Formal & Informal Language Learning Experience

Formal, Non-formal and Informal Learning: What Are the Differences? Earlier this year I did some applied research on the differences between formal, non-formal and informal education in both the sciences, as well as literacy and language education. These terms have been used by the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) as well as researchers and practitioners around the globe. Here’s a simplified explanation: Formal education – Organized, guided by a formal curriculum, leads to a formally recognized credential such as a high school completion diploma or a degree, and is often guided and recognized by government at some level. Teachers are usually trained as professionals in some way. Non-formal learning – Organized (even if it is only loosely organized), may or may not be guided by a formal curriculum. This type of education may be led by a qualified teacher or by a leader with more experience. Though it doesn’t result in a formal degree or diploma, non-formal education is highly enriching and builds an individual’s skills and capacities. Continuing education courses are an example for adults. Girl guides and boy scouts are an example for children. It is often considered more engaging, as the learner’s interest is a driving force behind their participation. Informal learning – No formal curriculum and no credits earned. The teacher is simply someone with more experience such as a parent, grandparent or a friend. A father teaching his child to play catch or a babysitter teaching a child their ABC’s is an example of informal education. These may be overly simplified explanations. There are times when the lines between each type of learning get blurred, as well. It isn’t always as cut and dry as it seems, but these definitions give you a general idea of each type of learning.

In-Work Benefits and the Nordic Model

Abstract Welfare bene†¦ts in the Nordic countries are often tied to employment. We argue that this is one of the factors behind the success of the Nordic model, where a comprehensive welfare state is associated with high employment. In a general equilibrium setting, the underlining mechanism works through wage moderation and job creation. The bene†¦ts make it more important to hold a job, thus lower wages will be accepted, and more jobs created.Moreover, we show that the incentive to acquire higher education improves, further boosting employment in the long run. These positive e ¤ects help counteracting the negative impact of taxation. JEL codes: H24, J21, J24 Keywords: Nordic model, in-work bene†¦ts, wage adjustment, unemployment, education, skill formation, earnings 1 Introduction A prominent feature of the so-called Nordic model is a comprehensive welfare state †¦nanced by taxes on labor.In fact, the public sector in many We want to thank Torben Andersen, Mar tin Floden, Richard Freeman, Mathias Herzing, Eddie Lazear, Ethienne Lehman, Bruno van Linden, and participants at the Conference on the Economics of the Nordic Model. y Department of Economics, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Ph. +46 8 163547. Fax +46 8 161425, E-mail address: ann-so†¦e. [email  protected] su. se z Economics Division, University of Southampton, UK; Economics Department, UniCredit & Universities Fellow, Central European University, Budapest; and IZA, Bonn.Email address: m. [email  protected] ac. uk 1 of the Nordic countries is responsible for the distribution and allocation of resources amounting to more than half of their country’ GDP (Eurostat, s 2012). With an emphasis on redistributional transfers and service provision †¦nanced by taxes on labor, a concern with the model is, of course, that it induces weak incentives to work. In a more long term perspective, such a system may also reduce incentives to acquire skills, with a negativ e impact on future pproduactivity and labor market outcomes.However, external observers are often surprised that the Nordic countries manage to combine low unemployment and high labor force participation with high taxes and generous welfare arrangements. So, how is this possible? One answer to this question is that many of the welfare arrangements in the Nordic countries are closely tied to market work. The generosity of the bene†¦ts are, in general, related to earnings. In addition, eligibility to a number of bene†¦ts and social services is conditional on employment.Subsidized childcare, for example, is, in principle, only available to employed workers. Also, some generous elements of the paid paren'tal leave schemes are only accessible to employed workers. In addition, the more recently introduced earned income tax credit is by de†¦nition exclusively targeted to employed workers. The idea is that these bene†¦ts, by increasing the returns from working, increase the supply of labor. The observation that the Nordic countries have sustained high economic aactivity because bene†¦ts are closely tied to market work is not new.In fact this was noted as a contributing factor to the high participation rate observed in Sweden when a group of NBER economists studied the Swedish welfare state in the mid 1990s (see Freeman et al. , 1997). This was also an important message in the discussion on the prospects and challenges of the Scandinavian model in Andersen (2008). The starting point for this paper is that entitlement to many of the bene†¦ts available in the Nordic countries is conditional on employment. As discussed above, this tends to increase the gains from working, which encourages labor supply.However, we argue that this is not the end of the story. To investigate the full impact of welfare state arrangements of this type, one needs to account for the general equilibrium e ¤ects. This is particularly relevant because many bene†¦ts have been available to the whole population for a long period of time. Clearly, to investigate the e ¤ects of these bene†¦ts on employment, which is an equilibrium outcome, both supply-side and demand-side factors must be iincluded in the analysis. Moreover, beside considering the equilibrium outcome for the existing workforce, it is important to account 2 or the impact of these bene†¦ts on incentives to acquire skills. The equilibrium composition of the workforce in terms of educational attainment is a crucial variable for the sustainability of the Nordic model, both in terms of its growth potential and international competitiveness (Andersen, 2008) and in terms of the political support for the welfare state (Hassler et al. , 2003). To carry out such an analysis, we develop a simple model of a non-clearing labor market featuring involuntary unemployment as an equilibrium outcome.Labor force participation is also endogenously determined. Moreover, individuals di ¤e r in their ability to acquire education and choose educational attainments based on a cost-bene†¦t analysis. In particular, we focus on the choice between proceeding to higher, i. e. tertiary, education or not. The aim is to investigate the implications of bene†¦ts that are conditional on work on unemployment and labor force participation, accounting for their long term impact on educational attainments.We show that bene†¦ts available only to employed workers moderate wages, reduce unemployment rates, and increase labor force participation and employment. Moreover, one could expect that welfare bene†¦ts, even if conditional on work, could induce an outright reduction in education as they represent an important subsidy for low skilled workers. What we †¦nd instead is that the incentives to proceed to higher education are actually strengthened. This is a consequence of the relatively sthronger increase in labor market opportunities for highly educated workers that follow when wages are moderated.Wages, in turn, fall because workers are more willing to accept lower wages when bene†¦ts are conditional on work and thus the value of having a job is higher. Lower wages increase job creation and lower the unemployment rate. Thus, total employment increases for three sets of reasons. First, the bene†¦ts reduce the unemployment rate for workers at all educational levels. Second, more workers choose to proceed to higher education where expected unemployment spells are shorter. Third, as labor force participation increases with the bene†¦ts, a larger share of the population will be employed.We also look at the impact of bene†¦ts when they are †¦nanced through a proportional tax on wages. Taxation actually reinforces wage moderation and, as such, does not overrule that bene†¦ts reduce wages, increase job creation, and reduce unemployment rates. However, it weakens the incentives to acquire higher education and particip ate in the labor force, thus inducing a counteracting e ¤ect on educational attainment and labor force participation. The element of the Nordic model that this paper underlines is the wage moderation stemming from bene†¦ts conditional on work.Also, we †¦nd this 3 mechanism to be very robust to the choice of model. Moreover, looking at bene†¦ts through this channel highlights how they have a positive impact on educational attainment and participation, thus counteracting, at least partly, the negative e ¤ect that taxation has on skill acquisition and labor force participation. The analytical results are followed up with a numerical example illustrating the e ¤ects of the bene†¦ts on labor market performance and educational attainment.The simulations indicate that bene†¦ts can have an important impact on unemployment for both low- and high- skilled. Without distortinary taxation, bene†¦ts also have a positive impact on skill acquisition, thus further reducing overall unemployment in the long run. When †¦nancing through proportional taxation on wages is iincluded in the model, the negative e ¤ect of taxation on educational attainment dominates the positive e ¤ect of bene†¦ts, thus resulting in a decrease in the share of the workforce acquiring tertiary education.Nonetheless, bene†¦ts still have a positive overall impact on unemployment. Considering the previous literature, there are a number of studies that have tried to explain why the Nordic countries have performed so well despite high taxes and generous welfare arrangements. As mentioned, some of these studies have emphasized the importance of that bene†¦ts are tied to market work for the successful outcome in terms of employment and participation (see Aronsson and Walker, 1997).A related view is provided by Rogerson (2007). He argues that the governments’spending pattern in the Scandinavian countries, compared to other high tax countries, can potentially explain the large number of aggregate work hours observed in these countries. He shows, holding tax rates constant, that it matters if the revenue is spent on disability payments which may only be received when an individual does not work or subsidies for day care for working mothers. The reason is that childcare subsidies create jobs.Our study also †¦nds that how the government choose to spend tax revenues matters for labor market performance, although for a di ¤erent reason. In contrast to Rogerson (2007), our results materialize through general equilibrium e ¤ects working through wage moderation. There is also a large number of studies focusing on particular features of the welfare state in the Nordic countries, looking for instance at the impact of childcare subsidies and paid paren'tal leave schemes on labor supply and a number of other outcome variables. 1 In contrast to our study, this literature

Balanced Scorecard IKEA Essay

About the company IKEA is a Swedish company registered in the Netherlands that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, appliances and home accessories. As of January 2008, the company is the world’s largest furniture retailer. Founded in Sweden in 1943 by 17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad, who was listed as one of the world’s richest people in 2013, the company’s name is an acronym that consists of the initials of, Ingvar Kamprad, Elmtaryd (the farm where he grew up), and Agunnaryd (his hometown in Smà ¥land, south Sweden). The company is known for its modern architectural designs for various types of appliances and furniture, and its interior design work is often associated with eco-friendly simplicity. In addition, the firm is known for its attention to cost control, operational details, and continuous product development, corporate attributes that allowed IKEA to lower its prices by an average of two to three percent over the decade to 2010 during a period of global expansion. IKEA is about much more than just products. It is about offering inspiration, home furnishing knowledge, new products and solutions people can relate to. Always at low prices. IKEA home furnishing gives people access to affordable solutions that solve their needs and improve everyday life at home. Simply put, IKEA home furnishing makes it possible to turn dreams into reality and create homes to love living in. A culture of hearts The IKEA culture is hard to describe but easy to embrace. It’s a culture of enthusiasm, togetherness and willpower, born from our roots in southern Sweden and inspired by the IKEA founder, Ingvar Kamprad. The IKEA culture humbly unites us in our work to create a better everyday life for the many people. It’s not an easy task – and maybe that’s why we and all other IKEA co-workers are so dedicated and so stubborn. We all share the same conviction that many, not few, shall be able to create the home they want  and dream of. And when you put your heart into your work, it’s then you really can make a difference. Over 150,000 people are involved in the creation of a better everyday life for the many people. Business plans †Maintaining a strong IKEA and expansion ideas are great motivators to work hard. But there is no culture is one of the most crucial substitute for the feeling of actually contributing to something bigger. factors behind the continued success of the IKEA Concept† Ingvar Kamprad IKEA founder The IKEA values Values cannot be invented – they can only emerge from one place: the heart. IKEA values are very much a product of our origin. Hard work, tough challenges, common sense, Swedish roots and limited resources have formed IKEA values. To keep the IKEA Concept successful, we work to keep our values close to our heart. The IKEA values convey the essence of the entire IKEA culture. Over the years we’ve learned that acting according to IKEA values not only brings us together – no matter what age, race or part of the world we live in – it helps us do business successfully. The IKEA product range Developing IKEA products can take place almost anywhere around the world – on a factory floor in Asia or on the drawing board in Älmhult, Sweden. And everybody involved works together to create a product range that is simple, easy to live with and affordable. Good design should be available for the many, not the few. That’s why all IKEA designers design every IKEA product starting with a functional need and a price. Then they use their creativity and knowledge and use low-cost raw materials and manufacturing processes to create functional products. Then large volumes are purchased to push prices down even further. Most IKEA products are also designed to be transported in flat packs and  assembled at the customer’s home. This also lowers the price by minimizing transportation and storage costs. By doing all this, the IKEA Concept uses design to make sure that IKEA products can be bought and enjoyed by as many people as possible. IKEA designers constantly seek new ways to improve people’s lives – without emptying their wallets. But how can good design and function be combined with good quality, all at a low price? It starts with focusing on what’s important. Will an expensive finish on the back of a shelf or under a table-top improve the function? Of course not. So IKEA designers do not do it, because a product is of no use to the many people if it is not affordable. Low prices with meaning Low prices are only valuable if they offer good function, quality and design. IKEA product development teams constantly ask themselves – does this product contribute to a better everyday life? Does it have a good, sustainable design? Is the function and quality suited for everyday life? And most crucial – is the price low enough to make this product accessible to many, not just the few? Touch. Try. Explore. Dream! The IKEA store is our meeting place. It is where the IKEA product range comes to life. Visitors can compare styles and prices and get inspired by realistic room settings. They are welcome to sit, lie down, open and close drawers and cabinets, and pretend to cook, sleep or watch TV. The IKEA store is designed to meet many people looking for something for their homes. It’s also a place where you actually can go from inspiration to involvement by getting inspiration from solutions in the store, searching, finding and choosing the products needed, picking them up, buying them, bringing them home, putting them together and enjoying them the same day. All the IKEA products in the store are supported by price and product information that makes it easy for visitors to serve themselves. Customer involvement contributes to low prices. An invitation for the whole year With hundreds of pages of ideas, inspiration, solutions and products, the IKEA catalogue shows how the IKEA product range contributes to a better  everyday life. It is filled with solutions that answer people’s dreams and needs, it is also complemented with digital content that gives users a richer experience and provides more in-depth home furnishing knowledge. Still, it shows only part of what is offered in IKEA stores. Improve and develop the IKEA Concept The IKEA Concept is a living concept. We develop and improve it together with IKEA retailers and other contributors. Together we work to stay in the forefront of global trends and changes in retailing. We listen to the needs based on real-life shop floor experience to get better insight into what the many people need in order to improve their life at home. All this helps us to ensure that the IKEA Concept remains successful in an ever-changing world. We constantly monitor how the IKEA Concept is implemented in every market to ensure it is creating the maximum impact. Monitoring helps us to understand the different challenges facing IKEA. This could range from market conditions to cultural factors affecting shopping behavior. Through monitoring we can find ways to improve the IKEA Concept and how it meets the many people. IKEA retailers share their experiences, knowledge, innovation and ideas. This helps the IKEA Concept to be a living and dynamic concept that continuously develops and expands. The key is working together. Online know-how, Publications, Training programmes We offer an online resource for IKEA know-how that includes solutions, news, training programmes, publications and much more. We provide manuals and guidelines for all parts of the business and specific know-how areas. We also publish a magazine for IKEA retailers filled with tips, tools and proven solutions from all over the IKEA world. We offer a range of training programmes for many aspects of the business. Market research We conduct regular market research and provide IKEA retailers with reports and tools that help them improve their business. For example, we measure how well IKEA retailers have positioned the IKEA Brand in each market and how satisfied customers are with their latest store visit. We also conduct  research that helps find ways to improve the IKEA product range, the IKEA catalogue and the IKEA website. And we gather and analyze insight into macro-economic factors and the competitive situation. The IKEA Concept Center We believe in learning by doing. We operate the IKEA Concept Center in Delft, the Netherlands, where shopping, learning, testing and supporting all come together. The idea is to give IKEA retailers the chance to learn about the IKEA Concept and its recent updates and benefit from all the competence of specialists in a hands-on environment. For most visitors, the main attraction of the IKEA Concept Center is the IKEA store. Like all IKEA stores in the world it offers inspiring solutions, low prices, tasty food and shopping that is fun and enjoyable. The IKEA Concept Center is also home to specialists who, in co-operation with the IKEA retailers, find and identify good ideas and solutions. New solutions are developed, documented and analyzed from a conceptual viewpoint. We provide systematic transfer of IKEA know-how. And communicate proven solutions to all IKEA retailers, so that each and every one can benefit from these in their business. Together, we work to keep the IKEA Concept successful. We offer more than 50 different training programmes and workshops to IKEA managers and specialists at the IKEA College. In addition, many training programmes are offered locally or as elearning programs. Every year thousands of students are educated on how to use proven systems, methods and solutions to maximize the possibilities of the IKEA Concept. Testing Just as all IKEA products are tested to ensure quality and to find ways to improve, we are always interested in improving the living IKEA Concept. We test lots of new and innovative ideas at the IKEA Concept Center. These could be ideas suggested by IKEA retailers or ones that we come up with ourselves. When we find solutions that work well we make the part of the IKEA Concept and document and describe them so that all IKEA retailers benefit. 2013 was exciting for IKEA retailing In a tough climate IKEA retailing continued to grow and expand. Retail sales ended at EUR 29.2 billion for the full year. The business climate in Europe continued to be challenging for IKEA retailers, while we see improvements in North America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. As many developed economies strive to balance economics and social well being, we see that uncertainties will continue to dictate the business climate for some time. This affects people’s lives and living conditions and therefore we believe that the IKEA Concept is more needed than ever. The IKEA Concept gives everyone the possibility to improve their life at home IKEA products are becoming more accessible. This is about offering a wide range of good home furnishing products at low prices. It is about providing more and better services. And it is about creating a positive shopping experience in IKEA stores and online. Nine new IKEA stores opened, two of which are in new markets: Lithuania and Qatar. The re are also continued You do your part. We do our part. Together we, save money. improvements in sustainability efforts in various aspects of the IKEA Concept. One example is that by 2016, all the lighting sold at IKEA stores will be LED. The IKEA product range aims to help the many people live a more sustainable life at home, with solutions to help save energy, water and reduce waste. Most things remain to be done The first IKEA business was founded in 1943 and the IKEA Brand celebrated 70 years during 2013. Today more than 150,000 co-workers are working through-out the IKEA world. We saw more than 770 million visits to the IKEA stores and 1.2 billion visits to IKEA websites in the past year. Still we are just at the beginning. IKEA retailing is small in most markets and does not exist in others. People’s needs for good home furnishing products at low prices are bigger than ever and the IKEA Concept will continue to contribute  to a better life at home for the many people. A July 2013 media report speculated that IKEA is the world’s largest consumer of wood after a finding that the company uses 1% of the Earth’s wood supply. As of January 2014, IKEA owns and operates 349 stores in 43 countries. The Balanced Scorecard Value proposition IKEA’s value proposition is operational excellence because all IKEA designers design every IKEA product starting with a functional need and a price. Then they use their creativity and knowledge and use low-cost raw materials and manufacturing processes to create functional products. Then large volumes are purchased to push prices down even further. Mission Statement IKEA’s mission is to create a better everyday life for the many people, by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. It’s about creating homes to love. Critical success factors Financial -grow and expand -increase sales -enhance customer value -improve cost structure Customer -brand positioning -low cost product solutions -real life experience stores -rich content catalogs Internal Business Processes -minimizing storage and transportation costs -quality testing -product development -market research reports Learning and Growth -culture of hearts – e-learning programmes, training programmes and workshops -sharing experience, ideas, innovations, knowledge and know-how -market research reports -IKEA college

Contract Law Problem Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Contract Law Problem Question - Essay Example In this respect, clients can pay in full or incur partial payment processes to obtain the same products1. From this perspective, the willing buyer-seller technique relies on participant’s ability to come to an agreement on which method to apprehend a decision. When a debtor makes partial payment to a creditor, who has the right to end the agreement? In an event that both decide to settle before completion of the contract, who takes responsibility? The belief that the law binds a promisor to his promises raises many questions on the boundary of such aptitudes. Agreements are very important; nevertheless, the main question remains how to address disputes in contracts2. According to promissory estoppel, any creditor who formally or informally notifies a debtor of forgiving a commitment has no right to claim the same. In the case of Orlando and Kate, the latter chose a system of payment for buying a car worth $2500 by compensating in double instalments of $1250. Certainly, this pegged to her income that could not allow her pay a lump some for the same product. The mutual agreement between the two; however, did not materialize after Kate lost her job hence failing to pay for the second instalment. Worried about making losses, Orlando settled o n an additional $625 and a bottle of wine as a token of appreciation from Kate. Notably, this marked the end of their agreement of the sale and hence termination of the contract. Nonetheless, Orlando after hearing of Kate’s luck in finding another job intends to seek for the additional fee. Notably, Kate has no obligation to pay the remaining amount considering that Orlando agreed to new terms. The Law of promissory estoppel guards Kate against Orlando’s idea to demand more money. On the other hand, the doctrine of part payment debt assumes that partial payment of a debt does not hinder the creditor from fully enforcing the intention to settle. From this

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 57

Reflection - Essay Example Firstly, empiricism holds that the mind of a child has no innate traits. If not corrupted by the society, such a child has the tendency to act towards goodness or neutrality since they have been least predisposed to the world. However, an interesting question that might arise is; why do we have to spend so much time teaching children how to behave if humans are naturally good? Well, that sounds perplexing but since their minds are blank, we have to spend much time teaching them the socially tolerable manners and prevent them from adopting the unacceptable ways of the world. What’s more, our moral philosophies and actions are a product of our social nature. However, there are elementary rules of prudence and justice that explicates and defines how individuals should act for the survival of a peaceful society. I believe that is why we have governments that have enabled the society to flourish. In the absence of governments, the society would spiral into outright pandemonium and confusion would be the order of the day. Factually, the government makes and enforces laws since we believe that human beings are evil and are likely to act unbecomingly if left to exist in an anarchy state, where laws do not exist. While it is true that we are evil, I disagree with the debaters who perceive humanity as wholly evil. I blame it on the media that overemphasis on the evil part while ignoring majority of good things that take place daily, as though it is actually promoting evil over good. A cursory glance at news headlines makes us develop a pessimistic attitude towards humanity. The ceaseless reports of bigots, assassins, thieves, bullies, bombers and racists makes any rational individual to lose hope of ever living in a judicious society where good is what guides individuals’ actions. Regrettably, we are biologically susceptible to evil conducts, and we must, therefore, strive to act

International Law & Institutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

International Law & Institutions - Essay Example This obligation, as it applies to the acts of a single nation, and the rather restrictive exceptions to it are known as the rules on unilateral use of force. At the same time, there is the concept of collective security, which allows the community of nations to arise and oppose an aggressor nation together. This is regulated by the rules of collective security. Therefore, there are many situations where disputes between nations can break down into open conflict, and such conflict may still be completely legitimate under international law. 'All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of an State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.'4 This builds on the preceding provision which places an obligation on Members to settle disputes peacefully5 which in turn follows from the very purposes and reasons for the United Nations, that being the maintenance of peace and security and the prevention and removal of threats thereto.6 De Arechega describes Article 2(4) as 'the cardinal rule of international law and the cornerstone of peaceful relations among States.'7 This altered the age-old rule, applying up till 1949, that use of force was a legitimate remedy of last resort in all international disputes. While the Covenant of the League of Nations and the Briand-Kellogg Treaty condemned the 'resort to war' this was interpreted as only covering an all out declaration of war, and not uses of force short of war, which became in practice, all out war so long as no declaration of such was made. Article 2(4) therefore refers to 'force' and not 'war' and it expressly includes the threat of force. Force has been interpreted as armed force of all kinds, but not political pressure or economic sanction. The wording of Article 2(4), although a marked improvement on predecessors, is still open to arguments as to interpretation. Probably the most obvious is the apparent qualification of the obligation only to cases where 'territorial integrity or political independence' is challenged. In the Corfu Channel Case (Albania v United Kingdom)8 the United Kingdom Navy entered Albanian waters to sweep mines. The ships did so and then left the Albanian waters. The United Kingdom argued that since its action threatened neither the territory nor independence of Albania, it did not breach 2(4). The International Court of Justice decided however that the action of the United Kingdom was an unlawful use of force.9 Article 2(4) can therefore, as far as it goes, be seen as a legal obligation on states to genuinely refrain from the use of force. However, despite its legal validity, it may not have been quite so successful in practice. If Article 2(4) can be seen as a failure, I think the clearest demonstration of this is seen in the context of the Cold War. The Cold War attacked the resolve of 2(4) in two ways. The first was by changes in technology and the scope and effects that warfare would take on in the post nuclear

Analysis Of Buying Decision And Consumer Behavior Research Paper

Analysis Of Buying Decision And Consumer Behavior - Research Paper Example Outlooks are influenced by personality, learning, demographics, social forces, and perception (Holbrook, 1999). Marketers attempt to build favorable consumer outlooks toward their products/services. Outlooks embody sentiments toward a good originating from values, ideas, and beliefs. As a result, consumers form beliefs and ideas about products/services and their features. Outlooks reveal the decision whether to purchase a want or a need. One of the most prominent models of linking outlooks to consumer behavior and decision making is employed by the University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center (Michman et al., 2003). The purposes of consumer spending for expensive goods are examined. For instance, buyers are interviewed if they have a certain desire to make a purchase, a possible desire to purchase, an uncertain choice to purchase, or a certain objective not to purchase a new house equipment or car over a specific time period. Outlooks are normally very hard to alter, yet marketers may be capable of attaining the change in outlooks through open and effective communication, specifically if the perceptions of consumers about the product are inaccurate. The outlooks of consumers toward brands are relevant due to the fact that these outlooks do affect consumer choices and behavior. Change in outlooks requires transforming the motivational aspect linking the product/service to a specific class or occasion or altering perceptions about the products of competitors (Holbrook, 1999).

European spatial planning report Research Paper

European spatial planning report - Research Paper Example Identified aspects of the European background for spatial planning and expansion that are definite will be utilized to analyze matters of the report. There is an intense global perspective to spatial planning (Dühr et al. 2010). European incorporation enhances interconnections, growth and administrative across countrywide and regional borders (Hahn 2014). EU strategies in aspects such as surroundings, agriculture, transport, or regional strategy have extensive effects on spatial growth patterns and planning measures. The report concludes with assessment and recommendations that can assist the selected UK territory authority execute roles adequately (O’brien and Sykes 2013; Sykes 2011b). LED is a creation that is geared to promote development in suitable regions. The policy of LEP is about supporting economic development through enterprise zones and local enterprise partnerships. By considering LEP of various regions it is possible to advise the UK territorial authority in matters that affect development of some regions. LEP has challenges of social, economical and environmental capacity. However, different regions have dealt with these challenges in different ways. Local enterprise partnerships are affiliations between businesses and local authorities (Great Britain and Bailey 2010). They make a decision what the priorities must be for investment in infrastructures, buildings and amenities in the area. They are a means regions can develop without overdependence on federal or central governments. LEPs were provided the opportunity to apply to have a venture or project (investment) zone and 24 were offered. These regions can take benefit of tax incentives and easy lo cal planning policy (O’brien and Sykes 2013). They can have a key responsibility in this changeover or evolution both in terms of their responsibility in strategic economic planning, for example in investing in the essential infrastructure

Policies and Procedures to Manage the Release of PHI Research Paper

Policies and Procedures to Manage the Release of PHI - Research Paper Example Mobile phone and other related technology, retrieve personal health information for patients. Rapid exchange of vital medical information helps to quality delivery of medical aid to individuals (Kelly, Vottero & Christie-McAuliffe, 2014). On the contrary, there is a risk of unwanted access to privacy of medical information. It is important that health institutions have policies procedure to guide the process of revealing the medical information of individuals. Agency should implement an information management system to assist in managing health records. There would be effective quality control of health information. Proper health information management harmonizes the differences in law governing the release of medical information. Management of health information is one of the ways to regulate the release of medical information for patients (Kelly, Vottero & Christie-McAuliffe, 2014). The release of health information is an important topic because it dictates the quality of medical delivery. The state laws conflict and there are some states that have different rules governing the release of medical information. There is no uniformity in the state laws governing the protection of a patients medical information. There is varying degree of seriousness in handling the release of medical information for patients. Some states require patient permission to publish his or her personal information. On the contrary, some states do not have significant restrictions in releasing medical information to individuals. It is important to have install management systems that will ensure that there is protection of health information of patients. Installation of better management systems provides tracking of patients information. It is an important component in the implementation of a health care policy. The management should manage patients information in the hospital, and teams

The Economics of Labor Markets Essay Example for Free

The Economics of Labor Markets Essay That being said, any topic in the Ehrenberg and Smith book is acceptable. There are many sidebar issues that are highlighted, and very complete references and footnotes which would make an easy starting point for a paper. You could find a topic in current events. See the list at the end of this handout for examples. Submission Guidelines Your paper should be 10 to 12 pages in length, excluding exhibits, although if you come up short by a page I would prefer you NOT try to stretch it, so I will not automatically deduct points if your paper is only 9 pages. Your paper should include: 1. An â€Å"abstract†: A one paragraph summary of your topic and conclusions or key findings 2. Introduction and concise explanation of the topic. This must include some insight on why this topic is important, or who it is important to. 3. Main body of the paper: depending on the type of topic you have chosen, this would include different things such as a. An explanation of the different constituencies affected by a policy or labor economics issue b. Discussion of the labor theory that applies to this topic (i. e. discrimination models, efficiency wage model, labor/leisure model, etc. ) c. Discussion of published papers in economics that have examined this topic d. Discussion of specific data used to reach conclusions in these published papers, and how this data might compare to the population you are interested in. e. Use of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US Census Bureau, or any other original data source f. A historical examination of similar issues in the present or past (for example, if your topic is the Post-Katrina labor market in New Orleans, look at other cities or regions hit by severe natural disasters) g. Your conclusions based on your research 4. The Conclusion or Summary 5. Reference List (You must use a minimum of six different sources for your paper, and three of these must be from academic journals. None of these can be web-only references. Use of original data counts as a source. ) 6. Your work must be properly documented in the APA system of documentation. Guidelines for this documentation style can be found in Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference; online at ECN 3671 – The Economics of Labor Markets – Spring 2012 http://libguides. babson. edu/citing, and at the Babson Writing Center (Babson Hall 205) and Speech Resource Center (Horn 209). . Exhibits – feel free to embed the exhibits in the document or put them after the references. 8. Honor Code Statement – And please remember that as easy as the internet makes it to plagiarize, it also makes it very easy to catch plagiarism. There is a link to the Babson Academic Integrity Policy in the Term Paper Folder on Blackboard. Additiona l Instructions Use a 12-point font with a 1-inch margin all around. Double space lines and number all pages. All exhibits should be clearly referenced in the text, properly sequenced, and must support your analysis. Edit your document for grammar and readability. Sources ? Journal Articles found through EbscoHost or JStor or any other service Horn Library has access to. Examples of such journals are: o Journal of Labor Economics o Journal of Political Economy o Quarterly Journal of Economics o Journal of Economic Literature o Journal of Economic Perspectives o American Economic Review o Journal of International Economics o Demography o Economic Journal o Review of Economics and Statistics o Industrial and Labor Relations Review ? Books written by economists, sociologists, industrial relations experts ?

The Process Of Time Table Construction Computer Science Essay

The Process Of Time Table Construction Computer Science Essay The process of time-table construction can prove to be a hectic task considering the number of cohorts [courses] and the modules [subjects] offered by a specific university. This is mainly because, there could be a deadlock in allotment of the schedule considering all the constraints to be satisfied .This requires logical thinking which definitely consumes a large amount of time. Moreover, identification of the inconsistencies and their respective solutions can prove to be disastrous. Initially , the task of time table scheduling was done manually .This proved to be troublesome ,error-prone and time consuming .To overcome these problems , automated exam time-table generation has come to light. With a wider range of choices available to the students in the selection of modules [ subjects ] and cohorts [ courses] of their choice , the flexibility of the University improves but at the same time , the task of time-table creation becomes merely complicated .However , a software which can consider all the constraints and cross faculty modules [latter includes the modules taken by students from various faculties]as well , is of immense help. Thus ,the scientific society has given considerable attention to automated time-table generation from the last four decades .One of the most primitive ones used the concepts of one or more of the following operational methodologies network flow techniques reduction to graph coloring integer programming direct heuristics and more The latest technology uses advanced techniques like expert systems which work on the concept of artificial intelligence, logic programming which uses languages like Prolog, constraint logic programming and generic evolutionary algorithms .However , there is no universally accepted language for time-table creation. Several attempts have been made to formulate one but these are left incomplete. In this software , the constraint satisfaction is 99% .Moreover , the interface developed is use friendly where in the user doesnt have to enter the names of the cohorts and modules which he wishes to opt for as he can just select the same from the drop down lists . WHAT IS CONSTRAINT SATISFACTION? Constraint satisfaction was first introduced in artificial intelligence .This is a logical problem solving language merged with a programming language which is used to solve a given problem with a specific set of constraints. This deals with the assignment of certain values to the variables while meeting certain conditions. It is represented as a set of variables Xi and a set of constraints Ci where each constraint specifies a subset of variables and an allowable combination of these. In this project some of the main constraints which are to be considered are as below: Students belonging to different cohorts but studying a common module must have the exam on the same day. No two modules of the same cohorts can have their respective exams on the same day One of the soft constraints is that no two exams of the same cohort must be on the same day Thus, these are satisfied before the software is deployed .The techniques used in constraint satisfaction are purely dependent on the constraints. Constraints specific to a finite domain are solved using search strategies in the form of backtracking or local search. Constraint propagation is yet another technique which is used but however is sometimes incomplete. That is it either solves the problem or proves and declares it unsatisfiable .These methods are combined with the search strategies to simplify the process. There are many constraint programming libraries which can be included in this project. Since Java is the platform we develop the project on, Choco is an appropriate library which can be easily used with Java programming .it is an event based propagating system with backtrack structures. More on Choco is discussed in the later sections on the report. BRUTE FORCE TECHNIQUE: Brute force technique is a process of finding the result by taking all the possible inputs i.e., a trial and error process. If a taken Input yields the correct result then it is treated as the correct input. If not then it goes for the next input until we get the correct result. We can consider knapsack problem as an example of a brute force technique. Knapsack problem generally means a bag which should be filled with weights that should yield maximum profit. The most implicit constraint of knapsack problem is to maximize profit with minimum weight. Let us say there a four types of materials as follows gold , silver , platinum and bronze with profit values of 1000,10,2000 and 5 and weights of 2,3,4,5 .Thief want more profit with his minimum capacity bag let us say it can fit 5.So he applies the brute force technique to get maximum profit.First he fills the bag with gold which weights 2 and then goes for silver which weights 3 here the bag is full and yielding the profit of 1000+10=1010. Now he tries of another combination i.e., he selects platinum which weights 4 and now the rest of the bag is only one so he can select the  ½ part of gold which weights 1 thus the bag is filled with yielding 2000+500=2500 .In this manner different combinations are tried until the max profit is yielded. CHAPTER 2 Aims and Objectives The manual process of generating exam timetable by taking all constraints into consideration is very much time taking and difficult process. So the main aim of this project is to build a software tool to create exam timetables for a university or a school and the application should be user friendly and should satisfy all the constraints. The brief explanation of this is as follows: First analyze the manual process in developing exam time table that is following in schools and universities. This analysis helps us in developing the software tool. After analyzing the manual process we should make a list of all possible constraints which should be satisfied by the developed system. We should identify all the constraints that should be satisfied by our developed system and we should analyze them which is helpful in developing the software product. To gain an understanding of constraint satisfaction tool like choco which we are using in the development process. The developed product should be user friendly, so that user can use the system easily. In AUTOMATED EXAM TIME TABLE product the user should input the cohort name and module name. Instead of typing the entire cohort and module name we should put a dropdown list where user selects from it. By this we can eliminate the incorrect typing. The developed product should satisfy constraints like two exams of the same year of both semesters should not be on the same day. Every student should get their exams on alternate days only. All such type of major constraints should be satisfied by our product. MOTIVATION: Most of the people are interested in playing chess. By playing chess we can improve our concentration power. We have an idea of creating code for playing chess. As chess is played by two players one player is automated and another player plays manually. Here constraint satisfaction is used because there are certain conditions like elephant should have only straight moves, soldier should have one step straight move etc., we have to design our code by satisfying these conditions. Our program is used by the player in the absence of his partner. This player makes use of graphical user interface to opt his plots against other player which makes use of our code. So here artificial intelligence is used. This idea motivated us for designing automated examination time tabling software. FEATURES: Exams are scheduled such that no two exams are overlapped for the same student. Students are informed in case of any changes in the examination schedule like postponement, or preponement etc. User can save data so that he can view the application if he reopens it again. Students are allotted examination halls in a proper way so that a single student is not allotted in two different rooms. Proper allotment of staff in examination halls. Student can post his problems regarding exams. User can add modules to this software if they are relevant to this software. KEY TECHNIQUES JAVA PROGRAMMING JAVA is the language which has many features like multithreading, platform dependent, simple, robust, object oriented etc. Java is portable and performance levels of it are too high. Java concepts are very simple and understandable. Exceptions are also perfectly managed by Java. Database connectivity, GUI, IO packages is the main concepts due to which we go for java programming. CONSTRAINT SATISFACTION PROGRAMMING USING CHOCO CHOCO is a java library which is mainly used for constraint satisfaction. CHOCO is based on events which have the capability of backtracking. It can be used for many purposes like teaching, researching etc. So by using this constraint satisfaction programming we can develop the exam time table perfectly. ORACLE DATABASE FOR DATA STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL Database is a collection of entities. Data is a collection of similar raw information. Data is represented with the help of views or tables. View is not a physical entity. It is the representation for shadow of tables. Oracle database is mainly used for data storage and retrieval. That is data is stored in a place and in future if we want that data we can easily retrieve it. For developing the exam timetable in a university the above three key techniques are very very important and by using these techniques only the development processing of timetable can be done perfectly. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS There are two types of system requirements software and hardware. SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS Based on the operating system many things may depend. So selection of operating system plays very important role. WINDOWS XP operating system is the most appropriate operating system for software requirements of developing exam timetable. Oracle 10g relational database management system is also one of the software requirements. For developing the JAVA code My Eclipse Tool is the most suitable software requirement. For constraint satisfaction programming the preferred version is CHOCO 2.1.0. These are the minimum and most important software requirements for developing exam time table. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS The processor required is Pentium 111 processor with 800MHz. Oracle database 10g and Java code developing tool must be on run mode at the same time so 1GB RAM is required. 20GB HDD also required as hardware requirement. These are the minimum and most important hardware requirements for developing exam time table. CHAPTER 3 SYSTEM ANALYSIS Existing System: The timetable management of a university was initially done normally by using some primitive methods and algorithms. The planning is made by a group of people and the timetable is fixed after certain negotiations. The university needs to set the timetable for each and every student separately and then finalize the whole timetable. The Timetable that is prepared by the Examination department of that institution needs to be sent in atleast 45 days advance to all the departments of the university and concerned affiliated colleges also. There are some issues regarding the timetable preparation. They are The students belonging to different departments will have the subjects related to their course. The subjects may be in common for certain branches. So the timetable designer needs to have a proper idea regarding the date and time of the examinations making sure that the same subject to different departments is conducted on the same day and at the same time. This reduces the extra effort for preparing different sets of question papers and ensuring the same complexity of the paper. A subject may be completed in advance by certain departments and there might be certain students who had failed that certain subject. The students who have failed in the regular examinations are given a chance for writing the supplementary examinations in the next semester. There is a chance of anomaly that the regular examination of the current semester and the supplementary examination for the previous semester may fall on the same day and same time. So the timetable adjustment must be flexible in such a way that no student misses any of the examinations. The regular student needs to have at least a day gap in between the examinations so that he can get ample amount of time for preparation for the next examination. The availability of the invigilators also needs to be checked before scheduling a particular examination. The staff members who are not assigned any class work at that time are to be taken and the schedule for a particular staff is to be prepared. The subject that is opted by maximum number of students is to be held as the first examination itself. The reason behind this is that, if the subject that is opted by maximum number of students is conducted at the last then there would be a problem in validating the answer scripts. So overcoming all the above mentioned issues is a hectic task. The timetable designer needs to have an idea regarding all those issues. The time taken by an individual to overcome all the above issues may take a few months of time. Proposed System: The proposed system of timetable management is rather a key solution for all the above mentioned issues. It gains its importance in eliminating the potential risks that are involved in the process. We can give certain number of constraints as the input and the schedule is prepared considering the constraints. The software is flexible enough for the users to enter the starting and the ending date of the examinations, the names of the students and their respective departments are present in the database and the details are retrieved accordingly. The result of the examination is automatically stored in the database for the preparation of the next semesters timetable. The proposed system is considerably quicker and more efficient. CHAPTER 4 SOFTWARE TOOLS DISCUSSION 1.CONSTRAINT SATISFACTION: We have a lot of constraints which need to be imposed and satisfied in our project. Basically CONSTRAINT SATISFACTION can be defined as the process of finding a solution to a set of constraints that impose conditions for which the variables must satisfy. In general terms, a solution is the set of variables that satisfies all the constraints.This can also be defined as the outcome of constraint satisfaction 2. CONSTRAINT SATISFACTION PROBLEM(CSP): A CONSTRAINT SATISFACTION PROBLEM(CSP) is defined by a set of variables each having a specific domain and also a set of constraints each involving a set of variables. These constraints restrict the values that the variables can take. A CSP performs these two tasks simultaneously. Now coming to the solution to CSP, it is just an assignment that maps every defined variable to a value. There may be cases where you may want to find just one solution, all possible solutions or an optimal solution based on the given objective function in terms of variables. A general constraint problem consists of the following: A set of variables A={a1,a2,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.an} For each variable ai, a finite domain set Di of its possible values. D={D(a1),D(a2),à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.D(an)}. A set of constraints to restrict the values that the variables can take. C={C1,C2,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Cj}. 3. CONSTRAINTS SOLVER: Now we need a constraint satisfaction tool to solve the considered constraints. This tool can be combined with any other programming languages like C,C++,JAVA etc. This tool is nothing but the constraint satisfaction libraries . As we move on with the java programming in our project, different constraint satisfaction java libraries available are given below: Choco JaCop Qstudio Avaya Aptana JCL Koalog From above mentioned java libraries, we use choco in this project. Choco is based on an event based propagation mechanism with an additional feature of backtracking structures which adds to its supremacy. This gives clear difference between modeling and solving a problem. 4. CHOCO: Choco is an open source software implemented in java program that is widely used for constraint programming and constraint satisfaction. General Features: Choco provides problem modeler that handles a variety of variable types that are integer variables real variables that holds an interval of floats. expressions using variables with the many operators like +, -, /, * and etc. Chocos modeler supports 70 constraints some of them are listed below Arithmetical constraints (integers or real): equal, not equal, greater or equal, less or equal. Refined constraints i .e Boolean operations between constrains. It will verify the relation for a set of variables by defining the sets of tuples in the table constraints. Constraint Programming Solver: Constraint programming solver provides The different types of various domains implementations will be done (enumerated, bounded, integer variables). For constraint propagation several algorithms were implemented (parameterized cumulative, full and bound all different, state-of-the-art AC algorithms for table constraints) Chocos Design: Chocos design provides clear separation between modeling and solving. In the modeling the problem will be expressed and variables and relations are defined. The verification for variable constraints for their potential implementation is done. The API is provided that facilitates how to state a problem as user friendly. In the solving phase, the problem solving is done by Constraint Programming and related information is provided. It handles specific memory management for variables and tree-based search. 5. JAVA: We use choco constraint java library to build the tool. By embedding choco java library with the java programming we create the required exam timetabling tool. Java provides us many features which augments security and has many advantages: Java is designed in such a way that you can easily write the code and debug the code. Java uses the concepts of automatic memory allocation and garbage collection. As java is an object-oriented programming language, it allows objects to work together. The code written in java is reusable. Java is platform independent. This is developed by keeping security in mind. Java augments todays web with security and reliability. Because of these features we use java programming in our project. But we need an INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT(IDE) to develop a java application. Lots of IDEs are available. In this project EXAM TIMETABLING with CONSTRAINT SATISFACTIO we use MyEclipse IDE. 6. MyEclipse IDE: MyEclipse is a commercially available JAVA EE and AJAX IDE. This is created and maintained by the company GENUITEC. This is built on the eclipse platform. This integrates proprietary and open solutions into the development environment. MyEclipse incorporates open standard technologies to provide a development environment for J2EE, XML, UML and databases. This is an open source IDE to which you can add external jars. MyEclipse allows you to save the valuable time on debugging environment. By using MyEclipse, it is easy to edit and debug the environment. MyEclipse comes with two versions: a professional and a standard edition. The standard edition adds various tools and a number of other features to the basic Eclipse Java Developer version. CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM DESIGN The development process of the Automated Exam Timetabling tool for a University, we use Choco 2.1.0 version which is implemented using Java Programming. The different tasks which are going to be implemented in the process of developing this application are Designing Graphical User Interface(GUI). Data Calculations. Timetable. Choco tool for Constraint Satisfaction. Step1: Designing Graphical User Interface (GUI) This process includes only Graphical User Interface part, that consists buttons, Tables, Dropdown lists and etc. These controls are arranged in the proper order to display them. Look and feel will be implemented in this process. Step 2: Data Calculations Data Calculations part consists of code which results the final output for the Schedule of Exam Timetable. Here we implement the code with logic that works like selection of exams to be held in alternative days. Here we consider all exams of particular course and prepares a logic for Exam Timetable that includes Supplementary and Regular Exams. Step 3: Timetable Timetable process involves in the creation of a schedule that sets the examinations are allocated into venues with limited capacities within an examination period. This includes the following methods. We cannot schedule a session where one student cannot taken two examinations in the same session. The venues capacity should not exceed from the total number of candidates writing the exam in a schedule. Step 4: ChocoSolver ChocoSolver is a java library for constraint programming and constraint satisfaction. Choco will define all the variables of time tabling problem that includes the Constraint Definitions Candidate Information Venue Information Examination information Exam Session particulars. User has to enter constraints and changes to the exams related to the particular exam or venue. Defining the Constraints This program will allow the users to define all necessary constraints according to the exams. The different duration should be separated for all examinations . The examination time and venue of a particular batch should be held in particular date. Venue Partitioning This process considers the number of faculties and venues. Invigilators are allocated to particular venue for the examinations. User interface is provided for the assignment and manipulation of venue partitions to the faculties. In venue partitioning the following points are considered in the Choco Solver The number of students in a venue should not exceed more than the capacity. The sufficient invigilators should be allocated for the each examination hall. The attendance sheet should be provided to the invigilators to confirm the candidate is attended or not. PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED AND THEIR PROPOSED SOLUTIONS: Scheduling an exam time table is very difficult and time taking task because there are many constraints that should be satisfied for ex: at least one day gap should be there in between two exams so that student gets time to revise, there should not be any other exam on the same day which collides with the present exam, room allocation, staff allocation, invigilator allocation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Etc. All this problems are solved in this project, this project saves a lot of time, this helps to schedule exam time table in more user friendly manner. Proposed System: In this project user can add any module to any cohort by using dropdown menus. Mostly we are not sure about the starting date of exams, but in this application user have chance to select the starting date of examinations. Sometimes same module may be shared by some cohorts. In this case we are going to create new time table for the module shared by different cohorts on the same day. So that time can be saved and number of invigilators can be reduced. Some student may have supplementary exams. This supplementary exam and regular exam should not be on the same day or on the consecutive days. Separate schedule is created for these supplementary exams or those should be held with next intake students. This application allows user to add modules to a cohort by using drop down menus. The user can also make changes to the selected modules list. As per the date, schedule and cohort selected by user examination time table is created. As the user is allowed to choose options from drop down list provided, problems that occur due to typing mistakes can be decreased. Application development and deployment: The steps involved in the development and deployment of application involve Formulating the data interpretation scheme that is sufficient to handle all the requirements of the problem converting all data available to data interpretation scheme Next step is developing the scheduling algorithm that is used to schedule the exams. The application should support the numerous last minute changes during its development and deployment easily. Application Uses: The following are the benefits of Automated Exam Timetabling The initial implementation of program requires a lot of time for data entry and constraint specification. We can reuse the database of previous exams for next exams. Assuming that the constraints are specified correctly, the application should produce the schedule that is conflict free. We can schedule the exam timetable in a short span of time. We can make last minute changes in a short span of time. Shortening the exam period can make the expenses spend on conducting the exams (such as buildings, staff, etc.,) come down. The application benefits from its three tier architecture design. Conclusion: Automated Exam Timetabling software is used to schedule the university exam time table. This is reduces time and complexity involved in scheduling the exam time table manually. This document explains about the space and time complexity involved in scheduling the exam. The application developed is user friendly and it is used to give a graphical look and feel to the user for accessing and entering the information. Automated Exam Timetabling provides all the features that are required for scheduling the exam time table. Implementation of this software at different universities reduces the cost in terms of money and time. Future Uses: Automated Exam timetabling can be extended to schedule the university class time table and school time table School Timetabling: This application is used for scheduling the timetables for weekly classes at higher schools. University Timetabling: This application is used for scheduling the lectures of students of different modules in a university such that they prevent students and lecturers from double booking.

Traits Theory Focuses On Personal Qualities And Characteristics Management Essay

Traits Theory Focuses On Personal Qualities And Characteristics Management Essay Leadership is the process of influencing others to engage in work behavior that would lead to the achievement of goals. A successful leader must provide direction and leadership to motivate his employees to accomplish essential tasks within the required time frame. Manager has to set effective policies and formulate strategies to improve firms overall performance and effectiveness. One of the theories in function of leading is Traits Theory. Traits Theory focuses on personal qualities and characteristics. Traits that are important for leadership success are self-confidence, honesty and integrity, full of ambition, flexibility and motivation. Another theory in leading function is Fiedlers Contingency Theory. Fiedlers Contingency Theory states that a firm needs to examine the work situation and seek a manager whose style is suitable for that situation. The three factors that will influence the effectiveness of leadership are leaders position power, structure of teams task, and the quality of the leader-member interpersonal relationships. Other theory in the leading function is Behavioral Theory. Behavioral theory focuses on how leaders behave when working with employees. There have two types of leadership styles which are task oriented managers and employee oriented managers. Based on Michigan Studies on leadership behavior, task oriented leader is a leader who pay close attention to an employees job and work procedures involved with that job. While employee oriented manager is leader who develops cohesive work groups and ensure employee satisfaction. Motivation is an organizations life-blood. Thus, an effective manager must have the skills of motivation. According to the Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, the manager motivate the employees by providing physiological needs for survival, safety needs, belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization. A manager must have the ability of discover the employees talents and place the potential employees in the best fit position in an organization. Misplacements can cause a company substantial financial loss due to turnover, lawsuits, and loss of customers. Manager must communicate the vision with employees and invite employees to give feedback. Managers can win over employees loyalty, showing care, listening to them. Herzbergs theory categorized motivation into two factors: motivators and hygiene. Motivator factors are related with achievement, recognition, and produce job satisfaction. Hygiene factors are referring to pay, job security, and produce job dissatisfaction when hygiene needs not met. Money is a primary motivator. Special achievement incentive rewards, spot bonuses, and cash-equivalent rewards all play a role in the economic reward package. Autonomy is crucial to achieving a sense of self-worth. Autonomy strongly influences the decision of individuals to join and stay with an organization. Mr. R. Bala Krishnan Nair is the general manager of Showa Rubber Chemical Industry Incorporate. Mr. R. Bala Krishnan Nair say that the things that motivated him the most is getting the management trust, recognition and praise when achieving goals, objectives and targets sales. Issue of challenges by management and recognition through awards and incentives could also motivate him to work. Furthermore, Mr. R. Bala Krishnan Nair gives constant guidance and encourages his subordinates to talk in the meeting and training sessions. A manager has to being reasonable and accepting some useful ideas that expressed by the subordinates. He will also praise and give incentive rewards for the employees who have achieved high performance in their job. It is an important ways to rewards or recognises employees whose suggestions help improve the operation of company. Mr. R. Bala Krishnan Nair always attends companys social meetings, such as having dinners or lunch with subordinates and some other op en discussions which are better for interactions and ice- breaking. The challenges that he faces when leading his employees is he felt it is difficult to gaining respect from all the subordinates and superiors. This is because he is unable to remember all the name of his companys staff and greets to them. A manager who fails to greet employees or respond to greetings will lead to a high degree of de-motivation and disloyalty. He always feels that he is lack of knowledge of job. So, he always explores his capacity to learn something new. Moreover, another leading challenge that Mr. R. Bala Krishnan Nair faces is he has to performed strong character, leadership qualities and interpersonal skills when giving a public speaking and presentation. It is very important for a manager to made decision and judgements after analyse the idea suggested by his subordinates. This is because any misjudgement could be cause the company bankruptcy. When a decision is needed, Mr. R. Bala Krishnan Nair does not just fall into single preferred style, such as using employee oriented style. In practice, things are not that simple. Mr. R. Bala Krishnan Nair has access the Behavioural Theory in his company. He is highly emphasising the interpersonal relationship with the employees. This practice is very similar to the concept of Behavioural Theory. He always encourages his subordinates to express their own idea through meeting and he also promise rewards for the employees who has good performance. There have a number of issues that make this style difficult. The one of the problem that comes with this kind of leadership is that he is hardly to get to know the follower because he feel he do not has the time to do so. It is not such easy. But I can say is having the employee-oriented leadership will surely increase the group productivity and employees job satisfaction. Furthermore, Mr. R. Bala Krishnan Nair has access the concept of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs in his company. He has the ability to realize the employees talents and place the potential employees in the right position. He always communicates with employees about the vision, company goals, market, industry and business information and future plan, and invites employees to give feedback. This is because he knows that as a smart company will actively and continuously solicit feedback from our internal customers like employees to find out how well our company is meeting their needs. As we see it, active, risky, self-conscious, and committed learning is required in order to become the leaders demanded by todays complex and crisis-oriented environment.

Hitcher, Education For Leisure, My Last Duchess, and The Lab Essay

Hitcher, Education For Leisure, My Last Duchess, and The Lab "Hitcher" By Simon Armitage, "Education For Leisure" By Carol Anne Duffy, "My Last Duchess" and "The Lab" by Robert Browning are all poems that deal with violence or the prospect of violence. "Hitcher" is a poem about a man who is angry at being threatened with the sack, he picks up a hitch-hiker and kills him and then leaves him on the road side. The poetic voice seems to be psychotic and also talks about the attack in a casual manner. "Ed for Leisure" also deals with a bitter person who feels he has been let down by society. As he becomes increasingly demotivated, he gets more and more violent ending with leaving the house with a bread knife. Both poets aim to show us that people are unpredictable and innocent people often fall victim to anger that has gone too far. Both of the poems are arranged in stanzas, "Hitcher" contains some full and half rhyme to keep the poem moving but "Education for Leisure" is in free verse with short abrupt lines showing the characters irrational mind. Both authors ch...

Gods of Worship :: essays research papers

Gods of Worship Early beliefs are the origin for the standard of living today. Beliefs from long ago have adapted and evolved. Early concepts of Religion have some of the basic traits that are included in Religions even today. The most surprising fact is that many early cultures had no way to communicate with eachother but they still had many of the same beliefs and concepts. The early Aztecs and the early Greeks are perfect examples of these early cultures. Of course, this leaves many questions to be answered. What were the religious concepts of the early Greeks? What were the early concepts of the early Aztecs? How are these cultures the same?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The early Greeks appear to be quite intelligent. The Greeks had a system of gods. They had 12 basic gods, often called the Olympians, called Zeus, Hera, Hephaestus, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hestia, Hermes, Demeter, and Poseidon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Zeus was the head of the gods. He was the spiritual father of gods and people. His wife, Hera, was the queen of heaven and the guardian of marriage. Other gods associated with heaven were Hephaestus, god of fire and metal workers; Athena, goddess of wisdom and war; and Apollo, god of light, music, and poetry. Artemis was the goddess of wildlife and the moon; Ares, god of war; and Aphrodite, the goddess of love, were the other gods of heaven. These gods were joined by Hestia, goddess of the earth; and Hermes, messenger of the gods, and ruler of science and invention. Poseidon was the god of the sea, and he ruled a group of lesser sea gods. Last but not least, Demeter was the goddess of agriculture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Greeks had many other lesser gods to go with the 12 chief gods. Their concept of the gods is very complex. They believed their gods were immortal and controlled all aspects of nature. The Greeks acknowledged that thier well being rested on the will of the gods. The Gods severly punished mortals who showed unacceptable behavior. However, the general relations between people and gods were friendly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each Greek City devoted itself to a god(s). Often citizens of these citys would build temples of worship for their god(s). Children would learn about the gods in their home, and they would conduct worship inside their home. However, different parts of the home were reserved for prayer to different gods. The Greek civilization had a god for almost everything physical and emotional.

Attack Essay

â€Å"Attack† is a poem written in 1917 by Siegfried Sassoon while he was convalescing from his wounds in a hospital in Scotland. He was a soldier who fought in the First World War. Attack is a short, 13-line poem written in speech rhythm with some rhyme. The poem is described in a very vivid way which makes the reader think that the author himself witnessed the scene. The poem begins with the poet describing the setting of the poem. The landscape is in a battlefield where there are still remains of previous battles. The poet pictures it in a way that makes the scene very menacing and uncomfortable. The poem goes on with the soldiers fighting in the attack with their hopes struggling in the midst of war. Sassoon then ends the poem with an impassioned plea, â€Å"O Jesus, make in stop! † One major technique that the author uses in order to convey of the horror of the battlefield and what it seemed to be like to be in an attack is literal and figurative imageries. Examples of literal images are â€Å"the ridge emerges†, â€Å"bombs and guns and shovels and battle-gear†, â€Å"lines of grey, muttering faces†. The poet uses very striking diction that makes the poem sounds more uncomfortable, for example, â€Å"scarred slope†. The colour of the atmosphere is described as dun and wild purple which accentuates on the menacing atmosphere of the setting. The verbs at the beginning of the poem are very significant as they seem to be particularly strong in this poem, like the description of the tank â€Å"creep and topple† over the ridge, the barrage that â€Å"roars and lifts† or the men who â€Å"jostle and climb to†, etc. On the other hand, the poet also uses a lot of figurative images. These figurative images include: â€Å"time ticks blank and busy on their wrists†, â€Å"and hope, with furtive eyes, †¦ , flounders in mud†, etc. These images help to personify and emphasize the meaning of the poem, for example, in line 11: â€Å"While time ticks blank and busy on their wrists† The figurative image here delivers the meaning of the soldiers while fighting in the attack, are not aware of the time and how it ticks blankly and busily on their wrists. These two adjectives creates an alliteration that further emphasizes the meaning of how the soldiers are just spending meaningless time on the battlefield, forgetting who they are and what they do. Furthermore, the same kind of hopelessness is caught by the image of the time ticks blank and busy. This idea is brought out to us more clearly by the two last lines of the poem. Hope is personified as something with furtive eyes and grappling fists that flounders in mud, as if to compare it to the soldiers. The short statement, â€Å"flounders in mud† is also mentioning the solders falling down and dying in the attack. The impassioned plea at the end by the author seems to have a great effect on the readers as it shows the emotions and how sincerely the poet wants everything of this to stop. The mood of this poem if mostly menacing to the readers, it somehow makes us sympathize for the soldiers. Seeing the images of the attack, it also seems to have an emotive effect on the readers. The punctuations in the poem also help the poem to create a bigger effect of this. In many lines, a caesura is used to make the previous sentence emphasized and creates suspense as well as having a greater effect on the readers. Overall, Siegfried Sassoon has showed through the poem Attack shows how the soldiers have to go to the battlefield to fight on the lands of previous battles, having time ticking through and as they fall down, their hope also flounders, leaving them with their faces muttered, their fists grappling†¦

A Case Study of Obsessive Impulsive Disorder

A Case Study of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Some Diagnostic Considerations INTROD  UCTION Prior to 1984,  obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)  was  considered  a  rare disorder and  one difficult  to treat (I  )  . In 1984 the  Epidemiologic Catchment  Area (ECA) initial survey results  became available for the first time, and  OC  D  prevalence figures  showed that  2. 5  %  of  the  population m  et  diagnostic  criteria  for OCD (2,3)  . Final  survey results published  in 1988  (4) confirmed these  earlier reports. In  addition, a 6-month  point prevalence of  1. 6%  was observed,  and  a  life  time  prevalence  of 3. 0% was  found.OCD is  an illness of secrecy, and  frequently the  patients  present  to physicians in  specialties other than psychiatry. An  other factor contributing to under diagnosis of  this disorder  is that  psychiatrists m  a y fail to ask screening questions  that would identify  OCD. The  following case study is  an example  of  a patient  with moderately severe OCD  who  presented  to  a  resident  psychiatry  clinic  ten years prior to being diagnosed  with OCD. The patient  was  compliant with  out patient treatment for the  entire time  period  and was treated  for  major  depressive  disorder  and border line personality disorder with medication s and  supportive  psychotherapy.The patient never discussed  her OCD symptoms  with her doctors  but in retrospect had offered many clues  that might have allowed  a  swifter  diagnosis and treatment. CASE  HISTORY Simran Ahuja was a 29 year  old,  divorced,  indian female who worked  as a file clerk. She  was followed as an  out patient  at the  same  resident  clinic since  1971. I  first saw her 2012. PAST PSYCHIATRIC HISTORY Simran had been  seen in the  resident  out pati ent  clinic since July of 1984. Prior  to  this she  had not be  en  in psychiatric treatment. She  had never been hospitalized  .Her initial  complaints were depression and anxiety  and she had been placed on  an phenelzine  and responded well. Her  depression  was  initially thought  to be  secondary to amphetamine withdrawal, since she  had been using  diet  pills  for 10  years. She stated  that at first  she  took them to lose weight,  but  continued for  so  long because people at work had noted that she  concentrated  better  and that her job performance had improved. In addition,  her past doctors had  all  commented on her limit  edibility to  change  and her neediness, insecurity,  low  self-esteem,  and poor boundaries. In addition,  her past doctors had noted  her promiscuity.All noted  her poor attention span and limited capacity  for insight. Neurological  testing during her ini tial  evaluation had shown the  possibility of non-dominant parietal  lobe  deficits. Testing  was repeated  in 1989 and  showed †Ã‚  problems in attention ,  recent visual and verbal memory  (with  a greater deficit  in visual memory),  abstract thought  , cognitive flexibility, use  of mathematical operations, and visual analysis. A possibility of right temporal dysfunction is  suggested. †Ã‚  IQ testing showed a  co  m bine d score of 77 on the Adult Weschler  IQ test ,  which  indicated borderline  mental  retardation  .Over the years  the patient had been maintained  on various  antidepressants  and antianxiety agents. These  included  phenelzine,  trazadone, desipramine, alprazolam, clonazapam,  and hydroxyzine. Currently  she  was on fluoxetine  20  mg  daily and clonazaparn 0. 5 mg  twice  a day and 1. 0 mg at bedtime . The antidepressants  had been effective over the years in treating her depression. She  has  never used  m  ore clonazapam than prescribed and there was no history of  abuse  of alcohol or street drugs. Also, there was no history  of discreet  manic episodes and  she  was  never treated with neurolepics.PAST MEDI CAL HISTORY She suffered from  gas  troesophageal reflux and  was maintained  symptom free on a combination  of  ranitidine  and  omeprazole. PSYCHOSOCIAL  HISTORY Simran   was  born  and  raise d in  a  large city. She had a brother who was  3 years younger. She  described  her father  as morose , withdrawn,  and recalled  that he has said, †Ã‚  I don't  like  my  children. Her  father was  physically and  verbally abusive throughout her  child  hood. She  had  always longed  for a good relationship  with him  . She  described  her mother as  the  family martyr and the  glue that  held  the  family together.She stated that  sh e  was  very  close  to her  mother;  her mother always listened  to her and was  always  available to talk with her. She  was a poor student,  had difficulty all through school , and described herself  as †Ã‚  always disrupting  the  class by talking or running  around. †Ã‚  She  had  a  best friend through grade school whom  she  stated †Ã‚  deserted† her  in high  school. She  had maintained  few close  friends since  then . She   graduated high school with much difficulty and  effort. She  dated on  group dates  but never alone. Her husband  left her  while  she was  pregnant with her  son.The husband  was a  bus driver  and had not had  a  role in their  lives  since the  divorce. Aft  e r the  divorce,  she moved  back  to her parent  s'  home  with her son  and  remained there until getting her  own apartment  3 years ago. FAMILY HISTORY Simr an’s  mother  had two  serious  suicide attempts at  age 72 and was  diagnosed with major  depressive  disorder with psychotic features  and OCD. She also had non-insulin dependent  diabetes  mellitus and irritable  bowel  syndrome. Her  brother was treated  for OCD  as an outpatient  for the  past  20 years and also has Hodgkin's Dis  ease, currently in remission.The brother's diagnosis of  OCD was kept secret from  her  and did not become  available  to her until her mother died. Her father  is  alive and well. MENTAL STATUS EXAM She  was a  thin  ,  bleached  blond woman  who appeared her  stated  age. She  was dressed in  skin  tight  ,  provocative  clothing,  costume jewelry earrings  that eclipsed her ears  and hung to her  shoulders, heavy  make-up and  elaborately  styled hair. She  had difficulty  sitting  still  and fidgeted  constantly  in  her  chair. H er body language through out  the interview  was  sexually provocative. Her speech was  rapid,  mildly pressured,  and  she  rarely finished  a sentence.She  described  her  mood  as â€Å"anxious. † Her affect appeared anxious. Her  thought  processes showed mild  circumstantiality and tangentiality. More significant  was her inability to finish a  thought  as exhibited by her in  complete  sentences. COURSE  OF TREATMENT Initial  sessions with the  patient were  spent  gathering history  and forming a working  alliance. Although  she  showed a  good  response  by  slowing  down enough to finish  sentences and focus on  conversations  ,  she  could not tolerate  the side  effects and  refused  to  continue taking the medication  . The  winter  of  1993-94  was  particularly  harsh.The  patient  missed  many sessions because of  bad weather. A pattern  began  to   emerge  of  a  consistent  increase  in the number  of phone  calls that  she  made  to the office voice  mail to  cancel  a session. When  she was questioned about her phone  messages she stated,  Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  I always repeat  calls to make sure my  message  is received. † Since  the  most recent cancellation generated  no less than six phone calls ,  she  was asked why a  second call wouldn't  be  enough â€Å"to be  sure . † She  laughed  nervously and  said,  Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  I  always repeat  things. † With careful questioning  the following  behaviors  were uncovered.The patient checked  all locks  and windows repeatedly  before  retiring. She  checked the  iron a dozen times  before leaving the house . She  checked  her door  lock  Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  a  hundred  times† before  she  was able to  get in her  car. The patient  washed her hands frequently. Sh e carried disposable  washcloths in  her purse †Ã‚  so I  can wash as  often  as I need too  . †Ã‚  She  said people  at work laugh  at her  for washing  so  much. But she  stated  ,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I  can' t help it. I've been this way  since  I was  a  little girl. † When  questioned  about telling former  doctors  about this,  the  patient  stated that she  had never  talked  about it with her doctors.She  stated  that  everyone that knew  her  simply knew  that  this  was  the  way  she  was:  Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  It's  just  me . †Ã‚  In  fact , she  stated, †Ã‚  I didn't  think my doctors  would  care†¦ .  I've always  been this  way  so  it  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœs  not something  you can  change . † Over the next  few sessions, it became  clear  that her arguments  with her boyfriend centered  on  his annoyance with her need  to  const antly repeat  things. This was  what she  always referred to  as †Ã‚  talking too much  . †Ã‚  In  sessions it  was  observed that  her  anxiety,  neediness and poor boundaries  a  rose over issues of misplacing things in her purse and insurance forms that were incorrectly  filled  out.In  fact,  when I  attempted to correct the  insurance forms for her, I had difficulty because of her need to repeat the  instructions to me  over and over. The Introduction Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterised by persistent obsessional thoughts and/or compulsive acts. Obsessions are recurrent ideas, images or impulses, which enter the individual's mind in a stereotyped manner and against his will. Often such thoughts are absurd, obscene or violent in nature, or else senseless. Though the patient recognises them as his own, he feels powerless over them.Similarly,compulsive acts or rituals are stereotyped behaviou rs, performed repetitively without the completion of any inherently useful task. The commonest obsession involved is fear of contamination by dirt, germs or grease, leading to compulsive cleaning rituals. Other themes of obsessions include aggression, orderliness, illness, sex, symmetry and religion. Other compulsive behaviors include checking and counting, often in a ritualistic manner, and over a â€Å"magical† number of times. About 70% of OCD patients suffer from both bsessions and compulsions; obsessions alone occur in 25%, whilst compulsions alone are rare. 1n  she spent  ten minutes checking and rechecking  the  form  against the receipts. She  became convinced that she'd  done it wrong, her anxiety would increase, and  she  would  get  the forms out  and check  them again. Her  need to include  me in this  checking  was  so great  that she  was almost physically on  top  of  my  chair. In the  following  weeks,  se ssion s  focused  on  educating the  patient about  OCD. Her  dose of fluoxetine  was increased  to 40 mg  a  day but discontinued because  of severe restlessness and insomnia.She continued to  take 20  mg of  fluoxetine a day. Starting  another medication in  addition to fluoxetine  was difficult because of the patient  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœs  obsessive  thoughts  about  weight gain, the  number  of  pills  she  was  taking, and the  possible side effects . Finally,  the  patient agreed to try adding  clomipramine to her medications. The  results were  dramatic. She  felt  Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  more relaxed † and had less anxiety. She  began to talk, for  the  first  time, about her  abusive  father. She said,  Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  His behavior was always supposed  to be the family  secret. I felt  so afraid  and  anxious I didn't  dare tell  anyone.But now  I  feel better. I don't care who  knows. It  Ã ¢â‚¬Ëœs  cost my  mother  too  much  to  stay  silent. †   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At  this time  the  plan is to begin behavioral therapy with  the  patient  in  addition to medication s  and  supportive therapy to  deal wit  h her  difficulties with relationships. DISCUSSION This is  a complicated  case  with multiple diagnoses: borderline  mental  retardation,  attention deficit disorder,  borderline  personality  disorder,  a  history  of  major depressive disorder and  obsessive compulsive disorder. Given the  level  of  complexity of  this  case and the  patient ‘s  own silence  about her  symptoms,  it  is  not urprising  that this  patient's OCD remained  undiagnosed  for  so  long. However,  in  reviewing  the literature  and the case,  it is instructive to  look  a  t the  evidence that  might  have  led  to an earlier diagnosis. Fir st of  all,  there  was the  finding  of soft neurological deficits. The patient  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœs Neuropsychological testing suggested  problems  with  visuospacial  functioning  n visual memory,  as well as  attentional difficulties  and  a  low IQ. In the  past,  her doctors were so impressed  with her history of  cognitive difficulties  that  neuropsychological testing was  ordered  on two separate occasions.Four  studies in the  recent literature have  shown consistent findings of  right hemispheric dysfunction,  specifically  difficulties  in visuospatial  tasks, associated  with OCD  (6,7,8,9). The patient also had a history  of chronic dieting,  and  although  extremely  thin, she continue d to be  obsessed with not  gaining  a single pound. This was  a  patient who took diet  pills for 10  years and who  see earliest memories  involved  her father's disapproval of  her bod  y  ha bitus. Eating  disorders a  reviewed by  some  clinicians  as  a form  of  O C D. O  C D.Swedo and Rapoport (II)  also note  an increased incidence  of  eating disorders in children  and  adolescents  with  OCD. While  this was  no doubt true,  the underlying  obsessional  content pointed directly  to OCD and should have  generated a list of screening questions  for OCD. This underscores  the  need to be  vigilant for diagnostic clues and to perform one's  own diagnostic assessment when  assuming the treatment  of any  patient. While the  literature  makes  it clear that OCD  runs in families,  the  patient was unaware of the  illness  in her family  until after  her diagnosis  was mad  e.It  would have be  en  helpful to know this information  from the  beginning  as it should  immediately  raise a suspicion of OCD in a patient  presenting  with complaints  of  depression and anxiety. Finally,  her diagnosis of borderline  personality  disorder  made  it  easier to pass  off her observable  behavior  in the office as  further  evidence  of  her  character structure. The diagnosis of borderline  personality  disorder was  clear. She  used the  defense of splitting  as evidence d by her descriptions  of her fights  with her boyfriend . H  e was either  Ã¢â‚¬Å"wonderful† or a  Ã¢â‚¬Å"complete bastard. † Her  relationships were  chaotic  and unstable.She had no close friends outside  of her family. She  exhibited  affective instability, marked  disturbance of body  image  and impulsive behaviors. However, it was difficult to discern whether her  symptoms were truly  character logical  or  due  instead  to her underlying  OCD and related  anxiety. For instance,  the  in  stability  in her relationships was,  in  part,  the result  of  her OCD , since  once she  began to obsess  on  something,  she  repeated  herself so much  that  she  frequently  drove others into  a  rage. A  study by Ricciardi,  investigated  DSM-III-R Axis II diagnoses following treatment for OCD.Over  half  of  the  patients in the study  no longer met DSM-III-R  criteria for personality disorders after  behavioral  and  /  or pharmacological treatment  of  their  OCD. The  authors  conclude that  this  raises questions  about  t  he validity  of an Axis  II diagnosis  in the  face  of  OCD. One might also begin  to wonder how many  patients  with personality  disorders  have undiagnosed  O  CD? Rasmussen  and Eisen  found a very high comorbidity of  other Axis I diagnoses in patients  with OCD. Thirty-on  e  percent of patients studied  were  also diagnosed with major  depression, and  anxiety disorders accounted for twenty-four per cent.Other coexisting disorders  included eating disorders, alcohol  abuse  and dependence, and Tourette's syndrome. Baer,  investigated  the comorbidity  of Axis  II disorders  in patients  with OCD  and found that 52  percent  met  the criteria for  at least one  personality  disorder  with mixed,  dependent  and histrionic being  the  most common disorders diagnosed  . Given  the  frequency of comorbidity in patient  s  with OCD,  it would  be wise to include  screening questions  in  every  psychiatric  evaluation. These  need  not  be elaborate. Questions about  checking,  washing,  and ntrusive,  unwanted thoughts can be  simple  and direct. In  eliciting a  family history,  specific  questions about  family members  who check  repeatedly  or  wash  frequently  should  be included. Simply as  king if  any  family member  has  OCD  m  ay  not  elicit   the  information  , since  family members may  also be undiagnosed. In  summary, this  case  represents a complicated  diagnostic  puzzle. Her  past physicians  did not have the  information  we d  o  today  to unravel  the  tangled skeins  of symptoms. It  is  important to be  alert  for  the  possibility  that this  patient ‘s story is not an  uncommon one.BIBLIOGRAPHY * Psychology book (NCERT) * Identical * Suicidal notes * A psychopath test: journey through the world of madness * Disorder of impulse control by Hucker INDEX * Introduction * Case study * Course of treatment * Discussion * Bibliography ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my special thanks and gratitude to my teacher Mrs. Girija Singh who gave me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic ‘obsessive-compulsive disorder’, which also helped me in doing a lot of research and I came to know about so many new things.Secon dly I would also like to thank my family and my friends who helped me a lot in finishing this project. CERTIFICATE This is to certify that Jailaxmi Rathore of class 12 has successfully completed the project on psychology titled ‘obsessive-compulsive disorder’ under the guidance of Mrs. Girija Singh. Also this project project is as per cbse guidelines 2012-2013. Teacher’s signature (Mrs. Girija Singh) (Head of psychology department) 2012-2013 PSYCHOLOGY PROJECT NAME OF THE CANDIDATE: JAILAXMI RATHORE CLASS: XII ARTS B SCHOOL: MGD GIRLS’ SCHOOL