BSN nursing VS RN nursing Essay

There is an ongoing debate on the differences of nurses who possess an associate’s degree versus a bachelor’s degree. Individuals considering nursing as a career may find some confusion when comparing the two degrees. Both bachelor degree nurses as well as associate degree nurses can sit for the nursing licensure exam also known as the NCLEX. One might wonder why a bachelor’s degree requires two more years of preparation when compared to an associate’s degree, when essentially the process of obtaining a nursing license is the same. Ultimately, individuals need to realize that each program has their own set of benefits as well as drawbacks. Associate Degree Nursing has also been in the past referred to as technical nursing. It is perceived that â€Å"associate degree in nursing (ADN) programs, as a rule, emphasize psychomotor learning and technical skills necessary to carry out basic nursing tasks and medically related functions, and provide experiences in basic bedside nursing.† (Kubsch, Hansen, & Huyser-Eatwell, 2008, p. 375) The associate degree nursing program was created during a national shortage of nursing. â€Å"The severity of the nursing shortage in the postwar years encouraged faculty to develop new entry-level nursing programs.† (Creasia & Friberg, 2011, p. 15) This program gives the individual a basic knowledge of nursing care, the human body, and technical skills. With this knowledge an associate level nurse can safely and competently care for a patient. Associate degree programs are beneficial if an individual would like to obtain a degree in a short period of time. The associate level nursing program is lacking on in depth educational preparation on the science and theory of nursing. â€Å"Baccalaureate nursing practice incorporates the roles of assessing, critical thinking, communicating, providing care, teaching and leading.† (Grand Canyon University, 2011, para. 7) The bachelor program encompasses all aspects of the associate program while adding education focused on teaching and leading in the nursing role. The bachelor program also spends a great deal of focus on the theory and science behind nursing. An individual that possesses a bachelor’s degree has the ability to continue their education into a master’s degree or doctorate degree. Education plays a very strong role on the ability and skill level of nursing practice. â€Å"A growing body of research reinforces this belief and shows a connection between baccalaureate education and lower mortality rates.† (â€Å"Creating Highly Qualified Nursing Workforce,† 2012) A bachelor’s degree nurse is better prepared to think critically in high stress situations. In comparison, associate degree nurses and bachelor degree nurses will typically be very similar when it comes to bedside nursing. Bachelor nurses have the skills necessary to appropriately educate a patient at a higher level than an associate degree nurse. Bachelor programs focus on teaching and leading. This encompasses teaching prospective students and more importantly teaching patients. When patients are educated properly it assists in lowering the amount of recurrent admissions as well as helping the patient to maintain their health. A nurse that is educated on critical thinking is more equipped to perform well under stressful situations as well as anticipating the needs of a patient and their family. When presented with certain patient situations, bachelor degree nurses and associate degree nurses tend to approach the situation from different aspects. One instance of this is presented when a code blue has been called on a patient. An associate degree nurse will come into the situation very task oriented. Associate degree nurses know that the patient will require the defibrillator to be hooked up, compressions started and oxygenation initiated. These nurses will be very helpful in providing tasks when directed by the leader of the code. In contrast, a bachelor’s degree nurse may come into the situation very task oriented, although at the same time they will be analyzing what may have caused this patient to code. The bachelor nurse will be more comfortable and confident in taking the lead role of a code blue and will be very proficient in delegating tasks and keeping a calm and efficient environment. Environment is imperative to promoting effective patient care. With ever changing technology and advancements in medical care, nursing proves to be a very challenging profession. Continued education is a requirement for all levels of nursing. â€Å"Although many RN programs begin with a professional nursing course in which values are addressed, such entry courses in ADN programs tend to focus more on nursing skills that must be learned than on values and beliefs of the profession.† (Kubsch, Hansen, & Huyser-Eatwell, 2008, p. 383) Bachelor programs focus more on the values and beliefs, in turn making it a more rounded education. Patients deserve to be cared for by highly educated and competent nurses. Nurses should strive to continue their education for the betterment of patient care. After all nurses are dealing with lives. References Creasia, J. L., & Friberg, E. (2011). Conceptual foundations: The bridge to professional nursing practice (5th ed.). [Adobe digital editions version]. Retrieved from http://pageburstls.elsevier.com/#/books/978-0-323-06869-7/pages/47247548 Creating a more highly qualified nursing workforce. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/nursing-workforce Grand Canyon University. (2011). Grand canyon university college of nursing philosophy. Retrieved from NRS430V.v10R.GrandCanyonUniversityCollegeofNursingPhilosophy_Student.docx Kubsch, S., Hansen, G., & Huyser-Eatwell, V. (2008, August). Professional values: the case for RN-BSN completion education. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 39, 375-384. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu

A Pestel Analysis of a Clothes Manufacturers and Suppliers

The PESTEL analysis shown in the appendix portrays some of the issues in the external environment that a firm manufacturing and supplying luxury men’s clothing may experience. In all six sections; political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal there are issues that the firm would face. However, some have more significance to others. Although political, technological and environmental factors would have a big affect on the firm, when looking at the three most important issues facing the firm; social, economic and legal come out on top.Firstly, social factors play a massive part in the external environment of the firm. For-fronting the part it plays could be, as brought up in the PESTEL analysis, the men’s clothing market is very dynamic. Fashion has its own cycle, but it very hard to understand, with items coming in and out of fashion quickly. With retailers changing stock usually at least 4 times a year (seasonal clothes) it can be very hard for a m anufacturer to keep up with. Along with this rapid change, there has been seen a raise in men’s fashion consciousness, with more and more premium priced men’s clothing appearing.This portraying the difficulty the firm may have at keeping up with its competitors who have somewhat consolidated themselves in the market. However, with low barriers to entry, thus low initial capital costs to start the business, they may catch up quickly. This along with the a thorough PESTEL analysis may see the firm compete well. Changing fashion has often been led by national social change. A recent form of social change has seen consumers become more ethically driven, with products such as the Fairtrade brand seeing a steep increase in sales, according to their website around ?300m of sales annually (2007 figure).This rise in what is known as the ethical consumer has meant that attention on this front has to be sharply increased. Some companies such as the bath shop have turned focussed solely on a ethical approach. The manufacturing of the firm will not go unnoticed with pressure groups being very much present. Businesses such as Primark and GAP have felt a full force lobby from these interest groups. Primark, who were outsourcing the manufacture of their goods to India, were uncovered by a BBC report. The program showed children working for the outsourced manufacturer and bad working conditions.If the firm was to have bad press too, say from PETA and animal rights activists, who look very closely at fur farming (for luxury clothing), this may have detrimental affects on factors such as their reputation and finances. This shows issues the firm may experience from pressure groups, so work will be needed to keep these people happy and too shareholders with similar views. Demographics mentioned in the PESTEL may too conjure up issues for the firm in the current environment. Demographics include age, race and gender.When looking at the age of the population, the firm will need to address the issue to which age group (target market) to supply this luxury clothing too. According to a recent census males aged 15-64 years old make up 33% of the population, thus a age group within this seems appropriate. However, the lower of the group having lower disposable income and other factors will need to be considered. Race and culture will also bring about some issues to the firm. They will have to consider clothing that will be appealing to all races and not offend any culture.This being a small issue but will need to be watched. Secondly, moving on to economic factors that may affect and bring up issues in the external environment for the firm. Recession comes out as the biggest threat to the firm at the moment, with many businesses falling into liquidation and great times of uncertainty for workers. With Recession comes many problems that the firm will experience. One being unemployment, which according to BBC figures has rose to around 8-8. 9%, these be ing the worse figures since 1992.Rising unemployment along with a falling national disposable income demand in the economy will fall. The firm supplying luxury goods are usually going to be more susceptible to a fall in demand when there is a fall in income. This is because luxury goods are more income elastic. Consumers will be more willing to give up spending on these kinds of goods than say essentials such as toilet paper and drinks. This is an issue to the manufacturer so they will have to hope on considerations such as brand loyalty and correct marketing to push up demand.They may also need to drop their profit margin on clothing to help generate more sales. In this economic downturn there has been a big depreciation in the pound sterling. This has made exports more attractive (however, fall in value of pound means its not exactly positive) and importing more expensive. With the firm mainly supplying the UK market with some operations abroad it will be affected by this. If raw materials are being imported into the UK for use in production then the firm will be paying a higher unit price for these. This of course will add to the unning costs of the business. Also the few countries they firm supplies they will be receiving a lower price for the goods losing out on the bad exchange rate, which has been at its worse for a decade. Both of these are an obvious issue to the firm but are out of their control, so it is just a case of sitting and waiting for the economy to be boosted again. One way the government may try to help the economy recover again is through a policy implemented in times of turmoil called fiscal policy. This comprises mainly of controls on spending and taxation.For example the VAT cut of 2. 5% from 17. 5% to 15% was made in attempt to help businesses stay afloat. Many companies passed these cuts straight onto the consumer in order to stay competitive. Another policy installed is the monetary policy, which looks mainly at money supply and int erest rates. Interest rates, under the Monetary Policy Committee, were brought down to a very low 0. 5% stated on the Bank of England website. This along with other contributors has led banks to be very stingy with lending money to each other, consumers and business.The firm if it finds itself needing to borrow capital from the banks may find this difficult and with such a weak pound investors may be less willing to invest too. This may be a great issue to the firm as with no constant cash flow partnered with a possible fall in demand it may find itself struggling to compete and stay in business. The final factor of the 3 most important issues currently facing the firm is the legal elements. These will have a big impact on the business environment of the men’s clothing sector such as the social and economic considerations have done too.The legal system in the UK is very complex and there are many laws that the firm will need to abide for business to run. The firm is likely to be affected in the two usual ways by legal factors. Firstly, if new procedures and systems have to be developed then it can affect the firm’s costs. Secondly, if the laws affect the likelihood of the customer buying the good, it can affect the firm’s demand. The amount of laws present makes it harder for the firm to run with checks needing to be made along many points of the course of the business.The Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974, is one law that would bring up issues for the business. First, they would need to spend money on ensuring the workplace is safe and suitable under the law, this would avoid any possible suing or bad press. Second, training will need to be provided before an employee can work on the firm’s premise. This will cost the firm and will not see a return until the employee has been working for a good amount of time. Also the risk of employees quitting during training (first few weeks at work is a likely time for one to quite) will mean money is wasted if they do so.Training will not be the only issue cost to the business, things such as reporting all incidents will increase administration costs, as more files are created and submitted for health and safety. The firm may feel under pressure too from other laws such as competition laws and employment laws and issues may arise if they are caught breaking these laws. Competition law will be likely to protect the firm against other manufacturers who may make cartels or predatory price for example.However, it creates pressure on executives and others to keep by these laws and run the business in the â€Å"correct† way. Employment acts such as the Employment Relations Act, 2004, give certain rights to the employees to stop them being â€Å"abused† by managerial personnel. This has left the firm’s employees with a greater authority, allowing them to legally call strikes if they have any concerns. This is made more likely to happen to the firm as it i s sitting in a recession with high inflation.High inflation can lead to employees demanding higher pay, thus being an issue that the firm will need to keep tabs on. All laws, as said make business practice a very much controlled environment to work in, which has shown to cause business various issues, some stated already. These have mainly been issues that affect the firm’s costs. One issue that can affect the demand of the goods may be bad press. Many laws put in place to protect people e. g. employment laws and international agreements on human rights or environmental policy, will create bad press if broken.Emissions levels and road taxes may affect the firm if it is importing its raw materials laws may also make it hard for the business to import all the materials they need too or they may need to pay more for the surplus on the amount allowed. All three factors from the PESTEL analysis show many issues that the firm will face in the external environment of the men’ s clothing market. Overall, social, economic and legal considerations bring about more issues than technological, environmental and political elements. However, they too create issues that the firm will need to analyse and consult.The men’s clothing market is strongly influenced by social and economic happenings and controlled by laws portraying why they create more issues than the other three. All in all, politics do not play a great role in the manufacture of clothes. Also the men’s clothing market being a relatively simple segment in terms of technology, thus low barriers to entry, technological factors do not form many issues. Environmental factors seem to create the most issues to the firm but are closely linked to social and legal and seem more appropriate in these sections.

Chad Essays - Chad, Republics, Idriss Dby, NDjamena, Outline Of Chad

County Report Chad is one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world because of its climate, geographic location, and a lack of infrastructure and natural resources. It's main cash crop that is helping it's economy is cotton, which accounts for 48% of exports.1 The industry of Chad is mainly based on processing agricultural products. It is run by a republican government and it's legal system is based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law. The recent president is Idriss Deby and head of government is Prime Minister Joseph Yodoyman Chad had gained its independence from France on August 11, 1960. Its national holiday is held on the same day every year. The geography of Chad is mostly pastures and meadows. Chad is located in Central Africa and is between the Central African Republic and Libya. The total area is 1,259,200 km2, and the land area is 1,259,200 km2.2 The total size in area of Chad is slightly more than three times the size of California. The land boundaries of Chad are; Cameroon (1,094 km), Central African Republic (1,197 km), Libya (1,055 km), Niger (1,175 km), Nigeria (87 km), and Sudan (1,360 km).3 All of these countries total to 5,968 km. Chad is landlocked which has no coastline. It has no marital claims. The disputes between Chad and other countries is that Libya claims and occupies the 100,000 km2 Aozou Strip in the far north. The year around climate is tropical in the south, and desert in the north. The terrain is broad, arid plains in the center, desert in the north, lowlands in the south and mountains in the northwest. The natural resources are petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, and fish. The land use consists of arable land (2%), permanent crops (0%), meadows and pastures (36%), forest and woodland (11%), and other (51%).4 The irrigated land used is 100km2. Its environment is hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in the north, drought and desertification affecting much of the south, and subject to plagues of locusts. The people of Chad rely on agriculture for survival. The total population is 5,350,971 people. The growth rate of the population is 2.13%. The birth rate is 42.21 births / 1,000 population. The death rate is 20.93 deaths / 1,000 population. The migration rate is 0% migrants / 1,000 population. Chad's death at infancy is at a great risk at 134 deaths / 1,000 live births. For infants the expectancy rate at birth is 40.41 years. The rate for males is 39.36 years and the rate for females is 41.5 years. Total fertility rate is 5.33 children born/women. The people of Chad are Chadian in nationality. The ethnic divisions in the north are Muslim (Arabs. Toubou, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Kanembou, Baguirmi, Boulala, Zaghawa, and Maba). In the south are non-Muslims (Sara, Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye, Moundang, Moussei, Massa). The religions of Chad are Muslim (44%), Christian (33%), indigenous beliefs, and animism (23%). The common spoken languages in Chad are Sara (spoken in south), Sango (spoken in north). The official languages of Chad are French and Arabic. There are over 100 different languages and dialects spoken in Chad. The literacy rate is at age 15 and over people can read and write French or Arabic. The total population of literacy is 30%. 42% for males and 18% for females. Chad has a republican government. The capital of Chad is N'djamena. It's administrative divisions are 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture); Batha, Biltine, Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chari-Baguirmi, Guera, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mayo-Kebbi, Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, and Tandjile. Chad had gained its independence on August 11, 1960, from France. They had gained their constitution on December 22, 1989. Chad's legal system is based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law, it has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction. The national holiday is held on the 11th of August. The political parties and leaders of Chad are the Patriotic Salvation Movement, Idriss Deby, and chairman. There are no other political party or pressure groups. Elections were last held on July 8, 1990 and disbanded on December 3, 1990. The Executive branch in Chad's government consists of the president and the Council of State (cabinet). The Legislative branch cons ists of unicameral National

Current event summery Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Current event summery - Assignment Example However, this is least likely to cause inflation given the banks are securing money in an attempt to save it because of the universal economic decline. This in itself, is a discouraging factor for the Federal Reserve regarding printing. Also, Debts do not influence economy. Japan makes an example for it as it incurred huge debts from 1997 to 2003. Despite that, consumer prices in Japan declined. Likewise, government in Canada and Belgium did not make use of inflation to rid the load of debts. The general fear of inflation among masses can be fundamentally attributed to the biased consent of economists. Krugman is right in his assertion that economic recession will not cause inflation. I support his argument because he has referred to similar cases of Japan, Belgium and Canada who faced economic decline and incurred debts, yet never inflated the currency. The phobia people suffer from keeps them from investing in business. People should realize the truth and invest in business so that the economy may regain its

Intellectual Property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Intellectual Property - Essay Example It was argued that Topshop had infringed the rights of Rihanna and that consumers were misled into thinking that she had endorsed the use of her photograph on the T-shirt, and this might have led to enhanced commercial sales and consumer confusion, which in turn had damaged her reputation. This is because Topshop’s action may have represented a loss of control of Rihanna in the fashion industry.3 As a result, Rihanna filed a suit against Topshop for manufacturing and retailing T-shirts bearing her photograph without her authorisation. The judge hearing the case ruled in favour of Rihanna. In the United Kingdom, there is no personality right that prevents unfair exploitation, in cases where a party evokes a celebrity’s image.4 Therefore, in the United Kingdom, there is no general right that famous people or any person can enjoy and use to control the reproduction of their images. The law of passing off is used by celebrities to protect their image. However, they have to show that they have goodwill in their image. They also have to show that there has been a misrepresentation, leading to public deception. This was ruled out by Mr Justice Birss who said that consumers of this era have full awareness that music artists take part in merchandising and endorsement in fashion apparel. According to Mr Justice Birss, consumers may not want to purchase products which have been authorised by artists, but they will rather purchase products with pictures on them because they love the look of it.5 One of the key factors that persuaded Mr Justice Birss to pass a ruling in favour of Rihanna was that Topshop, the fashion retailer, had engaged in promotional efforts involving Rihanna. For instance, there was a competition, in which the entrants could win a personal shopping appointment with Rihanna in 2010.6 Also, Topshop sold the T-shirt two weeks after there had been

Comprehensive Designer Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comprehensive Designer - Article Example A comprehensive designer, according to my belief has to be a designer by profession. This is necessary since involvement in various designing tasks needs to be principally based on the fundamentals of the profession such as stability and safety. In addition to having the credentials in the designing field, they should be able to handle or propose solutions to any design problem. In addition to solving the problem via scientific means, the proposed solutions should be economically viable, which means that solutions should be arrived at with regard to the available skill, material, space and durability. Although the designer may not be specialized to a given field, he or she should have some knowledge that can be passed to the nonprofessionals or students of the career. The comprehensive designer should thus be capable of applying scientific, mathematical, physical, economic, social and practical experience towards solving a problem in the discipline, regardless of the time span the solution is expected to serve (Faste, 2001). It is the designer’s responsibility to link the conceptual and physical worlds, and comprehensiveness is brought about by ensuring the resultant idea is wholesome and in accord with the criterion

Safe Guarding Sensitive Database Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Safe Guarding Sensitive Database - Assignment Example For Vista, choose Start, Search, click the down arrow on the right side of Advanced Search, then select Date modified in the Date drop-down menu which is on the left. Here, you then look for any recently created, altered or renamed files. If you find what you are looking for, to be safe, save it in at least two different storage devices. b) -Â  Identity proofing, registration and credential delivery which bind an identity to a token. Depending on the level of assurance necessary for the system, this process is done either remotely or in person. It includes: Remote authentication mechanisms: This is the combination of authentication protocols credentials and tokens which are used in establishing the subscription of the claimant’s authenticity as a subscriber. Assertion mechanisms: This is used to communicate remote authentication results to other parties. They are issued by verifiers pertaining to claimants as a result of a successful authentication, and they are either signed in a digital way by their issuers or by direct way of obtaining, by presenting parties from a trustworthy party through a protocol with secure authentication. They would not be the same for a bank versus a school since in a bank, the authentication protocols present a way a claimant can establish the token control to a verifier without compromise but with a school, such high level of security is not required since they don’t run a high-risk business. They do not hold highly sensitive documents as it is with a bank (Williams & Simoff, 2006). a) Age, gender/sex and socio-economic status: In analyzing the audience, I will first determine the primary age group and gender of your audience, audience’s race and/or cultural background, my audience location in terms of their country/state/city, their education level, socio-economic status and religion. b) What I believe I can do as a speaker to respond to the audience’s listening goals is focusing on what they are interested in since it is a common thing to see.

PaY For Play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

PaY For Play - Essay Example Sports players are a huge asset for the colleges because they enhance the college reputation and prestige. One of the realities of the current university and college system is that they derive a residual level of profitability from whatever sports programs that the school offers. This residual level of revenue has come to be an important funding stream that colleges and universities rely on to ameliorate the economic pressures of hard times. However, regardless of the degree of revenue that these institutions are able to garner as a result of their sports programs, the student athletes are not paid for their work outside the scholarships that they are oftentimes offered as an incentive to play the game. However, it is normally seen that the athletes or sportsmen have not given much consideration when it comes to upholding their rights. When it came to my college, I saw that our college athletes were not given due respect with regard to the reward structure. In our society college ath letes undergo much sacrifice and bring money but not be paid in return. I myself have been a football player in college and I understand what it means to be able to have spending money to survive during the university experience; a luxury that those not playing sports can readily achieve merely by picking up a part time job while in school. Thus, following inductive reasoning I can say that those college athletes who participate in major money making sports, such as football in the SEC, should be paid and not just in kind. The approach of ethos, pathos and logos is used in this paper to prove the point. For logical approach inductive reasoning is used based on facts, ethical appeal is used after considering views of different authors regarding payment of college athletes and an emotional appeal also lies underneath the arguments presented in the paper. Background of Sports Play at College and Problems in Pay for Play: Regulation regarding paying college athletes should be changed in order to compensate athletes and payment should be made mandatory. This is because these players bring in a lot of money and put in too much work for that without earning a paycheck. The idea of sports played in college came into existence during 1850. Soon after, sports achieved its place in the curriculum of the college activities. Gradually colleges started to prepare for the intercollegiate competition as a mean of boosting the self confidence and as a method of learning to overcome the obstacles in life. The first intercollegiate athletic competition held in America was secondary to the promotional wishes and was launched as a commercial venture. It has been regarded as the perfect physical activity and the desire of the young men. The competitive spirit and vigor which are parts of college sports enhanced the mental and physical pleasure of the students. The college authorities elaborately planned sports activities which motivated the students immensely and sports events at c ollege and national levels became a prestigious venture and money making phenomena for college authorities. The media kept the young athletes in the lime light and the scholarship provided by colleges to them stood as a bonus (Smith, 2011, pp. 1-8). However one should consider their importance to the colleges and their role as revenue earners in order to compensate them in cash and kind. Here lies the ethical appeal. Playing college sports has evolved to be an honor

The Undead Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Undead - Research Paper Example hemselves are only moderate and somewhat ambiguous, and the emphasis is on those telling the stories and experiencing them being not really sure whether they encountered ghosts with dead certainty (Goldstein, Greider, and Thomas, 2007, pp. 29-31): The drama comes from the subject matter and the manner in which people tell the stories rather than from the extraordinary behavior of the supernatural beings. In the oral tradition, people commonly report merely feeling some type of â€Å"presence†, a cold feeling in the room, or strange noises and nothing more† (Goldstein, Greider and Thomas, 2007, p. 29). The same observation is made with regard to the subtle and ambiguous reality of ghosts as they are rendered in American culture. The take is that in American culture, the reality is something that cannot be fixed with the certainty of fact, but is embedded within the hazy and deliberately ambiguous stories that people tell each other when they relate their experiences about ghosts. This is the case, for instance, in observations of how ghosts are portrayed in American literature that represents the best of American culture through the ages (Lewis, 2005, pp. 33-34): James thus poses, in somewhat clumsy form, the sorts of questions that will bedevil interpreters of his later ghost stories. Was the fathers death a natural result of his anxiety over the fake haunting, or did the narrators tearing of the daughters veil somehow, supernaturally, cause it?... Jamess refusal to answer these questions provides an early example of the workings of what I shall call â€Å"shared fictions† in his later ghost stories (Lewis, 2005, p. 34). Apart from these American cultural artifacts there are also insights to be gleaned in cultural renderings of ghosts in America as they pertain to the conceptions of ghosts reflected in rituals involving the dead and involving ghosts in general, such as Halloween. In Halloween conceptions of ghosts, they are lumped together with witches who

Case Analysis on Product Design or Process Design Term Paper

Case Analysis on Product Design or Process Design - Term Paper Example In order to understand better product design, this essay, will be looking at the case analysis of product design at the shipper manufacturing company. Company Overview The Shipper Manufacturing Company started in the aerospace business in the 1960s. In the early years, the company developed and produced the Echo weather satellites, which were launched into space. More recently, the Shipper manufacturing company had diversified into three divisions a) the materials division b) electrical products c) advanced products division, located in Faribault, Minnesota. Over the years the advanced products division has not been consistent with sales and profits as a result of this the divisions corporate strategy was changed. The Advanced product division manufactured the company’s specialty products for custom orders such as helicopter blade liners and mine stoppers. To produce these, the APD relies on the Materials Division production of laminate plastic materials. The Electrical Produc ts Division is responsible for producing the circuit boards and other electrical products. The company focuses on providing low volume specialty products to individual short run customers assuring the quality of their products. Strengths According to scholars (Ayres, 1984), in an industrial nation’s economic future may lie in the so called flexible systems of production, technically advanced and skill intensive industries which make customized products. In order to exhibit its strengths the company has to consider criteria’s such as its competitive strengths and its innovative aspects. The Shipper manufacturing company being based in the United States has an advantage to be in the centre of technology with a higher access to information technology systems that could ease its product design without compromising the customer’s demands. It should also respond to individual customer design demands and adapt new products to the unique requests of the customers; this has been something the shipper manufacturing company has done without equal whilst maintaining high quality standards. Weaknesses The manual system used at the Shipper manufacturing company incorporate the human component. Frequently, this human component may lead to a muddle or inefficiency mostly caused by delays in production due to negligence or an operative’s error. In addition a manual system of record keeping is used, these records are not transparent and no backups are available in case of an emergency. Opportunities The Shipper manufacturing company will restrict its market development resources to certain market divisions of growth and to shrewd industries where there is a realistic opportunity and presumption of inhabiting a presiding or strong competitive position Threat In measuring threats, the change in business strategy will require a corresponding change in manufacturing strategy. The business unit is growth oriented with substantial resources directed to new product or new market strategies, making it a medium-to high-risk operation. Recommendation Voice of the customer exercise - The Shipper manufacturing company should hold this exercise to brainstorm and communicate external and internal demands and expectations by customers. In addition the company should ensure that its customers are satisfied. This can be achieved by quality function deployment, define by Akao (1990) as the specific method for ensuring quality thought out at each juncture of product development process. The author claims that the use of quality function

Managing Diversity Essay Example for Free

Managing Diversity Essay Various literatures indicate that managing diversity within today’s labor force has become a primary concern for companies and organizations today. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012), compared with the labor force of past decades, today’s labor force is older, more racially and ethnically diverse, and composed of more women. Over the next decade, the labor force will become even more racially and ethnically diverse (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). Non-Hispanic whites made up 67.5 percent of the U.S. labor force in 2010 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012), projects that this group will compose 62.3 percent of the labor force in 2020, a decline of 5.2 percent. By 2020, the Hispanic, Asian, and African American labor force are all supposed to make up 18.6, 5.7, and 12.0 percent, respectively (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). The only way that diversity can be managed successfully is in an organizational culture that values diversity (Sidel, 2009). According to Kulik and Roberson (2009), when an organization values diversity, the people work better together. If people don’t work well together, the organization does not work well (Kulik Roberson, 2009). The purpose of this paper is to explain the difference between the terms managing diversity and valuing diversity, and the four key components that make up diversity management. Differences between Managing Diversity and Valuing Diversity In order to better understand how diversity management fits into an organizational culture that values diversity, certain distinctions must first be made. One must know the difference between diversity management and culture of diversity. Diversity management involves establishing long term goals to develop, promote, and utilize the skills of a diverse workforce (Marquis, Lim, Scott, 2008). By culture of diversity, it is meant that an institutional environment is built on the values of fairness, diversity, mutual respect, understand, and cooperation (Loden Rosener, 1991). A culture that values diversity emphasizes the importance of employees of different races, cultures, ages, genders, sexual orientations, values, beliefs, ethics, and abilities to work together effectively (Lussier, 2012). Diversity Management with an Emphasis on Valuing Diversity There are four main aspects of diversity management are the support of top management, diversity leadership, policies and procedures, and diversity  training (Lussier, 2012). There must be an emphasis of valuing diversity into each of the four aspects of diversity management: management support, diversity leadership, policies, and training. Management Support Diversity management begins with support from top management. While valuing diversity most often begins at the bottom in organizations, it must involve those at the top if it is to succeed long term (Loden Rosener, 1991). Fostering the right organizational culture is one of the most important responsibilities of a chief executive (McDermott, 2001). Billings-Harris and Anderson (2010) state: The CEO’s understanding and willingness to engage and challenge the organization’s leaders with respect to the vision, business strategy, financials, goals, and objectives are critical for survival. This is no less true for the CEO’s involvement with the inclusion and diversity strategy. When led effectively, these initiatives are embedded in the overall strategy and can act as one of a few powerful people-focused catalysts that drive business results. (p.28) Cox (2001), asserts that to ensure management support in diversity initiatives, an organization should create a separate senior executive position focused on diversity objectives. This diversity director should be involved in all aspects of the firm and should attempt to make diversity an overall business requirement (Cox, 2001). Loden and Rosener (1991) state that once diversity is accepted as an organizational value, a new set of assumptions begins to operate within the organization, and that these assumptions are based on the positive contributions that diversity is perceived to offer. As part of a long-term strategy aimed at changing the corporate culture, many executives participate in team building sessions and other activities designed to encourage open dialogue among employees about diversity issues (Lod en Rosener, 1991). Diversity Leadership The second key aspect to diversity management is diversity leadership. Leaders should be able to influence employees to work toward the organization’s objectives (Lussier, 2012). The organization’s leadership should cultivate a mindset that acknowledges that diversity requires long-term cultural change and interprets diversity to include all people (Loden, 1996). Loden (1996) states that rhetorical statements advocating  diversity will not by themselves motivate change, and extensive leadership involvement is needed to help diffuse the principles of diversity throughout the organization and into the attitudes of employees. This involvement requires time and energy on the part of senior leaders and is the most significant sign that diversity is a high priority in an organization (Loden, 1996). Policies and Procedures Policies and procedures of an organization regarding diversity make up the third aspect of diversity management. â€Å"EEO is a legalistic response to workplace discrimination originally mandated by law. Affirmative action programs are outgrowths of equal employment law.† (Loden Rosener, 1991) Loden and Rosener (1991) conclude that while these programs have led to changes in the composition of the labor force, they have not been linked to an organizational culture change. They state that valuing diversity builds on the basic premise of equal employment law and affirmative action, and that by focusing on the quality of the work environment, valuing diversity moves beyond affirmative action (Loden Rosener, 1991). It acknowledges that hiring and promoting diverse people does not automatically lead to mutual respect, cooperation, and true integration (Loden Rosener, 1991). Diversity Training The last aspect of diversity management is diversity training, also sometimes referred to as awareness training. Diversity training programs aim to make people more aware of the issues and the opportunities that exist in reducing differential treatment, including awareness of attitudes behaviors, and biases (Morrison, 1992). According to Morrison (1992), focusing on theories, principles, demographic changes, and organizational benefits of increased diversity is common in diversity training, but it is unlikely to cause individuals to examine their personal values, attitudes, and behaviors. Diversity education is not achieved by one or two workshops, but requires a consistent, continuous effort to understand diversity concepts (Thomas, 2005). Diversity or awareness training for most organizations should consist of three major steps: (1) Begin with leadership education. (2) Follow up with general manager and employee education about stereotyping and the dimensions of diversity. (3) Continue with ongoing seminars in  managing diversity as a vital resource, understanding the dimensions of diversity, career development/efficacy of training for diverse employees, and so on (Loden Rosener, 1991, p. 204). Accountability for Diversity Even though it is not one of the four main aspects of diversity management, it is important to talk about rewarding behavior that values diversity. As efforts to create the culture of diversity evolve, Morrison (1992) states that the three most commonly revised administrative procedures to hold employees accountable are performance evaluations and resulting financial rewards, succession planning, and promotion systems. Employees and management at all levels should be held accountable for nurturing a culture that values diversity, and responsibility must be distributed throughout the organization if diversity goals are to be achieved (Morrison, 1992). Even in cases where employees do not personally endorse the philosophy, their workplace behavior should still be expected to support this change (Loden Rosener, 1991). Conclusions In conclusion, diversity management does not focus on recruitment and hiring practices. Recruitment and hiring polices, such as Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action, are short term objectives and do not address organizational growth and development (Marquis, Lim, Scott, 2008). Diversity management is a long term focus on developing and utilizing the skills of a divorce labor force and focuses on striving to achieve organizational objectives while creating a positive work environment (Marquis, Lim, Scott, 2008). However, diversity management is only effective if the culture of the organization values diversity (Sidel, 2009). An emphasis on valuing diversity needs to be implemented and supported by top management, and the leaders of an organization need to cultivate the belief and value of diversity (Loden, 1996). Programs and policies must go above and beyond the minimum legal requirements for recruitment and selection (Loden Rosener, 1991). Training and awareness pr ograms should include education about differences in beliefs, cultures, and opinions (Morrison, 1992).

Chapter Study Questions 1 & 2 Essay Example for Free

Chapter Study Questions 1 2 Essay 1.What percentage of Texans live in urban areas (cities suburbs)?   90% of the population now lives in crowed cities and suburbs. 2.Name the three cities in Texas that are three of the largest in US?   Houston, San Antonio and Dallas 3.What are the three diverse economic businesses in Texas? 4 Oil and gas producer now work alongside high-tech companies, telecommunications giants, and other important business sectors. 4.In what areas does Texas consistently rank at the bottom in state spending compared to other states? 4 Texas consistently ranks near the bottom of the states in spending on education, welfare, and healthcare for poor. 5.Is Texas a high-tax, high-business regulatory state or is it low-tax, low-regulatory?   Texas is low-tax and low-regulatory climate. 6.Are Texas well informed about government and elected officials? Do they trust government? 4 Texans are woefully ignorant of their state and local government and the public officials who make important decisions affecting their daily lives. 7.Does Texas have a regressive or progressive tax system and what do these mean?   Texas has a regressive tax system, which means a tax that imposes a disproportionately heavier burden on low-income people than on the more affluent. 8.What is meant by economic diversification and has Texas done this? 6 Economic diversification is the development of new and varied business activities. New business were encouraged to relocated to or expand in Texas after the oil and gas industry, which had been the base of the state’s economy, suffered a major recession in the 1980’s. 9.What is meant by ‘cowboy rugged individualism’ and how has this impacted Texans’ views of government as a solution to problems?   The cowboy rugged individualism, with strong connotations of self-help and independence, symbolizes a political culture in Texas that does not like to look to government as a solution to many of its problems. It is the kind of individualism that continues to be exploited by political candidates in campaign ads. 10. What impact did having a frontier have on Texans? On might argue that the â€Å"wide-open spaces† of the frontier shaped Texan’s  view of their autonomy, independence, and vulnerability. It has clearly shaped attitudes toward land and the legal right to use land as one sees fit. 11. What three combined groups now make up the majority of Texans and how does their historical experiences differ from that of Anglos? What celebration are part of their political culture?   African American, Hispanic, and Asian Americans. The white population have limited relevance to the relevance to the cultural and historical experiences of many African American and Hispanic Texans. For African American is Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday as state holiday in 1991. And for Hispanics is the Cinco de Mayo. 12.Just what does political culture mean and describe the individualistic subculture in terms of government size, assistance, politics, and primary goals? 9 Political culture a widely shared set of views, attitudes, beliefs and customs of a people as to how their government should be organized and run. Individualistic subculture holds that politics and government function as a marketplace. Government does not have to be concerned with creating a good or moral society but exists for strictly. Government should be limited, and its intervention in the private activities of its citizens should be kept to a minimum. The Government primary function is to ensure the stability of a society so that individuals can pursue their own interests. 13. Describe the moralistic subculture in terms of government size, assistance, politics, and primary goals? 9-10 Moralistic subculture is a view that government’s primary reasonability is to promote the public welfare and should actively use its authority and power to improve the social and economic well-being of its citizens. The Moralistic subculture regards politics as one of the great activities of a man in his search for the good society. 14.Describe the traditionalistic subculture in terms of government size, assistance, politics, and primary goals? 10 a view that political power should e concentrated in the hands of a few elite citizens who belong to established families or influential social groups. Public policy basically serves the interests of this small group. The traditionalistic subculture  holds the view that there is a hierarchical arrangement to the political order. This hierarchy serves to limit the power and influence of general public, while allocating authority to few individuals who comprise self-perpetuating elites. 15. In what states or colonies did you originally find these three subcultures and what two best describe Texas? 16. How big is the Native American population in Texas and of the three remaining groups, do they have the right to have casinos? 11 Alabama-Coushatta, Tigua and Kickappo are the three small Native American groups that live on reservations in Texas. And the Native American population is less than one-half of 1 percent of the States total population. They have been denied the right to run casinos on their reservation. Even thought, their leader consider casinos a major potential source of revenue, jobs and economic development for their people, but recent efforts to change state law have been unsuccessful. 17. Were there ever a great many Hispanics in Texas prior to 1830 and what was it down to by 1887? How much had this increased by 1930, 1990, and 2012? 12 Prior 1830 the Hispanic population were a small minority of the population. By 1887 the Hispanic population had declined to approximately 4 percent of state’s population. In 1930 it was 12 percent and was concentrated in the border counties from Brownsville to el Paso. By 1990s, it had reached 25 percent, spurred by immigration from Mexico and other Latin American countries. By 2012 the Hispanics comprised 37.6 percent of the state’s population. 18.What two ethnic or racial groups are growing the fastest in Texas and by 2030-what group will be the largest? How have Hispanics done in terms of elected officials compared to other states?12 The two ethnic will be Asian and Hispanics. However the Hispanics are likely to exceed 50 percent of the state’s total. 19. Compare the %s of Anglos, African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians found in Texas in 1860 and those found in 2010? Chart 13 In 1860 it was a percent of 63.2% of Anglo. The 30.3 % are African American and 6.5% were Hispanic. However in 2010, 45.3% were Anglo, 11.5% were African American, 37.6% were Hispanic and 5.6% were other. 20.Where do African Americans tend to live in Texas?   African American settled in large numbers in the urban areas of Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and Austin. 21. In 2010, how many Texans were there and what was the growth rate of the state compared to the national growth rate and where did people move from and to in the US? 16 According to the 2010 census, the state’s population was 25,145,561, an increase of approximately 4.3 million people in ten years. This growth rate of 20.6 percent was significantly higher than the national growth rate of growth rate of 9.7 percent.

Financial Analysis Tools for SMEs

Financial Analysis Tools for SMEs CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS INTRODUCTION The SME sector development is seen as a key strategy for economic growth, job generation and poverty reduction (Agupusi, 2007:2). This study endeavored to explore and describe the financial performance measures currently used by manufacturing SMEs in Mauritius. It was undertaken due to the fact that many studies were conducted on obstacles faced by SMEs in obtaining finance, but it appeared that not enough were undertaken on how these SMEs manage their finances; whereas some studies found that small businesses fail because more often than not cash flow is not properly managed (Mbonyane, 2006:18). In this context the Z-score model is presented as a useful bankruptcy model for SME. This chapter concludes the research project by summarizing the previous chapters and highlighting the results of the empirical study in Chapter Four with respect to the objectives of the research. It also includes comments on the contribution and limitation of the study as well as recommendations and suggestions for future research. SUMMARY AND OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH Chapter One presented the background of the study, followed by problem statement, rationale and objectives of the research, a preliminary literature review, research methodology and layout of the Chapters. Chapter Two presented a literature review regarding SMEs and their role in the Mauritian Economy. It was shown that the development of a sound SME sector is a key factor in job creation and economic growth for Mauritius. Many obstacles were pointed out as causes of SME failure, including financial performance skills, which were the focus of this study. Moreover, an international comparative analysis was presented. A brief discussion of non-financial measures was given as well, followed by financial performance measures that included financial ratios and bankruptcy prediction models. Chapter Three presented the research plan including sampling, data collection, and data analysis. Chapter Four presented the results of the empirical research findings on financial performance measures currently used by manufacturing SMEs in Mauritius. Thematic content analysis was used in presenting the results, taking the themes in the literature of the topic as basis for comparison. Chapter Five is the final phase of the study and aims at using the information from the literature study and the empirical findings to provide solutions to manufacturing SMEs’ financial performance measurement according to the findings and through recommendations. DISCUSSIONS OF FINDINGS FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT The first objective of the study was to identify financial tools currently used by manufacturing SME’s in measuring their financial performance. This objective of the study was achieved during the field study with semi-structured interviews at SME premises that helped gather information on the financial performance measures used by each. The findings revealed the following ratios as the most widely used by respondents: Cash flow to total debt (used by six respondents); Current ratio (used by six respondents); Working capital to total assets (used by five respondents); Cash flow to average total current liabilities (used by five respondents); Gross profit margin ratio (used by four respondents); and Inventory turnover (used by four participants). Gross Profit Ratio The level of satisfaction was measured using a likert scale. The conversion of the 5- point Likert- type scale for the satisfaction with current financial performance scale to illustrate the total score was as follows: (not satisfied at all = 1 (1), not satisfied = 2 (2), somewhat satisfied = 3 (3), satisfied = 4 (4), very satisfied = 5 (5)). The higher the mean score indicates a higher level of satisfaction. Upon computing the mean for this scale,, it was found that the mean was 2.4000, this implies that there is a relative low level of satisfaction prevails with the owners of the SMEs concerning their current financial performance. It can be seen that all of the participants felt that measuring financial performance is important. However, despite the fact that measuring financial performance is important, none of the SMEs used a finance officer or an external consultant to evaluate their financial performance. It can be observed that financial ratios (100%) is the only used tool by the SMEs sampled as compared to tools such as Scoreboards (0%), the Bankruptcy Prediction Model (0%) and other models(0%). Based on the results of the analysis, it was found that even though the owners of the SME used financial ratios, only 39 percent of them found the ratios to be useful in helping to improve their financial performance. BANKRUPTCY PREDICTION MODEL The use of bankruptcy prediction models (another financial tool in the literature) was totally absent among the respondents. In fact, almost all the participant SMEs knew nothing or very little about bankruptcy prediction models. The limited use of ratios and non use of bankruptcy prediction models raises the issue of objective number two which is to recommend necessary improvements on financial performance measurement of SMEs which will be part of the recommendations. Also, the lack of knowledge of bankruptcy prediction models by interviewees at different SMEs may necessitate relevant training for the financial officers of SMEs; that is the issue of objective number three of the study, which will be part of the recommendations section as well. The last objective of the study was to recommend necessary improvements on financial performance measures used by manufacturing SMEs. The study found that most manufacturing SMEs used financial ratios to measure their financial performance, but to a very limited extent. Very few ratios were used by individual SMEs and most of the ratios used were not the best indicators mentioned in the literature. Though, some of the interviewees acknowledged that they need to use more ratios. This objective will be part of the recommendation section below. Another objective of the study was to recommend necessary training interventions that would be needed for manufacturing SMEs’ successful financial performance measurement. The research findings indicated that none of the respondents used any of the available bankruptcy prediction models; whereas it was proven in the literature that the models could be used successfully by SMEs as well as big businesses. SMEs could use the models not necessarily for predicting failure, but as a tool to constantly assess how they are doing financially so as to take necessary measures anytime they feel threatened. It was found that most of the respondents knew nothing or very little about the models, and it seemed quite obvious that relevant training is needed. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY These results can only be seen as a trend and further studies need to be conducted for any attempt at generalization. For this study for example, either emails were not responded to at all, or potential participants kept postponing, suggesting that the researcher call the following week. In the end, respondents had to be approached at their business premises and requested to participate. It is costly if it is taken into account that many SMEs would decline to participate, but works better as procedure; and should be considered in future studies. Also, it was noticed that more small businesses (70%) participated in the study because most medium business that were approached declined the invitation. Therefore, for a bigger study that would seek to generalize the results, researchers should endeavor to have a more balanced number between small and medium businesses that participate. There was very limited literature on the topic of financial performance of SMEs as well. This resulted on the study having to be built on theory. RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that SMEs use more ratios, especially those in the literature study (Chapter Two) as improvement of their financial performance measures. SMEs should probably consider the use of the six most used ratios as summarized in section 5.3 above, since they seem to be working well not only for the majority of participants, but for businesses in general. It is also recommended that SMEs owners/ managers request and enroll their financial staff for training on bankruptcy prediction models at relevant institutions such as universities. The few models presented in this study may be used by SMEs as well, since they are simple and cheap, and should not pose problems to trained financial staff. Another recommendation would be for those SMEs that can afford it, to try the use of specialized software (e.g. PASTEL or PRO ACC5), which were indicated as effective by the few participants who use them. The SMEs would be able to use ratios that are computed from the software. The Z Score is also a critical business tool managers utilize to make informed business decisions to improve the financial health of the business. The Z Score helps managers assess the factors contributing to poor financial health. Z Score factors that contribute to under-performance; working capital, earnings retention, profitability and leverage can be isolated. This enables managers to initiate actions to improve the score of these factors contributing to financial distress. Targeting actions to specific under-performing stress factors allows managers to make capital allocation decisions that mitigate principal risk factors and produce optimal returns. Focus areas for managers to improve Z Score are transactions that effect earnings/ (losses), capital expenditures, equity and debt transactions. The Z Score provides a quantitative measurement into a company’s financial health. The Z Score highlights factors contributing to a company’s financial health and uncovers emerging trends that indicate improvements or deterioration in financial condition. The Z Score is a critical tool business managers use to assess financial health. It helps managers align business strategies with capital allocation decisions and provide transparency of financial condition to lenders and equity capital providers. Business managers use the Z Score to raise capital and secure credit. The Z Score is an effective tool to demonstrate credit worthiness to bankers and soundness of business model to investors. The Z Score is based on actual financial information derived from the operating performance of the business enterprise. It avoids biases of subjective assessments, conflicts of interest, brand and large company bias. The Z Score employs no theoretical assumptions or market inputs external to the company’s financial statements. This provides users of the Z Score with a consistent view and understanding of a company’s true financial health. SMEs should have proper financial planning. They should undertake both financing and investment program according to financial planning. SMEs should keep all records of financial transactions in a system way. This will provide accurate accounting and financial information for making both routine and non-routine managerial decisions by the management of SMEs. This will also enable lending agencies to conduct credit risk analysis; and rating agency to carry out the rating job for the SMEs. SMEs should introduce internal audit to restore effective financial control in the SMEs. SMEs need to have an effective management system as well as skilled manpower. This is expected to exert a positive influence in efficiency as well as productivity of SMEs. Good culture in the firm develops leadership in the organization who can be able to trace the financial distress early and thereby prevent SMEs from the exposition to financial and operating risk. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH Further research could be conducted on a wider scale in an attempt to generalize the findings to manufacturing SMEs in Mauritius; and in different regions of Mauritius. Further research could also be done to determine whether the findings of the study are consistent across different sectors. Financial performance measurement of larger enterprises could be another subject of study as well. CONCLUSION It is fair to say that, contrary to what one may think, many manufacturing SMEs (with respect to the number of studied SMEs) in Mauritius, use financial ratios (one of the financial tools in the literature study) to measure their financial performance. Though, this use of ratios by the studied SMEs is limited, because only a few ratios are being used by the respondents. Yet again, out of the ratios used, few are among those in the literature that were found to be the best financial measures or good financial distress predictors. None of the respondents used any of the available bankruptcy prediction models. In fact, most of the respondents knew nothing or very little about the models. Some of the participants have opted for the use of computer software and are getting satisfying results from them. Although most of the respondents have performed fairly well so far, to improve their financial performance, SMEs should use more of the recognized ratios identified in this study. Six ratio s were identified to be widely used by the various SMEs interviewed, and because most of the respondents indicated that their financial performance has been satisfying (even though some said there is a need to improve), these ratios should be taken into consideration. SMEs need also to train their financial staff on other financial tools such bankruptcy prediction models that are quite easy to use. It was also pointed out in the literaturereview that ratio analysis and bankruptcy prediction models (since they consist of a group of ratios with variables of different weights) have their shortcomings as well. Therefore they should only be used as an indication. This study will contribute toward filling the gap in the literature of SME financial performance measurement; and if taken seriously by SMEs, will help them in effective financial performance measurement by drawing attention to the various tools that are available to them for that purpose and the necessity of training financial staff on various measures as well.

Montana Plants & Native Americans Essay -- essays research papers

Montnana Plants & Native Americans   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the beginning of the human race mankind has depended on the natural resources in their environment for survival. They utilized the available flora to nourish their body, heal their wounds, comfort their ailments and to create products to ease their daily lives. Many of the same plants utilized thousands of years ago by the indigenous people have been integrated into modern day medicines. The scientific interest and knowledge of plants for nourishment, healing, and practical uses is called ethnobotany.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The multiple use of plants used for nourishment, medicinal purposes and practical use were ignored by Lewis and Clark during their monumental trek across the United States. Rather than consider the Native Indian’s use of native plants they persisted on using Dr. Rush’s Thunderbolt pills that probably caused more problems than the condition that inflicted them. Many modern day cultures continue to ignore native remedies and have come to depend on synthetic pharmaceutical drug production. In recent years the wealth of indigenous knowledge has been acknowledged revealing the use of native plants and the importance it had in the survival of indigenous people.. Pharmaceutical companies have utilized the immense knowledge of the indigenous people and their use of natural plants. The application of natural plant species have revealed the main reasons mankind has survived into present day. Following is a few of the plants, their application and their specifi c purposes. Kinnikinnick Arctroaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. Common Name: Bearberry This plant has a variety of names through out Montana. This plant grows in poor soil composing mostly of sand or gravel and is commonly found near Ponderosa Pine trees. Kinnikinnick and Bearberry are the most commonly used names in western society. The word kinnikinnick meaning that which is mixed, is derived from the Algonkian Indian’s language. Other versions came from western hunters who called it larb, Canadian traders called it sacacommis or sagack-homi, and the Europeans called it bearberry.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American Indians mixed Kinninninnick leaves with tobacco to lessen the strength and add flavor to their strong tasting tobacco. Flathead Indian, John Pelkoe, explained ... ...ong, and shorter stalks are 20-100mm long. The flower length from the axils are one to three centimeters long. The optimum flowering time is from May through August. The fruit are pod shaped with seedlings coiled into two to three spirals with a strong net vein three to four millimeters long (montanaplant-life.org).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Where noted information was derived from, http://www.montanaplant-life.org Retrieved 3-19-2004.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All other information was derived from: Hart, J. Montana Native Plants and Early Peoples. Helena. Montana Historical Society Press. 1992.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Julius Caesar - Tragic Hero :: essays research papers

Julius Caesar As A Tragic Hero In Julius Caesar William Shakespeare illustrated Caesar as a tragic hero by showing that he was a noble man of high rank, by showing that he was a historical figure with a tragic flaw which lead to his downfall, and by showing that Caesar accepted his fate of death & achieved honor and respect in his death. There is a contradiction between who the main tragic hero of Julius Caesar is. Can there possibly be 2 main tragic heroes in one book? If Julius Caesar wasn’t the main tragic hero of the book then why is the book named after him? Shakespeare illustrated Caesar as a tragic hero by showing that he was a noble man of high rank. Every Roman followed his leadership and Caesar also defeated the great Pompey. First of all, At the Feast of Lupercal Caesar manipulated the commoners and made himself look noble to the commoners. Casca said, "Why there was a crown offered to him;...people fell a-shouting" (I,ii,221-223). Next, To show how noble and great Caesar was, the Romans would stand along the street sides to watch him pass by. "Madam not yet, I go to take my stand; /To see him pass on to the Capitol," said the soothsayer (II,iv,25-26). Finally, Caesar had the greatest rank possible as he would have been crowned king if it wasn’t for the conspiracy’s plot. As Casca said, "Indeed they say senators tomorrow; /Mean to establish Caesar as king..." (I,iii,87-88). Shakespeare illustrated Caesar as a tragic hero by showing that he was a historical figure with a tragic flaw which lead to his death. Julius Caesar took over most of the Roman Empire and his events are very important to history. First, Julius Caesar is very historical because if he wasn’t then, we would not be talking about him today. As Cassius ironically said, "...How many ages hence /Shall this our lofty scene be acted over in states unborn..." (III,i,112-113). Secondly, Every tragic hero has a tragic flaw that leads them to their death and one of Julius Caesar’s flaw was arrogance. As Caesar himself said, "But I am constant as Northern Star.../There is no fellow in the firmament" (III,i,60-62). Finally, Caesar made a big mistake which lead him to his downfall when he didn’t take the soothsayer’s warning. Again this was the fact that Caesar was arrogant. The soothsayer said warning Caesar, "Beware of ides of March" (I, ii,23) then Caesar replied that the soothsayer was a fake, and to dismiss him. Julius Caesar - Tragic Hero :: essays research papers Julius Caesar As A Tragic Hero In Julius Caesar William Shakespeare illustrated Caesar as a tragic hero by showing that he was a noble man of high rank, by showing that he was a historical figure with a tragic flaw which lead to his downfall, and by showing that Caesar accepted his fate of death & achieved honor and respect in his death. There is a contradiction between who the main tragic hero of Julius Caesar is. Can there possibly be 2 main tragic heroes in one book? If Julius Caesar wasn’t the main tragic hero of the book then why is the book named after him? Shakespeare illustrated Caesar as a tragic hero by showing that he was a noble man of high rank. Every Roman followed his leadership and Caesar also defeated the great Pompey. First of all, At the Feast of Lupercal Caesar manipulated the commoners and made himself look noble to the commoners. Casca said, "Why there was a crown offered to him;...people fell a-shouting" (I,ii,221-223). Next, To show how noble and great Caesar was, the Romans would stand along the street sides to watch him pass by. "Madam not yet, I go to take my stand; /To see him pass on to the Capitol," said the soothsayer (II,iv,25-26). Finally, Caesar had the greatest rank possible as he would have been crowned king if it wasn’t for the conspiracy’s plot. As Casca said, "Indeed they say senators tomorrow; /Mean to establish Caesar as king..." (I,iii,87-88). Shakespeare illustrated Caesar as a tragic hero by showing that he was a historical figure with a tragic flaw which lead to his death. Julius Caesar took over most of the Roman Empire and his events are very important to history. First, Julius Caesar is very historical because if he wasn’t then, we would not be talking about him today. As Cassius ironically said, "...How many ages hence /Shall this our lofty scene be acted over in states unborn..." (III,i,112-113). Secondly, Every tragic hero has a tragic flaw that leads them to their death and one of Julius Caesar’s flaw was arrogance. As Caesar himself said, "But I am constant as Northern Star.../There is no fellow in the firmament" (III,i,60-62). Finally, Caesar made a big mistake which lead him to his downfall when he didn’t take the soothsayer’s warning. Again this was the fact that Caesar was arrogant. The soothsayer said warning Caesar, "Beware of ides of March" (I, ii,23) then Caesar replied that the soothsayer was a fake, and to dismiss him.

Small Gods :: essays research papers fc

â€Å"Small Gods† The World rides through space on the back of a turtle. This is one of the great ancient world myths, found wherever men and turtles were gathered together; the four elephants were an Indo–European sophistication. The idea has been lying in the lumber rooms of legend for centuries. All I had to do was grab it and run away before the alarms went off. Discworld is based on a slew of old myths, which reach their most 'refined' form in Hindu mythology, which in turn of course derived from the original Star Trek episode 'Planet of Wobbly Rocks where the Security Guard Got Shot' (Pratchett, Terry. Equal p 216). Terry Pratchett is the author of a popular fantasy series that is set in Discworld, a planet that is as flat as a pancake. It sails on forever, a flat, circular world carried on the backs of four elephants supported on the back of A’tuin, the giant space turtle. The turtle doesn’t stand on anything, so don’t ask. It swims on through the infinite universe (Huckaby n.pag.). In his book Small Gods, Terry Pratchett succeeds in satirizing most of the world’s major religions and a few ancient political policies by expressing his thoughts and feelings through his own brand of humor and witticism. In the Discworld, there are a numerous amount of gods, powerful and weak. Small Gods takes a look into the realm of Ominia, a vast empire devoted to the Greater Glory of their god Om. The Gods of Discworld have a very unique power source. Their power depends upon having believers; a god with no believers fades into a powerless, wandering spirit or dies. The Great God Om has a powerful church, yet has only one real believer, a novice monk named Brutha. Drained of supportive power, he finds himself trapped in the body of an ordinary tortoise. Imagine the discomfiture a god might experience if confronted with some of the beliefs taught in his name -- and some of the "divinely inspired" actions taken by his followers as a result. Om, in his little tortoise shell, also comes to the disconcerting realization that, while his religion is vast and has many zealous worshippers, he has very few actual honest-to-Om believers. One, actually (Knapp n.pag.). Pratchett shows a struggle between a god and his religion, which no has no room for him. He shows a cynical side like most British humorists in that there may be religions existing whose god died out long ago from lack of belief.

The Relationship Between Human Health and the Built Environment

Undertaking 1Built environment is straight associated with wellness of people populating, working and playing in them and has different impact on different age groups, therefore plays critical portion in human wellness. Increasing cost of wellness, instances of diabetes, fleshiness and other diseases, deficiency of exercising due to transport vehicles domination, easy fast nutrient and limited societal assemblages due to technological promotions adds to wellness jobs in Australia. New South Wales ( NSW ) section of wellness has proposed a wellness built environment plan ( HBEP ) , which focuses on redesigning and developing built environment to better overall wellness utilizing best in category patterns and policies. Evidence gathered by NSW section of wellness identified deficiency of physical activity, low quality nutrient and improper communicating between communities as the taking grounds behind wellness jobs. Paper focuses on how can these hazards be lowered by modifying the bui lt environment. HBEP plan focal points on how reinforced environment can be improved to better wellness. Discussion on benefits of increased physical activity on wellness were made along with the grounds on how reinforced environment alteration can actuate people to increase physical activity. Evidence has been provided on how political, economic, societal and policies related to construct environment can act upon physical activity positively. Critical analysis on how high residential denseness country in reinforced environment of society, distance to street markets, maintained pathwaies, along with little design elements alteration can increase degree of physical activity. A developing form in the constellation, urban arrangement, and renewing careers is one that explores how build environment helps the wellbeing issues of Australia. This position is focused around the idea that deficient eating methodological analysis and stationary life builds the danger for some unwellnesss, for illustration, cardiovascular illness, high blood pressure, colon malignance, kind 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, stalwartness, jitteriness and depression. An agreement now exists among wellbeing research workers, curative professionals and different experts that a dynamic life style lessens the danger for some ceaseless infections and/or encourages the effectual disposal of those illnesss. Inside this scene, the dynamic life development emerged a twosome of old ages prior to strike the stationary society issue. It focused on the betterment of a life style that incorporates physical action into twenty-four hours by twenty-four hours agendas, with the aim of aggregating negligibly 30 proceedingss of motion every twenty-four hours by sauntering, bicycling, working out, working in the pace, taking the steps, or take parting in some other sort of physical action. Further perceptual experience of people towards physical activity in reinforced environment was discussed and how this can be molded in support of physical activity utilizing built environment redevelopment policies was analyzed. HBEP plan besides considers built environment alteration for school and college substructures besides in order to do the new coevals accustomed with the importance of wellness every bit early as school. Overall research on societal ecological theoretical account is done sing the impact of policies related to society, political relations, built environment and economical on physical activity. Further a elaborate research on the impact of built environment on community strengthening was conducted and failings were found related to hapless self residential determination devising and carelessness of wellness variables in built environment which were so included in HBEP policy plan. Gap analysis between built environment impact on societal connexion amongst peopl e and community authorization was analyzed. HBEP policy considers bridging this spread through improved communicating between built environment section and wellness section of Australia. Paper besides reviews literatures the impact of advertisement of fast nutrients on their ingestion and how it leads to increases instances of diseases. It was found that there is no proper consideration of relationship between advertisement of bad nutrient and jobs originating due to ingestion of that nutrient. Evidence were found by NSW section of wellness that built environment of schools besides had no proviso of commanding advertisement of fast nutrients around school campuses. It was found that reinforced environment policy did non had any methodological analysis to see the impact of hapless nutrient handiness on the wellness. HBEP proposes a qualitative and quantitative survey to understand the relationship with nutrient in reinforced environment of schools and even residences and advance good nutrient within the environment. Exploration is needed on all parts of the based environment ‘s consequence on sound nourishment debut in Australia. While assorted immense graduated table surveies have been attempted appraising handiness of less than great nutriment, their consequences need to be farther investigated through complex quantitative and qualitative analysis. Advancement of an mixture of socially huffy geographic expedition embraced in diverse urban metropoliss and towns will allow more reliable generalisations to underpin attack. Further paper proposes that making a healthy built environment must be taken attention of critically through better communicating and apprehension, choice leading and relationship edifice. This paper unites a proof base of bing scrutiny to rede solid nature ‘s sod attacks and motions. It similarly helps to the identii ¬?cation of parts of geographic expedition in which reinforced environment policy deficiencies. The Survey ‘s cardinal message is that there is a solid relationship between persons ‘ well-being and built environment and this relationship is really complex. This paper talks about the undertakings, which need to considered in reinforced environment policy of Australia so that healthy environments can be built and jobs can be lowered.Social interaction are determiners of good wellnessThis statement was mentioned on page 75 of paper and was raised in order to better the societal interactions amongst community people so that reinforced environment can be socially healthy. I wholly agree with this statement in the context of the paper and otherwise. Social interactions improves information flow between people, which can be good for the socie ty as affairs like hapless nutrient around the built environment, cleanliness of workplace, residential society and other topographic points which can impact wellness. It will besides farther better the overall quality of physical and societal environment in communities therefore beef uping the good wellness. Majority of people who will profit from societal interaction are old age people who non so frequently acquire opportunities to socialise. Harmonizing to a study done by University of Rochester medical centre, people who frequently socialize more than other does, populate more and happy ( University of Rochester, 2014 ) . Apart from that, there are many wellness advantages of societal interaction, which are discussed below to farther back up the statement: –Frequently people who socially interact have low blood force per unit area degrees than people who do non interact frequently.Low hazard of Alzheimer’sCan assist one overcome solitariness and depression.Less or no hazard of malignant neoplastic disease and cardiovascular related jobs.Everybody needs to experience idolized and upheld peculiarly as we develop more seasoned. As we age, comrades truly might be line of lifes. Social interaction, offering, being in contact with other people who have dynamic, included lives gives populating a ground. Offer to comrades Plutos duplicate the delectations and separation the hurts. Vast, augmented households that were on a regular basis accessible for endorsing are presently less. The sum of one-person household units has expanded. Persons on a regular basis move a long manner from their households to work or vacate. In any instance remaining associated with household, comrades and exercisings has ne'er been more critical. A few surveies report fewer colds, lower circulatory strain and lower bosom rates in members with solid societal ties. Detail indicates that matrimony, possibly the strongest tie, adds old ages to future. Furthermore, self-destructi on, emotional instability and spirits maltreatment rates are much lower when persons interact socially on a higher degree ( Gold, 1999 ) . Another survey from the US recommends that societal coaction ought to be viewed as an indispensable component for turning lifetime, on a criterion with other wellbeing and lifestyle constituents, to the grade that low societal connexion hurts life span to the extent that liquor dependence and smoke, has more consequence than absence of activity, and is twice every bit destructive as fleshiness ( Louv, 2012 ) . Analysts at Brigham Young University ( BYU ) in Provo, Utah, directed a meta-examination of distributed surveies and found that holding societal ties with comrades, household, neighbours and associates can heighten our opportunities of endurance by 50 for every penny. You can read about their survey online in a paper distributed in the July issue of PLOS Medicine. Mentions: –Louv R. , 2012, Health benefits to kids from contact with the out-of-doorss and nature, [ Online ] , Available from: – hypertext transfer protocol: //www.childrenandnature.org/downloads/CNNHealthBenefits2012.pdf [ Accessed on 13th June, 2014 ]University of Rochester, 2014, Older grownups and importance of societal interaction, [ Online ] , Available from: – hypertext transfer protocol: //www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx? ContentTypeID=1 & A ; ContentID=4513 [ Accessed on 13ThursdayJune, 2014 ]Gold E. , 1999, Benefits of societal interaction, [ Online ] , Available from: – hypertext transfer protocol: //www.valueoptions.com/april06_newsletter/benefits_of_social_interactions.htm [ Accessed on 13th June,2014 ]

The Uncommon Soldier

U. S. Women’s History 10/19/12 An Uncommon Soldier: Fighting for the â€Å"Home† Front Throughout the passage of time, in order to make sense of the world and justify established ideologies, man has put forth disproportionate effort into defining what is deemed by the masses as acceptable and appropriate. With the formation of these social life requirements, it goes without saying there will be outliers who do not fit this man-created construct, either by innate or self-realized characteristics. This social restraint is undoubtedly the source of much emotional turmoil and unrest.Here is where Sarah Rosetta Wakeman’s story begins. As a white, American woman born in the 1800’s, Wakeman’s scope of â€Å"acceptable† life directions was very limited, and much can be said about how she dealt with the obstacles created by the aforementioned social constraints. Wakeman’s decision to leave home, and assume the characteristics of a man, was more out of a sense of familial duty than an outward expression of suppressed sexual identity. In order to better understand Sarah’s motivation one must first analyze her childhood and the environmental factors which molded her.Born on January 16, 1843, in what would become Afton, New York, to Harvey and Emily Wakeman, Sarah Rosetta Wakeman was the eldest of 9 children, seven of whom were female. To Harvey and Emily’s dismay, Sarah and her two siblings that followed were all female, which was less than to be desired during the era. Sarah was nearly nine years old before Emily was able to give Harvey a son (Burgess, 101). At that time, children were expected to begin helping the parents by contributing as soon as there was work compatible and â€Å"appropriate† for their age and gender.This is how Sarah’s transformation was necessitated. To understand these driving forces in more depth, one must take a look at the role Sarah played in her home life. Sarah†™s dad, Harvey, found the easiest way to support his family, as many did during this time, was through agriculture. The amount of work required to be successful in that endeavor during that time period, far exceeded the capabilities of one man. Since they were in the north, the possibility of slave labor was nonexistent, so as was customary of most family farms from the period, Harvey attempted to create an army of his own metaphorical laves, his children. With her innate familial duty and lack of male siblings, Sarah had no choice but to step up. While the letters do not technically say that she played a large role in what would have been considered male gendered labor, Burgess as well as other historians, are left to speculate based upon her communications with her father, â€Å"†¦ Rosetta’s high level of interest in her father’s farming, her knowledge of the details of the family farm, and her desire to own her own farm after the war are evidence that she se rved as her father’s farmhand,† (Burgess, 9).This knowledge and desire were attributes associated with being male and not seen as traits a woman could or should possess. Working the farm alongside her father had more life-altering implications than can be determined without further dissection. While most professions today are not gendered, farm work is still connotated to be in the male domain, as the work is strenuous and more physically demanding than most. If 150 years later, even after the advent of modern technology, it is still considered to be a gendered role, one can only imagine the psychological toll this upbringing played on her identity (Chambers, 10/19/12).After years of transitioning between her societal gender role and the gender role made necessary by her family, the delineation became less distinct. The manual labor sculpted Sarah, instilling in her a â€Å"man’s† work ethic, as well as diminishing the strength of her more feminine qualiti es, while amplifying those characteristics associated with the male gender (Chambers, 10/19/12). Her transformation into a man was a process that began there as a child, doing what was necessary to help her family. This established precedent of doing what is necessary sets the stage for her future endeavors.One major benefit of having a female child, during this period, was that once the girl was of age and could be married off, usually around their early teens, they were no longer the financial burden of the family. â€Å"At 19 years of age, Rosetta appeared to have no prospects for marriage, which would have relieved the family of her care,† (Burgess, 9). As the eldest child, with the most responsibility, she understood better than her siblings how her not getting married off was detrimental to the advancement of her family.By the time she had reached this point in her life, her brother Robert was old enough to start working the land alongside Harvey, filling the void Sarah had been filling her entire life. Around the same time that Sarah began to lose her utility at home, Harvey brought the family into some financial turmoil with a hefty debt. After having filled the role as a major contributor and gaining the sense of fatherly duty in caring for the family, Sarah arrived at an impasse.In her mind, the family was still financially dependent upon her, yet â€Å"†¦ her farm work would have been of limited value in paying her father’s debt, and her work as a domestic could not have paid enough to substantially assist her family,† (Burgess, 9). The ways in which she had previously been aiding her family were no longer sufficient. It was at this point in Sarah’s life that she made the conscious decision to go against the confines of society, which would ultimately lead to both her demise as well as her post-mortem fame.Her decision to assume the gender role of a man was a thoroughly calculated one, â€Å"Rosetta realized that on e of the only ways open to finding an honorable position that paid enough for her to assist her indebted family was by dressing and acting the part of a man,† (Burgess, 9). This transition was not the leap it would have been for most women put into her situation, as she had been unknowingly preparing for this her entire life. With her newly realized gender, she would be able to remove her burden from the family, and further benefit them by providing a means to alleviate her father’s debt.Sarah took on a male role with the purpose of finding a job that paid a man’s salary, for it was only as a man that she would be able to make a significant difference. When she first left home in August of 1862, she began working at a coal barge doing manual labor. Similarly to the work she did with Harvey, the job was very physically taxing and further strengthened her work ethic. If Sarah had set out to become a man with any intention other than to support her family then she w ould have most likely stayed there where she was earning enough to be self-sufficient.However her goal was not to become a man, but to do her part for her family. As a result of that, when she was given the opportunity to make a significant difference, at sever personal risk, for her family, she took it. This opportunity presented itself when soldiers from the 153rd Regiment recruited her. â€Å"The $152. 00 bounty offered to enlistees in the 153rd was over a year’s wages to even the ‘male’ Rosetta,† (Burgess, 10). Had Sarah not decided to go out and find work as a man, there would have been no chance of her earning that kind of money, especially not all at once.In addition to the initial lump sum, as a soldier she could guarantee a steady flow of money to her family. In fact she even said, â€Å"I am getting 13 dollars per month, I will send part of it home to you,† which shows that she is doing all possible to keep money going to her family. Witho ut the motivation to earn for her family, there would have been no benefits to her enlisting. More proof that Sarah took on the male role to provide for her family appear in her letters.Many of the letter she sent to her family contained money intended for the family, â€Å"When I send you money I want you to lay it out for the family,† (6/5/1863, Burgess, 31). This clearly shows the money she sent back was for the purpose of supporting the family. It also indicates that she was not sending them money for any reason but benefitting the family. She strongly expresses that point by specifically allocating the funds in several of her letters. In modern times, most people who trade gender roles do it for reasons of sexual expression, whereas Sarah was not sexually confused.This is evidenced most strongly by her relationship with Alfonzo Stewart. Alfonzo Stewart was a ranch hand that worked with Harvey on the farm. Their relationship, if one did truly exist, would have been kept s ecret as he was 25 years older (Chambers, 10/19/12). This is another contrast, between 19th century and 21st century America, because of the fact that a 25 year age difference today is not unheard of, whereas Sarah and Alfonzo’s relationship would have been prohibited. More evidence suggesting Sarah’s heterosexual nature is presented in her letter home on the 19th of June, 1863.While this is not the first letter bringing up Alfonzo, it is the first one that emphasizes her emotional investment in him. It is in this letter than she refers to him by a nickname. She writes,â€Å" †¦ let me know all about farming and how long do you intend to keep Fony, (June 19, 1863, Burgess, 32). While this does not directly prove that there was a sexual relationship taking place, it does suggest that there was, at very least, a strong enough closeness to have special names for each other. The pet name is not the extent of the evidence supporting this claim.In a previous letter, Sa rah mentions Alfonzo in a flirting manner stating, â€Å"Tell me all about Alfonzo. Tell him that I can make the best soldier than he would,† (June 5, 1863, Burgess, 32). This is a prime example of primitive flirting as Sarah’s intent was to tease Alfonzo, and ensure that she was still in his thoughts. Sarah Rosetta Wakeman is the truest definition of a hero. She did whatever it took, and sacrificed everything to take care of her family. Having no brothers old enough to work the field, Sarah began playing the part of a man by working alongside her father on their farm.From that time on, her characteristics only developed more to fit the male role. When she turned 19 she was forced to make the biggest decision, her own identity. She chose to leave home, as a man, to find work to support her family. Contrary to the ideologies behind gender-crossing today, Sarah Rosetta Wakeman’s transformation was not to express suppressed sexual identity, but rather to ensure she would be able to provide for her family and continue her role as a parental figure.