral institution is just an option. It is a well-known fact that, exceptionalism is not only in the United States, but what makes it different from others is the wideness and magnitude of American power, with the interest it has are without prior, they influenced ideology and idealism with deep efforts, and also they are sharpened by political system, established by the separation of powers and by prejudiced difference over foreign policies. Now for many Americans exceptionalism has been a part of their perspective, values and national character which receives only questions and comments. As earlier mentioned, many countries are considered exceptional but in the case of Americas position its shows its exceptionalism in the real world not only in some international meetings. So till this date no other country has come close to America in international power and for the past few years the gap is just been increasing wider (luck 2003: 4). However, the concept of exceptionalism change as time goes on. Although out of the United States during the colonial era, the United States was considered as a symbol of opportunity, wealth and political weight, the border was closed to many outsiders as to their origin, racial reasons, and practical considerations. At this point, the exception means power and protectionism. However, in the contemporary context, what is known as American exceptionalism can be seen in the current policy and ideology, ignoring any difference between the past and present, the reasons and opportunities resulting in symbolic values, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹and the principle of contradiction and controversy. Exception tend to maintain a positive view of the past, present and future, which is an essential element of the social doctrine and propaganda (Shafer 1991: 1) THE TYPES OF EXCEPTIONALISM Exceptionalism can be distinguished into two forms which are the substantive and methodological exceptionalism. In contradiction to substantive exceptionalism and methodological exceptionalism are very different in approach, even if it is the court or by the legislative bodies in finding solution to freedom of expression arguments. In some countries like Canada, South Africa and Europe it is admitted that the American methodology has a deeply different acceptance of structure of freedom of expression judgement. besides the substantive view, it is mostly considered in some liberal democracies that the united states is an outlier not only with respect to freedom of expression opinion and policies, but with respect to freedom of expression methodology as well. Unlike substantive exceptionalism in which more is needed to be explained the methodological exceptionalism is more briefly explainable in terms of natural course of rights complexification- where simply understandable rights beco me into a more elaborate ones as a problem of policy makers face a greater value perception mode in this array, making rules, principles and presumptions necessary for them to handle that larger array (Ignatieff 2005: 31). IDEALISM AND REALISM Americans have been fighting over the relative importance of ideas and the definition of interests of the meaning of the United States. Idealists and materialists may not agree about human nature, but they provide complementary national narrative that supports exceptionalism. An idealist now looks idealists to celebrate the revolution in the past Patriot they waved the principle of self-determination is a universally applicable Equal World. Their self-understanding converted to American ideology an inspiring new concept of states role in the history of the world. This was significantly expressed by  Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. While on the other hand materialism points out realistic story to articulate the interests even more than the ideas, but also to be devoted to the basic principles of self-determination. Paying attention to the first settlers to conquer the wilderness, they celebrate history of elf management, self-sufficiency and continuous improvement. The empire of British has been an empty shell, not mandatory act, serious damage to the vital interests of rights awareness settlers population. Patriots challenge is to remind his fellow citizens internal threats and overcome habitual loyalty gently jurisdiction the aggressive theme better things to do: Our ancestors, Jefferson wrote in 1774, are farmers, rather than the lawyer. moment of lawyers, such as Jefferson Empire crisis. They talk about common sense. the principle of self-evident to a mobilization of people, causing them sleeping and a new sense of collective strength. (Onuf, 2012: 83) EQAULITY AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY The idea of equality in America back then might be imaginary for others. Equality meant a personal identity, free arbitrary class distinctions. There is equally disorientation because of the breakup of cultural diversity. Still the quality of interpretation of free exceptionalism is very strange, in some respects, because the centre of attention and analysis of the historical tradition to support this argument. The argument essentially is that the United States began to open political culture and everyone thought at this time to continue to shape the political debate and public policy. Such an interpretation can visually quite attractive. However, if we begin to consider by analysing the logic, such an explanation, we must question the mechanism, it is said to work here. What is the mechanism of dissemination and continuation of the political culture? Culturalism is not, of course, to say simply, each generation to the next through a fixed set of beliefs. Their argument is significan tly more complex. Cultural theory in one of the most interesting attempts to defend the charges that is too static (Ekstein, 1988: 791) Proposed this explanation is that, in an attractive and suspicious continuity. It is reasonable to expect that these basic interpretive filter through multiple generations handed down, is not to adjust to change, even to fundamentally change the course of history. The culture will change, but also shows a mechanism, which should make us rethink the rest mass of the exceptions to the free parameters. He told us that substituting learning is clearly important, but a persons world view is not dependent on exactly what their elders to teach them, but to shape their entire life experience, sometimes the formation of the younger generation of experience and profound from previous generations The point here is that the values, culture, and the concept of change and experience. Therefore, we cannot say that the United States is a nation built on the set of the value of freedom, and therefore, we believe that these values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹today. A certain extent, we found a strong liberal / principle of individualism in American political culture in the late twentieth century, need more than their origins explained. We also need to understand that it is what the American experience, and encourage Americans to reinterpret these values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹into anti-statist policy preferences. (Inglehart, 1990: 4) POLITICAL UNSTABILITY All the promising difficulties of religion and politics have been resolved by refusing that religious thought has had a very big impact in the political field. From a point of politics, business and government in the United States is like no other country, whose sates have made an important impact in the modernization process. Now because other countries were not influenced by business attraction than in the United States, so this made foreign government to push their workers to be in unions and they actually did it before the United States (Jacoby, 1987: 9) The citizens of America have actually pointed out that in the survey that was carried out it persistently favours a non-united government and weak states. Most of the times when some majority of the populations are asked by the survey takers of their opinion in whether they want the President houses of congress to be commanded by one single party or dividend between two, in this case they select the last minute feedback by massive majority. In addition to that, they always show a difference for small governmental units to larger ones. A very interesting and clever article written by J.P. Nett The state as a conceptual variable This article explains the huge difference between the American and the European conception of the state. He also pointed out that the latter is distinguished by the relative statelessness. Now the thing is that in the United States only their law is dominant. So what makes America and its people exceptional is the unique power their lawyers have (Shafer 1991:8) You see what made American exceptionalism different is that it is unlike what we have in Europe and Britain, in the United States I could say that the most influential factor that affect the political and social change are the lawyers and its experts. As we can see several times they have been the master mind for bringing it about. So these have opened a bigger argumentative guarantee of human right and civil liberties than the rest of the world. (Shafer 1991:9) Clinical Psychology: History, Applications and Research Clinical Psychology: History, Applications and Research Clinical Psychology What is clinical psychology? Clinical psychology is the â€Å"discipline that utilizes what is recognized in relation to the human behavior principles to assist people with their several concerns and troubles they incidence throughout the path of life in their emotions, relationships, and physical selves† (Plante, 2011). The paper will talk about the history and budding nature of clinical psychology and how psychology is yet overtime changing. Next, the paper will talk about the functions that research and statistics participate into clinical psychology. Lastly, the paper will comprise the differences amid clinical psychology and additional health professions types, such as psychiatry versus clinical psychology, social work versus clinical psychology, and school psychology versus clinically psychology. History and Evolving Nature of Clinical Psychology Clinical psychology has transformed above the last 25 years. To begin with the DSM-III was published in addition to the standards of APA were revised. The American Psychological Society was founded, in addition to the APA published the Presidential Task force findingsfor evidence-practice. Two of the major approaches evolved would be the Approach of Cognitive-Behavioral in addition to the Humanistic Approach. In the 1970s the Approach of Cognitive-Behavioral was well-liked and they were utilized for depression in addition to â€Å"treatment spotlighting on feeling, changing thinking, and expectations become as significant as the objective of changing explicit actions† (Plante, 2011). The Humanistic Approach was further founded off of theory and the philosophy that humans can develop from understanding behaviors and experiences. The humanistic approach supposed in considering compassion in addition to positive unconditional reinforcement. With regards to evolving of psychology, â€Å"subsequent World War II, above 40,000 veterans was hospitalized for psychiatric reasons in VA hospitals. The irresistible want for services of clinical for these men effected in a enormous enhancement in clinical psychologists offering a complete variety of inclusive psychological services, as well as psychotherapy, psychological testing, consultation, and research† (Plante, 2011). Subsequent that, above 4,000 psychologists was occupied in the course of the VA. In the 1950s throughout 1970s, there were considered approaches of intervention that made psychotherapy an preservative in services in â€Å"behavioral, the family systems, cognitive-behavioral, and humanistic approaches to intervention materialized as popular and compelling alternatives to the additional customary interventions and theories† (Plante, 2011). This demonstrated a huge influence on clinical psychology. Finally, in the biopsychosocial approach in the 1970s was deemed the most excellent approa ch to understanding psychological illnesses. In addition, it was decisive that all illness shoot from an fundamental problem such as, psychological, biological,or social issues. Role of Research and Statistics in Clinical Psychology Research is â€Å"activity of clinical psychology use of the scientific method to counter questions of interest to society and researchers† (Plante, 2011). â€Å"The broad objective of research in clinical psychology is to obtain knowledge regarding human behavior and to employ these facts to help advance the lives of families, individuals, and groups. The scientific method is a set of procedures and rules that explain, clarify, and forecast a exacting phenomenon† (Plante, 2011). Consecutively to recognize totally how clinical psychologists discover research, there requires being a hypothesis, in a few cases requires to alter hypotheses and to recognize new data that will be assembled and examined. The primary stage of research is that psychologists have got to affirm a phenomenon. A device that is usually utilized is the DSM-IV-TR which was circulated by the American Psychiatric Association. â€Å"The instruction manual explains several clinical syndromes and catalogs extremely precise criteria of diagnostic for every psychiatric problem, consequently enable researchers to superiorly make certain that the similar criterion are used to describe each population researched† (Plante, 2011). The research will then slim down precise features that contract with emotions, thoughts, and behavior that are connected with the definite syndrome that was initially assessed hypothetically. â€Å"Once a cautious explanation is constructed, a hypothesis has got to be extended and tested to sufficiently enlighten the behavior of interest. For instance, researchers might be interested in learning additional regarding changes in the sexual response incidence by patients using Prozac versus Elavil, two extremely diverse antidepressants† (Plante, 2011). Sometimes In regards to research, there might be additional pressing issues that can be influence cognitive functions. Just the once the hypothesis is concluded, then it is tested to perceive if there is correctness or even inconsistent and consistent findings. â€Å"Precisely forecasting behavior founded on hypotheses turn out to be an index representing that individual hypotheses are certainly valid. Several diverse types of research investigations and experiments are utilized to check hypotheses† (Plante, 2011). Differences Between Clinical Psychology and Other Mental Health Professions Clinical Psychology Versus Social Work Social work is â€Å"in general a discipline of master’s-level that has traditionally centered on patient advocacy, patient case management, and a link to finest social service benefits and agencies† (Plante, 2011). Clinical psychology is utilized on a daily basis in social work. The Social Work Practice Research Module applies to the training of social work from courses of clinical psychology. â€Å"Examples of execution of a Practice Research Module at diverse training levels (e.g., practicing clinical social workers, master’s level students, and doctoral students) are provided. It is concluded that the want for a PRM is expected to add to experience of social work practitioners pressure to account for their efficiency in clinical psychology† (Turnbull Dietz-Uhler, 1995). Clinical Psychology versus Psychiatry Psychiatry is a â€Å"medical area of expertise that spotlights on abnormal behaviors† (Plante, 2011). Psychiatry and Clinical psychology are two major disciplines in psychological study and health. In regards to researching both clinical psychology and psychiatry â€Å"journals of psychiatry tended to have superior influence than journals of clinical psychology, and their effect was uneven: journals of clinical psychology quoted psychiatry journals at a a great deal superior rate than the reverse† (Haslam Lusher, 2011). With regards to clinical journals, â€Å"journals of clinical psychology were lesser assimilated than journals of psychiatry, and health psychology/behavioral medicine and clusters of neuropsychology were comparatively marginal to the network† (Haslam Lusher, 2011). Clinical Psychology Versus School Psychology School psychologists are â€Å"experts who utilize knowledge regarding human behavior and affect that knowledge in a setting of school† (Plante, 2011). Many high schools about the world, have either a school counselor or a school psychologist to assist children with listening, counsel and a fit way to liberate internal feelings. In a latest study to observe if college undergraduates recognize the distinction amid clinical and school psychology, the results were equally surprising low in knowledge and disciplines. â€Å"Undergraduates used diverse sources of information to study of school psychology and clinical as a graduate choice school. Additional, psychology majors rated clinical psychologists as being additional engaged in individual therapy, consultation, assessment, and research than school psychologists† (Gilman Handwerk, 2001). Conclusion This paper In conclusion, has conversed the history and evolution about clinical psychology that to this day, psychology is varying every moment. It also discussed how research and statistics are essential to understanding clinical psychology. Lastly, the paper discussed distinctions amid clinical psychology and diverse mental health professions types. References Haslam, N. N., Lusher, D. D. (2011). The structure of mental health research: networks of influence among psychiatry and clinical psychology journals. Psychological Medicine, 41(12), 2661-2668. doi:10.1017/S0033291711000821

The Definition of Happiness :: Happiness Essays

  According to Webster dictionary the word Happiness in defined as Enjoying, showing, or marked by pleasure, satisfaction, or joy. People when they think of happiness, they think about having to good feeling inside. There are many types of happiness, which are expressed in many ways. Happiness is something that you can't just get it comes form your soul. Happiness is can be changed through many things that happen in our every day live.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Happiness according scientific studies happiness comes from dopamine taking chemicals around the brain, which is a transmitter in the brain that controls the nervous system. These chemicals in the brain make us happy and sad. Happiness means different things to different people, so say Happiness comes from peace and other happiness comes from your expectations from being fulfilled. Happiness is like being sad or angry, it?s an emotion. Some people can get happiness from the simplest things such as reading your favorite book; other people are more complicated they see happiness as some thing that doesn?t really happen to them, but that?s not true because very person is different some people are happy all the time or at least most of the time, while some people say that there not happy are really just happy for a short period of time, weather it means just laughing at a joke, your happy for that couple of seconds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People show there happiness in many ways, some people smile and there face just glows in pleasure and enjoyment, while others just don?t show there happy emotions physically they keep that feeling inside themselves. Even dogs have a way of showing there happiness, they show it by shaking there tail. One of the main reasons there are so many unhappy people in our society is because many have never taken the time to discover what it is that makes them happy. Chances are if you were to ask someone else what would make them happy you'd get a list of the same thing I mentioned above. The truth is, most people have a difficult time stating exactly what would make them happy for the simple reason they've never really thought about it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I personally believe that real happiness not the 3 second happiness that fades away, it has anything to do with our possessions, our environment, or even our health; it comes from being happy with your life and expecting who you are and what you have in life.

A Study of Traumatic Life Events in Link with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Running head: Effect of Traumatic Life Events on OCD A Study of Traumatic Life Events in Link with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder A Study of Traumatic Life Events in Link with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder, OCD, as defined by the National Institute of Mental Health is an anxiety disorder that is distinguished by persistent, unwanted thoughts and/or compulsions (â€Å"NIMH,† 2007). OCD is one of the most expensive and persistent forms of psychopathology. Although OCD has been thought of as a fairly rare disorder, recent studies have found that 1. – 4% of the population has some form of OCD. While the understanding of this disease has been expanded over the past few decades there still remains much to be learned about the causes and origin of the disease. One factor that is thought to contribute to the onset or intensification of most psychiatric disorders is stressful life events especially traumatic life events (Cromer, Schmidt, & Murphy, 20 06, p. 2). However there has not been significant research on the relationship of stressful life events or traumatic life events with OCD. This study attempts to examine the potential correlations between traumatic life events and OCD, if any at all are present (Cromer, et al. , 2006, p. 3-4). Method A total of 265 participants, being at least eighteen years of age, all with some degree of OCD as their primary disease, participated in this study. Patients with schizophrenia, severe mental retardation, or currently depressed individuals were excluded from this study. The participants were interviewed and tested using four different methods. These methods included the Structured Clinical Interview with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (SCID), the Yale-Brown Excessive Compulsive scale (Y-BOCS), a traumatic life event measure, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The SCID interview was carried out by a trained, as well as experienced, interviewer. Two independent doctors then reviewed the results before making their final blind diagnosis. The Y-BOCS measured how severe each participant’s OCD symptoms were in each of the four areas. These areas ncorporated hoarding, ordering/symmetry, checking/obsessions, and cleaning/contamination (Cromer, et al. , 2006, p. 4). The traumatic life event measure was in an interview-like setting, where the participants were given descriptions of various traumatic life events. After each description the participants were asked various questions about their own experiences with similar events. If the participant was still troubled by any of the events the int erviewer would continue with a posttraumatic stress disorder test, regardless if the participant met the qualifications for posttraumatic stress disorder. This was done in order to make sure that all traumatic life events were documented properly. The final test was the Beck Depression Inventory which, through a full set of twenty-one questions, determines whether or not a person is currently depressed and the severity of their depression (Cromer, et al. , 2006, p. 5). Results Out of the 265 patients who participated in this study, 143 of them (roughly 54%) had experienced at least one traumatic life event at the time of the study (Cromer, et al. 2006, p. 1). If more than one event encountered, the participant suffered an increase in the severity of their OCD symptoms. These results remained consistent even when crucial variables, such as age, presence of depression, and the age OCD first began were controlled. Of the four symptoms of OCD that were tested for ordering/symmetry and checking/obsessions were found to have the closest correlation with the presence of traumatic life events (Cromer, et al. , 2006, p. 5). Discussion The results of this study largely support the fact that the symptoms of OCD are intensified by the onset of traumatic life events (Cromer, et al. , 2006, p. 1). However the researchers believe that there still needs to be testing done to clarify the link between OCD and traumatic life events as there may be confounding variables creating false positives. For example, there is a chance that some of the symptoms (ordering/symmetry and checking/obsessions in particular) are linked to other mood and anxiety disorders which could be the cause of the higher correlation in the study (Cromer, et al. 2006, p. 9). To improve on this there would have to be a study done to observe how those symptoms react with other disorders. The traumatic life event data that was collected was based off what the patients could remember from the past. This suggests that this particular data is not entirely accurate. The strength in their research, however, is how the SCID test was performed. Not only were there professional interviewers, their work was double checked by two independent doctors to insure the utmost accuracy. The participants were tested and interviewed in four different ways to accumulate more data to create a more accurate experiment (Cromer, et al. , 2006, p. 4). There is something that the researchers mention that I do not entirely agree with however. Cromer, et al. , says that someone with OCD would be more sensitive to traumatic life events and this would skew the results (2006, p. 10), but it is to my understanding that a traumatic event needs only to be traumatic to the person it is happening to, no matter how another observer may be affected by the same situation. If the event is traumatic to the person they will respond to the event (both mentally and physically) just as another person without OCD would respond to an event that is traumatic to them. References Cromer, K. R. , Schmidt, N. B. , & Murphy, D. L. (2006) An investigation of traumatic life events and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behavior Research and Therapy 45(7). Retrieved September 23, 2007, from ScienceDirect database. (September 28, 2007). NIMH  · Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Retrieved October 03, 2007, from http://www. nimh. nih. gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index. shtml.

Gamification of the Workplace Essay

The paper examines a new trend in workplace design called â€Å"gamification†. Gamification is defined as using concepts derived from video games and applying them in businesses to enhance motivation, raise productivity and lower turnover. The areas of effect discussed are motivation, cooperation, productivity and employee happiness. The text looks at which characteristics of video games make them so engaging and translates them into examples from the workplace. It presents real examples of companies that have implemented similar techniques. Gamification in the Workplace: A New Way to Think About Work Georgi Ivanov American University in Bulgaria The workforce of today is composed of young, talented and creative people, who despite their potential are less loyal and are always on the lookout for the job that better suits their qualification. As managers continue to search for ways to attract, motivate and keep them they ask themselves what makes this generation different from the previous. One of the things that separate us from other generations of workforce, video game addiction, has become increasingly relevant in the last decade. The college graduates that enter the labor market have played them since kids and consider them a hobby. The older generations learn about them as because of the app store which is a platform for easily accessible casual games. There is something in video games that makes people play them and create them and that something has made the video game industry the fastest growing entertainment industry today. With millions of people playing video games and investingmoney in their hobby, many companies implement video game concepts in an effort to make work more engaging, raise productivity and motivation and lower turnover. The process is known as â€Å"gamification†. To understand why managers would look to video and computer games of all things to improve the work life of their employees we have to understand what makes a video game so appealing to the modern employee and what part of that appeal is relevant to their productivity and satisfaction on their job. We know that some games have bigger audiences than prime time television shows, which means that these people prefer to do something, to be involved, than just sitting there and taking it in. In his book The Game of Work: How to Enjoy Work As Much As Play (1984) Charles Conrad leans on the fact that people will often work harder or even pay money to improve their performance outside of work. He outlines five principles that would transfer part of this to the business environment and empower employees – better scorekeeping, clearly defined goals, frequent feedback, better scorekeeping and consistent coaching. When the book was issued video games were not the object of the author’s discussion, however the concepts are present in today’s most popular video games. It is common have a score number in a corner of the screen showing how you are doing and every action you take changes that score. Taking this one step further is a ladder system that shows your score in comparison to other people’s score. With the popularity of video games today it is evident that people are respond very well to such a system. Through extension, if people are willing to devote so much time and energy into improving their game scores so they can climb the ladder and win intangible rewards, then, if they knew where they stood among their colleagues, they would be more motivated to do better. In her WSJ article Latest Game Theory: Mixing work and play (2011), Rachel Silverman gives a couple of examples of successful â€Å"gamification† of tasks. Live Ops Inc. runs a virtual call center. Th e company awards employees with virtual badges and points for keeping calls short and closing sales with leader boards that allow agents to compare their achievements. According to the vice president, since the system was implemented call time was reduced by 15% in some employees and sales have gone up by between 8% and 12%. I saw this in myself when I worked as a sales representative. When I joined the company it was evident who the top sales people were. Everybody’s numbers were available every day for everyone to see. From the first day that I saw that I imagined my name on the firs position of the day end report on the cash register screen just like I did on my computer screen while playing a favorite game of mine. It helped. I was always eager to keep track of my sales and strive to improve and my boss nurtured that friendly competitive atmosphere in which I thrived. This helped me in the beginning a lot because I did not feel intimidated by the more experienced members’ numbers. One of the most popular types of games today is the Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game (MMORPG). The model is basically putting millions of players from all over the world in one universe and to let them progress in this world by developing their skills and handling challenges alone or in teams of other players who have diverse skill sets for different situations. There are player rankings and guild rankings. To climb up the ladder, players need to accomplish tasks or â€Å"quests† and apart from the regular points, they get badges, if they complete the quest not in an efficient or creative manner. As you play your character increases in strength by gaining levels. Each level requires more effort to achieve than the previous and the conditions that have to be met to advance are set in stone and they never change. You know ahead of time what you need in order to progress. Every task you’ve made has an effect on the completion and your progress is clearly visible. If we take this concept to the business world, we’d have a clear employee ranking system and a company ranking system. Each employee will aim for the top places on the scoreboard, but keeping in mind that success is only possible with cooperation. This would motivate employees not only to do their best but also to be more accommodating to newcomers because they know that the better the people in your team/ department are doing, the better they would do. We do have a leveling system in the workplace – raises and promotions – but the conditions are not always as clear. If employees do not know what the requirements are and they have no guarantees that they would reach that threshold why should they work harder? Vendor invoice transactions are a tedious task, but now, with the new reward system, employees can earn points and raise their status among other SAP teams. At the end of the month, a dollar amount is awarded to a charity of the winning team’s choice. This is all done through an upgraded version of their clerk software. It adds extrinsic value to the work, makes employees contribute to a cause they can relate to. We play games because they are fun. Play is not the opposite of work as entrepreneur Steve Keil tells us in his speech â€Å"A Manifesto for play†. It is also supported by Byron Reeves, a communications professor at Stanford University and author of the book Total Engagement (2009), who says that â€Å"The idea that work is work and play is play and never shall the two meet is melting quite a bit†. Games are fun which makes them engaging and we want our employees to be engaged in their work. One of the ways we can do that is by taking down factors that restrain and choke the individual. Once our goals are clearly defined and a scoring and reward system is set up as a frame, why do we need to keep restrictions in the workplace? Changes like making workday more flexible and eradicating fear by establishing an atmosphere of trust and cooperation instead of an authority. Like the millions of gamers around the world we want our employees to feel good when they come to work because that is going to translate into better quality of work, customer service and engagement. In a MMO there is always a comfortable social network system. No matter what they are doing, a level 1 player can contact level 60 players and ask questions. There is a strong sense of community and presence, because it is easy to form contacts. When there is a task that requires 5, 10 or 20 people, the task is divided into smaller tasks and everyone’s progress in visible from start to finish. That accessibility and transparency is not always available in businesses but they would go a long way to improving communication. In his book, Byron Reeves takes this one step further saying that some people will soon do their jobs inside a game. He draws a scenario where a woman would sit on her home computer and log on to a virtual world, in which she is represented by an avatar which she herself customized with badges and clothing, earned as rewards for completed tasks. Then she would take a look at her team’s progress by meeting their avatars. This is gamification in the modern business. When implementing the strategies from above, however there are a couple of things to be mindful of. First of all, managers have to make sure that the atmosphere of friendly competition does not go out of hand. With regard to the company’s mission statement, they have to recognize at what point employees stop working for the company and start working for themselves. The goals to reach thresholds have to be balanced. A task is engaging when it is challenging, yet accomplishable with the skill set that the employee possesses. Some business may not be well suited for gamification concepts. The data on employees will make promotions and layoffs more fair and transparent but it may also undermine the importance of a manager. Certainly the concept of gamification is still young, the interest that companies show towards implementing them points to a new trend. In her article, Silverman quotes the tech industry research firm saying that â€Å"by 1214, some 70% of large companies will use the techniques for at least one business process†. What was until recent years though to be a massive waste of time now changes the way we think about our jobs. Works Cited Rachel Silverman (October 10, 2011) Latest Game Theory: Mixing Work and Play; Retrieved from online.wsj.com Charles Coonradt (September 1, 1984) How to Enjoy Work As Much As Play; Steve Keil (January 2011) â€Å"A Manifesto of Play†; Retrieved from tedxbg.com Byron Reeves (November 2, 2009) Total engagement: Using Games and Virtual Worlds to Change the Way People Work and Businesses Compete