Film Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Film - Assignment Example This movie will definitely be an extremely valuable content for inclusion in our course and it will immensely benefit the students in the understanding and adopting measures to combat the problem. Engaging the students with assignments based on the series will help them further in appreciating the complexities. This can prompt them to work on creating awareness about the problem in their families as well as communities and such measures can go a long way in preparing the society in a better way to encounter the issue. The Bogalusa Heart Study, touted as the first of its kind that autopsied children to find â€Å"evidence of heart disease,† confirms that 20% of them had fat deposits and also manifested high blood pressure and cholesterol level (Chaykin 2012). This also is the first scientific evidence that fat deposits â€Å"involved in heart disease† can be present in children (Chaykin 2012). The most unique fact is that it continued for over 40 years, following more than â€Å"16000 children† into their adulthood (Chaykin 2012). The study has further established that about 77 percent of the participants in the research are found to be obese as adults. Besides, it reveals that over 50% of Bogalusa children are obese, which is a matter of significant worry. Overall, this research has been the only one of its kind and can set an example for and guide future studies on obesity as well as other diseases. When the weight of a person increases, body fat accumulates around the middle and, as a result, changes occur in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. However, these changes may not be easily discernible for a person to understand it in the normal course. However, unattended, the problems may end up in cardio-vascular diseases and may cause death. More importantly, for the first time, the Bogalusa research shows that

Ethics and Corporate Governance in Al Hilal Bank Term Paper

Ethics and Corporate Governance in Al Hilal Bank - Term Paper Example Responsibilities of the board should not be taken lightly. The overall responsibility of a bank is with the board including approving the banking strategies, risk strategies, corporate governance, and corporate values. All the financial soundness of the bank is on the board. The board should check the whole strategy of the bank taking into account all the risk and effective planning to reduce the risks and its capacity to cope with risks efficiently. The board must take into account and must know the legitimate interest of shareholders, stockholders, depositors, and their relevant customers. Also, the effective relationship with the supervisor should also be maintained properly. Board of directors should practice their duties of conduct and duties of loyalty followed by keeping up with a change in the bank’s business and external environment. A responsible behavior proves to be an essential foundation in good governance. So the board should carry its responsibilities effectively maintaining professional standards that ensure integrity for management and other employees. Low-key employees and other workers should be allowed to communicate about illegal and unethical practices as such practices can negatively impact on bank’s reputation and profile. Important steps should be taken to communicate throughout the bank and professional standers to without any danger report concerns or violation of any particular body. By applicable laws and regulations the board can elect and if necessary can replace the senior management if it sees that they are not performing their required task properly. The senior management actions and activities should be monitored consistently to check whether they are working in their frame. The meeting with senior management should be held regularly. A board should demand critical explanations and ask questions if found necessary related to their assigned tasks. It should make sure that senior management performance should be consistent with the long-term objective, banking strategies and financial soundness of a bank. Senior management expertise and knowledge should be appropriate given the nature of the bank and its profile.

IS CBT EFFECTIVE IN MANAGING SCHIZOPHRENIA Essay

IS CBT EFFECTIVE IN MANAGING SCHIZOPHRENIA - Essay Example According to the http://www.schizophrenia.com/szfacts.htm, there is no cure for schizophrenia so all talk of "treatment" or "therapy" may pertain to â€Å"management† and not actual â€Å"treatment† of the condition. In this work, we review three articles that I consider important in how cognitive behaviour therapy can be useful in the management and treatment of schizophrenia. We review three studies: Barrowclough et al. (2006), Turkington et al. (2006a) and Turkington et al. (2006b). Barrowclough et al. (2006) sought to evaluate the effectiveness of group cognitive behavioural therapy for schizophrenia. To do so, 113 people with chronic schizophrenia, the Barrowclough et al. study assigned each of the 113 people to receive either the group cognitive-behavioural therapy or the usual treatment. The primary measure employed to assess the efficacy of treatment were the positive symptom improvement on the positive and negative syndrome scales while the secondary measures w ere â€Å"secondary outcome measures† like symptoms, functioning, relapses, hopelessness and self-esteem (Barrowclough et al. 2006, p. 527). The finding of Barrowclough et al. (2006) is that there was no significant difference between the two methods of treatment. However, the individuals subjected to group cognitive-behavioural therapy have a reduction in â€Å"feelings of hopelessness and in low self-esteem.† Thus, the conclusion of the Barrowclough et al. (2006) study is that â€Å"although the group cognitive-behavioural therapy may not be the optimum treatment for reducing hallucinations and delusions, it may have important benefits, including feeling less negative about oneself and less hopeless† (p. 527). The Barrowclough et al. (2006) study exhibited adequate adherence to professional and research ethics. Perhaps, an important indication of this is that the study sought an ethical agreement with the local research ethics committee. The inclusion criteria for the study are very clear in Barrowclough et al. (2006, p. 527). One of the inclusion criteria is that informed consent from the patient was required although the study does not discuss whether the informed consent is merely verbal or written or whether the relatives or the guardians of the patients were made co-signatories in the informed consent mechanism. I believe that concurrence of relatives or guardians may be necessary because schizophrenic patients may be considered legally incompetent to respond to requests for consent (even if symptoms have not exacerbated six months prior to the study). In building cognitive behavioural therapy groups, the study built groups from the 113 individuals who were the subject of research. Those who administered the group cognitive-behavioural therapy composed another group who operated a program independent of the Barrowclough et al. research team. In the opinion of this researcher, the Barrowclough made due consideration for the welfare o f patients by putting in their inclusion criteria the requirement that the patient had one month of stabilisation if they had experienced a symptom exacerbation in the last six months (Barrowclough et al. 2006, p. 527). At the same time, however, the inclusion criterion implies that the results of the study should be qualified or that the positive benefits of the group cognitive behavioural therapy for schizophrenia, if any, apply only to that population

Processes of Communication

Processes of Communication We shall study the process and elements of communication. This will: Describe the process of communication Explain the elements of communication Describe the importance of communication process in our everyday life Introduction Communication is a process of sharing of ideas, facts, opinions and the manner by which receiver of the message shares meanings and understanding with another. The objective of any communication process is to send a set of knowledge, in the form of signs, words or visuals, to a specific destination. However, there are certain parameters which are responsible for this entire process. This lesson will focus on those essential factors which make communication process successful. Process of Communication Communication is a process that uses a set of media to transmit ideas, facts, and feelings from one person to another. For thousands of years messages were communicated through spoken voice, when the sender and the receiver were in face-to-face situation. Even today in India, oral communication seems to be a part of majority population. In face-to-face communication sender gets an immediate feedback. He then easily knows about the impact, further needs or demands of the receiver immediately. In this type of communication, the process remains limited to the sender and the receiver, where in, the channel is the spoken language. Let us take another example of a teacher teaching in a class. The teacher is using various combinations of basic forms of communication- spoken, written and visual. In the lecture, the teacher uses a black board or shows the chart. He also combines written words with spoken words. In this process, the sender becomes the teacher, the receiver becomes the students, and the channel becomes the audio-visual mode of teaching. The sender of the message selects when and what to communicate and also decides an appropriate medium for its transmission. The receiver takes the message, interprets, perceives and responds to it. The entire chain here becomes the communication process. As a process, it is routine and continues forever. Every time a person transmits the facts, ideas, opinions or feelings, another person responds in turn communicating facts, ideas, feelings or attitudes. It is a never ending process which is cyclic in nature. According to Wilbur Schramm, communication requires three things: The source The message The destination The source may be an individual speaking, nodding, gesturing or writing. The message may be in the form of sound-waves in the air, or a wave of the hand or a written letter etc. The important thing is that it should be conveyed clearly so that the receiver can interpret it easily. The destination may be an individual who is listening, watching or reading the message or it may be a group of people listening to a lecture or watching a film. Harold Lasswell suggested a convenient method of describing the process of communication. Answering the following questions holds the key to understand the act of communication. The questions are- Who? Says what? In which channel? To whom? With what effect? Suppose two persons A and B are talking on telephone. Person A:Â  Hello, how are you? Person B:Â  I am fine, thank you. How are you? When are you visiting us? Person A:Â  I am fine too. I am coming tomorrow at 6 p.m. to your place. Person B:Â  Shall I pick you up from the airport? Person A:No thanks dear, I will reach myself. Person B:Â  All right, I will wait for you. In the above conversation, ‘Person A’ initiates the discussion then he is the source. ‘Who’ therefore means communicator or the source. ‘Person A’ is communicating to ‘Person B’. ‘Person B’ is the destination or ‘whom’. If the discussion is on phone then telephone is the channel used. Whatever ‘Person A’ is conveying to ‘Person B’ becomes the message. When ‘Person B’ responds to the message it is the feedback. Let’s see the Lasswell model once again: According to David K. Berlo, the whole sequence of communicating or the communication process involves six steps. The source or the initiator of the message encodes his thoughts, ideas, desires, objectives, and a purpose for communication, which is translated into a signs, symbols or code or a language. This is performed by the encoder who is responsible of taking the ideas of the source and putting them in a code, expressing the source’s purpose in a form of a message. The receiver is the target of any communication. The receiver decodes what is being communicated to him by the sender. He interprets the message and reacts accordingly. Thus, there are a few imperative components of communication which are the unchanging and dynamic essentials. Communication bridges the gap between two or more persons (sender and receiver) through producing and receiving messages which have meaning for both. How does communication take place? Encodes Decodes Sender2. Message 3. Channel4. Receiver Decodes Encodes 6. Feedback Sender of the message, first of all conceives the message in his mind and he encodes it in symbol, painting, music etc. The message thus encoded is transmitted to the receiver through a channel. The channel can be direct face-to-face-talk, telephonic conversation or through letters etc. The receiver of the message decodes it and after understanding it gives a proper response to it. If the response goes back to the sender then it is called feedback. Because of the feedback, the sender modifies his message or mode of communication to make it more effective. For Instance, if we talk about a famous film ‘Rang De Basanti’. Here, the sender is the director of the film Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra. The message is the film itself, the channel is cinema, receiver is the audience and the feedback of the film is that it was a hit. ________________________________________________________________________________ Elements of communication The elements involved in communication process are: Sender Message Encoding Channel Receiver Decoding Feedback SENDER The sender is the communicator of the message. He is the one who transmits the message. He conceives and initiates the message. He is the one who thinks of an idea that he wants to communicate and accordingly fixes on a specific channel, to the capacity of the receiver. He transmits the message in such manner that it is easily understandable to the receiver. MESSAGE Message can be defined as a data, idea or information, spoken or written, to be passed from one person to another. It is the subject matter of communication. It may involve any fact, idea, opinion, figure, attitude or course of action, including information. Message is constructed by a set of codes that has an interpretation and an individual understanding to both sender and the receiver. The code could be verbal, non-verbal or written. A code can be defined as group of symbols that can be structured in a meaningful way. Languages are codes, which contain elements like sounds, letters, words, etc. For instance, a song is a code, which has notes, syntax, tune, rhythm etc. Any form of communication thus requires code. Thus, message exists in the mind of the sender, who selects a set of codes to encode the message according to the needs of receiver. ENCODING The process of converting the subject matter into a set of codes or symbols is called encoding. The transmission of a message from sender to the receiver requires the use of codes. Therefore, the sender plans to encode the message in a particular way, depending upon the receptive power of the receiver. The sender or the communicator constructs the message using a set of codes. These codes encode the ideas for the receiver in a specific format and thereafter are delivered to its destination in the form of a message. CHANNEL After message is encoded in a format, sender decides a channel to transmit the message. Communication channel refers to medium or media through which the message is disseminated. The channel or mode of communication should be selected by the sender in such a way that it is fully understood by the receiver. For example, if the message is a song, the channel becomes the audio medium of communication. If the message is in written forms, the channel can be in the form of letters, reports, manuals, circulars, notes, books etc. Television and films use audio-visual channels of communication. RECEIVER Receiver refers to the person to whom the message is intended. Sender of the message constructs a particular message for the receiver. The receiver decodes the message and understands it. He should be mentally and emotionally prepared to receive the message. Message should be conveyed in such a manner that the receiver is able to comprehend it fully. An effective communication can not take place without the presence of receiver. He receives, interprets, perceives, understands and acts upon the message. For example if the message is a film, the receiver is the audience. DECODING When encoded message is translated and understood by the receiver, it is called decoding. The receiver converts the symbols, words or signs received from the sender to know the meaning of the message. Decoding of the message depends on the perception and the interpretation of the receiver alone. Decoding makes the message clearer and it is converted into ordinary understandable language by the receiver. FEEDBACK On receiving the message, the reactions given by the receiver is called his feedback. Feedback is very essential in the process of communication. The continuity in communication is established only when feedback is generated. Communication is a process of action and reaction. Exchange of responses is an imperative thing in this process. Unless the sender is not aware of the response or feedback of the receiver, he cannot communicate further to make the communication effective. The sending back of knowledge about the message to the transmitter is known as feedback. For example, if the film is a message, the receiver is the audience, the feedback becomes the responses of the audience i.e. if they liked the film or not. Assignments Class Assignments Whispering Gallery Play the game ‘Whispering Gallery’. The game can be played with a group of 10-15 students. A class can be divided into three or four such groups. The game begins with a group leader whispering a message to the first member of the group, who then whispers it to the second and so on, till the message reaches the last member of the group. The leader checks to see how much the message has been changed. All groups may discuss the reasons for the transformation of the messages while they were playing the game. Write down what the game tells about the communication process. Home Assignments Draw the process of communication. Fill the following table: Summing Up Communication is often considered as an activity only. In reality, it is actually a process. The process of communication includes transmission of information, ideas, emotions, skills, and knowledge. This is done with the help of symbols, words, pictures, figures, graphs, drawings, and illustrations, etc. Again, communication is the process by which we understand and in turn try to be understood by others. It is dynamic, constantly changing and shifting in response to the overall situation. Therefore, communication can be described as the interchange of thoughts or ideas. This is also referred as sharing of meaning. The thought is conceived by the sender and reaches the receiver after going through all the steps in the ‘information transfer’ or communication process. The sender first process the thought he has received for clarity as to what exactly he wants to convey to his receiver. Once there is clarity in the message to be transmitted sender decides channel through which he wants to convey the message. When the message reaches the receiver he interprets the message and follows the same steps that were followed by the sender. Possible answers to Self-Check questions (c) We cannot communicate through gestures. Sender-Message-Channel-Receiver-Response of the receiver Sender, Message, Encoding, Channel, Decoding, Receiver, Feedback True Encoding (a) Converting message in an understandable language. Terminal Questions Explain the components of the communication process Explain Harold Lasswell’s process of communication in detail. According to Wilbur Schramm, what are the three essential things to the process of communication? Explain in detail. Suggested Further Readings 1. Communication- C.S Rayudu (Himalaya Publishing House) 2. Mass Communication in India- Kewal J. Kumar (Jaico Publications) 3. Mass Communication Theory- Denis McQuail (Sage) 4. Understanding Mass Communication- Defleur Dennis (Hougptons Mifflin Company) Keywords Source: A place from which something comes, arises, or is obtained; origin. Transmission: To send or forward something to a recipient or destination. Response: An answer or reply, as in words or in some action. Destination: The place to which a person, thing or a message travels or is sent. Feedback: A reaction or response to a particular process or activity. Receiver: A person or audience that is being informed. Channel: A medium, carrier or a method through which something is directed. Encoding: To convert a message into a form that can be received by the receiver. Decoding: To convert a message from code into ordinary language. Interpretation: An explanation of the meaning of anothers artistic or creative work; an elucidation.

The Individuals with Disability Education Act Policy Essay -- Politics

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which is a supersession of the Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 is a federal law which requires states and their school districts to provide individuals with disabilities a free and appropriate education. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. US Department Of Education (n.d.) The population that IDEA intends to effect is children between the ages of three and twenty one years of age who have a specific disability that has an adverse effect on the student’s performance. Children who qualify under IDEA are provided with services and accommodations individualized to meet their needs. IDEA entitles all children suspected of having some form of disability to an evaluation by a team and at no cost to the parents or guardians. If the child is determined to need special education and related services, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is developed based on each child’s specific needs which are decided by both team and parents/guardians. Encyclopedia of Educational Psychology (2008) Once covered under an IEP, the students with disabilities are re-evaluated at least every three years and their IEP’s is reviewed when a change in place occurs. This is most often annually as they go from grade to grade. IDEA recognizes autism, deaf-blindness, deafness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, other health impairment (i.e., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury and visual impairment. An evaluation for services under I... ...EA: Policy Solutions to Improve US Special Education. Retrieved April 16, 2011, from http://www.brookings.edu/ DiNitto, D. M. (2011). Social Welfare: Politics and Public Policy (7th ed.). : Allyn & Bacon. Encyclopedia of Educational Psychology (2008). Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Retrieved April 9, 2011, from http://www.sage-ereference.com/educationalpsychology/Article_n139.html Lloyd, PhD, C. M., & Rosman, PhD, E. (2005). Infants and Young Children. Exploring Mental Health Outcomes for Low-income Mothers of Children with Special Needs: Implications for Policy and Practice, 18(3), 186-199. National Association of Social Workers (2008). Code of Ethics. Retrieved April 16, 2011, from http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/default.asp US Department Of Education (n.d.). Building the Legacy of IDEA. Retrieved April 9, 2011, from http://idea.ed.gov

Boston’s Central Artery Project Essay

Boston’s Central Artery Project undertook a massive-large scale operation to shift their highway underground. This project was named ‘The Big Dig’ due to the large scale drilling to make tunnels that could support highway like traffic and be open all year round. Due to its large scale operations, the construction required a lot of investment that could only be funded by issuing bonds. This paper describes the calculation for the bond to make it successful for the construction to be viable. Methods The case gives some important information that will help in completing this problem. The cost of the bond is given as 15 Billion while the interest rate to be charged is given as 5%. Since most bonds have a semi-annual interest payments, this bond’s value will be calculated on this value as well. What we need to find is the cost for the bond to be returned and the total interest payments over the life of the bond till its maturity. With the sum of these two figures, we will get the total cost the government has incurred on this project. After this is we just need to calculate how many cars would pass from that highway in thirty years and then we will divide the sum of the costs by the total number of cars passed in thirty years to get the exact value at which the project will break-even. Results The result from the calculations driven by dividing the total cost to be returned by the number of cars in 30 years shows that a toll price of $17. 123 should be charged to break-even the cost for the whole financing operation. Recommendations The toll price is too high if we calculate the expected life of the highway to be 30 years (same as the finance life). However, in reality the highway’s life would be much greater than 30 years. Approximately the life is expected to be 50 years at least. Considering this factor, the answer would differ and would come to be around $10. However another factor to consider would be the increase in the traffic in the future that would further reduce the price of the toll. However at the moment this price is too high and would need to be brought down to allow the motorists to travel via this route.

Mexican Immigrant Life and Americanization in the 1920’s Essay

In his book, Major Problems in Mexican American History, Zaragosa Vargas describes the Mexican Immigrant experience from 1917-1928. He begins by assessing the Protestant religious experience for a Mexican in the early 1920’s, and then describes Mexican life in both Colorado in 1924 and Chicago in 1928. After defending Mexican Immigrants in 1929, he includes an outline of an Americanization program, followed by an anecdote of a Mexican immigrant in the 1920’s. Vargas uses these documents to show the evolvement of Americanization of Mexicans from a community goal to a societal demand. Vargas begins with the Mexican Immigrant experience in the early 1920’s, and describes it mostly as a community project spearheaded by the Church and called for the aid of volunteers. The children learned and studied English in school, so the programs focused mostly on courses in English for the wives and mothers of the community. These English courses consisted mostly of vocabulary for familiar and most frequently seen objects. Sunday schools resulted from this process, and in turn made way for the development of night schools, clinics, an employment bureau, and a boys and girl’s club. In Colorado in 1924, Mexicans played a respectable role in society as not only a decent part of the population, but also the labor force. Spanish-Americans took a notable part in politics, and were involved in many occupations that included mostly agriculture, mining, and steel works. The recreation was also important to Spanish-American life in Colorado; the somewhat newly developed buildings were a source of community for many. Mexicans in Chicago in 1928, Vargas argues, lived a very different lifestyle and endured different hardships than the Mexicans in the Southwest. They were a much smaller part of the community, consisting of small, well-defined neighborhoods and several smaller less defined colonies. These Mexicans lived in the poorest houses in these neighborhoods, and most buildings guaranteed poor living conditions for these families. Employment only came certain times during the year when demand for labor was high, and it was the Mexicans who suffered most when certain industries reduced labor. In the words of Anita Edgar Jones, â€Å"They are the last to arrive and the first to be laid off† (Vargas). Mexican Life in Chicago during this time period served as a temporary solution for many families as they moved from recent arrivals to a more desirable place with better opportunity as they became more established and stabilized. Some neighborhoods were poorly organized for recreation, and even lacked Spanish-speaking employees at their community or recreation centers. Communities also lacked a Spanish-speaking priest, which is evidently different from early Americanization programs implemented in the Southwest in the early 1920’s. After addressing and defending most of the problems of Mexican Immigration in 1929, Vargas moves on to an outline of a typical Americanization program in 1931, where the Mexican Immigrant experience evolved from a community project that supported and encouraged Mexican assimilation, to a list of demands and requirements for Mexican and Spanish Americans to be acceptable members of society. Vargas uses these documents to show the progression of assimilation of Spanish Americans and Mexican immigrants into American society in the 1920’s. The life of a Mexican Immigrant during this time was very taxing, and these Americanization programs were used as a tool to attempt to create a society that operated under certain ideologies and values. As a result, this created an even stronger division between cultures, and prevented assimilation of the two groups. Work Cited Vargas, Zaragoza. â€Å"The Mexican Immigrant Experience 1917-1928. † Major Problems in Mexican American History. Thomas G. Patterson. Houghton Mifflin Company 1999. 234-53.