Education and Its Affects Around the World Essay

Education is something that affects all of us as a whole gender, race, and poverty plays a role in education. As a citizen of the United States of America it is important for us to appreciate a good education that some of us take for granite. Gender is crucial in how people view education in the text:† Philippine Women’s College corrects gender miseducation†. Professors and education enthusiast are breaking down the barriers and bias that is associated with gender. Text books in the Philippines show women playing the â€Å"stay at home† role and the father portraying the â€Å" bread winner† role this a form a of bias. Scholars at the Miriam College are working to correct this matter by teaching all female students about stereotypes relating to gender. Students often are shown at a young age to approach matters in a biased free manner, through this approach both male and female can share duties in the household that were once delegated to one based on gender. Trained teachers are able to spot the gender difference and compensate with materials that are fair for all. Miriam College and its faculty also discuss sexual harassment and a list of other things as well. What was happening in the†Women’s Movement â€Å"and what was being taught in the classroom were two totally different things. In 1986 Corazon Aquino became the first female president of the Philippines this was in stark contrast of what was being taught. As far as equality for women the Philippines are ranked ninth in the world, with that being said advocates of gender feel that it is best suited to teach and educate when the students are young. Patricia Licuanan president of Miriam College implemented in 2001 gender courses to the curriculum that focuses on equality and quality education for women. Also in 2001 several colleges in the Philippines have shown interest in providing studies for women as well. Due to the work that has been taken place in the Philippines young women are questioning and taking up professions that were once generally associated with men. In the text â€Å"Lost Generation Fears as boys reject education† Professor Reynolds of Plymouth University states that: â€Å"the gender gap is a worldwide phenomenon, not just in the UK or a Welsh one†. Research has shown that boys are neglecting school, while girls are less likely to drop out of school after 16. A survey showed more girls than boys seek a higher education. Studies also show that vocational programs also play a role in why boys choose not to seek college versus girls. Boys are also not performing on the same level as girls this factor leads to fewer boys in college. Poverty is a component to lack of education as well in the article:† Escaping Poverty is possible when there are local opportunities for people with initiative†. This article shows the stereotypes that are associated with poverty 60,000 people that spread over 15 countries worldwide were surveyed; there are a lot of hurdles we must overcome for this to work. People are likely to fall into poverty the study will take preventive measures to ensure people will not make these mistakes. The stereotypes that haunt poverty stricken places is that people are lazy, shiftless, and have no ambition this is not the case. In fact these people surveyed accept responsibility for there actions, and want to better themselves. All of us need local opportunities and social networks to ensure that this will not happen on a global front, even if someone works hard to get there selves out of poverty with out help from the community and economic woes this process will be pains taking to say the least. Education is factor when combating poverty, we as Americans need to take advantage of our educational system though it may not be the best we are still a free country and should utilize any and every opportunity we have. Race also plays a vital role in education the text:† Officials try to improve black males’ academic performance: The achievement† Ginger Littleton has been a teacher in Northern California for more that twenty years. She has been stumped by the numbers of black males that scored drastically lower than other races in test of achievement. A look at last years test results from grades 1-10 math scores and FCAT were sorted by race. The results showed that 89 percent of white third graders were a the appropriate level, while Hispanics represented 66 percent, and blacks 69 percent but only one out of that percentile was a male. 59 percent of Anglos, compared to 33 percent of Hispanics were at the appropriate level. African Americans represent only 30 percent. This trend increased more by there sophomore year, Caucasians represent 38 percent, Hispanics 32 percent, and 13 percent of African Americans sustained this level of reading. By this point many African Americans have stopped going to school by then. The FCAT test of reading shows that only 1 percent of males were reading at the 10th grade level, white males scored 7 percent on the same level. African American males results were 0 percent, white males were 8 to 7 percent at levels 4 and 5 of reading. A study was conducted in 2004-2005† Focus on Blacks† by The National Education Association labeled the poor standings as â€Å"the achievement gap† and a national crisis. The study showed that African American 17 year old students performed in comparison to 13 year old whites in science. In the math part of the study blacks scored 61 percent below the standards, versus 20 percent of whites in the 4th grade. The results show that African Americans face challenges before they start school. Some of the findings show that it is less father figures and mentors in the African American community, lack of after school programs, and cohesiveness in the family all plays roles in the significant decline in education in the black community. There is a saying† it takes a village to raise a child† the African American community needs to rebuild it village from the foundation up to eliminate this disparity that runs rampant among so many. As you can have just read there are several factors in ones education it may be a gender problem, a socioeconomic problem, or ones ethnicity may all play a role in the type of education we receive as well as our chances of making it in today’s society. We still live in one of the greatest countries in the world in the end it is up to us to utilize what avenues are available and make the most out of it.

Censorship in Education

Plato writes in Book Nine of â€Å"The Republic,† that in a good society there should be censorship, which should be determined by the ruler. Plato has a very strict view on what should be censored in education. For example, Plato believes that many sections of the Odyssey should be censored. I do believe in censorship in education, but I do not believe in censorship to the same level that Plato does. I believe that censorship should be considered at a much smaller level. Plato believed in censoring poets, especially for the use of education. Plato said that fables and legends that are normally told to young children give a false idea of gods and heroes. Plato believes that the only thing that poets or writers should write about is the â€Å"divine nature as it really is† (71). Plato believed that children should only learn the truth, because if they do not they are given a false idea of life. I do not agree with Plato and his idea that fables and legends should not be told to children. I believe that children need to hear fables and legends. The fables and legends help young children understand major ideas that they otherwise would not understand or be interested in. For example, the fable of â€Å"The Milkmaid and her Pail† makes it easier to understand the theme â€Å"don†t count your chickens until they†ve hatched. † If a child is just told that idea they will not automatically understand it. Children need to be able to relate to what they are being taught in order for them to stay interested and listen to what they are being taught. This story may not be the â€Å"divine truth,† but I believe that it still has an important lesson for children. There is no harm in fables or legends and I do not believe that they should be censored. Plato believes as children get older, what they learn should still be regulated. Plato believes that even the Odyssey should be censored. Plato does not agree with Homer when he describes Zeus as bestowing of both good and evil. Plato says the truth is that Heaven is only accountable for what is good, not what is evil. Plato therefore, believes that what Homer has written is false and should be censored. Also, Plato does not approve of the language used in parts of the Odyssey. Plato says, â€Å"the very sound of which is enough to make one shiver† ‘loathsome Styx,† ‘the River of Wailing†¦ â€Å"† (77). Another part of the Odyssey that Plato would censor is the â€Å"wailing and lamentations of the famous heroes† (77). Plato does not look at death as something to fear, so promoting death as a bad thing should be taken out of writing. I do not agree with Plato. I find nothing offensive about his writing and language. I also do not believe there is anything wrong with writing something that is not the â€Å"divine truth. It is the right of the writer to choose how he writes and what he writes about. Hence, I believe that it is up to the discretion of the reader to pick what they do and do not read. When it comes to education, each school should decide on what to censor. The individual schools will know what is and what is not appropriate for their students rather than the government. I also disagree with Plato†s idea of banning the weeping of the dead. Plato said that death should not be feared. This is an issue that varies on an individual basis. Sometimes these beliefs are religious beliefs and sometimes they are not; and I believe that these thoughts and ideas should not be restricted in any way. Plato believes that the ruling part should set restrictions and enforce them. Plato does not believe in a poetic license. Plato says, â€Å"You and I, Adeimantus, as not†¦ to invent stories ourselves, but only to be clear as to the main outlines to be followed by the poets in making their stories and the limits beyond which they must not be allowed to go† (70-71). Plato believes that it is the ruler†s obligation to state the limitations of the writer. He also believes it is the writers obligation to follow these limitations. Plato believes that these limitations are all focused on writing of the â€Å"divine truth. † He believes an artist should paint a picture exactly as it is seen, without any imperfections. Plato says this is also how writers should write, the truth without any imperfections. Once again I disagree with Plato. I believe that a writer should not be limited at all. A writer has the ability and the right to write whatever they want to and how ever they want to. I strongly believe in freedom of speech which Plato does not believe in. This does not mean that I believe that children can read anything, but I believe that it is the responsibility of the parents to watch what the children read. As the children get older and enroll into school, it also becomes the schools responsibility to censor what the child reads. I do not believe that the government has any right to censor or limit a writer in any way just so someone does not read it. If someone does not want to read what was written, then they do not have to read it. Plato has a very strict view on censorship. One that I do not agree with. One reason why my views are so different from Plato†s is because we are from different periods in time. This has a lot to do with the conflicts in our ideas. Plato believes that the government should regulate and enforce what writers write. I believe that writers should be able to write whatever they want to and that it is the reader†s responsibility to pick what they want to read. If the reader is a child then the parents and school should regulate what the child is reading. I do not believe that a writer should be restricted in any way. I believe that this is very important to our society today.

The role of transparency in public procurement process Literature review

The role of transparency in public procurement process - Literature review Example In a nonprofessional language, transparency alludes to the kind of operations that are open to every person and where others can easily see what one is doing. For instance, when one goes to a shop and carries out a transaction, the exchange of the good/service with currency is done in a very transparent manner where both the buyer and the seller is entitled to confirm through counting the amount received as change or as the pay for the products bought. The verification through counting and confirmation that a right currency is in use would illustrate transparency in the simplest way. A close analysis of transparency shows that it is universally applied concept in such fields as in management, corporate, research, technology, sports, politics and media among other fields. In management and corporate circles, transparency may imply the openness in disclosure of information concerning revenues, wages and administration while in research; it may allude to ease of access to and sharing of information. It has almost a common meaning to all other disciplines with ease of accessing and sharing information in a manner that is not hidden to any person. It is a concept that dates far back in history where it has been mostly applied in morality and ethics to allude to openness as against secrecy. However, the application would reveal some minor differences in application from one field to another. Accountability is often used concurrently with transparency where the latter is used in transactions for the purpose of accountability1. It is actually seen as a precondition to ensuring that public officials uphold high standards of accountability especially in matters of public procurement, tendering and awarding of contracts. In order to effectively participate in public procurement process, the public requires to have access to the most available and necessary information as possible. Transparency in this regard therefore ensures that the public get the information and hence are in a position to contribute in the procedures of decision-making. In this regard, the discipline of public procurement is greatly dependent on accountability and as such relies much on transparency. In such a case as the public procurement, the authorities involved have a responsibility of ensuring that transactions carried out are done in the most open manner possible and that the information engaged is available to the scrutiny of the public and the government. Transparency confers power to the third party just as to the parties involved to raise a concern and question the procedures followed in transacting public deals. Transparency therefore entails availing the public procurement information and the mechanisms followed in according tenders to particular bidders to the public for possible scrutiny. This therefore ensures accountability of public resources while undertaking such transactions that involves the public as against private resources2. Literature review In a study to evaluate these aspects the republic of Serbia was put into perspective within the context of the global economic crisis by Rikalovic, Knecevic as well as Mikic. One of the findings to this study was that proper procurement practices would lead to large savings off the budgetary

Communication in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Communication in business - Essay Example In economic pursuit, we aim at promoting environmental sustainability.3 Our business is based on a solid philosophy of equal employment opportunities and fostering environmental sustainability through green manufacturing processes. ... n employment or occupation occurs when a potential employee is treated negatively or differently due to his characteristics that are not relevant or inherent for successful performance of the job. Commonly characteristics that employees are mainly discriminated against include race, color, age, sex, gender, political inclination, ethnicity, religion and nationality. We at Hyundai Motors have since extended these characteristics to include sexual orientation, disability and diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Discrimination in employment matters has been witnessed in areas such as recruitment, job allocations, promotions, and performance evaluations, security of tenure, compensation and termination of employment. Hyundai Motors prohibits all manners of employment discrimination, whether direct or indirect discrimination, by ensuring all employees and potential candidates are accorded equal opportunities regardless of their personal characteristics. Discrimination in employment matters infringe s the fundamental human right of equal access to employment and humane treatment in the workplace.7 Principle 8 Initiatives to promote greater environmental sustainability Benefits and implications Hyundai Motors engages in clean manufacturing processes that limit environmental pollution. According to Global Compact principle 8, business organizations undertake measures to promote environmental sustainability.8 According to the Rio Declaration, business organisations have the responsibility of ensuring their activities do not degrade the environment or cause pollution. The immediate communities expect the business organisations to actively participate in environmental conservation initiatives. All business organisations should work closely with the major stakeholders like suppliers in order

Qestions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Qestions - Assignment Example Likewise, the major ethical issue involved was once it was determined that Hawley and Hazel had a highly racially offensive product how Colgate would seek to deal with such a problem in its very large domestic US market. As is usually said – hindsight is 20/20; however, it is the opinion of this student that seeking to demand that Hawley and Hazel discontinue and/or rebrand the product immediately or risk termination of the partnership should have been engaged upon as a means of ameliorating the damage that would be done to the domestic market based upon the negative reaction of many civil rights groups etc. 3. Is it possible for Colgate and Hawley and Hazel to change the toothpaste’s advertising without sacrificing consumer brand loyalty? IS that a possible reason for Colgate’s not responding quickly to domestic complaints? Ultimately, the answer to the first question is yes. Regardless of how ingenious a marketing rebranding strategy that could have been engaged with, a certain level of loss would doubtless have been realized and other competitors would have greatly benefitted from such a rebranding. Moreover a rebranding requires a large amount of up front funding in addition to the necessary losses that would be exhibited upon brand loyalty. As a function of weighing this level of necessary loss, Colgate opted for merely hoping to ride out the storm; however, as this did not happen, Colgate made a very cost miscalculation. In the end, a â€Å"no management rights† clause was most certainly not the right decision for Colgate. Due to the fact that once the Hawley Hazel toothpaste debacle came to light Colgate had little if any leverage to seek to force a change in branding from the firm it had allied itself with. A far better approach, if the firm had still been set upon a â€Å"no management rights† clause would have been for Colgate to perform a very thorough analysis of

Good Practices in independent consultancy Essay

Good Practices in independent consultancy - Essay Example A good working knowledge of the industry is also critical for the consultant, as well as a proven track record of past successes with previous clients. For this, the consultant must be updated on current trends and forecasts in the industry. Although this report focuses on my own field of expertise, you will see that the practices and ethics apply to all forms of consultancy and are based upon good human relations, the wherewithal to analyze accurately, expediency and prompt delivery of results. It is also imperative respond to reasonable client contacts promptly. I was contacted by the owner of CafAntonio, a popular small restaurant in Tor Quay, Devon. Over the phone, he told me that he was very concerned about the amount of increase in his expenditures due to high fuel prices and an increase in dairy prices. He didn't see how he could avoid raising prices and wished to explore other options. In the initial contact we discussed my skills, background and fees. Upon his verbal agreement to my fee (Caldwell, Mark), I made an appointment to visit the establishment the following afternoon at 14.30. The site was visited on 13 June 2005 at 14.30. The owner was interviewed about his bookkeeping practices as well as his menu content, staff, and equipment. He provided his records for the previous year as well as the current year. The site was then toured to observe the work of staff, food preparation and disposal, and current inventory of food, beverages, place settings, serviettes and non-perishables. The owner was questioned regarding utilization of extra portions and unused perishable ingredients, as well as an estimation of average daily sales. The owner was asked for and provided inventory records for a

SMAILL GROUP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

SMAILL GROUP - Essay Example I knew all of the male group colleagues from prior interaction, and they were all capable of getting work done under some close supervision. The first person, from interaction in and out of class, I presumed him to be organized, hardworking, and brilliant could perform quality work. The second male colleague made the impression of someone who moves with the crowd, in that I knew if I could get the cooperation of the other members, he would also be inclined to contribute. While, among the female colleagues, two of them were already my friends and seeing them on my group was a relief. From our interaction, the level of commitment they each put in their personal work and class work assured me of support in any task we were to be assigned. However, the third female colleague, I had never interacted with, but from observing her and the way she handled herself, made me think she would pose a challenge in submitting any task assigned her to research. Group assignments meant that we were to have meetings for discussions, individual research on topics, compilation by members, revisions and presentations for the class on the findings. This implies that we had to spend quality time in the library doing research and discussing. In the course of our study, our group became among the highly rated in the class in performing and coordination tasks. This was because there was cohesion and mutual understanding of the group objectives among members in doing group tasks, thus, we were able to achieve high marks due to the quality of the work we presented in class, and majority of our lecturers acknowledged the quality of work we completed. Socially, we created a bond that I never thought we could achieve when the group was first created, this level of interaction made our group to be respected and relied on by our classmates on tasks. Over the course of the academic year,

Principles of Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Principles of Human Resource Management - Essay Example Starting from identifying the capacity and nature of workforce required, employers need to lay down the specifications of the diversity mix they aim to introduce in their organization. This involves clarifying the demographics, qualification, skill set, education, competencies and other abilities. The point of contention which arises here is the possibility of overt or systematic discrimination creeping in, based on caste, color, creed, race, religion, gender, marital status, minority and such other factors (Markey et al. 2002). From organizational point of view, competencies are defined in advance just for the purpose of matching the core jobs with that of candidate’s profile, leaving scope of adjustment for peripheral duties and responsibilities of the job. However, discriminating candidates on the basis of such criteria denies them equality of opportunity in the first place, and later on from appropriate training and development session organized and managed by the organiza tion. Pandey (2006, p.21) gives some exceptional cases where sex or religion is not considered as unlawful in segregating the candidature of employees, like playing role for a movie or a drama. But in general, such practices are considered anti to the equal opportunity laws. Evidence of discriminatory practices constitutes the type of questions asked during selection interviews. Though basic information has to be provided by the candidate, yet federal laws have now prohibited asking questions on marital status, weight and height, education, child care, demographics, ownership and such other details. Purpose behind such prohibition is to safeguard the interests of women and under-represented communities who are denied of equal opportunities on the basis of their height, care giving duties, availability to work on weekends, etc (Strahan & Burgess 1998). This discrimination extends to even compensation and promotion techniques adopted by the management of the organization. Lately, init ial screening and assessments stages in recruitment and selection process have turned advanced with the advent of technologies like Interactive Voice Responses system (IVR) and social networking tools. Though these technologies have simplified the entire process, but in reality have posed many legal challenges ahead HR practitioners and policy makers. Primary amongst them is the inability of such hiring practices in giving due attention to applicants suffering from disabilities like hearing and visual impairment. Further, it limits the accommodation by providing access to people having internet connection. This gives direct birth to ‘disparate impact’ whereby web-based hiring creates membership and access based on sub-groups, age etc. Employers are also making extensive use of social networking tools and websites like Facebook, Twitter and other to conduct background checks and gather information and confirming the credentials of candidates. This directly gives rise to invasion of privacy and unlawful spying on profiles of candidates which are otherwise not considered as authentic means of background

Appropriate Behavior Expectations Case Study Essay Example for Free

Appropriate Behavior Expectations Case Study Essay As Christian home base daycare educators for underprivileged children ages 6 weeks to age four, it is important that we understand how each child’s development translates into our behavioral expectation in the classroom. As a Christian home base daycare center there are many things we are able to offer that a school setting does not allow; such as prayer; every morning we start the day off with prayer. Because children are so energetic after breakfast comes Zumba followed with chillax which consist of planking one minute on our mats. We then go over our rules and if’s (what happens if the rules are not followed), making sure that every child fully understand what each expectation means â€Å"Teaching rules and procedures to students at the beginning of the year and enforcing them consistently across time increases student academic achievement and task engagement† (Evertson, 1985; 1989; Evertson Emmer, 1982; Johnson, Stoner, Green, 1996). We also remind our children as well as the educator of the (ME center) which are used when someone feels the need to be alone, no-one can speak, look or talk to that person while they are in the â€Å"me center†. There is also a â€Å"TALK TO ME† center when a child has the need to be around an adult that will just listen; this center is set up with a two lounge chair one for the child and one for the educator. Last but not least, we have a reward system; each child receives a shiny star for good days and at the end of the week they get a small prize if they get stars for the whole month the get to go to the dollar store and pick out any toy they want. We have created ways to involve and communicate with the parents as well as the children by being family oriented; once a week usually on Fridays everyone comes together (parents, child and educators) bringing a dish from home and have dinner and game night. We also take that time out to talk about everyone’s progress, needs and concerns. Although I would love to provide this for everyone in the community at this time it is finically impossible there for the space is limited to twelve children. There are things that are not tolerated as well  as bulling or endangerment to another child, a child that shows this type of aggression is removed from the program and the parent is given suggestions that might better provide for that child. Our expectation begins with Behavior: Respect – treat others the way you would like to be treated. Communication – (Use Your Words) talk out your problems and/or concerns. If you are unable to do this ask a educatorfor help. Consistency- there is a time and place for everything, when we work; quietly go into your groups, during play make sure you are in the center with your picture and your timer has been set, use inside voice when inside raise our hand when we’re in groups Fun – having fun is a must These are the rules given in the beginning of the school year. However, together educators and students and make up rules together of what is expected with our behavior. (Some examples of our student rules) * Keep your hands to yourself and your feet on the ground. * No talking when others are talking * The person talking must be holding the talking bug * Be quiet during story time * The timer in centers * Always say please and thank you * Our children know that there are consequences of misbehavior, which are applying consistently and equitable; if rules are not followed we do timeout, according to age and each child understand these consequences. However, a child always is given a chance to tell their side of the story and if they have to be placed in timeout, they must be given an explanation of why they are being put into timeout with a suggestion that will help them avoid it the next time. As educators we have agreed to have at least one educator greet child and parent at door with a smile, making sure to ask the simple question â€Å"how u doin?† (Wendy Williams show† We start our class the same way and they respond the same way. Instead of telling a child â€Å"Stop†, â€Å"No†, or â€Å"Cut it out†. We use the all Eyes on me, pencils down, we get your key out of our pocket to lock the door on out mouth and then place the key  on our desk. Educators are not allowed to use cell phones, must use home base phones, and although children have nap time educators are never allowed to nap. As a group we gather advice, support, and encouragement. When it comes to academic expectations we find it beneficial in many cases to work in small groups. However, I do not necessarily work in groups according to age; when it comes to learning I tend to divide the children up according to their learning style. For example: * If a child understanding concepts better when seeing things written on the board, or if they watch me intently when I am speaking, good at remembering faces and places or can give detail input about a movie or a television show I will place them in a group I call â€Å"Visual Learner†. This child(ren) is more likely to benefit for visual aids such as flash cards, memory games, drawing, computer programs, videos and so forth. * If a child is known for talking out loud or repeating what is said when processing new concepts, reads out loud to themselves, ask a lot of questions to get understanding or ask a lot of question when doing assignments, or shows more understanding when facts or questions are being asked to them rather than them reading it themselves, will be placed in a group I call â€Å"Auditory Learners†. This group of child may benefit in a more composed and smaller setting, groups within groups, study buddies, much of their work will be taught one on one, or with tape recorders. * If a child become antsy after sitting still for too long, constantly moving, prefers to stand rather than sit, easily lose focus, and fidget when it comes to doing school work that group is call â€Å"Kinesthetic Learner†. This group of children takes frequent breaks, is given stress balls when studying written assignments and is given more hands on learning activities. (This is the group that Ron would most likely be until I am able to pinpoint his reason(s) for losing focus.) Also, recognize that sometimes children just feel the need to move around at times during the lesson, so we make the space available. However, a child’s personality is another key factor adjustments have to be made such as the organized, self-motivated child who wills more likely approach learning differently than those who is more spontaneous and less methodical. Once a child’s learning style(s) has been  recognized our educators are better equipped to help that child to adapt to the environment; which will hopefully help them learn more effectively and succeed within the class. â€Å"Critically analyze Ron’s challenging behaviors to determine contributing factors (as presented in Level A Case 1)† (Ashford 3: Week 2 Assignment) I would first take Ron aside and explain the rules and what is expected of him, I would than allow him to return to the group as we go other the rules together. Observe, Ron for at least a week to find out if his behavior is due to lack of communication in which case during play we (he and I) would act out different scenarios and find the proper solutions, if it is environmental, we would make every effort to produce comfort, trust, and security to his new surroundings, and if it is a need of attention, I would remind him of our Talk To Me center which is available at all times. If it is medical, I would advise the parents that my daycare is not programmed with the necessities needed to accommodate their child but would be willing to do everything possible to find the proper fitting place for them. As time goes by we will continue to work with Ron implementing our way of doing things a little at a time, so that he will not be overwhelmed by his new surroundings until he is comfortable and aware of all of our expectations. References: Kaiser, B. Sklar Rasminsky, J. (2012). Challenging behavior in young children. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc. Robert a. Baron and Michael J. Kaisher (2009) Introduction to Psychology (2nd ed.) Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc

Berkshire Threaded Fasteners Case Essay Example for Free

Berkshire Threaded Fasteners Case Essay Berkshire Threaded FastenersBerkshire Threaded Fasteners Company has recently lost their president, John Magers. The resulting appointment of his inexperienced son Joe Magers has lead to the companys loss of confidence. Brandon Cook is the recently appointed general manger who was hired to turn the company around after a loss of $70,000 in a good business year. As a member of an outside consulting firm I have been called in to give advice on the problems the company is facing. The time period has been updated to the present times. Manufacturing ProcessSee Appendix A for the detailed manufacturing process. In short, fasteners begin as wires, rods and bars which are then cut to length, headed and finally threaded. What should be noted is that this particular manufacturing process called cold forming is high-speed, high-volume, economical and has low wastage. Such economies of scale will allow Berkshire to offset the very high costs of cold-forming equipment. Business StrategyA careful analysis is needed in order to determine Berkshires business strategy. At first one would think it was product differentiation because of the inelastic demand in the short run. But one thing that should also be noted is the fact that for most goods, demand is much more price elastic in the long run than in the short run. This combined with the fact that Berkshire is convinced that it could not individually raise prices without suffering substantial volume declines, and that all the products of the different manufacturers in the industry are very similar, prove that their business strategy is in fact cost leadership. Another piece of evidence that also supports this strategy is the fact that the major focus of their accounting system seems to be on cost reduction. Place in the EconomyThe industrial fastener industry has been experiencing modest growth since the 1990s with an average per annum revenue growth rate of 3.6% ; though the number of employees have remained relatively the same. The North American fastener industry is still expected to grow by around 4% annually despite the competition from foreign countries. However this number represents a decline from the 9% growth spurt which occurred in 1998. The North American fastener production is strongly tied to the production of automobiles, aircraft, appliances, agricultural machinery and equipment, and the construction of commercial buildings and infrastructure. The more these industries prosper, the greater the demand and prospects for the fastener will there be. There has been as ever expanding market for fasteners in the 21st century in the aerospace industry. In fact a 9% annual growth in fasteners for this industry can be expected. Motor vehicle sales have also increased by 9.6% from 2005 to 2006. Unfortunately housing starts have only increased by 0.7% from 2005. In the future analysts expect metal fasteners to face competition from the adhesives industry as more products are being made with plastic, a product best joined together by adhesives. Also buyers have now been demanding innovative and diverse fasteners which are also more environmentally friendly- fasteners that maintain lubricity without the use of cadmium, a suspected carcinogen. So the industry is slowly shifting its focus to more highly engineered, technologically advanced fasteners. SWOTStrengths:1) Newly appointed Brandon Cook has wide executive experience in manufacturing products similar to that of Berkshire. 2) Berkshire operates in a capital intensive industry. But as a percentage of total sales, Berkshires labour costs are 24.69%. This suggests that they either still retain their employees even when they could have done without them or that they pay very high salaries to a few workers. This shows that Berkshire has either very loyal employees or very skilled employees- both being assets. Weaknesses:1) Joe Magers is not very experienced and the company is facing losses in the production of the 200 and 300 series. 2) As a percentage of total sales, Berkshires fixed costs are 47.37%. This is much higher than what a price competitive manufacturer like Berkshire should have had. 3) Berkshire pays 49% of all its wages and salaries to administrative and sales employee, when the industry average is 27% . This shows poor decision making processes of the firm. Opportunities:1) If product lines are discontinued, with the excess capacity and skilled labour force they can branch out into the production of more diverse fasteners. This ties in with the fact mentioned previously that buyers are now demanding more specialized products. Threats:1) Berkshire operates in an industry where a few of its competitors are much larger. 2) The industry is dominated by Bosworth who dictates the prices that are charged for fasteners. 3) Buyers are slowly demanding more specialized fasteners. ProblemWhat is very evident is that the company is losing money on its products. In the previous time period they had incurred a loss of $70,000. Berkshire is unsure if it is the result of the production of the 300 series or the pricing decisions of the 100 series. These alternatives need a careful analysis in order to make informed decisions that will help turn the company around. Alternative #1 Status QuoQuantitative Analysis:In order to determine if the company should do nothing, is to predict the future cash flows and net income (loss) for the second half of the year. See Appendix B for this calculation. The predicted net income is in fact a loss of 1134. Yet, net income may not be a faithful representation, so cash flows have also been calculated. The predicted cash flow is a negative amount of 388. These amounts while better than alternative #3 (drop the 300 series) is not as good as the cash flow and net income amounts for alternative #2 (reduce price levels of the 100 series). One very important thing that needs to be noted is the fact that variable costs are indeed relevant. Fixed costs remain constant even after the production is stopped, but variable costs increase and decrease with production. Therefore the total contribution margin for this alternative was calculated to be 1504 which does show this alternative in a better light  especially when in comparison to its net loss and cash flow figures. Qualitative Analysis:The reduced production of the 100 series as a result of the price level remaining the same will have a significant impact on Berkshire. The reduced production may lead to employees worrying about the fact that they may be laid off to such an extent that their productivity is significantly lowered. Berkshire could also develop a reputation of charging higher prices than the industry standard and they could end up loosing more and more buyers to competitors. Alternative #2 Change price level to $2.25 for the 100 seriesQuantitative Analysis:In order to determine if the price level needs to be dropped a few calculations are needed. First a prediction of its impact on the net income and cash flows for the second half of the year is needed. These calculations are shown in Appendix C. The predicted net income figure is a loss of 1035. The predicted cash flow is a negative amount of 289. While these figures do seem abysmal, what should be noted is that in comparison to the other alternatives, these figures are much better. Both the net loss and negative cash flow amounts in this alternative is 99 lower than the status quo alternative and 338.58 lower than the drop 300 series alternative. This hints to the fact that maybe the price should in fact be dropped. Another fact that backs this assertion up is in the calculation of the Contribution Margin (CM) for both price levels, based on data from the first half of the year. Table 2 in Appendix A shows this calculation. While the CM of the new price level is lower than that of the original level (0.96 vs. 1.16), the fact that they will sell 250,000 units more (and hence a higher total CM for the new price) clearly makes up for this difference. The success of the new prices level will be contingent on the number of units sold. What is very dangerous about this alternative is that if in the future the demand in the market for this product line slumps, only a very small amount of money will be available to be used to pay off the fixed costs. Qualitative Analysis:The change in price level will not have much of an effect on the employees of Berkshire because they would still be producing  around the same amount of units (1000000 vs. 996859). They would not have to worry about being laid off. What will be affected is Berkshires reputation. If they had not changed they would have developed a reputation of charging high prices. The reduction of the price would put them at par with Bosworth. Alternative #3 Drop 300 seriesQuantitative Analysis:In order to determine if the 300 series needs to be dropped a few calculations are needed. First a prediction of the impact of its removal on the net income and cash flows for the second half of the year is needed. The predicted net income figure is a loss of 1373.58 and the predicted cash flow is calculated to be a negative amount of 627.70. The net loss figure calculated is the highest loss of all three alternatives and the negative cash flow amount is also much higher than the alternatives as well. This hints to the fact that maybe the 300 series line should not be dropped. Also, if the 300 series had been dropped at the beginning of the year it can be seen that there would have been a loss of -183. See the calculations for these numbers in Appendix D. Another aspect that backs up this assertion is the calculation of the Contribution Margins for all three product lines based on first half information. Even though Berkshire incurred a loss of .22/unit in the first half for series 300, when you calculate the CM it is a whole new story- the CM of 300 is a positive number- 1.15/unit, this means that Berkshire would in fact incur an even greater loss if they chose to halt production. The 1.15 per unit would no longer be available to cover some of the fixed costs. What is also surprising is the fact that the 300 series Contribution Margin is not far behind from that of the 100 series (the most profitable product line) and equal to that of the 200 series. A few other very important observations also need to be taken into account. First, since many products do cover all their variable costs, no product line would ever be dropped if only a contribution margin analysis were conducted. Second, even though the 300 series covers its variable costs and part of its fixed costs, it proves to be below par when considering full costs. Finally, in the long run all costs are variable, so the 300 series in this time frame is in fact a poor product line. Qualitative Analysis:If the 300 series was dropped it would have a significant qualitative impact on Berkshire and its employees. All the employees who were involved in the production of this line would either have to be laid off (which would have a negative impact on the reputation of the firm), or they could still be retained (which would lead to them obtaining a deep sense of respect and loyalty to the firm). Also the employees who would be shifted around would gain a greater skill set and hence become very valuable assets to the company. Evaluation of the alternativesComparison Table1) Profitability2) Timeliness3) Consistency with Strategy. Alternative #1-$11347 daysNot as muchAlternative #2-$10354-7 daysYesAlternative #3-$137410-14 daysNot as much1) Profitability:The primary objective of all businesses, no matter how big or small, is profit. That is why as a criterion, Profitability was given the number one rank. The three alternatives can easily be evaluated on this criterion by comparing the net income figures. Alternative #2 easily wins in this criterion. Despite the fact that it does have a net loss, the loss was not as great as that of Alternative #1 and #3. One important thing that should be noted is the fact that perhaps the second half of the season is always a slow period and that is why the net income figures are so low. 2) Timeliness:Berkshire operates in a business environment where if firms that lag behind in decision making, implementation of policies etc, they will be left behind with no profits. That is why Timeliness was given the rank of two. Surprisingly Status Quo would have an implementation time of around 7 days. Since keeping the price level of the 100 series the same at 2.45/unit would result in them producing 385332 less number of units (See Appendix E for the calculation), time would be need to shift employees around to new jobs in the firm, possibly close down a warehouse or even convert the machines used to produce the 100 series to now produce a different product line. Alternative #2, reduce price level would probably only take 4-7 days to implement. The only thing Berkshire would need to do would be to inform their current buyers of their new price level and perhaps also to advertise the lower price in a specialized fastener industry journal. Alternative #3, drop the 300 series would probably take around 10-14 days. Not only would Berkshire need to shift employees around, close down a warehouse etc, as a result of producing a lower number of 100 series units, but they would also have to announce the dropping of the 300 series line to its buyers, move even more employees around (or possibly lay them off), close even more warehouses down, move machinery around the manufacturing space etc. This would be a very time consuming process. Overall Alternative #2 would win in this criterion as it would have a less time consuming implementation time and process. 3) Consistency with Strategy:This criterion was given a rank of three because while necessary in the evaluation, Profitability and Timeliness do have a greater importance. In the short run Alternative #2 had the greatest consistency with strategy. Berkshire is a cost leader, and reducing the prices of the 100 series ties in very well with this strategy. Alternative #1 and #3 chose not to reduce the price and this decision conflicts with their cost leadership strategy. ConclusionOverall I would recommend that Berkshire implement Alternative #2- reduce the price level of the 100 series, as it did win in all three criteria. But one important thing needs a re-mention. The CM per unit of the reduced price level was lower than that of the higher price level. It was only because of the higher volume of sales did it manage to have a higher total contribution margin. In the future if sales volumes drop, despite the price change Berkshire would incur heavy losses. At this present time Alternative #1 and #3 are both very unprofitable and will still be in the future. At least Alternative #1 is not as unprofitable at this present time but what happens in the future will all depend on sales. Recommendations for Specific Action1) Chose a date when the price change will come in to effect and make sure all current buyers are aware of this well ahead of time. 2) Advertise in newspapers, journals etc to get the message across to new buyers that Berkshire has reduced its prices. 3) All forms, documentation, accounting systems etc should be changed to take into account the new price level. 4) Make sure that there are people at hand to research the market and evaluate whether demand is going to decline for the 100 series. 5) Make sure that there are researches available to study the market for new trends and new types of fasteners that could be produced in the future.

Factors Affecting Kidney Function

Factors Affecting Kidney Function Kidney Diseases and end stage renal failure are not isolated to affecting just the kidney. All organs are affected by the disruption through Kidney disease and similarly other organs will also affect the kidney and how it functions. The following five diseases show the impact they have on the kidney, its function and pathophysiology. 2. HIV/AIDS Renal complications in patients with HIV/AIDS can be either as a result of the long-term repetition of, or simultaneous infections in an immune suppressed patient or as a result of the many drugs (nephrotoxins) used to treat the HIV/AIDS virus. The exact role that the HI-Virus plays in the pathology of the kidney is still controversial (James, 2005:1632-1633). There are a number of kidney diseases identified by means of biopsies associated with HIV, the most predominant one being HIV-associated Nephropathy. Others are Mesangial Glomerulonephritis where immune deposits are seen, to a lesser degree also minimal change disease, TTP/HUS, Amyloidosis and Lymphoma (Dolin, 2008:1257). It was shown that the type of nephropathy was also clearly defined by race, such being that people of Black African origin predominantly showed HIV-associated nephropathy whereas in other racial groups immune complexes played the major role (James, 2005:1632-1633). In a study done by Tygerberg hospital in conjunction with Stellenbosch university it has shown that 54% of biopsies done on Black HIV positive patients show HIV nephropathies, in the USA this figure shows that it is the 3rd most common cause of end stage renal failure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV-associated_nephropathy accessed 19/03/2011). In HIV-associated nephropathy there is sclerosis of the Glomerular apparatus as well as microcystic tubulointerstitial disease which is defined by the enlargement of the tubules with protein deposits in the tubular space as well as oedema in the surrounding tissue, fibrosis and inflammation (Dolin, 2008:1257). Where kidney involvement is due to immune complex deposits the entire nephron is involved; this can be as a direct result of infection from the virus or alternatively due to the release of cytokines when first infected with HIV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV-associated_nephropathy accessed 19/03/2011). Treatment forms include transplantation, which can however, pose problems with regard to medication interactions between antiretroviral drugs and immunosuppressants, furthermore a high rate of rejection as well as a high risk of cardiovascular disease post transplant are a problem (Trullas [in press]) Treatment consists of slowing the process to ESKD and treating the HIV infection with antiretroviral drugs, further treatment with Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE inhibitors) and angiotensin receptor blockers are used to treat hypertension, possibly immunosuppressant drugs or steroids and dialysis if kidney failure progresses to chronic (Greenberg, 2009:254) 3. Malaria There are four types of malaria parasites; the one that is generally known to show manifestations in other organs including the kidney is Plasmodium falciparum. There are over 500 million people infected with this parasite worldwide with an annual death rate of between 1-3 million. There are over 100 countries worldwide in which malaria is prevalent and many of these countries have reported a 0.57- 60% acute renal failure as a result of malaria. It has also shown that the acute renal failure associated with malaria is more common in adults than children in the tropics where transmission of malaria is low or unstable and where symptomatic disease occurs at all ages (Idonije, 2011:4-7) Acute renal failure occurs in a very small percentage of the cases infected, however the mortality rate can be as high as 45%. (Saroj, 2008:395) The exact pathophysiology of Malarial Acute Renal Failure is not known but there are many theories as to how the kidney is affected, namely through obstruction and adherence of the vascular space by disease affected and thus altered erythrocytes, this is known as erythrocyte sequestration. Further, immune complexes may be responsible for changes in the glomerular and tubular physiology. Dehydration due to sweating, vomiting and reduced fluid intake can lead to reduced perfusion of the kidney with ischemia resulting in acute kidney failure. Pulmonary oedema, acute respiratory distress syndrome and anaemia are all factors that may complicate the malarial acute renal failure. Treatment options include the identification of the involvement of the kidney early on which may be difficult especially in home based treatment in the rural environment, renal replacement therapy (haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis), anti malarial drugs, intravenous fluid replacement (although this may lead to pulmonary oedema and must be closely monitored), diuretics which may reduce the time the patient requires dialysis, possible blood transfusion to help replace fluids as well as assist with the malaria induced anaemia and the avoidance of nephrotoxic drugs (Das, 2008:83-97). Mortality of patients increases with: high Creatine levels, oliguria/anuria, anaemia CNS involvement and late referral to a tertiary care center for early commencement of treatment, age plays no role in the mortality of these patients (Kanodia, 2010:1088-1091). 4. HUS/TTP There are three reasons for thrombocytopenia namely due to platelet destruction as in Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) and Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), failure of platelet production as in malignancies and platelet sequestration (Underwood, 2009:585) TTP and HUS are both thrombotic microangiopathies and both are characterised by the deposition of clots in the small vessels of various organs, amongst these being the Kidney. There is a large clinical overlap between the two (Underwood, 2009:670). HUS is an acute disorder often following a haemorrhagic or diarrhoeal illness. It is characterised by microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia, which is caused due to an increase in fibrin in the vessels and this fibrin network damages the erythrocytes causing anaemia. It has been established that HUS is associated with viral and bacterial infections especially in children (McCance, 2010:1408). Both HUS and TTP are linked to pregnancy related acute kidney failure but it is a rare occurrence. If they occur then HUS generally occurs postpartum whereas TTP is linked to preeclampsia and occurs pre delivery (Greenberg, 2009:410). The toxin released from a bacterium such as E. coli causes inflammation when it attaches to the wall of the intestine and from here enters the vascular system. It finds its way to the kidney where it causes damage both in the glomerular and tubular system through thrombosis, and inflammation and thus kidney failure. This infection may also cause fever, hypertension, cerebral and pulmonary oedema, congestive heart failure and seizures (Lerma, 2009:289). TTP on the other hand is caused by blockage of the small vessels through the accumulation of platelets causing vascular lesions in the central nervous system, heart and kidney causing organ failure or malfunction (Underwood: 2009:671). There are two types of TTP, one is chronic relapsing TTP which is rare and the other is idiopathic relapsing TTP. This is a lot more severe in its course and can be fatal within 3 months if left untreated (McCance, 2010:1046). Treatment for diarrhoeal related HUS is generally supportive, fluid-electrolyte replacement, blood transfusion and dialysis if needed. Recovery rate is high but there is a 3-5% mortality rate during the acute phase (DAgati, 2005:498) Glomerular involvement HUS has a better prognosis than HUS with a high vascular involvement. Compared to HUS, the TTP has less haemolysis and milder renal impairment but shows more neurological symptoms such as confusion, headache and motor and sensory defects. Treatment for TTP takes the form of plasma exchange with fresh frozen plasma. Since the implementation of this therapy form the mortality rate has dropped by approximately 25% but with severe renal involvement it still has a poor prognosis. It may re-occur in 25% of the patients who have been successfully treated (DAgati, 2005:511). 5. HELLP Syndrome HELLP Syndrome is an acronym for Haemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, and Low Platelets and is generally found in pregnant woman who have developed preeclampsia or eclampsia (Gould, 2006:120). Symptoms are Microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia, elevated liver enzymes are due to obstruction of the hepatic vessels by fibrin deposits and the low platelets are the result of either increased use of or the destruction of platelets (Counts, 2008:168). HELLP Syndrome may only develop during labour and as with preeclampsia the best cure is the delivery of the baby. Severe bleeding is unlikely unless platelet counts are very low (below 50 000/mm3). Severe thrombocytopenia or rupture of a subcapsular liver haematoma can both be life threatening (Ratcliffe, 2008:493) Many signs and symptoms such as jaundice, hematuria, GIT bleeds, gum bleeds can be seen in pregnant woman which are related to HELLP but could be mistaken for other diseases such as Hepatitis, ulcers, kidney stones, glomerulonephritis, TTP or HUS so a full blood count is important to differentiate HELLP from other diseases (Queenan, 2007:275) HELLP Syndrome is one of the Thrombotic Microangiopathies as is TTP and HUS but as it is a result of preeclampsia it only occurs during pregnancy and then usually only in the third trimester. Preeclampsia is more common than TTP/HUS during pregnancy but with a lower risk of renal failure unless the case is a severe one. HELLP syndrome shows mild disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) which is characterised by uncontrolled coagulation, increase in bleeding time and liver enzymes (Greenberg, 2009:410) It can be potentially fatal to the expectant mother, decrease perfusion of placenta thus threatening the foetus (Counts, 2008:168) with a mortality rate of up to 24% for the mother and 7.7 60% to the unborn due to intrauterine asphyxia, placenta detachment or extreme prematurity (Feehally, 2007:350). In some instances symptoms do not improve after birth but generally the best therapy is the delivery of the baby. Corticosteroids may be used to help hasten the recovery and reduce the need for blood products (Feehally, 2007:350). Treatment is generally symptomatic; the stasis of any bleeding, blood products if a significant amount of blood was lost or is still likely to be lost without intervention, and the same applies for FFP. A cryoprecipitate may be given if the fibrinogen levels are low (for example Factor VIII from frozen blood) and fibrinolysis inhibitors may be considered in some patients (McPhee, 2009:474-475). 6. Rhabdomyolysis Rhabdomyolysis is due to damage of muscle cells as a result of a variety of factors and can become a life-threatening problem (McCance, 2010:1575). As a result of the damage of muscle cells, its contents (myoglobin, enzymes, potassium and phosphorus) leak into the blood stream. The kidneys secrete myoglobin as myoglobinuria in the urine (Lerma, 2009:109). Muscle cell damage can be due to a variety of reasons and amongst others are: Trauma, extreme exercise, seizures, compromised blood flow, electrolyte disturbances (such as hypokalemia, hypophosphatemia), drugs, temperature (hyperthermia, burns), inflammation and infections. Clinically this disease can vary from mild, with slightly elevated serum levels of myoglobin and creatine kinase (CK) to severe with the necessity for renal replacement therapy. Incidence of acute kidney failure due to rhabdomyolysis is as high as 5-15% (Greenberg, 2009:298-299). Renal insuffiency is due to the excessive amounts of myoglobin being filtered by the kidney resulting in tubular injury and is generally also associated with hypovolaemia (McPhee, 2009:742). Large amounts of myoglobin may clog the nephrons with these being overwhelmed and may produce casts which will also cause obstruction in the tubules. Hypovolaemia is due to not only a decrease in fluid intake but also due to large amounts of fluid accumulating in the damaged muscle tissue (Counts, 2008:162-163). Decreased renal blood flow, hypovolaemia and acid urine all are signs that acute tubular necrosis is likely (Lerma, 2009:109). Treatment consists of hydration with high volumes of preferably IV fluids to increase the intravascular fluid volume, thus increase the perfusion of the kidneys and forcing diuresis, reducing the risk of cast formations in the tubules and increasing the GFR. In severe cases of rhabdomyolis the use of mannitol and bicarbonate to improve urine pH as well as high fluid volumes of up to 12l/24hours have proven beneficial, Dialysis may need to be commenced if urinary output remains low and with urea and hyperkalemia not responding to conservative treatment (Greenberg, 2009:302). Fluid administration must be carefully monitored, as there is a risk of pulmonary oedema in the face of acute kidney failure. The mannitol will assist in myoglobin clearance and urine flow and thus assist with the reduction of the nephrotoxicity of the myoglobin. CK levels will drop over a period of a few days provided there is no further injury to the muscle. Hypocalcemia is generally not treated in these instances, as the calcium tends to accumulate in the injured tissue (Lerma, 2009:112). 7. Conclusion Many external factors and diseases with origins elsewhere in the body, easily affect the kidney in its function. The above five diseases showcase just a small percentage of the many diseases and dysfunctions which affect the kidney in a multitude of ways and gives us an insight of just how important an organ it is.

Communication Traits of Happy Couples Essay -- Relationships

There are couples who are happy and there are those who are not. The success rate of marriages in America has fallen; fifty percent of all marriages will not make it to the end. Fifty percent of all marriages today, who enter into a â€Å"lifelong† commitment, will end in divorce. In search of a solution and an explanation researchers have turned to look at couples who are happy and those who are not, through all stages of a relationship. They have found that many of the traits that begin in a dating relationship will carry over into a marriage. Researchers have turned to the ways in which these happy couples communicate and the ways that not so happy couples communicate in order to find a common thread between couples who stay committed to one another while being satisfied in the relationship. There are communicative traits practiced by these couples who are happy. Those traits include but are not limited to successful conflict resolution, communicative responses to situati ons which threaten your relationship, the use of rituals to build relational quality and intimacy, the role of affection in relational satisfaction. There is a correlation between successful conflict resolution and relational satisfaction in a relationship. It is important to note that not only is it important for conflicts to be resolved in a relationship but the way in which those conflicts are handled has a direct effect on the satisfaction and the success of the relationship or the marriage. It often times is not the subject matter of the fight which affects the relationship the most, it is the way in which the conflict is handled, â€Å"How couples argue and disagree about issues appears to be more consequential to the success of a marriage than what they ar... ...d and Dating Relationships,† 256. Kennedy-Lightsey, Booth-Butterfield, â€Å"Responses to Jealousy Situations That Evoke Uncertainty in Married and Dating Relationships,† 256. Kennedy-Lightsey, Booth-Butterfield, â€Å"Responses to Jealousy Situations That Evoke Uncertainty in Married and Dating Relationships,† 256. Kennedy-Lightsey, Booth-Butterfield, â€Å"Responses to Jealousy Situations That Evoke Uncertainty in Married and Dating Relationships,† 258. Angela Hoppe-Nagao, Stella Ting-Toomey, â€Å"Relational Dialectics and Management Strategies in Marital Couples,† Southern Communication Journal 67 (2002): 151. Hoppe-Nagao, Ting-Toomey, â€Å"Relational Dialectics and Management Strategies in Marital Couples,† 151. Kory Floyd, â€Å"Human Affection Exchange: V. Attributes of the Highly Affectionate,† Communication Quarterly 50 (2002): 135.

Human Consumption and Resource Depletion :: essays research papers fc

In today’s ever growing society, we must pay special attention to the amounts and types of resources we our currently consuming and the supply of these resources that will last us for the future. In researching this topic there are many factors to take into account such as the ever growing population, use of limited and unlimited resources, destruction of resources without full utilization of them, and the planning and discovering of new resources for our future. It is a safe assumption to make that our society’s population is not one that will be slowing down anytime soon. To date, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census the United States population is projected to be 290,634,727 people, with a net gain of one person every 11 seconds, and though this may seem quite large it is only a mere 1/25th the world population, which currently is around 6.5 billion people. With large numbers like these and an outlook for continuous growth, it must be taken into concern that at some point, the U.S. and the world as a whole is going to reach its carrying capacity, a point at which the resources in an environment can no longer support a greater population. Though this may still be hundreds of years away, by addressing energy consumption and depletions concerns now we can prolong and prepare for that date as best as possible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the United States, and the world as a whole, there are three major areas in which resources can stem from; those are water, minerals, and the land. All of our resources and utilities to produce resources come from one of those three, and as our population continues to grow, those three sources are ever depleting. As stated above we are a culture who on the whole has a population that does not look like it will cease in growth anytime in the near future. Due to this, the planets limited supply of water seems to be one of the first things that would lead to destruction of our population. We already our currently experiencing global droughts that affect the production of other resources such as food, and therefore directly affect the health and stability of our population. With continued growth, it can only be expected that available water will be ever depleting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the focus on our continued growth, one must next look at its affects on the land in which live on.

Foundations of Learning and Collaborative Working Essay

â€Å"Discuss the concept of collaborative working within your professional area† To be able to understand the rationale, the different factors influencing the outcome of collaborative working and how this can be applied to Perioperative practice, it is important to have a sound understanding of the concept â€Å"Collaborative Working.† This concept has many terminological variations, one of the more frequently used is â€Å"Inter-professional working.† Hornby and Atkins (2000) state that collaborative working is â€Å"a relationship between two or more people, groups or organisations, working together to define and achieve a common purpose.† Barrett et al (2005) declares that inter-professional working is â€Å"the process whereby members of different professions and/or agencies work together to provide integrated health and/or social care for the benefit of service users.† Disregarding what is seen as the correct/incorrect terminology, the common denominator here is that all health care staff/ agencies’ are working together to provide the best healthcare possible for patients and service users. There have been many debates about the variation in terminology, Leathard (1994:5) refers to it as â€Å"terminological quagmire† that has been created due to rapid developments in practice, and in her analysis of terms, Leathard (1994:6) prefers to use the term multi-professional as it â€Å"infers a wider group of professionals.† In this instance the term â€Å"Collaborative working† will be used. Over the years there have been many drivers behind the rationale for collaborative working dating as far back as the 1960’s in the USA, where Henderson (1966) reports that â€Å"one hospital has weekly inter-professional ward conferences.† The idea of collaborative working is therefore not a relatively new concept. In recent years increased emphasis has been placed on collaborative working and the need to work together due to changes in technology, accountability and government reports. Technological advances such as telecommunication is now used by surg ical staff to live feed surgical procedures to other parts of the world. This has aided remote-area surgeons in their own practices (Shields & Werder 2002) Similarly, the introduction of the National Health Service (NHS) direct advice line has created a way in which doctors can consult patients over the telephone. However a study by the Economic and Social Research Council (2005) concluded that â€Å"telemedicine is disappearing† compared to NHS direct advice line. The introduction to new machinery which takes blood pressures automatically rather than manually, this and other technological advances have all required healthcare staff to change the ways in which they work collaboratively. On the other hand, Government reports also change the way in which healthcare professionals work as they are often mandatory measures. The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) was introduced in 1999 under the Agenda for Change. Day (2006) claims that the use of KSF will â€Å"enable team leaders to identify gaps in the knowledge and skills of their inter-professional teams.† KSF is an essential requirement carried out every year to ensure pay progressions. Collaborative working is also brought about by accountability. All healthcare professionals are governed by a professional body such as the Health Professions Council (HPC) in which it is their duty to ensure compliance with the legislation on the use of protected titles (HPC, 2008) Not only are registrants accountable to the HPC they are also accountable to statutory and criminal law which means healthcare professionals must interact with patients and staff on an acceptable level at the risk of being prosecuted for their actions. Another driver for collaborative working is seen through the ever scrutinizing media. A recent news report by Hughes (2011) titled â€Å"Emergency surgery patients’ lives at risk, say surgeons† is one of the many examples of negative media that is putting more pressure on healthcare professionals to work more collaboratively. On the other hand, many of the publi c viewers do not see the bias in the majority of these news reports and many examples of good collaboration is missed. Resulting from the rationale behind why people work together it is important to understand the ways in which people do work together. Safe Surgery Saves Lives was an initiative that arose in 2006 by the World Health Organization and in 2008 a Surgical Safety Checklist was released globally. Research proved that â€Å"postoperative complication rates fell by 36% on average† and the checklist has also â€Å"improved communication among the surgical teams.† (Haynes, B.A et al, 2009, Pg: 496) Many trusts also have a theatre list policy and this ensures that staff are working collaboratively to ensure the lists are correct, accurate and the most important procedures have been prioritised. The idea differentiates among the trusts, but is most commonly referred to as a â€Å"Group hug.† This is carried out each morning before any surgical procedures commence and it is a chance for staff to collaborate and share any ideas or concerns over that day’s list. A big part of collaborative work, especially in peri-operative care, is about recognising each other’s skills and importance thus the idea of â€Å"inter-professional learning.† Kenward & Kenward (2011, pg; 35-39) outlines the importance of mentors, stating that â€Å"mentors should act as role models for students of all professions.† Further promoting this the General Medical Council (2006) document on Good Medical Practice propounds that doctors also act as role models to try and â€Å"inspire and motivate others.† It is evident that there are many ways in which healthcare staff work together, however major issues are still identified around the factors that influence the outcomes of collaborative working. Miscommunication has been identified as a reoccurring problem. Certain behavioral patterns among peri-operative staff which included ignoring requests they did not understand, failing to seek clarification, failing to speak loudly enough to be heard an d communicating information to the wrong person. (Gardezi et al 2009, pg: 1390-1399) This can be fatal especially in the case of Elaine Bromiley who had undergone a routine sinus surgical procedure. Due to a breakdown in communication between surgeons, Elaine unfortunately died. A video titled â€Å"Just a routine operation,† (LaerdalMedical, 2011) released after the death of Elaine Bromiley, identifies the breakdown in communication between the surgeons and the theatre nurses who had actually witnessed the surgeon’s distress and suggested an alternative method to intubating the patient which was ignored. This concept has been previously recognised as â€Å"professional separatism.† D’Amour et al (2005) argued that because professional groups are educated separately they are then socialised into â€Å"discipline-specific thinking.† Research concluded that 69% of respondents to a questionnaire they set out reported disagreement between surgeons and nurses. And that 53.4% reported experiencing aggressive behavior from consultant surgeons (Coe and Gould, 2008, Pg: 609-618) Thus meaning the outcomes of collaboration will suffer if all professionals do not interact and recognize the importance of other professionals’ skills. It is evident that collaboration and inter-professional working largely exists but with the constant changes in peri-operative practice as mentioned previously and the way healthcare is constantly observed, especially by the media, it is evident that collaborative working is a continuous development or a lifelong learning process. As technology changes and government policies are continually released it is inevitable that the ways in which healthcare professionals work together will also change and develop. References Barret, G, Sellman, D and Thomas. J (2005) Inter-professional working in Health and Social Care: Professional Perspectives. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Coe, R and Gould, D (2008) ‘Disagreement and aggression in the operating theatre.’ Journal of Advanced Nursing. Volume: 61, Issue: 6, Pg: 609-618. Day, J (2006) Inter-professional working: An essential guide for health-and social-care professionals. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. D’Amour, D, Ferrada-Videla, M, San Martin Rodrigues, L and Beaulieu, M (2005) ‘The conceptual basis for inter-professional Collaboration: Core concepts and theoretical frameworks.’ Journal of Inter-professional Care. Supplement: 1, Pg: 116-131. Economic and Social Research Council (2005) Telemedicine revolution is ‘disappearing’ from the NHS. [Online] Available at: www.esrc.societytoday.ac.uk. (Accessed: 8 October 2011) Gardezi, F, Lingard, L, Espin, S, Whyte, S, Orser, B and Baker, G.R (2009) ‘Silence, po wer and communication in the operating room.’ Journal of Advanced Nursing. Volume: 65, Issue: 7, Pg: 1390-1399. General Medical Council (2006) ‘Good Medical Practice guidelines: working in teams.’ [Online] Available at: http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/good_medical_practice/working_with_colleagues_working_in_teams.asp (Accessed: 9 October 2011) Haynes, B.A, Weiser, G.T, Berry, R.W, Lipsitz, Sc.D et al (2009) ‘A Surgical Safety Checklist to Reduce Morbidity and Mortality in a Global Population.’ The New England Journal of Medicine. Volume: 360, Issue: 5, Pg: 496. Health Professions Council (2008-09) Continuing professional development annual report. [Online] Available at: http://www.hpc-uk.org/publications/reports/ (Accessed: 8 October 2011) Henderson, V (1966) The nature of Nursing: A definition and its implications for practice, research and education. New York. Macmillan. Hornby, S and Atkins, J (2000) Collaborative Care: Inter-professional, interagency and interpersonal. Oxford: Blackwell. Hughes, D (2011) ‘Emergency Surgery patients’ lives at risk, say surgeons.’ BBC news. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15098114 (Accessed: 8 October 2011) Kenward, L and Kenward, L (2011) ‘Promoting Inter-professional Care in the Perioperative environment.’ Nursing Standard. Volume: 25, Issue: 41, Pg: 35-39. Proquest [Online] Available at: http://proquest.umi.com/ (Accessed: 9 October 2011) Laerdal Medical (2011) ‘Just a Routine Operation’ [Online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzlvgtPlof4 (Accessed: 9 October 2011) Leathard, A (1994) Going Inter-professional: Working Together for Health and Welfare. London: Routledge. Shields, L and Werder, H (2002 ) Perioperative Nursing. Cambridge University Press.

Gillian Clarke Essay

Before even reading â€Å"Miracle on St David’s Day†, I knew that something very special was going to happen from the word in the title â€Å"Miracle†. Clarke’s use of this word suggests that an amazing event is going to occur and that the poem is therefore going to be emotional and poignant. Gillian Clarke uses the first verse of the poem to create a pastoral idyll due to the use of personification-â€Å"An afternoon yellow and open mouthed with daffodils†. This conjures a happy and warm image of daffodils with their trumpets open wide, laughing in the sunlight, and it successfully personifies the flowers. Clarke also places people in the description to make it seem even more vivid in our minds-â€Å"the rumps of gardeners between nursery shrubs†. The line, â€Å"country house, guests strolling† pulls together a vivid image of a beautiful, opening scene in the reader’s mind. Clarke also introduces the importance of nature right at the beginning of the poem in this first verse. lAt the start of the second verse, Clarke dramatically dispels the pastoral idyllic that she created in the first verse. â€Å"I am reading poetry to the insane† is a blunt line, completely in contrast to the last verse as it is so insensitive. As readers, we instantly realise the harsh reality of the situation that she is in fact in a mental institution. Clarke’s dispelling of the original image is effective because it catches the reader’s attention immediately as it is a completely unexpected twist. It also makes the poem poignant because it makes the reader’s realise that there is never a perfect place and that there is always suffering around. Clarke goes on in this verse to describe some of the patients around her and the length of their mental disorders-â€Å"An old woman interrupting offers as many buckets of coal as I need. Clarke describes the poignant image of a schizophrenic, beautiful boy absorbed in her poetry making us realise that her poetry may be powerful for these people. After verse two, Clarke introduces verse three by stating â€Å"on a good day, they tell me later† to show how the split between a verse is a like the dramatic split personality of a schizophrenic. In verse three, Clarke goes into more detail about her moving surroundings to build up a vivid idea of the situation in the reader’s mind. She describes ow the sun causes shadows of window bars into the room and how a woman is sitting in these shadows as if she is in a cage. â€Å"In a cage of first March sun a woman sits†. Clarke repeats the word not, â€Å"not listening, not seeing, not feeling† to result in the woman appearing to be trapped inside herself and entirely vacant. Finally in this verse, Clarke writes, â€Å"a big, big mild, man is tenderly led to his chair†. The use of the adverb â€Å"tenderly† makes us understand just how much care and attention these people need. Clarke continues with the poem’s tone of compassion in verse four, by the slow reading caused by several instances of pauses in the line due to commas such as â€Å"†¦ hands on his knees, he rocks†¦ â€Å". â€Å"I read to the big, dumb, labouring man as he rocks† also brings about the sad sense that although this man seems self-sufficient and big on the exterior he is mild and insecure on the inside and in the mind. Finally Clarke uses an oxymoron, â€Å"I read to their presences, absences† to show how although they are physically in the room, some of their minds aren’t really there at all. In verse five, Clarke’s writing makes everything suddenly change. The slow and thoughtful pace of the poem ends dramatically in a similar way that Clarke destroyed the pastoral idyllic after the first verse. Gillian Clarke’s use of alliteration also strongly suggests that something special is about to happen, â€Å"He is suddenly standing silently, huge and mild but I feel afraid. † Clarke then cleverly uses two similes to portray the moment before the man speaks, â€Å"Like slow movement of spring water or the first bird of the year in the breaking darkness†. These similes are closely linked to new life spring which is convenient because the poem is set on the first day of spring. We also grasp from Clarke’s use of similes that the man is going to do something new. This is a significant and poignant moment in the poem because the man is so well-built and huge yet what he is about to do is something really big and special for everybody in the room and the reader, â€Å"the labourer’s voice recites ‘The Daffodils’† The reaction to this man’s speech is shock and no one is able to speak. The nurses are speechless and prepared for violence from the man but even they freeze. The patients, some of which are seriously mentally ill also suddenly listen, â€Å"the patients seem to listen†. It is effective and poignant, how Gillian Clarke then personifies the daffodils to match the characters and mood of the room. She expresses that even nature outside can react at this incredible moment. The hyperbole that she uses, â€Å"a thousand, ten thousand† is an excerpt from the Wordsworth poem that the man is reciting. Clarke successfully employs this hyperbole to exaggerate the number of daffodils who stop to observe to the man breaking free of speech and his life. I think that the seventh stanza is the most heart-breaking stanza, especially â€Å"Since the dumbness of misery fell†; because that implies that the man was once a happy child and only stopped talking and became miserable when something tore his life apart. This is poignant because it makes us imagine tragic events that could have stopped this man from speaking and that it really shows the power and impact that poetry can have. I think â€Å"the daffodils are flame† is a very effective and clever way of Clarke to finish the poem because it is ending with the daffodils where it first started. The way that nature outside corresponds to the event in the room is truly miraculous. In verse six Clarke personifies the daffodils as â€Å"still as wax† whilst the man is reciting and the daffodils are then â€Å"flame† in the last verse during the man’s applaud (we can see a fiery theme). The poem is so poignant because of the way Clarke creates successful images and personification so that we can feel we are in the room at the time of the miracle. The pathetic fallacy at the end leaves reader’s reflective and astounded by the description in poetry of such an amazing account.

Hindenburg Disaster

On May 6th, 1937, a Zeppelin airship of Germany called the Hindenburg set off for its first North Atlantic crossing. It was to land on Naval Air Station base in Lakehurst, New Jersey but fate had a different plan for the Hindenburg and its passengers. At 7:20, reporters and crowds gathered around to see the sky-beauty land in her appointed spot, but at 7:23 screams were heard and the sound of a firework shooting up. To the crowd’s amazement, they saw a small, orange flame forming at the tail end of the airship. The fire started at the top tail fin or so it has been reported by eye witnesses of this horrific disaster.The designer of the Hindenburg had law enforcements give the witnesses a blueprint of the airship so they could illustrate where they seen the small flame and how they saw the fire spread across the dirigible. When everything was said and done and they reviewed the blueprints that were collected not one was identical to the one before or after it. Some saw a flash, some saw a spark, and some saw an explosion. The cause, to this day, has been unknown. There are theories floating around such as: static electricity from the on coming thunderstorm, a small lighting bolt, a leak of hydrogen, conspiracy, and many others that have no backing agents.In the following sections I will have hoped to help you make you decision on what the real cause of this tragic event was and in detail explained what I think happened and why with a scientific explanation. First, what was the structure of the Hindenburg made of? The skeleton was made of an aluminum structure. The blimps design was 15 main rings made of aluminum making the central frame. Then the remaining frame was welted to those 15 rings then covered with non flame-retardant cotton. Then the cotton itself was painted. It was painted with cellulose acetate butyrate and aluminum powder, both of which can be combustible alone.Aluminum powder can be explosive or flammable if mixed with air, it is used in l iquid and solid rocket fuels, and used in thermite, which is an incendiary. It also burns and orange-red depending on other elements being present at point of ignition. The cellulose acetate butyrate is combustible and used in everyday items such as hairbrushes. Thought it was painted with the same substance throughout it was not painted with the same amount of coats throughout. The top had more layers of â€Å"dope† paint to sustain from lighting strikes and the bottom was painted with a top coat of reflection â€Å"dope† paint to fool the people below.Inside the Hindenburg, there were 16 gas filled pockets. These pockets were filled with hydrogen instead of helium because it is less dense than Helium. (Side note: The fact that hydrogen is less dense than helium is proven because of Avogadro. He stated that if you have two different gases at the same pressure and the same temperature then they would have the same amount of particles. But then that would lead to say th at one mol of helium has a mass of 4 grams and one mol of hydrogen has a mass of 2 grams. The pockets or gasbags were lined with goldbeater’s skin, a thin membrane taken from cattle intestines. The Hindenburg as a whole was almost the size of the Titanic. There are many theories to what caused the Hindenburg fire. Suggestions such as: the pain caught fire from a spark that came off the rope being deployed at the landing destination, or the hydrogen being released had caught a spark or a lightning bolt, a Nazi soldier set the airship on fire, or a witness from below shot the tail end of the dirigible causing it to catch fire.Though these theories have been backed by countless number of reasoning’s and facts no one scientist can fully prove the cause of the fire. There is one theory that could have been but more than likely it did not. The theory of conspiracy. Though it is true that a handgun was found in the remains of the Hindenburg, it is not a plausible answer to th e massive disaster. It is said that a Nazi purposefully shot one of the hydrogen bags while walking the axis of the airship. Considering the Hindenburg was an anti-Nazi dirigible and even its creator did not support Hitler and his rampage, it is not a creditable theory.Though it is a food for thought, the conspiracy theory has no backing or relative cause of purpose. Addison Bain, for example, tried to show that the thermite paint caused a reaction. In his paper he went on to say that a spark from the engine had landed on the paint and contained enough energy to set fire to the paint and cause the fire. Though he is not completely wrong, personally it is not a well-enough explanation to what happened and how it happened. Bain had preformed television demonstrations on his theory, but he had flaws in his experiments.For instance, he showed a continuous flame one the skin on the Hindenburg model and his research shows that he concluded it to be an instant spark. On another count, he u sed a small piece of the actual skin cover in the â€Å"dope† and he set it on fire and showed its burn time, if these were correct tests he should have allowed reaction time, set fire in relative area of the original fire, the tail area not its mid section, and did not consider the dampness of the â€Å"dope† paint at the altitude it was at. These were also factors going against whether or not the Mythbusters had correctly called their test on Bain’s theory a bust.In the television series Mythbusters, Adam and Jamie gather myths that have been sent in by their viewers, myths that are not able to be determined busted on a day-to-day basis, and they safely determine if the myth is true and factual or is it a rumor and a hoax. Mythbusters determined that the theory proposed by Addison Bain was a bust. They built three models of the Hindenburg on a 1/50th scale and conducted three different experiments. One Hindenburg was painted with the â€Å"dope† and fil led with air. The second was just the hydrogen within with a regular skin without the â€Å"dope† compound.The third consisted of both the â€Å"dope† skin and the hydrogen filling. They determined that the hydrogen was the real cal prate of the Hindenburg fire. Considering the way they tested the experiments, it is very arguable to say that they did not correctly perform their experiments. For instance they did not set fire at the tail end of the dirigible. They also set a direct flame and not an initial spark to the paint. In addition, when they set fire to a small portion of the skin covered in â€Å"dope† they did not allow a reaction time. Reminder that witnesses said they saw an orange-red flame at the tail end of the dirigible. ) While examining the mystery of the Hindenburg, you will notice that at 7:20 the crowd has noticed a slight spark at the tail end; and at 7:23 the airship has started to come down in flames. It took approximately 24 seconds for th e Hindenburg to burn from tail to nose. The Mythbuster gang’s Hindenburg models took times that consist of 1 minute and 37 seconds, 57 second, and 52 seconds. In order to declare this busted, one must allow for every possible variable that could have been presented on May 6th in New Jersey.Other factors that could pose a problem against the Mythbusters are considerations that any man can conjure up and present. For example, the experiment was conducted inside and on the day on the disaster there was a high wind issue. In order for fire to burn rapidly it has to have a large supply of oxygen. The atmosphere consists of nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, oxygen is most of that. Another problem could have been that the Hindenburg had gasbags filled with hydrogen and the Mythbusters â€Å"generally† filled the down-scale model with hydrogen, not separating the â€Å"dope† paint skin and the hydrogen contact.If the skin would have been directly lying on the hydrogen in the Hindenburg, it would have taken far less time to burn or might have actually â€Å"exploded†. Another myth that has spread widely is that the Hindenburg was painted with pure rocket fuel. As stated previously, the â€Å"dope† consisted of aluminum powder and cellulose acetate butyrate. Though it contains rocket fuel ingredients it is not painted fully and only rocket fuel. It is also and ingredient in thermite incendiary, which explains why scientist concluded the Hindenburg fire to be a thermite reaction. Fe2O3+2Al ? Al2O3+2Fe) is the chemical equation for a thermite reaction. A thermite reaction is an exothermic reaction. Meaning when its compounds react with one another they put off heat instead of absorbing energy, or an endothermic reaction. Also, when you burn metals together they tend to have a orange or red flame†¦ the Hindenburg burnt orange-red) Aluminum powder was in bedded in the â€Å"dope† compound. This byproduct is mostly found in the co ntents of rocket fuel or rocket propellants.It is often mistakenly said that the Hindenburg was painted with rocket fuel but this conclusion is only partially correct. The aluminum powder itself, if extremely fine, can form flammable and explosive mixtures in the air. Basically, the Hindenburg was not painted with rocket fuel. The next suggestion is that the Mythbusters did not allow for weather conditions to be taken into consideration. On May 6th, 1937, it was told to be raining which is a reason the Hindenburg did not land at it designated time. It was delayed over the Atlantic for several hours.Some scientist have asked, if it had been a spark that ignited the paint then it would have had to generate enough energy to first evaporate dew off of skin and then still possess enough energy to ignite the â€Å"dope† on the skin. Once again, the skin was made of aluminum powder and cellulose acetate butyrate. CAB contains low moisture absorption. It effectively resists weatherin g and ultra-violet radiation. Though it is not effective against alcohol, alkalis, paint removers, and acetones. Since the compound contained aluminum powder, an alkaline metal, could this have over powered it so the â€Å"dope† paint absorbed a small amount of water?It could have, but only if the aluminum powder was in a ration of 50 to 1. It might have been wiser for the German makers to obtain helium rather that hydrogen. Helium does not burn. It is a monatomic gas, or having replaced one atom. Since helium already contains 8 electrons it is a noble gas. This property makes it highly un-reactive because it is already considered to be happy with its eight electrons in its outer most shell. The problem with using hydrogen in the Hindenburg is that it only contains one valence electron which can cause it to highly reactive to almost any element it comes into contact with.The wiser decision for the makers of the Hindenburg would have been to use the less reactive helium instea d of the highly reactive hydrogen. In conclusion, I believe the hydrogen is not the cause of the Hindenburg disaster. Though it is a major factor with its rapid fire spread it is not the main cause. In my opinion, the cause is that a small lighting bolt had hit where the body and the tail fin connected. Where the covering of the body tries to match that of the tail fin. This makes sense because the tail fins were coated with a lighter coating of the â€Å"dope† paint. This is the location the hydrogen is being released.A spark hit the paint at this specific spot causing the paint to ignite and causing a chain reaction with the paint and the hydrogen. If hydrogen was being released at a specific temperature and a specific pressure around the area of ignition, it may have caused the â€Å"explosion† on the Hindenburg. When hydrogen comes in contact with a flame the hydrogen extinguishes the flame, but when a combination of hydrogen along with air (oxygen) are presented w ith a flame, the hydrogen will persist to terminate the flame but then the air with reignite it. This is because a fire cannot burn without the presence of oxygen.Additionally, a hydrogen reaction (2H+O2? 2H2O) is an exothermic reaction, the same as the thermite within the â€Å"dope† paint. With the hydrogen putting of heat when it reacted and the thermite releasing heat as it reacted it caused the temperature of the skin to increase to an immeasurable heat. This most likely caused the aluminum powder within the â€Å"dope† to become a lose particle in the air. Another point that may have added to the release of the aluminum powder could be the Hindenburg had been hit before by lightning bolts and caused small burn holes on the top half of the Hindenburg and caused no fire.Analyzing that the statement before is true, there may have been a chance that the aluminum powder from the â€Å"dope† paint could have escaped where the lightning bolt had struck. Therefore it caused a reaction between the oxygen in the air and the aluminum powder. Furthermore my conclusion is the hydrogen is not the initial cause of the fire but the â€Å"dope† paint itself. Again this is my opinion and you, as the reader, are free to interoperate the data and conclude to your own opinion because to interoperate the true cause of the Hindenburg is a personal preference one must do on one’s own.