Co-Occurring Disorders Essay

The co-occurring I chose is Schizophrenia and Alcohol Dependence, with the prevalence of Nicotine Dependence. Schizophrenia occurs in people from all cultures and all walks of life, and its characteristic symptoms are well recognized. Those symptoms include extreme oddities in perception, thinking, action, sense of self, and manner of relating to others. However, the hallmark of schizophrenia is a significant loss of contact with reality, referred to as psychosis. Taken from the DSM IV (Association, 2000), (pgs. 153-154) the criteria for schizophrenia are two or more of the following symptoms, present for a significant portion of time during a 1-month period, and lasting for six months are: Delusions. Hallucinations. Disorganized speech. Grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior. Negative symptoms. According to (Butcher & Mineka, 2010) (pg.458), â€Å"the vast majority of cases of schizophrenia begin in late adolescence and early childhood, although schizophrenia is sometimes found in children, such cases are rare. Schizophrenia tends to begin earlier in men than in women, usually between ages 20 and 24. The incidence of schizophrenia in women peaks during the same age period, but the peak is less marked than it is for men. Overall, the average age of onset of schizophrenia is around 25 years for men and around 29 years for women†. Alcohol Dependence is a state, psychic and usually also physical, resulting from alcohol use, and is characterized by behavioral and other responses that always include a compulsion to take alcohol on a continuous or periodic basis in order to experience its psychic effects, and sometimes to avoid the discomfort of its absence, tolerance may or may not be present. According to the DSM IV (Association, 2000), the  criteria for alcohol dependence are a tolerance as defined by: a need for markedly increased amounts of the substance to achieve intoxication or desired effect, and the markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of the substance. The symptoms of alcohol dependence are; Withdrawal syndrome. It is taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than was intended. Unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control substance use. A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain the substance. Alcohol and nicotine dependence are extremely common among patients with schizophrenia (Drake, 2001), almost half of schizophrenic patients have a substance use disorder during their lifetime. The rate is probably even greater among high-risk groups, such as young men with a history of violence or homelessness, and among patients in acute care settings. Alcohol abuse is correlated with poor concurrent adjustment and predictive of adverse outcomes such as higher rates of homelessness, hospitalization, and incarceration. There is a huge prevalence of nicotine dependence with this co-occurring disorder. Nicotine is the most common form of substance abuse in people with schizophrenia. According to the (National Institute of Health, 2013), people with schizophrenia are driven to smoke. They smoke at three times the rate of the general population. In the general adult population age 18 years or older, the reported rate of nicotine use is 25.9%, with a 12.8% increase within the past year. In people with schizophrenia there is a reported rate of use of nicotine of 60% – 90%, a 28.5% increase within the past year. In the general population the rate of use for alcohol in people age 18 years or older is 2.9% – 17.9%, a 5.1% increase within the past year. In schizophrenic patients alcohol use has gone up from 14 to 22 percent in the 1960’s and 1970’s, to 25 to 50 percent in the 1990’s. Within the past year the reported dependence for alcohol in schizophrenic patients has gone up from 43.1% to 65%. According to (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2013) assessment issues for this co-occurring disorder are: People wh o are experiencing symptoms of schizophrenia may put up resistance to help because they do not know that something is wrong, when in reality this can be a manifestation of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The symptoms of schizophrenia can be  mistaken for an individual being intoxicated. Many individuals with symptoms of schizophrenia isolate themselves from family and friends, and many are homeless, so they are not surrounded by a support system to get them to needed help. If the professional doing the assessment doesn’t have the individual’s previous mental health background, or their family’s mental health background, they won’t be able to properly assess the disorder. The traditional treatment modality for schizophrenia has been strictly focused on psychiatry and psychotropic drugs. However today professionals should be aware that there is evidence of increasing use of alcohol and drugs by persons with schizophrenia, and a dual diagnosis should be expected. Therefore, an accurate understanding of the role of substance use disorders in the client’s psychosis requires a multiple contact, longitudinal assessment. Both psychotic and substance use disorders tend to be chronic disorders with multiple relapses and remissions, supporting the need for long-term treatment. For clients with co-occurring disorders involving psychosis, a long-term integrative approach is imperative. Treatment practices that could be harmful or contradictive for individuals with co-occurring disorders are; Untrained or unqualified staff – (staff members, whether primarily from the substance abuse treatment or mental health fields, should be knowledgeable about both disorders and their treatments. Treating one disorder without treating the other – (mental health and addiction treatment systems often are separated. This situation may result in patients’ being treated at one location for addiction and at another for mental health disorders. Some mental health care facilities do not accept patients in medication-assisted treatment, forcing these patients to choose which disorder to treat. Also co-occurring disorders require individualized treatment approaches. It is usually best to address all of a patient’s disorders simultaneously because each can influence the other. The treatment approach for this co-occurring disorder should be a multi-disciplinary team approach. Special considerations should include an integrated approach, (a team working closely together, social worker, counselor or therapist, psychiatrist or mental health professional, and a medical doctor). There should also be: Available resources for crisis intervention. Treatment for schizophrenia and drug treatment. Rehabilitation (social and vocational training to help people with schizophrenia function better in their communities). Family education (people with schizophrenia are often discharged from the hospital into the care of their families. So it is important that family members know as much as possible about the disorder. With the help of a counselor, family members can learn coping strategies and problem solving skills). CBT (it helps patients with symptoms that don’t go away even when they take medications). Self-help groups (group members comfort and support each other; they know that others are facing the same problems, which can help everyone feel less isolated). Two treatment or community supports that are available in central Ohio are: Dublin Springs Treatment Center 7625 Hospital Drive Dublin, Ohio (614) 717-1800 www.dublinsprings.com Center for Innovative Practices Kent State University Kent, Ohio (330) 672-7917 www-dev.rags.kent.edu/cip Two local service providers that provide treatment for people with this co-occurring disorder are: Southeast Inc. 16 W. Long Street Columbus, Ohio (614) 225-0990 www.southeastinc.com Columbus Area Integrated Health Services 1515 E. Broad Street Columbus, Ohio (614) 252-0711 interventionamerica.org The factors that will increase the likelihood that clients will participate in treatment are: Developing and using a therapeutic alliance to engage the client in treatment. Maintaining a recovery perspective. Managing countertransference. Monitoring psychiatric symptoms. Using supportive and empathic counseling. Employing culturally appropriate methods. Increasing structure and support. Encouraging family support and providing counseling and education. Three potential barriers that could prevent a person from taking advantage of  treatment and/or supports are: Inaccessibility or funding for treatment (some mental health centers do not offer integrated treatment. Because of the lack of insurance and Medicaid cutbacks some people do not have access to funding for treatment. Also Legislators need to re-appropriate funding for treatment. However, agencies that are funded by ADAMH provide 100% funding for treatment. Ex. Southeast Inc.). Homelessness (many individuals who suffer from this disorder isolate themselves from family and friends, so they don’t have a support system to get them to help when their symptoms are presenting. Many are incarcerated and there is no mental health background for them, or they are jailed because the symptoms of schizophrenia are similar to intoxication). Staff who are undertrained in the symptoms of this co-occurring disorder. Involvement of family or significant others are very important in treatment and should be offered counseling to help them with coping strategies and problem-solving skills, they should also be offered education about the disorder. Additional information about this co-occurring disorder pertains to the use of nicotine; (smoking may make anti-psychotic drugs less effective, and quitting smoking is very difficult because nicotine withdrawal may cause these individuals psychotic symptoms to get worse for a while. References Association, A. P. (2000). DSM, IV. In Diagnostic Criteria (pp. 153-154). Arlington: American Psychiatric Association. Butcher, J. N., & Mineka, S. H. (2010). Abnormal Behavior. Boston: Pearson Publishing Co. Drake, R. E. (2001, August 17). Treating Substance Abuse Among Patients With Schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry, pp. 71-83. National Institute of Health. (2013, October 12). Retrieved from National Institute of Mental Health: www.nimh.nih.gov Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2013, September 15). Retrieved from SAMHSA: www.samhsa.gov

Financial Detective Essay

Health Products: Company A is Johnson & Johnson, which is a diversified manufacturer of prescription pharmaceuticals, health and beauty aids, over-the-counter drugs, and medical devices. Company B is Pfizer Inc., which develops, manufactures, and markets patented pharmaceuticals such as Liptor and Celebrex. The most significant strategic differences between the two firms lie in their product mix and their customer focus. J&J sells most of its products directly to the consumer while Pfizer sells exclusively to doctors and institutions. Firm B has intangibles worth more than twice as much as firm A, which may reflect firm’s B’s higher investment in R&D. Firm B may also have higher intangibles due to their ownership of patents and its investments in licensing arrangements. Firm B’s gross margin is more than 12% higher than company A’s, which reflects the higher input costs for company A’s medical diagnostics and devices product segment. Company A has a far quicker inventory turnover than company B. Company B sells almost exclusively to institutions and pharmacies, which usually take longer to exhaust their supplies compared to company A, who markets its consumer products to retailers, which have a higher turnover orientations. Many of company A’s and B’s products are branded consumer products that command a price premium. However, company B’s premium is higher, reflecting the benefits of patent protection on prescription pharmaceuticals, and the additional returns needed to support company B’s large R&D efforts. Beer: Company C is Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc., which is a producer and marketer of a number of mass-market beers such as Budweiser, Michelob, and Busch. Company D is the Boston Beer Company, which is the seller of the popular Sam  Adams line of beers. Boston beer’s products are part of a microbrew. Company D’s proportion of cash and cash equivalents, which is extremely higher than company C’s show their conservative approach to its financial management. Company C shows a relatively high level of PP&E, which is consistent with its status as a major brewery. Company D has much lower net fixed assets since much of their operations are outsourced. Company C also has higher fixed assets due to its other holdings such as theme parks. Company D has higher gross profit, consistent with the premium pricing of its specialty brews versus the mass-marketing approach that was taken by company C. However, company C’s net profit margin is almost three times greater than company D’s. This may reflect the economies of scale that company C can achieve through its large size. Company D’s current assets to current liabilities ratio is three times greater than company C’s, whose current ratio is less than one. That is illustrating a careful financial approach. The commitment to financially conservative policies is shown with company D’s relatively low level of debt. Company C’s mass-market approach shows a significantly higher inventory turnover than company D’s turnover. Company D’s asset turnover is much higher due to the outsourcing. Company C’s lower turnover is consistent with a firm that owns its manufacturing facilities as well as asset-intensive theme parks. Computers: Company E is Dell Inc., a worldwide manufacturer and direct marketer of built-to-order computers and related equipment. Company F is Apple Computer  Inc., a manufacturer of a highly differentiated group of personal computers, software, and consumer electronics. This is motivated by the differentiation where company E seeks to sell a relatively high volume of lower-margin products, while company F attempts to sell an adequate volume of higher margin products. The computer and software industry is extremely volatile, which company F has experienced. Company F has extremely large holdings of cash and cash equivalents, which may represent their efforts to insure the company against any future difficulties. Company E has a higher percentage of A/P, which may reflect a higher degree of supplier financing. Company F has a lower COGS percentage, which reflects both its premium pricing and the lower cost associated with software production. Company E’s COGS is higher due to its strategy of making money on volume rather than from individual product margins. Company F has higher gross profit than company E due to its premium pricing. However, Company E’s net profit margin is almost twice as large as company F’s, which reflects their low-cost focus. Company E has low cost mail-order strategy, which leads to a lower SG&A percentage compared to company F’s who goes with a more unique retail store concept. Company F has a higher receivables turnover, which reflects the fast payments made by consumers in the form of credit card purchasers. Company E’s asset turnover is more than twice as large as company F’s. This might reflect E’s strategy as an assembler of components that have been manufactured by its supplier. Books and Music: Company G is Amazon.com, the online retailer of books and music plus a variety of other consumer goods. Company H is Barnes & Noble, Inc., the largest bookseller in the United States. The main difference between the two is that one being an established, traditional retailer and the other being a relatively new online business. Company G has more than half of its assets in cash and cash equivalents, which could be explained by its carefulness in a volatile online retail business. Company H has significantly higher proportion of inventory than company G because they have to maintain stocks of books, CDs, and videos at all of its stores, whereas company G can keep limited inventory at its distribution centers. Company G obviously has a significantly lower net fixed asset due to being an online retailer compared to having multiple stores to sell its merchandise. More than half of company G’s percentage of total liabilities and equity is comprised of long-term debt. This is most likely due to its issues of being able to raise capital after the dot-com bust environment. Company G’s beta is more than three times higher than company H’s, which shows a relatively higher risk of company G. Company G just recently started to show positive net income. Company G is able to keep a higher inventory turnover since they don’t have to sit with a lot of inventory on hand at all times compared to company H who has to store its inventory in their store, which lowers their turnover. Company H has a regular discount strategy, which could explain their lower net profit margin. Paper Products: Company I is the International Paper Company, a large, vertically integrated paper products manufacturer. Company J is the Wausau paper Paper Corporation, a small, specialty-papers operation. The distinctions between the firms arise primarily from their scale and scope. Company J carries more than twice the rate of company I, which may be the case due to its smaller size it requires the firm to carry a higher proportion of inventory in order to satisfy its demanding customers. Company I has a material lower percentage of COGS than company J, even though the raw materials are essentially the same. This illustrates the benefits of Company I having its own forests and lumber operations and their ability to negotiate lower volume-prices. Company I’s SG&A expenses are higher than J’s, which probably reflect the higher costs associated with being a large company. Hardware and Tools: Company K is Black and Decker Corporation, which manufactures and markets a broad range of power tools. Company L is Snap-on Inc., also a manufacturer of tools and other hardware, but the company is known for its high quality merchandise and for its direct sales to professional mechanics and commercial technicians. Company L has a higher percentage of receivables compared to K’s. This result occurs because K markets directly to professional end-users and provides financing, which may cause delays in repayment. On the other hand, company L primarily sells its merchandise to large retailers, which may have more regular payment schedules. Company K sells lower-priced products intended for the consumer market, whereas company L markets higher margin precision tools for the commercial customer. Therefore, Company L’s gross profit percentage is measurable  higher than K’s. Company L has a higher SG&A expenses, which corresponds to the costs associated with maintaining its large direct sales force. Company L’s payout ratio is more than four-and-a-half times greater than K’s, which may suggest its need to maintain a high rate of reinvestment to remain competitive. Retailing: Company M is Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which is well known for the breadth of its merchandise and its low price strategy. Company N is Target Corporation, which also is a discount retailer, however target appeals to its customers’ more upscale tastes. Company N has much higher receivables than M, reflecting N’s substantial credit activities. Company M has higher inventory levels relative to N, which may reflect the company’s commitment to providing a vast selection of goods. Company N has relatively lower COGS percentage, reflecting its fuller price for designer-made products. M offers low prices, which would result in a higher COGS percentage. Company M has a higher receivable turnover due to its lower use of credit sales. Newspapers: Company O is Lee Enterprises, the owner of a number of small newspapers in the Midwest. Company P is New York Times Company, and their strategic difference between the two entities is along the centralization/decentralization dimension. Company P has a centralized  strategic approach while company O has a decentralized approach. Company P, who has a centralized approach, has a significantly higher level of net fixed assets than O. K bears some of the features of a decentralized operation, since its intangibles comprise almost 77% of total assets, which suggests the existence of substantial goodwill. Company P’s level of COGS is lower than O’s, which suggests that as a larger centralized company, P may be in a better position to negotiate for volume discounts than O. Although O is decentralized, the case shows that they have slightly lower SG&A expenses than P. One example to this could be that high prices may be masking a relatively high SG&A expense. Company O’s P/E ratio is higher than P’s, which may indicate the expectations of growth for O. As the dominant player on a larger scale, P may be unable to grow through strategic acquisition. O’s net profit margin is higher, which may reflect the local monopolies, or at least less intense competition outside of the major metropolitan newspaper markets.

It has been argued that Mills theory as advanced in On Liberty is Essay

It has been argued that Mills theory as advanced in On Liberty is flawed because of its failure to consider poverty and other social constraints. To what extent do you agree with this view - Essay Example It enlightens people on how the weaker people are preyed upon by those stronger I the society leading to some people having their right of liberty being violated. Mill in this theory describes the various factors that affect the liberty of people. Although Mill states several issues that arise when liberty is talked about, his theory can be termed as imperfect since he fails to consider poverty and social constraints. He does not show how social constrains and poverty influences the liberty of an individual or a society (Weir, 2007:34). The argument on the theory being imperfect is a solid one since poverty is one of the things that can lead to one being deprived on their liberty. From the essay, the people started to see that it was better if some of the magistrates and the governors of the states were tenants to them. This was better because they would not abuse the offices since the tenant hood was revocable anytime (Mill, 2002:47). But then, this would only be possible for those that were wealthy enough to be landlords and landladies, meaning that the poor in this society would not benefit from this kind of setting. These people are forced to submit to the governors and magistrates even when they are not harming anybody since this people that are in power see that they have nothing to lose because they are not tenants to the poor. Mill did not look at what would happen to the poor and therefore he did not include poverty in this theory, and thus rendering it flawed. Those living under high poverty conditions fa il to see that the government’s opinion is also their opinion and therefore their liberty is at risk. According to John Stuart Mill, the liberty does not just apply to adults only, but also apply to children and all those that are in a state in which they require to be protected against harming themselves. At times, the poor are ignorant and therefore they rarely take care of such people and the children and therefore

Dehav Travel report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Dehav Travel report - Essay Example The paper also discusses the issue related to the graduate management development program. There are other issues related to the management of the organization that has been discussed in the paper, that also involves organizational culture and ethics management within the organization (CIPD, 2013). There are employee turnovers within Dehav Travel starting from the junior to senior managers and the factors that leads to employee turnover. The researcher through this paper aims to carry out a detailed analysis on the leadership management strategy followed by the organizations and the challenges that the company faces. The research also offers the researcher the scope to understand the effectiveness of the factors responsible for the leadership management in Dehav Travel. Leadership deals with the ability of the managers to enhance the performance of the employees by motivating them and providing them with the training that is needed. There are various styles of the leadership followed within the organization and it depends on the personality of the individuals who wishes to be team leaders (Zur Muehlen, 2004; Fullan, 2002). Research says that the leader should adapt themselves to the new trends in order to make the team members perform well in order to make them compete with the rivals in the organization (Gaba, 2000). However, there are differences among the leadership and management process followed by the organization. The management process within Dehav Travel involves planning and accounting techniques and finally, establishing the detailed steps for achieving the goals of the organization. This also involves allocating the resources necessary to implement the project successfully (Guthrie, 2001). The leadership process involves a vision set by the managers for the organization and the strategies undertaken by the managers to achieve the vision. The next step under the management

Exam answer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Exam answer - Essay Example This a special type of field-effect transistor that is made by depositing thin layers of an active semi-conductor and dielectric layers contacts over a supporting substrate that is commonly glass. c)OLED: organic light-emitting diode. It is a LED where in response to a current, the emissive electroluminescent layer which is a film of organic compound emits light. OLEDs are used in the creation of digital displays in TV screens as well as computer monitors. Figure 1 shows the occurrence of visual distortion when anti-aliasing it not used. The image is hard to recognize, and it is not appealing. In figure 2, the edges appear smoother. Anti-aliasing is used in the blending of the pixels of a graphic. As s result, it is applied in rendering the text on a computer screen have a smooth contour for easy visibility. 4.Technology: many public-use touch screens such as kiosks make us of projective capacitive touch since it is a representation of only a flat glass surface. This assists in cleaning along with aesthetics. 6. It is almost impossible to accurately approximate the contrast ratio of the monitor by making use of the naked eye. As a result, the manufacturers usually inflate the numbers to some unrealistic values. The saturated colours are generated by having full or zero reflectance at any given wavelength. In the CIE chromaticity diagram, the U-shaped area that is surrounded by the dotted lines shows the range of colours that are visible to the human being’s naked eye. 9. A radiance meter measures the amount of light given off by a source. As a luminance, one needs to adjust the levels of light to the source as well as the whole surface area of the source of light. As a result, the value that represents all the light that is given off at a particular time. As chrominance meter, adjustments need to be made so that the meter would only detect specific ranges of wavelength and establish their values independently. This is because the white light emitted

Communication Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Communication Security - Essay Example Frequently, one would desire to make use of various cryptographic equipment with estimated, noisy, and non-uniformly disseminated keys, rather than the exact, sternly random strings that are typically needed. Similarly â€Å"fuzzy† secret could be assessed on somewhat concealed biometric characteristics a retinal scan rather than a thumbprint. For instance, it could be a long password incorrectly dedicated to memory, or one’s impulsive reactions to a list of personal questions. If at all possible, someone would be looking for a wide variety of techniques to alter some of the above into cryptographically powerful keys practical for a variety of purposes. Hence, a number of structures geared toward precise applications have surfaced in the previous few years.The application of fuzzy cryptography can offer an excellent support for potential enhancement of network communication error correction and security. It is an admitted fact that the application of next-generation sec urity mechanisms has offered much better support and network security which have improved the security of a communication network. With the evolution of penetration through mobile devices in current years, safety and privacy threats, as well as security necessities correspondingly, have multiplied. In fact, it has augmented a wide variety of threats, though, is indistinct to wireless networks and mobile users as security methods are supposed as a hassle for the reason that they are not inconspicuous as well as might divert from high-level jobs. (Boyen; Dodis, Reyzin and Smith; Al-saggaf and Acharya). The basic purpose of this research is to assess the application of fuzzy cryptography for achieving feasible network security and offering better security means that are less unobtrusive or even obtrusive? Proposed Solution For the application of better security through fuzzy cryptography, the proposed idea is to make use of context (sensor generated, state reliant content for example ambient audio, location or ambient light) as an embedded method to implement a fundamental level of privacy and security. In fact, this context can be employed as frequent secret codes amongst devices in the similar

A Case Study of the Impact of Cultural Differences on the HRM of Dissertation

A Case Study of the Impact of Cultural Differences on the HRM of Foreign Companies in China - Dissertation Example This incongruity between, for instance, Western management values and those of employees in China can create difficulties in establishing effective human resource management policies and systems. Economic globalisation has created the necessity for MNEs to expand overseas and thus is creating fierce competition. Many companies that have expanded into China whilst still maintaining their host operations overseas seek to exploit their human capital as a means of gaining competitive advantage effectively over their competing companies in similar markets. Because the human capital is considered one of the most important and crucial elements of establishing this advantage, it becomes extremely necessary for businesses to understand how to bridge cultural and social differences in order to build loyalty, motivation and productivity with individuals in China. China is a country that is ruled by rituals that often express significant differences in status at the social level. Those with high er resources often do not exploit or display their material wealth in order to illustrate their superiority over the lower or middle class citizens (Bell 2008). However, significant changes to social policy in the 19th Century had the wealthy citizens in China driving lower class citizens from their land and poorer people grew increasingly angry over their exploitation by the wealthy (Bell). Because of this, individuals who fit the lower and middle class categories of citizens and workers have had it instilled into their social systems and mindsets that one must constantly fight to gain economic freedom by amassing wealth. Generation after generation have found that material wealth is the most important method to gain influence and social freedoms and continue to fight to gain this type of prestige through finance (Creative Media Applications 1999). Why is this important for the study? Chinese management have a

Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness Essay - 4

Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness - Essay Example The company is present in UK, USA, Honk Kong, China, France, Germany, Netherlands, India, and Singapore along with the warehouses universally present. 1. Impact of Globalization and technology A flawless and integrated movement of services, goods and people round the globe is known as globalization which has made this whole world like a global village. This globalization can be a resultant of opening global economy and increased association and link between trades of different nations. Globalization also relates to the liberalization of the import protocols of countries and welcoming the foreign investments in the foundation sectors of a country’s economy (Wrigley 2000). Globalization acts like magnets to attract the global capital through opening economies of countries to multinational firms. There are several indicators of globalization namely internationalization, liberalization, universalization and westernization. All of these indicators are explained ahead. In the develo ping and the developed countries, globalization has and is still playing a very important role in bringing the world together and opening new horizons for prosperity in different aspects. 2. Two Models for superior profitability (Industrial Organization model and resource based model) For a large company like Aceto Corporation, the industrial organization model suggests that external environment dominant have an impact upon strategic actions of the firm. According to this model it is shown that the industry in which the organization has chosen to compete has a greater impact on the performance than the decisions that the managers take inside the company. There are several industrial properties that determine the performance of the company like barriers to entry, economies of scale, product differentiation, degree of concentration of the firms in the industry and diversification etc. (Veliyath & Fitzgerald 2000). According to the resource based model, the resources of the firm includ e the capabilities, assets the organizational processes the attributes, the knowledge the information that it possesses. All these resources serve as input for the firms. The resources must have four attributes according to the VRIN framework that includes Valuable, Rare, Inimitable and Non substitutable. The resources of Aceto are capable of bringing value to the firm and also serve as a source of competitive advantage. The resources are also unique and cannot be copied. This helps the company to win a sustainable competitive advantage. VRIN Framework By applying this framework it can be determined that whether the source of the resources that Aceto has are helping it to gain a sustainable competitive advantage or not. To serve this purpose the resources must be valuable, rare, inimitable and non-substitutable. According the analysis done it is found out that the items that Aceto sells are sold in a unique way and helps them win a competitive advantage. 3. Impact of Vision and Miss ion statements Mission and vision statements are two very important things that any company or organization focuses upon. These statements assist the companies to build growth, loyalty,

Managerial Economics Week 6 Individual Work 2 Assignment

Managerial Economics Week 6 Individual Work 2 - Assignment Example This is because as the output increase at one point, it does not necessarily increase at another point and the inverse is true. The increase in the operating expenditures per student does not bring out a large decrease to enrollment but rather there is an explicit nature of the function. Apart from enrollment, the other important variable in explaining the variations in operating expenditures per student is the teacher salary variable. This teacher salary variable is significant in the sense that it promotes a higher level of motivation thus the operating expenditure per student will decrease. A decrease in teacher salary brings about an increase in the operating expenditure per student. When there is a higher rise in teacher salary, the operating expenditure per student will also rise significantly. Minimization is always ideal achieving the best of benefits in every institution. In this case, expenditures reduce and at the same time, there is a reduction in the enrollment level. Barriers towards enrollment also do not exist and it is a case of unconstrained optimization. To minimize on the operating expenditure per student the calculation takes the derivative of the operating expenditure with respect to enrollment. 30.9 is the reduction level towards the operating expenditure per student that will occur upon adding one more student. This is because at this point (500) there are economies of scale and there are positive externalities. The regression value does not show a good fit value since it is less than 0.75. This is because the right hand side variables also do not fully explain most of the variations or changes. There is an inverse relationship between enrollment level and expenditure whereby the enrollment level increases as the operating expenditure declines. Economies of enrollment that can also show the size can decrease whenever the expenditures reduce as the enrollment

Catcher in the Rye Plot Essay Example for Free

Catcher in the Rye Plot Essay When someone is young, they tend to have innocence about them. As children grow up, they no longer possess this natural innocence. Exposure to all of the hatred in the world causes this loss. Holden Caulfield realizes this simple fact, as he himself grows up, and has a difficult time with the change. He experiences problems with communication as well as his school work. A common theme used throughout The Catcher in the Rye has to do with contradictions Holden makes. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, first person point of view is used to highlight contradictions Holden makes throughout the novel. Holden’s first contradiction becomes clear in the first few chapters of the book. When it comes to attending movies, he claims that he does not enjoy the company of Robert Ackley or going to see movies. Yet, he attends a show with Ackley. On Friday night, while Stradlater was on a date with Jane, Holden made his own plans. Holden, Mal Brossard, and Ackley went out for a burger and a movie. â€Å"†¦ decided we’d take a bus into Agerstown and have a hamburger and maybe see a lousy movie.†(36) Due to the use of first person point of view, we find out Holden’s inner thoughts instead of just relying on his actions. Also, later on in the novel, Holden goes to yet another movie, despite his claim of not enjoying them. While in the theater, he becomes extremely annoyed with the woman sitting next to him. She cried throughout the entire movie over, in Holden’s words, phony stuff. â€Å"†¦ there was a lady sitting next to me that cried all through the goddam picture. The phonier it got, the more she cried.†(139) We learn about Holden’s inner thoughts because of first person point of view. We can find another contradiction dealing with Holden’s hatred of movies. When he attends the first movie, he goes with Robert Ackley, despite the fact that Holden previously told us that he dislikes him. Holden says that he finds Ackley to be completely annoying. However, he was the one who invited Ackley along. â€Å"I asked Mal if he minded if Ackley came along with us†¦ Mal said he didn’t mind but that he wasn’t too crazy about the idea.†(36) This quote helps show another contradiction of Holden’s through Salinger’s use of first person point of view. Holden also sought out Ackley as a form of comfort after his fight with Stradlater. Holden had no one else to turn to after the fight except for Ackley. â€Å"I had a feel Ackley’d probably heard all the racket and was awake, so I went through the shower curtains and into his room† (46). Salinger again uses first person point of view to show even more of this contraction. Another contradiction that can be found has to do with Sally Hayes. Although Holden calls Sally a phony, he still decides to spend a night with her. In his head, he continues to say how much he hates Sally and how much she annoys him, yet he expresses that he loves her. Holden extends his contradiction by necking with Sally in the back of the cab, and still continues to think about the fact that he hates her. â€Å"I told her I loved her and all. It was a lie, of course.†(125) Holden’s actual thoughts about Sally stick out from the other statements through the use of first person point of view. Holden even goes as far as trying to run away with Sally. He expresses a want of running away and living on their own, right after calling her a pain in the ass. â€Å"I was getting excited as hell the more I thought about it, and I sort of reached over and took old Sally’s goddam hand. What a goddam fool I was.† (132) This contradiction was shown through the use of first person point of view. First person point of view is used by J.D. Salinger to show Holden’s contradictions in the Catcher in the Rye. Holden contradicts himself on a regular basis; it leads him to believe that he is crazy. Due to the fact that he has a problem with communicating to others, letting his feelings out became a challenge. His biggest battle involved his inner thoughts, and the words he actually expressed out loud. We can find most of his contradictions through this battle of words.

Analysis Of Farewell My Concubine English Literature Essay

Analysis Of Farewell My Concubine English Literature Essay The film farewell my concubine is a Chinese film which has received much attention from the world. It explores the impact of the Chinese political turmoil on its citizens during the middle 20th century. The movie illustrates this by using two stars in a form of traditional Chinese theatre maybe with some music playing along, and in this movie there is a woman who comes between the two stars. This movie uses two stars in a Peking opera troupe and a woman as an object to illustrate the predicament and frustrations of the Chinese people which was brought about by its political turmoil. This film was adopted from Lilian Lee novel entitled farewell my concubine. This film is centered on a love triangle which involves two opera singers and a former prostitute, this provides emotionally charged lens through which one is enabled to view and visualize the major chinas historical events of the mid 20th century and also brings clearly out the oppressive communist rule of Chairman Mao. The plays structure is provided by the historical context of the time period then. This play explores a number of themes for instance sex, survival and love. Cheng Dieyi who is a man effeminate, as a boy and through opera trainings he is trained to act like a woman to symbolize the limitations of art and also to demonstrate power in the real world. Dieyi is used as an object to demonstrate power and limitations of art being faced in the actual real world. In this play we also notice that many of the younger characters are being referred to as Xiao meaning small and an indication of childhood. This film starts with an introduction where the audience is introduced to the two stage characters namely YuJi who was effeminate therefore the woman and the man General Xiang Yu, it is important to keep in mind, that the two actors are men. At the beginning of the film we see that when the little boy, Xiao Douzi is taken for training to the Peking opera instructor, Master Guan refuses to take him until Yanhong(his mother) chops off Douzis extra finger, a birth defect with a clever and the contract is signed with a thumb print in blood. This symbolizes the hardships to be endured by the little boy, Douzi in order for him to be trained; it also reflected the numerous challenges awaiting him on this journey which he had to follow. This is also seen in the following proceedings where a ten year contract is signed between the Peking opera trainer and Yanhong during which Douzis life and his earnings goes to the trainer in exchange for the training. At the beginning we said that this film was done to illustrate the frustrations of the Chinese people in the mid 20th century after the political turmoil and this is reflected here in that, this training is not comfortable and the conditions being met for the student to be trained are tough. His extra finger has to be chopped off and this is accompanied with a lot of pain, Douzi has to work for ten years without ever seeing his salary or not even touching it, on addition to already existing tough rules his life belongs to this man meaning he can use him for anything and in any way that he wants. Douzi because of his craving for freedom tries to escape and only returns after seeing a performance that makes him to weep and also enquire on how much they had to endure in order to become stars. Shitou is brutally beaten for allowing Douzi to escape who also after returning receives his share of punishment. It appears like the boy has been sold completely in exchange for the opera training yet life and freedom is important than all this. As away to consol himself he befriends Xiao Shitou who is the informal apprentices leader and due to the long days of practice they both distinguish themselves as the most talented. When the play starts Douzi is chosen dan, or female lead while Shitou is chosen sheng or in other words a male lead (Silbergeld 96-97). As adults having graduated they are employed by an opera company and given new names and Douzi becomes Cheng Dieyi while Shitou becomes Duan Xiaolou the characters we are introduced to at the beginning of the play. In this play theres a lot of weeping as a result of the beatings received which symbolizes the anguish and pain of this people and that is why Douzi yearns for freedom from this imprisonment. During the training Douzi dreams of the outside world to the extend that instead of saying I am a girl by nature, not a boy he says I am in nature a boy. The future of the troupe is brought at risk because of Douzis problem of identifying himself with his new gender and there arises a need for quick remedy in order to secure the troupe. The solution to this is very frightening as his friend Shitou twists a tobacco pipe into his throat until Douzi gargles blood in the pipe which in turn forces him to softly whisper I am in nature a girlà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦not a boy. The pipe is used as an object to symbolize the kind of enforcement they applied to force its victims to subject to the world that was created for them. With such kind of punishment and torture one has no other option but to obey. This is the second time we are coming a cross blood and since life is in the blood whenever you come across blood theres fear since it posses threats to life and it also brings about uncertainty its like venturing in the unknown, in the dark. After the performance Douzi is summoned to meet eunuch Zhagy alone who during there meeting looks at him lustfully and in the process molests him. From the act of the eunuch its clear that those in power and with resources care less about other people and that is why they exercise this power in unspeakable disgusting way that lowers other peoples dignity to the point that it becomes hard to the people victimized to share the predicament that befall them even to there best friends. This is seen by the fact that his frien d whom he really longed for to be near him so that he could tell him what he was feelings fails to get him to say a word about the proceedings at the eunuchs place and maybe even the purpose for the invitation or more to that why he had to go alone. Also when Douzi notices an abandoned baby on the street and expresses his concerns to take him but he is urged by his master not to do so because even each one of them knows not there fate. People seem to care only for themselves and do not think about the need people around them or even the innocent like that baby who can not speak for themselves or rather struggle to survive as many would do if life became hard or when faced with difficulty circumstances. The form of training given to do this kind of a job is one that hardens and excludes you from the normal life and society norms or culture. On stage the adult Dieyi is in love with Xiaolou though sexually his affection is not being met. Though the two are courting, Xiaolou starts to like Juxian who is allegedly said of as being a prostitute. When Xiaolou intervenes in Juxians attack she proposes marriage to him which is followed by an engagement in order to free her from prostitution and as a result wrangles emerges between the two famous actors who were in love and they fall out. Dieyi after accepting Yuan Siyes invitation due to his frustrations of being left by his love falls in another trouble since he is raped after being made drunk and in the morning ashe lives he takes the sword that they had early seen in the market place which he had wanted to give to Xiaolou as a wedding gift. Dieyi starts to use opium in order for him to get over his frustrations and this symbolizes the crimes and wrong decisions made by the people in order to rid there pain and humiliation. We also see the Japanese soldiers beating up the Chi nese patrons which makes Xiaolou angry to the extend that he refuses to perform the opera farewell my concubine again, this leads to his imprisonment and his freedom is bought by Dieyi thou they fail to keep the terms of that agreement. During the play betrayal is seen and a lot of insincerity as the people fail to keep the promises made and as a result they hurt the other parties in the agreement. Theres fighting for power and this is witnessed when Xiao Si usurps Douzis position as a reflection of the turmoil in the Chinese economy brought about by the fightings for position and power after the withdrawal of the Japanese government. The maliciousness of the leaders is seen and this brings the chinas economy down. The aspect of bribery comes out when Dieyi is released after performing for the government when he had been arrested for treason. Also in the drive and the urge to protect one another Juxian is hit in the stomach and she looses her baby. The baby was as a simple of a new birth, hope, a new beginning but because of strive amongst them its lost through a miscarriage. This sudden death brings about Chinas fall since its surged and put under the control of the liberation army of the communist people. This complex relationship between the three involved parties is an illustration of the political issues affecting china as a nation since its second mid 20th century war. The three actors have been used as a simple to illustrate the underlying issues for instance betrayal emerges when Xiaolou who is in love and also courting Dieyi engages Juxian. This enormous war that frustrated the Chinese citizens was caused by imperialist policy aimed at securing raw material reserves in particularly food and labor and also to cause its domination in politics and military at the expense of its people. There is a few happenings after the airing of the film like for instance the theater troupe is turned to the government and the abandoned baby whom Dieyi trained and was given the name little brother, Xiao Si. In this film we are told that little forth brother has the same sound as little death this is very symbolic as its followed by the burning of the film in china (Zhu 127-130). It can also symbolize an end to the freedom that was there for this people. The limitations in the peoples freedom of speech is seen also when Shitou is questioned by the communist party about the words he uttered many years back which they consider them to be unpatriotic. Theres unknown fate for Xiao Si for usurping Douzis position and Juxian hangs herself when she is rejected by her husband and as a result the reunion of the first relationship between Douzi and Shitou occurs. These deaths are not just for fun but they symbolize dead or an ending. Throughout we are seeing a frustrated people, people that are oppressed and weeping because of the many things that are happening to them and around them. The Chinese people who have been frustrated by war until they lost all the hope and that is why there are children who are very innocent but they have been abandoned by there loved ones, the only people they knew and trusted, people responsible of taking good care of them and giving them brighter future. All this symbolizes the cry of the people who have been abandoned by there government and subjected to a lot of pain and suffering. Hopes only revive in china after the death of the chairman Mao which is followed by his political sect being overthrown and consequently there arrest for the crimes they have committed against the people of China. Finally when Xiaolou and Dieyi met a few important things happened which symbolized a re-birth of a better life for the Chinese people, since they had lost most of there former school boys as a result of the numerous chinas political campaigns. These two main actors forgive each other for the ugly things they had spoken and done to each other. Where theres forgiveness theres growth and incomparable peace meaning that the citizens of china have an obligation to forgive each other in order to live in harmony, peace, unity and in love with one another. And once this is done it will pave way for development and on addition it will be easy for everyone to move on with there own lives. Work cited Jerome, Silbergeld. China Into Film. London, UK: Reaktion Books, 1999. Ying, Zhu. Chinese Cinema during the Era of Reforms. Westport,CT: Greenwood publishing group, 2003.