How to Use Delphi to Build a Custom Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer is what you use in the Windows operating system to browse for files and folders. You can create a similar structure with Delphi so that the same content is populated within your programs user interface. Common dialog boxes are used in Delphi to open and save a file in an application. If you want to use customized file managers and directory browsing dialogs, you have to deal with file system Delphi components. The Win 3.1 VCL palette group includes several components that allow you to build your own custom File Open or File Save dialog box: TFileListBox, TDirectoryListBox, TDriveComboBox, and TFilterComboBox. Navigating Files The file system components allow us to select a drive, see the hierarchical directory structure of a disk, and see the names of the files in a given directory. All of the file system components are designed to work together. For example, your code checks what the user has done to, say, a DriveComboBox and then passes this information on to a DirectoryListBox. The changes in DirectoryListBox are then passed to a FileListBox in which the user can select the file(s) needed. Designing the Dialog Form Start a new Delphi application and select the Win 3.1 tab of the Component palette. Then do the following: Place one TFileListBox, TDirectoryListBox, TDriveComboBox, and TFilterComboBox component on a form, keeping all of their default namesAdd one TEdit (named FileNameEdit) and one TLabel (call it DirLabel).Include a few labels with captions, like File Name, Directory, List Files of Type, and Drives. To show the currently selected path as a string in a DirLabel components caption, assign the Labels name to the DirectoryListBoxs DirLabel property. If you want to display the selected filename in an EditBox (FileNameEdit), you have to assign the Edit objects Name (FileNameEdit) to the FileListBoxs FileEdit property. More Lines of Code When you have all the file system components on the form, you just have to set the DirectoryListBox.Drive property and the FileListBox.Directory property in order for the components to communicate and show what the user wants to see. For example, when the user selects a new drive, Delphi activates the DriveComboBox OnChange event handler. Make it look like this:   procedure TForm1.DriveComboBox1Change(Sender: TObject) ;beginDirectoryListBox1.Drive : DriveComboBox1.Drive;end; This code changes the display in the DirectoryListBox by activating its OnChange event Handler:   procedure TForm1.DirectoryListBox1Change(Sender: TObject) ;beginFileListBox1.Directory : DirectoryListBox1.Directory;end; In order to see what file the user has selected, you need to use the OnDblClick event of the FileListBox:   procedure TForm1.FileListBox1DblClick(Sender: TObject) ;beginShowmessage(Selected: FileListBox1.FileName) ;end; Remember that the Windows convention is to have a double-click choose the file, not a single click. This is important when you work with a FileListBox because using an arrow key to move through a FileListBox would call any OnClick handler that you have written. Filtering the Display Use a FilterComboBox to control the type of files that are displayed in a FileListBox. After setting the FilterComboBoxs FileList property to the name of a FileListBox, set the Filter property to the file types that you want to display. Heres a sample filter:   FilterComboBox1.Filter : All files (*.*)|*.* | Project files (*.dpr)|*.dpr | Pascal units (*.pas)|*.pas; Hints and Tips Setting the DirectoryListBox.Drive property and the FileListBox.Directory property (in the previously written OnChange event handlers) at runtime  can be also be done at design time. You can accomplish this kind of connection at design time by setting the following properties (from the Object Inspector): DriveComboBox1.DirList : DirectoryListBox1DirectoryListBox1.FileList : FileListBox1 Users can select multiple files in a FileListBox if its MultiSelect property is True. The following code shows how to create a list of multiple selections in a FileListBox and show it in a SimpleListBox (some ordinary ListBox control).   var k: integer;...with FileListBox1 doif SelCount 0 thenfor k:0 to Items.Count-1 doif Selected[k] thenSimpleListBox.Items.Add(Items[k]) ; To display full path names that are not shortened with an ellipsis, do not assign a Label object name to the DirLabel property of a DirectoryListBox. Instead, insert a Label into a form and set its caption property in the DirectoryListBoxs OnChange event to the DirectoryListBox.Directory property.

Essay Review Questions, Chapter 2 - 767 Words

Review Questions Chapter 2: What is a business case? How does a business case affect an IT project? A business plan that forecasts costs and revenues for a particular project over several years, especially to attract financing. It affects because it would say whether the IT project is good enough to go or should it be abandoned. So for any company can save money. What is a SWOT analysis and why is it important? A SWOT analysis is to study any factor affecting any company and how it would work. It is important because it can let the company detect its problems and its solutions to keep the company alive. What are five common reasons for systems projects? The Five common factors (TELOS) are Technology and†¦show more content†¦Step 1 would be to understand the problem or opportunity. Step 2 would be define the project scope and constraints. Step 3 is to perform fact-finding: Step 4. Is to analyze project usability, cost, benefit, and schedule data. Step 5 is to evaluate feasibility: Last step would be to present results and recommendations to management. What is project scope? What is a constraint? In what three ways are constraints classified? A projects scope defines the boundaries or extent of the project in specific terms. Constraint is a condition that the system must satisfy or an outcome that the system must achieve. There is present versus future constraints. There is internal versus external constraints. The last would be Mandatory versus desirable constraints. 10. Explain how you might use fishbone diagrams, Pareto charts, and XY charts in problem solving. Be specific, and describe the advantages of each tool. Fishbone: A fishbone diagram is an analysis tool that represents the possible causes of a problem as a graphical outline. 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ISO 900 Essay Example For Students

ISO 900 Essay Introduction In order to stay competitive, businesses have to be the best at what they do. Companys must be efficient and presise in all aspects of the job. (Metcalfe 1). ISO 9000 is made up of managements responsibility, the producers involved in the Quality Management System, the contract review, the design control, document and data control, purchasing, process control, inspection and testing, control of non-conforming product, corrective action, handling, storage, packaging and delivery, internal quality audits, training, servicing and statistical techniques (Prasanna 1). Quality control and quality assurance is very important there are certain requirements that take time and money to be met but in the end there are benefits. Types of specifications are very significant and the documentation of those is even more. Manufacturers and purchasers have major responsibility in the process of being successful. The quality of a product is so important, especially to the customer. A companys quality management system must become the documented proof of a firms commitment to quality management. A plan put together with quality procedures and work instructions is provided to help companies design their own quality management system. After completing the quality procedures, companies are audited and then determined if they should be certified for ISO 9000 or not (Parsanna 2). ISO: International Organization of Standards Founded in 1947 in Geneva Switzerland, ISO developed international standards and helped exchange goods and services worldwide. It is made up of over 90 countries including the US, which is called the American National Standards Institute. The name ISO came from the Greek word, isos, meaning equal (Henkoff 2). ISO was created by business men (Henkoff 2). These business men knew what businesses needed to become more competitive and how they could get higher customer satisfaction, so ISO was developed. ISO is not government regulated, but is ran by organizations like the US Registrar Accreditation Board. Such organizations authorize registrars which issue ISO certificates (Barrier 2). In Europe some organizations are government regulated. The American National Standards Institute runs the ISO in the US and authorizes the US Registrar Accreditation Board (Barrier 2). ISOs job is to set standards for companies all over the world so that their products come out efficiently and to the best quality. This helps the customers who receive the exports know exactly what they are getting and are satisfied with the product. Setting these standards is done by ISO members at assembly meetings. Proposals are developed by the ISO Council, which is like the board of directors in a business. These meetings are held three times a year and the membership is rotated to allow more representatives in (iso online). Standards are developed by technical committees. 30,000 experts participate to give comments, feedback and to vote in meetings which are held15 times a day electronically. The experts are chosen by an ISO member of that country (iso online). ISO 9000 The ISO 9000 series was published in 1987 (iso online). It is a standardization system that was developed by ISO. It is obtained by 130 countries, but its main office is in Geneva, Switzerland where the system is coordinated and the finished standards are published (iso online). These ISO standard are rules and guidelines that ensure the product that a manufacturing business produces is safe, reliable and efficient (iso online). These standards makes sure that businesses are living up to their promises. An ISO 9000 certificate is given to a business when it maintains the quality management requirements determined by ISO (Henkoff 1). ISO 9000 helps a business to get certified by telling it what requirements it should meet and how it will meet them. .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e , .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e .postImageUrl , .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e , .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e:hover , .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e:visited , .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e:active { border:0!important; } .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e:active , .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u1271c943b14d1b33e025c586a7dd963e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: African Dimensions Of The Stono Rebellion Essay It provides a framework for a company. It sets standards worldwide and help export goods to other countries. However, the company must have good strong leaders for it to thrive. The success of ISO 9000 on a business largely depends on the businesss organization. Planning, training, setting and achieving goals are all key to improvement or success of a business (Henkoff 5). ISO 9000 makes sure a company is doing what it says it is doing and helps them do it. However, that doesnt mean it is running the company and telling it what to do

Inline Skating into the 21st Century And Beyond free essay sample

A study on skating with emphasis on inline skating. This paper examines the evolution of skating and the emersion of inline skating. It reviews the museum exhibition, Inline Skating into The 21st Century and Beyond and describes the history of the wheel and other inventions that make the sport inline skating possible today. The paper includes color illustrations and photographs. Table of Contents 1. Description of Exhibit 2. The History of Inline Skating 3. Roller Blading 4. Exhibition Checklist 5. Marketing Analysis 6. Administrative Matters 7. Conclusion ?Inline Skating Into The 21st Century and Beyond will trace the roots of the wheel and how thru numerous developments and innovations the popular sport of inline skating was born. The exhibit will provide a retelling of how the wheel was invented, and outline the various inventions that were made possible because of the invention of the wheel with the primary focus on the evolution and history of inline skating. Moreover, the exhibit will present inline skating in all its many forms, including roller skating, ice skating and roller blading. We will write a custom essay sample on Inline Skating into the 21st Century And Beyond or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Semester at Sea Voyage Essays

Semester at Sea Voyage Essays Semester at Sea Voyage Essay Semester at Sea Voyage Essay As a marketing major, I have many academic goals such as acquiring knowledge in a good ambiance, to be able to share my talent and skill that would help me recognize my strengths and weaknesses as a person, and to graduate with greater knowledge and better perspective towards life and aspirations. As what Semester at Sea caters to its students, I can say that it could help me gain more knowledge in different aspects through interaction with different places and countries in the world. John Tymitz, the Chief Executive Officer Emeritus of Semester at Sea stated the six important factors that students would experience while having their semester at sea. These are:Develop an awareness of some of the important elements of interdependence necessary for coexistence in the world today and tomorrow. Build insight and background for interpreting international problems and conflicts. Clarify awareness of your own culture through contrast with others. Grow through the cha llenge of living and learning in a closely integrated environment. Interact with other cultures providing a historically relevant perspective of both developed and emerging nations of the world. (semesteratsea.org)These six factors are connected to my academic goals meaning that Semester at Sea can help me obtain my academic goals in better locations and setup. What is wanted to learn from this semester is my way of communicating to other people. Because I am pursuing my marketing course, I need to convey my communication skills thoroughly to be able to become realistic to my ideas as a future marketer. Through Semester at Sea I would be able to use my communication skills as I go to different places and countries along with my educators and course mates.Semester at Sea would also help me recognize my global perspective by studying historical accounts of the nations that we are going to study. Awareness would also impose within the semester to help students to become extra sensitive to the culture and society of the developing nations that will be studied.In my marketing course, awareness, sensitivity, and logic are the most important factors that we need to obtain to justify our thoughts and reasoning. Because Semester at Sea can help me acquire more knowledge and skills about these factors, it would become a better contribution to my academic goals and perspectives. In general, I can say that Semester at Sea could help me understand everything that is beyond my reach because it caters awareness and acquisition that are important to its students.ReferenceSemester at Sea. 2007. Message from the Chief Executive Officer Emeritus. 3 December 2007. semesteratsea.com/aboutus/message.html

How To Get Approved for More Amazon Book Categories

How To Get Approved for More Amazon Book Categories How To Get Approved for More Amazon Book Categories When it comes to self-publishing your upcoming book, do not make light of selecting your book categories! Although it may appear to be a small detail, you must realize that your readers often resort to categories when looking for books on a specific topic. Therefore, selecting the best book categories for your upcoming bestseller is a critical decision as it will impact your book sales.Here are more notable reasons why your book should have best fitting categories:It can help you become a bestseller.Like the New York Times bestseller, Amazon can also tag your book with an orange badge that says â€Å"#1 Bestseller†. And with thousands of Amazon categories to compete and rank for, this means that there’s plenty of opportunity for you to become an Amazon bestseller!You can gain more exposure on Amazon. By appearing in different categories, your book can appeal to different audiences. Andif your book ranks in the top ten of any category listings, Amazon will include your b ook to its â€Å"Recommendations Engine† which will generate more publicity!But with plenty of book categories on Kindle Direct Publishing as well as the plethora of books competing for attention, how do you choose the right categories to make your book stand out to your reader?In this post, we will share our best strategies to help you pick the right categories for your book that will increase your sales rank and obtain maximum exposure through Amazon’s search engine.Hereare the three topics we will cover:How to Research Your CompetitionHow to Strategically Select Your CategoryHow to Acquire Additional CategoriesLet’s get started!1. How to Research Your CompetitionIf your goal is to appear on the first page of search results on Amazon, then you must take advantage of every window of opportunity to succeed. In order to do so, you first must research your competition.When you begin researching for book categories, you should start by scanning the bestselling book s on every first page results of your target category.The reason is simply due to the fact that the first page results are most likely what your readers are going to be looking for! Therefore, it’s important to identify the top selling books for each category you want to target.Next, go through each of the books on the first page results and study its category string links. For example, here are the category links for Taylor Pearson’sbook, The End of Jobs:Notice that for a book on Entrepreneurship, it’s ranked highest for â€Å"Labor Workforce† and â€Å"Economics†. This goes to show that by placing their book into such unique categories, the author completely understood their target audience which is why The End of Jobsappears on several first page results.So if you want to have a high ranking for your category, make it a priority to research your competitors’ categories and emulate their methods with your book.Action Plan: Research the fi rst page competitors in five categories of your choosing. Take note to any unique categories your competitors rank in, and apply them to your upcoming book.2. How to Strategically Select Your CategoryBecause the Amazon’s Kindle Store has thousands of categories to choose from as well as an overwhelming amount of books fighting for attention, the competition can be relentless and unfair to new writers. But there is one approach that will have you stand out: Select trending categories with little competition.What is considered a competitive rank?We find that any categories with books ranking higher than #2000 is considered very competitive and not a recommended category for new writers. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you shouldn’t place your book in a competitive ranking, but if you do, be sure to have a well planned book launchwith a sizable audience that can provide a lot of verified reviews. For new authors with a smaller following, we recommend aiming for certain categories with books that rank between #10,000-30,000.Once you’ve completed this research, you should have a list of thriving categories to place your book in that will outrank your competitors.Action Plan:With the five categories you’ve researched, take the time to review your competitors’ ranking that fall between #10,000-30,000. For even better results, we also recommend using the KDP Calculatorto calculate how many books you would need to sell in order increase your ranking.3. How to Acquire Additional CategoriesWhen you upload your book for the first time, Amazon will offer you a select list of categories to choose from. At a first glance, you will notice that the selection seems rather limited and is missing plenty of categories that you’ve seen other books rank for. Unfortunately, Amazon has done this intentionally so that they can place new books into their own kindle categories.Don’t let Amazon determine your categories! Theres th ousands of sub-categories you can rank for, and you can even include an additional eight sub-categoriesnot found in the usual channels.Here how you can acquire these categories:Use Amazon Keyword Selection. Include the name of your category as one of your â€Å"Amazon Keywords†. In order to obtain a particular category, you must include specific keywordsin the Kindle submission form. For more information on Keyword requirements, visit Amazons browse categorypage to learn more.Place your categories in strategic places.To convince Amazon that your book should be placed in specific category, strategically work the words of the categoryonto the title, subtitle or even the summary of your book page.Contact Amazon. You can contact Amazonand request your book to be placed in a particular category. Amazon will then assess your entire book and determine if it’s an appropriate fit for the specific browse category. If approved, These categories will appear in the â€Å"Look for similar items by category† at the bottom of the book page.Action Plan: Experiment with these strategies to acquire additional sub-categories for your book. Remember you can include eight additional keywords that can convince Amazon to place your book in the categories of your choosing.If you want a successful book launch, you must not overlook even the tiniest of details. By following these guidelines on how to select your book category, your first book will have maximum exposure and the best chance to appear in the Amazon bestseller list.Like what you read and want to learn more? We’re holding a FREE online workshop where Chandler is revealing the exact tactics and strategies he used to write and publish 6 bestselling books in a row†¦ and use them to build a 7-figure business in less than 2 years.Click here to save your spot now!

Operating position and financial situation of Travis Pekins Plc Essay

Operating position and financial situation of Travis Pekins Plc - Essay Example It has also acquired ToolStation on 3rd January 2012. The merger of Travis Perkins and the BSS Group creates a new British plc. The company will now operate 19 separate businesses from over 1,700 branch location across the UK (Kilby, 2011, p.1). The mission describes the basic function of the company in the society, in terms of the product and services it produces for its customers. It includes purpose, strategies and scope, values and standards and behaviour of the organisation. The purpose for the existence of Travis Perkins is to create wealth for the shareholders and to satisfy the needs of its employees, creditors and the society. They seek mutual benefits with all stakeholders, think about the impact of their actions and they search for similarities between their decisions and customers expectations. The strategies and the scope of the company include the competences through which it tries to succeed and its method of competing. It provides complete building material solutions to everyone creating, repairing, maintaining and improving the built environment, thus helping to build Britain. They guarantee that anyone in Britain who wants to contact for any kind of building material through any form of supply channel will have Travis Perkins operation as their first choice. It defines the nature of their business. The standards and behaviour of Travis Perkins includes delivering deliver better returns by growing the best businesses with operations and outstanding people. They actively work with each other; when something goes wrong, they fix the problem in spite of blaming others. They challenge themselves how they work and they look for fresh ideas that are different from others. They apply rules where it is necessary. The values which they offer are: they understand their customer needs, treat them with respect, beat their expectations and know their major customers personally. They say what they actually

Reasons for choosing Christie's Education, your Personal Statement

Reasons for choosing Christie's Education, your qualification,goals,and practical experience in the arts or auction world - Personal Statement Example This includes but is not limited to visiting museums, galleries, auction houses and out of the way venues that local patrons guide me to. I view art is the source of beauty in my own life. Art for me is not a mere vision. It is not a gratuitous answer to an invitation. Rather, it is a feeling or a reaction. It is personal and can only be shared with those that have the same keen understanding of it that I do. It is the ability to embrace someone else’s interpretation and yet know that you feel at peace only with your own. It comes in so many different forms. For example, I enjoy all types of dance, from the traditional, to folk to ritualistic expression. What elevates my ability to view and interpret art is that I do not need to find the artistic expression in whatever it is I am viewing, it shows itself to me. It is like a beacon in the night guiding me and I am compelled to respond. Indeed, I find myself employing art as a my special form of communication. Art plays a large role in the expresion of my inner thoughts and in acknowledging the beauty in my life. From dance to music to abstract art our concept of life is shown through the various ways in which we interpret it. Art has always allowed me to be as specific or as abstract as I wish. I also employ art as my own form of communication. I may not be able to express to a loved one verbally how I feel at the moment, but I do so through expressions of art. I don’t know why this is so, all I know is that art is my comfort zone. Art has taught me how to communicate through creative expression. It has taught me how to undestand human experience including the past and present. As for my own personal interests, music, opera singing, dancing, poetry and sketching are just a few of the different forms of art that I personally employ to express myself and apply my

British Political Structure Essay Example for Free

British Political Structure Essay The british political system is made up of houses of parliament and regional assemblies in Scotland, wales and northern Ireland. where members of parliament (MP’s) discuss four main issues legislation, representation, investigation and financing. The houses of commons The houses of commons is part of the process of british politics. The house of commons currently holds 647 mp’s in parliament which act as a political forum for Britain. Where MP’s can scrutinise, examine and react to the government polices and actions. After having a debate on a certain issue the commons will vote on how to deal with the issue. MP’s are voted in from 647 consituencys in the general election which takes place every five years. the biggest party majority of mps currently labour will form a government. MP’s are seen as having constituency intrests and responsibilities. Which means they ask questions and raise matter in debate concerning the problems of their consistency. The issues from MP’s constituencys are often raised in local meetings and letters from their consituants. Although the political impact of this nationally will be limited locally it be significant in addressing problems. The commons also deals with public petitions, which are debated over if urgent. Petitions are increasingly popular way of getting an issue public attention and is the only way voter can address issues to parliament. The house of lords T The house of lords currently consists of two parts, the Lords Temporal and Lords Spiritual. Lords Temporal include life peers and hereditary peers. However due to on going reforms of the role of herditary peers in the house of lords. The Lords Spiritual represent the established Church of England and consists of 26 members, the Archbishops of York and Canterbury and the 24 most senior Bishops of the church. It currently acts to review legislation formed by the House of Commons, with the power to propose amendments, and exercises a suspensive veto. This allows it to delay legislation if it does not approve for twelve months. The House of Lords is currently also the final court of appeal on civil cases within the United Kingdom although cases can then go on to the European high court for appeal. National assemblies Though the UK parliament remains the main parliament, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have assemblies. All three assembies are elected by proportional representation instead of the traditional system first past the post. The devolved governments have some legislative powers to deal with issues in their country however issues involving the whole united kingdom are still controled by the houses of parliament. they can also have their powers changed by an Act of the UK Parliament. How laws are passed The government is responsible for the majority of new laws. Individual MPs and opposition parties can suggest laws but do not have the time or the support to put laws through parliament. parties usually announce new laws and amedments in there manifestoes for the general elections. The government firstly publishes a Green Paper, A Green Paper is a period of consultation where the government seeks feedback and ideas from specialists, senior members of government and the general public. After the consultation is over, the government will then publish a White Paper. The white paper is how the government states its intention to introduce the new legislation. When the government has decided on the white paper and if it should become legislation they will introduce a parliamently bill . As the bill progresses through parliament, amendments are made which affect what the final law will be. After being debated in the commons the bill is then passed on to the house of lords. the house of lords considers the law in detail and will either pass the bill on for royal assent or denial the bill and send it back to the house of commons to be debated further. The current voting system in local and general elections is called the first past the post system. There are 659 separate areas across the UK each electing one MP. In order to vote you must be eighteen although there is on going debate to bring it down to sixteen so that their be a bigger percentage of voters. Uk citizens who are currently in prison have there right to vote suspended. The general election takes place every five years and can be called at anytime by the current government within the five years. www. Voting takes place in voting stations in each constituency, to vote you must place an ‘x’ next to candidate you like to elect and place it in the ballot box. this process is also a secret ballot to make the voting system more democratic because it doesn’t give any party candidate an advantage and stops any votes being influenced. The candidate with the most votes regardless if the candidate has more than 50% of the vote will become the MP of that constituency. the party with the most MP’s is then elected into government. For example here are three main national parties. Candidate A (labour): 22,000 votes Candidate B (Conservative): 17,00 votes Candidate C (Lib Dems): 13,000 votes In this example, the clear winner is Candidate A with a majority over candidate B of 5000. In the example above, 22 000 voted for the candidate that won that election howver 30 000 voted against the winner therefore the party doesnot have to support of the majority. (www.gaurdian.co.uk) Positives of the first past the post The first past the post is a cheap and simple way to hold an election, as each voter has to place one cross on the ballot paper. Counting of the ballot papers is usually fast and result of a british election is usually known the very next day after polling. The first past the post system creates clear majorities for one party this prevents coalitions for forming which could give extremist minority partys influence on how the countrys run. (www.bbc.co.uk) Negatives of the first past the post there is only one MP elected per area so the people who did not vote for that candidate there views do not get represented. The voting system can put the public off voting because if they vote for smaller parties its seen as a wasted vote and will not make a difference, however if we adopted propostional representation smaller parties will have more of a chance of gaining more seats. The first past the post system works very well if there are only two parties running for an election. but if there is more than two parties running for an election the system becomes unfair on the smaller parties, due to the fact the system works on most votes gained. If we adopted a proportional representation system this would create a fairer voting system for all political parties. (www.bbc.co.uk) Political theorists Charles kenedy commented on the current voting system in may 2005 stating, â€Å"The door is open as far as we are concerned on voting reform.† The Prime Minister could pick up the phone tomorrow if he wishes. Clearly we would be interested in creating a fair voting system. â€Å"The strains on the first-past-the-post system are getting too much, Labour got 130 more seats than their votes entitled them to. The Liberal and other parties received half as many seats as they should have got. One and a half million votes were cast for parties who didnt win a seat, including the Greens and UKIP. (www.independant.co.uk) Nick Herbert, the Conservative constitutional affairs spokesman recently commented on the voting system in august 2007, â€Å"This leaked copy of the review blows out of the water the case for changing Britain’s tried and tested electoral system. The Government’s own report admits that proportional representation has caused voter confusion and not increased turnout. And it says that Alternative Vote would produce even more disproportionate results than any other system. I fear the real reason for the delay in publishing this review is Labour trying to fiddle the dossier. This Government has repeatedly meddled with the electoral system for partisan advantage, undermining public confidence in the integrity of the ballot.†

Consumer Attitudes and Behavior Towards Ikea

Consumer Attitudes and Behavior Towards Ikea 1. Introduction: IKEA is one of the main home furnishing chains in the world and especially in Malaysia. As IKEA originated in Sweden and have a strong position here it is motivating to study the consumers attitudes toward the company in Kualalumpur, Malaysia. IKEA companies have information about their customers opinions, attitudes and behavior .They will have the greater effect in comparison to their competitors. To analyze the attitudes to IKEA I prepared a questionnaire in Kualalumpur. The respondents are chosen randomly between Iranian people, after an overview the paper designed the methodology part, its describes how the proses have been done. The chapter explains the hypothetical framework, which absolutely contracts with attitudes. In the analysis chapter each question in the questionnaire is offered and explained separately. The study is then used to make decisions. Some of the decisions ended were: Ikeas main target group is well-represented customers nowadays. IKEA have very strong position in the home furnishing market. The price and product kind is the key reasons for purchasing at IKEA . A Better Everyday Life Organization: VISION: Ikeas vision is to create attractively home furnishings to a great customer segment, if you noticed to other main furniture stores; good design is offered only for a small part of the people who can have enough money. It means that IKEA have to answer to the home furnishing requirements of people all over the World Ikeas strategy: People have different needs and wants, ideas, aims; all these people need to design their home and provide a beautiful environment in which to enjoy. In selection a better everyday life, IKEA suggestions an extensive choice of home furnishings in IKEA stores. IKEA is well branded worldwide. Their product variety (18 000 products) is almost similar in All countries. This indicates that IKEA have a global product strategy that is extremely standardized. Ikeas marketing concept is Low price with meaning. When introduction of IKEA in Porters 3 Basic Strategies, IKEA enter by directing on low prices. The main target group is young families who build up their first home. But all customers who think through price as an important argument when purchasing home furnishings are an important target group. Consumers within the organization feel to clearly knowing the I Keas purpose. It is also important that they need a strong sense of fitting. The characteristics of the company must spring from the own origins. IKEA have undoubtedly been able to use their origins. 1.2. History 1943 the creator of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad, records the name IKEA. 1950 was the first time furnitures go into the IKEA product collection. In 1951 the first IKEA list was issued. First furniture showroom was opened in 1953 in Älmhult, Sweden. 1955 was the year IKEA brings into being to design its own furniture. The first IKEA store opens in Älmhult, Sweden in 1958. In 1963 IKEA opens a store in Norway. The store in Stockholm, inspired by the Guggenheim Museum in New York, opens in 1965. 3.Vision: Was self-service, open warehouse would help customers cut down on Waiting time. 1969-1996 Stores were opened in: Denmark, Germany, Australia, Canada, Austria, Singapore, Netherlands, the Canary Islands, France, Iceland, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Kuwait, USA, UK, Hong Kong, Italy, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, the United Arab Emirates, Mallorca, Slovakia, Taiwan, Finland, Malaysia and Spain. 1.4. The purpose: Is that the home furnishings are associating good design, good purpose and good quality with low prices so that as many people as possible can pay for them. IKEA sold their World Wide Living Room Web Site on the Internet. In 1998 the first IKEA store was opened in mainland China. Literature review: Analysing consumer behaviour is perceived as cornerstone of a successful marketing strategy (Papers4you.com, 2006). Consumer behaviour is the mental and emotional processes and the observable behaviour of consumers during searching purchasing and post consumption of a product and service (Batra Kazmi, 2004). Similarly Engel (et al, 1990) refers consumer behaviour as the action and decision process of people who purchase goods and services for personal consumption. WHAT IS CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR? It is necessary to understand consumer behavior; this is based on the activities leading to the acquisition and use of goods or services, including decision-making processes that determine a purchase. In this process the consumer performs actions such as search, purchase, use and evaluation of products expected to be used to meet their needs (Solomon Michael, 2007). The activities, processes and social relations to which reference has been made include various actions of the consumer: knowledge of a need, when you make a comparison between stores, the simple reasoning of information that are available in regard to the benefits and risks of the desired product, or seek advice from a friend about a new product. The purchase of a product includes experiences such as mental and physical stimulation, social changes, the more status and power. (Kollat David). Attitude has a significant effect on purchasing a brand and choosing the place for shopping, moreover new products emerge in the market or exiting products future demand can be predicated by measuring consumers attitude.(Blackwell et al,2001). Method Approach The ways to pay attention to different situations vary due to several factors. There are numerous different methods of looking at the same phenomenon. My perception of this paper is mostly unbiased by the facts that I am a business Management student with put emphasis on marketing and I have a great attention in internal design. People have different methods to set situations due to attitude to behavior and individual norms. Past experiences and demographics also create a difference in approach. In making I have tried to be as unbiased as possible when studying collected material. It is important to mention that it is difficult to be one hundred percent neutral and without bias. What is understood depends on who understands it and what is to be understood. 3.2 Method: As we know market research is only one type of marketing research. The resolution is to make the study standardized. This is able by giving the same Questions and answer to all respondents. There is no warranty that the information collected from the questionnaire is relevant to the case recognition. I have selected to use very short questions to insure that they would be easy to Understand and to decrease the risk of misunderstanding. When dealing with short questions the Respondents have to think noticeably and ignore redundant parts. The information I needed was collected by using a quantitative method and questionnaire. After gaining the information, I used SPSS statistic 17.0 for analyze my data. 3.3 The questionnaire: One of the most important points in this plan has been designing the questionnaire. I have chosen to use short question that would be easy to understand. The price of creating a questionnaire is half of what a phone discussion costs and a tenth of the cost of an individual interview33 I have chosen close questions because I want to consider the population in general terms. It makes it easier to create a general picture of the respondents opinions I designed 6 questions for 50 respondents 3.4 Conformation of population: The population in my case is IKEAs Iranian customers in Kuala Lumpur. It is hard to find out, how many Iranian customers of IKEA has in Kuala Lumpur, and then it is quite unmanageable to know how many times each customer visit to the store. 3.5 Method of selection: I chose to use the non-probability selection (quota selection). This method is versus the random sample. The sub-group that I have been selected is: Age Average income Educational level Gender Theory 4.1 Consumer Behavior: Consumer behavior is one of the main parts in marketing; there are many different ideas about it. The basic principal of marketing are needs and wants, these two factors make the process of buying decision. One of the most popular theories is the Consumer Decision. My study emphases on the attitudes and behavior before the buy, what defines the buy and not the actual buy? Companies succeed if and when considerate what consumers want. This of course makes them very interested in how to effect on consumer behavior. The process of the buy is as important. Consumer behavior is included to: Consumer expectation, store image, needs, wants, culture, age, education, income level. 4.2 Marketing Mix: The marketing mix is the base of marketing tools a company practices to chase its marketing Goals in the target market. The most popular way to consider the marketing mix is over the eyes of the supplier. The 4Ps: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. When considering the marketing mix from the buyers opinion you catch the4Cs: Customer needs and wants, Cost to the customer, Convenience and Communication. The companies that can meet the 4Cs will be winners. By a multifaceted contact between the individual and environmental factors and the marketing mix the consumer estimate the stimuli. When taking done the process the consumers have got a conclusion about the product or service. If the decision is positive it does not mean that the consumer really will purchase the product or service. It is one thing to consider about doing something. Truly doing it is a much bigger stage. Attitudes designed directly are showed to be steadier than indirect formed attitudes like questionnaires. Finally it is meaning that defines what behavior the consumer will selected there are many factors that control the consumer behavior process. Many of these are fairly difficult to influence for a marketer. They have to focus more on the factors they can affect. The most vital factor one can use to influence is perception. The motivation that information gives is there for the factor that initiates the process that tends to the consumers decision. 4.3 Buying behavior: There are many main aspects that effect on a consumers purchasing behavior: Culture Social Personal Psychological Depending on the kind of product a buyer wants to purchase the buying behavior differs. Costly, complex products that a customer does not purchase often calls for high involvement decisions. The customer looks for information about the Low involvement decisions or unchanging problem resolving follow a somewhat different purchasing design. The consumer knows what he/she want and do not gauge different changes IKEA emphases a lot on trying to impact customers when the turn through the store. This is ended by setting products with very competitive prices at tactical spaces in the store 4.4 Attitudes: This cause is one of the most motivating and vital factors for marketers. Attitudes to a company make a company image. Therefore, a strong company image offers good business. The Attitude is often supposed to reproduce a persons deep values; it means that the attitudes are used as an evaluative tool. We weigh products, people, and events and so forth by using our involvements and attitudes the first parts of the consumer behavior process is the base that leads to the consumers final decision-making. So one realizes why it is of importance for the companies to study about the consumers attitudes.    5. Survey In the text below I will consider each question in questionnaire separately to evaluate the Respondents answers. The questionnaire is bounded in the end of this paper. 5.1 Demographic Variables: To conclusion and analyze the respondents attitudes one need to select related Demographic variables. I have therefor used age, income and geographic area, And gender as variables, I follow them to be related and exciting in my study. The demographic variable was offered first in the questionnaire. 5.1.1 Gender: The consumer behavior and attitudes vary among the sexes. Usually women have a more attention to home furnishing compare to men. In my survey 40 percent of the respondents were men and 60 percent women. It is a good proportion . 5.1.2 Acceptation: The buying behavior and attitudes differ between the occupations. In my survey students were in majority compare to others. Student Dr. Secretory lecturer house hold 60% 8% 4% 4% 24% Obviously, international students have limited budget for buy, especially furniture. 5.1.3 Age: The respondents age, always, impact what kind of home furnishing they need. Young people are launching their first home 0-15 16-30 31-40 41-5 4% 24% 48% 24% Age 31-40 is over-represented and 0-15 is under re -presented .0-15 years old do not have their own money to buy. The most important target group for IKEA among Iranian is 31-40 years old. 5.1.4 Marriage: In my survey, 28% of respondents were single, 72% were married. This is a good proportion. People who married, they are more interesting to furnish the house compare to singles. Single married 28% 72% Number of children: 0 1 2 3 40% 12% 20% 12% 6. SURVEY QUESTION 6.1 QUESTION ONE: I am in IKEA (timely/y) 1-2 3-5 56% 44 There is no any reason for other times; it means respondents never go to IKEA more than 5 times a year. According to analysis 56% of respondents go to IKEA1-2 times a year. 6.2 QUESTION TWO: What the respondents have bought at IKEA during the past five years? Bed couch kitchen bookshelf kitchen appliances 36% 24% 12% 16% 12% 6.3 QUESTION THREE AND FOUR: According of IKEAs position in the market, the question is: Where they buy most of their furniture? Which company has the best quality? 100 percent of respondents answered were (IKEA), IKEAs strategic plan (high quality, low price, good service) is making the consumers loyal to company and it seems that the IKEA is successful. 6.4 QUESTION FIVE: I wanted to know how different aspect of IKEA was graded (1-5) Product quality: Very good Good Ok Not so good 40% 28% 28% 4% Product quality compared to price: Very good Good Ok Not so good 56% 36% 8% 0% The store location: Very good Good Ok Not so good 8% 8% 36% 44% Disposition of the store: Very good Good Ok Not so good 12% 40% 48% 0% Service: Very good Good Ok Not so good 48% 40% 12% 0% Payment method: Very good good ok not so good 20% 68% 12% 0% 7. RECOMMENDATION: According to result of survey: 100% of respondents chose IKEA for satisfying their needs of furniture instead of LUZINI, EMPIRE, and HOMES HARMONY. IKEAs target market could be women (60%),student(60%), between age31-40(48%), married(72%), who visit IKEA 1-2 times a year(56%),they bought bed(36%)and couch (24%). Respondents believes that IKEAs product quality compare to price, is very good (56%) and good (36%). IKEA location for (44%) is not so good and for (36%) is ok. IKEAs service for (48%) is very good and for (40%) is good. Around (68%) of respondents are satisfy about payment system. IKEAs furniture is more familiar between Iranian who is resident in Malaysia. Majority of respondents are satisfy about price and quality of IKEAs furniture because they are student and have a limited budget for purchasing household items. As Iranians are influenced by peer group, they are not looking for other brands such as LUZINI, HOMES HARMONYà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The other reason that IKEAs furniture is well-known between Iranian is excellent IKEAs advertising. Price, quality, advertising, innovation in producing new product, are the basic points to attract positive attitude toward IKEAs furniture. IKEA adopted its products to global market. 8. Conclusion In this part, it is obvious that many of Iranian people know very well IKEA products and also they included to middle consumer income group. Understanding, what different consumers purchase is the basic information and very interesting for IKEA. IKEA, recently has improved the rang of its products, especially in terms of furniture with approximately the same price. The majority of IKEAs consumers between Iranian are student with limited budget. I think Iranian people who staying in kualalumpur, are not familiar with another brands as much as IKEA. They introduce IKEA to each other based on their past experience and friendly recommendation. These consumers of are interest when encourage the more expensive products and have to thinking about it. IKEA advertisement for Iranian is very interesting, and consumers from low -income areas tend to buy more from IKEA. Since the price is low, the quality is high and everyday innovation in IKEAs products is obvious. IKEA gives the new idea to consumers who do not know which products they need for their house. IKEAs product attracts consumers with its innovation and considering consumers expectation. It is understandable that IKEA pay more attention on its consumers, their needs, wants, expectations, images, culture. Different age, job, purchasing power, culture, attitudes and habits needs different marketing, setting price, quality and store location because these factors obviously influence the consumers. REFERENCES: IKEA.2011.01.21 IKEA facts figures.ikea.com IKEA student information www.701 pandan.com www.Marketingpilgrim.com/2010 www.mpdailyfix.com/IKEA Blackwell, R, D;Miniard,P.W;Engel,j.f.2001 consumer behavior [13] Hyunjoo Oh, So-Yeon Yoon and Jana Hawley, what virtual reality can offer to the furniture industry, journalof textile and apparel, technology and management. Volume 4, Issue 1, summer 2004 Shiv, B. and A. Fedorikhin (1999), Heart and Mind in Conflict: The Interplay of Affect and Cognition in Consumer Decision Making, Journal of Consumer Research, 26 (December), 278-292. Cacioppo, J., S. Harkins, and R. Petty (1981), The Nature of AttitudesandCognitive Responses and Their Relationship to Behavior, Cognitive Responses in Persuasion, R. Petty, T. Ostrom, and T. Brock, eds., (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates). Zajonc, R. (1968), Attitudinal Effects of Mere Exposure, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 9, 1-27. Petty, R., R. Unnava, and A. Strathman (1991), Theories of Attitude Change, in Handbook of Consumer Behavior, T. Robertson and H. Kassarjian eds., (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall).

Immigration to the United States and America

Immigration Jennifer Lippert ENG/102 March 12, 2012 Dr. Kimberly Stanley In the United States of America, we live in a sea of opportunity. Many people come from other countries to live in America to explore those opportunities, but the laws governing immigration have failed to change with the ever-increasing immigrant population. We watch as Border States deal with the rising costs to support immigrants and wonder whether this was what the founding fathers had in mind when the first Immigration Laws were passed.We wonder about the effects on America’s economy as our immigrant population work in this country then send these U. S. dollars to their home country to support their families. We observe an ever-changing landscape continually affected by the legal and illegal immigrants who land in our great country. We contemplate whether America is the land of opportunity and the land of the free, or simply a place for immigrants to land and live for free. As citizens, it is not only our right, but also our duty, to question our leaders and our laws particularly when those laws no longer appear to fit America’s vision.Immigration laws have remained stagnant for far too long and, although immigrants were the founding fathers of our nation, it is time to examine America’s position before the social and economic costs become insurmountable. America’s founding fathers believed that immigration was necessary to increase the population of our country, but also believed that they must prove a loyalty only to America to become citizens. Beginning with George Washington, in the late eighteenth century, a statement was made that immigrants should be integrated into American life so that Fonte  Ã‚  (n. . ) â€Å"by an intermixture with our people, they, or their descendants, get assimilated to our customs, measures, laws: in a word soon become one people. â€Å"This then became a new basis for immigration. In this case, the term â€Å"assimilates † means to conform to a way of life. In a 1790 speech to Congress about immigration, James Madison argued that America should welcome those immigrants who could be incorporated into our society, but exclude those immigrants that could not readily assimilate.Thomas Jefferson was convinced that immigrants were not prepared for the new society America was building and thought the country should wait another 27 year before opening its shores. In fact, when addressing immigration in Notes on the State of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson wrote: Fonte  Ã‚  (n. d. ) They will bring with them the principles of the governments they leave, imbibed in their early youth; or, if able to throw them off, it will be in exchange for an unbounded licentiousness, passing, as is usual, from one extreme to another. It would be a miracle were they to stop precisely at the point of temperate liberty.These principles, with their language, they will transmit to their children. In proportion to their number s, they will share with us the legislation. They will infuse into it their spirit, warp and bias its direction, and render it a heterogeneous, incoherent, distracted mass. In other words, by allowing a mass immigration into such a new society, America could be allowing the immigrant population to distort the principles established by our new laws and policies. To some degree, Alexander Hamilton echoed the thoughts of Thomas Jefferson, but his emphasis was on the threat to national safety.His concern was in granting citizenship to every immigrant upon arrival in the country. He believed that there should be some proof of allegiance to America before any rights were given to new immigrants. However, both Jefferson and Hamilton shared the same beliefs that immigrants should conform to the ways of America and leave their old government attachments behind. After much debate, it appeared that Jefferson and Hamilton could claim a small victory. The Naturalization Law of 1795 was passed, wh ich required that before becoming American citizens, immigrants would have to â€Å"renounce under oath† all previous sovereign allegiances.This â€Å"renunciation clause† remains part of the naturalization law and part of the oath to the U. S. Constitution that all new citizens must take. (Fonte,  n. d. ). Changes in immigration laws over the past two centuries have certainly contributed to the overall rise in U. S. immigration statistics, but it would take almost a century before the first amendment to that law would take shape. The Naturalization Law of 1795 required five years of residence and a three-year waiting period before citizenship was granted. This allowed new immigrants the opportunity to assimilate and demonstrate allegiance to America. However, by 1868, with he end of the Civil War, the population was burgeoning with ex-slaves and their descendants who had been brought to this country without the rights of citizenship. In fact, in 1857, the Supreme Co urt ruled that African Americas were not citizens and were not entitled to the rights and privileges of citizenship. In order to rectify the situation, the Fourteenth amendment was passed which granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States of America. Interestingly enough, it would take another war and its devastation to bring about a new amendment to U. S. immigration law in 1921 with the Emergency Quota Act.Following World War I, the country faced widespread unemployment and an anti-immigration uprising. This Act limited the number of immigrants allowed to enter America from any country on an annual basis to three percent of the number of residents from that same country according to the 1910 census with the hope of maintaining the ethnic composition of America. While the quota system remained in effect until 1965, there was one additional revision to the Emergency Quota Act in 1952 with the Immigration Act of 1952, which revised the quotas and elimin ated racial distinctions from immigration policy.National quotas were eventually abolished entirely in the Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 1965 at the height of the Civil Rights movement, changing the face of America, as it was then known. According to 2011 Census statistics, the U. S. immigrant population continues to change the face of America. Not only do non-whites account for ninety two percent of the U. S. population growth in the past ten years, but also forty million foreign-born individuals now reside in the United States, making up almost thirteen percent of our population.Most of this population lives in metropolitan areas rather than the suburbs, with estimates as high as fifty percent of the population in twenty-two large cities across America. In fact, nine metropolitan areas saw their immigrant population double in the last ten years, but the five cities with the largest immigrant populations (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Houston) actually d ecreased their share of this part of the population over the last ten years dropping to a total of 38 percent of the population in 2010 compared to 43 percent in 2000.In some areas of the country, rapid growth in immigration population may create policy backlashes, which could ultimately threaten these places’ long-standing economic comfort. Given the current economic climate and high unemployment rates, do the most recent census figures show any relationship with rising immigration levels? The best available evidence suggests that neither legal nor unauthorized immigration is the cause of high unemployment, and that the higher wages and purchasing power which formerly unauthorized immigrants would enjoy were they to receive legal status would sustain new jobs (American Immigration Council,  2012).In order to make informed decisions regarding immigration reform, however, we cannot limit our assessment to the changing face of our nation; we must also examine the economic cos t to the United States. Recent studies have shown that the United States spends $113 billion annually to support both legal and illegal immigrants, but much of the total U. S. burden is borne by only a few Border States. California, for example, reports spending close to ten billion dollars a year to support its immigration population, which now accounts for almost forty three percent of its total population.Texas reports spending $4. 5 to $6 billion per year sustaining its illegal immigrant population and Arizona drops $2. 7 billion on its immigrant population. While Border States would likely argue for more stringent laws to limit the number of immigrants allowed to enter the country in order to lessen their burden, there are also States that would argue against reform to the immigration system due to its projected adverse effect on their economy. For instance, Kansas has reported that it could possibly lose up to $57. 3 million in their income if stricter immigration laws come in to affect.They claim that with change in immigration laws only comes a higher tax for their state. Kansas also claims that the State will lose millions of dollars in court costs alone if the law makes it difficult for immigrants to live and work in their State. As staggering as these numbers are, other studies show that immigrants have actually boosted the U. S. economy by bringing in $245 million to the gross domestic product. This estimate, however, is nothing compared to estimated wages of foreign employees working in the United States for less than one year which grew from $550 million in $1980 to $8. billion in 2003. These earnings, in turn, are partially returned to immigrant workers’ home countries to help support families in the form of remittances out of the United States. In fact, a study by the Bureau of Economic Analysis in 2003 reported that â€Å"a considerable share of all immigration is motivated at least in part by the opportunity to send home remittances. à ¢â‚¬  According to the study, workers’ remittances from the United States went from $4. 1 billion in 1981 to $25. 5 billion in 2003. While these reported numbers sound staggering, remittances are not considered to have a negative impact on the U.S. economy. In fact, the study also notes that remittances exceed U. S. government provided development assistance to developing countries and may be partially responsible for keeping the cost of such assistance down. America is the land of opportunity. When we look at current immigration laws, our founding fathers’ vision for growth in this country remains intact. In fact, the ideas brought forth by Jefferson and Hamilton for allegiance to the country is still a part of the renunciation oath taken by all new citizens.By the numbers, there is evidence to support immigration reform and there is evidence that the influx of immigrants to the United States actually help our economy. Until the country can come together as a whole t o fully support immigration reform, it is likely that it will take another catastrophic event to catapult immigration to the forefront of American policy reform. References Kerwin, D. (2011). Fixing Immigration. (cover story). America, 205(18), 12. Fonte, J. (n. d. ). To â€Å"Possess the National Consciousness of an American†. Retrieved from http://www. cis. org Frey, W. H. , Berube, A. , Singer, A. & Wilson, J. (2011, December). Five things the census revealed about America in 2011. State of Metropolitan America, 48, 3-4. Retrieved from http://www. brookings. edu Shackleton, R. , Palriwala, A. , & Gordon, A. (2005, May). Remittances: International Payments by Immigrants. The Congress of the United Stated congressional budget office. Retrieved from http://www. hsdl. org Bad for Business: How Anti-Immigrant Laws Can Hurt the Kansas Economy. (2011). Retrieved from http://immigrationpolicy. org American Immigration Council. (2012). Immigration Reform and Growth. Retriev ed from http://immigrationpolicy. org

Maman/Louise Bourgeois

Louise, a twelve year old girl drawing missing segments on a tapestry for her parents’ tapestry repair shop lives her life lacking the knowledge of what she is going to be when she grows up. She begins to study math which she loves to do, but she had no idea that her studies had a close association with her exceptional drawing skills. One day, coming home from school, she walks by a tapestry, and begins to reminisce about the times when she had to draw them, so it struck her. She wanted to focus her studies in art. As she began to study art, she soon found out that she also exceeded in painting. She started out small, but her hard work and determination got her to the well-known artist that we know today as Louise Bourgeois, the artist of Maman. Any art piece can have multiple interpretations depending on how you look at it, but knowing the artist’s background will give you a complete understanding of their work of art. In addition, breaking down the artistic terms and one’s interpretation on a work of art are vital and usually different compare to other spectators. Knowing the artists’ background can be quite intriguing because it shows the reason and the process of creating their art, but for Louise Bourgeois’ background, it was straight forward. She was born on Christmas day, December 25, 1911, in Paris, France and now today living in New York at age 98. Her parents anticipated that she will be a boy, and name her Louis Bourgeois after her father’s name. Despite being a girl, she still retained the name, Louise Bourgeois. She is the second oldest of her siblings, but she is actually the third oldest because the first baby died. Her older sister is six year older than her, and her younger brother is one year younger. They lived above a tapestry gallery which belongs to their parents. In 1932 when Louise passed her high school exam, her mother passed away naturally. Family members were a great deal to Louise. Each member of the family has a special part of the family’s role. While studying art and painting art pieces, she met an American art historian, Robert Watergold which she married in 1938. They adopted an orphan boy named Michel which made them move to New York. She felt guilty leaving France, but she wanted to be able to care for the orphan boy. When they moved, she gave birth to two sons in the U. S. Shortly after giving birth, she began her painting career and soon started sculpting abstract sculptures. Her art work was displayed in many museums all over the United States. She regularly exhibited her art work in museums and was an active member of the American abstract artist group. Next, she transformed her paintings into sculptures. An example of such pieces is the sculpture, The Nest in the 1990’s, which is a group of spiders with the mother watching over the little ones. Later she made a giant spider called, Maman and was first displayed outside the Tate Museum of London in 2000. When you walk by Maman, the art piece just captures your attention and draws you in. Once you are in front of this breath taking sculpture. You wonder what is underneath it; how big is it? Well, Maman means mother in French. It was first put on show outside the Tate Museum of London in 2000. The sculpture Maman is a 30 feet tall female spider constructed of stainless steel. The whole sculpture is colored black, and beneath the body, there is a sac attached to the body of the mother spider in which she carries 26 pure white marble representing eggs. In addition, there are eight long thin legs supporting the sculpture to stand up. While assembling the sculpture, Bourgeois paid careful attention to details, such as positioning the legs and detailing the legs in order to attain a well-balanced structure. The sculpture emits a strong aura with all the little details put into it. Besides the original stainless steel version owned by the Tate Museum, London, there are other several brown bronze casts, located at: Kansas City, Canada, Tokyo, Boston, Cuba, and many more. The three main artistic terms are subject matter, content, and artistic form which I will be breaking down in this sculpture. First the subject matter. The sculpture is an image of what appears to be a giant spider with a sac of eggs and eight long thin legs. Secondly, content. The giant spider looks threatening, but the eggs that she embraces in her sac give her a sense of weakness. Louise attached the sac of eggs underneath the spider’s body demonstrating that the spider is more of a mother figure like than a predator. This spider was a tribute to her mother. Ms. Bourgeois said in a statement. â€Å"She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother. † (Marie-Laure Bernadac 10) The oversize spider is also frightening which also means pain and fear to some others. So when one walks by, they can reminisce about the old memories of pain or fear. Louise Bourgeois said. â€Å"My sculpture allows me to re-experience the fear, to give it physicality so I am able to hack away at it. Fear becomes a manageable reality. Sculpture allows me to re-experience the past, to see the part in its objective, realistic proportion. † (Marie-Laure Bernadac 8) Finally, artistic form, where she placed the sac of eggs beneath the spider’s body, and the in depth designs on Maman’s legs; especially the size too. From my point of view, I wondered why she made this one so tall compare to all the other spider sculpture she made. Another spider sculpture she made is called The Nest which I have seen in person. The Nest is similar to Maman because Maman has a sac of eggs beneath her, and The Nest has smaller spiders beneath the tallest one in which it is the mother. Since The Nest is about 6 to 8 feet tall, it is saying that we are the predators because it is almost the same height as us. Why does one compare the spider to us you say? It is because we squish them when see them at home. Now she made a bigger and taller sculpture which we all know is Maman; it is saying that we are endanger now if we got too close to her eggs. The size of Maman is saying that who is looking down on whom now? Spiders can make cob webs in the corner and aggravate you. In this case, Maman wants to live her life in peace with her kids, and if you get too close the spider will fight back. Maman is a tribute to her mother because she was not only a mother, but also a best friend. Moreover, her mother was a weaver and was very clever just like a spider. Maman is almost practically a self portrait of Louise’s mother; a protective mother and defend her kids with all her might.

Novice to Expert Nurse Leader Essays

Novice to Expert Nurse Leader Essays Novice to Expert Nurse Leader Paper Novice to Expert Nurse Leader Paper NOVICE TO EXPERT NURSE LEADER By Gwen Travis Gonzaga University NURS 553 The path to nursing leadership most often progresses from novice to expert nurse and then onto a novice nurse manager. The novice nurse manager is asked to lead and rarely given the tools or knowledge to be successful in this new role. The Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition discussed by Patricia Benner includes the following five levels of competency in the clinical nurse (Benner, 1982): * Level I – NOVICE – beginners with no experience with practice situations and an inability to use discretionary judgment. Level II – ADVANCED BEGINNER – actions/decisions are based on prior experience in actual situations. * Level III – COMPETENT – actions are planned with long-range goals but lack speed or flexibility in decision-making. * Level IV – PROFICIENT – views situations as a whole rather than on an individual aspect and can revise plans in response to changes in a situation. * Level V – EXPERT – no longer relies on rules or guidelines in decision-making but intuitive understanding of the situation. Novice APN Leader As a novice nurse we are taught theoretical knowledge in school and along with the healthcare facilities policies and procedures, rely on these in our decision-making. (Gershenson, Moravick, Sellman Somerville, 2004). As we combine this theoretical foundation along with experience we can progress on through the levels toward expert nursing. The novice nurse manager needs rules to guide his/her actions. As an ASC facility administrator, I supervised a charge nurse who had been promoted to a nurse manager position. The nurse was considered an expert by her peers and surgeons. However, she had no experience/prior training with managing people, knowledge of human resources policies or financial/budget procedures. She struggled with time management, prioritizing duties and staff interpersonal relationships. She often became frustrated and made quick decisions without looking at the long-range goal or outcome of her actions and decisions. She allowed herself to be influenced by a fellow nurse who had been a co-worker when making staffing and/or disciplinary decisions. As a consequence this undermined her credibility with the surgeons and staff resulting in her leaving the facility for another position. All too often this is where the career path ends for a untrained novice manager as they question whether they have made the right decision or lose the confidence of upper management and their staff. Expert APN leader The expert advanced practice nurse leader would understand the importance of using evidence-based practice (EBP) in policy and decision-making. If the use of the latest, high-quality research is vital to optimal patient outcomes it can also transfer over to the development of staff and nursing leaders. Better trained nurses and leaders are more able to perform their jobs which should lead to the goals of improved patient care and expert staff retention. As research shows, there are several key factors involved in the development of an expert nurse manager which includes: mentorship, communication and positive feedback. (Gershenson, et al, 2004) Mentorship is critical for a novice nurse manager to assist with recognizing the changes of their new role. Constructive feedback provided by a mentor provides the novice with the benefits of years of experience and knowledge and is necessary for a novice nurse manager’s success. Effective mentorship and communication are also crucial as good (expert) leaders continue to develop their own skills and knowledge as â€Å"one can only lead others as far as they have gone themselves. † (Rizzo, 2005) An expert nurse manager/leader will see the organization and staff as a whole when planning, implementing or the revision of policies or practices. The expert advanced practice (AP) nurse leader would not have fallen victim to allowing the manipulation of a single staff member in decision-making the influenced the staff as a whole. We as APN leaders should strive to break the tradition of training future nursing leaders through â€Å"trial and error† and assist our colleagues in building the skills used in EBP within our practice settings. EBP must be a component when developing, implementing and evaluating current practices in future staff and leadership development as employees are an organization’s greatest resource and â€Å"a developing employee is a motivated employee. (Rizzo, 2005) References Benner, P. (1982). From novice to expert. The American Journal of Nursing, 82(3), 402-407. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Gershenson, T. , Moravick, D. , Sellman, E. , Somerville, S. (2004) Career scope: Northeast. Expert to novice: a nurse leader’s evolution. Nursing Management, 35(6), 49-52. Retrieved from EBSCOho st. Rizzo, M. D. , (2005). Tools for Novice Health Care Clinical Administrators. The Health Care Manager, 24(1), 3-11. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Biography of Chilean President Michelle Bachelet

Biography of Chilean President Michelle Bachelet Known for:  First woman elected as president of Chile; first woman minister of defense in Chile and Latin America Dates:  Born September 29, 1951. Elected president of Chile, January 15, 2006; inauguration March 11, 2006, served until 11 March 2010 (term limited). Elected again in 2013, inauguration March 11, 2014. Occupation:  President of Chile; pediatrician You might also be interested in:  Margaret Thatcher,  Benazir Bhutto,  Isabel Allende About Michelle Bachelet On January 15, 2006, Michelle Bachelet became Chiles first woman president-elect. Bachelet came in first in the December 2005 election but did not manage to win a majority in that race, so she faced a runoff in January against her nearest opponent, a billionaire businessman, Sebastian Pinera. Earlier, she was a minister of defense in Chile, the first woman in Chile or all of Latin America to serve as a minister of defense. Bachelet, a Socialist, is generally considered a center-leftist. While three other women have won presidential elections in the Americas (Janet Jagan of Guyana, Mireya Moscoso of Panama, and Violeta Chamorro of Nicaragua), Bachelet was the first to win a seat without first becoming known through a husbands prominence. (Isabel Peron was her husbands vice-president in Argentina and became president after his death.) Her term in office ended in 2010 because of term limits; she was reelected in 2013 and began serving another term as president in 2014. Background Michelle Bachelet was born in Santiago, Chile, on September 29, 1951. Her fathers background is French; her paternal great-grandfather emigrated to Chile in 1860. Her mother had Greek and Spanish ancestry. Her father, Alberto Bachelet, was an air force brigadier general who died after being tortured for his opposition to Augusto Pinochets regime and support of Salvador Allende. Her mother, an archaeologist, was imprisoned in a torture center with Michelle in 1975 and went into exile with her. In her early years, before her fathers death, the family moved frequently and even lived in the United States briefly when her father worked for the Chilean Embassy. Education and Exile Michelle Bachelet studied medicine from 1970 to 1973 at the University of Chile in Santiago, but her education was interrupted by the military coup of 1973 when Salvador Allendes regime was overthrown. Her father died in custody in March of 1974 after being tortured. The familys funds were cut off.  Michelle Bachelet had worked secretly for the Socialist Youth and was imprisoned by the Pinochet regime in 1975 and held in the torture center at Villa Grimaldi, along with her mother.   From 1975-1979 Michelle Bachelet was in exile with her mother in Australia, where her brother had already moved, and East Germany, where she continued her education as a pediatrician.   Bachelet married  Jorge Dvalos while still in Germany, and they had a son, Sebastin. He, too, was a Chilean who had fled the Pinochet regime. In 1979, the family returned to Chile. Michelle Bachelet completed her medical degree at the University of Chile, graduating in 1982.  She had a daughter, Francisca, in 1984, then separated from her husband about 1986.  Chilean law made divorce difficult, so Bachelet was unable to marry the physician with whom she had her second daughter in 1990. Bachelet  later studied military strategy at Chiles National Academy of Strategy and Policy and at the Inter-American Defense College in the United States.   Government Service Michelle Bachelet became Chiles Minister of Health in 2000, serving under socialist President Ricarco Lagos. She then served as Minister of Defense under Lagos, the first woman in Chile or Latin America to hold such a post. Bachelet and Lagos are part of a four-party coalition, Concertacion de Partidos por la Democracia, in power since Chile restored democracy in 1990. Concertacion has focused on both economic growth and spreading the benefits of that growth throughout segments of society. After her first term as president, 2006 - 2010, Bachelet took a position as the Executive Director of UN Women (2010 - 2013).

Describe the technical and ethical considerations with personal Essay

Describe the technical and ethical considerations with personal information being shared by Google on the web so that consumers are targeted based on their likes - Essay Example Consumers are also bombarded with emails from manufacturers or companies that continuously trail their interests. Some companies even go as far as to intercept people’s email messages and this makes such an act a great infringement of rights to privacy (Lin, 67). The threat to freedom posed by companies trailing internet users for their consumer clients takes a toll on internet users in that they lose their dignity and spontaneity (Lin, 79). It is not fair for Google to share its client’s information with manufacturers or companies, especially if the information is confidential. Many internet users have put their faith in the company that whatever information they provide on Google as private will be kept that way, private (Lin, 88). With enough evidence that Google may be sharing confidential user information, clients of Google may lose faith in the search engine so as to withdraw their usage of the site. This may hurt the company’s reputation hugely and even cause grate financial troubles (Lin,

Penetrating testing techniques Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Penetrating testing techniques - Research Paper Example This article will analyze some of these modern computer attacks, how they happen and ways of mitigating them. A DDoS attack is an ill attempt to make a network or server resource unavailable to users, often through disrupting or suspending the services of a connected host from the internet. The DDoS attack can be achieved by two main ways. First, the attacker, using malware or Trojan can take over several computers on the internet, creating a botnet in the process. Secondly, the attacker then controls the affected computers and makes them attack simultaneously the target thus achieving their initial goal (Gu & Liu, 2007). The DDoS attacks can be resolved, mainly through the incorporation of blocking and detection mechanisms, that apply even during the spoofed attacks, when attacker profiles and identities are constantly changing. Others include, giving more complete capabilities of verification than either IDS signatures or static routers filters can provide. Prevent dependence on configuration changes or network device resources. In-built intelligence processes being infused with only contaminated traffic packets that would guarantee minimum scaling costs and maximum reliance. Implement procedures for communication standards to help guarantee maximum reliability and interoperability. Blocking and identifying individual spoofed packages to guard genuine business transactions (Patel & Patel, 2014). TCP session, or session hijacking, is generally a means of taking over a session of a web user by obtaining surreptitiously the session Id and pretending to be the official session user. Once accessed, the invader can pretend to be the official user and freely access and manipulate data as they please. Hackers popularly use routed IP packets from the original source to hijack a session. Through re-routing the communication to go through his computer, he can communicate with the different machines simultaneously. An effective example of such

Write responses for discussions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Write responses for discussions - Assignment Example synchronizing limb movements to facilitate walking or effecting steps that enable the patient to carry out more intricate activities. Early mobilization of the patient also equips the patients with alternatives to actions they could do initially with ease such as bathing, dressing, driving etc. Recuperative treatment begins in the acute-care hospital unit, within 24-48 hours after the stroke, well after the patient’s condition has stabilized. Firstly, we the therapy involves inducing and promoting autonomous movements because stroke patients are often paralyzed and destabilized. Patients are encouraged to shift their position regularly and indulge reflexive and dynamic array of activity exercises to bolster the action of their TIA-impaired limbs. With reference to the extent of injury to the brain, the patient’s condition may improve gradually and steadily from sitting up, aided movement between the bed and a chair to standing, bearing their own weight, and walking independently or aided. Staffs at the mobilization unit, nurses and therapists, help recovering patients to perform more complex and demanding tasks, such as bathing, dressing, and using a toilet, and motivate patients to use their TIA affected limbs. Cumming, T. B., Thrift, A. G., Collier, J. M., Churilov, L., Dewey, H. M., Donnan, G. A., & Bernhardt, J. (2011). Very Early Mobilization After Stroke Fast-Tracks Return to Walking Further Results From the Phase II AVERT Randomized Controlled Trial.  Stroke,  42(1),

The Dangers of Concussions in US Sports Essay Example for Free

The Dangers of Concussions in US Sports Essay Concussions in Sports Given the potential for life threatening brain injuries or career ending head shots, concussions have become a growing problem in sports around the world. A phrase all too common in sports today is, he got his bell rung. This is, of course, referring to a big hit or gruesome body check sustained in a football or hockey game. Currently, there is a lack of suitable evidence to support the recommendations for the management of traumatic cerebralor brain injuries. Recognizing and managing the effects of concussions is especially important to those involved in the health care of athletes (Sports Related Concussions). Head injuries are inherent risks that can occur in any sport, not just football and hockey. The question is, how can we prevent these grim and life threatening injuries from happening? I believe neurocognitive research and on the field testing are among the most vital ways to manage concussions as well as benefit the health care of athletes. Background: In the United States, you have a 19% chance of suffering a concussion while playing a contact sport; moreover, over 300,000 sports related concussions occur annually. Among college football players, 34% have reported at least one serious head injury during their career; additionally, 20% of these injured athletes have sustained multiple head traumas. Concussions often cause significant and sustained neuropsychological impairments in information-processing speed, problem solving, planning, and memory, and these impairments are worse with multiple concussions (Sports Related Concussions). Definition: The brain is made of soft tissue cushioned by spinal fluid, and is encased in the hard, protective skull. When a person gets a head injury, the brain moves around inside the skull and bangs against it. This can lead to bruising of the brain, tearing of blood vessels, and injury to the nerves (Quinn). A concussion of the brain results in transient loss of consciousness or memory in many cases (Dictionary.com). NeurocognitiveTesting: Concussions and brain injuries are among the most difficult to identify. Very few athletes actually lose consciousness, which is one of the most common symptoms. Many athletes are simply fervent to return to the field, which could cause even more harm. Returning to play too soon after a brain injury or concussion, may lead to serious life-threatening complications. A computerized neurocognitive test, combined with a thorough medical exam, may better assist a trained physician with the return-to-play decision (Computerized). One particular evaluation tool, the ImPACT test, has become renowned among all professional sports teams. Developed by Dr. Joseph Maroon, a Pittsburgh Steeler neurosurgeon, the ImPACT test utilizes a twenty minute quiz involving words, pictures, and colors. Medical doctors analyze the results and compare them to a baseline test taken in the beginning of the athletes season (Yahoo Sports). With the increase of attention to sports related head injuries, doctors are seeing more and more tests and products that claim to identify or prevent head injuries. According to Dr. Lovell, mouthpieces, ear pieces, and helmets are great for research purposes, but they cant tell if someone has been injured or if they should be playing (Yahoo Sports). On-Field or Sideline Evaluation: When an athlete is suspected of having a concussion, one of the best ways to detect a serious head injuryis through the evaluation of symptoms, neurocognitive functioning, and balance immediately after the injury occurs. The National Athletic Trainers Association suggests a checklist such as, the Graded Symptom Checklist, should be used when evaluatinga head injury. By checking off symptoms and watching the athlete over a period of 72 hours, you can greatly reduce any chance of reoccurrence. Another suggested method of evaluation is the Standardized Assessment of Concussion Exam; this test utilizes four graded sections, which include: orientation, immediate memory, concentration, and delayed recall. This 30 point test can be completed in about five minutes and is easily given right on the side line during a game. Another test, the Balance Error Scoring System, can easily be performed by a trainer of coach. The athlete stands in three different positions and is timed for 20 seconds each; ultimately, the less coordination the player shows, the higher the risk of a concussion is evident (kch.illinois.edu). How do Concussions occur? Concussions can happen in any sport, at any time. They can occur during drills in practice, as well as in games. In fact, injuries during practice can be just as serious as those that happen during a game. Although more prevalent in contact sports, they may result from a fall, or when a moving object strikes a persons head. A blow that twists the head is more likely to result in loss of consciousness (Familydoctor.org). Mechanism of Injury: Studies show the most common mechanism of a concussion is when an athlete is moving at a high rate of speed and collides with another object (Quinn). Immediately, the brain shifts inside the skull and strikes the bony surfaces. A direct impact to an athletes head causes shock waves to pass through the skull to the brain. This violent impact creates acceleration which may lead to shear, tensile and compression forces. On average, three to five percent of all sport and recreational injuries are head injuries (Quinn), Signs and Symptoms: The signs of a concussion do not always immediately appear. Headache, amnesia, and confusion, dizziness, slurred speech, and fatigue are the most common symptoms of concussions. In addition, the duration of time that symptoms are present is often indefinable, and depends on the extent of the injury (Mayoclinic.com). Even a minor blow to the head can result in a concussion; if left untreated, it can result in a life-threatening complication (Internationalbrain.org). Sidney Crosby, a National Hockey League super star for the Pittsburgh Penguins, is currently not playing this post season after a concussion he sustained on New Years Day. Unfortunately, he was cleared to play the very next game, and suffered another blow to the head. Sidney was symptom free after the first hit, and apparently, he did not show signs of concussions until the second hit. Had Crosby been given a better on-ice evaluation, he would not have been cleared to play, and could have evaded the second concussion all together. Additionally, the problem is just as prevalent in the National Football League. At the University of North Carolinas Center for the Study of Retired Athletes, studies of brain injuries were performed on more than 2,500 former N.F.L. players. These studies found that cognitive impairment, Alzheimers-like symptoms and depression rose proportionately with the number of concussions the former athletes had sustained (Quinn). N.F.L. player, Andre Waters committed suicide in November 2004, and an explanation for his death has remainedunknown for years. He left a suicide note stating he would like to leave his brain for science to further study the effects of concussions. A Pittsburgh neuropathologist, Dr. Bennet Omaluh, was given permission to perform such tests. The doctor concluded that Mr. Waters had sustained brain damage from playing football, and said this led to his depression and death. The doctor determined that Mr. Waterss brain tissue had degenerated into that of an 85 year-old man with similar characteristics as those of early stage Alzheimers victims. Dr. Omalu said he believed that the damage was caused by successive concussions (neurosurgery.pitt.edu). I believe there needs to be congressional help in combating this difficult issue of athletic concussions. Wearing a good quality helmet, a mouthpiece, and strengthening the neck muscles can help prevent concussions; however, much responsibility lies on the doctors, coaches, and surrounding medical staff. Also, although athletes may be eager to return to play, they need to be honest with the examiner, telling him or her exactly how they feel (EHow.com). On the field baseline neurocognitive test may be our best hope for the time being, that is, until more research on concussions and the equipment players use can be conducted.