Tennis Research Paper

Tennis by Robin Seems Introduction First of all, tennis is a sport known all over the world. That allows you to enjoy entertainment with your friends or whatever and in addition doing some physical exercise. It also improves your coordination a lot. It can be played either at two (called single) or four (called double). As you can guess, tennis is a very difficult sport. Especially in three points: physically, mentally and technically. The rare goods players excel in these three points. About one hundred fifty players are earning their live thanks to this sport.It meaner that if you want to live with your passion, you'll need to e in the top hundred fifty of the world. Very tough. Thus, tennis is especially a game and need to stay one. Fair play and having fun are required. Of course, a lot of people are watching tennis on television, which is very loved. History First of all, tennis is a sport known all over the world. His roots came from several thousand years ago. History seems to say that the creators of tennis are the Europeans monks. As you can guess, the racket was not yet uses at this time.They were hitting the ball with their hands, and then they were wearing leather gloves. A big step came when the first ‘racket' appeared. Thus, progressively (in course of time), the racket evolved as well as the ball. To begin with, the ball was wooden. Currently the ball is in rubber, filled of air and covered with felt. About the racket, they also were wooden and very heavy compare to now. Right now, rackets don't weigh more than four hundred grams and are for most of them in synthetic fiber and aluminum. STRING STUFF ?BALL Different Shots Before talking about all the kind of shots, I would like to say that tennis require finesse, power and speed. The hardest think is to keep improving the two others skills hill working on the third one. Indeed, if you only work your power, logically your speed will decrease. It's one of the reasons why all the professionals' players are supported by a coach. Actually, more than one coach. Obviously there's one for the physical aspect, one for the tennis aspect and sometimes for the mental aspect. * Forehand and Backhand * The more important shots with the service because they are the base of your game.Almost every ball you'll hit will be a forehand or backhand. If the balls bounces before you hit them then it is called Forehand or Backhand. If you are right-handed hen the forehand is stroke on the right side and obviously the backhand on the left side. If you're left-handed then it is the opposite. It's worth for every shot. * Volley * Stroke before it bounces, volley has for purpose to win time on your opponent. Indeed, if the ball doesn't bounces, the opponent has less time to come back on the good position on the court.In addition, volley is mostly hit under your head. In the other hand, volley is a very difficult shot because it is harder to control the ball * Smash * Same characteristic than the v olley except that it is only stroke above the head. In addition, the shot is often more powerful. * Service * One of the more important shots because it's the first shot you hit to start the from the baseline in either the right or left side, it's exactly the same movement than the smash, except that you throw the ball yourself and she need to bounces in the opposite square.Rules ; court composition This website explain you the detailed rules in tennis. There's a lot of website showing the basic rules of tennis but the one I took is very clear and kind of detailed. It explains everything: the position the players must have on the court, how to count, hat's all the possible fault you can do (double fault, foot fault, etc. ) and as shown on the next page the dimension of the court. A perfect website for a beginner who want to start tennis. All about tennis To my opinion, this website is the best if you are very interested about tennis.Before all, TIFT meaner ‘International Tenni s Federation'. Also showing the very detailed rules, you can find whatever you want. Here is a list of what you can expect to find if you surf on this website: * All the news about tennis (Players, tournaments, presidents of big tournaments) * A ‘Pin online service' which meaner you can buy your own pin' which is required to play internationals tournaments Minor or senior) * A list of all the possible internationals tournaments. Articles about tennis: doping, nutrition, psychology, equipment, conditioning and many more * Headings about Feuded, Davisson, Olympic and Paralytic tennis event, etc. References: 1. Introduction -> me. 2. Http://www. Historicalness. Net/ History 3. Http://weakest. Kill 2. Oh. Us/Hilliard's/whose/tennis/tennis_rules. HTML Rules ; court composition 4. Different shots different shots 5. All about tennis All about tennis

Domain Names as Internet Properties Essay

What are your long term plans for your domain name? Do you expect to convey the name and the goodwill associated with it to an interested buyer or bequeath it your heirs? Perhaps you intend to use the domain name to secure a loan for a business expansion or for your child’s college tuition. You may be in for a surprise. The intellectual property community asserts that domain names, as source indicators, are akin to trademarks. However, trademark law cannot be effectively grafted on to domain names because of the discrepancies over geographical boundaries and context-sensitive use. In order for a trademark registration to issue, the mark must be used in interstate commerce to identify the source of a class of goods or services. Identical trademarks can co-exist so long as they are associated with non-competing types of goods or services or are used in different geographic areas. Domain names are registered on a first-come, first-served basis. The first individual or company to complete the registration template for an available name gets the sole right to be associated with it. For a reasonable fee, currently hovering at $10 a year, the registrant can brand and propagate the name in a worldwide marketplace. The registrant receives the exclusive right to use that name for a website presence, global e-mail, and network file transfers. But every domain name must be unique, and it is this technical requirement that makes domain names potentially valuable resources which are substantively different from trademarks. Compaq Computer Corp paid $3. 35 million in July 1998 for rights to ALTAVISTA. COM, purchased from a California start-up called Alta Vista Technology. The transaction included existing traffic of a half million visitors a day who were already expecting to find the Alta Vista search engine at that domain name. As the price bar for domain names rises, NSI’s customers may resist being subject to the vagaries of the registrar’s feudal regime. Simple and unencumbered ownership endows the registrant with a type of predictable, if limited, sovereignty. Through legislation and judicial acknowledgment, registrants who meet certain individual responsibilities should be allowed a perpetually renewable and assignable right to enjoy this new source of wealth. Many domain names have become the cornerstone of multimillion-dollar business plans. In the fall of 1999, VirtualVineyard of Palo Alto, California, acquired Wine. Com of Napa, primarily for its domain name. While the $3. 3M-plus acquisition included an operating business, the CEO of Wine. Com estimated that about 70 percent of his company’s value was its name. The current controversies over domain names highlight the interplay of technology, law, economics and politics. Court opinions trail society’s changes and conundrums resulting from technology of recent vintage. Yet, nearly everyone agrees on one point: domain names are caught in a legal thicket. If domain names are property, then existing contracts such as NSI’s harsh Service Agreement must be rewritten. Although the implications of the Umbro decision are yet to be fully assessed, and NSI’s appeal remains to be heard, the magistrate recognized that each knotty domain name dispute before the court may be breaking new legal ground. References Unknown (1999). ‘Mortgages’ for domain names. BBC Sci/Tech News. Retrieved November 26, 2006 from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/science/nature/533455. stm Oppedahl, C. (1997). Remedies in Domain Name Lawsuits: How is a domain name like a cow? Patents. com. Retrieved November 26, 2006 from http://www. patents. com/pubs/jmls. htm

An Investigation Into the Differences Between Retail and Investment Banks Essay

Over the past decades, retail banks have remained the main commercial bank for consumers, rather than corporations or other banks. The investment bank has become more popular amongst individuals, corporations and governments which are interested in raising their profits. Retail banks and investment banks have different organizational structures and activities. So they have many differences, such as services, customers and profits. And this report aims to distinguish between the retail bank and the investment bank in order to identify their specific service areas. Firstly, the author will review some literature focusing on the definitions. Secondly, the author will illustrate the differences between them from their target activities and functions. Retail banks offer a range of services to individual customers and small businesses, rather than to large companies and other banks. These include: savings and transactional accounts, mortgages, personal loans, debit cards and credit cards. An investment bank is a bank which specializes in providing funds to corporate borrowers for startup or expansion and does not accept deposits but provides services to those who offer securities to investors, and to those investors themselves. It may also assist and support companies which are involved in mergers and acquisitions, and provides ancillary services such as market making, trading of derivatives, fixed income instruments, foreign exchange, commodities, and equity securities. From the definitions above, it clearly shows that the two types of bank provide substantially different services to customers. As a normal customer, I think the retail banks are better than the investment banks. And there are three advantages of the retail banks. Firstly, the retail banks have more branches than the investment banks. For example, Lloyds TSB Bank is a retail bank in the United Kingdom, and according to Lloyds TSB website, the bank has nearly 1,900 branches across the UK. This means that you can find the branches of TSB almost everywhere. So you can deal with some normal business easily, the branches of retail banks can be found almost everywhere. For example, you want to make emergency loans, you do not have enough time to find an investment bank to make loans, so you must choose the retail banks. Moreover, the retail banks can supply some services which the investment banks do not provide. When you want to transfer from one account to another account, you can not go to the investment banks, because the investment banks do not offer this kind of service. Therefore, if you want to deal with some normal business (such as savings, mortgages and credit cards) at a bank, it would be better to choose the retail banks. The Royal Bank of Scotland is one of the retail banking is part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, and together with NatWest and Ulster Bank, provides branch banking facilities throughout the UK. And it can provide almost every service that the retail banks have. So it has a good reputation in Scotland. Finally, the risk of retail banks is relatively lower than the investment banks. You can get money from the rate of interest which can be higher than the other banks. Such as Barclays Corporate which belongs to the Barclays Group and provide these kinds of services (such as savings, transactional accounts, mortgages, debit cards, credit cards). It offers a service called monthly savings which is its regular savings plan that allows you to save regularly over 12 months, and you can get higher interest rates are paid where no withdrawals have been made in the previous month. This means that you can get high fixed interest of up to 3. 25% AER / 3. 20% in months when no withdrawals are made. And the revenue of the retail banks is stability and fixed. So you do not need to pay more attention to the asset in the retail banks. These advantages of the retail banks are the reasons why the retail banks are better as a normal customer. As an advanced person or a company, I think the investment banks are better. There are also many advantages of the investment banks which usually provide services for the company. First of all, most of the investment banks are global company and it can provide services more widely than the retail banks. Such as Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management It reports US$779 billion as assets under its management. Its headquarter located in Midtown Manhattan , New York City. It has companies in 37 countries with over 1,200 offices, employees dedicated to local businesses, government agencies, institutions and individuals. So the investment banks can provide the services (such as trading of derivatives, fixed income instruments, foreign exchange and commodities) all over the world. Secondly, the revenue of the investment banks significantly more than profit of other types of banks. If you save your extra money in the retail banks, you can only get the interest from the rates. But if you sand your money to the investment banks you can get remarkable returns although it has a high risk. For example the Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American investment bank and securities. And it provides mergers and acquisitions advice, underwriting services, asset management, and prime brokerage to its clients, which include corporations, governments and individuals. Amazingly, the company in US profits reached a record $ 13. 39 billion in 2010, on average common shareholders’ equity rate of return is 22. 5%. At last, the investment banks also can provide some special services that the retail banks do not offer. For instance, it can supply a particularly serving called â€Å"financial advice† what can make financial of a company more reasonability and determine the future line of development. UBS AG is a diversified global financial services company, with its main headquarters in Basel and Zurich, Switzerland and UBS is present in all major financial centers worldwide. With â€Å"Premier Advisory Services†, UBS offers you the opportunity to schedule individual one-on-one consultations with CEFS experts who understand your equity-linked compensation as an integrative part of your total wealth management, know about the different plan vehicles and can support you on issues such as â€Å"How can I best align my equity-linked compensation with my total wealth management† or â€Å"When should I exercise, which strategy is the best†.

Dictatorship and the Neoliberal Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dictatorship and the Neoliberal Markets - Essay Example More to this, social programs in the country have been abandoned, and most of the industries run by government previously have been privatized. The ejido lands in Mexico, which refer to land given to the community, or a group of people, under the agrarian reform have also been taken over. Neoliberalism in Mexico can be traced back to the Mexican crisis of 1982. The country, under the leadership of President Jose Luis Portillo (1976-1982) borrowed heavily from external sources, with an intention of investing in railways, nuclear power, oil pipelines, freeways, and the steel industry. The borrowings were done against the oil revenues of the country, given that previous years had shown a constant increase in the oil prices. However, the prices of oil began to deteriorate in 1982, due to overproduction, and OPEC price cuts. More to these, world interest rates increased, followed by devaluation in the Mexican peso, leading to a financial crisis in Mexico. Following these events, a debt moratorium was declared in 1982. These compelled the country to accept worldwide support from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, the US Federal reserve, and the US department of the treasury. However, they offered conditional support, which required Mexico to adopt neoliberal poli cies (Thomas, James, William, & Browning-Akien, 4). Adoption of neoliberal policies required the Mexican government to cut on its spending. This led to a reduction in the subsidies given to members of the country to promote production. Consequently, the farmers faced difficulties in production, which worsened their economic ability. More to this, reduced government spending decreased the resources allocated to important sectors of the economy. These include the health sector, education, and welfare sectors. Consequently, the rates of unemployment increased, thus making Mexicans poorer. Accessing health and education services became problematic, hence

Database management systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Database management systems - Research Paper Example Organizing and maintaining such enormous amount of data in only papers is almost impossible. If back up is not maintained properly, the business might lose critical information which could lead to losses. Thus, the migration of existing and current data to cloud based platform will require well defined architecture as well as strategies. The cloud database model should have specific objectives in line with policies of the organization. The model should also include sufficient security, encryption, and control over information which will be transferred. The biggest challenge lies in maintaining the balance between speed of data transfer, cost of data transfer, data accuracy and consistency. If all these aspects of cloud database management are not ensured then the consequences could be data loss, wrong location data placement or data alteration during transfer process. Even though cloud based computing platforms are becoming popular, especially for e-business and MNCs, due to cost eff iciency, there are issues related to data safety, speed and security. The objective of this paper is to critically analyze the cloud database by pointing out disadvantages of cloud data. Introduction and Background of the Research The cloud computing technology has been receiving significant attention in the market lately. For many sectors and companies in various industries, cloud is not just an umbrella for marketing but a consolidated technology that offers grid computing, SAAS (software as a service), distributed computing, and so on. There are many companies that offer cloud services including Amazon RDS and Microsoft SQL Azure. A cloud database is basically a database management system that runs on cloud computing platform (Curino, pp.1-2). Some of the cloud computing platforms are Go Grid, Amazon EC2, and Rack space. (Source: Curino and et.al, n.d, p.2) The main vision on the basis of which cloud computing was developed is based on certain key features that cloud database is expected to perform. Some of the important features that was kept in mind while creating cloud data platform were data storage, processing, software installation, software delivery from local servers and desktops across various networks. The key concept was that the target users must get access to remote data from anywhere at any time without requiring to carry a hard drive or other storage device. The concept was created to free big corporations from generating own power and capital investment. Thus, the most important candidate of cloud computing is the database management applications. The main reason behind this is that large corporations spend huge sum of money to safely manage enterprise data which involves upfront investment in both hardware and patented software services. The advantage that the different enterprises would get from cloud computing is that they could reduce their annual data management cost significant with the help cloud database. By using cloud data the comp anies will not have to install, own and maintain dedicated expensive software packages. The reason is that cloud computing service providers or vendors provide their customers with virtual machines or platforms from where the customer will be able to install and manage software services without having to own and store a version in their

War is Kind vs. Dulce et Decorum Est Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

War is Kind vs. Dulce et Decorum Est - Essay Example Clearly, the subject of each composition points to the intensity of passion which treats war either as something acceptable and void of evil or as an object of contempt. In 'War is Kind', the author attempts to offer a solemn insight to the humility and overall good the war is given to possess. The tone with its smooth texture enhances the poem's theme to attain to the goal of realizing that, despite the hostile occurrences and ends, war implicitly acts in kindness. No tough imagery is rendered, instead the seemingly mild and abstract simplicity of what was bound to take place or be fulfilled as in a prophecy especially on mentioning â€Å"These men were born to drill and die (Crane)† in two strophic occasions. On the other hand, 'Dulce et Decorum Est' contains elements and device which W. Owen deemed necessary to put the audience in the shoe of reality that establishes how excruciating it is to confront the ill fates of combat.

Laos Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Laos - Essay Example The theory rejects the notion that values and principles of any ideology will be the guiding principles of national policies. Laos is a small landlocked state in South East Asia which has been under the rule of a socialist and communist oriented regime since the 1970s. The country has been isolated as it pursued social, political, economic, and diplomatic policies which were in line with the objectives and interests of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Vietnam and USSR were the main allies of the country which pushed forward the communist takeover of the country following the withdrawal of American forces from Vietnam during the 1970s. The collapse of the Soviet Union and Communist bloc led to wide ranging consequences for Laos. It has been trying to reorient and refocus its system in order to survive. This paper uses the theory of Realism to evaluate the strength and weakness of Laos within the international political system. It also analyzes the main policies of the country using the concepts of Realism. It also makes recommendations which can help benefit the country in improving its economic, political, diplomatic, and social conditions. Laos is a small landlocked country which is surrounded by powerful countries like China and Vietnam. During the colonial age the country came under French occupation where it was governed like a protectorate. The 1970s witnessed the supremacy and domination of the communist insurgents which overthrew the monarchy (Hiebert, 175). The country is a socialist country ruled by a single party which is the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. The Politburo creates the policies of the government. A constitution was created in the early 1990s which gave the ruling party special powers and roles in the political system of the country. Other political parties were strictly banned in the country while the press is also regulated and controlled by the government. A small insurgency is also prevalent against

Anthropology Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Anthropology Final - Essay Example It aims at creating a concrete feeling of enjoyment for an audience, most commonly manifested in a physical display consisting of displays of pleasure including smiles and laughter.† 1 Another definition of humour, â€Å"is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement† 2 Not all people are talented enough to be humorous. Someone needs to be creative and imaginative. In this case, there is what we call â€Å"humour formula† Root components of humour are being reflective of or imitative of reality and surprise/misdirection, contradiction/paradox, ambiguity. Therefore, methods to create humour include hyperbole, metaphor, farce, reframing and timing. 3 Our society has evolved in different angles. We have learned from our parents, siblings and friends knowing which laughable jokes are and which are not. Sometimes when people are stressed from their work, when they laugh at jokes, it gives them a relaxing feeling, releasing stress. It is therefore healthy to laugh at jokes. But that is not the focus of my paper. I just want to make this paper an informative material to others who may be reading this in the future. I laughed and I learned humour. In our subject Anthropology 2040-1, I thought we will just study how to create jokes and learn the tricks of being a stand-up comedian. It was more of a deep understanding about the origins of humour and how Jewish people are important in the anthropological study of humour. But why did our forefathers like Plato, Socrates and others became curious about the elements of Humour. Who doesn’t want to hear jokes? Of course everyone does. But sometimes people became abusive of their sense of humour. Having a sense of humour is a great talent. It means that you can make everyone laugh, and sometimes people make money for this ability. In some television shows, competition is always present. So, instead of naming the person or show, they use jokes against thei r competitors. Especially if one T.V. show claimed they are number 1 in the ratings, others react and use other means to prove to people they are number 1 too. Humour is sometimes used by people who think they are more superior to the others. Like in schools, the usual scenes are some rich kids prank over poor kids, good looking students prank on not so good looking students. But how far is too far when it comes to humour? Honestly, we are influenced by our society when it comes to humour verbals and visuals. We selectively and consciously laugh at areas we found defects or we found out of the ordinary. Anything that is not perfect in our subconscious is not ordinary and therefore we can say, we laugh about it sometimes because it is not how we expect it should appear. According to Ted Cohen, when a joke involves logic running wild, the joke will present an absurdity – an absurdity in itself or an absurd response to a normal overture or a kind of doubling of absurdity. 4 Reli gious humour is by far the most controversial part of our modern society. Most of the readings about this concept points towards Jewish people. But before we go to Jewish people, let’s first understand why religion entails humour by defining religious

In your OWN words, prepare a Microsoft Word report to provide evidence Essay

In your OWN words, prepare a Microsoft Word report to provide evidence of advanced knowledge of a concept taught in one of week - Essay Example But what is the definition of electronic commerce? One definition of electronic commerce states that it is the use of computer networks in business, with the aim of increasing profitability and increasing market share and brand reach (Watson et al. 2008). Another definition of electronic commerce states that it is any form of business transaction done in the internet (Department of Trade and Economic Development – Government of South Australia n.d.). There may be a lot of varying definitions, but most of these definitions boil down to one common theme: the use of the internet in conducting business transactions, as opposed to physical contact in doing business. One of the main reasons why electronic commerce has already been one of the most popular choices for many businesses is because of the fact that electronic commerce has been able to improve organizational efficiency and other logistical problems in conducting business. ... on logistical expenses, especially on marketing their respective products, due to the fact that maintaining a website and investing on search engine optimization services to reach out on prospective customers online is more cost-effective, as compared to physically distributing marketing tools to customers or hiring advertising firms to advertise on tri-media. In this case, lessening such costs will surely increase the profitability of any business. In addition, by using electronic commerce, clients can now have much more convenience in giving feedbacks to the goods and services that they receive, especially through online surveys that online businesses actually uses. This mechanism will surely help businesses in evaluating their own performances and giving much better services to clients. In terms of gaining a larger market share, the best thing about electronic commerce is that it has the ability to reach out to millions of customers worldwide in just a matter of seconds. This woul d be virtually impossible for other businesses who are not engaged in electronic commerce. In addition, it is important to take note that consumers nowadays are more comfortable in looking for goods and services through the internet, given its speed, reliability, and the convenience that it offers to consumers. Also, because electronic commerce relies much on the internet, it would be able to deliver services to clients at a much faster pace than usual. Take note that consumers nowadays can now do their shopping in the comfort of their own homes, and that companies can now provide the specific needs of customers in just a matter of clicks, without bothering them to go physically into the merchandising stores of companies. This will surely make businesses deliver their goods and services

Unit 3 Assignments and Discussions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Unit 3 Assignments and Discussions - Essay Example Our staff documents numerous instances of neglect and emotional abuse, which we reported to a local childcare protective services agency (Feeney & Freeman 2012). Amazingly, investigation was conducted and the child allowed remaining in the uncles home. However, the situation seems not to improve. The NAEYC code requires rights of the children to be respected. The individuals found to promulgate child abuse stand to be sued and imprisoned. In our case, the uncle and his girlfriend should be arrested and charged for causing emotional problem to the child. You have a child in your room that has been diagnosed as having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He sometimes scares the younger children with his boisterous and frenetic activity. A parent who is a kindergarten teacher notices his behavior and asks you what the problem is. The problem involves my child who has been diagnosed as having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).The child scares the younger children with his boisterous and frenetic activity. In the process, a parent who is a kindergarten teacher notices his behavior and demanded to know from me (Feeney & Freeman 2012).. The NAEYC evaluation the teacher of the program to liaise with the children, as well as the instructors of the standard paper and pencil. The test should be conducted in a manner as to avoid stressing the children. This can be attained through preparing the children psychologically and subject them to the test at a relaxed manner. In addition to that, the aide will do a lot of work and hence this can cause commotion within the class. Essentially, the tests should be conducted within the room and cover a large number of children. Once the children are separated, there are chances to have some of them frustrated and give inaccurate results. According to NAEYC codes, the teacher should be strict on using the English language instead of

Exam - 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Exam - 1 - Essay Example It is now possible for companies to share communication with their customers and partners, through interactive means such as the web browsers, while also combining technologies from different vendors without experiencing problems (Applegate, Austin & Soule, 2009:286). The cost involved in implementing better-performing technologies has drastically reduced, since there is now more competition among the vendors, thus reducing the prices of their products (Applegate, Austin & Soule, 2009:286). The drivers of those changes include global internet access. The immense growth in internet has made it possible and easier to access varied computer applications regardless of where they are hosted, thus making software access easier and inexpensive (Applegate, Austin & Soule, 2009:288). Additionally, reduced lead time to market and the norm of 24-hour operations for businesses have served to improve the accessibility of diverse technologies, since the competition between vendors has reduced the time involved in delivering such products to the market. Skills shortage has also served to drive the changes in IT service model, since the shortage of qualified IT experts has forced business to continuously demand improved capabilities from the professionals, which has in turn served to deliver new products (Applegate, Austin & Soule, 2009:288). The new service models are servers housed locally, which serves to enhance the physical proximity between the location of server machines and places where people are using the software, an aspect that has in itself, brought about more efficiency (Applegate, Austin & Soule, 2009:287). Further, the new service models entail software designed for high geographical distance operations, making it possible for the storage of files and documents in one geographical location, and the access and use of the same

An Ironic Editorial Cartoon Essay Example for Free

An Ironic Editorial Cartoon Essay â€Å"Let’s hope the asteroid’s impact is confined to the subprime mortgage area. † These are the words spoken among several dinosaurs as a large asteroid is headed towards earth. Or, more accurately, they are the words of the dinosaurs within the frame of Tim Toles’ biting editorial cartoon. Upon first viewing, the cartoon does provoke immediate laughter. Then, when you stop to let the themes of the cartoon sink in you realize that the humor is quite dark and ominous and, more importantly, it is quite accurate. For those not familiar with the symbolism, there is an unproven theory that asserts dinosaurs may have been rendered extinct due to an asteroid hitting the earth. The reason all dinosaurs were rendered extinct was due to the asteroid having a significant change on the earth’s climate and environment. That is, the asteroid possessed a ripple effect that went far beyond the exact area where the asteroid landed. The symbolism presented here ties in with the subprime mortgage crisis in a manner that is both obvious and outright chilling. The weight of the claims presented in the argument makes logical sense. It simply infers that economic problems will have a major ripple effect. That is, the economic woes of those affected by the subprime crisis will carry over into other aspects of the economy. As a result, even those who may previously have had nothing to do with the subprime crisis will be negatively impacted. (In essence, the intended audience is the entire population of the nation) After all, we are all plugged into the same economy. If one area is hurting, it will invariably drag down others. This is clearly an interpretation based on implication and the claim is obviously apparent in the words used. And, yes, such assumptions are warranted as by the time the cartoon appeared the ripple effect of the crisis has lead to a huge federal bailout This is not a notion that is arrived at on the basis of speculation and alarmism. It is based on simple math and the law of cause and effect. If someone’s home suffers from a foreclosure then the individual will find himself in an extremely disadvantageous financial position. Clearly, such an individual would have to make numerous â€Å"cut backs† on purchasing decisions and this means less money will flow into the economy. Such actions have negative effects on profits in various companies and hurt stock values. If stock values are reduced then the net worth of investors (many of which rely on their investment during their retirement years) will reduce. Then, there is also the huge problem of massive foreclosures over-saturating the real estate market. This has the negative effect of ruining equity on real estate throughout the nation. Further problems arise as the economy declines and credit dries up. This can lead to â€Å"bank runs† where customers opt to pull money out of their banks for fear they may lose their savings if the bank goes under. So, yes, just like the horrible ripple effect the asteroid had on the dinosaurs, the subprime crisis is one that affects the whole world as opposed to any one, single contained area. Of course, prior to the asteroid landing, the dinosaurs had no idea how serious the problem would be. They saw it coming but did not expect it to possess such a ripple effect. The dinosaur’s predicament is woefully similar to the predicament facing the economic landscape now that the subprime crisis has reeled out of control. As such, this cartoon is serious call to action and it is made with the intended goal of motivating the public to be ready for the serious ramifications of the subprime crisis. Now, when it comes to the ability to critique the effectiveness of the cartoon we must look at the sum of its parts. Particularly, is imagery also needed to effectively convey the information presented in the cartoon? Of course, it is possible to convey the same information and sentiment. Granted, the words in the cartoon would obviously have to be expanded upon in order to provide the proper context to make sense. However, the biting humor of the cartoon would needlessly be eliminated and replaced by exposition and explanation.. Such an approach would work quite effectively but it would not possess the same power of the cartoon. That is, the cartoon works on a number of levels because it combines visual imagery with ironic wording. In terms of the specific words within the cartoon, however, the presence of the words without the imagery would make little sense since they would be out of context without the presence of the dinosaurs. Now, if one were to keep the image and remove the wording the end result would be disastrous. A visual image of dinosaurs looking up at the sky and seeing an asteroid would convey the concept that an asteroid may have killed them, but it does nothing to promote the ironic notion that the subprime mortgage crisis can cause a similar ripple effect. In short, the value of the cartoon is basically worthless without the presence of the ironic wording. After all, if you were to remove the words from the cartoon would you be able to guess that its subject matter involves the subprime crisis? In all likelihood, making any connection between the dinosaurs and the subprime crisis would be impossible without the appropriate wording. This is neither a good thing nor a bad thing. It is simply an honest assessment of the limitations of the cartoons visual imagery. But does it work? It depends. It is odd however, that irony is used as a means of promoting the argument style of persuasion. In a way, the cartoon heralds more than it seeks to persuade. So, really, its goal is not so much to be persuasive since it does not seek to promote a point to the doubting as much as it is a statement of fact. While a statement of fact can persuade some, such a statement is not automatically persuasive. For those who are logic and rational, however, it will have a stronger resonance that mixes pathos with logos. That is, it mixes humorous irony with obviously true facts. In the final analysis, it is safe to say that this particular editorial cartoon is brilliant. It mixes words and images together in an ironic and informative matter that stresses the gravity of the subprime crisis. Of course, the words and images do this well in combination. Separately, they would lack the effectiveness they possess as a tandem. Bibliography Toles, Tom. (2008) â€Å"Unnamed Cartoon†. THE WASHINGTON POST. Retrieved October 5, 2008 from http://www. washingtonpost. com/ wp-dyn/content/opinions/cartoonsandvideos/

The Effects Of Transformational Leadership Education Essay

The Effects Of Transformational Leadership Education Essay In recent years, educational leaders have been voicing concerns about higher burnout rates among special education teachers as compared with teachers in general education (Fore, Martin, Bender, 2002). Many factors contribute to burnout in special education. Increased teaching workloads, shrinking school budgets, increasing demands for accountability, and disruptive students are often blamed (Byrne, 1994; Fore et al., 2002). The recession that took place in the United States in 2007 has significantly exacerbated these issues. Teachers, including special educators, must cope with the issues that come from difficult economic times. As budget tightens, teachers have to face layoffs or are being forced to take pay cuts and unpaid furlough days (Oliff Johnson, 2010). They have to worry about providing for themselves and also putting in the time and effort to promote a conductive learning environment for their students. This makes them stressful and reduces their morale to teach to the be st of their capabilities (Reeves, 2010). Furthermore, special education teachers are asked to do more with less than before this includes rising teacher pupil ratios (Center for Public Education, 2010). In special education, this means teachers have to teach students with a broader range of disabilities and grade levels. Moreover, teachers are unable to use as many of the same resources that they used before, and the school supplies, materials, and other resources that have previously been given are slowly being taken back (Center for Public Education, 2010). With the end of the federal stimulus funds that helped prevent severe education cuts, many school districts will face a more stressful budget shortfall in the next few years (Husch, Banton, Cummings, Mazer, Sigritz, 2010). All these problems can make special educators more vulnerable to burnout. Burnout has been defined as a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment (Leiter Maslach, 1988, p. 297). Emotional exhaustion refers to the feelings of being drained or used up by the clients (Maslach Jackson, 1981). Emotional exhaustion also is identified as feelings of strain, particularly chronic fatigue resulting from overtaxing work (Hakanen, Bakker, Schaufeli, 2006, p. 498). Teachers who have experienced this sense of emotional exhaustion report feeling dread at the thought of having to put in another day on the job and often put distance between themselves and coworkers and students (Schwab, Jackson, Schuler, 1986, p. 15). This distancing of oneself from the students is the second aspect of burnout, depersonalization (Schwab et al., 1986). Leiter and Maslach (1988) defined depersonalization as developing an unfeeling and callous response toward clients. Depersonalization is also referred to as cynicism, indifferent, or a distant attitude toward work in general and the people with whom one works (Hakanen et al., 2006). The third aspect of burnout is reduced personal accomplishment (Leiter Maslach, 1988). Workers tend to have a negative appraisal of themselves as well as their work with clients (Maslach Jackson, 1981). Teachers who suffer from burnout are unable to function effectively in their jobs, unable to give much of themselves to students, and frequently exhibit negative, cynical, and callous attitudes toward their jobs (Byrne, 1993). A number of studies have shown that teacher burnout may lower student achievement. Teachers who experience job burnout are more likely to criticize students, which in turn reduce students self-efficacy, motivation to learn, completeness of understanding, and creativity (Huberman Vandenberghe, 1999; Maslach Leiter, 1999). Researchers found teachers who experience burnout have reduced motivation, impaired performance, and higher rates for leaving the teachi ng profession (Byrne, 1993; Fore et al., 2002; Schwab et al., 1986). The vital role that supervisors play in affecting teachers propensity towards burnout was observed in research (Russell, Altmaier, Van Velzen, 1987; Sarros Sarros, 1992; Zabel Zabel, 2001). Supportive supervisors are likely to provide positive feedback concerning supervisees skills and abilities, which may make them less vulnerable to burnout. Russell et al. (1987) reported teachers who felt support and received positive feedback from supervisors were less vulnerable to burnout. Zabel and Zabel (2001) showed special education teachers were less likely to experience burnout when they receive more support from administrators, peers, and parents. According to Sarros and Sarros (1992), the importance of supervisor and principal support cannot be underestimated as a critical resource for addressing teacher burnout. Rose (1998) found that incidence of burnout can be reduced by high-quality leader-member exchange relationships. Positive contact with supportive supervisors is also a strong deterrent to the factors that lead to burnout. According to Leiter and Maslach (1988), unpleasant contacts with supervisors were associated with all three aspects of burnout. Their research showed that stressful interactions with supervisors lead to emotional exhaustion that causes depersonalization, which in turn leads to diminished feelings of personal accomplishment. However, little research has focused on the relationship between transformational leadership style of supervisors and burnout dimensions, and the empirical evidence is inconclusive. One possible reason for the inconclusive evidence is that previous literature overlooks a psychological mechanism that may be a powerful mediator to account for the relationship. In addition, very few studies have investigated the effect of transformational leadership style of supervisors on burnout among special education teachers. The purpose of this paper was to fill the gap by examining the relationship between transformational leadership style of supervisors and teacher burnout in special education while accounting for the mediating role of teachers calling. Literature Review Transformational Leadership and Job Burnout Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership theory is central to understanding the relationship between transformational leadership style of supervisors and the levels of burnout among special education teachers in this study. According to Fry (2003), transformational leadership is an intrinsically based motivational process whereby leaders engage followers to create a connection that raises the level effort and moral aspiration in both (p. 702). Northouse (2004) proposed transformational leadership refers to the process whereby an individual engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower (p. 170). Transformational leaders inspire followers to achieve positive outcomes by giving meaning to their work and understanding their personal needs (Boerner, Eisenbeiss, Griesser, 2007). The transformational leadership theory identifies four behaviors such as inspirational motivation, idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration that motivate followers intrinsically to give their best efforts and change their attitudes toward their work (Bass, 1999). Bass described idealized influence as shown by leaders whose behaviors can serve as an example to be emulated by followers and encourage followers to perform their best (Bass, Avolio, Jung, Berson, 2003). Furthermore, transformational leaders provide one with a sense of making a difference through service to others by emphasizing the importance of purpose, commitment, and the ethical consequences of decisions. Such leaders are admired as role models; they generate pride, loyalty, confidence, and alignment around a shared purpose (Bass, 1997, p. 133). Bass (1997) described that inspirational motivation is displayed by leaders who articulate an appealing vision of the future, challenge followers with high standards, talk optimistically and with enthusiasm, and provide encouragement and meaning for what needs to be done (p. 133). In doing so, transformational leaders lift up the efforts and work morale of their followers through enhancing the sense of calling, which in turn help improve individual productivities and organizational outcomes. Transformational leaders empower their followers by developing them into high involvement individuals (Bass, 1999, p. 9) and followers will transcend their own self-interests for the good of the organization (Bass, 1985, p. 15). Individualized consideration is described as leaders [who] deal with others as individuals; consider their individual needs, abilities and aspirations; listen attentively; further their development; advise; teach; and coach (Bass, 1997, p. 133). Transformational leaders pay attention to followers needs and support and coach their growth through individualized consideration. The leaders can help followers analyze their work-related problems and seek possible solutions. As a consequence, the transformational leadership helps prevent the feeling of being strained (i.e., emotional exhaustion) or distancing themselves from coworkers and students (i.e., depersonalization), and increase the assessment of their personal accomplishment. Intellectual stimulation is demonstrated when leaders [who] question old assumptions, traditions, and beliefs; stimulate in others new perspectives and ways of doing things; and encourage the expression of ideas and reasons (Bass, 1997, p. 133). Transformational leaders stimulate followers to be innovative and creative in approaching old situations in new ways through intellectual stimulation (Bass et al., 2003). This transformational behavior lessens the burnout symptoms such as cynicism and negativism and a tendency to be rigid, and inflexible in thinking (Freudenberger, 1977). These four transformational leadership behaviors can ease followers the feelings of emotional depletion and loss of motivation and commitment. Transformational leadership and burnout. Research is mixed on the relationship between leadership styles and burnout. Seltzer, Numerof, and Bass (1989) showed that transformational leadership style helped reduce burnout, while management-by-exception leadership did the opposite in a sample of employed MBA students. Corrigan, Diwan, Campion, and Rashid (2002) found that transformational leadership had a negative relationship with burnout among mental health professionals. However, Stordeur, Dhoore, and Vandenbergh (2001) contended that transformational leadership and contingent reward had no relationship with emotional exhaustion among hospital nursing staff. Hetland, Sandal, and Johnsen (2007) found that transformational leadership was not related to emotional exhaustion, and transactional leadership had no relationship with any of the three dimensions of burnout. Existing literature indicated a need for further study of the mechanism through which transformational leadership had an impact on burnout, particularly in the school setting (Gill, Flaschner, Shachar, 2006; Griffith, 2004; Hetland et al., 2007). Calling and Burnout Calling. Calling, as defined by Fry (2003) is the experience of transcendence or how one makes a difference through service to others and, in doing so, derives meaning and purpose in life (p. 703). Fry posits that calling is a critical part of workplace spiritual well-being that provides one a sense of making a difference and therefore that ones life has meaning (p. 714). Followers who experience a sense of calling are more committed to their organization and more productive in their workplace. Markow and Klenke (2005) defined calling as work performed out of a strong sense of inner direction (p. 12). Calling is often described as something that pertains to careers that an individual sees as promoting the greater good or being meaningful to society (Duffy Sedlacek, 2007). Baumeister (1991) discussed the job-career-calling concept in Meanings of Life. Baumeister stated that those who view work as a job perform tasks solely to obtain things that they want. He also stated that this att itude is often prevalent among lower classes, who tend to be people with less education. In contrast, a person with a calling feels compelled to perform a kind of work, whether it is from a higher calling (as is often stated in association with religion) or a calling to meet a societal need (for example, higher military enlistment rates after Pearl Harbor). A calling might also come from an individuals inner sense of having a special talent or gift. A calling satisfies the need for being valuable to others and society. A calling engenders a great deal of personal meaning, linking a vocation and an individuals value base. According to Bellah, Madsen, Sullivan, Swidler, and Tipton (2008), a calling is when work becomes inseparable from the individuals life and character. The person works for the fulfillment that doing the work brings to the individual. A calling links a person to the larger community, and the person is making a contribution to the entire community. In Fry, Nisiewicz, Vitucci, and Cedillo (2007) study, calling can be enhanced by giving employees recognition can do this, along with giving them a sense of worth through service and a positive attitude (p. 20). Transformational leadership and calling. Transformational leadership is a motivation-based theory of how to move the organization toward its desired future. Transformational leaders motivate followers by raising their levels of consciousness about the importance of goals (Northouse, 2004). The most important role that the transformational leader plays is to paint a vision of a desired future state and communicate it in a way that causes followers to believe and have faith in the vision of organizational transformation to make the pain of change worth the effort (Fry, 2003, p. 702). A literature review revealed that the vision exhibited by spiritual leaders is predictive of ones sense of calling (Fry, 2003; Fry et al., 2007; Fry, Vitucci, Cedillo, 2005; Malone Fry, 2003). Fry (2003) suggested creating a compelling vision that has a broad appeal to key stakeholders, defines the destination and journey, reflects high ideals, encourages hope/faith, and establishes a standard of excellence provides followers with a sense of calling that motivates them to believe that they make a difference to other people (p. 695). A transformational leader who also possesses these qualities develops a vision and communicates it effectively through exemplary leadership behaviors such as idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation to their followers. Consequently, followers have hope and derive meaning and purpose in their experiences. For example, Fry (2003) explained that the vision displayed by a spiritual leader incl udes establishing a standard of excellence which builds followers confidence and trust in leaders. As mentioned earlier, this behavior is a characteristic of idealized influence. Transformational leadership moves followers beyond immediate self-interests to a shared vision and mission in the organization through idealized influence. The vision also vividly portray a journey that, when undertaken, will give me a sense of calling, of ones life having meaning and making a difference (Fry, 2003, p. 718). This quality is a characteristic of inspirational motivation that awakens intrinsic motivation of followers (Boerner et al., 2007). According to Bass (1999), followers under transformational leaders are generally more self-assured and find more meaning in their work. Consequently, teachers will find personal meaning in their work or feel called to their work. Coladarci (1992) posited that teaching is viewed as a profession with high initial commitment and is a calling for many entering the profession. Teachers who find personal meaning in their work or feel called to their work have a deep commitment to their profession (Hakanen et al., 2006). The great value they find in teaching and the feeling that they are helping others and working toward the greater good of society may reduce the feelings of strain and distancing of themselves from the students (i.e., depersonalization), and raise the evaluations of their personal accomplishment. Fry proposed a causal framework that the followers sense of calling is predictive of the organizational outcomes, such as commitment and productivity. Based on the theory of calling, the present study hypothesizes that teachers who have a high level of calling will experience low emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and high personal accomplishment. Mediating effect of calling. Though existing literature indicated a direct effect of transformational leadership on levels of burnout, this study proposes that the linkage between transformational leadership and burnout may be indirect, or intervened by the sense of calling. According to Fry (2003), the followers sense of calling mediated the relationship between the vision exhibited by a spiritual leader and the organizational outcomes, such as commitment and productivity. Fry et al. (2005) examined a newly formed Apache Longbow helicopter attack squadron and found strong empirical evidence that calling is a mediator between the qualities of spiritual leadership and organizational outcomes, such as loyalty and productivity. Followers who have a higher sense of calling are more committed to their organizations and more productive. Malone and Fry (2003) conducted a longitudinal field study of elemental schools and found that spiritual leadership had a significant impact on organizatio nal commitment and unit productivity mediated by the sense of calling. In Markow and Klenkes (2005) study, calling mediates the relationship between personal meaning and organizational commitment. Fry et al.s (2007) study of a municipal government revealed that ones sense of calling is a mediator of the relationship between the vision of a leader and organizational commitment and productivity. Fry, Hannah, Noel, and Walumbwa (2011) found that organizational commitment and unit performance were fully mediated by the sense of calling by studying a sample of cadets at the United States Military Academy. Therefore, this study hypothesizes that transformational leaders exert their effects on job burnout among special educators through the sense of calling. Given that teaching is a field where many express a sense of calling, the extent that calling accounts for the relation between transformational leadership and burnout among special educators needs to be explored. One of the most powerful influences that transformational leaders have on followers is to create a compelling vision that provides one with a sense of calling through service to others, and therefore find meaning and purpose in life. Transformational leadership fosters a positive work attitude and provides followers with a sense of meaning in their work, which in turn boosts their intrinsic motivation and energy and enables them to perform their best. Control Variables and Burnout Studies on demographic variables, i.e., gender, age, and race, and their relation to burnout have shown differing outcomes. Maslach (1982) stated that women tended to experience more emotional exhaustion, yet men are more likely to exhibit depersonalization behaviors. Brewer and McMahan (2004) also reported that women were more prone to job stress and burnout than men. However, Maslach and Jackson (1981) reported no relationship between gender and burnout. Several studies have associated burnout with age, with burnout usually affecting the younger employees (Brewer McMahan, 2004; Maslach Jackson, 1981; Russell et al., 1987). No findings have supported a difference in burnout among ethnic groups (Brewer McMahan, 2004; Maslach, 1982). In Kilgore and Griffins (1998) study, they found less experienced special educators had more burnout. Method Hypotheses Based on the above discussion, the following hypotheses were formulated for testing the mediating effect of calling on the relationship between transformational leadership and burnout of special educators: H1: Transformational leadership is negatively related to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and is positively related to personal accomplishment among special educators. H10: Transformational leadership is not negatively related to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and is not positively related to personal accomplishment among special educators. H2: Transformational leadership is positively related to the calling. H20: Transformational leadership is not positively related to the calling. H3: Calling is negatively related to special educators emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and is positively related to personal accomplishment. H30: Calling is not negatively related to special educators emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and is not positively related to personal accomplishment. H4: Calling mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and each of the three dimensions of burnout. H40: Calling does not mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and any of the three dimensions of burnout. Participants and Data Collection The sample in the study consisted of special education teachers who exclusively teach special education students in Maryland non-public and public separate day schools in Anne Arundel County. Separate day schools refer to those that enroll students between six and 21 years old who spend greater than 50% of the school day in a separate day facility that does not serve students without disabilities (Maryland State Department of Education, 2010). These schools are primarily self-contained facilities, not residential facilities.  The subjects were recruited through the MANSEF (Maryland Association of Nonpublic Special Education Facilities) network of non-public private special education schools as well as public separate day schools in Anne Arundel County. This population of teachers works with students with disabilities that preclude them from receiving education services in regular education classrooms within public schools. Initial contact was made through the MANSEF director and th e Director of Special Education of Anne Arundel County. Further contact was made with the educational directors of these schools to discuss the proposed study. The directors were informed of all of the information that would be required of the teachers (e.g., signature on Informed Consent, a short demographic questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Teachers, the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, and the Calling Scale). Once the directors agreed to have the study conducted in their schools, the survey packets were disseminated to the directors for distribution to the teachers. Each packet had a cover letter that provides an introduction of the research project and invites teachers to participate in the study. Teachers were asked to sign the Informed Consent prior to their participation of the study. Stamped addressed envelopes were provided in each packet for teachers to return their completed surveys. Teachers who declined to participate or partially complete the survey s were not included in the study. Each of the surveys was distributed and collected in the same manner to ensure consistency in data collection. According to Gall, Gall, and Borg (2003), consistency in data collection procedures is essential for reliability. It was estimated that it would take approximately twenty minutes to complete these three measurements and the short demographic questionnaire. To ensure confidentiality, all questionnaires were completed anonymously, and only a coding number rather than a name was used to designate each respondent. No other personal identification information such as social security numbers, telephone numbers, and addresses were solicited on these questionnaires. All survey forms were locked up in a safe place. The size of the population was estimated at 700 non-public special educators in MANSEF schools and an additional 100 special educators in Anne Arundel County separate day schools. That makes the total estimated population of 800 special educators. Although all of the directors granted permission for the survey to be administered in her or his school, actual teacher participation was voluntary. As a result, a total of 256 teachers from 35 MANSEF schools (n = 250) and two Anne Arundel County separate day schools (n = 6) returned their completed surveys anonymously, which yielded a 32% response rate of the estimated population. Measurements Maslach burnout inventory for teachers. The construct of teacher burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Teachers (MBI Form Ed: Maslach, Jackson, Schwab, 1986). The MBI consists of 22 statements regarding attitudes and feelings about work (Maslach Jackson, 1981). There are nine items relating to emotional exhaustion, five items relating to depersonalization, and eight items relating to personal accomplishment (Maslach Jackson, 1981). The participants responded to the statements based on a 7-point frequency scale (0 = never, 6 = every day). Examples of statements included in the survey include I feel emotionally drained from work and I feel very energetic (Maslach et al., 1986). The MBI produces three areas of scores: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment (Leiter Maslach, 1988). As discussed earlier, these factors have been identified as major indicators of burnout and the MBI has been used extensively in studies examining burnout ( Byrne, 1993; Fore et al., 2002; Gill et al., 2006; Hakanen et al., 2006; Leiter Maslach, 1988; van Dick Wagner, 2001). Maslach and Jackson (1981) reported that the reliability of the subscales range from .71 to .90 using Cronbachs coefficient alpha. The test-retest reliability ranges from .53 to .89 (Maslach Jackson, 1981). Multifactor leadership questionnaire. The construct of transformational leadership was measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ Form 5X-Short) developed by Avolio, Bass, and Jung (1999). The subordinates rated their leaders on 45 leadership items on a 5-point frequency scale (0 = never, 4 = frequently if not always). The MLQ is comprised of nine subscales, which assess a full range of leadership styles such as transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leaderships. Although measured, the constructs of transactional and laissez-faire leadership behaviors were not included in the regression analyses as the preliminary analysis did not show a correlation between these two leadership styles and job burnout. According to de Vaus (2001), a correlation between two variables is a pre-requisite for establishing a causal relationship (p. 179). The five subscales used to identify transformational leadership style are: (1) idealized attributes, (2) idealized behaviors, (3) inspirational motivation, (4) intellectual stimulation, and (5) individualized consideration (Bass et al., 2003). For the subscale idealized attributes, an example item is (my supervisor) goes beyond self-interest for the good of the group. An example item pertaining to the subscale idealized behaviors is (my supervisor) specifies the importance of having a strong sense of purpose. An example item that measures the subscale inspirational motivation is (my supervisor) articulates a compelling vision of the future. The subscale intellectual stimulation includes items such as (my supervisor) seeks differing perspectives when solving problems. An example item for the individualized considerations subscale is (my supervisor) spends time teaching and coaching. The supervisor received a score on each of the five subscales, and together, those allowed for describi ng how frequently he or she engaged in transformational leadership behaviors. For example, high scoring supervisors displayed transformational leadership behaviors more frequently than those low scorers. Bass and Avolio (2000) reported reliabilities of the subscales ranging from .74 to .91 based on Cronbachs coefficient alpha. Calling. The construct of calling was measured by the Calling Scale developed by Markow and Klenke (2005) based on Baumeisters (1991) work. Respondents provided ratings on twelve items that assess three subscales such as job, calling, and career on a seven point Likert scale (1 = not at all, 7 = a great deal). As discussed earlier, the major purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of teachers calling on the relationship between transformational leadership and job burnout, therefore, only the calling subscale was included in the analysis. The subscale of calling was measured by six items, such as I feel that I must do the work I do it is part of who I am and the work that I do expresses truths and values that I believe are important (Markow Klenke, 2005). Markow and Klenke reported that the scale demonstrated an internal consistency reliability of .88. Control variables. Teachers were asked to fill out a short demographic questionnaire. It included items asking about gender, age, and years in teaching. There was also a question asking whether the teacher was a public or non-public employee. Based on the research, demographic variables do not have a consistent relationship with burnout. Data Analysis Data were analyzed using one SPSS file combining all instruments to examine the effects of transformational leadership and calling on job burnout among special education teachers. Descriptive statistics were produced to summarize the demographic data as well as survey measurements in this study. Pearson Product-Moment Coefficients were also computed to determine the correlation among study variables. To determine whether transformational leadership has an indirect effect mediated by calling on the various dimensions of teachers burnout, a mediation model was tested (Baron Kenny, 1986). A mediation model is to identify the mechanism through which an independent variable accounts for the variation of a dependent variable. To clarify the meaning of mediation, a path diagram was used to describe the relationship among independent variable, mediator, and dependent variable. Panels A and B in Figure 1 illustrated the designated paths of a direct effect and a total effect, where transformational leadership is the predictor variable, burnout is the outcome variable, calling is the mediating variable. a is the pathway from transformational leadership to calling, b is the pathway from calling to burnout, c (Panel A) is the direct effect of transformational leadership on burnout, controlling for the effect of the mediator, calling, and c (Panel B) is the total effect of transformational le adership, without controlling for the effect of the mediator. R2 was reported to measure the faction of the total variance explained by the model. To get over the overestimation problem of R2, adjusted R2 was also reported to measure the variability in the outcome that the model explains in the population rather than the sample (Tabachnick Fidell, 2007). This study conducted two methods to examine the extent to which calling accounts for the relationship between transformational leadership and burnout. First, this study followed the four-step procedure recommended by Baron and Kenny (1986) to assess the mediation hypothesis of calling. Second, this study performed a more statistically rigorous bootstrapping method to examine the mediating effect of calling on the relationship between transformational leadership and job burnout. Bootstrapping is a nonparametric approach to effect-size estimation and hypothesis testing that makes no assumptions about the shape of the distributions o

The Current Trends In Hotel Industry Tourism Essay

The Current Trends In Hotel Industry Tourism Essay In  economics, a  service  is an  intangible  commodity. More specifically, services are an intangible equivalent of  economic goods. It sets a onetime benefit; delivered from the accountable service provider, mostly in close coactions with his internal and external service suppliers, effectuated by distinct functions of technical systems and by distinct activities of individuals, respectively, commissioned according to the needs of his service consumers by the service customer from the accountable service provider, rendered individually to an authorized service consumer at his/her dedicated trigger, and, finally, consumed and utilized by the triggering service consumer for executing his/her upcoming business activity or private activity. The nature of the service, strategies for improvement, and understand the customers perception of having that is very popular among researchers over the past two decades (for examples, leonard and sasser, 1982; lockwood, 1996; johns and lee-ross, 1998). Increases the other hand, the growing economic importance of the service sector in many countries has been in quality initiatives including guided centrally based European Foundation for Quality Management. Many hospitality, tourism organization have taken this challenge focuses on customer orientation employee performance in the interface, the recognition of the centrality of meeting service By this definition, customer / employee interviews have the potential for conflicts. In a service context that feeling cannot be met exactly, but it provides a cautionary note for Service Manager, because the customers perception of product quality connection often depends on the interaction between customers and employees. The History of Hotels: From Economic To Extravagant http://www.searchandgo.com/travel/hotels-history.php The hotel has a very long history, but not as we know it today, back in the 6th Century began to develop BC, when the first inn in and around the city of London. The first match for travelers, offering them a simple roof to stay. This condition of the hotel was long before the industrial revolution in England, the new ideas and developments made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹in the field to keep the inn. The invention of the steam engine to travel even more important. Who had more and more people are traveling not only for business but also for the sake of recreation. This will lead to the actual development of the hotel industry, as we know it today. Hotel today not only provide the basic needs of customers, such as food and shelter much more personalized services such as hotels, etc. are now a home away from home. Evidence of the hotels and restaurants has as far back as biblical times, when Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem collected during the census. As shown in the Bible, Mary and Joseph were refused accommodations because it. No room in the inn Since the dawn of time, people have traveled for trade, religion, family, health, immigration, education and recreation. Such as Texas Tech University, cited the word hospitality from the Latin root meaning host or hospice. The University has also noted that the first hotels were only private homes open to the public. Most unfortunately had a bad reputation. Under the influence of the Roman Empire and breakfast and hotels catering to the delight of travelers began in an effort to encourage visitors. The first hostel in America was recorded in 1607 and paves the way for many other firsts in the hospitality industry. The first hotel of the public (City Hotel), owned in New York opened in 1792. The first modern (Tremont) opened in Boston in 1809 and the hotel first opened (Buffalo Statler) in 1908. Current trends in hotel industry Hospitality Industry continued to change, which has made it more practical and functional in the world! The types of services and facilities that are offered by the great industry and has emerged from the past decade. All this is possible because of the widespread use of technology, environment friendly services, pricing, market division, regional preferences, etc. The relation of technology and hospitality industry will grow stronger in the years to come. The use of technology is present in all departments of the hotel, the upgrade reflects the motion of the hotel services. http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/leisure-travel/20120419117728.htm Keeping the entire latest trend in the memory of the hospitality industry, KONEKT V4 application that you would definitely want to explore. This is the application that will help you reach your customers in one click. The main attraction is the dashboard application. Is an unconventional marketing tracker is sensitive facts giving minute to give you the latest campaigns and activities conducted by you. The time, name and number of customers who liked your Facebook page, make your table reservation, you asked for any questions or comments about your application also can track comments on the same page! CRM systems help you to increase the advertising campaigns for events, and you can send informative mailers to customers, after core build your brand. It is a system that works on all digital platforms and databases also you can get more for clients achieve your Hotel, Restaurant and Resorts. It is the only system to integrate the old with the new database, so that you can get, its data in a single view. It works perfectly with the iPhone and iPad systems. It is built in a way that let you miss any opinion or report, even when youre away! Travelers increasingly will turn to their mobile devices not only research accommodation and travel options, but to book and communicate directly with the hotel options. Booking mobile channel has been multiplied by four between 2008 and 2010 according to Forrester Research. In addition, Google provides the mobile PC that exceed the device the most common internet access by 2013! To smart phones and tablets travel at a rapid pace, it is imperative for hoteliers to use their website for mobile capture potential mobile transactions. Revenue management has changed since the days it was first introduced by the airline industry in 1970 to be a complex science today. Managers always lowering prices to stimulate sales when demand is low and prices have risen during periods of peak demand. Hotels are now able to update prices for all future arrival dates to meet the market demands every day, through the application of advanced market information. TravelClick has reported passenger demand and visualize group bookings a year in advance. In addition, the Smith Travel Research reports that will soon provide information by looking at future bookings, rather than historical figures that. (By Robert A. Rauch, CHA) http://ehotelier.com/hospitality-news/item.php?id=P22373 Gueridon a form of service in restaurants food service to their customers is provided. This type of service includes the preparation of food (mainly salads, main dishes such as beef stroganoff, or desserts) in direct view of the customer, with a round table. A table usually consists of a trolley equipped for cooking, preparing and serving food. There is a gas stove, cutting board, cutlery drawer, cold room (depending on the type of carriage) region and for general working capital. Dishes such as these are generally Crepes Suzette, Caesar Salad, Cherries Jubilee, and banana flambà © steak tartar Read more:  http://www.cooksinfo.com/gueridon-service#ixzz2Dq1Y1MxT FUTURE Trends of hotel industry The hotel industry is in the midst of a transformation that affects virtually all aspects of the industry and its stakeholders. Essences the transformation of the hotel industry is changing its approach to concentrate more focused on the customer and brand insentive. Product and support services are developed around the perceived needs and desires of the customer for customer satisfaction. In the future, the focus will be customer focused to a level that transcends medical examinations. It will focus on the emotional and psychological needs and wants more precisely defined target audience. Hotels then use this knowledge to market a wide range of products and services through strong brands to a loyal customer for life. Some ramifications of changes will be made as reserves, trading activities and high taste information will be more automated. There will be a greater personal guest of technology accurate and fast service. Services and mobile technologies will be prompted to supply any service in the property. Supports functions such as accounting, human resources, reservations, etc. will be centralized at the place the most profitable worldwide. Medium sized hotels will be taken by brand chain like the Sheraton, Holiday Inn, Ramada, etc. while location will be the priority to choose a hotel by future traveler, brand names will be the next preference. Another aspect of future trends would be fusion of cuisines. The French started this trend with the Nouvelle Cuisine mixing eastern food products with western ones. Fusions restaurant will grow as the new adventurous public will search for new gastronomic experiences. (Intro to Hospitality Tourism   By Sudhir Andrews) http://books.google.co.in/books?id=PrRdc5SI_R4Cpg=PT188dq=future+of+hospitality+industryhl=ensa=Xei=H327UJX5I8LsrAfKg4HgAgved=0CDYQ6AEwAA A  bunkhouse is a youth hostel or barracks-like building that historically was used to cowboys working on ranches in North America. Like most cowboys were young single men, the standard bunkhouse was a large open room with narrow beds or cots for each individual and little privacy. The bunkhouse of the late 19th century was generally heated by a wood stove and personal needs were attended to in an outbuilding. A capsule hotel is a type of hotel, developed in Japan, which is a large number of very small rooms (capsules) cheap and easy accommodation for guests who do not require offers the services of more conventional hotel services offered. A condo hotel, also known as the hotel-condo or a Condotel, is a building used as a hotel and two condominium. Condo hotels are usually high-rise buildings developed and operated as luxury hotels in major cities and resorts in general. These residential units which allow someone to have a holiday full service. If they do not use this home can be used to ensure that the marketing and management of the hotel chain and manage the condo unit than any other hotel room is. An  ice hotel  is a temporary  hotel  made up of  snow, sculpted blocks of  ice, and, in some cases, some steel framing. They are promoted by their sponsors and have special features for travelers who are interested in novelties and unusual environments, and thus are in the class of  destination hotels. Their lobbies are often filled with  ice sculptures, and food and drinks are specially chosen for the circumstances. A pop-up hotel is a hotel that is temporary, being in one place for a short period before being moved. These hotels can be constructed from prefabricated modules that are connected together on site or from removable structures such as tents or they can be completely mobile, being built on a large vehicle. These hotels provide accommodation for seasonal events or unique such as music festivals in the outdoors. A Turbaza is, generally the Soviet era, the Russian form of cheap, spartan, holiday, a visit or a base camp tour. Turbazas are generally rented to groups or companies who rent the entire facility for holiday accommodation Oops for their members or employees. They are gene rally rustic located in rural areas that offer outdoor recreation. Eat, sleep, and often is housed in a large open space and common. A  love hotel  is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world operated primarily for the purpose of allowing couples privacy for  sexual activities. (^  Schreiber, Mark, Back to the future of a hotel for 2001,Japan Times, 16 January 2011, pp. 7-8). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Hotel_types Managers problems In the hotel managers are responsible for all management of human resources, or as appropriate, all managers have the responsibility to understand their human resources. When providing services to our clients, our primary resource is our people, our workers, our employees. Successful hospitality managers must be able to work with people. We need to develop guidance of people in our management approach. As a manager with responsibilities for human resources, your concern is that people of their needs, wants, and desires fit the needs and desires of the hotel company. We define managers as the implementation of strategies, plans and programs to attract, motivate, develop, reward and retain the best people to meet the objectives of the organization. Mike Hurst also emphasizes the role of management changes over management in the past and in conduit. The hospitality is based on the gift of friendship friendly people who care, it has become imperative in a service management concentrate on the benefits to the people and his style. The managers of today have earned a place of respect for their contribution to organizational value. The contemporary role of managers with the human resources responsibilities is a critical one to any hospitality organization. Most of the people spends more than one-third of their waking hours at their jobs, and as a manager you will make the decision that affects and influence the lives, dreams, goals and ambitions of these individual and their families. Manager in the hospitality industry participate in strategic planning sessions, understand financial documents relating to the work and the bottom line. Many managers in the host organization is part of the management team. The managers role is more important than ever before in the hospitality industry. It is up to us to keep management informed of what their needs and desires of people to be productive, and to be faithful. There are some things that came into consideration to keep them loyal; management should recognize the importance of balancing work and personal life. An opportunity to grow within the organization. A better explanation of employee benefit. A feeling that their coworker have the necessary skills to do their jobs. (Mary L. Tanke, march 2000) http://books.google.co.in/books?id=1PcrHgw-FO0Cpg=PA4dq=problems+faced+by+managers+in+hospitality+industryhl=ensa=Xei=hDK6UM_TIcrWrQfDqYDQDQved=0CDYQ6AEwAA#v=onepageq=problems%20faced%20by%20managers%20in%20hospitality%20industryf=true The globalization of labor and continuing advances in technology are changing the way the labor market. Knowledge workers are known for their special properties. These are people who analyze, synthesize and evaluate information to solve different problems. Knowledge workers actually use their intelligence, ideas, products, services and processes to implement. Your most important asset of an organization is its ability to collect and analyze data and make decisions that benefit company (Jyothi, 2010), (Bohlander G. a., 2009) Technology has had a positive effect on the internal processes of an organization, but also changed the way the work of the HR staff. Some managers in the hospitality industry will see the application of technologies to operational issues as a problem. It is true that technological systems used in the bar, front office, restaurants, etc. much more advanced and complex than those currently available only for a short time, continue to grow, these systems quickly. The approval of the computer and other technologies from all levels of an organization is a major challenge in view of the sponsoring organizations. For example, if the systems are updated and new technologies have made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹the workers struggle to adapt. It is not a positive attitude towards it. (Bohlander G. a., 2009), (Hayes, 2009) The economic environment is very unpredictable and implementing change processes for each organization to make progress. Globalization and technology are the two main factors that drove the change in todays organizations. Globalization has opened new doors for business opportunities. It has led to many interventions, but also for how reform, reorganization, merger, downsizing, etc., in order to succeed, companies need to make these changes that have taken place with staff to manage the challenges occur. Change Management Sun is working smoothly for the vital organization. To do this, for example, when the new software is installed, which allows you to install the company has knowledge workers refuse to work on it. (Bohlander G. a., 2009) Due to the shortage of workers in the industry and the defection of customers of the quality of service that is affected. If the workload increases the performance of the employee moves. By too much work pressure, reduces the employees performance and, in turn, affects the quality of service. It is very important to overcome the various challenges faced by the organization to success. Company is now a day to develop the human resource function, because the meaning of HRM have been seen in the highly competitive market that exists today. In todays world of increased competition in the local and global. To succeed, businesses become stronger, more flexible and customer-oriented. Hr after for these changing market trends is adjusted. (Karan, Challenges faced by HR in the hotel industry, 2009). http://www.ukessays.com/essays/management/challenges-faced-by-hr-in-indian-hospitality-industry-management-essay.php Staff turnover is critical for a hotel, especially if you have a high quality hotel as we do. The goal of our hotel is on exceptional customer service that will exceed customer expectations, and therefore, we invest heavily in our people. A high rate of staff turnover has an immediate effect in the hotel industry, particularly in the areas of customer service, and therefore we can not afford to lose a single employee. The rate of staff turnover in the hospitality industry is generally higher than in other sectors. One reason for this is that many of our employees are students to work at the hotel is a first step in a career for them, and as soon as they graduate from the institute, they may consider working in their field of specialization. (Jason C. Cho, 14 June 2011) The hotel industry has a high turnover, which decreases productivity and costs companies time and resources. A number of factors affect the fluctuation in the hotel and one of the reasons is ineffective in recruiting. Identify many hotels and difficult to recruit the right people. Hotel staff need advanced knowledge of beverages, which are difficult to measure for recruiters during the interview. However, recruiters develop recruitment strategies that will identify the best opportunities and recruit the best workers. Do you understand what a candidate looking at the recruitment stage can help the hotel staff turnover. (Rose Johnson, 2008) Read more:http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business_for_business/article/staff-turnover-in-the-hotel-industry-two-realities/438729.html#ixzz2DpWNZeiu The Moscow Times To overcome this staff turnover keep in mind few thing. Which help in reduction on turnover. Understanding why employees leave. All organizations should conduct a confidential face-to-face exit interview with a HR manager (instead of the boss). Benchmark your company against current industry and geographical location. If you work in a restaurant business, you will naturally have a much higher turnover than auditing and consulting firm. Context and location are key. Set clear promotion and development policies that are transparent and fair. If an employee feels they do not progress in their role, and has no control over career development, after a certain time they will begin to look externally for a new position. Develop effective workplace policies and maintain a positive culture. Opened on appeal, bullying and harassment, the employee should be in an environment where employees feel confident to communicate about reporting problems. Investing in people management training for executives. This will enable them to not only support and reward employees effectively, but also t o intervene before small problems or escalating workloads are a reason for leaving.. http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/02/06/2010/333690/How-to-manage-staff-turnover.htm The recruitment process can only be doing well if only the organization understands its requirements. The candidates should be selected according to the requirements of the organization. Different strategies are required for focusing on hiring high performers and average performers. The strategy has to be clear about the amount of experience they require. It can range from an experienced senior professional to a new fresher. It should also describe as in from which industry they require the employee. That is from the same industry, different industry, employed or unemployed professionals.

Macbeth Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To what extent is Macbeth responsible for his actions?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Whose Fault Is It?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the play Macbeth, Macbeth’s actions are cold blooded and are done out of ambition and greed. For example, he killed King Duncan because he wanted to be the king of Scotland. He also hired murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance because they stood in his way of becoming king. Only Macbeth was responsible for his deeds, however, the witches, and Lady Macbeth also played key roles in influencing Macbeth’s actions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During Macbeth’s first encounter with the three witches, he learns that he has been appointed Thane of Cawdor, and that he will be the king; but, he also knows that if he is to become the king, a few people will have to die. After thinking about it, he decides that if he is going to become the king he will let it happen naturally. His decision changes, however, once he talks to Lady Macbeth. When Lady Macbeth hears Macbeth’s story, she wants him to kill Duncan so that they can become king and queen. At first, he does not want to kill Duncan, but then Lady Macbeth questions his manhood â€Å"When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And, to be more than you were, you would / be so much more the man† (I, vii, 49-51). She tells Macbeth that she would kill her own child to have a chance like this â€Å" I have given suck, and know / how tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me:...

Senior Sim Essay -- Essays Papers

Senior Sim Before start playing the game and building up my corporation I have developed a strategic plan and I have set specific and attainable goals. My target was the maximization of profits in the long run and at the same time the satisfaction of customer needs. My target groups would be the entire market, including all the market customers even of different age, genre, sex, status, income, preferences because I am going to sell products which are consumed every day. After defining the name, the goals and the mission statement of my corporation, my first move was to find a good location for building up my department stores. Therefore I chose a city with a maximum number of potential customers (large population), with low or no competition, as well as with a close path to the ports so as to have minimal transportation costs. Therefore, before I started setting up the buildings I had to make a market research in order to find the profitability and the competitiveness of the target market and accordingly create a business strategy. Therefore, it was important to find a target market with low or no competition and with many potential customers as I stated before. So, after doing the market research I decided that the best market to enter was that in London, first, because it was large enough, and second because no competition existed there at that time, meaning many potential customers. Then, I had to decide where exactly to locate my department store in London. A store in the heart of downtown malls implied a large number of customers but at the same time, very high land and building up costs. I wanted to be an aggressive businessman so I decided to build my store in the heart of the town despite the high costs. I wanted to be the first corporation who would penetrate the market of London and I wanted to be successful and build a strong base. My next step after building my first department store was to have my port in order to bring the products to my store, and to set up the functional units in order for my store to operate. These included a purchasing unit linked with a sales and an advertising unit. The purchasing unit was responsible for buying the products from the suppliers and bringing them to the department store. Linking the purchasing with the sales unit enabled the products to move onward to the sales unit ... ...lace to build a new department store. Once more, I followed the same procedures in selecting the location as well as in setting up the functional units and managing the purchase-sales and advertising teams. In Sheffield I sell Chocolate Milk, Peanut Butter, Frozen Beef, and Lettuce. In addition to these strategies, when investing, I was also keeping an eye on the stock market. Profits could also be gained there, especially when buying another corporation's stocks, because buying a large stake in rival was probably a prelude to a takeover. This could benefit me not only from the rising stock price as the takeover would move along, but also when it would complete and the two merge, I would own stock in the parent. My principle always was that a frequent self-performance analysis would be essential for obtaining a profitable corporation. This implied looking upon the profitability, sales, shareholder value, customer satisfaction, product quality, brand associations, relative cost, employee attitude and performance and portfolio analysis. Depending on the results of the analysis I was planning my new strategies and of course expanding my department stores to other cities.

Molecular Biology Paper

Lab Report #1 Introduction A cell’s plasma membrane is known to be selectively permeable. This implies that the membrane is selective on what substances can pass in and out of the cell. There are two methods of transport that occur through the plasma membrane. One method of transport is called active process which uses ATP energy to transport substances through the membrane. The other method is called passive process which does not require the use of ATP energy. During passive processes, molecules are transported through the membrane by differences in concentration or pressure between the inside and outside of the cell. Two important types of passive process are diffusion and filtration. Every cell in the human body uses diffusion as an important transport process through its selectively permeable membrane. During diffusion, molecules that are small enough to pass through a membrane’s pores or molecules that can dissolve in the lipid section of a membrane move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. The kinetic energy that all molecules possess is the motivating force in diffusion. Facilitated diffusion occurs when molecules are too large to pass through a membrane or are lipid insoluble. In this process, carrier protein molecules located in the membrane combine with solutes and transport them down the concentration gradient. Filtration is another type of passive process and, unlike diffusion; this is not a selective process. The pressure gradient on each side of the membrane as well as the membrane pore size depends on the amount of solutes and fluids in the filtrate. During filtration, water and solute molecules pass through a membrane from an area of higher hydrostatic pressure to an area of lower hydrostatic pressure. This means that water and solutes would pass through a selectively permeable membrane along the pressure gradient. To gain a better understanding of a cell’s selectively permeable membrane and the passive processes of simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and filtration, three experiments were conducted. Materials and Methods Activity 1: Simulating Dialysis (Simple Diffusion) Materials: ? two glass beakers ? four dialysis membranes: 20 (MWCO), 50 (MWCO), 100 (MWCO), and 200 (MWCO) ? membrane holder ? membrane barrier ? four solutes: NaCl, Urea, Albumin, and Glucose solution dispenser ? deionized water ? timer ? beaker flush This experiment was conducted first by placing the 20 (MWCO) dialysis membrane into the membrane holder. The membrane holder joined the two glass beakers; one on the left side and one on the right side. Then, 9. 00 mM of NaCl concentration was dispensed into the left beaker. Deionized water was dispensed in the right beaker. When the timer was started, t he barrier that surrounded the membrane holder was lowered to allow the contents of each beaker to come in contact with the membrane. After the 60 minutes of compressed time elapsed, results were read and recorded. Finally, each beaker was then flushed for preparation of the next experiment run. These exact steps were followed using each dialysis membrane size (20, 50, 100, and 200) as well as with each solute (NaCl, Urea, Albumin, and Glucose). There were a total of sixteen runs in this experiment. Activity 2: Simulating Facilitated Diffusion Materials: ? two glass beakers ? membrane builder ? membrane holder ? glucose concentration ? solution dispenser ? deionized water ? timer beaker flush In this experiment, the first step was to adjust the glucose carrier to 500 in order to correctly build the membrane. Next, a membrane was built in the membrane builder by inserting 500 glucose carrier proteins into it. Then, the newly built membrane was placed into the membrane holder that joined the two glass beakers. The two glass beakers were joined on the left and right sides of the membrane holder. After that, 2. 00 mM o f glucose concentration was dispensed into the left beaker. The right beaker was filled with deionized water. The barrier around the membrane holder dropped when the timer was started. After 60 minutes of compressed time elapsed, the results were read and recorded. Finally, both glass beakers were flushed to prepare for the next experimental runs. The above mentioned steps were repeated by increasing the glucose concentration to 8. 00. Both the 2. 00 mM and the 8. 00 mM glucose concentration solution were tested using membranes built with 500, 700, and 900 glucose carrier proteins. There were a total of six experimental runs. Activity 4: Simulating Filtration Materials: ? two glass beakers membrane holder ? 4 dialysis membranes: 20 (MWCO), 50 (MWCO), 100 (MWCO), and 200 (MWCO) ? 4 solutions: Na+Cl? , Urea, glucose, and powdered charcoal ? solution dispenser ? pressure unit ? timer ? filtration rate indicator ? membrane residue analysis analyzer ? beaker flush In the final experiment, the two glass beakers were placed one on top of the other with the membrane holder between them. The pressure unit that rested on the top beaker was used for forcing the solution from the top beaker through the selected membrane and into the bottom beaker. The bottom beaker contained nothing; however, the filtration rate indicator was attached to it from one side. The experiment began by placing the 20 (MWCO) dialysis membrane into the membrane holder. Then, 5. 00 mg/ml of each of the following solutions: Na+Cl? , Urea, glucose, and powdered charcoal were dispensed into the top beaker. The pressure unit was adjusted to 50 mmHg of pressure. The timer was set to 60 minutes of compressed time and when the timer started, the membrane holder retracted. The solution then flowed through the membrane and into the beaker underneath. When the timer stopped, the membrane was then placed in the membrane residue analysis analyzer. The results were read and recorded and the beakers were flushed for the next experimental runs. All the above steps were repeated using the 50 (MWCO), 100 (MWCO), and 200 (MWCO) membranes. Results Table 1: Activity 1: Simulating Dialysis (Simple Diffusion) Key: Solutes that were able to diffuse into the right beaker are indicated by a â€Å"+†. Solutes that were not able to diffuse into the right beaker are indicated by a â€Å"-â€Å". Membrane (MWCO) Solute (9. 0 mM) |(Pore Size) |NaCl |Urea |Albumin |Glucose | |20 |– |– |– |– | |50 |+ |– |– |– | |100 |+ |– |– |– | |200 |+ |– |– |+ | Graph 1: Activity 2: Simulating Facilitated Diffusion Glucose Transport Rate (mM/min) [pic] Table 2 and 3: Activity 4: Simulating Filtration Table #2: Solute Residue Presence in the Membrane Key: If solute residue wa s present on the membrane, it is indicated by a â€Å"+†. If solute residue was not present on the membrane, it is indicated by a â€Å"–â€Å". Membrane (MWCO) |Solute |20 |50 |100 |200 | |NaCl |+ |+ |+ |+ | |Urea |+ |+ |+ |+ | |Glucose |+ |+ |+ |+ | |Powdered Charcoal |+ |+ |+ |+ | Table 3: Filtration Rate and Amount of Solute Detected in Filtrate Membrane (MWCO) |Solute |20 |50 |100 |200 | |Filtration Rate (ml/min) | | | | | | |1 |2. |5 |10 | |NaCl in filtrate (mg/ml) | | | | | | |0 |4. 81 |4. 81 |4. 81 | |Urea in filtrate (mg/ml) | | | | | | |0 |0 |4. 74 |4. 74 | |Glucose in filtrate | | | | | |(mg/ml) |0 |0 |0 |4. 9 | |Powdered Charcoal (mg/ml) | | | | | | |0 |0 |0 |0 | Discussion The first lab experiment, Simulating Dialysis (Simple Diffusion), demonstrated how only certain molecules pass through a selectively permeable membrane down its concentration gradient. The four membranes utilized in this experiment consisted of each one being different in pore size (MWCO). The smallest pore-sized membrane was 20 (MWCO), and the largest was 200 (MWCO). The solutes that were tested in this experiment were NaCl, Urea, Albumin, and Glucose. The first solute tested, NaCl, showed that with a 20 (MWCO) membrane, no diffusion occurred into the right beaker. (Table 1) The NaCl molecules were evidently too large to pass through the 20 (MWCO) membrane because its pores were too small. Membranes 50, 100, and 200 (MWCO) did allow the NaCl to pass through. (Table 1) One of the reasons this occurred is because the pores in the above mentioned membranes were large enough to permit the passage of the NaCl molecules. The other reason diffusion occurred is because the NaCl molecules moved down its concentration gradient and into the beaker filled with deionized water. For all three membranes, equilibrium was reached in ten minutes at an average diffusion rate of 0. 0150 mM/min. As for the solute Urea, the experiment conducted showed that no diffusion occurred with all four membranes. (Table 1) Urea should have passed through membranes 100 (MWCO) and 200 (MWCO) for the reasons that its molecules are small enough and Urea is also soluble. This experiment showed that none of the Albumin molecules diffused through any of the four membranes tested. (Table 1) This is because the Albumin molecules were too large to pass through the pores of all four membranes. The final solute tested in this experiment, Glucose, showed that the molecules only diffused through the 200 (MWCO) membrane. (Table 1) Equilibrium was reached in thirty-seven minutes at an average diffusion rate of 0. 0040 mM/min. The Glucose molecules were too large to diffuse through the 20 (MWCO), 50 (MWCO), and 100 (MWCO) membranes. The second experiment, Simulating Facilitated Diffusion, explained how carrier protein molecules in the membrane effectively transported molecules that are too large or are insoluble to diffuse through the membrane. The carrier proteins in this experiment were glucose carriers and the solution was a 2. 00 (mM) and an 8. 00 (mM) glucose concentration. The 2. 00 (mM) glucose concentration was tested first with the 500 glucose carrier protein membrane then the 700 and 900 glucose carrier protein membranes. The glucose transport rate for the membrane with 500 glucose carrier proteins was 0. 0008 (mM/min). Graph 1) The membrane with 700 glucose carrier proteins showed a rate of 0. 0010 (mM/min) and the 900 glucose carrier proteins membrane had a rate of 0. 0012 (mM/min). (Graph 1) The 8. 00 (mM) glucose concentration also showed and increase in glucose transport rate with membranes that contained more glucose carrier proteins. The membrane with 500 glucose carrier proteins showed a rate of 0. 0023 (mM/min). (Graph 1) Membranes that had 700 and 900 glucose carrier proteins showed a rate of 0. 0031 and 0. 0038 (mM/min). (Graph 1) These results show that with an increase in amount of glucose carrier proteins in the membranes, transport of the glucose molecules in the concentration is more effective. A higher concentration of glucose (8. 00 mM) also increases the rate of glucose transport in a membrane with the same amount of glucose carrier proteins as a lower glucose concentration (2. 00). The final experiment, Simulating Filtration, four different solutes were forced through four membranes that contained separate pore sizes by the use of hydrostatic pressure. After each experimental run was conducted, the membrane analyses showed that residue from all four solutes were detected on each membrane. (Table 2) This indicates that some solutes did not filter through the membrane. The filtration rate (ml/min) increased as membranes with larger pores were utilized. This happened because the solute molecules were able to transport through a particular membrane at a faster rate being that the membranes’ pores were larger. The filtrate in the bottom beaker was analyzed and no solutes were detected with the 20 (MWCO) membrane. (Table 3) With the 50 (MWCO) membrane, only NaCl was detected in the filtrate at 4. 81 (mg/ml). (Table 3) The 100 (MWCO) membrane showed to have NaCl at 4. 81 (mg/ml) and Urea at 4. 74 (mg/ml) present in the filtrate. (Table 3) Glucose and powdered charcoal were not present. The last membrane with pore size 200 (MWCO), had the solutes NaCl at 4. 81 (mg/ml), Urea at 4. 74 (mg/ml), and Glucose at 4. 39 (mg/ml) detected in the filtrate. (Table 3) Powdered charcoal was not detected in this filtrate. Table 3) The molecules in powdered charcoal were too large to pass through any of the membranes tested. The 20 (MWCO) membrane pores were too small to allow any solute molecules to pass through. The membranes that contained lar ger pores allowed the solutes with larger pores pass through. The amounts (mg/ml) of the same solute detected in the filtrate were the same for each membrane. (Table 3) This is because the pressure that was released into the top beaker remained at 50 (mmHg) for all experiment runs. References Marieb, Elaine N. , Mitchell, Susan J. (2008). Exercise 5B. Human Anatomy & Physiology Laboratory Manual Ninth Edition (pp. PEx-5 – PEx-13). San Francisco, California: Pearson Benjamin Cummings.