Accounting Information System 5

American Journal of Scientific Research ISSN 1450-223X Issue 4 (2009), pp36-44  © EuroJournals Publishing, Inc. 2009 http://www. eurojournals. com/ajsr. htm Accounting Information Systems (AIS) and Knowledge Management: A Case Study Zulkarnain Muhamad Sori Department of Accounting and Finance, Faculty of Economics and Management Universiti Putra Malaysia Abstract This study seeks to examine the use of Accounting Information Systems (AIS) by ZBMS Sdn. Bhd. , and it’s contribution to the knowledge management and strategic role of the organisation. ZBMS is a company that registered in Kuala Lumpur and operate in construction industry.The company used automated AIS known as ‘Contract Plus – Financial & Project Accounting’ package commercially developed by a private company (ZYXW). Wide variety of people that involve in the company’s operation within and outside the organisation uses accounting information generated by this system for decisionmaking. Ba sed on input provided by operational level managers, the Contract Plus software produces monthly projects’ income statements, balance sheets and statement of changes in financial position for the strategic and tactical managers to plan, control and make decision on the resources allocation.The role-played by AIS enhanced the organisations’ accounting functions, and add information value. The automated AIS speed up the process to generate financial statements and overcome human weaknesses in data processing. The system enhances management of resources and the process of monitoring, control and prediction of ZBMS business for better future. With the advent of AIS, the growth of tacit and explicit knowledge could be seen from the intensive training of personnel at the early stage of system implementation to the development and use of company’s own manual in training of new staff and assisting the job of existing staff.Given the benefit of AIS to ZBMS, this paper re commended that the source of data should be fully automated, and the existing system should be upgraded through computerise the pre-tendering and post-tendering of projects to enable AIS integration. Keywords: Accounting Information Systems, Knowledge Management, Accounting Functions, Information Value, Financial Statements 1. Introduction Accounting Information System (AIS) is vital to all organisations (Borthick and Clark, 1990; Curtis, 1995; Rahman et al. , 1988; Wilkinson, 1993; Wilkinson et al. 2000) and perhaps, every organisations either profit or non profit-oriented need to maintain the AISs (Wilkinson, 2000: 3-4). To better understand the term ‘Accounting Information System’, the three words constitute AIS would be elaborate separately. Firstly, literature documented that accounting could be identified into three components, namely information system, â€Å"language of business† and source of financial information (Wilkinson, 1993: 6-7). Secondly, inform ation is a valuable data processing that provides a basis for making decisions, taking action and fulfilling legal obligation.Finally, system is an integrated entity, Accounting Information Systems (AIS) and Knowledge Management: A Case Study 37 where the framework is focused on a set of objectives. The combination of the three words Accounting Information System indicate an integrated framework within an entity (such as a business firm) that employs physical resources (i. e. , materials, supplies, personnel, equipment, funds) to transform economic data into financial information for; (1) conducting the firm’s operations and activities, and (2) providing information concerning the entity to a variety of interested users.Indeed, the combination or interaction between human, technology and techniques would permit an organisation to administer its knowledge effectively (Bhatt, 2001; Thomas and Kleiner, 1995). Currently, the world and human life has been transformed from informat ion age to a knowledge age (Syed-Ikhsan and Rowland, 2004: 238; Thomas and Kleiner, 1995: 22), and knowledge has been recognised as the most valuable asset. In fact, knowledge is not impersonal like money and does not reside in a book, a data bank or a software program (Drucker, 1993).Drucker believed that knowledge is always embodied in a person, taught and learned by a person, used or misused by a person. As the world moving into knowledge era, this paper will examine how ZBMS Sdn. Bhd. manages its knowledge in order to remain competitive amongst the construction industry. Probst, Raub & Romhardt (1999, p. 1) stressed that companies must learn to manage their intellectual assets (i. e. knowledge) in order to survive and compete in the ‘knowledge society’. Indeed, knowledge management is concerned with the exploitation and development of the knowledge assets (Davenport et al. , 1998).This paper seeks to examine the Accounting Information Systems (AIS) used by a Malaysi an company named ZBMS Sdn. Bhd. The paper will highlight the users of the system and the way information adds value to the organisation. Also, the paper will investigate the way knowledge is managed through the process of creating, storing, disseminating and applying and how information system plays an important role throughout the process and the AIS contribution in the organisation’s strategic role. The remainder of the paper is organised as follows. The following section describes the background of ZBMS and the use of accounting information systems.The third section provides research findings on accounting information systems employed by ZBMS. The fourth section offer suggestions for future research. The final section concludes the paper and outlines the limitations of the study. 2. The Use of Accounting Information Systems in ZBMS ZBMS is a private limited company registered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that operate in construction industry, where the main activities ranging from construction of infrastructure, building, power, waste water to property development as well as engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) in the oil & gas sector.The company used automated AIS known as ‘Contract Plus – Financial & Project Accounting’ package in their Finance Department, which was commercially developed by a private company (ZYXW). Contract Plus is a fully integrated business solution designed specifically for companies in the engineering and construction industry. The software will generate financial data to be analysed by the accountants and subsequently used by top level of management for strategic decision making, thus, these managers could identify future opportunities and limitations face by the company and industry (McCarthy, Minichiello and Curran, 1987: 243-244). . Findings As mentioned earlier in section 2, ZBMS is a company that operate in construction industry. The industry was identified as one of the most difficult to understand due to its complexity mixture of people, plant, materials, locations, technology, knowledge of the law as well as the design and valuation of work done, which are much subjectivity (Capon, 1990: 1). However, these challenges are under control with the advent of technology such as software development that allows systematic data 38 Zulkarnain Muhamad Sori processing.Therefore, it is important to understand the information flow in ZBMS in order to appreciate the usage of information within the organisation as shown in Figure 1-1 below. 3. 1. Users of AIS As shown in Figure 1-1, the finance personnel that reside at site project office (or called Project Accountants) and head office such as the Financial Accountants, Management Accountants and Finance Manager are the internal users of the system. Also, the management team that consists of Finance General Manager, Chief Operating Officer, Managing Director and Board of Directors are among the internal users of the system.On the other hand, the external users consist of government agency (i. e. Inland Revenue), external auditors and creditors. Indeed, wide variety of people within and outside the organisation uses accounting information for decision-making (Rahman and Halladay, 1988, Renau and Grabski, 1987). Figure 1. 1: Information Flow of ZBMS ZBMS HEAD OFFICE Management Team Inland Revenue ZBMS HEAD OFFICE External Auditors Finance Department Bankers Suppliers Site Office Design Team SubContractors Client 3. 2.Function of AIS The main function of AIS is to assign quantitative value of the past, present and future economics events. At ZBMS, AIS through its computerised accounting system (i. e. ZYXW-Contract Plus) produces the financial statements namely income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statement. The system will process the data and transform them into accounting information during input, processing and output stages that will be used by a wide variety of users such as inter nal and external users (see for example Wilkinson, 2000: 10-11).Wilkinson noted that an effective AIS performs several key functions throughout these three stages such as data collection, data maintenance, data Accounting Information Systems (AIS) and Knowledge Management: A Case Study 39 management; data control (including security) and information generation. Figure 1-2 summarised the transformation process of AIS. Figure 1. 2: Data Processing in Finance Department at ZBMS Input – Progress Billing Certificate, Subcontractors Progress Certificate, Suppliers’ Invoices Processor – ZYXW Accounting System Output – Financial StatementHuman Element – Finance Personnel 3. 3. Usage of Information Within AIS The construction projects undertaken by the company are divided according to the type of construction activities that comprised of five divisions, namely infrastructure, building, power, wastewater and oil and gas, where each project is treated as a se parate company. The number of projects undertaken by each division depends on the contracts being awarded to the company. As indicated by Figure 1-2, the sources of data originated from external parties such as client, subcontractors and suppliers.The Project Accountants will work closely with the Quantity Surveyors to come out with the appropriate information as illustrated below: Client – The client’s Quantity Surveyors (QSs) will evaluate work in progress (WIP) and come out with percentage of WIP to be agreed by both parties. Once agreed, Progress Billing Certificates (PBC) will be issued by Client’s QSs, which a copy of it will be sent to head office for data processing. Subcontractors – The ZBMS’s QSs will evaluate subcontractor’s WIP at site and come out with percentage of WIP to be agreed by both parties.Once agreed, Subcontractor Progress Certificate (SPC) will be issued by ZBMS’s QSs and verified by ZBMS’s Project Mana ger, which a copy of it will be sent to head office for data processing. Suppliers – QSs and Project Accountants will ensure that the materials and machineries are delivered in good condition at construction site before delivery orders are accepted. The delivery orders will be attached to supplier’s invoice and sent to Head Office for processing. 40 Figure 1. 3: Simplifies the AIS within ZBMS: Zulkarnain Muhamad Sori CLIENTSUBCONTRACTORS SUPPLIERS Site Valuation by Client Site Valuation by ZBMS Materials & machineries delivered Certified by Client Certified by ZBMS Materials & machineries delivered PBC SPC Invoices Verified & KeyPunched by Project Accountants Projects’ Accounts Receivables HQ Database (ZYXW) Head Office Maintenance Projects’ Accounts Payable Projects’ Fixed Assets Projects’ Cash Book Project Ledger Projects’ Trial Balance Projects’ Financial Statement Consolidated Consolidated General Ledger Consolidated Trial Balance Consolidated Financial StatementsThese documents will be verified and input into the system by Project Accountants. The projects’ data will be stored at Projects’ Account Receivables, Account Payables, Fixed Assets accordingly. Projects’ cashbook will be updated automatically after the data being entered to the projects’ Account Receivables and Account Payables. Any expenses incurred at head office will be stored at HQ Maintenance master file by Financial Accountant. The Contract Plus Accounting System software will process the data and produce financial statements of individual company’s projects onAccounting Information Systems (AIS) and Knowledge Management: A Case Study 41 monthly basis, which subsequently consolidated at group level. The process flow is shown in Figure 13 above. The automated AIS play an important role in the ZBMS’s operational level. As indicated by Rahman and Halladay (1988: 20), most modern organisationâ€⠄¢s operational control of financial resources depends largely on automated support. This is due to the financial statements are generated by the Contract Plus.As shown in Figure 1-4, projects financial statements are generated by the Project Accountants, while the Financial Accountant generates the consolidated financial statements. The Management Accountant uses the consolidated financial statements to prepare company’s Performance Report such as cash-flow forecasts and ratio analysis. Once the Finance Manager (operational level) approve the report, it will then be submitted to the Finance General Manager and Chief Operating Officer (tactical level) to assist them for planning, control and decision making.The Performance Report will provide the information regarding work in progress relevant information. Therefore, AIS plays very important role at operational and tactical level as the activities at these level depend heavily on the information generated by the AIS. Figure 1 . 4: Type of Information in ZBMS Strategic Board of Director, Managing Director Tactical Chief Operating Officer, General Manager (Finance) Finance Manager, Management Accountant, Financial Accountant, Project Accountant Operational Transaction Processing ZYXW Accounting System . 4. Value Added of AIS The role played by accounting functions has been enhanced with the development of AIS, which in turn contribute to the profession’s value added to organisation. In fact automated AIS employed by ZBMS expedite the process to generate financial statement and reduce the human errors compared to non-automated AIS, which add the existing value of accountants. AIS also provide information on both actual and budget data of the organisation that helps company’s management to plan and control business operation.Good management of resources and better control of cost, budgeting and forecasting enhance the well being of ZBMS to continually generated profits. The AIS also played a cr ucial role that contributes to ZBMS’s value added by providing internally generated inputs from financial statements. Rahman and Halladay (1988: 19) believed that viable strategic plan must have inputs based on history of organisation, the current assets and capabilities of the organisation, and the trends in operations of the organisation. 42 3. 5. Role of Knowledge Zulkarnain Muhamad SoriAt ZBMS, both tacit and explicit knowledge are used as shown by the extensive used of accounting information system to assist business decision-making. The ZBMS begins its computerised accounting system in 1997. During the transformation process from manual to computerised accounting system, all finance personnel were sent for comprehensive computer training. Table 1: Relationship of AIS at ZBMS and Knowledge Management System Knowledge Management System Creation of knowledge Creation of Knowledge Storing of Knowledge Disseminating of Knowledge Knowledge Conversion Explicit to Tacit Explici t to Tacit Tacit to Explicit Tacit to ExplicitDevelopment of Automated AIS Training by hands-on experience ZYXW implemented, staffs learned from vendor’s manual Staffs gaining experience; Problems and solution being recorded on paper Improvement on system; Internal manual that suits the ZBMS needs being produced; Widely used in the department; Assists learning process of new staffs Explicit to Tacit System constantly use in Finance Department to generate monthly financial statements Applying of Knowledge Explicit to Explicit As shown in Table 1, the staffs were given hands on experience on the ZYXW System.During the early stage of system implementation, finance personnel were given flexibility to explore the system due to limited experience on the software at that time, and most of the staffs depend largely on the manual provided by the vendor for trouble-shooting. At initial stage, two-way communications with the vendor were developed to solve problems arised. As the time go ing on, the personnel were encouraged to record the problems aroused. Problems that have been solved were recorded for future reference.Currently, the ZBMS Finance Department has its own ZYXW manual that suits with the department needs. The manual provides valuable information to new employees as well as to the existing personnel at Finance Department. Indeed, AIS provide the systematic recording, processing and generating of accounting information, and in the absence of AIS, information would be scattered, random and hard to access, which would become a barrier to the growth of knowledge. 3. 6. Strategic Role and AIS To analyse the AIS strategy in ZBMS, McFarlan Strategic Grid will be utilised. The McFarlan’s strategic grid would locate ZBMS to the appropriate category with respect to its information system strategy (Curtis, 1995: 61). Automated AIS is fundamental part of the strategic plan of ZBMS in 1997. It has been improved over the years of implementation and generates accurate and timely accounting information that contributes to a good decision-making. Realising the benefit brought by the AIS, the source of data must be fully automated. The existing system should be upgraded through computerise the pre-tendering and post-tendering of projects in the primary stages of the construction activities.When the system is upgraded, the ZYXW Contract Plus will integrate the two modules of pre- and post-tendering with the currently automated Financial and Project Accounting. Therefore, the most suitable position to locate AIS at ZBMS on the McFarlan Grid is on Factory Grid as shown in Figure 1-5 below. Accounting Information Systems (AIS) and Knowledge Management: A Case Study Figure 1. 5: ZBMS Location on McFarlan’s Strategic Grid 43 Low Current Dependence on AIS Support Turnaround High Factory –AIS at ZBMS Strategic Low Future Importance of AIS High 4. Direction for Future ResearchHaving mentioned the above opportunities and challenges to t he AIS, future research should investigate the AIS contribution on the organisation’s growth of knowledge. Though AIS would organise and structure the data input and knowledge, lack of understanding on the potential effect of human behaviour on the system such as human error, manipulation and work-style. In fact, Ponemon and Nagoda (1990) noted, â€Å"the most difficult problems often are caused, or are exacerbated, by those individuals who have erroneous expectations of the new system being implemented† (p. 1).The study would be fruitful with the use of questionnaire and interview survey. Perhaps, the survey should concentrate on a sample of senior managers of the top hundred companies listed on the Bursa Malaysia (Malaysian Stock Exchange), banks and regulatory bodies. These groups could contribute significantly due to their role as a decision maker in their respective organisations. Secondly, future research should also investigate the possibility to expand the use of AIS to the other areas that still did not use the system such as non-profit organisation and society.Indeed, the current level of usage shows that the benefit outweighs the investment cost. The successful implementation of AIS could save shareholder’s money and time. Finally, future research should explore issues on the information value generated by AIS to shareholders and stakeholders in making investment decisions. Case study approach on top companies would be appropriate methodology because the understanding on specific AIS model would be more valuable rather than using questionnaire and interview approach that assumes AIS across sampled organisation is identical. 5. ConclusionThis paper examines the use of Accounting Information Systems (AIS) by ZBMS Sdn. Bhd. The wide varieties of people that involve in the company’s operation get the benefits from the implementation of AIS and the use of Contract Plus software developed by ZYXW. The system assists the operati onal managers to come out with monthly reports for the top managerial level (i. e. tactical and strategic) plan, control and decide resources allocation. In addition, the paper showed that the AIS add value to information processed within the company. The automated AIS could speed up information process and overcome traditional human weaknesses.As a result, the system supports the resource management and help ZBMS pursue its projection of continuing business profit. The use of AIS indicate the growth of tacit and explicit knowledge, where personnel were trained intensively and experience and trouble shooting were 44 Zulkarnain Muhamad Sori recorded for future reference and training. Indeed, the successful implementation of an accounting information system can be described as a series of complex, interconnected activities necessitating participants to have technical and managerial skills to sort out prospective problems (Ponemon and Nagoda, 1990: 1).Note To keep the identity of the r espondent and it’s software developer anonymous, an imaginary name was used in this study i. e. ZBMS Sdn. Bhd. and ZYXW respectively. References [1] [2] Bhatt, G. D. (2001). 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Accounting Information Systems: Principles, Applications and Future Directions. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Reneau, J. H. and Grabski, S. V. (1987). A Review of Research in Computer-Human Interaction and Individual Differences Within a Model for Research in Accounting Information Systems. Journal of Information Systems, 2(1): 33-53. Rowley, J. (1999). â€Å"What is knowledge management†. Library Management, 20 (8): 416-420. Syed-Ikhsan, S. O. S. (2004). â€Å"Benchmarking Knowledge Management in a Public Organisation in Malaysia.Benchmarking: An International Journal, 11 (3): 238-266. Thomas, V. and Kleiner, B. H. (1995). New developments in computer software. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 95(6): 22-26. Wilkinson, J. W. (1993). Accounting Information Systems: Essential Concepts and Applications. Secon d Edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Wilkinson, J. W. , Cerullo, M. J. , Raval, V. and Wong-On-Wing, B. (2000). 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Nursing Relection Essay

This essay will reflect on my personal and professional development during my first year on the nursing diploma programme. I will do this by discussing my experience with the five essential skills clusters which include care, compassion and communication, medicine management and nutrition and fluid management. I will relate the five skills by showing an understanding of a recognised model of reflection. Reflection, is a way of analysing past incidents to promote learning and improve safety, in the delivery of health care in practice. For the purposes of this essay I have chosen the Gibbs reflective cycle model (Gibbs, 1988, cited in O’Caroll & Park, 2007, p86), will be followed, as it gives an opportunity to produce a structured account of the discussion. Gibbs (1988) consists of six stages to complete one cycle which is able to improve my nursing practice continuously and learning from the experience for better practice in the future. The cycle starts with a description of the situation, next is to analysis of the feelings, third is an evaluation of the experience, fourth stage is an analysis to make sense of the experience, fifth stage is a conclusion of what else could I have done and final stage is an action plan to prepare if the situation arose again. In order to respect the patient’s and staff member’s confidentiality (Nursing Midwifery Council, (NMC), the code of standards of conduct, performance, and ethics for nurses and midwives, 2008), the precise location of this placement will not be named. Consent (NMC, 2008) has been obtained from patients mentioned within this essay, although in the interest of maintaining confidentiality (NMC, 2008) of the patients, therefore pseudonyms will be used. Both of the placement areas I was allocated were general children’s wards which both included a day unit and inpatient beds for surgical and paediatric patients. A children’s ward provides health care for children aged from birth to seventeen. The role of any nurse including children’s nurses is to play a major role in promoting healthy behaviours (Moules and Ramsey, 1998). Nursing a child is not just a question of caring for a miniature adult. You have to understand how a healthy child develops towards adulthood and know how to minimise the impact of illness or hospital admission on the child. This involves working in partnership with the parents, or whoever looks after the child at home. Another factor that complicates treatment of the younger child is that of communication. While adults can express what they feel and need or identify the severity and nature of pain a child may not be able to communicate in such detail and the nurse needs to interpret behaviour and reactions intelligently. Children’s nurses need to be able to spot when a child’s health takes a turn for the worse, which can happen rapidly. (NHS, 2011) Health problems can have an effect on a child’s development and it’s vital to work with the child’s family or carers to ensure that he or she does not suffer additionally due to the stress of being ill or in hospital. I was both excited and apprehensive about starting my placement on this ward. I was excited because this was going to be a new experience and the opportunity to gain an insight into different illnesses and conditions, but I felt apprehensive because I was unsure of what to expect in terms of how illnesses affect an individual and their parents and what challenges they may face and how I would respond. I was conscious of my lack of experience and knowledge of illnesses and viewed this as a potential weakness, which I thought it was imperative to be self – aware of my personal strengths and weaknesses before I commenced my placement. Self – awareness is also essential to be able to interact effectively with patients. Personal beliefs and opinions can influence either negatively or positively, in the way of viewing other individuals. Understanding strengths, weaknesses, and the ability to reflect on personal characteristics, are necessary for remaining non – judgemental. The NMC (2008, code of conduct), states as nurses we must make the care of people our first concern by treating them as individuals and respecting their dignity. I know it is imperative to focus on treating the patient and not the behaviour. My mentor gave me an overview of the different types of patients we would see, which included their different health diagnosis, and also their individual rehabilitation and recovery plan, which helped me to have an insight into the needs of each patient and how illness can impact on an individual’s life. I felt more confident after my mentor had given me this information to be able to approach each individual patient and to be able to start to build a nurse patient  relationship. Brown & Eby (2005, p63) suggests that a nurse – patient relationship has three phases: – these are th e orientation phase, the working phase, and the termination phase. Many people including myself believe first impressions usually form a lasting impression so I am very conscious on how I introduce myself to others. On introducing myself to the patients on the unit I wanted to establish a rapport, which is the foundation of the nurse patient relationship (Timmins, 2007, p438). I wanted to show a warm, caring and compassionate person to enable trust and respect to develop with each patient which is an essential requirement of caring. Caring and compassion is a natural warm, informal communication skill, which is an important part of social exchange (Baughan, Smith, 2008, p3). Roach (Roach, 1987, cited in Eby & Brown, 2009, p50) suggests there are 5 attributes of caring which are â€Å"the 5 C†s. These are commitment, which is to provide the care necessary for each patient, Compassion that involves sharing in the emotional feelings of another and showing empathy which means trying to understand how another person feels. Competence of understanding and applying the nursing process by problem solving and the decision making process. Confidence (believe in oneself), and self – confidence to enable to gain trust of the clients, and confidence of the clients to trust the nurse. Finally, having a conscience and having an ethical conviction or belief about what is right or wrong, and acting in accordance of the nursing profession. I wanted to spend quality time getting to know each patient on an individual basis to enable each patient to be able to develop a relationship based upon trust, honesty and mutual respect. I wanted each patient to be able to trust me and have the confidence in my ability to offer the appropriate care and support to meet their individual needs. The ability to empathise and relate to each patient’s emotions is fundamental in showing care and compassion. The ability to understand and perceive feelings and their meanings are at the core of empathy. (Reynolds & Scott, 2000, 31, (1), p226). Having an understanding of what it would be like to be in a patient’s position enables interaction and engagement to be more supportive and motivated which I wanted to convey to the patients on the unit and show positive regard. I was looking forward to spending time speaking to each patient and getting to  know them over the duration of my placement within an inpatient setting, as this would help me to further develop the communication skills that I learned in my first placement , which would also enable me to develop my nursing skills further. Communication is an essential component needed for the nurse patient relationship and is at the heart of good nursing care (Stein – Parbury, 2009, p274), and therefore effective communication skills are crucial. May (2004, p488) suggests communication is a complex two way process that involves passing a message between people using verbal or non-verbal communication skills. Showing genuine interest and concern is necessary to allow the patient to speak openly and feel comfortable within the conversation. The tone and mannerisms ‘paralinguistic’ used during the conversation and the patient’s perception of this will either enhance the relationship or inhibit the development. A comment made can be damaging to self – esteem and identity (Miller, 2002, 17, 9, p46). I felt comfortable communicating with the patient’s and I feel I have good communication skills which is one of my interpersonal strengths, although I did feel a little cautious at times , for example if I was asked a question of which I was unsure of the answer. I observed my mentor and other health professionals engage in conversation with the patients in these situations first before engaging in a meaning conversation, to ensure I was using effective and appropriate communication skills and remained objective. The level of interaction and communication I received from each patient did vary initially which reflected on the age of the individual and their parents understanding, and also on their ability to trust me as a student nurse. Listening is one of the most important skills needed for communication. This non – verbal communication will establish a lot of valuable information to the patient’s wishes and concerns. The information given will also give an insight into the care needed and allow time to offer an appropriate reply. It is equally important to offer gestures of intense listening such as good eye contact, facial expressions, and appropriate nodding to acknowledge a  general interest. Listening to the patient’s will also give the opportunity to observe their body language and to observe any conflicting areas of speech and movement that may suggest they are uncomfortable with certain topics or are experiencing symptoms of cognitive impairment. I wanted to show I was listening to each individual and I was genuinely interested in what they were saying to me and to develop the patient’s trust so they could be open and honest with me and be able to disclose their thoughts and feelings based upon mutual trust and respect. The care, compassion, and communication skills I demonstrated to the patients on the ward were paramount for a therapeutic relationship to develop. A therapeutic relationship will be of mutual benefit to meet the holistic needs of the patient and for nurse to gather the relevant information to offer the appropriate interventions (McQueen, 2000, 9, p724). I was particularly looking forward to being able to develop my knowledge and skills in medication management during this placement. Medicine management relates to the safe use of medicines to ensure patient’s get the maximum benefit from the medicines they need, while at the same time minimising potential harm. (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, (MHRA), 2004 p3). I did have some opportunity in my first placement to administer medication to patients, so I did have some knowledge into how to administer medication correctly and also in accordance with the NMC medication guidelines (NMC, 2010). I gained some confidence in my ability to be able to administer medication to patients safely from my first placement and was able to demonstrate safe practices from the onset of my second placement. I knew it was imperative that I adhered to the eight rights of medication which are the right patient, right medicine, right time, right date, right dose, right route, right preparation and the right documentation, which needed to be applied to each patient before I administered any medication. I was extremely conscious of the accountability nurses face in relation to medication management and therefore I wanted to learn as much as possible during this placement to ensure I was competent and also familiarise myself with the legislation that underpins medication management such as the Medicines Act, (1968), misuse of drugs act (1971). All administration of medication needed to be accurately recorded in  accordance to the NMC guidelines and Trust () policy. Nutrition and hydration is an important aspect of maintaining good health and childhood diseases can often be complicated by poor nutrition. Patient B has type 1 diabetes and is treated by insulin injections twice daily. Diabetes develops when the body is unable to produce the hormone insulin, which is produced by the pancreas (Diabetes UK, p4, 2008). Patient B is also overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 and is considered to be clinically obese. Patient B also suffers from regular urinary tract infections (UTI). When Patient B was admitted to the ward in October, he received an initial baseline nutritional assessment following the clinical guidelines of the National Institute For Health And Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2006), Essence Of Care (DH, 2003, P89), and also implemented by . An intervention plan identified for Patient B’s nutritional needs to be closely monitored and nutritional tools such as a daily food and fluid intake charts and a weekly food menu chart were to be used to record an accurate account of his diet and fluid intake. Patient B’s weight also needed to be monitored and recorded on a weekly basis. The intervention plan also highlighted that a poor diet and fluid intake was a trigger factor into why Patient B’s health was deteriorating. Supporting Patient B to maintain a healthy diet and accurately recording the nutritional information became part of my daily routine while on shift, which gave me an invaluable insight into the importance of monitoring a patients daily diet and fluid intake, and also the importance of accurate documentation and continuity of care. Good record keeping is essential to the provision of safe and effective care (NMC, 2009). Due to monitoring Patient B’s fluid and diet intake, it became apparent to that Patient B was becoming reluctant to maintain a regular diet independently and also his fluid intake was slowly decreasing which was having an impact on both his diabetes and his physical health. My mentor approached me and asked if I would like to carry out an assessment and formulate a care plan for patient B, I was excited and did feel I had gained enough knowledge and understanding of this process during my two long placements. To formulate a care plan, I first needed to identify the current risks that were present or were likely to occur. A risk relates to a negative event or an adverse affect, which is likely to cause harm (, 2009 p5). I needed to use an evidence-based approach by ensuring all the relevant data relating to Patient B’s current health care needs were accurate and apply an evidence-based approach to minimize the risk. Once I obtained all the relevant information from Patient B’s care documents and nutritional assessment tools I was then able to plan an appropriate plan of care and intervention plan based upon the identified risks. The main areas of risk I identified were Patient B’s parents also needed guidance in helping him maintain a healthy diet and fluid intake. During my placement I also administered an intra muscular (IM) cytotoxic injection to a patient A. During the administration process it was imperative that I applied infection, prevention and control procedures. The risk of infection is always present to both staff and patients and therefore Infection Prevention and Control procedures are aimed at breaking the infection chain (, 2011, P5). I initially felt overwhelmed by the process as there appeared to be a lot of precautions needed but after I had observed my mentor several times and understood the process, I felt more at ease with the procedure. The process I followed was hand hygiene ensuring I washed my hands before starting the procedure and applying my personal protective equipment (PPE) such as my gloves and apron, the safe use and disposal of sharps ensuring the Needle was not bent or broken before use or disposal and the needle was safely discarded into a cytotoxic sharps container. All PPE along with items used which contained bodily fluid from the patient was discarded into clinical waste before washing my hands after completing the procedure. On reflection of my experience on my placements, I think I would do exactly the same. I feel proud of what I have achieved so far and continued to develop my skills and enhanced my knowledge from my first placement. I feel I have become more aware and confident within the 5 key clusters of care I have discussed within this essay and I have demonstrated my willingness to learn and demonstrated a professional attitude throughout both of my  placement settings. I feel my experience gained has been very positive and I have learnt new skills and have gained confidence in my ability needed to be a nurse. Although looking back on my experiences, there are areas I would change for future placements. I would prepare better for each placement by ensuring I research further around the specific client group and setting. I feel that this would have been very beneficial to me in my second placement as I felt I was not fully prepared when I administered my first injection, and how each individual patient may be affected in different ways. My first week on placement I was still a little unsure how to communicate with some patients and although my communication skills will develop further with experience, I feel if I was better prepared I would have been more confident and relaxed with the patients and the environment and able to communicate effectively from the onset. Overall I feel this has been a positive experience and I have gained a good insight into the importance of developing and maintaining my nursing skills in relation to care, compassion and communication, medicine management, infection prevention and control, nutrition and hydration, and organisation of care.

Black& Decker-eastern Hemisphere and the ADP initiative, Essay

Black& Decker-eastern Hemisphere and the ADP initiative, - Essay Example He wanted to change the culture and build a company which could be flexible enough to adopt to different values and management practices applied throughout different other parts of the world also. Through ADP, Lancaster wanted to actually improve the employee development as he wanted employees in Eastern Hemisphere to be more trained and become more equipped to face the new challenges in terms of stiff competition being faced by the company. He wanted that ADP should contribute towards making employees more responsible and integrated with each other while at the same time become more participatory in nature. Apart from this, by implementing ADP, Lancaster was willing to change the culture of the organization and infuse in employees a new sense of understanding about how things are working at the international level. It was also intended to decrease the reliance of employees on management and make them more responsible for their development and training needs of the future. Probably the most important concern was that of the cultural conflict between the Asian employees and that of the other employees of the organization. Most of Asian managers actually raised their concerns regarding this system because of the lack of willingness of the employees to be actually more open for their bosses. Their lack of being critical of their bosses therefore may lead them not to provide the kind of feedback required to properly evaluate all employees through 360 degree appraisal. In order to properly implement the system, it is important to implement a hybrid system which takes into account the cultural aspects of organization also. Culture is something which changes slowly therefore it may be difficult for Lancaster to implement the required changes immediately as it may attract resistance from all levels. It is however, also important to further refine the hybrid system to truly reflect upon the cultural side of doing business in Asia. It seems that

While the Budget factored in a decline in Australias terms of trade, Essay - 1

While the Budget factored in a decline in Australias terms of trade, the fall in global commodity prices over recent months has been larger than anticipated - Essay Example The recent natural disasters in Australia, Japan and New Zealand also reduce Australia’s economic growth in early 2011. Combined, these natural disasters detracted around 75%of a percentage point from Australia’s economic growth in 2010-11, the real GDP contracted in the March quarter of that year. While it take many years for the affected communities to recover from these tragic events, the negative impacts on Australia’s economic growth was great, with the resumption of activity and commencement of reconstruction that added to real GDP growth from 2011-12. There have been major changes in term of both structure and trend in Australian trade. Structural change has been going on from as far as 19th centuries and it is not new to anyone. It is one of the ongoing features of Australian economies. In the past years one of the most common changes is that of the service sector, which has accounted for a steadily increasing share of both output and employment. In the early years of 1950s more than of the Australian workforce were employed in the service sector, currently the rate stood at over 75% and the trend seems to be increasing. On the contrary the workforce working in both manufacturing and agricultural sector has steadily

Leadership and Ethics for Managers Unit 4 DB SA First Week Essay

Leadership and Ethics for Managers Unit 4 DB SA First Week - Essay Example Leadership should be based on competence and not on gender. Also, the ideal type of leadership is not gender based but should be based on characteristics. True, masculine trait has it good qualities and so is the feminine trait. These traits should be combined to form a set of leadership qualities that should be idealized by both genders. I chose Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey. Hillary Clinton probably is one of the most powerful women in the United States and even in the world. She is smart, assertive and gracious and could be United States next President. She makes decision that affects the lives of many people both here and abroad. I also chose Oprah Winfrey not just for the success of her television show but also on the issues that she is advocating in her show. She also upholds positivity and learning and makes people believe in themselves. Oprah basically used her celebrity status to make a difference in other people’s lives. She may be very rich but she is not ostentatious and gives huge amount of money to

International Trade - Definition, Meaning Term Paper

International Trade - Definition, Meaning - Term Paper Example Commerce includes all those activities, which are connected with trade and auxiliaries to trade such as transport, warehousing, insurance, and banking and finance. In 1980 only 25 percent of the exports of developing countries were manufactured; by 1998 this had raised to 80 percent Davis and Weinstein show that developing country exports are indeed now labor-intensive. This is an astonishing transformation over a very short period. The developing countries that have shifted into manufactures trade are quite diverse. Relatively low-income countries such as China, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have manufactured shares in their exports that are above the world average of 81 percent. Others, such as India, Turkey, Morocco, and Indonesia, have shares that are nearly as high as the world average. Another important change in the pattern of developing country exports has been their substantial increase in exports of services. In the early 1980s, commercial services made up 17 percent of the exports of rich countries but only 9 percent of the exports of developing countries. During the third wave of globalization, the share of services in rich country exports increased slightly to 20 percent-but for developing countries the share almost doubled to 17 percent. What accounted for this shift Partly it was changing economic policy. Tariffs on manufactured goods in developed countries continued to decline, and many developing countries undertook major trade liberalizations. At the same time, many countries liberalized barriers to foreign investment and improved other aspects of their investment climate. Partly it was due to continuing technical progress in transport Containerization and airfreight brought a considerable speeding up of shipping, allowing countries to participate in international production networks. New information and communications technologies mean it is easier to manage and control geographically dispersed supply chains. And information-based activities are "weightless" so their inputs and outputs (digitized information) can be shipped at virtually no cost. Some analysts have suggested that new technologies lead to the "death of distance" undermining the advantage of agglomeration. This is likely true in a few activities, while for other activities distance seems to be becoming even more important-for example, the proximity requirements of "just-in-time" technologies. The OECD agglomerations continue to have massive cost advantages and technological change may even be increasing these advantages.  Ã‚  

Alzheimer's Disease Patient and Social Theory Essay

Alzheimer's Disease Patient and Social Theory - Essay Example The key points of this analysis are the medical background and history of the patient, the psychological and sociological factors affecting her and her health, and finally how the patient and those psychological and sociological factors fit into a larger theoretical and policy framework. About the Patient In the interests of maintaining confidentiality and respecting patient privacy, I will be referring to this patient as Mrs. X. Due to her rapidly deteriorating mental and physical condition, Mrs. X's residential care home was no longer capable of providing the nursing services she required, and she was subsequently transferred into the mental health ward. Mrs. X has vascular dementia or Alzheimer's disease and has been declared legally incompetent to make her own medical decisions. In addition, she is prone to mild absence seizures, causing disorientation and occasional falls, though they do not induce unconsciousness. She is receiving phenytoin to treat the seizures. Mrs. X's behavioural issues have progressively worsened to the point that she requires full care and constant monitoring. She will wander the halls of the ward at night screaming. Her husband believes that many of her mental issues are related to her lack of sleep, which does make her agitated and irritable during the day. She has difficulty communicating her needs, as she is completely non-verbal. This factor alone is greatly complicating her nursing care. Other complicating factors in Mrs. X's care are her dislike for the staff to attempt personal hygiene or care needs, and her refusal to comply with treatment regimens. For example, she was found to be refusing her medication by hiding pills in her mouth, and had to be switched to liquid suspensions. Psychological and Sociological Factors It is difficult to assess Mrs. X's psychological condition exactly, due to her dementia and non-verbal state; however, it is safe to say that she is clearly unhappy with the current situation. Th is is a concern, as a patient's psychological state is often directly related to their ability to heal when hurt or to keep themselves healthy in the first place (Gross, 2007). Even on the first layer of the Whitehead-Dahlgren model of psychological influences, her physical state of being, most effects on Mrs. X are strongly negative (Marks & Evans, 2005). She often seems unaware of her surroundings, becoming lost within the building, which is a traumatising event for her. This most often occurs at night when she wanders. Her sleeplessness is due to severe insomnia, a condition that further damages her poor psychological state. She is helpless to do anything for herself, unable even to eat, drink, or use the toilet without help. Even in her mentally compromised state, this level of dependence on others causes her a significant amount of distress. This is evidenced by her dislike mentioned earlier for staff members trying to attend to her personal care. She is in pain due to arthriti s and frequent constipation, which also negatively impacts her psychological well-being. On the second layer and third layers, her lifestyle factors and social networks, the situation is equally as poor (Marks & Evans, 2005). She upsets the other patients by screaming and yelling, with the result that she has very little positive social contact with them. She

Performance management and strategic human resource management Essay

Performance management and strategic human resource management - Essay Example Performance management and strategic human resource management The paper identifies that total performance management is a means of linking up a firm's strategic goals and strategic human resource goals with the actual performance of members of the organisation. This is done through the creation of metrics that reflect the realities of the firm's strategic plans and its implications in reality. Performance management is different from performance appraisal because the latter is an isolated process that does not integrate elements of the firm's strategy. The research studies the linkage between strategic human resource management and corporate strategy. It establishes that performance indicators set in the strategic plan forms the impetus for performance management. And this includes the direct targets and expectations of the human resource management unit and component. The study also concludes that workers are essential in all performance management processes and drives. Workers need to be given important information and sensitization before pe rformance management processes commence. Once it is done, workers must be made to give their feedback on how to improve the system and enhance the processes. This enables a firm to attain optimal and improved results from their performance management processes and systems. Performance management is a critical aspect of strategic human resource management. Its predecessor, performance appraisal was somewhat isolated. However, performance management is born out of strategic human resource management. Strategic human resource management is defined as an approach to human resource management that has the goal of using people most wisely with respect to the strategic needs of the organisation.

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 24

Case Study Example It commanded 7.6% of the market. Secondly, according to the case, Eskimo pie had at least one of its products in 98% of the grocery stores located across the United States. As such, this has considerable implications in determining the worth of Eskimo pie. Therefore, Eskimo’s market presence and market share across the United States commands a better higher price than what is estimated by Goldman. Having a larger market share and presence in any industry gives the company an edge over its competitors. Therefore, it should deserve and attract a higher premium than what was offered by Goldman and Nestle. Past performance is vital when estimating the value of Eskimo pie. Since 1987, the company’s net sales increased by over 50 % ((17198-30769) Ã · 30, 769). Subsequently, profits of the company increased by over 1300% over the same period ((2526-171) Ã ·171). This is according to the data depicted in Exhibit 1. There are many reasons a company might want to acquire another company. The primary reason nestle wanted to acquire Eskimo Pie was to possess and establish a stronger and robust position or presence in the frozen novelty market. According to the case, nestle owns drumsticks. I can take this to mean that maybe nestle owns other frozen novelties, but the case does not specify or mention any. By purchasing Eskimo pie, nestle would be a frontrunner in the industry by having a larger presence. There are potential synergies to be gained from acquiring Eskimo pie. This is because of the involvement of nestle in the frozen novelties too. In my opinion, Eskimo is worth more to nestle as an acquisition than as a stand-alone company. This is due to the following reasons. Most of the workforce and management of Eskimo pie would not be needed in order to avoid duplication of duties. Since the products of Eskimo and nestle target and go to the same market, the distribution costs of nestle would b e nearly eliminated. Additionally, the marketing expenditure will drop. I

Capital Structure of Company Accor Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Capital Structure of Company Accor - Assignment Example Accors optimal capital could be achieved when the marginal cost of each source of finance is the same. There is on optimal capital structure for all firms for all times. The financial managers should try to develop an appropriate capital structure. That ha these features. Simple in the initial stages by limiting the number of issues and types of securities. This will avoid investors becoming hesitant from investing in the company. Preferably Accor should issue equity and preference share in an attempt to develop an optimal capital structure. Retaining the ultimate control of accompany with the equality shareholder who have the right to elect directors/control in management is important.Accor should issue less equity shares and preference share and debentures in large numbers to the public because these carry limited voting rights whole debentures don't have any.Companys capital structure in such away which would favourably affect the voting structure of existing shareholders and increase their control on the company's affairs. Liquidity can be achieved for the solvency of corporation Accor should avoid all such debts which threaten the solvency of the company. A proper balance between fixed and current assets is maintained according top the nature and size of business. Flexibility in capital structure enables the company to make necessary changes in it according to the changing conditions and make it possible to procedure more capital whenever required or redeem the surplus capital. Capital structure of such a company will also follow the policy of conservatism, this helps in maintaining the debt capacity even in unfavourable circumstances. Accor needs to maintain a good balance for optimum capital structure as both over capitalization and undercapitalization are disastrous to the financial interests of Accor. A sound capital structure attempts to secure balance leverage by issuing both types of securities i.e. ownership and creditor ship securities. Debentures are issued when the rates of interest are low cost of debt is one of the components of cost of capital incurred by an organization. Cash generated in an organization as profits are used to pay for taxes and interests on types of securities acquired for the company. It is obligatory for the corporation to pay interests to money lenders like debenture holders and even preference shareholder. If Accor maintains more debt, it means that it will be overburdened in servicing the debt needs with interests and eventually pay the equity shareholders earning that were ploughed back. To assess whether Accor maintains a capital structure for Accor, we should consider both internal and external factors. These include: - internal factors. Nature business when a company is getting stable earning then it can afford t raise funds through sources involving fixed charges, public utilities, finacing and merchandising enterprises are more stable in their earning and enjoy greater

The Authors portrayal of Victor Essay Example for Free

The Authors portrayal of Victor Essay Whilst Frankenstein knows that his actions in creating the creature were wrong, he is trying to justify his actions following the creature coming to life as being acceptable, the creature is trying to make Frankenstein feel responsible for creating him and then abandoning him so he is trying to make Frankenstein feel guilty. This is all moving towards the creatures ultimate aim, for Frankenstein to create him a companion to fulfil his need for love and compassion. This is very interesting, the creature just wants someone to love and be with and Frankenstein wanted someone to rule and have power over, when you look at the events of the first night when the creature is brought to life, you cant help but wonder that if the prevailing events had taken a different course and the creature and Frankenstein had stayed together, then both characters would have had their needs fulfilled, Frankenstein would have had his power and the creature would have had his companion and would not be alone in the world. The following morning the two characters find themselves in two very different situations, Frankenstein walks out into his town, Ingolstadt where he meets his long-time friend, Henry Clerval, I perceived Henry Clerval who inspires joy to Frankenstein, I felt suddenly, and for the first time during many months, calm and serene joy it is as if Frankenstein now has a huge weight off his shoulders and can return to living a normal life, I sincerely hope, that all these employments are now at an end and that I am at length free. The creature on the other hand is left very alone, with very little knowledge about what is happening around him, left to learn the ways of the world by himself, I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew out again with a cry of pain here the creature shows the vulnerability and intelligence of a small child, but without someone there to tell him not to put his hand in the fire he has to find it out for himself. However quite deservingly, it is not the creature who suffers the most in these early days of the story, it is Frankenstein. After meeting Clerval, Frankenstein goes home expecting to find the creature there, the thought made me shiver, that the creature whom I had left in the apartment might still be there. This he does not but he does fall very ill. This was the commencement of a nervous fever which confined me for several months. During this time Clerval nursed him back to health. The creature on the other hand does much better for himself, out in the wild he finds himself a fire, food (berries which are not very nourishing) and water from the stream. Nonetheless he survives and seems content, until he first encounters men. The difference in the two characters relationships with humans could not be more dissimilar. Each and every one of the creatures encounters with humans result in him being attacked, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons. Frankenstein however has a very different relationship with humans. His account of his upbringing shows how spoilt he was by his parents and as previously stated it is his friend, Clerval who looks after him when he is ill. The creature is deprived of all this. The readers sympathy for the characters shifts with each narrator, this making it difficult to remain unbiased. Until the creature tells his story he receives no sympathy, yet after, the reader begins to recognise the injustice of Frankensteins actions, his absence of conscience and how ultimately, he completes an experiment which threatens mankind. In conclusion, Shelly has created two very extreme characters that given different circumstances could have flourished with one another, yet quite the contrary happens with them leading to each others destruction. It asks many questions about the morality and ethics surrounding science and inspires responsibility above all else upon the scientists both to think about what they are doing and also why they are doing what they are doing. Answering the why can sometimes be very much more difficult than answering what. By Andy Lawson 11I Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.

Romantic Jealousy and Facebook Use Correlation | Review

Romantic Jealousy and Facebook Use Correlation | Review Tamar Chemel Write the reference for this article in APA style. Muscanell, L. N., Guadagno, E. R., Rice, L., Murphy, S. (2013). Don’t it make my brown eyes green? An analysis of facebook use and romantic jealousy. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(4), 237-242. DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2012.0411 Write an overview or brief summary of the article in your own words. Indicate your assessment of what the study is about and the major findings of the study This study seeks to explore the correlation between romantic jealousy and Facebook use with university-aged participants to envision themselves viewing their partner’s Facebook page with various hypothetical situations (Muscanell, Guadagno, Rice, Murphy, 2013). The main research question of the study was to explore how gender, privacy settings on Facebook, and the existence of couple’s photos on the partner’s profile collaborate and effect the negative emotions of the participants (Muscanell et al., 2013). The researchers predicted that female participants would experience and report more negative emotions and romantic jealousy than the males (Muscanell et al., 2013). The researchers also expected that the participants would experience more negative emotions when the hypothetical situations involved a romantic partner’s couple photos and tagged photos containing a privacy setting, indicating the partner’s desire to hide or disguise their relationsh ip status (Muscanell et al., 2013). In addition, they also believed that participants would self-report more powerful negative emotions if the hypothetical romantic partner did not have any couple photos up on their Facebook profile for others to see (Muscanell et al., 2013). The study examined four particular negative emotional responses to these hypothetical situations; jealousy, anger, disgust and hurt (Muscanell et al., 2013). The results of the study indicated that women more than men responded feeling more jealous, angry, and hurt to the imagined situations of a partner’s photos made private rather than being visible to all of their friends or Facebook users (Muscanell et al., 2013). Participants, both male and female, responded to feeling disgust if an imagined romantic partner’s photos were set to private, and felt more disgust if there were no couple photos present on their partner’s Facebook profile (Muscanell et al., 2013). According to the introduction, what information was already known about the topic (look for references to previous research)? This current study was based off a previous study examining romantic jealousy and online Facebook use (Muise, Chirstofides, Desmarais, 2009). The results of this study indicates that individuals who used Facebook more often described greater jealousy in romantic relationships, and thus constantly kept track of their partner’s Facebook use and profile (Muise et al., 2009). Based on their theoretical framework, this current study used hypothetical scenarios to examine jealous and negative responses to romantic partner’s Facebook use. This study also had previous information about gender differences and social networking use, particularly with the use of Facebook. Thus, the researchers used the previous research to make the predictions about gender differences and the self-reported negative emotional responses associated with Facebook use (Guadagno Sagarin, 2010). What variables were studied? Identify the Independent and Dependent Variables if applicable. What were the hypotheses concerning these variables? The dependent variable in this study is the negative emotions self-reported by the participants in the study. These include; romantic jealousy, hurt, disgust and anger. The independent variable is the hypothetical Facebook scenarios created by the researchers. The hypotheses are the sex differences of jealousy in regards to online information sharing behavior. What were the operational definitions of the variables studied? Romantic relationships are defined as only heterosexual relationships. Facebook privacy settings are the modifications that control who can access any personal information on the social networking website, including; photographs, status updates and personal information. Negative emotions are outlined as hurt, disgust, anger and jealousy. Hypothetical Facebook situations are scenarios created by the researchers to explore the participants’ emotional responses to the online behaviour of an imagined romantic partner, such as â€Å"Imagine that you see a picture of your serious romantic partner with another individual of the opposite sex†. Who were the participants in the study? Were there any special participant characteristics? The participants were both male and female undergraduate students, who were heterosexual, mainly of Caucasian ethnicity, and had Facebook accounts. What were the procedures used to test the hypotheses? Did you notice any problematic features of the procedure? Participants were randomly assigned to one of the nine conditions set up by the researchers (Muscanell et al., 2013). After imagining this hypothetical Facebook scenario, participants were encouraged to self-report on a scale, assessing jealousy and other associated negative emotions in response to the imagined situation (Muscanell et al., 2013). The main problem associated with a self-reporting study is the participants’ self-reporting behaviour, which is inherently subjective and non-scientific, as well as susceptible to the social desirability bias. Was the experimental or non-experimental method used? Were there attempts to control any extraneous variables? This research would be considered experimental research, as the independent variable was manipulated to examine how that will influence the dependent variable. In this study, the researchers manipulated the experimental conditions of the hypothetical Facebook scenarios to examine how it would influence the participants’ negative emotions. The researchers outwardly stated that the hypothetical situations were ambiguous, which may lead to extraneous factors influencing an individual’s emotional response. Perhaps if the setting and environment were not hypothetical or imagined, this research would yield more applicable and generalizable results. What were the major results of the study? Were the results consistent with the hypotheses? As predicted and consistent with previous research, the results of the study indicated that women responded with more powerful feelings of jealousy, hurt and anger to the hypothetical Facebook scenarios created by the researchers (Muscanell et al., 2013). In addition, all participants had increased feelings of jealousy, disgust, anger and hurt when they had to visualize their romantic partner not having any couple photographs present on their Facebook profile or having those photos set to private so no other Facebook users or friends could see them (Muscanell et al., 2013). Did the author give suggestions for future research or applications? Can you provide other suggestions? The authors did identify limitations to the study, and directions for future research in the area. One suggestion indicates that future researchers should study the long-lasting effects of privacy settings and couple-related information availability on romantic relationships (Muscanell et al., 2013). Age and sexuality are two factors that this study did not include, and future research might be able to indicate how these results differ if they were to examine various ages or sexualities (Muscanell et al., 2013). As the study also suggested, future research should also examine the behavioral outcomes of these negative emotions that are elicited from the manipulation of privacy settings used on Facebook which can have potential real-life implications for interpersonal relationships (Muscanell et al., 2013). Another direction researchers could take is to examine how the manipulation of privacy settings on other social networking sites influence the likelihood of extra-relational affairs and success of relationships and how that has changed since social networking sites like Facebook existed.

Reality Television Do More Harm Media Essay

Reality Television Do More Harm Media Essay Although reality television may be popular source of entertainment, it is doing more harm to the society by corrupting its thoughts; and therefore the harms of reality television outweigh its positives. What is Reality Television? Reality television is a television-programming genre that presents purportedly unscripted melodramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded. Arguments The content aired on reality television programs plays a major role in manipulating the viewers thoughts about certain aspects of the society and help create stereotypes in the minds of the people through false representation of facts. Reality television program participants become victims of the edited material aired on TV and their image is hampered. The competition in the shows is extremely intense and brings out the worst in the participants. Reality television occupies a large amount of precious time of the viewers, thus preventing them from performing much more productive activities. KHATRY III Counter Arguments Reality television helps satisfy the needs of the people for juicy or spiced content on the screen, thus attracting large audiences. It acts as a medium of escape for the viewers from their everyday chores. However, the reality TV shows are becoming boring and pointless. Reality television helps provide a platform to bring the common man in the spotlight. But there are allegations of reality TV shows being rigged. Reality television provides an economical form of entertainment, thus proving to be profitable for the television producers since no major celebrities are usually involved. Nevertheless, the production cost averages between $800,000 and $2,000,000 plus per episode. Conclusion- Summarize and restate the arguments and counter arguments and thus, prove that the harms of reality television outweigh its positives. KHATRY 1 Does Reality Television Do More Harm Than Good? According to the American Time Survey 2011 conducted by the Bureau Of Labor Statistics U.S. Department Of Labor, The average American spends 2.4 hours everyday in front of the television screen, this means he spends 16.8 hours a week and 873.6 hours a year watching television. (American) Seven years of our lifetime in front of the idiot box can surely have a great influence on us, especially a negative one. One of the most prominent genres of modern television is the unscripted reality-based television program or commonly called Reality TV by the viewers. So what is reality television? Annette Hill in her article Reality TV: Audiences and Popular Factual Television, describes reality television as a television programming genre that presents purportedly unscripted melodramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded. (Reality) Reality TV pro grams like The Bachelor, Fear Factor, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and many more have overtaken the prime television slots and have become an integral part of the American family-couch time. Although reality television may be popular source of entertainment, it is doing more harm to the society by corrupting its thoughts; and therefore the harms of reality television outweigh its positives. First of all the content which is aired on the reality television programs is highly sexual and violent. Social cognitive theory suggests that people can discover meaningful sources of identity in their teens that feel connected to what theyre viewing. (288) According to the reports of attorney of law, Patrick A. Trueman, teens exposed to sexual material on television were more likely to be subject to premature sexual activities. Americas Next Top Model, a model hunt, has been repeatedly criticized for promoting KHATRY 2 poor body image of women resulting in low self-esteem and eating disorders among the young viewers. These shows also play a major role in creating stereotypes in the minds of the audiences. The audiences relate the actions of the participants to the ethnic or regional background they belong to. One such show is Jersey Shore, a reality television series that follows the lives of eight housemates spending their summer in New Jersey; the highly sexual and abusive content aired on the show has created misconceptions in the minds of the people regarding the residents of New Jersey. The show portrays a negative image of the American youth to the world as that of disturbed and unsophisticated. Omarosa Manigault a participant on the show The Apprentice stated, A friend of mine said, The fabric of reality TV is conflict, so make sure that youre either in the fight, breaking the fight up, or starting the fight.' The harms of reality televise are not only subjected to the audience but the participants and the crew in these shows too are pushed to the brink. The crews are made to work under unacceptable working conditions and are paid dimes for it. Three former employees of reality television shows, including American Idol, claim in a lawsuit filed that the producer forced them to work under sweatshop conditions and failed to pay for overtime hours they worked. The employees say the producer, Fremantle North America, forced them, to work up to 20 hours a day, seven days a week, sometimes without meal and rest periods, and that Fremantle falsified payroll records. (7) The participants in the reality television programs often become a victim of the misleading edited material aired on TV, which can go a long way in hampering their image in the real world. The participants in shows such as Big Brother and The Bachelor are subject to no privacy. The editing KHATRY 3 team crop the video footage in order to make it more entertaining, thus not revealing the whole truths. As a result the audience misinterprets their words and thus misconceptions are created in the minds of the viewers regarding the participants. Diana Eng a contestant on Project Runway stated in an interview, One morning the crew scared me so bad I jumped and screamed. They said that wasnt good, so I had to pretend to wake up again. (The Real) The world of reality television has also revealed the ugly face of racism in the Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy. Fellow contestants Jade Goody, Jo OMeara and Danielle Lloyd mocked Shilpa Shettys Indian accent and branded her as The Indian and a dog. (Celebrity) The highly competitive nature of the shows and the hunger to win usually brings out the worst in the participants. Sometimes even a lifetime may seem short enough to earn reputation however a moment of bad judgment is enough to lose it all. In a world where time is money and every single second is precious reality television consumes a large amount of the productive time of the viewers. The viewers spend numerous hours in front of the television watching these shows, time that they can use to perform more productive activities. Also there has been a decline in the outdoor activities of young adults, who would prefer an hour in front of the screen rather than playing ball in the park. Robert Foehr in his article Rideout states, Excessive TV viewing can contribute to poor grades, sleep problems, behavior problems, obesity, and risky behavior. (Rideout) However, we cannot be oblivious to the positive factors of this genre. Despite the numerous harms caused by reality television, the genre has become the most viewed form of television with its television rating soaring higher than ever. KHATRY 4 Realty television is one of the best means of entertainment for the viewers. For the common man it acts as a medium of escape from the arid realities of everyday life since the viewers can relate themselves with the participants on the show. The major reason for the numerous reality television programs being aired nowadays is the audiences thriving appetite for juicy or spiced content on the screen. However, the reality TV shows are soon becoming boring and pointless. Audiences have lost interest in the shows because lack of plot and repetition of themes. The show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo has received criticism globally from viewers according to whom the family is nothing but a laughing-stock. Reality television programs like American Idol and Master Chef help provide a platform for the common man to express his talents and achieve his dreams. Reality television programs are a source of instant fame and recognition for the common herd. The sole purpose of these programs is to focus on the life of ordinary people and bring them in the spotlight rather than the major celebrities. These have given the world phenomenal talents in the form of Kelly Clarkson, season one winner of American Idol, and the extraordinaire chef Jennifer Behm, who won the second season of Master Chef USA, and many others. However there are allegations of reality TV shows being rigged. The contract signed by the contestants on the reality TV shows states that the producers posses the right to determine the winners. Hope Solo, a contestant on Dancing With The Stars, pointed in her journal Solo: A Memoir Of Hope a specific incident behind the scenes that led to her elimination. Although the actual number of votes may not be twisted, producers have other illusive means to manipulate the public opinion. Dian Anderson Minshall stated in her article How Authentic Are Your Favorite  Shows? that Tom Poe a contestant on Americas Got Talent, a talent show, who lied about being injured by a grenade and suffering a brain KHATRY 5 injury while serving in Afghanistan insists the show is rigged and audiences are coached to support predetermined favorites. (How) Not only is reality television entreating but is economical as well. Producers nowadays are willing to invest in new reality TV ventures rather than sitcoms because of the huge difference in costs. Reality television programs fall cheaper to produce since no major celebrity is being paid a hefty fee. Advertisers are willing to pay millions for a 30 second commercials during the ad breaks. Nevertheless, the production cost averages between $800,000 and $2,000,000 plus per episode. Large sums of money are awarded to the winners of these shows. The cost for putting up the grand stages and sets for shows like Survivor and American Idol are exorbitant. As we have known it that there are always two sides of a coin, both the merits and demerits of reality television are present. Like it or not reality TV will remain to be one if the most popular television genre as long as the viewers demand it. Reality television has corrupted the thoughts of the viewers and hampered their perceptions about certain aspects of the society. There is hardly any authenticity to the content aired on the reality television programs; the manufactured drama aired on these shows is not reality. These acknowledged negative factors surpass the mere qualities of reality television. As stated in the above augments, although reality television may be popular source of entertainment, it is doing more harm to the society by corrupting its thoughts; and therefore the harms of reality television outweigh its positives. KHATRY 6

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight :: Essays Papers

SIR GAWAIN and the GREEN KNIGHT In the Middle Ages, a time of brave knights and fair maidens, chivalry was alive and well, and honor meant much more than just pride. A man could be expected to be as good as his word, and God was an integral part of his life. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the title character sets off on a month-long quest for the Green Chapel in fulfillment of a promise made a year earlier, knowing full well that it could mean certain death. After the knight's final days at the court of King Arthur are recounted, he sets off in "country wild" where he is "far off from all his friends" (lines 713-14). This lonely road on which he rides reflects the nature of his quest--Gawain's conflict is within himself, and is something which he must deal with on his own. On the long, arduous journey, the brave knight battles countless foes to the point where "to tell but the tenth part would tax [the author's] wits" (719). All manner of fearsome foes are described, from serpents and wolves to wild men and giants. However, he has "borne himself bravely, and been on God's side" (724), and therefore makes it through all these trials intact. The description of the locations where Sir Gawain is forced to sleep on some nights calls to mind the dwelling of Grendel's mother from Beowulf--cold, gloomy, rocky, and generally unpleasant. Gawain bears it all with stoic patience and fortitude, though he is "near slain" by the inclement weather. Finally, on Christmas Eve, Gawain "prays with all his might/That Mary may be his guide/Till a dwelling comes in sight" (737-39). This prayer underlines the parallel between Gawain's plight on this Christmas Eve and Mary's own search for lodging on the night of the first Christmas. On Christmas morning, he arrives in a foreboding forested area, "a man all alone" in a "marsh and mire" where "birds unblithe upon bare twigs/Peeped most piteously for pain of the cold." (The cold loneliness stands in contrast to the warmth and companionship he is to find in Bercilak's castle later on in the story.) Here he again prays mournfully--this time that he may be able to attend the Christmas mass. His first thoughts are not for his own safety, nor for his reputation should he not find the Green Chapel in time.

Gillette Marketing Plan Essay -- Business Marketing Analysis Managemen

Gillette Marketing Plan Gillette's $9.2 billion global business began on September, 1901 by the name of "American Safety Razor Company. In 1902 it was names Gillette Safety Razor Company. The Gillette Company today is the global market leader in nearly a dozen major consumer products categories, principally in the grooming, alkaline battery and oral care businesses. It is the largest known company for producing razors and other shaving products. The five different business units Gillette focuses on are Blades & Razors, Duracell, Oral Care, Braun and Personal care. This project deals with the production of a disposable razor with incorporated gel. Gillette is the largest well known company for producing razors. The company receives the greatest profits from that operation. Gillette sells products in over 200 countries and has approximately 28,700 employees, 70& from which are outside of the US. Manufacturers operate at 31 facilities in 14 countries and 40% of sales come from NEW products for 11 consecutive y ears. The Gillette Company's Vision is to build Total Brand Value by innovating to deliver consumer value and customer leadership faster, better and more completely than their competition. This Vision is supported by two fundamental principles that provide the foundation for all of our activities: Organizational Excellence and Core Values. Organizational Excellence is accomplished by superior and continually improving performance in every area and at every level of the organization. Gillette's performance should be guided by a clear and concise strategic statement for each business unit. Excellence requires hiring, developing and retaining a diverse workforce of the highest caliber. The three core values that define the ... ...ategic direction of the company of holding the leadership position n the grooming market. Also, this strategy will fit with Gillette's major, sustainable, competitive advantage of being an industry innovator (3). Manufacturing the "Sensor 3 Gel" will add value to the organization, as it will reposition the Gillette Company as the undisputable industry leader. The "disposable razor" target market will be male population across the world. In 2002 more than 1.7 billion men over 15 years old removed hair daily with over 80% using a blade and a razor (2). These numbers show that there is a large market for razors worldwide. The "disposable razor" will first be manufactured with a regular shave gel to appeal to a large group of men. But in the long run, new and more focused groups will be targeted. Different shaving gels for different type of skins will be introduced.

Self-imposed Estrangement in Pauls Case Essay -- Willa Cather

Self-imposed Estrangement in "Paul's Case," by Willa Cather Many times, we try to separate ourselves from the world around us; we distance ourselves from society that gives us life. What is worse, we are voluntarily subjected to the lonesomeness which precedes wallowing in our own self pity. "Paul's Case," in which the theme of the fatal progression of deliberate seclusion presents the major conflict, centers around a young man, in his alienation, suppressing his need for attention and satisfying himself through his own world established through his seclusion. The author, Willa Cather, renders this main theme by her insinuations of the character, by the point of view she chooses to illuminate Paul"'"s characteristics, and by key symbols that contribute to the overall work. The character presented by Cather through Paul, withdraws himself from his environment creating the base for the theme of his progressively intensifying need for distinct separation. The reasons Paul acts the way he does seems two fold. First, the sequence of events could be caused by psychological damage or some mental condition, possibly stemming from his mothers death, which was only alluded to in the story. Paul was a teenager who displayed certain signs of a mental illness. According to The Medical Advisor#, Paul suffers from many of similar symptoms of a narcissist. Although the personality disorder was not diagnosed until 1977, and was not perfected until 1987 and expanded upon in 1994, Cather"'"s character of 1904 embodies many of the symptoms listed. Of those Paul qualifies for are: highly developed sense of self importance, preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, belief that he or she is special, feeling he has the envy of peers... ...in a connection with his mother. This bond further alienates him with the world by association with the departed; his mother is separated by death, thus by professing to the world his connection with his mother brings him one step further from sanity. As he comes to realize that the mere emotional connection with his mother is not enough to isolate him, the flower becomes submersed into a sea of white as it is buried in the snow, and Paul achieves his ultimate escape and suicide creates the desired connection with his mother. Willa Cather, carefully weaving together a deep character to which understanding is complex, an interesting and enlightening twist on the point of view, and multi-dimensional use of symbolic motifs that describe the character"'"s personality and dreams, has created a universal theme of the grave progression of self-imposed estrangement.

Role of Rosaline in Romeo and Juliet

Would anything be lost (or gained) if Rosaline were never mentioned? Rosaline is the niece of Lord Capulet whom Romeo falls in love with prior to the play, Romeo and Juliet; however, she doesn’t reciprocate Romeo’s feelings as she has chosen to remain celibate. In most film adaptations, she is usually omitted, yet Romeo is always grieving for his rejected love at the beginning of every adaption. Now, this is rather paradoxical as Rosaline is not important enough to be portrayed by an actor, yet she is always mentioned by Romeo. So would anything be gained or lost if Rosaline is removed from the original play? Theoretically, Rosaline is only important in this play for Romeo’s past with her, but if she is removed, Romeo wouldn’t have attended the party where he meets Juliet, and consequently he would appear less impulsive and passionate. To the audience, Romeo’s love for Rosaline helps them to understand the depth and nature of Romeo’s relationship with Juliet. When the audience first meet Romeo, he is seen moping around Verona because Rosaline cannot return his love as she chose to be chaste for life. This affects him greatly as he becomes depressed and he alienates himself from his friends and families; indeed, all he can think of is his rejected love. Subsequently, Benvolio, cousin of Romeo, attempts to make Romeo forget about Rosaline by telling him to examine other beauties of Verona, which Romeo refuses to do. However, when a Capulet servant asks them to read the guest list for the Capulet’s party, from which Romeo finds out that Rosaline, is expected to attend; Benvolio then suggests Romeo to crash the party in order to look at other beauties of Verona, and Romeo reluctantly agrees. While at the party, when he is looking for Rosaline, he sees Juliet for the first time and falls in love with her immediately. Therefore, Rosaline is often seen as a plot device as her presence at the Capulet party convinced Romeo to seek for her, where he would ultimately fall in love with Juliet. Romeo’s love for Rosaline has been dismissed by literary critics as childish and many believe that Shakespeare uses Rosaline’s unattainable love to contrast with Juliet’s feelings. Most characters use poetry to express their feelings, and Romeo is no exception to this, especially when declaring his feelings. There is a noticeable difference between the poems he writes for Rosaline and Juliet; the former focuses more on Rosaline’s beauty while the latter focuses more on the love they share between them. Friar Lawrence remarked that Romeo’s affection for Rosaline is not real as Romeo is repeating the poems that he memorised; however, the poems he makes for Juliet is spontaneous and far more affectionate. The origin of Romeo’s attention for Rosaline is questioned by critics and readers. There is no doubt that Romeo and Juliet are a pair of star-crossed lover who are meant to be together, and in many ways, Juliet influences Romeo. However, Friar Lawrence remarks to Romeo that â€Å"Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear, /So soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies/Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes. † Therefore, it is possible that Romeo may have never conversed with Rosaline, thus the basis for his love would lie in her physical appearance. Comparing with a pre-destined love, Romeo’s reason for loving Rosaline appears childish and weak. Romeo’s relationship with Rosaline also makes his love for Juliet more secretive and it helps to emphasis the feud between the two households. Most of Romeo’s friend, including Benvolio and Mercutio, know of his love for Rosaline, as Mercutio is constantly making remarks about that â€Å"same pale hard-hearted wrench† and Romeo could do nothing more than saying â€Å"he jests at scars that never felt a wound† when he is alone. However, Romeo’s love for Juliet is only known to 2 people; the Friar and the Nurse, and if it had been known by more people, the feud between the Capulets and Montagues would have ended. On the day Romeo got married to Juliet, he is challenged by Tybalt but he declines it they are kinsman now, through his marriage. However, Romeo is unable to explain to Tybalt as to why he can’t duel him who then provokes Mercutio to duel Tybalt for Romeo, and it results in a death that leads to Romeo’s banishment. Lastly, Romeo’s love for Rosaline contributes greatly to Romeo’s characterization as a passionate and impulsive man. His passion is demonstrated by his willingness to be estranged from his family, as he tells no-one about his rejected love and he refuses to accept Benvolio’s advice, which is to forget Rosaline. His impulsivity is demonstrated through how quickly he forgets about Rosaline; in Act 1, Scene 4, Romeo says to Mercutio that â€Å"I am too sore enpierced with his shaft†¦Under love’s heavy burden do I sink. It is evident that he is still lovesick for Rosaline. However, in Act 2, Scene 5, he proclaims that â€Å"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! † And in Act 2, Scene 3, Rosaline vanished from his memory altogether by his â€Å"I have forgot that name, and that name’s woe. † No-one can fall out of love in under a day, and thus, Rosaline helped to characterized Romeo as an impulsive man. In short, Rosaline is important to Romeo and Juliet not because that she is a major character; in fact, she isn’t portrayed in most film adaptations. However, she is important as she is a plot device, essential to Romeo’s first meeting with Juliet. Her relationship with Romeo is often used to contrast with his love for Juliet. Their relationship emphasises the secrecy of his bond with Juliet as the former is publically known while the latter is only known to two people; this also helped to stress the enmity between the Capulets and the Montagues. Finally, Romeo’s short-lived love contributes greatly to Romeo’s characterization as a passionate and impulsive man. Therefore, without Rosaline, the story would lose a great amount of detail.

The Evolution of Art

Stacie Mueller Art 100 Professor Morris 24 February 2012 The Evolution of Art To even begin to define art, we must have a starting point in history where something was first perceived as art. The question begs, though, why do we perceive it as art? To look up the word in a dictionary, you will find the term aesthetics almost always applied to its definition; however, much of we call art today is not exactly pleasing to the eye. Our shifting social attitudes have affected how art has been presented to us over time. We see depictions of hate, of war, of death, and many other forms of sorrow and horror.Moreover, we must consider how technology and modern conveniences have allowed a greater realm in the world of art: Photography and Photoshop programs, computer generated graphics, and applications for use with tablets and smart phones that allow us to modify images in an infinite number of ways. Loosely defined, the word art seems to be applied to almost anything: The written word, photo graphy, performance arts, computer graphics, commercial art, fashion, culinary, comics, and so on. For purposes of this research paper, however, the focus will be on the more concrete forms of art that we’ve come to know throughout history.The definition of art has certainly shifted and changed over time and across cultures; in this research paper we will explore how art has evolved. Art is many things to one person, and certainly carries different meanings for another person. However, anything and everything cannot be art or it would be difficult to appreciate art’s true essence; the quality that brings forth contemplation and deliberation. Besides creativity, art takes deep thought, imagination, and accomplishes a specific goal. Artists help us see things that matter and give us a different perspective with a specific goal in mind.The earliest art was discovered on cave walls in Lascaux, France. Paintings on the walls included large numbers of animals in various acti vities, as well as humans. In Art: A New History, Paul Johnson shows us the ingenuity of early artists: Pestles and mortars were found at Lascaux, with the discovery of â€Å"no less than 158 different mineral fragments from which the mixtures were made† (9). Techniques of these early artists included engraving with flakes of sharp flint, spraying paint, and the use of stencils.The use of colors, binding agents and tools to get the material to the walls such as brushes, and blow tools, is remarkable for the time period. It appears that the purpose of the cave paintings was to tell a story; as if the artists were attempting to make a connection with the animals they hunted and also feared (Getlein, 5). In the years since, many things have occurred in history affording great influence on art. The introduction of Christianity into the Roman Empire created a dynamic, cultural shift over religious beliefs (Getlein, 345).Realism, which centered around depictions of everyday life, w as seen in art during that period of time. As the Roman Empire shifted into the Byzantine Empire in the early Middle Ages, Emperor Constantine ruled that Christianity was to become the state religion. Hence, Byzantium art glorified Christianity in attempt to express its mystery. The subject matter became primarily religious and imperial, moving away from realism, while showing a more compressed, abstract style. Rather than depicting images of ordinary daily life, artists created more complex scenes that represented spiritual and heavenly splendor.Mosaic was a favored technique of Byzantium artists: An example of this is the mosaic depicting Christ as Pantokrator in the Santa Maria la Nuova (Getlein, 350). During the early Middle Ages we saw emotions in art shift back to realism in Carolingian art. When the emperor Charlemagne was crowned king in 800, uniting Christianity with Roman beliefs, chapels were designed to rival Roman and Byzantine architecture. The Chapel of Charlemagne is a mighty example of Carolingian art: Massive stone structure with an octagonal plan, mosaic decoration, and an interior framed by massive arches (Getlein, 15. 13).Some competition with Byzantium may also be implicit in Charlemagne's promotion of figural painting and carving, for he embraced and encouraged representational art at precisely the time when Byzantine rulers were renouncing images in favor of iconoclasm. The Romanesque period (1050 to 1200) gave us the proliferation of churches with thick stone walls, round arches and barrel vaulted stone ceilings. One such example is Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy (Getlein, 15. 14). Evolving from Romanesque style, Gothic art is more ornate. Churches are characterized by soaring interiors and large stained-glass windows.The Chartres Chapel exemplifies Gothic art in its flying buttresses and ornate towers (Getlein, 15. 18). During the late Middle ages, art became an even more powerful means of storytelling. This was a common device of religio us art of the Middle ages, for example in the frescoes by Giotto from the Church of San Francesco de Assisi, where sequences of panels were used to tell stories from the Scriptures or lives of saints (Getlein, 15. 26). The definition of art continues to change as we cross continents. The symbolism in African art, for example, was quite strong.The use of masks was one of the most interesting parts of their everyday life. Masks were meant to be kept in motion, as Getlein explains, because they represent â€Å"the head or face of a spirit being that has appeared in the community† (420). The nowo mask was used to represent the guiding spirit of Bondo, a women’s organization that regulates female affairs. Bondo is an initiation that prepares young girls for womanhood. An important feature of the nowo mask is the rings around its base; they are meant to represent a chrysalis, as girls emerge as women at the conclusion of Bondo (Getlein, 420).In more modern times we’ve seen various forms of â€Å"isms†: Impressionism, Expressionism, Naturalism, Realism, Modernism, and Surrealism – to name a few. Impressionist painting was perceived as working from outer appearances. Expressionistic artists intended to show a more inner dialogue, particularly with their use of color. The objective attention to appearances places Impressionism within the context Naturalism. While Naturalism and Realism are terms which are used interchangeably, the Naturalist is more impressed by the surface of things, such as the textures of fabric, the play of light, or the sheen of gold.The Realist tends to probe deeper into appearances, seeking the essence. Twentieth century Modernism is a reaction to Naturalism. Trevor Pateman describes Modernism as that which â€Å"can be defined as being concerned with the inner, or subjective, at the expense of the outer, or objective† (Pateman). The modernist viewed art as an agent of social change and even helped shape many political movements. The Surrealist movement sought techniques which would permit essence to break through the illusions of appearance, emphasizing imagery from dreams and fantasy.In this, Surrealists sought to act like Realists of the inner rather than the outer world. In all of these â€Å"isms,† however, there is a certain common ground: a focus on people, nature scenes, and everyday items. We can see that art has gone through many evolutions, but even though the technology of today has created more mediums for the creation of art, I wouldn’t say it has been transformed. Art, it seems, has forever been intended to speak the language of the unconscious mind. The human condition, nature, and events continue to capture the attention of artists. Works Cited Clowney, David. Definitions Of Art And Fine Art's Historical Origins. † Journal Of Aesthetics & Art Criticism 69. 3 (2011): 309-320. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. Getlein, Mark. Living With Art. 9th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print. Johnson, Paul. â€Å"Painted Caves and Giant Stones. † Art: A New History. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. 7-16. Print. Keizer, Joost. â€Å"Michelangelo, Drawing, And The Subject Of Art. † Art Bulletin 93. 3 (2011): 304-324. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. Pateman, Trevor. â€Å"Isms: Expressionism, Impressionism, Naturalism, Realism, Surrealism. † Selectedworks. co. uk. N. p. , 2005. Web. 2 Mar. 2013