Nelson Mandela Essay

The world leader I have chosen to write about is Nelson Mandela:  Nelson Mandela’s rise in the political arena can be traced back to his years as one of the leading members of the African National Congress, otherwise known as the ANC, beginning in 1944 (Mandela, 2009). The ANC was one of the oldest South African civil rights unions. The union’s primary purpose, the freedom and equal rights of all black citizens from the practice of apartheid–South Africa’s then legalized form of racism–was a natural draw for Mandela.Mr. Mandela describes in his own words the deciding moment when he joined the ANC: I had no epiphany, no singular revelation, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand slights, a thousand indignities, a thousand unremembered moments, [that] produced in me an anger, a rebelliousness, a desire to fight the system that imprisoned my people (Mandela, 2009). Mandela’s desire and drive helped sustain him in the diffi cult years ahead. After joining the ANC and creating its first youth league (Mandela, 2009). Mandela went on to organize many nonviolent protests and civil disobedience demonstrations throughout much of the country.Growing in popularity, these campaigns were eventually deemed illegal by the National Party–the white supremacist government in power at the time–and ultimately led to the imprisonment of Mandela in 1962 (Mandela, 2009). Although many people advocated for his release throughout the years, it was from his own prison cell twenty years later when Nelson Mandela finally negotiated his own freedom and began the long, tedious, yet peaceful process of creating a new government for the South African people. Working together with South Africa’s new president, F.W. de Klerk, Mandela negotiated heroically in the creation of a new and non-discriminatory government.The two men made history on September 26, 1992 when they signed the Record of Understanding, a docum ent formalizing their agreement to create a new, non-racial, democratic government freely elected by the people (Mandela, 2009). Nelson Mandela went on to become the first freely elected President of South Africa and continued the hard work of rebuilding his country. He served his presidency for five years, stepping down from politics in 1999. Although removed from public office, Mandela continued to  advocate for issues important to his country; issues such as AIDS, poverty, and human rights. Again, Nelson Mandela worked tirelessly on behalf of his people, receiving numerous rewards throughout the years, until he formally retired from public life in 2004 (Mandela, 2009).As a result of his life’s work, Nelson Mandela forever changed the social view and practice of apartheid in his country. Politically, his efforts resulted in the first non-discriminatory, democratic (majority rule) government for South Africa. Therefore, I find these to be the two most significant social an d political changes that occurred as a result of Nelson Mandela. Task B.The individual I have chosen to write about is Martin Luther King, Jr.:  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was known as a religious reformer and civil rights activist who rose to greatness during the civil rights movements of the United States.Dr. King began his career as a civil rights activist in 1956 (About Dr. King, n.d.) when he was hired as a spokesman for the Montgomery Bus Boycott; a campaign organized and fully supported by the black community of Montgomery in protest of the segregation of the city bus lines. This boycott, which lasted for 381 days, ended successfully with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling declaring racial segregation in public transportation unconstitutional (About Dr. King, n.d.). This landmark protest would prove to be but one of the many successful campaigns Dr. King would lead throughout his lifetime.In 1958, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) elected Dr. Martin Luther Kin g, Jr. as their president (About Dr. King, n.d.). The SCLC’s mission of providing guidance to the growing civil rights movement (occurring throughout much of the south) served as the perfect platform for Dr. King’s message. From here, Dr. King would go on to organize many campaigns, most of them occurring in Birmingham, Alabama, then described â€Å"as the most segregated city in America† (About Dr. King, n.d.).Drawing from the nonviolent teachings of Mohandas Gandhi, Dr. King’s peaceful protests and civil disobedience demonstrations were televised in stark contrast to the brutality of Birmingham’s police force. The televised beatings of young black protesters proved too much for the nation to bear, prompting congress  to begin legislation on behalf of the civil rights movement in 1962 (About Dr. King, n.d.).Although the Birmingham demonstrations led to the writing of his open and now famous â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail;† an articulat e, well written manifesto of Dr. King’s beliefs and actions (About Dr. King, n.d.), time would show that Martin Luther King, Jr.’s greatest moments were still to come. In 1963 Dr. King gathered more than a quarter-million people to Washington D.C.’s National Mall for the â€Å"March for Jobs and Freedom,† now commonly referred to as the â€Å"March on Washington† (About Dr. King, n.d.)It was here that Dr. King delivered his legendary â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech, firmly placing himself on the world stage as a social and political leader, as well as becoming the youngest man–30 years of age– to receive the Nobel Peace. As a result of all the publicity Dr. King drew to the civil rights movement, congress soon passed the historical 1964 Civil Rights Act, and soon after the 1965 Voting Rights Act (About Dr. King, n.d.); sweeping legislation declaring it illegal to discriminate against blacks or any other minority people, and removi ng any obstacles obscuring blacks of their right to vote.After the passage of the Civil Rights Act, Dr. King carried on with his work, choosing to focus on economic justice and international peace. Tragically, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated while visiting a motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968 (About Dr. King, n.d.).Through his work, Dr. King introduced our country to the practice of â€Å"nonviolent† demonstrations, socially changing the way many people participate in protests even today. Due in part to his nonviolent campaigns, Dr. King’s efforts resulted in the passing of the Civil Rights Acts, one of the most significant political changes occurring in the history of our country. Therefore, I find these to be the two most significant social and political changes resulting from the actions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Equus” by Peter Schaffer Essay

Equus The play â€Å"Equus† by Peter Schaffer investigates ideas of faith, passion, violence, and adolescent sexuality. Schaffer was inspired to write the play after hearing a true story; a crime involving a teenage boy’s seemingly motiveless violence and injury to horses. Equus is a fictional account of what Schaffer believes could have happened before the incident, helping to explain the psychology and reasoning behind the boy’s mysterious and disturbing crime. Equus follows closely the character of 17 – year-old boy Alan Strang, but also his psychiatrist, Martin Dysart. In this piece of writing, I plan to explain how we explored the play of Equus in a variety of different activities within our drama class. Response The play opens with Martin Dysart, the psychiatrist, performing a soliloquy that introduces the main themes of the play. Scene one is devoted entirely to this speech, which shows its importance and vitality. We learn much about Dysart from this speech. For example, the line â€Å"All reined up in old/language and old assumptions† illustrates how he feels trapped and frustrated in his life. In addition, he says, â€Å"I’m desperate† which shows his exhaustion and frustration. This Scene was particularly challenging to rehearse and perform for various reasons. For one, it is a long speech so there is the challenge of learning it. Also, you need to make sure that your volume, tone, and speed are correct. There are very few stage directions so there is the added difficulty of knowing how to act when performing, and how to show his pain and anger. It is also hard, when rehearsing a piece, not to lose its spontaneity – which is particularly vital in this speech. In Scene two, Dysart is visited by Hester Salomon, a magistrate and close associate of Dysart, and Alan’s horrific crime is revealed to the audience. The line Hester speaks is very simple, but tells all that is necessary: â€Å"He blinded six horses with a metal spike†. My initial response to this line was shock, revulsion, and horror, but at the same time I was intrigued why Hester thought Dysart would be able to ‘fix’ Alan (Does he have more power or authority than the psychiatrists?) My feelings, however, did change as the play unfolded and I became more understanding and less shocked as the question of â€Å"why did he do it† was explored. At the beginning of Scene three (and the end of Scene two), we are introduced to Alan Strang, who has committed this terrible act. In this scene, Dysart questions Alan, but rather than simply replying, Alan chooses to sing television adverts. This gives a very strange first impression. We later find out that Alan was forbidden to watch TV – so how does he know these ‘tunes’? This was a very difficult scene to rehearse and perform without laughing and it was amusing to watch. Another scene we studied closely was Scene seven. In this scene, Dysart goes to visit Alan’s parents, Mr and Mrs Strang. From this scene, we learn much about Alan’s upbringing and how events in his childhood may have subconsciously had a negative effect on Alan, and how it may have influenced what he did. One of the main factors that had a strong influence on Alan was his mother’s somewhat extreme obsession with religion. Dora Strang is a very religious woman, with strong Christian beliefs, whereas Alan’s father, Frank, is an atheist who is worried that Dora’s constant reading of the Bible to Alan has had a negative effect on him; â€Å"†¦it’s the Bible that’s responsible for all this†¦an innocent man tortured to/death – thorns driven into his head – nails into his hands†¦it can mark anyone for life†¦all that stuff to me is just bad/sex† In reading this scene, I think Schaffer wanted the audience to feel intrigued about the big part religion has played – also, in a conversation between Dora and Dysart near the start of the scene, she says: â€Å"Alan’s always been such a gentle boy. He loves animals! /Especially horses! This confuses the audience slightly because it makes you think that if he liked horses so much, why did he do such a terrible thing to them? This information enables us to understand Alan’s obsession with horses, later revealed in the play. The scene also draws very strong images of Frank and Dora, who are both very different from one another: Dora has unintentionally influenced her son with religion, and she is very upset over the matter: â€Å"I simply†¦don’t understand†¦Alan! (She breaks sown in sobs)†. Frank, on the other hand, seems to spend little time with Alan, and didn’t let him watch TV (Dysart): But surely you don’t have a set, do you? I understood Mr Strang doesn’t approve.† This may also have affected Alan because it prevented him from being like ordinary children – encouraging him to become weird. Schaffer creates a negative image of both characters for this reason, but also makes you pity them. They purposely mean to hurt Alan and are both shocked and distraught about what has happened. As a director, I would want to emphasise how the Strang family is very different from an ordinary family, Dora with her strong religious beliefs and Frank insisting on no TV. The third and final scene we studied in depth was Act 2, Scene 33. In this scene, Jill has lured Alan back to the stables – although Alan is reluctant and unsure of whether he should go. Scene 32: (Alan – to Jill) â€Å"The stables?† (Jill) â€Å"Of course!†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (Alan recoiling) â€Å"No!† Alan says ‘no’ to Jill three more times, but they still go. Later, in Scene 33, Alan insists that the door is locked. Also, in this scene, Alan becomes very uneasy. One reason for this is because he cannot go through with having sex with Jill and is humiliated, although Jill is very understanding. The other reason is that he believes that God has seen what has happened through the eyes of the horses in the stable. This is the reason why he blinded the horses – so God could not witness him committing a sin. This fear puts Alan in a distraught state that follows on to the act of him blinding the horses in the final scene. The corresponding activity I participated in was â€Å"hot-seating† Alan about that night. We took it in turns to play Alan, and each did our best to answer questions about the night in character. Development Freeze Frames After reading the play we spit into groups of five. In these groups we decided which three points of the play were the most important; or had the biggest impact on the audience and had to present them as three ‘freeze-frame’ images. The first point we chose to depict was in Scene 3; Dysart has just met Alan and is asking him various questions. We showed this by having Alan on Dysart’s ‘couch’ looking bewildered and confused. Our group also thought it would be a good idea to have three ‘onlookers’ looking in on them, wearing disgusted expressions. They represented Bennett, Thoroughgood, and the public who are mentioned in Act 1, Scene 2 – just before Hester reveals Alan’s crime. The second idea that we chose was Alan’s confusion about which parent he should listen to: his mother with her religious ideas, or his father who insisted on no television. To do this we sat Alan in the middle of the sofa, with Dora on one side reading an imaginary Bible, and Frank on the other pointing at Alan with a stern stare, frowning at Dora. The third and final image we chose was of the main event – Alan blinding the horses. For this we had three people as horses, with Alan standing in front of them looking terrified, confused, and angry. I think that the images we chose really captured the main points and essence of the play. The last one especially helped me to understand Alan’s motivation for this terrible act. The next thing we did was to rehearse the main scenes we had focused on: 1-3, 7, and 33-34. Everyone was given the chance to play Dysart in Scene 1 – him being the only character in the scene. This, as I have previously said, was a very difficult task due to the emotions conveyed and the tone required. In Scene 7, I played Dora. This I actually found tougher than playing Dysart because I found it more difficult to act her and was embarrassed when she read from the Bible. I also found it hard to speak in a ‘proud voice’ when she is reciting from a book called ‘Prince’ that Alan used to enjoy when he was younger. Monologue To capture the thoughts and feelings on the night of the ‘act’, I have written a one-hundred word monologue from Dysart’s perspective (at the end of the play): â€Å"There he was, sitting there with Jill, the stable girl. Alone together†¦but they weren’t alone†¦Equus was there; watching. Listening. Seeing. Suddenly, Alan caught sight of him. He knew that Equus had seen him fail†¦so God had seen him fail. He must stop God from seeing him. He has to prevent the horses from looking at him. God looking at him†¦he must blind them. All six. And fast. I have taken Equus from Alan. He is ‘normal’ – but at what cost, and to whom? Now Equus lives with me†¦there is, in my mouth a sharp chain. And it never comes out.† Directors Instructions Ultimately, Equus is as much about Alan as it is about Dysart. As a director, I would advise the actors to not just ‘act’ the character, but ‘be’ the character – learn and understand Dysart; how he feels, thinks, and accepts people, whatever they’ve done. I would want the audience to feel intrigued about Dysart’s complicated life and emotions, but also leave the theatre thinking about what will happen next†¦ Evaluation Interesting Points I found many things interesting in performing Equus and the themes it explored. One of the things I enjoyed in performance was the variety. For example there were humorous scenes – such as scene 3, in which Alan sings – but also more serious and dramatic, scenes as well – such as Dysart’s soliloquy in Scene 1. In performing, I also enjoyed the fact that it explored lots of different emotions: Alan’s madness and Dysart being, in a way, traumatised by his dreams of cutting up children. Equus also tackles a range of themes. The play, in itself, has an unusual theme right from the start. I can relate to the theme of religion as my mum is a Christian and my dad is an atheist. Film Adaptation In class we watched the film adaptation of Equus. There were many differences between the film and the play. I feel that the play works better and it has a more powerful effect on the audience. Also, I felt that in the film Dysart’s opening speech wasn’t as good as it could have been. The whole speech was just a close-up of his face, and the actor did not show much emotion through his features, or use it to his best ability. Performing the play myself was very different from watching the film or watching other people perform. When I performed the play, I was very surprised at how I found it easier to perform Jill and Dysart than the other characters. Jill I found easy because she is a similar age to me – so I could relate to her emotions and feelings. However, I can’t begin to understand why I found it easy to Dysart. I have nothing in common with him and he seems to be a very complicated character. It is possible that it was because he is so different that I found it easy to play him – the two extremes; someone similar to me and someone completely different. Another possible reason why I found him easier was because I think that when you start reading the play, you subconsciously choose between Alan and Dysart, and I chose Dysart. I found Alan hard to relate to. Even though we worked very hard in class to understand why Alan committed the crime, I didn’t fully understand unti l right at the very end – after the rehearsals. If I had had more time to prepare or learn Equus, I think it would have been easier because it was not until the very end of our work that I started to really understand it. Peer Evaluation One person in the group whose work really impressed me was Marc. I thought that Marc really connected with and understood Alan. He was really convincing and performed well in various activities. Even when he had to sing he did it with a lot of confidence and enthusiasm. Many of us would have been very embarrassed about having to do this – especially in front of peers. He really impressed me when we were doing the â€Å"hot-seating† activity. He had played Alan and we were asking him questions about the night of the ‘act’. What impressed me was how, when asked a question he didn’t know the answer to, he sang one of the tunes – because that’s what Alan does in the play when Dysart questions him. Overall, I really enjoyed working on, and participating in activities about Equus. I thought that the play was fascinating and exciting, but also interesting and stimulating.

Statistics Coursework

1st Hypothesis – For my first hypothesis I will investigate the relationship between the number of TV hours watched per week by the pupils against their IQ. I am going to use the columns â€Å"IQ† and â€Å"Average number of hours TV watched per week† taken from the Mayfield high datasheet. I think that there will be a relationship between them and will attempt to reveal it. 2nd Hypothesis – For my second hypothesis I will investigate the relationship between â€Å"Average number of TV hours watched per week† and â€Å"weight (kg)†. I think that there will not be any major relationship between as they will not affect each other greatly. I will present my analysis and the results in graphs and tables and explain the results using the correlation of the graphs and arrangements of the figures. I will select a number of pupils to base my data on and will use random sampling to ascertain the correct number of male and female pupils needed to make the investigation fair. Stratified Sampling I do not want to use all of the data in the database for my analysis so I will need to take a sample of the number of people in the school. I would like to take about 10% of the overall figure. I will also need to use stratified sampling to make it an equal proportion of the number of males and females in the school to make it fair. The total number of pupils at the school is 813 so I will need to take 10% as my number, 81.3 is rounded down to 81. The overall ratio for boys and girls in the school is: 414:399 Now I will need to do my sampling Males = 414 multiplied by 81 = 41 813 Females = 399 multiplied by 81 = 40 813 Random Sampling Now I have the number of samples I will need to select the samples I will be taking. To do this I will use random sampling. I will take random samples until I have 81. I can do this on Excel using the following formula: = round(round()*120. Once I have gathered the samples I am ready to start analyzing my samples. Analysis Hypothesis 1 Males The first thing I need to do in my analysis is to analyze my graphs which are the source of the investigation. I have created scatter graphs to show the relationship if the two data sources for my first hypothesis. I have separated them into male and female graphs as there is a separation in the numbers. First male scatter graph: This first graph presented a bit of a problem. There was an anomalous result that affected the trend line and the scale of the graph. I decided to create a new graph that didn't include that 1 piece of data. This way it would help me to analyze the rest of the data. Second male scatter graph: This graph showed the data much clearer and I could then start analyzing it. There is no correlation between the 2 sets of data. This means that it is unlikely that there is a relationship between IQ and Average number of TV hours watched per week. In this it may be that my hypothesis is incorrect. There is only a very slight gradient on the trendline that leans towards a negative correlation, but the gradient is not steep enough to draw any conclusions about the relationship between the two sets of data. I will have to use the cumulative frequency graphs and boxplots to see if any conclusions can be made. Cumulative frequency graphs for IQ and Average number of TV hours watched per week: From these graphs I could create box plots and compare the two sets of data. Before that I analyzed the cumulative frequency graphs to draw initial conclusions. The majority of the IQs for males are between 90 – 105, this shows that the data is quite spread out as this section only covers a small area of the graph. For the TV hour's graph, again the data is spread among 1 main area; in this case it is between 5-25. There is almost a straight line near the top of the graph; this shows that there is likely to be some anomalous results and 0 pupils in between that result and the main bulk. Now I will create box plots so I can compare the two graphs together. Box plots for cumulative frequency graphs of IQ and average number of TV hours watched per week: (for interquartile ranges look at copies of graphs at the back) From the box plots I can see that the data spread is relatively the same apart from a possible anomalous result in the TV hour's data. This similarity is the reason why the scatter graph had no correlation and therefore no relationship. This means that my hypothesis is wrong. Hypothesis 1 Females Again I will start with the scatter graphs. As with the male graph I had an anomalous result that spread out the data and scale down the graph so most of the relevant data couldn't be analyzed. I then did another graph without that specific piece of data. Scatter Graphs 1 and 2 to show the relationship between IQ and average number of TV hours watched per week for Females: As you can see on both the graphs there is no correlation between the two sets of data. This again means that my first hypothesis is unlikely to be correct. There is only a slight gradient on the trend line which is not steep enough to draw any conclusions from it. There is another anomalous result on the graph but it doesn't affect the trend line and my conclusions so I left it on the graph. I will now crate cumulative frequency graphs to see if they can help me to draw conclusions. Cumulative frequency graphs for the IQ and number of TV hours watched per week: I will now analyze the graphs before drawing box plots to compare the graphs. The IQs graph is much more erratic which means that the data is spread over a larger range. Although there is 1 area where the data is concentrated and the gradient very steep, between 95-105. The TV hours graph is much smoother and the data less spread. The data number of hour's increases steadily to a certain point then it goes flat until the end. This means that there is a n anomalous result somewhere. I know that it can only be 1 or 2 anomalous because the point where it goes flat is at about 38 and there are only 39 sets of data in the graph. I will now look at the box plots to compare the two cumulative frequency graphs. Box plots for cumulative frequency graphs of IQ and number of TV hours watched for females: The box plots for these graphs show me that the IQ data has a much larger range and that it is quite evenly spread. I can see this because the interquartile range is quite large and the median evenly spread. There may be a few exceptions as 1 pupil is likey to have a very low IQ which is why the lowest value is so low. The TV hour's data seems to be much more concentrated and the data is generally lower. This shows that there can't be any relationship between them as they each grouped in certain areas. Also the box plot for TV hours shows that there is likely to bge an anomalous result as the highest value is so far out of the upper quartile. Hypothesis 2 Males In this hypothesis I will be comparing the Average number of TV hours watched per week and Weight, to see if there is any relationship between them. I will again start with Males and the Scatter graphs. Scatter graphs 1 and 2 to show the relationship between Weight and the Average number of TV hours watched per week for males: In these scatter graphs there is a slight negative correlation. This means that as the number of TV hours goes up Weight goes down. This may not be an accurate graph as there are a few anomalous results that may have caused the trend line to be that gradient. If this is so my hypothesis would have been correct, if it is not the gradient of the trend line isn't steep enough to say that it is 100% certain that it is accurate. I will need to use the cumulative frequency graphs to draw complete conclusions. Cumulative frequency graphs for the number of TV hours watched and Weights of males: These two graphs look quite different; the weights graph has most of its data concentrated in the middle of the range, between 30-50 and looks like a normal cumulative frequency curve. Whereas the number of TV hours has most of its data concentrated at the beginning between 0-30, showing that there is likely to be an anomalous result at the end of the range. These anomalous results on the TV hours graph are what caused the slight negative correlation on the trend line. I will be able to make complete conclusions after looking at the female sample and seeing if that graph follows suit. The box plots for these graphs will look quite different and will make it easy to make a simple comparison. Box plots for Cumulative frequency graphs IQ and Weight for males: From the box plots I can see that the two sets of data are almost identical in range which would cause a straight line on the scatter graph it is because of the anomalous results on the TV hours which caused the slight negative correlation. The weights box plot shows me that the data is quite evenly spread in the middle of the range apart from a very heavy person at the end which is why the highest figure is so far apart from the upper quartile. Overall the box plots show me that the similarity in the data means there is no relationship and hypothesis was correct. Hypothesis 2 Females Again I will start with the scatter graphs to show the relationship between Number of TV hours watched and weight. The graphs should be similar to the males and the conclusions the same. Again I had an anomalous result and had to create a second scatter graph without it there. Scatter graphs 1 and 2 to show the relationship between the Number of TV hours watched per week and Weight: The second scatter graph in this section, without the anomalous result completely changed the trend line. The first graph looks a lot more like the male graph whereas the second follows my hypothesis a lot better. In graph 1 there is a slight gradient on the graph which points towards a negative correlation, like those of the male sample. On the graph without the anomalous result there is clearly no correlation whatsoever as the line is nearly horizontal. I will take the results of the male sample to be wrong as I said earlier there are a few anomalous results which caused the trend line to be at that gradient. Now I will look at the cumulative frequency graphs to see what results I get from them. Cumulative frequency graphs for Average number of TV hours watched per week and Weight for Females: As on the males graph the TV hours for females have a lot of anomalous results. But for the scatter graphs I cancelled them all out which gave no correlation. If the line at the top of the TV hours graph is blanked out the two graphs look almost identical. This is why the scatter graph got a near horizontal trend line. The box plots for these to graphs will look alike apart from there will be a much longer line at the end of the TV hours graph because of the anomalous results. Box plots of cumulative frequency graphs for Number of TV hours watched and weights of females: These box plots show me the same as the males did, that the data is almost identical if placed 1 on top of the other. This is what caused the horizontal line in my scatter graphs and proves my hypothesis. Conclusion Hypothesis 1: My first hypothesis has been proved incorrect. The scatter graphs show that there is no correlation between the two sets of data. For my hypothesis to have been correct there would have needed to be a strong positive correlation. The cumulative frequency graphs and box plots again proved my hypothesis incorrect, the similarities in the two sets of data's box plots showed that there was no relationship and showed why the scatter graphs showed a straight line. Both the male and female samples showed that my hypothesis was incorrect although some anomalous results created a slight negative correlation in both it was obvious that it was still wrong. Hypothesis 2: My second hypothesis was proved correct. The scatter graphs showed that there was absolutely no correlation on the graphs which means no relationship. Although the male graphs did show a a negative correlation it was proved to be made by a few anomalous results by the cumulative frequency and later the inconsistency with the female sample. The female scatter graph showed a near horizontal trend line which was what I needed to prove my hypothesis. The similarities on the cumulative frequency graphs and box plots further proved my hypothesis was correct. Evaluation The investigation went quite well although my first hypothjesis was incorrect it showed that careful analysis of data is needed before drawing conclusions. When I next do an investigation into data I will use histograms to aid me in my analysis as they come in useful when looking for relationships in two sets of data as the cumulative frequency graphs do. I could have made the cumulative frequency graphs a little better as the program I used did not put a scale on the x axis but only the length of the range. Statistics Coursework 1st Hypothesis – For my first hypothesis I will investigate the relationship between the number of TV hours watched per week by the pupils against their IQ. I am going to use the columns â€Å"IQ† and â€Å"Average number of hours TV watched per week† taken from the Mayfield high datasheet. I think that there will be a relationship between them and will attempt to reveal it. 2nd Hypothesis – For my second hypothesis I will investigate the relationship between â€Å"Average number of TV hours watched per week† and â€Å"weight (kg)†. I think that there will not be any major relationship between as they will not affect each other greatly. I will present my analysis and the results in graphs and tables and explain the results using the correlation of the graphs and arrangements of the figures. I will select a number of pupils to base my data on and will use random sampling to ascertain the correct number of male and female pupils needed to make the investigation fair. Stratified Sampling I do not want to use all of the data in the database for my analysis so I will need to take a sample of the number of people in the school. I would like to take about 10% of the overall figure. I will also need to use stratified sampling to make it an equal proportion of the number of males and females in the school to make it fair. The total number of pupils at the school is 813 so I will need to take 10% as my number, 81.3 is rounded down to 81. The overall ratio for boys and girls in the school is: 414:399 Now I will need to do my sampling Males = 414 multiplied by 81 = 41 813 Females = 399 multiplied by 81 = 40 813 Random Sampling Now I have the number of samples I will need to select the samples I will be taking. To do this I will use random sampling. I will take random samples until I have 81. I can do this on Excel using the following formula: = round(round()*120. Once I have gathered the samples I am ready to start analyzing my samples. Analysis Hypothesis 1 Males The first thing I need to do in my analysis is to analyze my graphs which are the source of the investigation. I have created scatter graphs to show the relationship if the two data sources for my first hypothesis. I have separated them into male and female graphs as there is a separation in the numbers. First male scatter graph: This first graph presented a bit of a problem. There was an anomalous result that affected the trend line and the scale of the graph. I decided to create a new graph that didn't include that 1 piece of data. This way it would help me to analyze the rest of the data. Second male scatter graph: This graph showed the data much clearer and I could then start analyzing it. There is no correlation between the 2 sets of data. This means that it is unlikely that there is a relationship between IQ and Average number of TV hours watched per week. In this it may be that my hypothesis is incorrect. There is only a very slight gradient on the trendline that leans towards a negative correlation, but the gradient is not steep enough to draw any conclusions about the relationship between the two sets of data. I will have to use the cumulative frequency graphs and boxplots to see if any conclusions can be made. Cumulative frequency graphs for IQ and Average number of TV hours watched per week: From these graphs I could create box plots and compare the two sets of data. Before that I analyzed the cumulative frequency graphs to draw initial conclusions. The majority of the IQs for males are between 90 – 105, this shows that the data is quite spread out as this section only covers a small area of the graph. For the TV hour's graph, again the data is spread among 1 main area; in this case it is between 5-25. There is almost a straight line near the top of the graph; this shows that there is likely to be some anomalous results and 0 pupils in between that result and the main bulk. Now I will create box plots so I can compare the two graphs together. Box plots for cumulative frequency graphs of IQ and average number of TV hours watched per week: (for interquartile ranges look at copies of graphs at the back) From the box plots I can see that the data spread is relatively the same apart from a possible anomalous result in the TV hour's data. This similarity is the reason why the scatter graph had no correlation and therefore no relationship. This means that my hypothesis is wrong. Hypothesis 1 Females Again I will start with the scatter graphs. As with the male graph I had an anomalous result that spread out the data and scale down the graph so most of the relevant data couldn't be analyzed. I then did another graph without that specific piece of data. Scatter Graphs 1 and 2 to show the relationship between IQ and average number of TV hours watched per week for Females: As you can see on both the graphs there is no correlation between the two sets of data. This again means that my first hypothesis is unlikely to be correct. There is only a slight gradient on the trend line which is not steep enough to draw any conclusions from it. There is another anomalous result on the graph but it doesn't affect the trend line and my conclusions so I left it on the graph. I will now crate cumulative frequency graphs to see if they can help me to draw conclusions. Cumulative frequency graphs for the IQ and number of TV hours watched per week: I will now analyze the graphs before drawing box plots to compare the graphs. The IQs graph is much more erratic which means that the data is spread over a larger range. Although there is 1 area where the data is concentrated and the gradient very steep, between 95-105. The TV hours graph is much smoother and the data less spread. The data number of hour's increases steadily to a certain point then it goes flat until the end. This means that there is a n anomalous result somewhere. I know that it can only be 1 or 2 anomalous because the point where it goes flat is at about 38 and there are only 39 sets of data in the graph. I will now look at the box plots to compare the two cumulative frequency graphs. Box plots for cumulative frequency graphs of IQ and number of TV hours watched for females: The box plots for these graphs show me that the IQ data has a much larger range and that it is quite evenly spread. I can see this because the interquartile range is quite large and the median evenly spread. There may be a few exceptions as 1 pupil is likey to have a very low IQ which is why the lowest value is so low. The TV hour's data seems to be much more concentrated and the data is generally lower. This shows that there can't be any relationship between them as they each grouped in certain areas. Also the box plot for TV hours shows that there is likely to bge an anomalous result as the highest value is so far out of the upper quartile. Hypothesis 2 Males In this hypothesis I will be comparing the Average number of TV hours watched per week and Weight, to see if there is any relationship between them. I will again start with Males and the Scatter graphs. Scatter graphs 1 and 2 to show the relationship between Weight and the Average number of TV hours watched per week for males: In these scatter graphs there is a slight negative correlation. This means that as the number of TV hours goes up Weight goes down. This may not be an accurate graph as there are a few anomalous results that may have caused the trend line to be that gradient. If this is so my hypothesis would have been correct, if it is not the gradient of the trend line isn't steep enough to say that it is 100% certain that it is accurate. I will need to use the cumulative frequency graphs to draw complete conclusions. Cumulative frequency graphs for the number of TV hours watched and Weights of males: These two graphs look quite different; the weights graph has most of its data concentrated in the middle of the range, between 30-50 and looks like a normal cumulative frequency curve. Whereas the number of TV hours has most of its data concentrated at the beginning between 0-30, showing that there is likely to be an anomalous result at the end of the range. These anomalous results on the TV hours graph are what caused the slight negative correlation on the trend line. I will be able to make complete conclusions after looking at the female sample and seeing if that graph follows suit. The box plots for these graphs will look quite different and will make it easy to make a simple comparison. Box plots for Cumulative frequency graphs IQ and Weight for males: From the box plots I can see that the two sets of data are almost identical in range which would cause a straight line on the scatter graph it is because of the anomalous results on the TV hours which caused the slight negative correlation. The weights box plot shows me that the data is quite evenly spread in the middle of the range apart from a very heavy person at the end which is why the highest figure is so far apart from the upper quartile. Overall the box plots show me that the similarity in the data means there is no relationship and hypothesis was correct. Hypothesis 2 Females Again I will start with the scatter graphs to show the relationship between Number of TV hours watched and weight. The graphs should be similar to the males and the conclusions the same. Again I had an anomalous result and had to create a second scatter graph without it there. Scatter graphs 1 and 2 to show the relationship between the Number of TV hours watched per week and Weight: The second scatter graph in this section, without the anomalous result completely changed the trend line. The first graph looks a lot more like the male graph whereas the second follows my hypothesis a lot better. In graph 1 there is a slight gradient on the graph which points towards a negative correlation, like those of the male sample. On the graph without the anomalous result there is clearly no correlation whatsoever as the line is nearly horizontal. I will take the results of the male sample to be wrong as I said earlier there are a few anomalous results which caused the trend line to be at that gradient. Now I will look at the cumulative frequency graphs to see what results I get from them. Cumulative frequency graphs for Average number of TV hours watched per week and Weight for Females: As on the males graph the TV hours for females have a lot of anomalous results. But for the scatter graphs I cancelled them all out which gave no correlation. If the line at the top of the TV hours graph is blanked out the two graphs look almost identical. This is why the scatter graph got a near horizontal trend line. The box plots for these to graphs will look alike apart from there will be a much longer line at the end of the TV hours graph because of the anomalous results. Box plots of cumulative frequency graphs for Number of TV hours watched and weights of females: These box plots show me the same as the males did, that the data is almost identical if placed 1 on top of the other. This is what caused the horizontal line in my scatter graphs and proves my hypothesis. Conclusion Hypothesis 1: My first hypothesis has been proved incorrect. The scatter graphs show that there is no correlation between the two sets of data. For my hypothesis to have been correct there would have needed to be a strong positive correlation. The cumulative frequency graphs and box plots again proved my hypothesis incorrect, the similarities in the two sets of data's box plots showed that there was no relationship and showed why the scatter graphs showed a straight line. Both the male and female samples showed that my hypothesis was incorrect although some anomalous results created a slight negative correlation in both it was obvious that it was still wrong. Hypothesis 2: My second hypothesis was proved correct. The scatter graphs showed that there was absolutely no correlation on the graphs which means no relationship. Although the male graphs did show a a negative correlation it was proved to be made by a few anomalous results by the cumulative frequency and later the inconsistency with the female sample. The female scatter graph showed a near horizontal trend line which was what I needed to prove my hypothesis. The similarities on the cumulative frequency graphs and box plots further proved my hypothesis was correct. Evaluation The investigation went quite well although my first hypothjesis was incorrect it showed that careful analysis of data is needed before drawing conclusions. When I next do an investigation into data I will use histograms to aid me in my analysis as they come in useful when looking for relationships in two sets of data as the cumulative frequency graphs do. I could have made the cumulative frequency graphs a little better as the program I used did not put a scale on the x axis but only the length of the range.

Roosevelts New Deal and American Federalism Assignment

Roosevelts New Deal and American Federalism - Assignment Example In the same clause, it postulates that the congress shall impose taxes and duties in a uniform manner across all the states of the United States of America. The third clause is very important as it defined the power of the congress with regard to commerce issues. It states that the congress will have power to regulate powers among the US states and also between the Unites States of America and the rest of the world as well as with the Indian tribes. This clause gave the congress and thus the federal government exclusive power over the state governments, to regulate trade and commerce as well as make, establish and enforce laws regarding commerce. By giving such powers to the federal government, the role of the states was being trampled underneath the federal government and this clause was to later play a big role in defining the power boundaries between the federal government and the state governments. Commerce is definitely very important for any government and giving commercial sup remacy to the federal government meant that the power of the state government was minimized and the power for the federal government was increased.Supreme Court judgements in the past have also helped in defining the parameters of the powers of the federal government of the United States of American over the state level laws. These decisions by the United States include the Supreme Court decisions in McCulloch v. Maryland and Gibbons v. Ogden. In this McCulloch, the second bank of United States found itself in a row with the state of Maryland. The state of Maryland had passed a law that required all banks, local or federal, to only issue local notes and also to pay taxes on these. The second bank of United States did not however want to pay tax because this was not in line with federal bank regulations. As a result, the state of Maryland took the case to court and the case was eventually decided in favour of the second bank of the United States. The Supreme Court quoted the supremac y clause of the United States constitutions and said that the state did not have the power to override the federal laws and that the court should be able subscribe to the federal laws as a guidance to its decision. The same issue was also repeated in the case of Gibbons v. Ogden (1824). In this case, the issue was about the monopoly given to Ogden on the use of the navigation waters of the New York area. The state of New York had given Ogden a monopoly over the waters of the area and also tried to convince the other neighbouring states to do the same but they refused. Gibbons, appealed to the Supreme Court which overruled the decision and argued that the state did not have powers to override the federal laws. The Supreme Court quoted the third clause of the eighth section of article I of the United

Organizational Behavior, can managers be overcommitted Surprisingly Essay

Organizational Behavior, can managers be overcommitted Surprisingly - Essay Example Usually, their next action is to issue another set of orders reinforced by penalties in case of further disobedience. Meanwhile, the discussion of the problems initiated often helps better and saves the nerves of both managers and their subordinates. Dick Spencer, the plant manager at Modrow from the case study obviously has faced the same problem as stated above. When ordering a foreman to bent the scrap strips instead of cutting them, he did not listen to contradictions of a foreman. Moreover, the agreement of a foreman was forced. Dick Spencer uses an authoritative leadership style, demanding obedience and being deaf to alternative opinions. Of course, this type of managerial behaviour pays well when a manager has a clear vision of the problem, and knows how to deal with it. Nevertheless, authoritative managers think they have a clear vision way to often compared to cases when they really have it. In this case, his management style failed him, as once again he saw workers cutting the strips, and therefore disobeying his orders. And for once more, he refused listening to the opinion of a foreman. No wonder, that his order was disobeyed for the third time. Let us imagine, how would another manager with different leadership style reacted to solve the problem. Bill Gates seems to be a proper candidate, as his managerial style is renowned for encouraging suggestions from all ranks and debate all ideas. His participative behaviour would lead to the discussion of the problem with the foreman, which is that cutting strips of scrap is less efficient and costs more than bending them. The contradictions of a foreman would have been listened, and compromises would have been reached. As can be seen, listening to foreman complaints and criticism seems to be not a bad idea in the end. Of course, it would have taken more time than assigning an order, but in this case the assignment would have been completed without further reminders more likely. Of course, the discussion may have turned into the other way: it is impossible to bend scrap strips for some reason of technological matter; - therefore no cost reduction can be expected in this activity. Still it would have brought the useful knowledge. Bob Eckert, a successful manager at Mattel can serve as a useful comparison of managerial styles. Like Dick Spencer, Eckert never changed his management principles. However, when reviewing the annual incentive plan at Mattel, he found that targets were set unrealistically high: employee bonuses were clearly unattainable. The dilemma he faced was: should he stick to his management principle of never altering targets once they had been set, or instead adjust them, make them attainable and perhaps win employee commitment Eckert has chosen the second way and won in the end: employers realised that he was on their side and re-doubled their commitment to the company's turnaround. (Eckert, 2001) Another aspect of Spencer's leadership style is his habit to roam the factory and listen to his employees. True, this gives a senior manager additional information about their organisation and shortens the distance between executives and workers. However, this characteristic does not go in line with manager's authoritative style of issuing orders. Workers may be clam because they do not interact with the top manager directly, but middle managers are very

Andrew Jackson's Presidency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Andrew Jackson's Presidency - Essay Example The native Indian Americans faced one of their toughest times during his presidency, considering that he had embarked on a mission to dispossess the Native Americans of their land from the East of the Mississippi river to relocate them to the west, and this is a decision that he acted on most swiftly and decisively (Benson, 22). Thus, by the end of his term in presidency, he had managed to displace the natives from their motherland, to present day Oklahoma, through a forceful eviction that eventually came to be known as the ‘Trail of tear’ (Heckscher, n.p.). Secondly, Andrew Jackson’s policies were responsible for an economic meltdown in the United States and restricted economic growth for the country, since he adopted economic policies that were fundamentally flawed such as the closure of the Second Bank of the United States, eventually leading the country to a future economic crisis (Buchanan, 165). Thirdly, Andrew Jackson’s political actions were unjust, unconstitutional and created strains between the federal government and the states they presided over, thus leading to a political discontent in the country, at a time when peace was the most important thing in the country, having moved out of previous wars and conflicts that had threatened to completely tear the country apart. Therefore, in a nutshell, Andrew Jackson’s presidency was a cancer on the United States, and prevented the federal government from growing as a whole, during his time in office. Analysis of Andrew Jackson's Presidency The most memorable and horrific aspect of Andrew Jackson’s presidency was his treatment of the Native Americans. President Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act (1830), which then gave the president powers to negotiate the removal treaties with Indian nations, by transferring them from the regions they previously inhabited as their homeland, through legalizing the transfers and providing for the funding of the transfer proc ess (Buchanan, 166). This move has largely been termed by the human right commentators as amounting to ethnic cleansing, through dispossessing the native Indians of their motherland in the East of Mississippi, and transferring them forcefully to the western side; the present day Oklahoma (Andrew Jackson, n.p.). While the passage of the Removal Act was meant to be a channel through which peaceful treaties would be entered into, between the Indian Nations and the federal government, Andrew Jackson resulted to the forceful eviction of the Natives, after it became clear that they were not willing to give up their ancestral lands (Cole, 72). The forceful eviction was extremely dehumanizing, especially since President Andrew Jackson Sent 7,000-armed troops specifically to remove the Cherokee tribe, which had proved to be a bit more resistant in signing a transfer treaty that would displace them from their motherland (Benson, 27). This move was extremely bad, considering that the only reas on President Jackson implemented the forceful transfer of the Natives, was to have the white settlers expand their farms, so that their cotton farming and slave economy would continue to flourish, at the expense of the comfort of the Natives, who were not seen to contribute much

The Entrepreneurial Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Entrepreneurial Process - Essay Example This paper will argue in favor of some of these theories but also posit how two important variables are critical in the entrepreneurial development: in addition to the environment by which the process operates in, there is the fundamental element of the person, the entrepreneur. The idea is that the process begins with people who have the aptitude, skills, preference and desire to establish a business. What this means is that the process goes far beyond a simple discovery of opportunity. It is rooted on the motivations and desires of individuals, this is what drives people to become entrepreneur and be effective and successful in pursuing their entrepreneurial objectives. These variables are best depicted in the experience of Shane Eten and his FEED Resource Project wherein he aimed to build an anaerobic digester and make money in the process. Before Eten became an innovator and an entrepreneur, selling his business plan for grants then to venture capitalists, he was first a student and an employee. Together with his upbringing, these stages in his life cultivated a character that is typified by restlessness, ambition and vision. Without these factors, Eten would not have the capability to discover opportunities. His personal preferences, behavior and abilities as influenced by his environment as he grew up into adult life, were responsible for the motivations, acumen and decision-making capabilities. For example, Eten liked his work at the startup company Angstrom Micro Systems because his job was never the same day-to-day. At the apex of this aspect is the question why there are people who start businesses as opposed to those who want to work for others. The dominant theory explains that there are those who are more inclined to become entrepreneurs either because of their work temperament, character and skills. The theoretical literature is not short on evidences supporting this view. For instance, according to Carsrud and Brannback (2009, pp.143), "not every one fits into the role of an employee working for another person within an organization," because, "some decide to blaze their own trail through the business world." In similar vein, Kuratko and Hodgetts (2008, pp.44) theorized that the role of the individual is important, particularly his or her psychological profile because this individual is the energizer of the entrepreneurial process. The aptitude that is dependent on individual characteristics has been highlighted by Morris, Kuratko and Covin (2010, pp.180) who explained that an entrepreneur must be creative to design solutions for challenges and obstacles entailed in the entrepreneurial process. Eten demonstrated these various attributes. He loved working for the highly dynamic IT company. Afterwards, he was forced to adapt to the negative developments in his career. Then, finally, he was able to spot an opportunity to establish his own business and worked for its realization. Now, after the focus on the human agency perspect ive, there is also the case of the entrepreneurial process, which highlights the part played by the environment. In the experience of Shane Eten, this is demonstrated in highly structured procedures by which his ideas were turned into reality. First, he applied for grants and his business proposals were

Compare the parliamentary and presidential forms of government. What Essay

Compare the parliamentary and presidential forms of government. What are the strengths and weakness of each - Essay Example The Prime Minister (who is the chief executive) may be elected to the legislature in the same way that all other members are elected" (Governing Systems and Executive-Legislative Relations n.d.). Power in Parliamentary systems is concentrated in the Parliamentary leaders. It follows that pressure groups, to promote their interests, must influence the leaders, and this they can do effectively only by putting pressure on them directly or by acting through agencies that can, above all the parties and civil servants. Parliament, of course, also has some influence with its leaders, hence it is not entirely useless for British pressure groups to try to influence Prime Ministers (Mettenhiem 27). But compared to the pressures exerted through parties and civil servants their parliamentary activities are secondary. For instance, the need to focus pressure on the bureaucrats is reinforced by the activities of British government. First, the vast scope and technical character of decision-making r equired by welfare-state policies has led to the devolution of more and more decision-making authority to the bureaucracy, so that there is in Britain a vast amount of executive legislation (Ben-Zion Kaminsky 221). Equally important, the decision-making powers delegated to the Departments are likely to be of special concern to interest groups (Lijphart 129). General policy, of course, is still predominantly made by the Government, but technical details, especially the sort needing fairly frequent revisions (e.g., how much money is to be paid to doctors; what prices to guarantee to the farmers; on what basis to grant or withhold licenses to build, import, issue securities or acquire raw materials), are taken care of by the Departments, and such details are likely to be of as great concern to interest groups as policy in its broad sense (Mettenhiem 29). In contrast to Parliamentary systems, where the P.M is a party leader, the President is chosen by a separate election. "The President then appoints his or her cabinet of ministers (or "secretaries" in US parlance). Ministers/Secretaries usually are not simultaneously members of the legislature, although their appointment may require the advice and consent of the legislative branch" (Governing Systems and Executive-Legislative Relations n.d.). In this view, the constitutional separation of the executive and the legislature is the main culprit in the now excessive fractionizing of governmental power. Following Lijphart (1992): "the notion of the supremacy of parliament as a whole over its parts is a distinctive characteristic of parliamentary systems" (37). The main differences between the Parliamentary and Presidential forms of government are found in separation of power (Lijphart 16). In general, the Presidential form stipulates separation of power between different branches while the Parliamentary form means a fusion of power. In both forms, corporatism is characterized by high concentrations of government power as well as private power (Ben-Zion Kaminsky 221). Pluralism, on the other hand, is based on low concentrations of government and private power. A state-directed system is characterized by high concentration of government power, and low concentration of private power. And, finally, high concentratio

Summary paper on book 1 free choice of the will by Augustine of hippo Essay

Summary paper on book 1 free choice of the will by Augustine of hippo - Essay Example On the other hand, those who do evil and sin but are God’s chosen, are not going to be punished because they still remain saved, regardless of their behavior. Augustine persists that wrongdoing is a substance of free will at its cause, where he sounds sensible and is the least uncertain. He further stresses this by detaching wrongdoing from God’s cause. All what is God-made is good according to Augustine, and for that reason, he says god cannot be the cause of evil. He argues that evil is committed in the act of free will of humanity, and adds that it can also be in free will of angles, but not God. On the other hand, his persistence about Gods actions of good will being by God’s grace seems to disagree with his own affirmation on choice of free will. While God should not be the one to blame for wrong doing, God is given all the praise and glory for good, despite the bad deeds committed by those who have done things according to the good will. Therefore, people should be blamed for the bad things they do and cause, but do not deserve any recognition for whatever good they do. According to Augustine, people’s capability to operate according to their own free will has been seriously weakened by the obsession and desires. They lack the strength to control their needs, so they are controlled and driven by lust. Augustine believes that lust is one of the biggest sin of all and that it troubles very many people, who end up giving in to it readily and gladly. This is proof of the weakness of free will. Where Augustine makes outstanding points on the way flesh desires directly disagreeing with the spirit, the way he argues that we behave in good manner by God’s grace is in direct disagreement with his persistence that evil is a deed of free will. If we are made good by God, then why cannot the devil be the cause to sin, when we act badly? As Augustine insists that we as human beings have free will, it means we are responsible for the bad

3 Fators of Doom for Macbeth Essay Example for Free

3 Fators of Doom for Macbeth Essay In Macbeth there were a few factors that contributed to the degeneration of the Macbeth character. There were three factors that destroyed Macbeth. The main force that was predominately responsible for the downfall of Macbeth was his single flaw. Which was his own ambition. Even though his ambition brought him to his height of power, it was also what led him to his downfall. During the play Macbeths ambition brought him to achieve his goals but as the play evolves, it forced him to face his fate. Macbeth had become so obsessed with becoming King, and remaining powerful, that he became a completely different man. See more: Satirical elements in the adventure of Huckleberry Finn essay His ambition led him to become greedy, violent, power hunger, and a murder. An example of his new character occurred when he killed King Duncan. After the first murder, killing seemed to be the only solution to keep his reign over the people of Scotland. It was because of these killings and his overbearing ambition that caused him to be overthrown and kill himself. Another force was the prophecies which were told by the witches. If it had not been for the witches telling Macbeth that he was going to be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glanis, and King of Scotland, he would still be is ordinary self. After the witches shared these prophecies with Macbeth he started thinking of ways he could become king. The other influential factor that destroyed Macbeth was his wife Lady Macbeth. In the play Lady Macbeth was going to kill King Duncan, but she just could not do it. Although she then provided a scheme which caused Macbeth to kill King Duncan. After the first murder, Macbeth seemed to come to the solution that killing was the way. Therefore Lady Macbeth was the one who introduced the concept of murder to Macbeth, which was another reason why Macbeth was destroyed.

Financial Reporting on Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Financial Reporting on Goodwill and Intangible Assets Question 1 Under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), goodwill and intangible assets must be treated separately during a business combination in accordance with IFRS3. Prior to IFRS 3, companies, during a business combination situation, intangible assets and goodwill could be accounted for as goodwill[1]. Under IFRS 3, acquired intangible assets are treated separately to goodwill. With recognised intangible assets, the value of the intangible asset can be amortised over the useful life of the asset. Goodwill is the value difference between the price paid for a business on acquisition and the value of the assets. Unlike intangible assets, goodwill cannot be amortised but needs to be re-measured for impairment, on an annual basis. This impairment value can be included in the income statement as an expense, on an annual basis. This is the critical difference between intangible assets and goodwill[2]. Upon acquiring a business, the acquiring company must assess the fair value of the relevant assets and liabilities including some identifiable intangible assets. This is the only time that these assets can be recognised on the balance sheet. Internally created intangible assets cannot be amortised in a straight line and reduced in this way on the balance sheet unless they are identifiable in terms of a useful life expectancy. Intangible assets that have an indefinite life span cannot be amortised on a straight line basis and must be re-measured for impairment, instead. All internally created intangible assets are re-measured for impairment, regardless of whether or not they are able to ascertain the useful life expectancy of the asset[3]. Goodwill is generally considered as a type of intangible asset; however, for the purposes of IFRS 3, it must be accounted for separately, during a business acquisition, with goodwill never being amortised and intangible assets that can be recognised to have a specific life expectancy can be amortised on a straight line basis. This is not the same for internally created intangible assets which will never be amortised. Question 2 (a) Gearing is calculated by considering the ratio of debt to equity, which is considered as debt divided by capital employed (or debt divided by debt plus shareholder funds). Intangible assets are often added back on to the shareholders’ funds as intangible assets such as goodwill and are a measure of the history of the company and not its current financial strength[4]. Calculation Gearing Numbers reported in company’s balance sheet (733 + 8585) which is total borrowings divided by shareholder equity / (9318 + 4013) total debt plus shareholder equity 69.90% Adjusted to make goodwill valueless (733+8585) / (4013 + 9318 – 4514) goodwill is taken off the shareholder equity 105.68% Adjusted to treat both goodwill and intangible assets as valueless (733+8585) / (4013 + 9318 – 9974) goodwill and intangible assets are added back on 277.57% The higher the ratio or gearing percentage, the greater the company favours debt over equity. A ratio of 100% would indicate that the company has an equal preference for both the use of equity and debt[5]. Therefore, the higher the percentage the greater the dependence and the greater the perceived financial risk. Shareholders will only obtain a return on their equity once all interest payments have been made. Therefore, the higher the reliance on debt, the more volatile the shareholder earnings are going to be. However, the debt repayment is set and, therefore, the higher the gearing ratio, the greater the risk but also the greater the potential return for the existing shareholders[6]. The figure for Allied Boots, for the purposes of this analysis is 105.68%. Any figure over 100% is considered high, which means that there may be volatility for the shareholders, but the profit growth will also be higher. In this case, the figure with goodwill ignored, has been used as this takes into account the fact that goodwill is largely a measure of historic value. The reason for this is that goodwill is entirely a reference to historic value generated in the business and should not, therefore, be taken into account as part of the shareholder equity. Intangible assets are continued value generating assets and should, therefore, remain in the calculation. For example, the intangible assets could include intellectual property which continues to add value to the business, whereas goodwill at the point of business acquisition is simply a reflection of the value of the business name at that point; no further value will be generated by virtue of this figure[7]. Question 3 In an entirely efficient market, all analysts will have all relevant information available to them, allowing them to makes suitable adjustments to give them the best possible information in relation to the value of the business. Truly efficient figures imply that all figures within the accounts reflect all known information[8]. However, in reality, markets are not entirely efficient as there is information that is not reflected in the financial data. Financial data, by its very nature, is historic and simply reflects what has happened in the past. Values for intangible assets such as intellectual property and goodwill can vary very quickly and are extremely subjective in nature. Goodwill and intangible assets are often based on information that is not publicly available such as internal know-how and, therefore, cannot be suitably analysed to see how realistic they are; this potentially offers considerable discretion for managers in terms of how these figures are reflected in the acco unts[9]. Due to the potential discretion in this area, regulators need to lay down certain treatment rules to ensure that the information being provided by the financial accounts is as close to full, true and fair as is possible. This then allows the analysts to make the most suitable decisions for their chosen position. Bibliography Blake, John, Lunt, Henry, Accounting Standards, Pearson Education, 2001 Dunse, Neil A., Hutchison, Norman E., Goodacre, Alan, Trade-related valuations and the treatment of goodwill, Journal of Property Investment Finance, 22, 3, 2004 Elliott, Barry, Elliott, Jamie, Financial Accounting and Reporting, Pearson Education, 2006 Mard, Michael J., Hitchner, James R., Hyden, Steven D., Zyla, Mark L., Valuation for Financial Reporting: Intangible Assets, Goodwill, and Impairment Analysis, SFAS 141 and 142, John Wiley and Sons, 2002 Reilly, Robert F., Schweihs, Robert P., Valuing Intangible Assets, McGraw-Hill Professional, 1999 Seetharaman, A., Sreenivasan, Jayashree, Sudha, Raju, Yee, Tey Ya, Managing impairment of goodwill, Journal of Intellectual Capital, 7, 3, 2006 Seetharaman, A., Balachandran, M., Saravanan, A.S., Accounting treatment of goodwill: yesterday, today and tomorrow: Problems and prospects in the international perspective, Journal of Intellectual Capital, 5, 1, 2004 Weetman, Pauline, Financial Accounting: An Introduction, Pearson Education, 2006 Wines, Graeme, Dagwell, Ron, Windsor, Carolyn, Implications of the IFRS goodwill accounting treatment, Managerial Auditing Journal, 22, 9, 2007 Footnotes [1] Weetman, Pauline, Financial Accounting: An Introduction, Pearson Education, 2006 [2] Mard, Michael J., Hitchner, James R., Hyden, Steven D., Zyla, Mark L., Valuation for Financial Reporting: Intangible Assets, Goodwill, and Impairment Analysis, SFAS 141 and 142, John Wiley and Sons, 2002 [3] Blake, John, Lunt, Henry, Accounting Standards, Pearson Education, 2001 [4] Seetharaman, A., Sreenivasan, Jayashree, Sudha, Raju, Yee, Tey Ya, Managing impairment of goodwill, Journal of Intellectual Capital, 7, 3, 2006 [5] Elliott, Barry, Elliott, Jamie, Financial Accounting and Reporting, Pearson Education, 2006 [6] Dunse, Neil A., Hutchison, Norman E., Goodacre, Alan, Trade-related valuations and the treatment of goodwill, Journal of Property Investment Finance, 22, 3, 2004 [7] Seetharaman, A., Balachandran, M., Saravanan, A.S., Accounting treatment of goodwill: yesterday, today and tomorrow: Problems and prospects in the international perspective, Journal of Intellectual Capital, 5, 1, 2004 [8] Reilly, Robert F., Schweihs, Robert P., Valuing Intangible Assets, McGraw-Hill Professional, 1999 [9] Wines, Graeme, Dagwell, Ron, Windsor, Carolyn, Implications of the IFRS goodwill accounting treatment, Managerial Auditing Journal, 22, 9, 2007

Zigbee: Overview and Analysis

Zigbee: Overview and Analysis Zigbee is a Ad-hoc networking technology for LR-WPAN,based on IEEE 802.15.4 standard that defines the PHY and Mac Layers for Zigbee. Intended for 2.45 Ghz , 868 MHz and 915 MHz Band. Low in cost, complexity power consumption as compared to competing technologies. Intended to network inexpensive Devices. Data rates touch 250Kbps for 2.45Ghz ,40 Kbps 915Mhz and 20Kbps for 868Mhz band. Origin Of Name ZigBee The domestic honeybee, a colonial insect, lives in a hive that contains a queen, a few male drones, and thousands of worker bees. The survival, success, and future of the colony is dependent upon continuous communication of vital information between every member of the colony. The technique that honey bees use to communicate new-found food sources to other members of the colony is referred to as the ZigBee Principle. Using this silent, but powerful communication system, whereby the bee dances in a zig-zag pattern, she is able to share information such as the location, distance, and direction of a newly discovered food source to her fellow colony members. Instinctively implementing the ZigBee Principle, bees around the world industriously sustain productive hives and foster future generations of colony members. Zigbee Architecture There are three areas of architectural responsibility in Zigbee engineering effort. They are The physical and MAC layers take full advantage of the physical radio specified by IEEE 802.15.4. The 802.15.4 specification describes a peer-to-peer radio using Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum. The specification also calls out the data rates, channelization, and modulation techniques to be employed. The Zigbee Alliance specifies the logical network, security, and application software, which are implemented in a firmware stack. It is the Zigbee stack that creates the mesh networking capability. Each microcontroller/RF chip combination requires its own Zigbee stack due to the differences in microcontrollers and RF chips. Typically, the Zigbee stack is included with either the microcontroller or RF chip. The stack may belong to the chip vendor, be provided by the chip vendor from a third party source, or be provided by a third party source for a specific microcontroller/RF chip combination. The application layer is defined by profiles, of which there are two types: public profiles are those certified by the Zigbee Alliance for interoperability purposes, and private profiles are for use in closed systems. A word about the Zigbee Alliance: The following discussion includes options that require access to intellectual property available only to members of the Zigbee Alliance. There are three types of membership; all companies that plan to release products incorporating Zigbee technology must become at least adopting members, an entry-level membership that provides such benefits as access to specifications and developer conferences/workshops. ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4 General Characteristics: Dual PHY (2.4GHz and 868/915 MHz) Data rates of 250 kbps (@2.4 GHz), 40 kbps (@ 915 MHz), and 20 kbps (@868 MHz) Optimized for low duty-cycle applications ( CSMA-CA channel access Yields high throughput and low latency for low duty cycle devices like sensors and controls Low power (battery life multi-month to years) Multiple topologies: star, peer-to-peer, mesh Addressing space of up to: 18,450,000,000,000,000,000 devices (64 bit IEEEaddress)- 65,535 networks Optional guaranteed time slot for applications requiring low latency Fully hand-shaked protocol for transfer reliability Range: 50m typical (5-500m based on environment) Use Case Scenario: It is 4:00 a.m. on a farm in Iowa. Sensors distributed throughout the fields report the moisture content in the soil and humidity of the air. The staff on the farm uses this data to decide where and when to water for optimum effect. The information also serves as an early warning system for environmental issues such as frost. Precious resources are used more efficiently and productivity increases. The sensors distributed in the field are interconnected in a mesh network. If a sensor node goes down, the network is self-healing; the nodes are able to connect with one another dynamically, finding another route to stay connected within the network. Network Topologies: It support three types of topologies. They are: 1) Star topology 2) Mesh topology 3) Cluster tree topology Star Topology: In the star topology, the communication is established between devices and a single central controller, called the PAN coordinator. The PAN coordinator may be mains powered while the devices will most likely be battery powered. Applications that benefit from this topology include home automation, personal computer (PC) peripherals, toys and games. After an FFD is activated for the first time, it may establish its own network and become the PAN coordinator. Each start network chooses a PAN identifier, which is not currently used by any other network within the radio sphere of influence. This allows each star network to operate independently. Mesh Network: A key component of the ZigBee protocol is the ability to support mesh networks. In a mesh network, nodes are interconnected with other nodes so that at least two pathways connect each node. Connections between nodes are dynamically updated. In some cases, a partial mesh network is established with some of the nodes only connected to one other node. Mesh networks are decentralized in nature; each node is self-routing and able to connect to other nodes as needed. The characteristics of mesh topology and ad-hoc routing provide greater stability in changing conditions or failure at single nodes Cluster-tree Topology: Cluster-tree network is a special case of a peer-to-peer network in which most devices are FFDs and an RFD may connect to a cluster-tree network as a leave node at the end of a branch. Any of the FFD can act as a coordinator and provide synchronization services to other devices and coordinators. Only one of these coordinators however is the PAN coordinator. The PAN coordinator forms the first cluster by establishing itself as the cluster head CLH) with a cluster identifier (CID) of zero, choosing an unused PAN identifier, and broadcasting beacon frames to neighboring devices. A candidate device receiving a beacon frame may request to join the network at the CLH. If the PAN coordinator permits the device to join, it will add this new device as a child device in its neighbor list. The advantage of this clustered structure is the increased coverage area at the cost of increased message latency. SUCCESS FACTORS: Zigbee is a low cost wireless technology, data type support, ease of installation, reliable data transfer, short range operation and is has reasonable battery life. Zigbee operates on unlicensed band and in unrestricted geographical use global implementation. IEEE 802.15.4 protocol features: Master/slave topology Automatic network configuration Dynamic slave device addressing Virtual peer-to-peer links (pairing) Full handshaking for packet transfers Power management features Up to 254 (+ master) network nodes CSMA-CA channel access mechanism 15ms frame structure TDMA slots can be allocated 28kbps 250kbps data throughput Service discovery Low impact internet capability ZigBee Applications: Zigbee networks handle multiple traffic types with their own unique characteristics, including periodic data, intermittent data, and repetitive low latency data. The characteristics of each are as follows: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Periodic data application defined rate (e.g. wireless sensor or meter). Data is typically handled using a beaconing system whereby the sensor wakes up at a set time and checks for the beacon from the PAN coordinator, it then requests to joint the network. If the coordinator accepts it, data is passed by the sensor before it goes to sleep again. This capability provides for very low duty cycles. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Intermittent data either application or external stimulus defined rate (e.g. Wireless light switch). Data can be handled in a beaconless system or disconnected. In disconnected operation, the device will only attach to the network when communications is required thus saving considerable energy. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Repetitive low latency data Allocations of time slots. (e.g. medical alerts and security systems). These applications may use the guaranteed time slot (GTS) capability when timeliness and critical data passage is required. GTS is a method of QoS that allows each device a specific duration of time as defined by the PAN coordinator in the Superframe to do whatever it requires without contention or latency. ZigBee networks are primarily intended for low duty cycle sensor networks ( procedures occur much faster than with a Bluetooth technology. Some examples where short-range, low-data, cheap wireless networks can be used are: Automatic Meter Reading provides the usage statistics for Power Management and Energy Conservation whether it is electric, natural gas, water or other utilities. Controlling the environment in HVAC systems. Lighting, temperature and other building controls help save utility usage and maintenance costs. Wireless monitoring and control systems remove expensive installation costs where wiring is difficult, extensive or part of a retrofit design. ZigBee network can help in collecting the information necessary for an effective Inventory and Logistics Management. In fleet management, vehicles can automatically transmit logged information or receive updates when inside the fleet yard. Various control and automation scenarios are possible both for homes and industries using cheap wireless communication including security systems and access control. ZigBee enables broad-based deployment of wireless networks with low-cost, low-power solutions. It provides the ability to run for years on inexpensive batteries for a host of monitoring applications: Lighting controls, AMR (Automatic Meter Reading), smoke and CO detectors, wireless telemetry, HVAC control, heating control, home security, Environmental controls, drapery and shade controls, etc. OUR IMPLEMENTATION- WIRELESS KEYBOARD Block Diagram Our implementation is divided into two sections: Transmitter and Receiver. Transmitter section: Transmitter Section consists of following: 1. Keyboard as input device 2. PS2 connector 3. Uniboard 4. Xbee Keyboard is connected to Uniboard through PS2 Connector.When a key is pressed the data is transmitted to UART0 at every falling edge of the clock pulse. PS2 Connectors data line is given to a port pin of ATMEGA128 and clock pin to the externel INT pin. Uniboard has the ATMega 128 MCU. It has two UARTs UART0,1. UART1 is directly connected to serial port via IC MAX232. Xbee is connected to the UART0 interface. MCU transmits data to UART0 and hence forwarded to Xbee. Receiver section: Receiver section comprises of following: 1. Zigbee 2. Uniboard 3. PC (gtkterm) as o/p device. Zigbee receives the data transmitted from zigbee on transmitter side using wireless communication and send it to UART0. Uniboard provides same functionality as Tx. When a frame is received at UART0, it is processed to extract the required data from the whole frame and decode data to its equivalent ASCII char . The character could be then either transmitted to UART1 via MAX232 and simultaneously display it to gtkterm or could be processed as user wants it to be. Conclusion: The ZigBee Standard enables the broad-based deployment of reliable wireless networks with low complexity, low cost solutions and provides the ability for a product to run for years on inexpensive primary batteries (for a typical monitoring application). It is also, of course, capable of inexpensively supporting robust mesh networking technologies ZigBee is all set to provide the consumers with ultimate flexibility, mobility, and ease of use by building wireless intelligence and capabilities into every day devices. The mission of the ZigBee Working Group is to bring about the existence of a broad range of interoperable consumer devices by establishing open industry specifications for unlicensed, untethered peripheral, control and entertainment devices requiring the lowest cost and lowest power consumption communications between compliant devices anywhere in and around the home. Issues in Contemporary Nursing: Values and Ethics Issues in Contemporary Nursing: Values and Ethics Paul Monahan Nursing is a career that has spanned centuries with many of its foundations following rise of Christianity. Since then, there have been many different views and opinions of what nursing is and what it should and should not be by many different theorists and organisations. In this essay, I will explore this in a number of different ways, the first of which will be by discussing the definitions and core values of nursing, where I hope to outline some of the definitions from both theorists, and organisations such as the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) who outline the duties and responsibilities of registered nurses to ensure the safety of patients in their care. I will also address my own views of nursing as they stand now and through the course of this essay, hope to demonstrate how they have changed based on what I have learned through research and practice experience. Needless to say, the media has a significant role to play in the public perception of the nursing profession and I h ope to contrast the opinions expressed against my own views. Secondly, I also wish to discuss the NMC’s role in ensuring that nurses act professionally and ethically by looking at the code and key guidance for safe practice. The third point I will cover will focus on the many opportunities that nurses today can take advantage of, many of which include international travel which may not necessarily been possible when working in an acute hospital unit. Finally I will discuss contemporary issue in nursing which I have decided to discuss the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and their role it plays in ensuring that there is a high standard of care for all patients in all areas of healthcare. My goal for this essay is to expand on what I already know about nursing and learn more about the profession through experience and research. There have been many different theories surrounding the profession of nursing, as a result of these theories; there have been many different definitions formed by theorists and organisations alike. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has developed a definition which is built as a core with six defining characteristics. They defined nursing as â€Å"The use of clinical judgement in the provision of care to enable people to improve, maintain, or recover health, to cope with health problems, and to achieve the best possible quality of life, whatever their disease or disability, until death.† (RCN, ‘Defining Nursing’ 2003). The characteristics which follow this statement suggest that nurses should have a purpose, mode of intervention, a domain of practice, a focus towards the patient as a person, a value base which respects the dignity, autonomy and individuality of all persons, whether they are patients, relatives or colleagues and finally a commitment to working alon gside others, rather than as an individual. In reality, everybody has their own view of what nursing is and I feel that I am no exception. Before I started studying nursing, my previous experiences were shaped by the views of those around me, many of whom believed that being intelligent wasn’t necessarily important as being caring. I then started working as a healthcare assistant and found that there was so much more to nursing than just caring for patients, a nurse needed to have a vast amount of medical knowledge as well as being able to communicate well with other health professionals. However the media has had a significant role to play in shaping the public perception of nursing in today’s society. Tabloid newspapers in particular have done their part to change the public perception of nursing, often by focusing on isolated incidents of poor practice and through glamorising or sensationalising the facts with the journalist’s or editors own opinions in order to increase its commercial value whilst simultaneously lowering its factual merit in order to attempt to damage the reputation of the nursing profession and through that the reputations of many hard-working individuals that take pride in their work. In 2012, the National Health Service England (NHS England) published an informational leaflet entitled â€Å"Our Culture of Compassionate Care†. It outlined the 6 C’s. These 6 C’s are; Care: Which defines the work of healthcare services as patients expect high levels of care through every stage of their life; Compassion: this is by far one of the most important aspects of patient care. Treating patients with respect and dignity is an important part of their healthcare as they need to feel valued in order to recover quickly; Competence: This aspect means that everybody involved with a patients care should have the abilities in order to do their role and to care for the patient with their safety and health in mind; Co mmunication: Communication is central to the therapeutic relationship between carer and patient, there has a been a number of different definitions of patient-centred communication. A definition that I found to be most fitting for patient-centred communication is one used by Langwitz et al., in 1998. â€Å"Patient-centred communication is defined as communication that invites and encourages the patient to participate and negotiate in decision-making regarding their own care† (Langwitz et al., 1998, p.230); Courage: All healthcare professionals have to be able to do what is right for the patients that they care for, and to speak up when they have concerns about colleagues practice or competence; Commitment; A commitment to patients is the cornerstone of the NHS, in order to improve the quality of care, all healthcare workers should be committed to providing the best care that they are able to provide to their patients. Main Point 2 – Professional Ethical Nursing Ethics is a topic that carries a vast amount of study and debate. It can also become a framework within which we live our day to day lives. There has also been a lot of study in the area of professional ethics for nurses with many organisations and regulators such as the NMC publishing ethical standards for all nurses to follow. These ethical standards influence areas such as training and development for nurses and student nurses, best practice for patient care and ensuring that patients receive high quality care from all service providers. The NMC is the regulator for nurses and midwives in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Their role is to protect the wellbeing and health of the public, set the standards or training, education, training, conduct and performance so that nurses and midwives can deliver a high level of care throughout their careers. They also have processes in place to investigate cases of misconduct against nurses and midwives who fall short of their standards (Nursing Midwifery Council 2011). The code has 17 categories split across 4 chapters. These focus on areas such as maintaining patient trust, person focused care, promoting good health, providing a high standard of care and to be open and honest as to uphold the reputation of your profession. In order to be ethical and professional at all times, nurses learn and follow the code in all areas of practice. Safeguarding vulnerable people is another issue that nurses face in regards to acting professionally, the department of health defines a vulnerable adult as a person â€Å"Who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation† (No Secrets: Guidance on Developing and implementing multi-agency policies and procedures to protect vulnerable adults from abuse. 2000). It is important that nurses are appropriately trained to spot signs of abuse and that they are aware of the procedures set out by their trust for reporting concerns about patient safety in an appropriate manner. The Safeguarding Adults Boards of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex outlined a policy in June 2007 which was updated in 2013 for anybody working in a health or social care setting. It lays out the seven differ ent categories of abuse and the signs of each, as well as stressing that a person may not experience only one type of abuse and that there can be cross overs between the categories based on an individual incident. It also outlines what staff can do if they receive a disclosure of abuse from a service user. Main Point 3 – Values Personhood Main Point 4 – Contemporary Issues in Nursing The Care Quality Commission make sure that all hospitals, care homes, dental and general practices and other care services in England provide the people who use them with safe, effective and high-quality care and encourage these services to make improvements in care (Care Quality Commission, 2014). They do this by setting standards that all people have a right to expect when they are in receipt of care; they also inspect and regulate care services and register care services that are able to meet these standards whilst outlining improvements that need to be made in cases of an institution not meeting quality and safety standards; they are able to investigate claims made against care services made by care users or members of the public and take appropriate action if these claims are based on truth; they also assess and rate the quality of care services which gives members of the public a choice in choosing high quality care based on their needs. The also publish a report to Parliament on an annual basis outlining how resources in the healthcare sector are being used in order to allow Parliament to make decisions of future expenditure in healthcare. There are five national standards that all care services must meet in order to be registered with the CQC. These standards are vital to the provision of high quality care so they are central areas that are covered when the CQC performs an inspection. These standards are as follows: You should expect to be respected, involved in your care and support, and told what’s happening at every stage. This means that a patient should always be kept informed of any changes in their care plan and that the opinions and views of the patient should be considered and respected when making medical decisions; You should expect care, treatment and support that meets your needs. This means that care workers should fill out appropriate risk assessments and ensure that patients dietary preferences are clearly noted in order to create a care plan that is appropriate for the patient; You should expect to be safe. This means that all staff must respect their patients beliefs and rights, it also means that the patient should be cared for in areas that are clean and that they will receive their prescribed medication when they need it, staff should also make sure equipment used on patients, such as hoists, are well maintained and safe for use on patients; You should expect to be cared for by staff with the right skills to do their jobs properly which means that any care staff that a patient requires are sufficiently trained in their role and that students under their instruction are sufficiently supervised during patient contact. And you should expect your care provider to routinely check the quality of their services; this ensures that patient care is of high quality and that all other standards are maintained by a care service. The CQC also performs unannounced inspections of care services in order to ensure that patients are receiving the highest level of care at all times. By registering these services, the CQC assures the public that they will receive the best possible care; they also provide copies of their inspection reports online for members of the public to read in order to inform them of the quality of care provided by a service that they may be going to use. Conclusion In conclusion, I have learnt about some of the definitions and core values of the nursing profession, I have also looked at the Nursing and Midwifery Council and their role in ensuring that all nurses work professionally and within their scope of practice. I have also explored my own views of nursing and how these views contrast to the public perception of nursing that is displayed in the media. I looked at the NMC’s code for nurses and midwives and the importance of recognising safeguarding concerns and how policy and legislation can guide nurses to report safeguarding concerns in an appropriate manner. References / Bibliography Clark, J., Denton, S., Burns, J., Rawstorne, D., Warrington, E., Kitson, A., Beacock, C., Kenison, L., Scott, C., Belgrave, J. and Salmon, A. (2003).Defining Nursing. 1st ed. [ebook] London: Royal College of Nursing. Available at: http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/78569/001998.pdf [Accessed 25 Apr. 2014]. Cqc.org.uk, (2014).Care Quality Commission | Homepage. [online] Available at: http://www.cqc.org.uk/ [Accessed 26 Apr. 2014]. Langwitz, W., Eich, P., Kiss, A. and Wossmer, B. (1998). Improving Communication Skills-A Randomized Controlled Behaviorally Oriented Intervention Study for Residents in Internal Medicine.Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, [online] 60(3), pp.268-276. Available at: http://journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/Fulltext/1998/05000/Improving_Communication_Skills_A_Randomized.9.aspx [Accessed 25 Apr. 2014]. McCabe, C., Timmins, F. and Campling, J. (2006).Communication skills for nursing practice. 1st ed. Basingstoke [England]: Palgrave Macmillan. National Health Service England, (2012).Our Culture of Compassionate Care. NHS England. No Secrets: Guidance on developing and implementing multi-agency policies and procedures to protect vulnerable adults from abuse. (2000). 1st ed. [ebook] London: Department of Health, pp.9-10. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/194272/No_secrets__guidance_on_developing_and_implementing_multi-agency_policies_and_procedures_to_protect_vulnerable_adults_from_abuse.pdf [Accessed 26 Apr. 2014]. Sussex Multi-Agency Policy and Procedures for Safeguarding Adults at Risk. (2007). 2nd ed. [ebook] Brighton Hove Safeguarding Adults Board, East Sussex Safeguarding Adults at Risk, West Sussex Adults Safeguarding Board. Available at: http://pansussexadultssafeguarding.proceduresonline.com/pdf/pdf_copy/Full copy Sussex Multi Agency Policy and Procedures.pdf [Accessed 26 Apr. 2014]. The NMC Code of Professional Conduct: Standards for conduct, performance and ethics. (2004). 2nd ed. London: Nursing Midwifery Council. Torjesen, I. (2008). Acting for Vulnerable Adults.The Nursing Tumes. [online] Available at: http://www.nursingtimes.net/acting-for-vulnerable-adults/1732771.article [Accessed 26 Apr. 2014]. Wheldon, J. (2005). Nurses too busy to care for dying patients.Daily Mail. [online] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-356403/Nurses-busy-care-dying-patients.html [Accessed 25 Apr. 2014]. Bibliography 1