Thursday, December 26, 2019

Monte Alban - Capital City of the Zapotec Civilization

Monte Albà ¡n is the name of the ruins of an ancient capital city, located in a strange place: on the summit and shoulders of a very high, very steep hill in the middle of the semiarid valley of Oaxaca, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. One of the most well-studied archaeological sites in the Americas, Monte Alban was the capital of the Zapotec culture from 500 B.C.E. to 700 C.E., reaching a peak population of over 16,500 between 300–500 C.E. The Zapotecs were maize farmers, and made distinctive pottery vessels; they traded with other civilizations in Mesoamerica including Teotihuacan and the Mixtec culture, and perhaps the classic period Maya civilization. They had a market system, for the distribution of goods into the cities, and like many Mesoamerican civilizations, built ball courts for playing ritual games with rubber balls. Chronology 900–1300 C.E. (Epiclassic/Early Postclassic, Monte Albà ¡n IV), Monte Alban collapses about 900 C.E., Oaxaca Valley with a more dispersed settlement500–900 C.E. (Late Classic, Monte Albà ¡n IIIB), slow decline of Monte Alban, as it and other cities are established as independent city-states, the influx of Mixtec groups into the valley250–500 C.E. (Early Classic period, Monte Albà ¡n IIIA), Golden Age of Monte Alban, architecture in the main plaza formalized; Oaxaca barrio established at Teotihuacan150 B.C.E.–250 C.E. (Terminal Formative, Monte Albà ¡n II), unrest in the valley, rise of the Zapotec state with the center at Monte Albà ¡n, city covered about 416 hectares (1,027 acres), with a population of 14,500500–150 B.C.E. (Late Formative, Monte Alban I), Oaxaca valley integrated as a single political entity, city increased to 442 ha (1,092 ac), and population of 17,000, well beyond its ability to feed itself500 B.C.E. (Middle Formative), Mont e Alban founded by paramount rulers from San Jose Mogote and others in the Etla Valley, site covers about 324 ha (800 ac), population of about 5,000 people The earliest city associated with the Zapotec culture was San Josà © Mogotà ©, in the Etla arm of the Oaxaca Valley and founded about 1600-1400 B.C.E. Archaeological evidence suggests that conflicts arose in San Josà © Mogotà © and other communities in the Etla valley, and that city was abandoned about 500 B.C.E., at the same time that Monte Albà ¡n was founded. Founding Monte Alban The Zapotecs built their new capital city in a strange place, probably partly as a defensive move resulting from unrest in the valley. The location in the valley of Oaxaca is on the top of a tall mountain far above and in the middle of three populous valley arms. Monte Alban was far from the nearest water, 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away and 400 meters (1,300 feet) above, as well as any agricultural fields that would have supported it. Chances are that Monte Albans residential population was not permanently located here.   A city located so far away from the major population it serves is called a disembedded capital, and Monte Albà ¡n is one of the very few disembedded capitals known in the ancient world. The reason the founders of San Jose moved their city to the top of the hill may have included defense, but perhaps also a bit of public relations—its structures can be seen in many places from the valley arms. Rise and Fall Monte Albans golden age corresponds with the Maya Classic Period, when the city grew,  and maintained trade and political relationships with many regional and coastal territories. Expansionist trade relationships included Teotihuacan, where people born in the Oaxaca valley took up residence in a neighborhood, one of several ethnic barrios in that city. Zapotec cultural influences have been noted in Early Classic Puebla sites east of modern-day Mexico City and as far as the gulf coast state of Veracruz, although direct evidence for Oaxacan people living in those locations has not as yet been identified. The power centralization at Monte Alban decreased during the Classic period when an influx of Mixtec populations arrived. Several regional centers such as Lambityeco, Jalieza, Mitla, and Dainzà º-Macuilxà ³chitl rose to become independent city-states by the Late Classic/Early Postclassic periods. None of these matched Monte Albans size at its height. Monumental Architecture at Monte Alban The site of Monte Albà ¡n has several memorable extant architectural features, including pyramids, thousands of agricultural terraces, and long deep stone staircases. Also still to be seen today are Los Danzantes, over 300 stone slabs carved between 350–200 B.C.E., featuring life-sized figures which appear to be portraits of slain war captives. Building J, interpreted by some scholars as an astronomical observatory, is a very odd structure indeed, with no right angles on the exterior building—its shape may have been intended to represent an arrow point—and a maze of narrow tunnels in the interior. Monte Albà ¡ns Excavators and Visitors Excavations at Monte Albà ¡n have been conducted by Mexican archaeologists Jorge Acosta, Alfonso Caso, and Ignacio Bernal, supplemented by surveys of the Valley of Oaxaca by US archaeologists Kent Flannery, Richard Blanton, Stephen Kowalewski, Gary Feinman, Laura Finsten, and Linda Nicholas. Recent studies include bioarchaeological analysis of skeletal materials, as well as an emphasis on the collapse of Monte Alban and the Late Classic reorganization of the Oaxaca Valley into independent city-states. Today the site awes visitors, with its enormous rectangular plaza with pyramid platforms on the east and west sides. Massive pyramid structures mark the north and south sides of the plaza, and the mysterious Building J lies near its center. Monte Alban was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.   Sources Cucina A, Edgar H, and Ragsdale C. 2017. Oaxaca and its neighbors in Prehispanic times: Population movements from the perspective of dental morphological traits. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 13:751-758.ï » ¿Faulseit RK. 2012. State collapse and household resilience in the Oaxaca Valley of Mexico. Latin American Antiquity 23(4):401-425.Feinman G, and Nicholas LM. 2015. After Monte Alban in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca: A reassessment. In: Faulseit RK, editor. Beyond Collapse: Archaeological Perspectives on Resilience, Revitalization, and Transformation in Complex Societies. Carbondale: Southern Illinios University Press. p 43-69.Higelin Ponce de Leà ³n R, and Hepp GD. 2017. Talking with the dead from southern Mexico: Tracing bioarchaeological foundations and new perspectives in Oaxaca. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 13:697-702.Redmond EM, and Spencer CS. 2012. Chiefdoms at the threshold: The competitive origins of the primary state. Journal of Anthropologi cal Archaeology 31(1):22-37.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

A Research Study On Aquatic Therapy - 1299 Words

two months or five times/week. The active group showed huge improvements in decreased disability and back pain, improved body composition, increased the quality of life and fitness level especially with the two-month aquatic therapy group.7 The studies both showed that aquatic therapy can help people with low back pain to strengthen their lower back muscles, move their low back more, and is a great pain relief having water on their back, and also less weight bearing than on land. The fourth thing aquatic therapy can help with is a neurological disorders/conditions. Neurological disorder/conditions include multiple sclerosis, Parkinson, cancer, cervical dystonia, hereditary spastic paraparesis, cervical dystonia, poliomyelitis, brain injury, and spinal cord injury. Gait speed and dynamic balance are a problem a lot of people with neurological disorder/conditions have. Aquatic therapy is one tool to help these people with gait and dynamic balance. There was a study done that took 116 articles that dealt with aquatic therapy and neurological disorders/conditions and picked twenty of those articles. The Black and Downs Scale was used to test the methodological quality. Three non-randomized studies, two RCTs, and three before-and-after studies proved aquatic therapy increases the dynamic balance in participants with neurological disorders. Two before-and-after tests and one RCT proved gait speed after aquatic therapy. My point and the study came to conclude that a quaticShow MoreRelatedAquatic Therapy : A Therapy Essay1325 Words   |  6 Pages Introduction: Aquatic therapy is a therapy that is done on water instead of land. Aquatic therapy can include water weights, exercises in the water, and water aerobics. Some programs will combine both land and water exercises, and other just water exercises. Aquatic therapy takes the weight off people so people are not bearing all their body weight like they are on land. 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Aquatic therapy is aRead More Physical-Based Intervention Therapies For Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder1616 Words   |  7 PagesAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is not one specific disorder, but a group of disorders that have similar behavioral characteristic, such as difficulty with communication and socialization. The cause of ASD is still unknown but there are studies that indicate there may a genetic or environmental component. More specifically, ASD can cause limitations in intellectual abilities as well as difficulties with attention and motor coordination. ASD is usually identified during the first three years of lifeRead MoreAquatic The rapy : A Therapy1913 Words   |  8 PagesAquatic therapy is a therapy that is done on water instead of land. Aquatic therapy can include water weights, exercises in water, and water aerobics. Some programs will combine both land and water exercises, and other just water exercises. Aquatic therapy is taking weight off people so people are not bearing all their body weight like they are on land. Aquatic therapy can be used for many different types of illness, diseases, syndromes, disorders, pain, and musculoskeletal problems. EspeciallyRead MoreThe Health Of The State Of Indiana Alone889 Words   |  4 Pagesviable, sustainable coping mechanism for their disorder is again a worthwhile pursuit. Though some studies cited in this paper included costly means, such as aquatic centers and treadmills (Chang 2014 Burke2013), some of the more compelling arguments and successes came from studies that utilized equipment that most schools possessed, such as balls or jump ropes (Kamp 2014). Alternatively, several studies showed success with taking students through a high intensity routine of Yoga or Tai Chi, or daily

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Biological And Nuclear Weapons Essay Research Paper free essay sample

Biological And Nuclear Weapons Essay, Research Paper Most people today believe that the universe is a better topographic point than it was 20 to 30 old ages ago. But I, on the other manus, believe that the universe is going a really unsafe topographic point. Even though the universe # 8217 ; s world powers condemn atomic and biological warfare, I believe that the following millenary will convey a war that will do them alter their beliefs toward arms of mass devastation. There are many states with these arms. # 8220 ; For the past several old ages, U.S. authorities functionaries noted that there are at least 10 states known to hold biological warfare programs. # 8221 ; There are besides another 12 states that possess atomic arms. Other states are seeking to develop such arms. Some of these states pay for the technological secrets or for the existent ingredients for these arms. One such instance is that of Libyan dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi, who # 8220 ; was so fixated by the dream of having atomic bombs that he allegedly offered to pay India the equivalent of its national debt- about $ 18 billion for the technology. # 8221 ; But India refused to sell Qaddafi its engineering. Some of the states that are suspected of holding biological warfare plans are unfriendly toward the U.S. Some of these states are located in the Middle East and some are signers to the Biological Weapons Convention. This 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, prohibited its signers from possessing or using such arms. This possess a important menace to the U.S. and all the other states who hold scores with the 1s who have biological warfare plans. States get biological plans because they view it as an # 8220 ; cheap path to acquisition of a arm of mass destruction. # 8221 ; Biological arms are frequently called a # 8220 ; hapless adult male # 8217 ; s atomic bomb. # 8221 ; Another ground why states get these arms is because they # 8220 ; desire to act upon the political-military computations of possible antagonists, and to frighten enemy states. They want the universe to acknowledge them as a military power and that they can destruct an full state with their arms. These arms are really destructive. The atomic bombs of today are about eight to forty times greater than the bomb detonated on Hiroshima. The Hiroshima blast killed between 70,000 to 100,000 people immediately. A biological agent can do a similar sum of deceases ; it all depends on how good the state is prepared to descry the spread of the sources, and how populated the country is.In 3rd universe states, for illustration, the decease toll could be greater because of the fact that they don # 8217 ; t have the necessary medical equipment to halt the spread of sources and viruses. These arms are ready to be used at any clip. With recent struggles between Iraq and the U.S. Britain, and besides India and Pakistan, the menace of unleashing the power of such a arm has increased greatly. In the past decennaries, India and Pakistan have come near on three occasions to get downing a atomic war. Some jobs between states are high and can do war when the ill will gets excessively high to manage. The favourite biological arms of states with biological arms are Anthrax, Botulinum, Clostridium and ricin. These agents normally kill the victims within a twenty-four hours or two after it has come into contact with its host. Surprisingly plenty, get downing civilizations for these micro-organisms are easy found in most countries. These arms are effectual because the atoms remain suspended in the ambiance for a long adequate period of clip to infect big Numberss of people. Whenever these arms are used, they have to make up ones mind how the arms will get at their mark. Countries utilizing these arms use missiles to present the micro-organism. A terrorist group would differ by really taking the biological agents to their mark and let go ofing it in the unfastened, so people-as well as the wind-will spread the biological agents. Terrorism is likely the factor that is the key to the beginning of the following war. # 8220 ; Small states, even subnational terrorist groups have the ability to bring down mass devastation upon their enemies. # 8221 ; One such group is Osama bin Laden # 8217 ; s terrorist group who has adequate money to back up his actions. This group besides asks states to house his group. The U.S. has acknowledged that some states suspected of prosecuting biological warfare plans are known patrons of terrorist act. One such terrorist act that could hold been worse was the bombardment at the World Trade Center in New York. Had the bombers used a atomic arm with Pu, both constructions would hold had to be torn down and buried as radioactive waste. This is because Pu has a half life of 24,000 years-that # 8217 ; s the clip it takes for half it to disintegrate. Some people believe that this will non go on because there are pacts that prohibition biological orders and ask states to cut down the sum of their atomic arms. They besides believe organisations such as the U.N. will halt a possible war from get downing. But there are states who will non take advice signifier anyone and will make what they think is best. These types of arms are going widely available to more states and even terrorist groups. So far, no state has had to fall back to utilizing a atomic work stoppage in war. With so many jobs between states these yearss, its merely a affair of clip before these arms are to set to utilize. That # 8217 ; s why I believe that states who condemned the usage of these arms will alter their positions and finally utilize them. 344

Monday, December 2, 2019

The Crucible The Plot free essay sample

The overall message of Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is that when uncontrolled hysteria is combined with ignorance, the outcome is tragic. While Miller offers his audience some comic dialogue to soften the events it does not mask the horrifying reality of the witch hunt and its aftermath. Rather, the humorous insights serve to reveal the simplicity and innocence of people living rustic lives in a God-fearing community. Several characters, Paris and Hale, Mary Warren and John Proctor, provide the audience with some comic dialogue, and Giles Corey is the most amusing character of them all. The hysteria which abounded in Salem allowed small, inconsequential, even comic, events to form the basis of sinister fabrications. Farmers who were envious of the area of land owned by others, or who craved a remedy for imagined wrongs, took the opportunity to bear false witness. Seemingly comic situations, such as Mary Warren reporting to the Court that when she did not give the beggar woman, Goody Osborn, bread and a cup of cider, she mumbled, had tragic outcomes. We will write a custom essay sample on The Crucible The Plot or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Martha Corey was arrested because a pig she sold to a farmer had died a short time after he took delivery of it. At the time Martha had said to him, Walcott if you havent the wit to feed a pig properly, youll not live to own many. Although that was four or five years earlier, the farmer told the Court that Martha had bewitched all subsequent pigs and caused them to die also. Giles Corey innocently asks the Reverend Hale why he could not say his prayers when his wife was in the room reading books. Later, after Martha Corey was arrested, he tried to clarify his point: I never said my wife were a witch, Mr Hale, I only said she were reading books. When Reverend Paris implied that he should be paid more than sixty pounds a year (with six dollars extra for firewood), because he was a graduate of Harvard College , Giles quickly replies Aye, and well instructed in arithmetic. Many lies are told, and believed; but the irony is, of course, that neither the telling of truths nor the refusal to betray a confidence, protects the innocent in the overtly Christian community of Salem. John Proctor admits to the Court that he has known Abigail Williams because he wants to protect his wife, Elizabeth, from hanging. However, when she fails to say that John is an adulterer, the Court disregards his truth, Abigail Williams remains free to continue on with her vengeful lies, and he is taken into custody. Giles Corey not only possesses wit and humour, he is also loyal. He dies a slow, horrible death because he fails to reveal the source of his knowledge that The day Putnams daughter cried out on Jacobs, (Putnam) said shed given him a fair gift of land. He does not give the name because he says Hell lay in jail if I give his name. There is, among the characters of the play, a simple honesty and a moral way of being which leads to tragedy. While readers will laugh at Mary Warren telling her employer, John Proctor, that she will go to bed when she wishes as she is eighteen and a woman, however single, and note with the amusement the pompous certainty of the Reverend Hale when we first meet him laden with books, Here is the invisible world caught, defined, and calculated. They will also find the ignorance and cunning pretence of some characters deeply disturbing and horrifyingly tragic. While Miller may have wished to ease our sorrow at the hysterical, deadly lies told by the children of Salem with some comic moments, the tragic events of the play overrule them all.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

How to Convert Celsius and Fahrenheit

How to Convert Celsius and Fahrenheit Most countries around the world measure their weather and temperatures using the relatively simple Celsius scale. But the United States is one of the five remaining countries that use the Fahrenheit scale, so its important for Americans to know how to convert one to the other, especially when traveling or doing scientific research.   Celsius Fahrenheit Conversion Formulas To convert a temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit, you will take the temperature in Celsius and multiply it by 1.8, then add 32 degrees. So if your Celsius temperature is 50 degrees, the corresponding Fahrenheit temperature is 122 degrees: (50 degrees Celsius x 1.8) 32 122 degrees Fahrenheit If you need to convert a temperature in Fahrenheit, simply reverse the process: subtract 32, then divide by 1.8. So 122 degrees Fahrenheit is still 50 degrees Celsius: (122 degrees Fahrenheit - 32)  Ãƒ · 1.8 50 degrees Celsius Its Not Just About Conversions While its useful to know how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa, its also important to understand the differences between the two scales. First, its important to clarify the difference between Celsius and centigrade, since theyre not quite the same thing.   A third international unit of temperature measurement, Kelvin, is widely used in scientific applications. But for everyday and household temperatures (and your local meteorologists weather report), youre most likely to use Fahrenheit in the U.S. and Celsius most other places around the world.   Difference Between Celsius and Centigrade Some people use the terms Celsius and centigrade interchangeably, but its not completely accurate to do so.  The Celsius scale is a type of centigrade scale, meaning its endpoints are separated by 100 degrees. The word is derived from the Latin words centum, which means hundred, and gradus, which means scales or steps. Put simply, Celsius is the proper name of a centigrade scale of temperature. As devised by Swedish astronomy professor Anders Celsius, this particular  centigrade scale had  100  degrees occurring at the freezing point of water and 0 degrees as waters boiling point. This was reversed after his death by fellow Swede and botanist Carlous Linneaus to be more easily understood. The centigrade scale Celsius created was renamed for him after it was redefined to be more precise  by the General Conference of Weights and Measures in the 1950s.   There is one point on both scales where Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures match, which is minus 40 degrees Celsius and minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.   Invention of the Fahrenheit Temperature Scale The first mercury thermometer was invented by German scientist Daniel Fahrenheit in 1714. His scale divides the freezing and boiling points of water into 180 degrees, with 32 degrees as waters freezing point, and 212 as its boiling point. On Fahrenheits scale, 0 degrees was determined as the temperature of a brine solution. He based the scale on the average temperature of the human body, which he originally calculated at 100 degrees (its since been adjusted to 98.6 degrees). Fahrenheit was the standard unit of measure in most countries until the 1960s and 1970s when it was replaced with the Celsius scale in a widespread conversion to the more useful metric system. But in addition to the U.S. and its territories,  Fahrenheit is still used in  the Bahamas, Belize, and the Cayman Islands for most temperature measurements.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

How to Become a School Principal

How to Become a School Principal Not everyone is meant to become a school principal. Some educators make the transition well while others figure out that it is more difficult than one might think. A school principal’s day can be long and stressful. You have to be organized, solve problems, manage people well, and be able to separate your personal life from your professional life. If you cannot do those four things, you will not last long as a principal. It takes a remarkable person to deal with all the negatives that you are forced to handle as a school principal. You listen to constant complaints from parents, teachers, and students. You have to deal with all kinds of discipline issues. You attend virtually every extra-curricular activity. If you have an ineffective teacher in your building, then it is your job to help them improve or get rid of them. If your test scores are low, it is ultimately a reflection of you. So why would someone want to become a principal? For those that are equipped to handle the day to day stresses, the challenge of running and maintaining a school can be rewarding. There is also an upgrade in pay which is a bonus. The most rewarding aspect is that you have a greater impact on the school as a whole. You are the school leader. As the leader, your daily decisions impact a larger number of students and teachers than you impacted as a classroom teacher. A principal who understands this reaps their rewards through daily growth and improvements from their students and teachers. For those who decide that they want to become a principal, the following steps must be taken to reach that goal: Earn a Bachelor’s Degree – You must earn a four-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. In some cases, it does not have to be an education degree as most states have an alternative certification program.Obtain a Teaching License/Certification – Once you have earned a bachelor’s degree in education then, most states require you to get licensed/certified. This is typically done by taking and passing a test or series of tests in your area of specialization. If you do not have a degree in education, then check your states’ alternative certification requirements to obtain your teaching license/certification.Gain Experience as a Classroom Teacher – Most states require you to teach a certain number of years before you are able to become a school principal. This is extremely important because most people need classroom experience to have an understanding of what goes on in a school on a day to day basis. Gaining this experience i s essential to becoming an effective principal. In addition, it will be easier for teachers to relate to you and understand where you are coming from if you have classroom experience because they know you have been one of them. Gain Leadership Experience – Throughout your time as a classroom teacher, look for opportunities to sit on and/or chair committees. Visit with your building principal and let them know that you are interested in becoming a principal. Chances are they will give you some increased role to help prepare you for being in that role or at the very least you can pick their brain concerning principal best practices. Every bit of experience and knowledge will help when you land your first principal’s job.Earn a Master’s Degree – Although most principals will earn a Master’s degree in an area such as educational leadership, there are states that allow you to become a principal with a combination of any master’s degree, the required teaching experience, along with passing the license/certification process. Most people will continue to teach full time while taking master’s courses part time until they earn their degree. Many school administration m asters’ programs now cater to teacher’s offering one night a week courses. The summer can be used to take additional classes to expedite the process.   The final semester typically involves an internship with hands-on training that will give you a snapshot of what a principals job actually entails. Obtain a School Administrator License/Certification – This step is remarkably similar to the process for getting your teacher license/certification. You must pass a test or series of tests related to the specific area you want to be a principal in whether that be an elementary, a middle level, or a high school principal.Interview for a Principal’s Job – Once you have earned your license/certification, then it is time to start looking for a job. Do not be discouraged if you do not land one as quickly as you thought. Principal’s jobs are intensely competitive and can be difficult to land. Go into every interview confident and prepared. As you interview, remember that as they are interviewing you, you are interviewing them. Do not settle for a job. You do not want a job at a school which you do not genuinely want with all the stress a principal’s job can bring.   While searching for a principals job, gain valuable administrator experience by voluntee ring to help out your building principal.   More than likely they will be willing to allow you to continue on in an internship type of role. This type of experience will boost your resume and give you terrific on the job training. Land a Principal’s Job – Once you get an offer and have accepted it, the real fun begins. Come in with a plan but remember that no matter how well you feel you have been prepared, there will be surprises. There are new challenges and issues that arise each and every day. Never get complacent. Continue to search for ways to grow, do your job better, and make improvements to your building.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Effective work team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Effective work team - Essay Example Self-Directing Teams 9 Advantages and Disadvantages of Self-directed teams 10 Advantages of Self-Directing Teams 10 Disadvantages of Self-Directing Teams 10 4. Key Characteristics 10 a.Shared goal 11 b.Interdependent 11 c.Bounded / Stable 11 d.Authority 11 5. Advantages of work team 12 Disadvantages of work teams 12 6. Recommendations for building an effective team 13 7. Conclusion 14 Works Cited 14 1. Introduction During the past few years several companies have experienced an important change from customary top-down approach and manager-employee paradigms to a contributing model formed on additional workable and work teams regarding various aspects of self-managing framework. In general, teams strengthen operational performance and augment work in addition to managing performances that definitely produce enhanced employees contentment, dedication and superior customer care, service and sophistication. Additionally, the research in business efficacy has frequently demonstrated that work teams are considered as a very important element of a business. Conversely, work teams are able to do the accurate task or these teams also possess the capability to do the incorrect. The moment work teams perform superior, then work teams have the potential to offer several high-quality effects to a business. When teams do their work defectively, then they have the capacity to deplete inspiration outside a business in a quick fashion about something. Unproductive work teams are definitely considered a poor symbol for upcoming era of a company. Hence if organizations are aimed at performing the things, they should have to accomplish the tasks rightly (AJML Group Pty Ltd ; Dettmann; Kam). This paper discusses team’s related concepts. The basic aim of this research is to discuss how effective work teams are beneficial to the businesses. 2. Why teams are required? Teams have forever been imperative however at the present they have turned into essential feature for the busin esses. This is due to several consistent aspects. In this scenario, managers found the big unit of comprehensive research representing that work teams are able to be much valuable as compared to the customary company hierarchical framework intended for arriving at decisions swiftly as well as proficiently. Although easy transformations like that supporting effort and comment from employees under threat are able to create a remarkable enhancement. Such as, QC (quality control) loops in addition to worker participation groups are frequently mediums for the worker contribution. Additionally, the devastation of hierarchical levels implies that individuals have to be much inter-reliant to allow accomplishing more work with less effort. Moreover, the overall pursuit for total quality, incessant development and enhanced customer service implies that the practical obstacles are contravened and individuals required collaborating among tasks, not only in a particular task (Sabre Corporate Dev elopment ; Thompson). Following are the main reasons of the team development: 1.1. Customer service focus The primary focus of every business is to effectively control customer services. Additionally, the companies and corporations all through the globe have shifted from an operational, financial perspective of clients and consumers to a relational perspective of customers. In this scenari

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Business Description - Management Stagey and Policy Research Paper

Business Description - Management Stagey and Policy - Research Paper Example tugal Greece Trinidad/Tobago Poland Maldives Indonesia Thailand Iceland United Kingdom Mexico Namibia Ukraine Germany Israel Russian Federation Turkey Nigeria Lebanon Australia Jordan Puerto Rico Ireland Kuwait Seychelles Barbados Mauritius South Korea U.A.E USA Nicaragua Cameroon Netherlands New Zealand Sweden Oman Vietnam Switzerland Some of the services produced by Hilton hotels include printing and photocopy services, babysitting services, high speed internet connection, cable television, meeting rooms, automatic teller machines, barber and beauty salon, foreign exchange, video conferencing, car rental services, news, shoe shining and safe depositing. Outdoor activities for fitness and recreation, which include swimming, fishing, jet-skiing, sailing, tennis playing, walking, squashing, windsurfing, sight-seeing and snorkeling among others (Hilton 2012). In addition, the company offers luxury in Conrad and Waldorf Astoria Hotels and resorts, full services in Hilton Hotels and reso rts, embassy suites and DoubleTree; focused services at Hilton Garden and Hampton Inn and suites; extended stay suites at Homewood Suites and Home2Suites; time share at Hilton Grand Vacation and Defunct at Denizen Hotels. Currently, Hilton and its brands is owned, operated and managed by Blackstone Group. Hilton Hotels and it other brands such as Conrad, Waldorf Astoria and DoubleTree among others offer excellent services to tourists and business travelers. Hilton is one of the best and renowned companies in the hospitality industry, which symbolizes excellent services and high quality customized meals. The Hotel offers high quality services. For example, in one of its branches, the renowned Hotel offers accommodation, dining, breakfast and lunch at Le Terrazza, which provides world renown meals, which are available between 6:30 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. every day. The hotels also offers landry services, bar, and live music among others. The hotel accommodation amenities include king and t win guest room as well as twin and king guest room plus. The hotel has suite amenities. They are king, executive, junior and residential suites. It also has executive, deluxe and deluxe plus room for working. Abu Dhabi Hilton Hotel has fifteen bars and restaurants including Vascos and Le Terrazza restaurants. Diagrams: Hotel guest room and sample restaurants Guest rooms Executive suits Toki Restaurant Vienna Plaza restaurant Japanese cuisine Hemingway's restaurant Part 1: Company’s Business Model Business Strategy: Differentiation Hilton Hotel and its other brands have been able to maintain its strong and excellent brands worldwide. The competitors include Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Marriott International, intercontinental Hotels, Choice Hotel international, and Hyatt Corporation. The strong competition in the hospitality industry demands that a player need to develop strong brands to distinguished themselves from the others. Hospitality industry is driven by location attra ctiveness, quality of services and rooms as well as global presence and operations. The services of Hilton and its other bra

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Marketing Information System Essay Example for Free

Marketing Information System Essay INTRODUCTION: Marketing was the first functional area to exhibit an interest in MIS. Shortly after the MIS concept originated, marketers tailored it to their area and called it the MKIS (MARKETING INFORMATION SYSTEM). Early graphic models of MKISs provide a basis for organizing all functional information systems. The MKIS consists of three input subsystems: AIS, marketing research, and marketing intelligence. The output subsystems address the information needs of the four ingredients of the marketing mix (product, place promotion, and price), plus an integration of the four. SUMMARY: FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE The term organizational structure refers to how the people in an organization are grouped and to whom they report. One traditional way of organizing people is by function. Some common functions within an organization include production, marketing, human resources and accounting. FUNCTIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS FIS also known as functional information system may be described as a computer program system which processes the daily information’s such as TPS (Transaction Processing Systems). MARKETING PRINCIPLES One definition states that marketing â€Å"consists of individual and organizational activities that facilitate and expedite satisfying exchange relationships in a dynamic environment through the creation, distribution, promotion, and pricing of goods, services and ideas.† THE MARKETING MIX The objective is to develop strategies that apply these resources to marketing the firm’s goods, services, and ideas. The marketing strategies consist of a mixture of ingredients called the Marketing Mix: product, promotion, place, and price. They are known as the four Ps. Product – is what the customer buys to satisfy a perceived want or need. A product can be a physical good, some type of service, or an idea. Promotion – is concerned with all the means of encouraging the sale of the product, including advertising and personal selling. Place – deals with the means of physically distributing the product to the customer through a channel of distribution. Price consists of all the elements relating to what the customer pays for the product. EVOLUTION OF THE MARKETING INFORMATION SYSTEMS CONCEPT In 1996 Professor Philip Kotler of Northwestern University used the term marketing nerve center to describe a new unit within marketing to gather and process marketing information. He identified the three types of marketing information. These are the following: Marketing Intelligence information that flows into the firm from the environment. Internal Marketing Information information that is gathered within the firm. Marketing Communications information that flows from the firm outward to the environment. EARLY MARKETING MODELS Brien and Stafford were among the first modelers. Basing their design on the four Ps and emphasizing the development of strategic marketing programs. King and Celand stressed strategic planning; whereas Kotler, Montgomery, and urban, and Crissy and Mossman emphasized decision support. These modeling efforts began in the 1960s and continued into the 1970s. MARKETING INFORMATION SYSTEM MODEL It consists of a combination of input and output subsystems connected by a database. Output Subsystems Each output subsystems provides information about its part of the mix. * Product Subsystems provides information about the firm’s products. * Place Subsystems provides information about the firm’s distribution network. * Promotion Subsystems provides information about the firm’s advertising and personal selling activities. * Price Subsystems helps the manager make pricing decisions. * Integrated-Mix Subsystems which enables the manager to develop strategies that considers the combined effects of the ingredients. Database A structured collection of data. The data that is used by the output subsystems comes from the database. Input Subsystems * Accounting Information System gathers data describing the firm’s marketing transactions. * Marketing Intelligence Subsystems gathers information from the firm’s environment that has a bearing on marketing operations. * Marketing Research Subsystems conducts special studies of marketing operations for the purpose of learning customer needs and improving marketing efficiency. ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEM The collection, storage and processing of financial and accounting data that is used by decision makers. An accounting information system is generally a computer-based method for tracking accounting activity in conjunction with information technology resources. The resulting statistical reports can be used internally by management or externally by other interested parties including investors, creditors and tax authorities. Data for Preparation of Periodic Reports A classic example of how marketing information can be provided by the AIS (Accounting Information System) is sales analysis. Sales Analysis is the study of the firm’s sales activity in terms of which products are being sold, which customer are buying the products, and which sales representatives are selling them. Data for Preparation of Special Reports The vast majority of data that is used to respond to managers’ database queries likely comes from the AIS, e.g. to prepare a sales analysis using 4GL. Data for Mathematical Models and Knowledge-Based Systems A mathematical model is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

How Far Can Business Methods Developed In One Country Be Applied In Another :: essays research papers fc

The question states the transferability of business methods from one country to another, via Japanese techniques. However, in order to answer, we must define the term culture, as the term culture encompasses business methods, i.e. in order to adopt foreign business methods we must adopt its culture. In Needle's (1994) definition of culture he states, "A particular interest in business is the extent to which we can learn from the business experiences of other cultures and transplant ideas d eveloped by businesses in one culture and use then in a totally different setting." A major implication of the work of Hofstede (1980) and Trompenaars (1994) and other contributors to the knowledge about international culture and management is that "cultural interpretation and adaptation" are a necessary prerequisite to the comparative understanding of national and international management practice. Hofstede suggests that while 'hard - nosed' (short termist, task/result orientated) American or Anglo-Saxon approachs to business management may work well in Chicago, they may be counterproductive in Japan. More specifically, the procedure of international cultural adaptation may be applied to the three following areas: 1. Motivation theories, 2. Leadership concepts, 3. Management by Objectives (MBO) The three areas are described by Hofstede as symptomatic of the issue at hand. Hofstede states that "not only organisations are culture bound; theories about organisations are equally culture bound." Morden (1993) comments "There is no guarantee, therefore, that theories and concepts developed within the cultural context of one country can with good effect be applied in another. This implies that it is not possible for such theories to be 'universally valid'." In the UK, interest has been awakened by the considerable investment in the economy by major Japanese firms, who have entered certain key industries, such as motor manufacturing and electronics. Whilst taking advantage of investment incentives offered by the British Government, and the range of skills offered by British workers, these Japanese companies (e.g. Toyota, Honda, Panasonic, etc.) have also introduced several of their own personnel and production practices. These have been adapted to achieve the acceptance of the managers and workers concerned, especially in relation to production methods, quality control and management worker attitudes. A comparison between east and west industrial environments can simply illustrate culture differences., In particular, Britain versus Japan. Nevertheless, a number of Japanese management practices have been adopted very successfully in a British context (e.g. Nissan). One of the important general difference between Japanese and British companies lies in the way they are funded.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Human Kind and Extraterrestrial Life Essay

For centuries ever since man has first looked up at the night sky and wondered what other things existed beyond Earth he has continued to explore the heavens in search for answers. Over a few hundred years the quest for truth has yield substantial amounts of data. It is true that ancient astronomers did nothing more than just attribute mythical and religious meaning to different celestial phenomena. Stars have been given their respective names—a group of them are even linked to gods and mythical figures as constellations, and were used as a timetable for various human activities like navigation and agriculture. However, the improvements in modern astronomy have changed the rules of the game from mere nomenclature to a more profound exploration of space and the myriad possibilities that it brings. The quest for knowing other life outside the planet has never been more exciting and providential as it had been before. Slowly we are beginning to realize that the chances that there are advanced life-forms out there waiting to be discovered are significantly high to support the claim that we are not alone. To say that the entire universe is a big place is to make the biggest scientific understatement. Science has revealed that the universe is so big that there are no mathematical figures to approximate its size. In order to define the known borders of space there is a need to express terms in a special unit called a Light: Or the distance that light travels in one year. Recently, the Hubble Space telescope has pegged the perimeter and edges of the universe to a width of millions and millions of light years (O’Brien, â€Å"Long Live Hubble†). Such distance alone beggars description. Within that given space, there are billions of individual galaxies each with roughly 400 million stars in the system on average. There could be less but there could also be a dozen times more. At any rate, there are an estimated millions of stars with planetary systems like our own. Roughly a fraction of a percent of that number may have planets that host organic elements of life both simple and complex. Some of the complex life-forms may evolve into intelligent life capable of developing competent scientific knowledge and even perhaps communicate with their neighbors using advanced radio technology just like we had been doing at the turn of the last century. Planet Earth appears to be the only planet in the Solar System viable for life. Most planets have noxious environments and harsh atmospheres. Our closest planetary neighbors, Mars and Venus, are either too cold or too hot (Sagan, â€Å"Heaven and Hell†, 76-79). The primordial soup which made life on Earth possible will freeze or dry up anywhere else in the Solar System. Indeed, religion waxes poetic that our world is an astounding and thought-provoking miracle of life. However, evolutionary scientists would say that we are just fortunate that the environment, at one point of our planet’s history, has been conducive to the formation of life and the same has not been interrupted by any outside cause (Dawkins 19). Some planets in other stars may theoretically be as lucky to be able to give rise to life, and theoretically intelligent beings too (21). But just like Mars, Venus and other planets in the Solar System, the chances of life are rare. Even with Earth alone, the statistics reflect how fragile the occurrence of life began millions of years ago. Unless there are kinds of biological species that can withstand even extreme environments and thus would continue to develop despite harsh conditions, then Earth life might just all there is in the universe. Thanks to recent discoveries, however, scientists are inclined to believe that a certain kind of bacterium can live in the highest or lowest temperatures, impervious to both heat and cold, makes it possible that life may still develop or artificially introduced in Mars and Venus or elsewhere regardless of hostile environments (Sagan 9). If that is the case, the chances of life may be higher than previously expected. While scientists are busy in attempting to find life out there, the rest of the world is perpetually fascinated with the idea of the existence of extraterrestrial life. Science fiction and Hollywood movies are in the forefront of providing us with hypothetical images and scenarios of aliens visiting our planet. Alien invasion is one of the most titillating themes that fire up our imagination. H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds and Steven Spielberg’s Independence Day bespeak both our universal desire to feel that we are not alone and the irrational fear that beings more intelligent than us would destroy the planet. The realm of the unknown viz. extraterrestrial life has never been simultaneously awe-inspiring and scary. In addition, fiction writers and film-makers present extraterrestrial beings as creatures that appear, behave and live entirely different from humans. Similarly, if we are to accept the premise that conditions for life in other planets were vastly peculiar, then it is fair to expect that the aliens would probably have tentacles, communicate through ESP, possess superhuman powers, spit venomous saliva, eat through metal or have human like bodies but with pasty white skin and large, black oval eyes. Although they seem to be portrayed differently, the literature on aliens share the common feature that they are antagonistic creatures out to invade and kill all humans Scientists theorize that if other life-forms were capable of making interstellar travel they must have evolved as a species and as a civilization to eschew violence. Otherwise, if such aliens were warmongers as movies and science fiction stories would suggest, then they would have obliterated themselves way before they have developed complex means of space travel. In fact, alien tourists, if there have been some, would have more reasons to fear us than we would have to fear them. Carl Sagan writes that it is more likely â€Å"that the mere fact that they have survived for so long is because they have learned to live with themselves and others† (258). Similarly, he adds that perhaps our fears reflect our own backward thinking as a civilization, â€Å"an expression of our guilty conscience about our past history: The ravages against civilizations only slightly backward than we† (259). In other words, the conquests done by Western civilization against their contemporaries time and again are so imbedded in our history that we expect advanced life-forms to have the same colonizing tendencies. The fascination for extraterrestrial life grows with such gusto that several years after alien hype has reached feverish pitch, numerous sights Unidentified Flying Objects all over the world have been reported. Likewise, people claim to have been abducted and subjected to strange experiments by our curious alien visitors. The encounters are few and far between but each of them fuels our imagination. Thus far, none of the sightings have been confirmed to be true although we desperately believe that one or two are real (Cook, â€Å"UFO’s: the Secret Evidence†). As several critics of alleged alien encounters rightly observes, the relation between alien encounters and weird and wacky people who report them only proves the fact that these reports are a hoax. Meanwhile, humanity has yet to mature as a civilization before we even begin to welcome other intelligent species. Accordingly, science fiction writers posit the theory of the Fermi paradox stating the reason why aliens have not paid us a visit is because they, â€Å"the advanced alien community has cordoned off the earth in a galactic nursery, until the time that we have reached an adequate stage, ready for contact† (Tee, â€Å"Extraterrestrial Life†). Yet scientists and writers remain optimistic about the existence of intelligent life-form. The famous Drake equation translates the possibility of extraterrestrial life into a mathematical formula where N is the number of advanced civilizations in our Milky Way galaxy. It is the product of values assigned with respect to the number of stars in the galaxy, the fraction of which that have planetary systems, a percent of which are suitable for substantial biological formation, the probability that life arises, the variable pertaining to its evolution, intelligence and further multiplied to the reasonable time that intelligent life is able to survive taking into account the possibility of self-eradication due to wars, environmental changes and the like (Ford, â€Å"What is the Drake Equation? †). The value of N could be any number more than one what with the number of stars and galaxies in the universe. Even if the estimate hovers on an insignificant value of 1 or 3, the prospect, that one or more planetary systems have intelligent life and such have survived and evolved into complex societies, is truly astonishing. The statistical computation of the probability that Extraterrestrial beings exist leaves little to the imagination. Scientists are convinced that life exists in other planets that they have established extravagant methods of getting in touch with them. One of the most ambitious projects of making contact to outer beings to date is the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) program. The name of the project sums up what it sets out to do—to search the heavens for signs of intelligent life. It sends radio signals and broadcasts them to specified points in space, such as candidate stars and planets. 50 years of sending the messages, a reply has yet to be received. Of course, this does not disprove the claim of alien life, what with the distance that the radio signals have to travel to and fro the recipient, but rather, this only inspires other scientists to develop quicker and more effective means of communication (Shostak, â€Å"Finding Them, Finding Us†). In addition, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been continuously sending golden discs into outer-space, ever since it sent the first men into the moon, containing details about human civilization and how far it has progressed (Sagan 264-265). To this day, the discs hurl into the infinite void with the hope of one day crash-landing into a planet with beings capable of deciphering the code. We have long been fixated on our earthly problems and conflicts, and took pride with all our achievements, but the moment that contact is made, the event would change how we look at ourselves and how we appreciate our place in the universal magnitude of things. If before we could not care much about how badly we treat our close neighbors in the planet, we might fare better as an intelligent species by the mere thought that we are not alone. As such, we have to find ways to learn how to live peacefully and progress scientifically if only to survive long enough to meet our interstellar neighbors. Nevertheless, the question whether or not there is extraterrestrial life remains to be answered conclusively, whether we are alone or not: Either conclusion is mind-boggling. Works Cited Cook, Nick. UFO’s: The Secret Evidence. 18 Mar. 2006. BBC Online Documentaries. 1 May 2008 . Dawkins, Richard. The Selfish Gene. London: Oxford University Press, 1990. Ford, Steve. â€Å"What is the Drake Equation? † Aug. 1995. The SETI League. 1 May 2008 < http://www. setileague. org/general/drake. htm>. O’Brien, Miles. â€Å"Long Live Hubble†. 31 Oct. 2006. CNN International. 1 May 2008 < http://edition. cnn. com/2006/TECH/space/10/31/hubble. obrien/index. html>. Sagan, Carl. Cosmos. New York: Ballantine Books, 1980. Shostak, Seth. â€Å"Finding Them, Finding Us†. 28 Feb. 2008. SETI Institute. 1 May 2008 . Tee, Brian. â€Å"Extraterrestrial Life†. The Ten Big Questions. 1 May 2008 < http://www. 123infinity. com/extraterrestrial_life. html>.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Personal and professional development Essay

â€Å"The most successful nations in the future will be those which develop high quality, skilled and motivated workforces and make good use of them. † Government White Paper (1994) This object of this assignment is to identify what personal and professional development is, if there is any difference between personal and professional development and what opportunities there are, how this benefits both staff and Lancashire Care Foundation Trust (LCFT) as an organisation. I will consider how motivation affects people and their desire for development both personally and within the workplace Briefly I will be looking at qualifications: how these are obtained, utilised as a means to recognise stages of development and as evidence to demonstrate competencies of staff. As the theories show, people learn in many different ways and so I will discuss further 2 examples of these – Behaviourism and Humanistic learning theories. Delving into experiential and reflective learning styles and strategies and how these link into the theories of how people learn and what resources are available to aid learning. How to plan for personal and professional development Personal development can be described as self-improvement, or development of skills and knowledge on a personal level not related to a specific job role but are personal goals. Adair and Allen categorise this as self-development and feel that these â€Å"Transferable skills are the key to improved prospects† (Adair and Allen 2003 p64). Improvement of these personal skills can be taken to any job and will be beneficial no matter which role is undertaken. In the same context, Wade (1996) suggests in addition to professional qualifications, employers also demand abilities that are considered as personal transferable skills such as communication, leadership, decision making and teamwork. Professional development is learning or enhancing necessary skills to carry out specific job functions effectively or improving practice and is aimed at the team/service/ organisational goals. This often defines where a role fits within an organisation or hierarchy and indicates promotion opportunities or employment prospects for career enhancement. Although viewed by many as separate agenda’s, Morrow states that she â€Å"does not believe there is a significant difference between personal development and professional development. Learning is learning. Personal development is professional development – what is learnt at home is taken to work and experience at work is implemented at home. † (Morrow, 2008). Whether personal or professional, development encourages staff to focus on their present circumstances, evaluate career progression and plan for the immediate and long term future. In order to put a strategy in place, current skills are identified, competencies and achievements recognised, goals clarified and then the difference between to the two assessed to outline the development required. Within the workplace, staff need to be motivated to achieve good results and engage with the development process. Abraham Maslow believed that people are motivated by a number of different needs and grouped them into 5 areas (see appendix 1 – Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need). Maslow (1943) theorised everyone is capable of moving up the levels in the hierarchy – once one need is satisfied, the next arises. Failure to meet each of the lower levels will prevent the ability to reach highest level of self-actualisation. ‘It is quite true that man lives by bread alone — when there is no bread. But what happens to man’s desires when there is plenty of bread and when his belly is chronically filled? At once other (and â€Å"higher†) needs emerge and these, rather than physiological hungers, dominate the organism. And when these in turn are satisfied, again new (and still â€Å"higher†) needs emerge and so on. This is what we mean by saying that the basic human needs are organized into a hierarchy of relative prepotency’. (Maslow, 1943, p. 375) Within the workplace the very basic ‘biological and physiological needs’ along with ‘safety needs’ are governed by law in the UK and so the higher three needs (Social, Esteem and Self Actualisation) may be realised through learning and development leading to increased motivation and confidence If invested in and developed, employees are more likely to feel their social needs are met by being part of a team are well regarded and appreciated for their skill set and therefore motivated to work harder to reciprocate which leads to higher production and efficiency. People are able to realise their abilities and potential, take on more responsibility or variety of tasks which improves versatility and prevents boredom leading to demotivation. Staff feel happier if they feel valued and are likely to stay within the organisation. Learning can be the result of many activities which can include formal classes and training sessions, on the job training and mentoring or self-study. Every time we encounter something new, there is an opportunity to learn and improve skills. As a result of increasing and honing skills and gaining qualifications, people tend to develop a greater sense of self-worth, dignity and well-being as they become more valuable to their employer and to society. These factors give a sense of satisfaction and motivation through improving performance, achieving personal and company goals which can also give them physical rewards such as increased remuneration and benefits. Qualifications are evidence of the level of knowledge gained and the competencies developed. The type of qualification i. e. Degree or NVQ dictates the characteristics and context of the learning and the learning outcomes are measured or assessed and qualifications awarded based on the results. The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) (2009) states that the 5 main purposes of qualifications are: †¢Recognise personal growth and engagement in learning †¢Prepare for further learning or training and/or develop knowledge and/or skills in a subject area †¢Prepare for employment †¢Confirm occupational competence and/or ‘licence to practice’ †¢Updating and continuing professional development (CPD) Every post in LCFT has a profile of requirements to fulfil the role including which qualifications are required e. g. a midwife must be a qualified nurse and have a degree in Midwifery, a secretary must have RSA3 typing. Proof of qualifications obtained (certificates and professional registrations) must be shown prior to job offers to evidence the level of competency and skills of potential employees to fulfil the requirements of the job. Within LCFT, staff learning and development is viewed as being an integral part of fulfilling the needs of the business as well as the growth and motivation of staff. Within the organisation, Learning Needs Analysis’ (LNA) are carried out to ensure learning provision is in alignment with the business strategy and so that employees have the capabilities to deliver the organisation’s strategy. The root of the LNA is the gap analysis – an assessment of the gap between the knowledge, skills and attitudes currently possessed and the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are required to meet business objectives The core of training in LCFT is ‘Mandatory Training’ which is any training deemed necessary by law for safe and effective function in the NHS and then training and development to meet the business needs is then prioritised. Every member of staff in LCFT has an annual Personal Development Review which is updated every 3 months to adjust objectives and monitor progress. A Personal Development Plan is written as part of this process which outlines training requirements and skill enhancement for the following 12 months. Staff are required to continue their professional development to build their professional skills and competencies which then improves their performance at work. LCFT also provides training opportunities to support staff to develop and manage their career  benefitting LCFT by retaining staff with the aptitude and ability to meet the future organisational needs and adjust to the ever changing environment within the NHS. Management Development programmes are also in place to enable leaders to foster this learning environment and motivate staff to embed the learning culture within the organisation. This benefits the NHS as they are assured of the level of staff they are employing and helping t o sustain the future of their workforce. Staff feel they are valued and invested in which in turn leads to job satisfaction and potential career advancement. This all ultimately benefits service users and patients of the NHS in that it gives them confidence they are being treated by qualified staff and they received the best care possible by all employees from administrators to surgeons. Development and training comes in many different guises which benefit different learning preferences. On the job training may include acting up into a role, shadowing or being mentored which are very effective methods to develop skills or enrolling on an NVQ course which would be suited to kinaesthetic learners. Many training sessions for Mandatory Training within LCFT and most external courses follow a pedagogy approach utilising traditional learning methods using a classroom setting with a lead or tutor giving information with some interaction from attendees. This can be beneficial to all if the programme is tailored to every learning need including images, audio and hands on tasks and by having a person on hand to ask questions of and explain points although this is often time consuming and costly as staff have to travel to a central location to join a training session Due to the low costs involved and ease of adapting or amending training templates and resources, e-learning is now a favoured approach to training staff within the NHS. Whilst this is good for people who are visual learners and are office based within LCFT buildings, it can be very difficult for staff with no IT connectivity or only one PC between 10 people on a ward for example. E- learning is also very inadequate for staff who have a kinaesthetic learning style, especially for those with additional learning needs such as dyslexia. ? LO2 – How people learn Reece and Walker (2004) state that learning is about change brought about by developing a new skill and understanding something new. Many academics have studied learning theories such as Behaviourism or Humanistic Learning and use these models to explain the principles of how people adopt new skills and understanding. The methodology of how the learning is carried out is directly linked to the theory and so as hypothesised by Pavlov and Skinner, a person that tends to follow a Behaviouristic theory would learn by changing their behaviour in response to an external stimuli. This was proven when Nobel Prize winner Ivan Pavlov carried out ‘Classical Conditioning’ experiments by ringing a bell when giving food to a dog. The dog would salivate at the food but eventually the dog would respond in the same way to the bell ringing as it had been conditioned to expect food at the sound of the bell. In the adult learning context, psychologist Burrhus Skinner developed the ‘Operant Conditioning’ methodology by repeating actions and reinforcing or promoting the desired outcome and punishing or supressing negative outcomes. A pedagogy approach is required to deliver these conditioning methods but this often means there is little input from the learners themselves. Humanistic Learning theory recognises that all humans are inherently good and have unlimited potential for their own growth. Maslow believed that people learn from experience but are motivated by the need to reach their potential and self-realisation (as previously discussed. See also appendix 1 – Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need). Carl Rogers theory is based upon the same foundations as Maslow but believed that the basic motive for all humans is to fulfil their own potential and reach self-actualisation – to become who they would like to be. Both Rogers and Maslow endorse learning by experience and an andragogy teaching method which fosters student centred learning (as opposed to teacher centred learning) allowing the students to engage their own learning style and subsequently gain rewards by satisfying their own needs. This follows Kolb’s Learning Cycle (see Appendix 2) which states that after an event, experience should be reviewed, actions revised to produce new theories and then the theories should be tried and tested, The cycle then begins again by reviewing the testing etcetera. Gibbs Learning Cycle (see appendix 3) expands further on Kolb’s theories by encouraging further the human thought processes within these stages, to debrief on the activity and reflect on all the phases of an experience or activity and how the person feels at every stage I feel that I am a reflective learner but adhere to Kolb’s cycle rather than Gibbs as I am more practical and less emotional in my learning. In a classroom situation, I find an andragogy approach with open discussion and practical work or auditory and kinesthetic learning much more stimulating in the first instance but as I am a visual learner, I need this backed up by visual aids (notes or presentations) which I then use to reflect on the knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of the objectives. In conjunction with Kolb’s learning cycle, this supports the thoughts of Itin (1999) who states that experiential learning is the process of making meaning from direct experience to which Moon (2004) adds that reflective learning is a phase of learning resulting from the actions inherent to experiential learning. Dewey (1933) reasoned we have to regard reflection as implying purpose which is in line with Cognitive Theory but Moon (2004) suggests that although we reflect for a purpose, conclusions to complicated issues can just ‘pop up’ without our being conscious of their having been a reflective process – this is a subconscious event supporting Humanist theory. Experiential learning is based in humanistic theory but Behaviourists believe that it can be influenced by external stimuli which in turn changes behaviour. For highly motivated Humanist learners who are adept at self-directed study, the most readily available is the internet which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can be accessed by computers, tablets, phone and even via gaming machines and TVs. It enables searching for information virtually and sometimes instantaneously from across the world but not all content found on the World Wide Web is from a reliable source and so may not be accurate. The library at college contains a wealth of validated information around the courses that are delivered there but the number of books is limited and so there may be waiting times for specific items to be returned. There are also restrictions on entering the library as opening hours are limited mainly to daytimes and even close earlier on Fridays which severely limits access to working pupils. Public libraries often do not stock academic books and a charge is often made to order books in which also incur waiting times for the books to arrive. There is also a Library within LCFT but it is many miles away from most workplaces, only open during office hours and generally stock books around clinical subjects. Within the workplace, colleagues are an excellent resource for learning as they can impart the knowledge gained from their own training and experience and are available during the working day Difficulties can arise though if new methodologies contradict what is favoured by the experienced colleague. Learning resources may be used as the basis as the foundation for some learning strategies – the way a learner identifies the best way to carry out a task. For those who chose reading as their strategy, the library and the internet are immensely advantageous but is also beneficial to many other strategies for finding out the initial information. Conclusion Learning and development for an organisation improves quality, skills, productivity and motivation which leads to a reduction in overheads and errors. This in turn increases profitability and stability for the organisation which enables them to become successful. An organisation needs to recognise its required outcomes alongside the needs of the workforce and develop them accordingly to ensure they retain staff with the aptitude and ability to meet those future needs. In the NHS, patient outcomes are a main focus of the delivery plan but this must be balanced by the financial implications brought by the cost delivery and so development of staff is the most beneficial and cost effective route to achieving this goal. When it comes to learning, there are no right or wrong answers to how people learn. People may follow a certain theory or use a specific learning strategy in the main but often it is a mixture of theories and strategies that produce the best outcomes and is often dictated by how the information is offered, whether online or classroom based and what resources are available to support the student. I have learned that when I am imparting information to a group I need to try and incorporate a variety of learning styles, allowing kinesthetic learners to interact with the subject matter, the audio learners to listen to information and the visual learners to view pertinent materials individual, On a personal level, I have discovered that I learn using a mixture of theories and styles but I am consistent with my strategies and instinctively know how I learn the best.?

Thursday, November 7, 2019

buy custom My Final Exam essay

buy custom My Final Exam essay Here is the story how I started experiencing and understanding the concept of living the life reflected by my personal character. I was 14 years old when I began recognizing my needs in life and knowing what I had in my hands to achieve them. I was concerned about my writing and painting skills since the study at the high school. Writing to express and communicate my feelings with myself and concluding the consequences of logic thoughts, I was painting to describe and feel my world of mind in visual perspective. All I was thinking at the stage of high school was to improve my capabilities in order to being successful and proud. In other words, making the inside of the personality fulfill was preferred than my outside until I found myself with nearly 70 kilograms weight being 17 years old. All I remember from that time was how much I suffered in any environment I stepped in and how much pain I carried with myself. Low self-confidence with its all pressure and pain, hurtful visual body image, and all other causes due to this issue such as stress, laziness, and others made me think very seriously. Therefore, I started dieting and losing weight for being what I wanted to be. At the same time, I was a new comer in Canada with a lack of English skills added to my other difficulties. When I started the York University of the chemistry program, I was a 21-years old girl with 47 kilograms. The new me was a person with an absolutely high level of the self confident, motivated and good looking body image who had acquired a different view of life. The consequences of this experience made me work hard at my English language and improve my skills rapidly. I understood if I planed to get and work at it, and nothing could stop me until I had achieved my goal. No matter how hard and long pain was. This new achievement made my life change and created new plans for me. I wanted to share this self-conquering and succeed with others, to encourage people who had the same issue I had had in past to make it happen, and there was a chance for them if they wanted. Obviously it required the stronger and more confident background knowledge. Therefore, I decided to learn more about my body and the culture of health. Eating and living healthy was the main subject that needed to be considered and being happy with ourselves was the next issue I had acquired from this experience. During this experience, I studied a lot concerning nutrition and body necessities, and experienced many affects on my body. That made a great passion for me to learn more and more about the world of nutrition and food. The great feeling of learning in this field encouraged me to apply for this program at the Ryerson University. I am planning to receive my bachelor in nutrition and food and to work as a dietician in future. Joining the York University was one of the best moments in my school life. I had waited for the day when I would step my foot into the University as a student. I truly anticipated this time with a lot of eagerness. To be a nutrition student was a dream that has come true. As I have envisioned before, this was the chance anticipated that would help me to be of the importance not only to the people around me, but also to the community. While doing this course, I learnt a lot that facilitated the accomplishment of my mission and vision. There are several things I learnt while undertaking this course. I must say that every piece of it was equally in formative. I learnt that health was the foundation of nutrition. Health has several branches that contribute into it. These branches consist of many factors that build it. The factors which play a significant role in health and nutrition include the food choices, economy, culture, food ways, and food security. Each factor among these is crucial in making a healthy person and a healthy nation in the whole. Through this course, I was also able to define health correctly using the right terminologies and not the laymans language. Nutrition is the provision to cells and organisms of the materials necessary to support life. I always want to become a good writer. I realized that there was a link between mental and physical health. My weight was a hindrance in learning; and due to the excess weight I had difficulties in thinking and reading. My continuous attendance of school was coupled with my devotion to my course work, and thus my linguistic skills improved tremendously. Together with my course mates, we often read articles on heath that opened our thinking on many ideas and theories, which helped in having a healthy body. Such were the instances that facilitated my improvement in linguistics. Nutrition in Canada is one of the issues that are yet to be settled. Despite the fact that Canada is wealthy, many people in Canada are suffering from poverty. As a result, these people have the poor nutritional standards. Much often than not, people living with low standards are forced to manage with the less they get on the everyday basis. In addition, rich Canadians have some attitudes of discrimination that hinder other people from growing to better nutritional lifestyles (Mikonnen and Raphael, 2010). These factors that influence on health of an individual are closely related to the factors that affect daily life of an individual. These factors include the economic status of an individual, the race and ethnic background of a person, the educational background and gender of an individual. According to the Last Society for Public Health Education the Society for Public Health Education (2010), each persons nutritional standards are affected by some social and environmental factors that he or she lives with. For instance, the people that live in some areas stuck with poverty often have the limited health care resources. In addition, these people always have difficulties in accessing health care facilities that could be nearby. Such individuals always lack the advice and the necessary health care that they may require in order to live the healthy life. The research that has been done in the past reveals that the social factors shaping the health of the nation are mainly determined by the decisions made by leadership and the government of each nation. For instance, the issue of employment affects the nuritional standards of an individual. That is a person only eating what he or she can afford to eat. The essence of eating a balanced meal to such individuals is only the luxury that can be afforded by other people. It has long been realized that the health of the nation is determined by social issues that concern people and the related leadership. The social factors that result to poor health and nutrition result from bad politics, inequalities, the unfair economic status, and some poor social policies. Such are the instances where the government has to come in handy. With the help of leadership of the country, these people should be supplied with proper food (O'Neill, Pederson, Dupr Rootman, 2007). It has become crucial that people should ensure that they have deliberated all the elements of health. Amongst the factors that affect the health of the community is gender. It has been noted that there was a variance between women and men in terms of the issues of health. While women seem to be conscious of the food they eat, men have no regard for such minority issues. As a result, the women will often look better compared to the men in the society (Laframbroise, 1996). Poverty is one of the main contributing factors of the low nutritional standards in an individual and community in the whole. That means that most of people living in utter poverty have bigger problems as most of them are living in rural areas. In these areas, there is no access to better the health facilities. These people are living depending on the little that they receive. Hence, a chance of receiving the information to improve their dieting and nutrition is also a foreign matter. These are the minority that cannot afford even food to eat. Such people have a problem that is even worse. This is because they not only have to survive the hunger, but also have a high chance of contracting the nutritional disorders apart from starvation. The theme of poverty has an impact on the personal and professional identity. While studying the nutrition, a person gets to the point at which he or she realizes his or her nutritional position. In this regard, the individual can decide what is needed for him or her in order to enhance his or her better nutritional standards. On the other hand, an individual that takes nutrition as his or her profession will be urged to practice his or her profession more than before. This is because; there is much cry in the community for the knowledge of nutrition. That is why many people are today suffering due to the lack of the principal knowledge devoted to nutrition. Hence, a person in this field of nutrition has a reason to practice and influence on his or her neighbourhood. The nutritional standards of an individual are being an aspect that influenced by the social surrounding and the environment. The health of each person depends on the factors that enhance the lifestyles of an individual. The factors that affect the health status of an individual are referred to as determinants of health. However, most people are not informed that the social status of an individual affects the health of that person. The factors discussed above are just few common factors known to affect the nutrition in all trends of the community today. That is why most of people are not careful with the food they are eating. In other instances, people live in the utter ignorance. The lifestyles that people are living today are also a contributing factor to the poor nutritional level. Most people, especially the young ones, have changed their eating habits. They often tend to eat junk food instead of focusing on the proper diet. In other instances, women have also adopted the fashion trends and their likes, which enhance their unhealthy eating habits. It is clearer that a good diet will pass through the long way establishing a persons nutritional standard. It is important that every person pulls his or her efforts altogether towards having a healthy body for his or her healthy living. This is especially an issue to consider for the people living the modern life in the city. On the other hand, the government and leadership should be careful to send the nutritional food to people being in some drought affected areas, and those people suffering from poverty. Apart from the strong diet, it is important that people consider their physical fitness as a necessity to living a healthy life. Physical fitness plays a significant role in the well-being of every individual. It is beneficial for a person to have a regular schedule to take the exercises for at least 30 minutes a day. This will help to improve their health state. It also passes a long way in raising the body fitness and maintains a good body posture. Sexuality has also played its role in the determination of a healthy nation. The research has shown that the health state differs in sexuality. That is why the sexual orientation has led to the substance abuse, sexual transmitted diseases, depression, and suicide. It is evident today that homosexuals and lesbians have contributed considerably to enhancing the poor health in the society today. Further studies and analysis showed that sexuality differences in the society have contributed significantly to raising the smoking rates, alcohol, and the substance abuse. In other studies, gay people and lesbians have a high number of obese people. The nutrition course is an eye-opener for the main issue that concerns the health and well-being of every person that is alive. It is beneficial to consider the factors that will enhance and improve the well-being of other people too. Through this course, a lot of information has been laid down that will chiefly assist in improving the nutritional standards of the community in the whole. The comment given by Anthelme Brillat-Savarin is true to the very last word. He commented that the, destiny of a nation depends on the manner in which they feed themselves. This can be well adapted into the themes of nutrition. It is true that nutrition determines the health state of every community. It is important for every community to ensure that it has put into consideration all the factors that concern the health of its people. That is the lifestyle, physical fitness, and the proper diet at all times. The communities that do not put the health of their people as a priority are likely to have the problems in the future. For instance, if the health of pregnant women is not considered, then, the chances of having sickly infants are extremely high. In addition, if the health and eating habits of such women are not observed carefully, the infants to come may be sick. For this reason, it is mandatory for people to ensure that they eat the healthy food and live the proper lifestyles. The lifestyle of an individual determines the future of people. For instance, the modern lifestyles, especially in urban areas, play a major role in this matter. Most people have today adapted to the habits that are not healthy. The food which people eat has also led to many diseases triggering terminal illnesses. In addition, the beverages sold at the retail shops have also played a substantial role in enhancing the occurrence of diseases in urban areas. As a result, many people have fallen ill. While some die, others are left less functional and cannot help for the community. This is the state of the society today. Nonetheless, if people change their ways and diets to improve their eating habits, then the situation will improve considerably. This is due to the fact that what a person eats is what a person becomes. The destiny of people is also a factor of what a person eats. Every person lives every day to see another day. The bright future that people are looking forward to can be possible only while having healthy people. This means to say it is important that people are eating the healthy food. In doing so, one can be sure to live further to see another day. In having the healthy nation, it is possible to look forward to the bright future. That is why those people that are being healthy are the ones that can work hard and improve the social levels of people. In this regard, it is important for each person to ensure that he or she maintains some healthy standards enhancing good health. It is also beneficial for the authorities of any community to ensure that they have provided all the necessities that will enhance health among people. By doing so, the community will be strong and grow on to become better. Narratives involve one collected biographies or life histories to help understanding a phenomenon. For instance, the food and nutrition professional practicing in the private sector and specializing in patients with the celiac disease is more interesting for getting the themes that relate to the family background, food, human development, family history, and the history of the disease so as to boost the effectiveness in its treatment and to enhance the early detection of the disease. The professional will use a narrative approach where he will compile some real life histories of the people participating in the study and then analyze the results to identify common trends and themes in order to understand those patients. In H.M. Johnsons book Too Late to Die Young, she applies this narrative method to analyze about disability. She tells the tales and gives her personal analysis of the main cultures of dominant attitudes on the cases of disability. After telling some real life stories of her participants, she does not accept the views most commonly held by a majority of people about disability. She dismisses the belief that the freedom of people with disabilities is limited to the company making a profit in the economy. She, also, dismisses the school of thought in advocacy that usually forces people to get more dependent on the public policy decisions. Johnson portrays the disability in humour, honesty, and analysis. Other articles analyzing the disability are More about Harriet McBride and Getting Thrown by Johnson H.M.The implications of this reframing are that it encourages the interpretations that discourage undermining the people with disabilities in the community. The articles serve to encourag e the appreciation of such people while dismissing the incorrect beliefs that people are holding against the disabled ones. Human beings, by their nature, will prefer to do the less of thinking possible while contemplating on a concept. Reframing, therefore, provides them an easy and fast way of processing the information. Most citizens and policymakers believe that the main objective of strategizing and implementing the healthcare reform is for creating the more effective, secure and uniform access to the quality healthcare and the health insurance of the United States citizens. There exist millions of Americans who are either uninsured or do not have the substantial access to healthcare. Most of citizens live with the fear that their coverage could be deprived by such acts as illness; their employer is deciding to cut their health benefits or another probable event that is beyond their control. One of the barriers to accessing a good healthcare among many citizens, therefore, is increasing the unemployment rate among citizens, while those in the employment lack some proper healthcare benefits and are prone to any decisions their employers make concerning them. This was perceived as a problem for only the low-income earners; but this is now increasingly becoming a concern among the middle-income earners too. Secondly, another significant problem that may inhibit an access to health for all is raising the cost of the medical care. Even if the policymakers and citizens try hard to reform the healthcare sector, the experts suggest that before the government takes some vital steps towards the extension of the health coverage to more citizens it is a must to do that the healthcare costs should be maintained, first of all. There are the lacks of the universal health coverage; this causes some serious distortions in the ways of employers; employees, and other parties while making some decisions. Additionally, it is a leading hindrance in the provision and the financing of care. These distortions include some delays in the patients access to the needed care; the cost shifting, in which care providers will fix the higher insurance for some private payers in order to recover the cost from public payers underpayments; and the job lock where workers decline the better jobs because the jobs cannot of fer them some solid healthcare benefits. This will for further reduce the chances for providing the healthcare for all. Buy custom My Final Exam essay

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Fraud Definition and Examples

Fraud Definition and Examples Fraud is a broad legal term referring to  dishonest acts that intentionally use deception to illegally deprive another person or entity of money, property, or legal rights. Unlike the crime of theft, which involves the taking of something of value through force or stealth, fraud relies on the use of intentional misrepresentation of fact to accomplish the taking. Fraud: Key Takeaways Fraud is the intentional use of false or misleading information in an attempt to illegally deprive another person or entity of money, property, or legal rights.In order to constitute fraud, the party making the false statement must know or believe that it is untrue or incorrect and intended to deceive the other party.Fraud may be prosecuted as both a criminal and civil offense.Criminal punishments for fraud can include a combination of prison, fines, and restitution to victims. In proven cases of fraud, the perpetrator- a person who carries out a harmful, illegal, or immoral act- may be found to have committed either a  criminal offense  or a  civil wrong. In committing fraud, perpetrators may be seeking either monetary or non-monetary assets by deliberately making false statements. For example, knowingly lying about one’s age to obtain a drivers license, criminal history to get a job, or income to get a loan may be fraudulent acts. A fraudulent act should not be confused with a â€Å"hoax,†- a deliberate deception or false statement made without any intention of gain or of materially damaging another person. Perpetrators of criminal fraud may be punished by fines and/or imprisonment. Victims of civil fraud may file lawsuits against the perpetrator seeking monetary compensation. To win a lawsuit claiming civil fraud, the victim must have suffered actual damages. In other words, the fraud must have been successful. Criminal fraud, on the other hand, can be prosecuted even if the fraud failed. In addition, a single fraudulent act may be prosecuted as both a criminal and civil offense. Thus, a person convicted of fraud in criminal court may also be sued in civil court by the victim or victims. Fraud is an extremely serious legal matter. Persons who believe they have been the victim of fraud, or have been accused of committing fraud, should always seek the expertise of a qualified attorney. The Necessary Elements of Fraud While the specifics of laws against fraud vary from state to state and at the federal government level, there are five essential elements necessary  to prove in court that a crime of fraud has been committed: A misrepresentation of a material fact:  A false statement involving a material and pertinent fact must be made. The gravity of the false statement should be adequate to substantially affect the victim’s decisions and actions. For example, the false statement contributes to a person’s decision to purchase a product or approve a loan.Knowledge of falsehood:  The party making the false statement must know or believe that it is untrue or incorrect.Intent to deceive:  The false statement must have been made expressly with the intent of deceiving and influencing the victim.Reasonable reliance by the victim:  The level to which the victim relies on the false statement must be reasonable in the eyes of the court. Reliance on rhetorical, outrageous, or clearly impossible statements or claims may not amount to â€Å"reasonable† reliance. However, persons known to be illiterate, incompetent, or otherwise mentally diminished may be awarded civil damages if the perpe trator knowingly took advantage of their condition. Actual loss or injury suffered:  The victim suffered some actual loss as a direct result his or her dependence on the false statement. Statements of Opinion vs. Outright Lies Not all false statements are legally fraudulent. Statements of opinion or belief, since they are not statements of fact, may not constitute fraud. For example, a salesman’s statement, â€Å"Madam, this is the best television set on the market today,† while possibly untrue, is an unsubstantiated statement of opinion rather than fact, which a â€Å"reasonable† shopper might be expected to disregard as mere sales  hyperbole. Common Types of Fraud Fraud comes in many forms from many sources. Popularly known as â€Å"scams,† fraudulent offers may be made personally or arrive through regular mail, email,  text messages,  telemarketing, and the internet. One of the most common types of fraud include is  check fraud, the use of paper checks to commit fraud.   One of the main goals of check fraud is  identity theft- the gathering and use of personal financial information for illegal purposes. From the front of every check written, the identity thief can get the victim’s: name; address; phone number; bank name; bank routing number; bank account number; and signature. In addition, the store may add more personal information, such as date of birth and driver’s license number. This is why identity theft prevention experts recommend against using paper checks whenever possible. Common varieties of check fraud include: Check Theft:  stealing checks for fraudulent purposes.Check Forgery:  signing a check using the actual drawer’s signature without their authorization or endorsing a check not payable to the endorser, both usually done using stolen checks. Counterfeit checks are considered the equivalent of forged checks.Check Kiting:  writing a check with the intent of accessing funds that have not yet been deposited in the checking account. Also referred to as â€Å"floating† a check, kiting is the misuse of checks as a form of unauthorized credit.Paper Hanging:  writing checks on accounts that are known by the perpetrator to have been closed.Check Washing:  chemically erasing the signature or other handwritten details from checks in order to allow them to be rewritten.Check Counterfeiting: illegally printing checks using information from the victim’s account. According to the  U.S. Federal Reserve, American consumers and businesses wrote 17.3 billion paper checks in 2015, four times the number written in all of the  countries of the European Union  combined that year. Despite the trend toward debit, credit, and electronic payment methods, paper checks remain the most often-used way of making large payments for expenses like rent and payroll. Clearly, there is still plenty of opportunity and temptation to commit check fraud. Federal Fraud Through the  United States Attorneys, the  federal government  prosecutes and punishes various types of fraud specifically identified under federal statutes. While the following list includes the most common of these, there is a wide range of federal, as well as state, fraud crimes. Mail Fraud and Wire Fraud:  using regular mail, or any form of wired communications technology, including telephones and the internet as part of any fraudulent scheme. Mail and wire fraud are often added as charges filed in other related crimes. For example, since the mail or telephone are typically used in attempting to arrange bribes of judges or other government officials, federal prosecutors may add charges of wire or mail fraud in addition to charges of bribery and corruption. Similarly, wire or mail fraud charges are often applied in prosecution of  racketeering and RICO Act  violations.Tax Fraud:  takes place whenever a taxpayer attempts to avoid or evade paying federal income taxes. Examples of tax fraud include knowingly underreporting taxable income, overestimating business deductions, and simply not filing a tax return.Stock and Securities Fraud:  typically involves the selling of stocks, commodities, and other securities through deceptive practices. Examples of securities fraud include  Ponzi or pyramid schemes, broker embezzlement, and foreign currency fraud. The fraud usually occurs when stockbrokers or investment banks convince people to make investments based on false or exaggerated information, or on â€Å"insider  trading† information not available to the public. Medicare and Medicaid Fraud:  usually takes place when hospitals, healthcare companies, or individual healthcare providers try to collect illegitimate repayments from the government by over-billing for services, or by performing unnecessary tests or medical procedures. Penalties for Fraud Potential penalties for conviction of federal fraud typically involve prison or  probation, stiff fines, and repayment of fraudulently-acquired gains. Prison sentences can range from 6 months to 30 years for each separate violation. Fines for federal fraud can be very large. Convictions for  mail or wire fraud can bring fines of up to $250,000 for each violation. Frauds that harm large groups of victims or involve large sums of money can result in fines of tens of millions of dollars or more. For example, in July 2012, drug maker Glaxo-Smith-Kline pleaded guilty to falsely branding its drug Paxil as being effective in treating depression in patients under age 18. As part of its settlement, Glaxo agreed to pay $3 billion to the government in one of  the largest health-care fraud settlements in U.S. history. Recognizing Fraud in Time The warning signs of fraud vary according to the type being attempted. For example, telemarketing calls from unknown callers telling you to â€Å"send money now† in order to take advantage of a special offer or claim a prize may be frauds. Similarly, random request or demands for a Social Security or bank account number, mother’s maiden name, or a list of known addresses are often signs of identity theft. In general, most offers from companies or individuals that sound â€Å"too good to be true† are signs of fraud. Sources Legal Dictionary: fraud.  Law.com.Basic Legal Concepts / Fraud.  Journal of AccountancyFraud- Burden of Proof: Washington Civil Jury Instructions.† Westlaw