Differences and Comparisons of Ethics Essay

When we think of ethics, we think of two words, good or bad. Through the history of our world, philosophers and scientists have devised several thoughts that include a system that we are able to use to determine who and what is good or bad. As a population, we can use these different terms and types of ethical theory to determine which style, form, or behavior of ethics fits with our beliefs and culture. Some of these different types of theories include virtue theory, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics. Although these all fall into the category of a theory of ethics and may seem to be similar, they are also very different. When looking at the virtue theory of ethics, we can see that the term character can be used in the place of virtue. According to Ben (2007), the virtue theory has roots that reach back to the time of Plato. Plato, and the virtue theory, suggest that all men and women would be happy if they would only grasp the eternal Form of the Good as his or her criterion. In contrast to the virtue theory, the utilitarianism theory suggests that a person present or have behavior of good for the entire team or group. One of the problems associated with this theory according to Boylan (2009) is that for any moral theory to work in a group, the group must first come to some terms of a general agreement. Knowing this and thinking on this statement, there are few times in my life where a team or group of people come together on any idea and agree on its entirety. The deontological theory suggest a contrasting idea to the other two theories, it suggests that there are features within the actions of the individual that determine whether it is right or not. The first theory was about the character of the individual, the second theory was about a group of individuals, this theory involves the actions of a person. The deontological theory also suggests that an individual may believe that good intentions are more important than the results. One personal experience  that comes to mind when writing about these theories. Many years ago, I worked for an electrical contractor, his moral concepts and mine were not the same. His idea of running a business was to bid much lower than any other contractor, when in fact, he did get the job, the work he applied was shoddy and the materials were sub-par. He could not perceive the value of the labor that was performed by his employees, he could have simply bid more per job, paid his employees’ wages tha t fit their position, and used materials that were deemed appropriate. His virtue or company mission statement was; â€Å"get the job done as cheaply as possible†. As a businessman I can realize the importance of saving money and using business sense to achieve business directives, however, purposefully paying employees low wages, using non name brand parts and bidding lower than any other contractor for every job is one ethic that I do not agree with. There are seven general ethical categories used in defining the ethical values and morals people follow. Each category has different subsections and expectations for a person’s behavior. A person’s morals and ethical beliefs develop from a mixture of values from these various theories; therefore he or she does not necessarily fit snugly into one category. The top three ethical theories are deontological, utilitarianism, and virtue-based ethics – these are the theories under examination. Deontological Theory Also known as ‘duty-based’, ‘categorical imperative’, and ‘The Golden Rule’, deontology focuses on â€Å"decisions about what’s right [based] on broad, abstract universal ethical principles or values such as honesty, promise keeping, fairness, loyalty, rights (to safety, privacy, etc.), justice, responsibility, compassion, and respect for human beings and property† (Trevino, 2011, pg. 42). People following this ethical category believe moral principles outline the necessary obligations and duties – principles developed by biblical or religious beliefs and societal or government laws. A deontological person does not worry about the consequences of a decision. Their concerns focus on duty or moral obligations. In a professional capacity, the person follows instructions of managers or supervisors because it is his or her duty to respect authority, even if the instructions are unethical. Utilitarianism Theor y The second most common category of ethical behavior is also known as  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœconsequence-based’ or ‘teleological ethics’. In this category, people focus on decisions that result in the most benefits for the greatest number of people in a society. Utilitarianism ethics applies to much of the decision-making in the business world, as a company exerts an effort to become environmentally responsible and trustworthy. A difficulty that arises with utilitarianism is that the decisions made cannot account for every possibility. This means that the person is â€Å"unlikely to arrive at a completely accurate assessment of all future consequences [and] †¦ the rights of a minority group can easily be sacrificed for the benefit of the majority† (Trevino, 2011, pg. 42). Virtue Ethics Virtue ethics tend to fit in more with the deontological category than with utilitarianism. In this category, the focus is on making good decisions because it reflects the type of person one wants to be. A good person makes good decisions and exerts effort â€Å"to cultivate excellence in all that [they] do and all that others do† (Boylan, 2009, pg. 133). In this category, people take a personalized approach to decision-making that not only accounts for societal expectations but also for how the person wants to be perceived, focusing on the act or decision instead of the consequences. Virtue ethics are beneficial to people working in specialized professional communities. A professional community or organization, such as physicians or lawyers, has a highly developed set of ethical standards. These standards give the members of the community guidelines to follow when trying to be good moral agents. Personal Experience In a gambling casino, deontological values are important. In any position, there are local, state, and federal laws that govern the activities within the casino. State regulations are especially strict on how employees handle money and gambling chips. As a surveillance employee in a local casino, my deontological ethics followed company and state policies. Because of the possible legal ramifications, I chose to place state regulations before company obligations. There were inconsistencies in how management handled money – per state guidelines; documentation was required for every step in the process. Whenever I saw something getting done incompletely or  inappropriately, I documented each instance. After a few weeks of documentation, I discovered that the Washington State Gambling Commission representative had never seen any of the paperwork. This meant that my immediate supervisor and the owners had concealed the paperwork so that the company would not have to make the necessary changes or possibly face fines for improper handling of money. My morals and values caused an ethical dilemma because I knew that the company was following improper procedures but I also knew that informing the representative of the missing paperwork and improper handling practices could cost me my job. I chose to follow the higher level duties and obligations outlined by the state regulations in an effort to prevent the loss of the company. This choice backfired on me in the end – management fired me because I informed the state representative of the issues. Conclusion Each ethical theory has its own rules and expectations. There are sub-levels within each category that creates even more varied options. When a person knows his or her own values and morals, it is easier to identify which ethical category he or she fits into. In this manner, a person is more aware of why he or she makes the decisions he or she does and can see other viewpoints more clearly. There are different types of ethical theories. Ethical theories help to find how a person should act towards another or in a situation. The various types of ethical theories helps people define what is right and what is wrong and how we make those assumptions. Although the three main theories of ethics have the same purpose they are different from one another. The virtue theory is the ethical theory also called character ethics is based on the moral of what is ethical. It is based on personal belief and feeling of character. It â€Å"describes the character of a moral agent as a driving force for ethical behavior, rather than rules (Wikipedia, 2012). Virtue ethics is character based and focuses on helping people develop a better character trait. According to the text (2009), virtue ethics â€Å"take the viewpoint that in living your life you should try to cultivate excellence in all that you do and all that others do. These excellences or virtues are both moral and non-moral.† It deals with the moral character of a person rather than what is the more ethical thing to do or what society expects from them. Utilitarianism states that something is  morally right if it is for the greater good of all. It is most often used in the United States government because of the principle of satisfying everyone. According to Wikipedia (2012), it is the measurement between what is right and wrong without consequence. A utilitarian is a person who puts the need of others before their own. They believe that success is achieved as a whole rather than individually. It is based on factual beliefs where the moral worth is based on the overall outcome. Deontological or â€Å"Duty† ethics is the ethical theory that is based on one’s duty to do the right thing. Deontology states that people act ethically moral because of what is expected from them in a particular situation. For example, at work you are more likely to use deontological ethics in determining how to behave in the workplace. It is because your employer expects for you to follow the code of ethics set forth by the company. It is based on what society expects out of you as a person and a citizen. Voting could be considered to be a deontological ethical decision as well as utilitarianism because even though you may want to vote because of your personal beliefs and character, most people do it because it is necessary and they are expected to do so. It also is for the good of all Americans and if one person fails to vote it can affect the people as a whole. For me this is also a virtue base theory as well because I feel that it is my duty to myself to vote because of how I was raised. I was always taught the importance of voting and the things that can become from voting. The three main ethical theories are the basis of the path to making decisions and how decisions are made. They set the standard for how and why people act the way they do or why and how they make the decisions that they make. It helps to determine what is right and what is wrong and how assumptions are made to come to conclusions. Although the three main ethical theories serve the same purpose of establishing ethical principles (Rainbow, 2002), they differ from one another because they each define different points and differ in a person’s duty to make ethical decisions. Utilitarianism is a consequentialist ethical theory. An action is right or wrong based on its consequences. John Stuart Mill was an important philosopher in developing the idea of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism holds that any action that  results in a greater amount of happiness in the world is a right action and any action that results in pain or less happiness is wrong. Utilitarianism can be divided into di fferent versions. Act utilitarianism is one of the versions of utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism’s goal is to maximize the overall happiness of the universe. Act utilitarianism uses the Greatest Happiness Principle which says in every situation, choose the option that you believe to be most likely to produce the greatest possible happiness or least possible unhappiness for the all people who will be affected. An act utilitarian would determine if robbing a bank is a right action or not by determining how much happiness the robbery would create. To do this he would have to use the hedonistic calculus, which is a way of adding up all the happiness that everyone affected by an action would receive. If the results of this calculation show that the bank managers, the hundreds of investors, and the police would all be unhappy with this action and only the robber and maybe his family would be happy, then robbing the bank is a wrong action. If the bank managers did not care about the customer’s money, the FDIC insured all the stolen money, the police wer e not unhappy because of the robbery, and the robber was extremely happy because he could move to the Caribbean and never work again, then robbing the bank would be a right action. There are many good points to act utilitarianism. It is very appealing because most people want to increase their happiness and reduce their pain. Act utilitarianism says that people could do that and they would not only make everyone happier but they would also be doing what is morally right. Act utilitarians will not have conflicts over any action being right or wrong because the hedonistic calculus is an objective test that proves the amount of please or pain that will result. It is a standard that all actions can be evaluated by. Another point or act utilitarianism that can be seen as an advantage over rule utilitarianism is that each individual situation can have a different action be right. This means that in every situation the right action will provide more happiness or less pain as opposed to rule utilitarianism where the individual situations do not matter. Act utilitarianism also has some disadvantages. One major fault of act utilitarianism is that some actions would produ ce a greater amount of happiness if they were done in secret. The same action, however, would produce less happiness if it were done in public. That means that the exact  same action and situation would be right if no one knew about it but wrong if enough people were aware of it. If people know about an action and believe it is wrong, then wouldn’t it be just as wrong if no one knew about it? The action would still have the same affect on the same amount of people, they just would not know about, so they could not be unhappy about it. Act utilitarianism can also seem unjust because the hedonistic calculus may say that it is right to take away the rights of a person because it will contribute to the overall happiness in the universe. Act utilitarianism would say an action producing pain for a small number of innocent people is right as long as the rest of the world is happy about it. Another problem is the feelings of a person are disregarded; only the consequences are important. Some other problems with act utilitarianism are if a person has never experienced a similar situation, then they will be unable to perform the hedonistic calculus because they will not know if people will be happy or not. It also may not be possible to compare the different people’s happiness. Act Utilitarianism has many problems. If everyone acted according to act utilitarianism, then the majority or people would probably be happier. But morally correct actions do not necessarily have to make people happy, so act utilitarianism might not be a good way to determine if an action is really right or wrong. References 2006 Pearson Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River NJ 07458 The Legal Environment of Business: A Crititical Thinking Approach 4th Edition Nancy K. Kumasek, Bartley ABrennanm M. Neil Browne, Bowiling Green University 2009 Oxford University Press Business Ethics and Ethical Business Robert Audi, University of Notre Dame New York /Oxford 2011 SAGE Publications, Inc Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Stakeholders in a Global Environment 2nd Edition William B Werther Jr(University of Miami) and David Chandler (University of Texas at Austin) 2013 South-Western CENGAGE Learning Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases 9th Edition O. C. Ferrell, John Fraedrich and Linda Ferrell Mason, Ohio

Harry Potter Movie Review Essay

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Northeast England and Scotland Economies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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How does a community's language reflect its values Essay

How does a community's language reflect its values - Essay Example As anyone visiting an Arab nation might notice, rules are†¦ rigid, to say the least, as a result of its ties to Islam. Women are made to wear veils that leave only the eyes exposed. Alcohol, pornography and other such things are frowned upon, if not prohibited entirely. As for the language itself, some devout Muslims refer to it as the language Allah especially intended mankind to speak. Arabic is the most prevalent Semitic language in the world, spoken by over 500 million people worldwide. But its influence extends even beyond this; even some of the words we use daily, not to mention the conventional numbering system we use (Hindu-Arabic) has been shaped by the Arabic language. Apart from being divided into classical, modern and colloquial, the Arabic language is further divided into a bunch of dialects than differ, sometimes immensely so, from one another. As such, different varieties of it are suited for different situations. As with any other language, it’s not uncommon to hear someone switch from colloquial Arabic to standard and then back again. Just as complicated, if not more so, are the rules on grammar, pronunciation and spelling. As with some other languages, Japanese among them, a small mistake in pronunciation and/or spelling can change the meaning of the word entirely. As for writing, Arabic calligraphy was and is still considered a major art form. It is probably one of the only languages in which something can look beautiful, even if you cannot understand it. In my mind, the sophistication of the Arabic language reflects the sophistication of our community. Despite what some may think, not all Arabs nowadays are Muslims as well. Members of other faiths, such as Judaism and Catholicism, are many as well. And in relation to this, neither are Arabs automatically terrorists. Far from supporting them, a good number of us actually condemn their actions as much as the next man; it is people

People in Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

People in Organizations - Essay Example We are all amateur psychologists, and the most successful influencers are able to assess accurately their target influencees, and adapt their influencing messages to suit them. Such adjustments lead to the creation of influencer-influencee rapport. The conversation of people who are in rapport flows, and both their body movements and their words become synchronized with each other. The recommendation to match the influencee so as to create rapport is itself based on the even broader notion of liking. This says that we like people like ourselves and, in consequence, will be more willing to comply with their requests (Aguinis, & Henle, 2001),. Not only do we know that people are different, but we also know that they are predictably different. Indeed, we spend a great deal of our time classifying them into broad types, and explaining the differences between the types. Every popular newspaper contains an astrological section which implies that Capricorns behave in one way and that Scorpios act in another. The twelve signs of the Zodiac represent one attempt at classifying people into personality types based on the time of the year in which they were born. How accurate or useful are they Historically, many attempts have been made to classify people according to their personalities. The Greek physician, Hippocrates, offered the temperaments model of personality. He believed that there were four basic personalities or temperaments - melancholic, choleric, sanguine and phlegmatic. In his view, each was determined by the amount and type of bile and phlegm that people possessed in their bodies (Aguinis, & Henle, 2001). Distinguishing Between Personality Types If you are to select a particular influencing approach on the basis of your target influencee's personality, then the personality framework employed has to be both easy to understand and simple to use. You need to be able to divide people into a very limited number of personality types or classes, based on the personality traits that they possess. In modern times, Carl Gustav Jung was the first to observe that people's behavior, rather than being individually unique, fitted into patterns, and that many of the seemingly random differences in human behavior were actually ordered and consistent (Lambert, 1996). It is obvious that any attempt to reduce personality into only four categories inevitably ignores the subtlety of human differences. On the other hand, anything more complex is unusable by an influencer. For this reason, in using these four personality stereotypes, one is inevitably trading accuracy off against ease of use. The framework does allow you to classify the individual whom you may wish to influence in a simple way using your observation of their behavior and the examination of their created work or home environment. Such information can then be immediately put into practice. Personality Testing One obvious way to understand the relationship of individual differences to work-related behavior is to examine the applied literature on personality testing in the workplace. Psychological tests, attempting to measure individual differences related to occupational behaviors, have been used for over 60 years, and there now exist nearly 80,000 occupational-related tests. Both world wars, particularly the second, were

Who will profit from the Lisbon Treaty in the field of JHA (Justice Essay - 1

Who will profit from the Lisbon Treaty in the field of JHA (Justice and Home Affairs) - Essay Example The parts of the treaties significant to the Treaty of Lisbon will be studies in order to illustrate the importance of change within the European Union. The Lisbon Treaty ratified in 2009 takes into account the changes in society which were non-existent 10 years ago. The Maastricht Treaty has a legal frame work which no longer requires the same liaisons among nations of the EU in the field of Justice and Home Affairs. The European Union was more internally structured and served as a consulting organization. The Treaty of Lisbon changes the structure to work outwards. The documents, which will be used as reference are the Council of European Communities (1953), the European Union of (1992) and the Treaty of Lisbon (2009). The benefits of the Treaty of Lisbon will be propagated through the whole treaty. The infrastructure of the EU will be modified: the voting system will be changed and the pillar system will be changed. Specifically affecting Justice and Home Affairs will be the creation of several new working structures. The Council of European Communities was ratified in 1953. The European court was established. The European Council which was not yet under the tutelage of the EEC (EU) established the treaty of Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. This convention which is still being used today was made an official charter of the European Union with the Treaty of Lisbon. Ireland which has the right of vote in any changes in the EU administration confirmed that they still have the right to decide the Fundamental Freedoms of their population such as the right of abortion and homosexuality. National Constitutions take precedent over the EU. This point will be elaborated when national identity versus European identity is discussed as a Home Affair. In 1953, the European Community was established for economic purposes in the coal and steel industry and the atomic energy community among 6

An Exploration of Childhood Obesity and Child Protection Essay

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Web Services in Android application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Web Services in Android application - Essay Example However there is a belief that the utilization of RESTful services, with records in JSON format is the best choice for applications in mobile, whether the customer’s device technology is Android, Mobile Web or even Blackberry (Oehlman, Blanc 2013). This paper will try and look at the main differences that exists between REST and SOAP for usage in mobile apps, do an analysis of typical assumptions regarding them and try and offer an approach which is aimed particularly for the exceptional challenges involved in creating mobile apps, specifically for numerous platforms. It is important to define SOAP and REST.SOAP simply means Simple Object Access Protocol whereas REST is defined as Representational State Transfer. SOAP-is a protocol specification which exchanges structured information through XML in implementing Web Services in various computer networks. SOAP is a popular technology that has effectively been used within a framework of SOA for some period of time. Many businesses have instituted service tiers outside and inside their IT infrastructure to provide services to various applications, both outside and inside the firewall. The design of SOAP was done so as to leverage on many various kinds of data transport stratum, which include; asynchronous queues such as MQSeries, synchronous HTTP/HTTPS, and still over the email. This capacity assists SOAP to be a sole solution for several heterogeneous interconnectivity challenges. However, the design of SOAP was put in place even before mobile applications and mobile technology exploded (Constantine , 2011). There are some problems associated with SOAP and they are as follows. Foremost there is an issue with change control; this simply means that trying to change services that make use of SOAP frequently means a complex code change on the side of customer. When this customer is for instance a web app server, this change isn’t essentially problematic; however when the

Robert smalls the life of a slave man to ccongressman Term Paper

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A vision on a nursing profession Essay Example for Free

A vision on a nursing profession Essay For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to be a nurse, caring for those in need. This feeling ultimately led me to the career choice of nursing and continues the path of higher education in the profession. . Nursing is more than treating an illness, rather it is focused on delivering quality patient care that is individualized to the needs of each patient. As nurses we protect, promote and encourage others to optimize their health abilities, prevention of illness, alleviate suffering and advocate in caring for the individual, their families and the community. Fruechting (2010) states, every discipline has its philosophical foundations and nursing is no different. The purpose of a philosophy is to answer the questions of what nursing is, why does it exist and what ethics and values underpin these beliefs. Fruechting continues to say that nursing philosophy, like any other disciplines-specific philosophy, is what directs and drives research and knowledge development to advance the discipline. My philosophy of nursing incorporates the knowledge of medicine, the importance of prevention and the promotion of wellness, while combining it with relational, compassionate caring that respects the dignity of each patient, their families and community. I believe nursing care should be holistic while honoring patient families and community’s values. A crucial aspect of nursing is interprofessional relationships, collaborative efforts among healthcare professionals promoting quality patient care, and making health care easily accessible. A refl ection of my philosophy of nursing and the pursuit of higher education. I look at the theories and have not identified any one at this point to ground me and my philosophy, and what learning strategies appeal to me. I have always reflected on patient –centered care and health promotion model as a great fit in my profession and now the possibility of my philosophy. Nursing theory (2013) states that the Health  Promotion Model was designed by Nola J. Pender to be a complementary counterpart to models of health protection. It defines health as a positive dynamic state rather than simply the absence of disease. Health promotion is directed at increasing a patients level of well-being. The health promotion model also describes the multidimensional nature of persons as they interact within their environment to pursue health. Nursing theory (2013) states that Abdellahs Twenty-One Nursing Problems theory of nursing, Nursing is based on an art and science that molds the attitudes, intellectual competencies, and technical skills of the individual nurse in to the desire and ability to help people, sick or well, cope with their health needs.. The nursing model is intended to guide care in hospitals, but can be applied to community nursing, as well. The model has interrelated concepts of health and nursing problems, as well as problem-solving, which is an activity inherently logical in nature. Abdellahs theory identifies ten steps to identify the patients problem and 11 nursing skills used to develop a treatment typology. Abdellah describes health as a state mutually exclusive of illness. There is no definition of health given by her theory, but she speaks of total health needs and healthy state of mind and body in the description of nursing as a comprehensive service. I would choose both choose this framework due to the emphasis and importance that it puts on relationships, trust, empathy, warmth and being in the present and in tune with one’s own patient –centered care comfortable and at peace to be able to allow one’s self to reflect on the many feelings and emotions that we experience and that changes from minute to minute, day to day and year to year. Therefore, this is the theory that I base my therapy and supervision upon.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Physics Instrumentation

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Physics Instrumentation TITLE : MRI IMAGE ARTIFACTS MOHAMAD AL-HAFIZ BIN IBRAHIM Name of Student: Mohamad Al-Hafiz bin Ibrahim TABLE OF CONTENTS (Jump to) LIST OF FIGURES 1.0 INTRODUCTION 2.0 MRI ARTIFACTS 2.1 RF leakage 2.2 Aliasing 2.3 Patient motion 2.4 Gibbs Truncation 2.5 Chemical Shift 2.6 Magnetic Susceptibility 2.7 Flow Motion 3.0 CONCLUSION 4.0 REFERENCES LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Zipper Artifact may appear as horizontal line across the image Figure 2: The part of the body that outside the FOV is mismapped within the FOV. Figure 3:The appearances of ghost lines at the anterior to the abdominal wall Figure 4: Image shown the effect of head movement or motion during MR scanning Figure 5: Bright and dark lines are visible in image Figure 6: Arrow show dark line at the interface of fat and water . Figure 7: MR image shown massive distortion of magnetic field . Figure 8: (a) CSF pulsation-related artifact in the phase encoding direction in T2-weighted image while (b) show reduction of flow artefact 1.0 INTRODUCTION Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is one of the medical imaging and diagnosis technique which widely used due to its capability to produce high resolution of cross- sectional anatomical images and high tissues contrast. Eventhough MRI has various advantageous features, but still there are numerous sources of artifacts either patient-related, signal processing-dependent and hardware (machine) related (Erasmus, Hurter, Naudà ©, Kritzinger, Acho, 2004). Definitely, artifacts can degrade the image quality and may mimicking pathology or obscure the abnormalities which can lead to misdiagnosis of MRI images. The MRI artifact can be defined as a structure or feature appearing in MRI image produced by artificial means which is not originate within the scanned object (Erasmus et al., 2004). Commonly, MRI artifacts can be caused by RF leakage, aliasing, patient motion, Gibbs, truncation, chemical shift, magnetic susceptibility and flow motion. 2.0 MRI ARTIFACTS 2.1 RF leakage Cause This artifact also known as Zipper artifact. It occurs when there are leakage of RF or electromagnetic energy generated from certain equipment into MRI system (Stadler, Schima, Ba-Ssalamah, Kettenbach, Eisenhuber, 2007). This extrinsic RF came at a certain frequency then interferes with MRI signal produced by patient. The potential sources of the extrinsic RF are due to penetration of the RF into the shielded scanning room especially when the door is open during images acquisition (Ruan, 2013). After that, the RF will be picked up by the receiver chain of the image sub system (Zhuo Gullapalli, 2006). This RF perhaps generated by radio, illumination or electronic device such as monitoring equipment in the surrounding (Stadler et al., 2007). Remedy In order to overcome this artifact, the operator should identified and eliminate the possible source of the penetration. It can be done by ensure the door of the MR room remain closed during scanning, use only MR compatible MR monitor equipment, and remove the external RF source from the surrounding (Ruan, 2013). Figure 1: Zipper Artifact may appear as horizontal line across the image (Allen, n.d.). 2.2 Aliasing Cause Aliasing or wrap around artifacts can be describe as an artifacts that caused by anatomy that lies outside of field of view (FOV) mismapped within the FOV (Westbrook, Roth, Talbot, 2011). This is because of improper selection of parameter in MR systems especially FOV. The FOV in MRI means the anatomical area that should be covered or imaged during scanning (Morelli et al., 2011). When the selected FOV is smaller than the size of area that should be imaged means the data are under-sampled (Ruan, 2013). Therefore, there are high chances for signals from the outside FOV falsely detect then create an interference with signal within FOV and encode on the reconstructed images thus ‘wrap around’ to the opposite side of image which become aliasing artifacts (Erasmus et al., 2004). Westbrook et al., (2011) state that aliasing artefact can happen along frequency encoding axis (frequency wrap) and phase encoding axis (phase wrap). Remedy Basically, this aliasing artifacts can be eliminated through increase the sampling rate or oversampling along the frequency direction (Westbrook et al., 2011). However, high pass and low pass filter should be used as well in order to filter out frequency outside the FOV which can increase noise in image (Hiroshi, Schlechtweg, Kose, 2009). Besides that, selection of receiver coil which unable to excite or detect the signals from anatomical tissues that lying outside the FOV also important to minimise the artifacts (Ruan, 2013). Lastly, No Phase Wrap (NPW), Phase oversampling or Fold Over supression techniques is also preferred to avoid aliasing artefact by oversamples in phase direction, thus, the phase curve get to extends and cover wider signal producing structures (Westbrook et al., 2011). Figure 2: The part of the body that outside the FOV is mismapped within the FOV and located at the opposite side of the image (Prashant, 2014). 2.3 Patient motion Cause Patient motion artifact is a very most common artefact in MRI. It is caused by movement of anatomical structure during imaging sequence (Zhuo Gullapalli, 2006). There is a broad range of examples of structure movement such as heart or arterial pulsations, respiration process, peristalsis, tremor (Parkinson’s disease) and gross movement of patient (Stadler et al., 2007). Hence, if there is a scanned anatomical part moved during the scanning, the phase gradient cannot predict and encode the signal, thus, that structures will be misplaced in phased encoding direction. As a result, it will causes MR images shown the appearances of mismapping, blurring and ghosting artefact within it (Westbrook et al., 2011). Remedy There are several ways to eliminate or avoid the patient motion artifacts. The remedies are nullifies signal by applying pre-saturation pulses over the area which have potential to produce artifacts (Stadler et al., 2007). This way is more effective to prevent ghosting during patient swallowing. Besides that, Westbrook et al (2011) proposed that attaching a set of bellows over patient’s chest in respiratory compensation which is also known as respiratory ordered phase encoding (ROPE) might help to minimize ghosting in longer sequences while in short sequences, cooperation from patient to hold their breath during scanning is preferred. Next,cardiac gating also plays role in reducing this kind of artefact. For example, electrocardiogram (ECG) gating used to monitors cardiac motion that trigger the excitation pulse. Hence, each excitation pulse in each slice can be timed and acquired at the same phase of cardiac cycle (Westbrook et al., 2011). In the other hand, asking for patient cooperation for keeping still, clear explanation about procedures, and optimize the patient’s comfortability are important to make them immobilize during scanning (Hiroshi et al., 2009). Figure 3:The appearances of ghost lines at the anterior to the abdominal wall indicate as motion artifact because of breathing (Zhuo Gullapalli, 2006). Figure 4: Image shown the effect of head movement or motion during MR scanning (Hornak, n.d.) 2.4 Gibbs Truncation Cause Truncation artefact also can be called as Gibbs Ringing artefact (Czervionke, Czervionke, Daniels, Hauhgton, 1988). Its happen as result of It is causes by abrupt undersampling of data that results in incorrect representation of high and low signals interfaces (Westbrook et al., 2011). That problems lead to visibility of fine lines in MR image and also respectively caused by incomplete digitization of the echo (Ruan, 2013). However, according to Erasmus et al.,(2004), alternating dark and bright lines may visible in image due to a sharp transition in signal intensity. Remedy In order to correct this type of artefact, there are several ways that can be used. For example, increase the matrix size, 256 x 256 instead of 256 x 128 (Westbrook et al., 2011). Next, applying various filters to k-space data before Fourier transform also should be considered (Erasmus et al., 2004). Besides that, provide more phase encoding steps also preferred to make truncation or gibbs artifacts less intense and narrower (www.mr-tip.com, n.d.). Figure 5: Bright and dark lines are visible in image parallel and adjacent to the outer convexity of calvaria (Prashant, 2014). 2.5 Chemical Shift Cause This type of artifact commonly found in MRI image of abdominal and spine imaging. Since fat and water each consist of hydrogen protons but different combination of molecules, fat contain hydrogen binds with carbon,while in water, hydrogen combine with oxygen (Westbrook et al., 2011). Hence, that different chemical environment exist shown that there are different precession frequency between fat and water which fat has lower precessional frequency rather than water (Erasmus et al., 2004). Based on the Larmor equation, precessional frequency is proportional to the strength of magnetic field (Westbrook et al., 2011). Therefore, this chemical shift can become artifact due to that difference of the precessional frequency between fat and water at higher field of magnetic strengths during the frequency encoding or slice-select directions (Ruan, 2013). That frequency is basically used to encode their spatial positions, thus, any chemical shift can lead to spatial misregistration of the MR si gnal (Morelli et al., 2011). MR images will show the bright or dark outlines at fat-water interfaces as the artefact. Remedy To avoid this artefact , a few remedies should be considered such as perform scanning at low magnetic field strength, increase the receive bandwidth in keeping with good signal-noise-ratio (SNR) (Westbrook et al., 2011) . It is also suggested to use minimum FOV as possible. Lastly, swapping phase and encoding direction also may useful to reduce this artefact (Hiroshi et al., 2009). Figure 6: Arrow show dark line at the interface of fat and water indicate as chemical shift artefact (Javan, Rear, Machin, 2011). 2.6 Magnetic Susceptibility Cause Susceptibilty can be refer as characteristic of substance which be magnetized when exposed to magnetic field (Gary, n.d.). MRI physics explain magnetic susceptibility artifacts normally happens because of substance or material especially ferromagnetic materials and also at air-tissues interface which have different degree of magnetic susceptibility that can distort the external magnetic field when placed in large magnetic field. Besides that, the differences also lead to magnetic field inhomogeneity at the scanner region resulting in spins dephase faster and frequency shift between surrounding tissues (Zhuo Gullapalli, 2006). Artifacts in the image will appear as bright and dark areas with spatial distortion of anatomical structures (Stadler et al., 2007). Remedy Generally, these artifacts can be reduced by ensure all metal objects that attached to the patient has been removed before the scan. Next, spin echo sequences are more preferred to be used instead of gradient echo because it use 180 ° RF rephasing pulse which ideal at compensating for phase differentiation between fat and water (Westbrook et al., 2011). Since fast spin echo techniques also contribute in reduction of this type of artefact, hence, short TE is used along with spin echo (Stadler et al., 2007). Metal Artefact Reduction Sequence (MARS) technique can be used in order to minimize the size and intensity of this artifact which developed by magnetic field distortion by introducing an additional gradient following the slice gradient during frequency encoding gradient is used (Olsen, Munk, Lee, 2000). Figure 7: MR image shown massive distortion of magnetic field due to implanted dental retention system (Schubert, 2012). 2.7 Flow Motion Cause Flow artefact can be categorized as one kind of motion artefact which mainly caused by natural motion of liquids such as blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the body. For example, hydrogen nuclei in blood flow within the scanned slice may trigger excitation from an incoming RF pulse, however, the signal perhaps cannot be readout due to possibility of that flowing blood have left the slice (Hiroshi et al., 2009). As a result, vessels image appear empty or low signal intensity (less bright). Generally, there are reasons of low signal intensity such as intravascular signal void by time of flight effects, first echo dephasing and fast flow (Hiroshi et al., 2009). Nevertheless, this artifacts also can appear bright or high signal intensity. This is because of the slow blood flow (flow related enhancement), even echo rephrasing and diastolic pseudogating (Hiroshi et al., 2009). Remedy The preferred solutions as remedies for flow motion artifacts are by reduction of phase shifts using flow compensation in order to produce gradient moment nulling, suppress the blood signal by apply saturation pulses parallel to slices and synchronization of imaging sequences with cardiac cycle using cardiac triggering (Zhuo Gullapalli, 2006). Figure 8: (a) CSF pulsation-related artifact in the phase encoding direction in T2-weighted image while (b) show reduction of flow artefact with gradient moment nulling (Morelli et al., 2011). 3.0 CONCLUSION It is important for all operators, radiologist and engineers in MRI are able to recognize common MRI artifacts because there are a broad of range of cause that contributing to artefact. Eventhough, artifacts are unable to be totally eliminated but it can be minimized or avoided with specifics remedies in order to improve the MR image quality (Morelli et al., 2011). Therefore, basic knowledge of MRI artifacts should be learned and all MRI system operators should familiar with their MRI unit in department. 4.0 REFERENCES Allen, E. D. (n.d.). Zipper and Related Artifacts. Retrieved May 9, 2015, from http://mri-q.com/zipper-artifact.html Czervionke, L. F., Czervionke, J. M., Daniels, D. L., Hauhgton, V. M. (1988). Characteristic features of MR truncation artifacts. American Journal of Roentgenology, 151, 1219–1228. http://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.151.6.1219 Erasmus, L. J., Hurter, D., Naudà ©, M., Kritzinger, H. G., Acho, S. (2004). REVIEW ARTICLE: A Short Overview of MRI Artefacts. SA Journal of Radiology, 8(August), 13–17. http://doi.org/10.1021/jp1019944 Gary, P. L. (n.d.). What is MRIà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯? Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( MRI ). Hiroshi, Y., Schlechtweg, P., Kose, K. (2009). Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Imaging of Arthritis and Metabolic Bone Disease:Expert Consult Online and Print, p34–48. http://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511549854.007 Hornak, J. P. (n.d.). The Basics of MRI: Image Artifacts. Retrieved May 9, 2015, from https://www.cis.rit.edu/htbooks/mri/chap-11/chap-11.htm Javan, R., Rear, J. R. O., Machin, J. E. (2011). Fundamentals Behind the 10 Most Common Magnetic Resonance Imaging Artifacts with Correction Strategies and. European Society of Radiology, 1–78. http://doi.org/10.1594/ecr2011/C-1248 Morelli, J. N., Runge, V. M., Ai, F., Attenberger, U., Vu, L., Schmeets, S. H., †¦ Kirsch, J. E. (2011). An image-based approach to understanding the physics of MR artifacts. Radiographicsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯: A Review Publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc, 31, 849–866. http://doi.org/10.1148/rg.313105115 Olsen, R. V, Munk, P. L., Lee, M. J. (2000). Metal Artifact Reduction Sequence: Early Clinical Applications. Radiographicsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯: A Review Publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc, 20, 699–712. Prashant, M. (2014). Aliasing artifacts. Retrieved May 11, 2015, from http://radiopaedia.org/cases/aliasing-artifacts Ruan, C. (2013). MRI Artifactsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯: Mechanism and Control. Personal Conclusion, 1–9. Schubert, R. (2012). Magnetic susceptibility artifact. Retrieved May 9, 2015, from http://radiopaedia.org/cases/magnetic-susceptibility-artifact Stadler, A., Schima, W., Ba-Ssalamah, A., Kettenbach, J., Eisenhuber, E. (2007). Artifacts in body MR imaging: Their appearance and how to eliminate them. European Radiology, 17, 1242–1255. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-006-0470-4 Westbrook, C., Roth, C. K., Talbot, J. (2011). MRI In Practice (4th Editio, pp. 225–260). United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. www.mr-tip.com. (n.d.). MRI Artifacts. Retrieved May 8, 2015, from http://www.mr-tip.com/serv1.php?type=artsub=Gibbs Artifact Zhuo, J., Gullapalli, R. P. (2006). AAPM/RSNA physics tutorial for residents: MR artifacts, safety, and quality control. Radiographicsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯: A Review Publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc, 26, 275–297. http://doi.org/10.1148/rg.261055134

Buying Decision Behaviour

Buying Decision Behaviour Contents (Jump to) 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Types of Buying Decision Behaviour 3.0 The importance of understanding consumer buying behaviours 4.0 Conclusion References 1.0 Introduction Understanding consumer buying behaviour is crucial for successful marketing. Consumer buying behaviour is defined as the buying behaviour of final consumers, individuals and households who purchase goods and services for personal consumption (Kotler, Brown, Adam and Armstrong, 2001: 858). Consumer buying behaviour can be classified into four groups: complex, variety-seeking, dissonance-reducing and habitual buying behaviour. These buying decision behaviours vary in terms of the involvement levels and the perceived differences between brands (Lawson, Tidwell, Rainbird, Louden and Bitta, 1997: 523). According to Mitchell (2002: 71), one of the core functions of marketing is to connect buyers and sellers as efficiently and effectively as possible. Therefore, it is imperative for marketers to acquire a profound and comprehensive understanding of consumer buying behaviours. 2.0 Types of Buying Decision Behaviour The relationship between different types of consumer buying behaviour with the level of consumer involvement and the degrees of differences between brands. The level of involvement in a purchasing a product is related to the importance of the purchase, the risks involved and the type of cognitive processing that is generated (East, 1997: 19). 2.1 Complex buying behaviour Complex buying behaviour is personalised by high levels of consumer involvement in a purchase and significant perceived differences among brands (Kotler, et al., 2001: 211). Consumers usually apply complex buying behaviour when the intended purchases are expensive, infrequent and risky (Rowley, 1997: 88). Purchase decisions are more intricate compared to other products that are less costly (Chao and Gupta, 1995: 48). According to Adcock (1993: 54), buyers undertaking complex buying behaviour are likely to go through each stage of the decision making process. They will usually spend time inquiring about the product, evaluating alternative brands and comparing options before finally making the purchase. For example, a person who wishes to buy a car would be very involved in deciding what car to purchase. He or she will engage in an extensive information search, such as by visiting different car dealers, surfing the Internet and so on, to evaluate and compare the numerous types of model s available in the market and also to scout for the best deals. They may take weeks or months to make a decision. A car is an expensive asset and will usually be used for a long time. As a result, consumers undergo complex buying decision behaviour to ensure that they will not regret their investment in future. 2.2 Dissonance-reducing buying behaviour Dissonance-reducing buying behaviour encompasses high involvement in purchase decisions but little dissimilarity between brands (Adcock, 1993: 57). Purchases are usually expensive, infrequent and risky (Kotler, et al., 2001: 211). The buying decision is often made from only a small range of products. Considering the products brand name is not the main priority in the purchase decision, consumers will make their choice by evaluating and comparing the products based on their price, quality, performance and the consumers individual preferences ( Kennedy and Kiel, 2000: 84). For example, when purchasing a lawn mower, consumers may face a high involvement decision because a lawn mower is rather costly. However, the lawn mower brand names will not be of much concern to consumers. Buyers will still look around and compare different lawn mowers based on their extrinsic features, and purchases are normally made within a shorter period of time as opposed to complex buying behaviour (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). After making a purchase, the consumer may encounter postpurchase dissonance, also known as after-sales discomfort, resulting from discrepencies between the consumers decision and the consumers prior evaluation (Lawson, et al.,1997: 447). For instance, the buyer may discover undesirable traits or hear negative comments about the lawn mower and thus regret his or her purchase. To minimise such dissonance, marketers have introduced certain features to satisfy customers, such as warranties and after-sales services (Lawson, et al.,1997: 637). 2.3 Variety-seeking buying behaviour Variety-seeking buying behaviour can be defined as consumer buying behaviour in situations concerning low consumer involvement but with significant perceived differences in brands (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). These purchases are made simply because the of the consumers desire for novelty (Lawson, et al., 1997: 525). In other words, consumer may deviate from their normal brand purchase because they feel like trying something different for a change. Consumers who practice variety-seeking buying behaviour buy for the sake of diversifying and not as a result of dissatisfaction with the product (Adcock, 1993: 57). To further illustrate the point, a consumer who regularly buys Kellogs Corn Flakes, whom one day opts to purchase Nestles Honey Stars for a change, is engaging in variety-seeking buying behaviour. The consumer may be just bored of Kellogs Corn Flakes for awhile after consuming them every morning and would like to try out a different cereal, not because he or she is discontented with Kellogs Corn Flakes. Marketers have developed strategies to reduce this consumer behaviour, which will be discussed in the later sections of this report. 2.4 Habitual buying behaviour Consumers perform habitual buying behaviour when buying frequently purchased products that are relatively of low cost and that involves very little risk and decision effort (Kennedy and Kiel, 2000: 84). There is low consumer involvement and few differences between brands in this buying behaviour (Rowley, 1997: 89). These products are purchased almost automatically out of habit rather than brand loyalty by consumers( http://www.bbci.freeserve.co.uk/SAGEPROJECT/UnderstandingConsumerBehaviour.asp). This normally applies to grocery products. For instance, people do not generally spend much time or mental effort selecting a packet of sugar or a bar of soap. They do not really pay attention to the brand names of these products. Unlike complex buying behaviour, consumers who purchase the same product regularly, do not go through all the steps in the decision making process (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). They need not undertake an information search or evaluate and compare the different produc ts in the market. Instead, they receive information through repetitive advertisements on the television or newspapers and this forms brand familiarity. Consumers are not inclined to a product, rather, they select the particular brand out of familiarity (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). They would just recognise their need and immediately make a purchase decision. They may not even bother to make a postpurchase evaluation (Rowley, 1997: 89). 3.0 The importance of understanding consumer buying behaviours 3.1 Develop a more effective and efficient marketing strategy Consumer buying behaviour is an integral part of marketing. Attaining a deeper comprehension of the different types of consumer buying behaviour would be a boon for marketers as it would assist them in developing a more sophisticated marketing strategy, thus allowing the organisation to compete more efficiently and effectively than its competitors (Mitchell, 2002: 74). By analysing the type of buying behaviour that relates to the organisations products, marketers are able perform effective segmentation, which may lead to a more efficient targeting of resources (Rowley, 1997: 89). For example, for products that are susceptible to complex buying behaviours such as automobiles and computers, marketers tend to concentrate on promoting them on the basis of the features and the benefits a consumer may gain from the products (Adcock, 1993: 56).. Most car catalogues will show pictures of the engine and highlight the details of the technical features of the vehicle. For products that are more prone to dissonance-reducing and habitual buying behaviours, marketers will advertise substantially to ensure that their products will be considered by as many people as possible (Adcock, 1993: 57) and also to familiarise consumers with their products (East, 1997: 19). Providing another example, marketers will try to encourage habitual buying behaviour for products that are more inclined to variety-seeking buying behaviours among consumers by extensive advertising and dominating shelf space. In contrast, marketers may also try to encourage variety-seeking buying behaviour by offering promotions and free samples (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). They do so to induce new customers to purchase their products. To summarise the point, a clear understanding of the types of buying behaviours can help marketers to construct relevant marketing strategi es to market the particular product so as to increase the products sales. 3.2 Form a healthy relationship between buyers and sellers As mentioned earlier, one of the core functions of marketing is to connect buyers and sellers as efficiently and effectively as possible (Mitchell, 2002: 71). The marketing concept stresses that organisations should create a marketing mix that will satisfy their customers better than their competitors. To do so, marketers must examine the major influences that determine what, where, when and how consumers make purchasing decisions (http://www.bbci.freeserve.co.uk/SAGEPROJECT/UnderstandingConsumerBehaviour.asp). According to Wilson (1998: 785), marketers who understand the types of buying behaviour that are related to their product will be able to come up with marketing techniques that will provide customer satisfaction and at the same time, establish brand loyalty among its customers. Marketers should always remind themselves that satisfied consumers would have a very positive impact on the organisations success. Therefore, it is essential for marketers to understand and evaluate the different types of consumer buying behaviour. 4.0 Conclusion The four types of buying behaviour mentioned earlier basically summarises how and why consumers make their purchase decisions. However, one has to keep in mind that the purchase of a particular product does not always derive the same type of decision making behaviour (East, 1997: 19). For example, an affluent businessman who enjoys collecting cars may not undergo complex buying behaviour as opposed to an average earning salesman who is buying a car for transportation purposes. In conclusion, understanding consumer buying behaviour can assist marketers in constructing a more efficient and effective marketing strategy allowing them to form a tighter relationship with their customers. Hence, it is vital for marketers to understand the four different types of buying behaviour that relates to their product. References Adcock, D., Bradfield, R., Halborg, A., and Ross, C. (1993), Marketing Principles and Practice, Pitman Publishing, London. Chao, P. and Gupta, P.B. (1995), ‘Information search and efficiency of consumer choices of new cars International Marketing Review, Vol. 12, No. 6, pp 47-59. East, R. (1997), Consumer Behaviour: Advances and Applications in Marketing, Prentice Hall, London. Kotler, P., Brown, L., Adam, S., and Armstrong, G. (2001), Marketing, (5th Edn), Prentice Hall, Sydney. Lawson, R., Tidwell, P., Rainbird, P., Loudon, D., and Bitta, A.D. (1997), Consumer Behaviour in Australia and New Zealand, McGraw-Hill, Sydney. Kennedy, M and Kiel (2000). ‘Marketing: A Strategic Approach. Nelson Thompson Learning, Melbourne. Mitchell, A.S. (2002), ‘Do you really want to understand your customer? Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Vol. 2, Issue 1, pp 71-79. Rowley, J. (1997), ‘Focusing on customers Library Review, Vol 46, No. 2, pp 81-89. Samara, N., Understanding Consumer Behaviour, (http://www.bbci.freeserve.co.uk/SAGEPROJECT/UnderstandingConsumerBehaviour.asp) Accessed (30 August 2003) Wilson, D.F. (1998), ‘Why divide consumer and organisation buyer behaviour? European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 34, No. 7, pp 780-796.

Kurt Lewin Essay -- essays research papers

Kurt Lewin Kurt Lewin was a great innovater at his time in the field of Psychology. The theories he developed, the methods of reserch he used and the people he influenced all have had a profound impact on Psychology and even more specifically on Social Psychology. Lewin was born in 1890 in what is now Poland but at the time was the Prussian province of Posen, in the village of Moglino and was the second of four children (Greathouse). His parents owned a general store, and a farm on the outskirts of the village. When Lewin was fifteen his family moved away from the small village, the farm and their store and went to Berlin. It was in Germany was where Lewin began his formal education, but like most people he was unsure of what he really wanted to study at first. In 1909 Lewin began attending the University of Frieberg where he started to study medicine. This did not interest him so he transferred to the University of Munich where he tried to study Biology. Again Lewin decided that this was not for him so he transferred for the last time, this time to the University of Berlin where his study of Philosophy and Psychology began (Frostburg). Lewin was said to have "found many of (the school's) department's courses in the grand tradition of Wundtian psychology irreverant and dull (Greathouse)." He would eventually receive his Ph.D. in the "experimental study of associative learning" at the University of Berlin in 1916 (Jones). Lewin was married twice in his life, the first time in 1917 to a schoolteacher named Maria Landsberg with whom he had the first two of his four children, but in 1927 they divorced. In 1929 he remarried to Gertrud Weiss who he had his third and fourth child with (Frostburg). But before Lewin actually received his degree, he served in the German Army during World War I. While in the service Lewin rose from the rank of private to Lieutenant and was wounded in battle (Jones). These experiences may have had a significant effect on his later research on group psychology. After the war in 1921 Lewin began work at the Psychological Institute at the University of Berlin, where he had the opportunity to work with Wolfgan... ... to speak where ever he went. Students and colleagues working under at different times and at different institutions have said that they felt like the were "doing important work (Patnoe pg. 15)." and there is very little that can provide for a better working environment then honest pride in one's work. Kurt Lewin's work in Child Psychology, Group Psychology, Social Psychology, the psychology of prejudice and his new methods of testing and retesting theories through Action Research were all groundbreaking at the time and continue to have their impact on the field today. But, Lewin was not only a genius in terms of his work in Psychology, he also had a great ability to make the people that he was working with better at their own work. Many of his students and colleagues went on to be some of the most influential minds in psychology. The group he worked with at MIT at the end of his life was especially influential. A study in 1984 showed that "eight of the ten most cited social psychologists are direct descendants of this line of researchers (Patnoe pg.11)." It is fair to say that Kurt Lewin was the father of modern Social Psychology.

Beluga Whales :: essays research papers

A. Swimming. 1. In general, beluga whales are slow swimmers. They commonly swim about 3 to 9 kph (1.9-5.6 mph). They are, however, capable of sustaining a maximum speed of 22 kph (13.6 mph) for as long as 15 minutes (Nowak, 1991; Ridgway and Harrison, 1981). 2. Belugas can swim forward and backward (Nowak, 1991). 3. Beluga whales often swim at depths barely covering their bodies (Ridgway and Harrison, 1981). B. Diving. 1. Beluga whales typically don't dive very deep, usually to about 20 m (66 ft.). Belugas are not generally thought of as deep-diving marine mammals, but they are capable of diving to extreme depths. Under experimental conditions a trained beluga whale repeatedly dove to 400 m (1,312 ft.) with ease, and even dove to a depth of 647 m (2,123 ft.) (Nowak, 1991; Ridgway et. al., 1984). 2. A typical dive usually lasts three to five minutes, but belugas can stay submerged for as long as 15 minutes (Nowak, 1991; Ridgway and Harrison, 1981). 3. In estuaries the usual diving sequence lasts about two minutes; the sequence consists of five to six shallow dives followed by a one-minute-long deeper dive (Ridgway and Harrison, 1981). 4. All marine mammals have physiological adaptations for diving. These adaptations enable a beluga whale to conserve oxygen while it's under water. a. Beluga whales, like other marine mammals, have a slower heart rate while diving. A beluga whale's heart rate slows from about 100 to about 12 to 20 beats per minute during a dive (Ridgway, 1972). b. When diving, blood is shunted away from tissues tolerant of low oxygen levels toward the heart, lungs, and brain, where oxygen is needed. c. Beluga whales retain more oxygen in their blood than most mammals do. A beluga whale's blood volume percentage (5.5%) is higher than a land mammal's, and similar to a Weddell seal's (a deep-diving marine mammal). One study found a female beluga to have 16.5 l (17.4 qt.) of oxygen in her blood (Ridgway et. al., 1984). d. The muscle of beluga whales has a high content of the oxygen-binding protein myoglobin. Myoglobin stores oxygen and helps prevent muscle oxygen deficiency. C. Respiration. 1. A beluga whale breathes through a single blowhole, a modified nasal opening. a. The beluga whale holds its breath while under water. b. It opens its blowhole and begins to exhale just before reaching the surface of the water. c.

Microstructural Brain Injury in Post-Concussion Syndrome After Minor He

The article Microstructural Brain Injury in Post-Concussion Syndrome After Minor Head Injury, by ****, studied post concussive symptoms relationship with innovative MRI imaging. Mean diffusivity, fractional anisotropy, and the presence of microhaemorrhages were used to indicate micro-structural brain injury in subjects with minor head injuries. Although they experienced symptoms participants’ CT (computed tomography) and normal MR images did not display any irregularities. Participants contained 21 MHI patients and 12 controls that were healthy who were matched to the ages (between the ages 18 to 50), genders, and educational levels of the MHI participants. The MHI patients were involved with the study 1 month after being in the emergency room with head trauma. All needed a normal neurological inspection and a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 13-15, which determines the conscious state of an individual. The patients and controls were scanned with diffusion tensor imagining (DTI) and high-resolution gradient recalled echo (HRGRE) weighted sequences. Their cognitive function was assessed with the Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE). The Rivermead Postconcussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPSQ) measured the severity of their post-concussive symptoms. A higher score meant that the symptoms were more severe after the injury. Additionally, the number of days before the patients went back to work or school was noted. The results indicated that microhaemorrhages were seen in only one patient. Fractional anisotropy showed a decrease in the subcortical white matter of the right temporal lobe. When correlated to the severity of post-concussive symptoms FA displayed decrease in the uncinate fasciculus, the fronto-occipital fasciculus, the interna... ...s the symptom severity did not correlate to completing the task correctly. Works Cited Lannsjà ¶, M., Raininko, R., Bustamante, M., Von Seth , C., & Borg , J. (2013). Brain pathology after mild traumatic brain injury: an exploratory study by repeated magnetic resonance examination. J Rehabil Med, 45(8), 721-728. doi: 10.2340/16501977-1169 Pardini, J., Pardini, D., Becker, J., Dunfee, K., Eddy, W., Lovell, M., & Welling, J. (2010). Postconcussive Symptoms are associated with compensatory cortical recruitment during a working memory task. Neurosurgery, 67(4), 1020-1028. doi: 10.1227/NEU.0b013e3181ee33e2 Smits, M., Houston, C., Dippel, W., Wielopolski, A., Vernooij, W., Koudstaal, J., Hunink, G., & Van Der Lugt, A. (2011). Microstructural brain injury in post-concussion syndrome after minor head injury. Neuroradiology, 53(8), 553-563. doi: 10.1007/s00234-010-0774-6

Related Study Essay

Acknowledgement The completion of this business was made possible through the support and encouragements of some important people and the group members, AlfieCajucom, Rishvert Romano, Dustin Del Rosario and Maria Mayella Malang. Friends, Jenina Dela Fuente and Diane Cruz and many significant others. The members of the group is greatly thankful to Mam Rosalita DG..Abello for her comprehensive effort in assisting us to complete this business venture Finally, we are deeply grateful to our Almighty God, from whom we got the needed wisdom and inspiration. INTRODUCTION The lifestyle of our world today is totally different from the past few years. Big and small businesses began to spread out. Being young entrepreneurs the group members are willing to take the risk in putting up a business that can make each one a successful individual in the future. The Pastry Yard is a business of young and brave students, who joined the pastry industry in the form of a simple business. The Pastry Yard sells delightful products with an affordable price. It aims to satisfy the palate of their target market. Competitors will always around that is why the members are doing their best to make the group’s business successful. The Pastry Yard products has a potential in the pastry industry. I. Company Overview A. Name of Business: THE PASTRY YARD The group decided to choose The Pastry Yard for its business, because YARD means the first letter of the group member’s first name. Y for Yella, A for Alfie, R for Rishvert and D for Dustin and added â€Å"PASTRY† to signify the concept that the business products is all about pastries. B. Description of the Business: The Pastry Yard is a retailing type of business. The business decided to propose a business which is selling butterscotch and tarts since they will always be saleable in any season. Foods come in different varieties and tastes but pastries are all time-favorites so the group makes sure that the products are tasty and delicious. Aside from personal selling and offering, the business reaches its target market through its affordable price that is convenient to the students, teachers, employees and even the guardian and the parents inside the campus of St. Mary’s College of Baliuag. C. Name of the Group:Ka Bert’s The owners agreed to the name Ka Bert’s after the name of Rishvert John Romano who is given a pet name â€Å"Berto† acting as the leader of the group. D. Business Owners: Name Nationality Address Role % of Ownership Maria Mayella T. Malang Filipino Bahay Pare, Candaba, Pampanga General Partner 25% Alfie G. Cajucom Filipino Sulivan, Baliuag, Bulacan General Partner 25% Rishvert John T. Romano Filipino Milflora Homes, Sabang, Baliuag, Bulacan General Partner 25% Dustin Del Rosario Filipino Poblacion, Bustos, Bulacan General Partner 25% E. Business Structure: Type of Business Organization: Partnership The owners decided to form a partnership type of business organization for the following reasons: a. The business is easy to establish and start-up costs are low. b. The liabilities are limited c. With more than one owner, the ability to raise funds may be increased. d. Partnerships provide moral support and will allow for more creative brainstorming F. Business Location: The business is located at St. Mary’s College of Baliuag Campus G. Vision: To build up a small business that will offer a unique and savory pastries. Mission: To provide the customers with the best food experience from beginning to end. Goals: To encourage people on eating healthier foods especially the students. To introduce pastries to the people reach by the business. Objectives: To provide and satisfy people in producing a kind of product that can help in utilizing resources by means of selling and gaining profit. MARKETING ANALYIS A. Market Description The Pastry Yard is a business that offers pastries. The business is an advantage for the students having a hard time during break time going to canteen because the product itself will find their find their way to its customers. Pastries are not sold in the school canteen that is why the group saw this as a business opportunity to sell to the students who are looking for something to eat. B. Target Market The group’s target market are the teachers, employees and even the guardian and the parents of the St. Mary’s College of Baliuag. C. Target Area The group’s target area is at St. Mary’s College of Baliuag Quadrangle, located at Racelis St. Baliuag, Bulacan, D. Market Demographics The business targets both male and female with age ranging from 7 years old and above inside the SMCB Campus. E. Products Butter scotch Tart F. Market Positioning Selling the best pastries at an affordable price is the image wanted by the business. G. PRICING Pricing below competition The products price is simply the same with our competitors. This strategy is working best on the group’s efforts. It reduces costs and develops good marketing strategies. Product The Pastry Yard SM Tart Php. 10.00 each Php. 15.00 each Butter scotch Php. 15.00 each Php. 20.00 each Pricing above competition Location and exclusivity of product is one factor that affects the pricing quality. The group that stocks high quality of product will have the potentials in building a price above their competitors. Product The Pastry Yard Market Tart Php. 10.00 each Php. 8.00 each Butterscotch Php. 15.00 each Php. 12.00 each Cost plus markup pricing It is a strategy and it is usually used if there are many products being sold. The group sells tart and butterscotch. The record cost Php. 15.00 and Php. 10.00 and that Php. 15.00 and Php. 10.00. A percentage is added which also served as the profit. PRODUCT COST SELLING PRICE MARK-UP PRICE PERCENTAGE Tart Php. 7.00 Php. 10.00 Php. 3.00 30% Butterscotch Php. 10.00 Php. 15.00 Php. 5.00 33% Multiple Pricing This is selling more than one product, with different price. The group is selling one product individually. This multiple pricing is great in markdowns and events, but some consumers tends to patronize this strategy because they can buy products in larger amounts. H.DEMAND AND SUPPLY ANALYSIS (GAP) Consumers will purchase the product in a lower price and less of good in higher prices. When it comes to supply producers will sell less of goods in lower price and more goods in higher prices. High school students and faculty members are the common customer. The group bases the demand on the total number of sales which is 210 but not all the students buys the product. The demand is low because the business is just starting and do not have permanent store. SALES POPULATION DEMAND HIGHSCHOOL 120 885 7.38 COLLEGE 90 165 1.83 SALES POPULATION DEMAND HIGHSCHOOL 100 885 8.85 COLLEGE 80 165 2.06 I. MARKETING STRATEGIES AND PLANS Our business provides a cheap and good quality of pastry products. Products are assured of its cleanliness and affordability. As a marketing strategy this is done by means of word of mouth because every time people buys the products they can talk about it with their colleagues. SELLING CHANNELS The group members are selling our product personally and it is given directly to the customers. The group sells the product by roaming around the vicinity of the school. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS Nature of the Competition Selling pastry products is totally in demand in the world today. Despite the presence of competitors in the market, the Pastry Yard is confident that its products are different with a unique characteristics. Direct Competitors The direct competitors of our product are the two groups (C-creations) that sells baked goodies. Strengths and Weaknesses The pastry industry now a days is getting bigger and it became a new trend in the market. Pastry Yard basically gives the customers a chance to taste a delightful and different pastry products. The group weakness is the unavailability of machineries and baking tools in making and producing pastry products. Competitive advantage The Pastry Yard advantage is selling freshly baked tarts and butterscotch which will satisfy one palate. a. MANAGEMENT/PERSONNEL Management consists of the interlocking functions of creating corporate policy and organizing, planning, controlling, and directing an organization’s resources in order to achieve the objectives of that policy. b. Ownership The type of business is partnership, before the business starts, the proponents contributed capital and chooses their respective role in running the business. The proponent agreed to divide the business profit equally. c. DUTIES AND REPONSIBILITIES Cashier Responsible in managing the business profit Responsible in preparing business financial statements Production Officer Responsible in processing the products to be sold Ensure the product are clean and safe with the best quality Sales Crew Responsible for business promotion Responsible for selling the product Responsible for communicating with the customer Purchaser Accountable for buying quality products Ensuring the cleanliness of the ingredients d. BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCES FINANCE OFFICER (Cashier) The Finance Officer of the business is Maria Mayella T. Malang. She is a student of Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management. She is in charge of budgeting and monitoring the money that are coming from the business. She is responsible for ensuring that the financial statements of the business are complete and accurate. PRODUCTION OFFICER The Production Officer of the business is Dustin Del Rosario. He is a student of Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management. He is in charge and responsible of the products that are ready for selling. Ensure the cleanliness and the safety of the product. MANAGEMENT OFFICER The Management Officer of the business is Alfie G. Cajucom. He is a student of Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management. He is in charge for business promotions and responsible in selling the product. MARKETING OFFICER The Marketing Officer of the business is Rishvert Romano. He is a student of Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management. He is responsible for buying quality pastry products. He is also responsible for ensuring the cleanliness of the products. e. PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS Cashier Must be a graduate of any 4 year course Experienced in managing budget Must be at least 18 years old Production Officer Must be a graduate of any 4 year course Outstanding communicator skills Excellent in quality control Sales Crew Must be a graduate of any 4 year course Must possess excellent customer service skills Must be at least 18 years old Purchaser Strong and confident communicator Must be a graduate of any 4 year course Must be at least 18 years old and above WEAKNESS The business do not have its own store for which the buyer can visit and order their preferred goods. Another weakness is that the business buys the product that they offer and just add a little mark ups to earn profit. STRENGTH Customers want variety of products that’s why the business provides customers options to buy either tart or butterscotch. The Products are affordable and will surely satisfy the customer tummies. IV. BUSINESS OPERATIONS A. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION A Tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pasty. The pastry is usually short crust pastry, the filling may be sweet or savory, though modern tarts are usually with yema fillings. A Butterscotch is a chewy flour based pastry like brownies that is baked with peanut toppings. B. PROCESS FLOW Pastry Yard ordered the product from a source and delivered to the group ready for selling. The group walks around the school to sell the product to the customers who are usually students and teachers. C. INVENTORIES The raw materials that are used in the business are not owned by our group. Because we are just getting our product in a manufacturer of pastries. PRODUCT  DISTRIBUTOR BUTTERSCOTCH RONALD TADEO TART RONALD TADEO E. PLANT SITE The Pastry Yard is located inside the school vicinity of St. Mary’s College of Baliuag Quadrangle. F. PLANT LAY OUT We usually sell our product at Sacred Heart Building. G. WASTE AND WASTE DISPOSAL The group maintains the cleanliness in the designated area inside the school campus. Separate containers are used to prevent food contamination. Members of the group are obliged to clean and pick up the trash that came from selling tarts and butterscotch. VI. Socio Desirability Business believes that change starts from within. It is the main reason why the business are built and established the community, and help individuals in their lives. It increases and promote an economic friendly environment. 1. Employee The Pastry Yard owners are also the crew or service staff of the business. The group didn’t hire crews because the business is just starting and still manageable. 2. Community The Pastry Yard wants to shout out the care for the community and the environment. A ten percent donation will be given to HRM HARMONIES for the incoming activities of the said club. 3. Government Success in business requires a very crucial part in our government. The Pastry Yard pay the right amount of taxes when is continue to succeed. 4. Environment The Pastry Yard inspires the community in living in a healthy and clean lifestyles, and how to value and care to our environment. Unlike other businesses that sells pastries, The Pastry Yard knows how to retain and produce a green community. The Pastry Yard promotes the use of â€Å"reduce, reuse and recycle†. Financial Assumptions 1. The sales of Tart per day are 30 and sales of Butterscotch per day are 25. 2. Purchases of Tart per day are 30 and purchases of Butterscotch per day are 25. 3. The mark up price for tart is 30% while 33% for butterscotch.

Learning at Universities Essay

Learning at University: The International Student Experience1 Meeri Hellsten Macquarie University, School of Education meerihellsten@mq. edu. au Anne Prescott Macquarie University, School of Education anne. prescott@aces. mq. edu. au This paper reports on research that explores internationalisation of the University’s curriculum offerings and how this affects international students. The central focus of this paper is to highlight some of the student commentary on communication between teachers and students exemplifying the way it subsequently affects the quality of student learning. The paper concludes by raising some questions concerning how we may best meet the needs of international students by drawing on inclusive teaching philosophies. Inclusivity and diversity, international students, internationalisation and sustainability, transition experience INTRODUCTION The internationalisation of curriculum in Australian universities has increased significantly in recent years. International students (IS) are now an integral part of university teaching classes. The rapid increase in international student numbers is also reflected in current research. However, relatively little research has focused on the student perspective (Ballard and Clanchy, 1991; Jones, Robertson, and Line, 1999; Ramburuth, 2001; Reid, 2002). This paper is a contribution to this area of higher education research. The accommodation of IS is an important goal in the Australian higher education sector that is reflected in the commitment to quality education and teaching expertise. The benefits of the integration of IS into the Australian academic cultures are highly esteemed by university leadership. The diversity of our university populations is enhanced by IS and further research may be found by exploring how diversity may add value to the transition experience as a whole (McInnes, 2001). However, reports on students’ experiences provide a somewhat contrary understanding of that experience. For example, Reid (2002) conducted a comprehensive study, which surveyed over 300 postgraduate IS at Macquarie University. Contrary to common beliefs, about students from Asian backgrounds in particular, IS students were reported to value the interactive mode (i. e. discussion based learning) of unit delivery over a sometimes assumed teacher centred mode. Another example is the common stereotypical belief that students from Asian backgrounds prefer rote-learning styles and tend to be passive in classroom interaction. It seems then, at least rhetorically, that ideas about what constitutes high quality teaching and learning differ between international students and academic personnel. 1 This paper is adapted from one presented at Celebrating Teaching at Macquarie 28-29 November 2002 (Hellsten and Prescott, 2002). Hellsten and Prescott 345 If the practices that characterise quality are perceived and acted out differently by members of Western and Eastern cultural groups it assumes a questioning of the very meaning of concepts such as ‘quality’ and ‘teaching’. These can account for deeply contrasting expectations of educational practice. International students’ cultural traits have been blamed for subsequent teaching and learning problems (for example, Burns, 1991; Jones et al. , 1999; Leask, 1999; McInnes, 2001; Ryan, 2000). Some problems include poor English language and critical thinking skills, failure to participate in the collaborative learning mode (for example, group discussions), differences in cultural communication, academic literacy styles, and expectations of rote learning resulting in lack of independent learning initiatives. Where does this occur? Some researchers have refuted these claims. Biggs (1999) provides a broad review of research findings that reveal institutional stereotyping of students from Asian backgrounds. He argues that such students continue to rank in the top levels of university courses, which testifies to their ability to adjust well into the Western learning cultures. The issues and problems are no different from those generally raised by researchers in the field of the first year experience of mainstream students undergoing the transition to an academic university culture (Levy, Osborn, and Plunkett, 2003; McInnes, 2001). Biggs (1999) reports on results showing that at least for some, the mainstream transition experience is fraught with uncertainties about fitting in to disciplinary cultures in terms of academic writing genres (for example, Krause, 2001). Anecdotal evidence suggests that students quickly develop the ability to work out their position within disciplinary cultures, with beginning students being able to guess at what is important as sanctioned disciplinary practice within three weeks of commencing their studies in a major discipline area. Therefore, research is needed into the acquisition of disciplinary know-how that seems readily accessible by students in universities; a skill that would not in such cases be acknowledged by the academic community. What seems to be at the core of the debate is the notion of communication between IS and university staff (Hellsten, 2002). There seems to be a need to increase cultural understanding that is reflected in the ways in which pedagogy and practice are mediated between IS and academics. There also seems to be a need to establish opportunities for discussion between IS and staff about the communicative differences that constitute pedagogy, and the way in which these are reflected in the university teaching settings. In order to examine the relationship between cultural practices and pedagogy among incoming students we conducted one-hour, semi-structured sessions with volunteer IS in their first year in Australia. The 48 participants (undergraduate and postgraduate) were enrolled in many different discipline areas of the University, as shown in Table 1, and came from a range of countries around the world, presented in Table 2. Table 1. Participants’ course of study Accounting Actuarial Commerce Economics Translation TESOL Linguistics Languages Education Anthropology Computing Exchange Total Undergraduate 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 4 18 Postgraduate 1 2 13 3 6 3 2 30 Total 4 3 3 1 14 3 7 1 3 2 1 6 48 346 Learning at University: The International Student Experience Table 2. Participants’ country of origin (N=48) Country China South Korea USA Japan Germany Vietnam Thailand Taiwan No. 16 13 5 2 1 1 1 1 Country Sweden Sri Lanka Spain Singapore Malaysia Kenya Indonesia Hong Kong No. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Of central interest was the first six-month time period following overseas students’ arrival that constituted their transition period between the old and new learning environments. The questions centred on the students’ encounters with Australian communities, learning environments and the academic disciplines. We were also interested in the students’ overall sense of experience as reflected in subsequent word-of-mouth referrals to fellow students in their home country. We found important impressions inherent in such descriptions. They provided insight into aspects that might otherwise have been hidden due to discursive politeness and courtesy constraints of the interview. Below are some features of their commentary. COMMUNICATING IN CLASS One of the common assumptions made about IS from Asian cultures is that they find it difficult to contribute in class and to participate in classroom discussions. There are many substantial explanations for this, the most salient being that IS feel self-conscious if conversational flow does not come easily in the English language. This shows in their reluctance in attempting to pronounce English words for fear of failure in front of the evaluative eye of other native speakers. Yes†¦. Um†¦ they [teachers] think it’s a job. They ask something. We say nothing†¦ ‘cause we wanna say but †¦ (inaudible) shy. And I’m afraid sometimes I’ll make a mistake, so I don’t want to like that †¦ I think, my friends, sometimes they stay in one course for two †¦ months. Because their character very shy. They don’t want to say, you know, anything even though they know everything. They know everything. So teachers didn’t know that. It’s just hard and difficult. I don’t know the feeling, the nuance, I don’t know those in English so.. I†¦ I’m not a good English speaker at all. It’s very uncomfortable when I talk with somebody. So I think I†¦ When I speak with Australians I feel they treats me as a children, you know. And they think of me as a just a†¦[indicates height of a child with hand] that language level person. Like a ten year old kid. In conversation with native speakers the student in the third example feels she is being spoken to in the diminutive voice. The perception that others speak to her ‘as a child’ must be damaging to her self-esteem as an academically successful individual. The perpetuation of this perception may in turn result in a reluctance to speak in public, thereby accentuating a difficulty in the learning process. COMMUNICATION ISSUES A common communicative feature is for speakers to adjust their conversational style to suit each other in terms of genre and register. Australian lecturers of IS are perceived to lower their level of language use in the hope of making their teaching more effective and beneficial for low level language speakers ( Jones, 2001). Hellsten and Prescott 347 The consensus was that the mode of delivery was easier than that expected of mainstream students. The necessary feedback may not have reached the lecturers due to culture-specific constraints for politeness in discourses. For example, students from some cultural backgrounds did not feel comfortable offering criticism of their teachers as a gesture of respect: The one thing is they (lecturers) try to speak easier (laughter) because sometimes we misunderstood. And lecturer say to student but nobody nodded. So he try to explain again. So I think most of the Australian lecturer try to give lecture (in an) easier way. Delivering lectures using lower level language registers can be perceived as contrary to IS expectations of improving English proficiency as part of their student experience in an English speaking country. Before I came here I think uh, if I got to Australia I will improve my English skills really very fast. But it’s just a dream. I must do everything. Every day I practise, practise, practise for this. Within this commentary is the realisation that achievement in the learning experience hinges solely on personal investment of time and practice. The interpretation here is the refusal of the lecturer to provide the necessary skills to which the student aspires. It is also a reaction to the realisation that the low level of language provided by the classroom interaction would not provide him with advanced level linguistic ability – a rather troublesome side effect of an overseas university experience in an English-speaking country. It seems, based on our student commentary, that the slowing down of English language learning results, at least in some cases, is a lack of challenging classroom opportunities. So adjusting to a conversational style may not be useful and may be interpreted by IS as a gesture that further marginalises them from mainstream students. Leaving the social comfort of home country for study in a foreign country, language and culture can be a harrowing experience, especially for younger international students. The mentoring programs in place within universities go some way toward meeting the basic transition needs. However, the interviews revealed that IS consign the responsibility of teaching to lecturers rather than the institution. On this theme, one feature of the discussion is the student perception of a lack of support by the teaching staff. For example: So, I want teacher to encourage that, and like mum or dad†¦ yes, to take care of them (other IS) a lot because they are really shy and they sometimes they don’t understand†¦. Just to say ‘OK’. I want our teachers to know that. So there is a consultant. He consult with me. But he is really busy. I can’t contact easily. Just the one (consultant) and a lot of students here. So, and he only work†¦ I think, twice maybe three days a week. So I can’t meet. †(Is this a reference to a teacher or a student counsellor? ) I visit many times this office. When I need their help I am looking for someone but I can’t. Commentary about the unavailability of consultation opportunities is extensive among newly arrived international students in our study. We suggest that this lack of resources is partly a biproduct of the current global economic rationalisation in the higher education sector; the effect of which is compounded for IS who often have greater needs than local students. There is a perception that special efforts should be made by academic staff to accommodate incoming students’ needs. This is attributed to the need for care and emotional support, and in a familial sense as tantamount to so-called ‘parenting’. This is especially voiced in talk about the younger IS groups. The ethic of care is an expectation of the teaching practices by the students interviewed. 348 Learning at University: The International Student Experience The unavailability of part-time staff poses a further problem for international students due to the pressures imposed by their timed candidature. There is a sense of urgency about the study program and waiting to see staff who are not available is interpreted as obstructing progress toward the completion of the degree. Such concerns are directly linked with the marketing of education in the new global knowledge economy (Rizvi, 2000). Certainly, international competition for student places and resources is of central interest to Australia as one of the Western English speaking countries with extensively developed international education targets. Australia is competing against other English speaking countries for IS numbers. The competition and urgency of this new global dynamic is then reflected in the responses of IS and may result in the experiences perceived as less desirable as in the above commentary. The commitment to internationalising the curriculum needs to seek critical and innovative solutions to a re-evaluation of existing curriculum content, enhanced capacity and mode of program delivery. To this end, Bellis and Clarke (2001) found a course online bulletin board to be extremely useful for students interacting with other students and staff. Students were encouraged to discuss difficulties among themselves, with academics only participating when necessary. While Bellis and Clarke recognise that not all students participated, for IS whose first language is not English, a bulletin board allowed students to think about and compose their response without the pressure of the discussion progressing past the point where they wanted to participate. SOME IMPLICATIONS There is a widespread call for implementation of various bridging programs to prepare IS better in their transition to the Australian study environment (Jones et al., 1999;Leask, 1999; Ryan, 2000). Successful mentoring programs are in place in many universities (Austin, Covalea, and Weal, 2002). These go a long way toward the creation of important links between IS and Australian communities and may decrease feelings of social isolation and loneliness. Implications can be considered in terms of enhancing culturally sensitive curriculum delivery and communication, and by enhancing a reflective and inclusive teaching culture throughout the university. Implications for teaching and learning. Some useful resources for the critical examination of our teaching modes and practices may be found in a number of professional-development initiatives. Inclusive teaching practices are particularly pertinent. While inclusive teaching philosophies are part of effective teaching policies, whether in schools or universities, there seems to be some uncertainty about their applicability to the teaching setting. Making the curriculum and its discourses explicit is a starting point discussed by Leask (1999) and Garcia (1991). Provision of obvious and workable program and assessment guidelines that are sensitive to individual variation and diversity are also listed among their recommendations. One implication that emerged from the current study involves the need to provide opportunities for staff to communicate and reflect upon their practices in teaching IS. One cost-effective way is the formation of focus groups that contain impartial representatives of the international student body (such as representatives of the National Liaison Student group) who convey the views of students to academic and other staff. Awareness of cultural open-mindedness and responsibility towards IS is an issue that could be explored. Information sessions may address the examination of religious and other culturally divergent traditions, as well as culture specific discourses. Rizvi (2000) calls for the internationalisation of curriculum to ensure the promotion of cultural change, that would become part of both the mainstream and other groupings. The culturally sensitive curriculum would then move away from the stereotypical thinking that claims internationalisation as a responsibility that belongs to someone else other than oneself (Leask, 1999). Hellsten and Prescott 349 The underlying premise of Leask’s (1999) statement of shared responsibility for the internationalisation of the Australian higher education curriculum prescribes that strategies are put into practice to enable the meeting of individual IS needs for communication. Where this relates to increasing staff availability, further resources may be needed. Clearly, the conditions of IS academic experience rest on adherence to time management and other restrictions as dictated by temporary visa requirements. Such constraints necessitate mediation with academic and other university staff for increased accountability and loyalty to consultations and other scheduled commitments. One suggestion for implementation is to make a point of contact facility available that is staffed by academics and experienced IS mentors. We found that many of the questions of incoming IS are of a general nature and can be answered by individuals within the university system. Such a facility (for example, an information booth, linked to an on-line service) meets the deeper need for social and emotional support that is currently felt by new students to be lacking. Garcia (1991, p. 3) points out that classroom teachers who were thought by others to be â€Å"highly committed to the educational success of their students† perceived themselves as being â€Å"instructional innovators utilising new learning theories and instructional philosophies to guide their practice†. Professional development activities were also considered to be important. They had high educational expectations for their students. Some students in our study thought their lecturers were off-hand about their students’ success or failure. It would appear, therefore, that good teaching is recognisable, no matter what the venue. Implications for practice Educational practices are largely related to everyday conduct, held values and attributive actions. To this effect, we benefit from recommendations for teaching methods that draw on reflective and inclusive teaching philosophies. However, it is our experience that these philosophies are not entirely understood by the academic community. There needs to be some recognition of inclusivity as a dynamic negotiation, as opposed to the domination of one over another. This reasoning makes the notion of flexibility and change everyday requirements for the accommodation of diversity in our teaching and learning settings. There still exists a great need among academics in Australia to reflect upon their cultural affiliations, to explore their ethnicities and acknowledge that these are not only traits we identify in others but also in ourselves. This reflection should then allow for inclusive practice to begin by asking, what can I do to meet the particular cultural and discursive needs of international students. This may in itself, and without further extended effort, transfer into the duty of care for the IS in particular classroom settings. However, there are some recommendations that provide examples to implement culturally inclusive practices into the teaching of IS. An initial issue is to consider a needs analysis of the students and how their needs can be met within the constraints of the teaching program. A second issue is, to allow for flexibility in understanding some of the cultural discourses and genres that may be encountered in communicative exchanges with IS. Knowledge of the background of students acknowledges an acceptance and interest in their cultural backgrounds. There are many publications describing cultural practices of particular nationalities. For example, an exploration of different religious and cultural traditions may provide stimulating introductory material particularly if this is carried out with sensitivity and without marginalising individual students in the group. Another effective introductory session may investigate communication conventions of different cultural groups. Allowing students to explore culturally specific behaviours such as the use of voice, tone, affect, body language and body contact in communicating with different members of the community may also open up channels of communication between staff and students. This may also act as effective preparation for later identification of unexpected features of communicative conduct. 350 Learning at University: The International Student Experience CONCLUDING COMMENTS The internationalisation of Australian higher education is still in its infancy inviting greater collaborative effort from university communities. Although many generalisations exist, we now widely acknowledge the possibly erroneous perception of quantity underwriting quality. There is a discernment that increased numbers of IS have not reflected in the capacities of learning institutions in terms of the provision of quality and  expertise – at least when it comes to inclusive practices and culturally sensitive communication styles. The implications addressed here go some way towards meeting these needs. Further investigation is clearly necessary especially in comparing student commentary with staff perceptions and experiences. The assurance of quality teaching and the provision of culturally amenable learning opportunities for international students may be achieved by means of cultural change and critical evaluation of current academic discourses and practices. Acknowledgements. Many thanks to our interview participants who so willingly gave their time and Louise Warton for so cheerfully transcribing the interviews. 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