Learning Journal †Time Management Essay

The learning journal consists of my personal reflections on events in the workplace and on how I have tested new ideas from studying the module materials like Topic Guides in my work. It also consists of implementations of work based objectives or inquiries, plans for development of future work practice, shows how I have applied reflective thinking frameworks as I conducted my work based inquiries. Firstly, I would focus on the cycles of work-based inquiry on Time Management. Currently, I am undertaking trade training and representing the Army Martial Arts team. Adapted from TMA02 Task1(15/12/2013): Time management has always been an ideal topic of interests for me as it is fundamental factor which aids learning process in the workplace. Managing is evidently an effective technique as it maintains time appreciation and resources which aids in the production of positive results. Adapted from TGF Yellow(15/12/2013): (Doran, 1981, p. 35-36)SMART Framework S – I will have respective schedules for studies, work and sports planned out. By doing so, I will be having more time, achieve my set goals with more focus and produce better results too. M – I will reflect daily on my list of schedules and tick them off. If for any reason, I lack behind the schedule, I will ensure prioritising and spending time accordingly. A – If I could  finish my workload as planned out, I would be reasonably well ahead of my assigned date. This would give me more time to spend with my family especially with 2 year old son. R – I would be able to meet my goals set by myself. Not only will there be more family time to spend, I would also be eligible for my next promotion in good time and a step closer to becoming eligible for the Commissioned Officer course in the Army if I complete my OU degree. T – I am planning from the start of week 5 of BU130 till the end of the module. The framework has shown some effective results ever since and I am spending more quality time with family as well as coping with studies and training sports wise.’’ Journal(15/12/2013): Essentially, considering one of my workplace inquiries – Time Management, I am doing an Apprenticeship course plus OU modules, maintaining my fitness and representing the Martial Arts Team too. I have a son to look after at times and sometimes I struggle to make time for anything. (Simmering, 2014)I have been facing difficulties but after reading the article of the Topic Guide on Time Management from Reading 3 (The Open University, 2014a), I used the new ideas in conjunction with the application of the SMART framework. This made my schedule more practical and manageable. Journal(19/01/2014): I needed to outline the problems that I would face manage with my trade training and OU studies. I felt that it is difficult to start out and concentrate to get things done according to the set programme. (Simmering, 2014)Time management is testing as it requires motivation and discipline to work efficiently. It was easy to extend beyond schedule as procrastinating has been difficult to avoid. Adapted from TGF Green(29/01/2014): Introduction Critical Incident At times, I would have a responsibility of looking after my 2 years old son as my wife who works part-time doing her night shifts straight after my work. Just recently, I had to take my son to the A&E Department because he started having breathing problems for 2 days and we are regularly administering his doses at the given timings. The following day, as I  returned to my training, my NVQ course instructor came to me and told me to speed up to catch up with the programme schedule or he would mark the particular practical task a fail if not handed in time. I felt really upset because I thought he was being unreasonable and unfair but I had no choice so I hastily worked on my task and managed to complete it in time with an average score. Journal(21/01/2014): I have completed the introduction and incident section and I will be able to progressively focus. However, it has not turned out as planned on some areas, particularly, in my course where I have been struggling to catch up with my other classmates. Moreover, I will also have to take days off from the vocational course to train for Army Martial Arts Competition. Plus, I know that I will have more workload piled up from the time loss from Martial Arts training as my apprenticeship deadline is on the 18th of March. Unexpected incidents have caused me delays making it difficult to follow the schedule. Ideas(22/01/2014) Using the stages of Kolb’s learning cycle, we could learn to Reflect from Concrete Experience like the incident mentioned above and Generalise to put it in Action. (Kolb, 1984) Journal(25/01/2014): I found that reflecting from ideas tested is a brilliant way of learning as it teaches me to work effectively by generalising and putting it to action. I noticed by using the four stages of Kolb’s learning cycle, it does give a broader view of the learning process. Adapted from TGF Green(29/01/2014): Hi Joyce I have tried the time management schedule as planned out with achievements. However, I have had lagged behind schedule due to unexpected problems that crops up every now and then. Currently, I have cut short my breaks and worked harder to catch up with time by half, which is about an hour, daily. I thought cutting my breaks shorter has worked effectively and I am also able to be a step ahead. Journal(29/01/2014): I thought if I could do it differently, I would change my ways or improve to work quicker and catch up with the programme. It seems to work better each day as I am speeding up progressively in doing other project work and practical assignments. I am able to spend ample time on my TMA03 assignment as well. Framework for evaluation(29/01/2014) I have chosen the Pedler’s framework of bringing our feelings into our reflection According to Pedler et al. 2001 stats that it helps us to rationalise one’s thought and various ideas that could be used to improve their actions and performance in difficult situations. Taking emotions and feelings into account and analysing situations through questioning and response. It is basically learning through reflection. Our feelings – I felt disheartened by the way the instructor who unreasonably told me that I could fail the task. I had no options but to continue my work with speed as I know that arguing with him would not have got me anywhere. I am glad that I managed to pass it though. Our thoughts and ideas – My thoughts are to give a critical review of my schedule and allocate ample time for assignments and project works. I might consider cancelling some Taekwondo classes and start completing tasks faster. This will also give me extra time for my family as well as keeping me ahead of things to come. Our action-tendencies – Following strictly with the deadline will help keep myself on track with everything. I have been struggling to meet the deadline but will persevere to achieve them. As I cannot afford to lose any more time and make it a habit. Journal(20/02/2014): In addition to using the Kolb’s learning cycle, I thought the Pedler’s framework would work together. So far, results have been excellent as I could practise and maintain schedule overall. This supports my Self and Career management well. Journey Reflection(28/02/2014) In summary, I thought the process of reflecting from the beginning was really challenging and a difficult one because lots of changes were made to achieve the result wanted. Sometimes, it is not possible to control everything as planned and adjustments have to be made along the way. I thought that I had  to transform myself doing this module to become better at managing and organising my time. Word count: 1313 References: Arney, E. (2011) BU130 Writing for work and study, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Arney, E. (2012) BU130 Learning Contract Guidance, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Arney, E. (2013) BU130 Study Guide, 7th edn, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Doran, G. T. (1981) There’s A S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives, Management Review, vol 70, no. 11(AMA FORUM), pp. 35-36. Kolb, D. (1984) Experiential Learning, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall. Pedler, M., Burgoyne, J. and Boydell, T. (2001) A Manager’s Guide to Self Development (4th edn.), Maidenhead, McGraw-Hill. Ramsey, C. (2010) BU130 Introducing Reflective Learning, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Simmering, M. J. (2014) Time Management – Reference for Business, (2nd edn) [Online], Encyclopaedia of Business. Available at http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Str-Ti/Time-Management.html (Accessed 15 December 2013). The Open University (2014a) ‘Reading mate rial 3’, Topic Guide 1: Time management [Online]. Available at https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=372553 §ion=3 (Accessed 15 December 2013). 2. Reflective Report Introduction Corresponding to the Time Management which gives support to the learning development in the workplace, the Self and Career Management, is fundamental in ensure relevance in the chosen pathway. It has to be made certain that the individual is not being trained or forced into something that is irrelevant. The importance of the Self and Career Management is stressed in the Learning Contract under Section 1 – Possible learning topics: ‘’Likewise, self and career management comes into what the individuals’ capabilities are and how one can establish their aims to achieve their goals. Without learning the appropriate skill or having the relevant qualification, it does not help for the assigned tasks. Hence, I would ensure that the courses and experiences needed are attained according to my  career path.’’ Occurrence Having acquired 8 years of service in the British Army and experienced various dilemmas, the economic and financial constraints have significantly affected the Regular Army Structure as a whole down to the hierarchy of ranks from 102,000 to 82,000 (The Guardian, 2014). Colleagues who were highly professional and skilled are forced into changing their trade skills or made redundant because of the non-availability of the quota and relevance in trade skills required including expenditures. Moreover, with pay freeze and staff retention and cut backs, it has been ever more difficult for serving soldiers. In order to ensure job suitability, one has to be competent with a relevant qualification and experience. Therefore, ideas generated from sources such as Topic Guide 3: Self and Career Management Readings 5 and 6 materials were used to adapt to such changes. (The Open University, 2014b) Discussion Session Action Taken At the moment, I am undertaking a vocational, NVQ level 3 course in order to be more competent and qualified as a senior tradesman with acquired knowledge to secure my profession and develop personally. Ideas (The Open University, 2014b)Additionally, I also obtained several ideas from Readings 5 and 6 materials and they are: – The skilful use of the self Strengths and weaknesses Self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence Managing change Framework for reflection The reading material ideas, utilised in conjunction with the stages of Kolb’s learning cycle, we could learn to Reflect from Concrete Experience like the incident mentioned above and Generalise to put it in Action. (Kolb, 1984) The ‘Kolb’s experiential learning cycle’ is to be used for reflective learning on our own circumstances. This model enables one to breakdown situations into a clearer more structured way. This framework allowsassessment of a particular situation and reflection of oneself and experiences which directs into putting actions to practical adjustments Concrete Experience – I have planned out my vocational pathway to promotion and tried the Self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence to discover my potential capabilities and limitations (Bourner, 1996). However, I realised that sometimes I am not so confident with my given task even though I had the subject knowledge. Reflection – I need hone my weaknesses which will boost my self-esteem and practise with confidence in any given situation. Generalisation – It was because I had a vocational learning gap for 2 years and had few exposures. Therefore, I had to practice more which could obtain me to double promotion if I get a distinction and recommended. Action (Bourner, 1996)Hence, whatever the circumstances, I must manage the changes meaning innovating and improving the standards and quality of work in order to achieve distinction and be capable of reaching my own prospective pathway. Framework for evaluation Adapted from TGF Green: I have chosen the Pedler’s framework of bringing our feelings into our reflection (Pedlar et al., 2001) It is stated on (Pedler et al., 2001) that the framework helps us to rationalise one’s thought and various ideas that could be used to improve their actions and performances in challenging situations. Taking emotions and feelings into account and analysing situations through questioning and response. It is basically learning through reflection. Components Our feelings – I thought that having seen some of my colleagues made redundant, I felt disheartened in some ways. I knew that if I had to secure my job position, I would have to move on with strong mindset and set goals. I managed to be safe as for now plus got myself loaded onto a mandatory  vocational course which will qualify me for next promotion. Our thoughts and ideas – My thoughts are to be more decisive of my qualifications that I strive to acquire and making sure my options are available according to my experiences and knowledge gained. Ideas are taken from as many resources available especially from Reading materials from the Topic Guide 3 of Self and Career Management. This will put me on track that will ensure a stable career and perhaps give me better prospects in the field of business studies (The Open University, 2014b). Our action-tendencies – It is very simple to lose focus and interests during some point of performing on the course or even give up on the qualifications. Therefore, one must have self confidence, strong willed and persevere in order to overcome such weaknesses. One must also learn relevant skills needed. I have learnt that Self and Career Management that the crucial to keep an individual’s competency updated and experiences gained appropriate to my career pathway and also keeping opportunities available. *Adapted from the Learning Contract, under Section 3 Learning Objectives. Self and Career Management (Doran, 1981, p. 35-36)Developing and maintaining records of achievements, qualifications for future planned pathways. S – Gain relevant qualifications and experiences and also recommendations. This will create foundation to secure my current position giving better opportunities too as I will also be completing my Apprenticeship – Fabricator (NVQ Level 3) in 14th of March. M – Every week, I will critically reflect on areas covered and if I am struggling, I will concentrate more to improve my weak areas, and record everything done to date. A – I aiming to achieve a distinction (above 85%) in my Apprenticeship in order to be recommended for Clerk of Works and also pass BU130 module with flying colours at the end of March. R – I would follow the organised path chosen which avoids confusion and distraction plus produce results. T – I started as of 2nd November till the 18th March to acquire as much qualifications and experiences as possible to improve my career. Conclusion In overall, I have been able to adapt ideas from resources such as the reading materials from the Topic Guides and BU130 module books with the help of classmates and Ms Joyce (Tutor) in the TGF discussion forum. Essentially,  I am more confident on dealing with situations and coming up with solutions to tackle daily problems along the way. I am able to gauge my own capabilities and push myself to enhance my personal development and have better job prospects by using the SMART framework for further future development.

Aquinas’ and St. Anselm’s Proofs of the Existence of God

It is generally understood that people that are nonbelievers in God would never believe in the philosophies of the believers with regard to His existence. Nevertheless, there have been a number of important philosophers who have sought to prove the existence of the Almighty by thought alone. According to these philosophers, the presence of God may be understood by reason. Throughout the ages of humanity, believers have claimed to have felt the presence of God. All the same, there is no room for personal proofs in the philosophy of religion. St. Thomas Aquinas was a believer in God, who proposed five ways to know God. The first way of proving God’s existence, according to the philosopher, is by means of observing motion; that is, everything in movement throughout the universe should prove to us that there is a Prime Mover of all things. This way of proving God’s existence is similar to the argument of the creationists who assert that everything that we observe must have a Creator, just as all things that are man-made have originators. On a similar note, the second way of knowing God according to St. Thomas Aquinas is by understanding that all effects have causes; and so, there must be a First Cause of everything. The third way of proving the existence of God is by observing that everything in the universe is â€Å"possible to be and not to be;† so therefore, there must be an Essential Existence without which the existence and nonexistence of other things are meaningless (The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas, 1920). This proof is intricately tied to the earlier proofs, including the current argument of the creationists. St. Thomas Aquinas describes it thus: The third way is taken from possibility and necessity, and runs thus. We find in nature things that are possible to be and not to be, since they are found to be generated, and to orrupt, and consequently, they are possible to be and not to be. But it is impossible for these always to exist, for that which is possible not to be at some time is not. Therefore, if everything is possible not to be, then at one time there could have been nothing in existence. Now if this were true, even now there would be nothing in existence, because that which does not exist only begins to exist by something already existing. Therefore, if at one time nothing was in existence, it would have been impossible for anything to have begun to exist; and thus ven now nothing would be in existence — which is absurd. Therefore, not all beings are merely possible, but there must exist something the existence of which is necessary†¦ This all men speak of as God (The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas). St. Thomas Aquinas also writes that everything that is necessary must have been made necessary by something else. However, there must be something that is necessary in and of itself. Furthermore, this entity of necessity must cause other entities to believe in its necessity. This is the meaning of God, according to the philosopher (The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas). The fourth proof proffered by St. Thomas Aquinas is similar to Plato’s concept of Forms. The philosopher believes that there is a ranking in place throughout the universe (â€Å"Thomas Aquinas and the Five Ways,† 2000). One person may be better than the others. Given that we compare attributes of people and things to rank them reveals that there must be â€Å"something which is truest, something best, something noblest and, consequently, something which is uttermost being;† in short, something that is Supreme in comparison with the rest (The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas). The fifth way of proving the existence of God is exactly the same as the argument of creationists in our times. St. Thomas Aquinas discussed intelligent design with the philosophy that everything in the universe serves a special, intelligent purpose that has been designed by the Creator. This proof is based on the assumption that everything around us is essentially unintelligent – except God, of course (The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas). In fact, all five proofs of God’s existence proffered by St. Thomas Aquinas may be said to revolve around the intelligent design argument. St. Anselm was another believer like St. Thomas Aquinas who proved the existence of God by reason alone. Yet, the ontological argument proffered by St. Anselm is the simplest. Instead of five proofs of God’s existence, St. Anselm offered only one, that is, God is that beyond which there is no greatness that we can conceive of (â€Å"St. Anselm’s Ontological Argument,† 2008). But, St. Anselm’s argument also rests on five logical points. The following is the argument with its corollaries: (1) God is that than which no greater can be conceived; 2) If God is that than which no greater can be conceived then there is nothing greater than God that can be imagined; Therefore: (3) There is nothing greater than God that can be imagined; (4) If God does not exist then there is something greater than God that can be imagined. ; Therefore: (5) God exists (â€Å"St. Anselm’s Ontological Argument†). The gist of the above argument is the very definition of God’s existence, according to St. Anselm. This definition – â€Å"God is that than which no greater can be conceived† – is different from all proofs of St. Thomas Aquinas (â€Å"St. Anselm’s Ontological Argument†). Moreover, it is a reasonable proof, similar to St. Thomas Aquinas’ statements about God’s existence. After all, it is easy to suppose that God must be that beyond which we can conceive of no greatness. Besides, nobody in the history of humanity has ever claimed to be greater than God. Even if someone were to claim that he or she is greater than God, it would be impossible for the majority of humans to believe in the claim, seeing that God would not compete with the claimer as in a debate. With our limited perceptions, we are unable to see God, and neither could we imagine something or somebody that must be greater than God. If we cannot find anything that is greater than God, the Almighty must be Real, according to St. Anselm. Even so, the essential argument of the philosopher does not answer the beliefs of the atheists that perhaps there is no greatness in the universe, as everything is equal. Similarly, St. Thomas Aquinas’ arguments are refuted by the atheists who proffer proofs of the evolution theory of Charles Darwin to contradict the existence of God. According to the atheists, the proofs of St. Thomas Aquinas and the ontological argument of St. Anselm could be refuted because they are based on basic beliefs of the people rather than universal facts. The truth that St. Thomas Aquinas believes in the First Cause of everything means nothing for the disbelievers in God, who might claim that there is nothing to precede anything except in the evolutionary cycle that everything must go through, that is, things evolve one from another without a Prime Mover or First Cause. As a matter of fact, there is no argument to bridge the gap between the claims of believers and disbelievers in God. For as long as we know the difference between truth and falsehood, there would be arguments. The claims of each group are refuted by those of the other. It may very well be that these arguments and refutations would continue for as long as there is humanity on our planet. Seeing that God cannot be seen, and neither does He support the believing philosophers by speaking out aloud to all the rest that these philosophers are correct in their belief systems – it is possible to refute the godly thoughts of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Anselm until the end of time. Conversely, those who believe in their philosophies and do not doubt could be ones that have felt the presence of God beyond reason. In fact, believers in God may suppose that it is impossible to know God by reason alone. Given that truth cannot be turned into falsehood by argument alone, there must be a singular truth about the existence of God nevertheless. What is the truth? – In the discipline of philosophy, it is the fact that everything in the universe is not known to be confined to the realm of reason. For the believing philosophers, therefore, God is a Reason beyond reason.

Black Men and Public Space

Dylan Cruz English12/23/11Black Men and Public Space In ?Black Men and Public Space? , Brent Staples writes about how he was treateddifferently at various times due to being African  ± American. Staples uses exposition to helpshow the various times where people acted differently when they saw him all due to his race. From confrontations on the street to being confused for a robber as he was rushing to hand in anarticle for a magazine, it is clear that he is treated unfairly. Staples uses cause and effect to showhow he does things differently now, hoping that people may see him in another light.He alsocompares and contrasts how some situations would be different if he were of a different race. Histone and diction throughout the work is also interesting, as he does not seem angry about how heis being treated. Staples lists many examples throughout ? Black Men and Public Space? where he has  been treated differently because of his race. When Brent had some down time, he decided to g ointo a jewelry store. ?The proprietor excused herself and returned with an enormous redDoberman pinscher straining at the end of a leash.?This is an excellent example of being treateddifferently. If any other person had gone in there the owner would not have reacted in the shedid. Another example he uses is when he first begins to notice that people see him differently. Hewas in college on walking on the streets late at night when he sees a woman walking in theopposite direction as he. ?It was clear that she thought herself the quarry of a mugger, a rapist, or  worse.? These examples Staples brings forward clearly show that he is treated unfairly just  because of his skin color.Staples also uses other rhetorical strategies throughout his work, including cause andeffect and as well as comparing and contrasting. After seeing all the situations in which he isunfairly judged, he begins to do things hoping people will see past his skin color. He writes, ? Inow take precautions to ma ke myself less threatening.? Now when he's walking around a night,he whistles Beethoven and Vivaldi tunes, stating ? Virtually everybody seems to sense that amugger wouldn't be warbling bright, sunny selections from Vivaldi'sFour Seasons ?. Staplesalso compares and contrasts some situations, like how people treat him differently if they see himin business clothes versus seeing him in casual attire. The tone Staples uses in this work is very interesting. Even though he has been constantly  judged by the color of his skin, he doesn't seem very angry about it. The tone in this is verystraightforward and to the point. This may be because he's realized that people are going to  judge him, and he can't do anything about it and just accept it.Also, it's happened to him on somany occasions that he has gotten used to it now. The diction he uses helps prove his point thathe's not a bad person, as I don't believe any muggers would use the wide vocabulary Staplesuses throughout his work. Ev en though Brent Staples gets judged just due to his skin color, it doesn't seem bother  him all that much. He's able to see that it's not him that scares people; it's the stereotype that hisrace has attached to them. Through the use of examples and his unique tone, he is able to conveythis message in his writing. Black Men and Public Space In his essay, â€Å"Black Men and Public Space, Brent Staples expresses his experiences, struggles and discoveries of being a African American man of great stature in America in the 1970’s. His appearance alone—a dark looming figure—sparks a subconscious fear for an ordinary man. Typical citizens only see in black and white thus their eyes cannot distinguish between Staples and a criminal who prowls the streets with the same features. Describing his own character as a courteous and harmless person, clashes with the views of those around him that possess negative stereotypes towards black men. His reverse relationship with Caucasian people make it seem that a white person’s fear is not as strong as the discrimination Staples encounters in his day-to-day life, making him the victim, not the culprit. Being in these situations initiates a response from Staples in order to intimidate people less. Staples, in this reading, tries to make his readers live in his shoes and acknowledge the fact not all black men are the ones that automatically appear in their mind. Sometimes the fear of stereotypes attributes more to the action and reaction to people, more so than their general logic. We might believe that issues of race and gender is not present in this time and age but it still remains maybe in stronger than in the past. Although we consider America to be an egalitarian society, it is far from it. While we wish to live in a society where stereotypes are non-existent and men are all treated equal, we as human have it in our nature Black Men and Public Space Cesar Augusto Gonzalez Professor Hargett English 1101 October 14, 2010 Vicious Cycle Throughout history, literature has served as a way of expression. Human beings have poured out their feelings onto paper, as long as there have been people interested in them. Common themes have risen through the ages, such as the contrast between light and dark. Darkness is known for its negative undertone. In earlier times, we saw darkness as an interpretation of evil; likewise, light represented God and all good.From literature we, as a society, have built what later became social rules, giving rise to things such as prejudice. In Brent Staples essay â€Å"Black Men and Public Space† this is clearly shown by the authors own experiences of antipathy and hostility towards him caused by his own self. In â€Å"Black Men and Public Space†, Brent Staples begins by coming to the realization of the way he’d be viewed for the rest of his life. He describes feelings of uneasiness toward s his newfound self-image. It all came to him one evening in an ally where his tall frame walked behind a young woman.She proceeded to perceive him as a threat to her safety even her life, and race off into the night. Later on his –problem- took a deeper hit on him when even as a professional this image continued to follow him. It evolved into harm for himself when he is mistaken for a thief several times. Toward the end the author learns how to manage this issue by cleaning his image, and controlling his rage toward the ones who considered a criminal. Consistent rejection can cause a man –or woman to see the world as of one color or the other, to the extremes.Thus creating a situation of self-blame where one might think and accept that every bad incident its their own fault. He is blaming himself for actions that occur without actual intent of the so-called attacker. In â€Å"Black Men and Public Space,† Staples writes, â€Å"My first victim was a woman† (566). This phrase creates a dark tone that only gets clearer as the essay moves on. The image of – the victim- is passed onto the author itself. And the fact that is proclaiming himself as an aggressor indicates that he has acknowledged this as a reality.In today’s society, people have the tendency to change how they –act and react- toward certain groups of people, places of interaction, friends and strangers. It can range from lowering safety standards when ones home, to the point of running from someone that, by mistake, its portrayed and related to something harmful. This can create a unique experience, most of the time being of uneasiness and stress. Staples write, â€Å"I First began to know the unwieldy inheritance I’d come into- the ability to alter public space in an ugly way† (566).It is clearly stated in the previews quote that the author is now experimenting a new way of social awareness that it’s brought upon him by just being that way he is. It is surprising how fast people tend to judge yet it also can be way of protection. Even though the author might not be the real aggressor that does not takes the fact that another man like him could be the authentic one. Today’s civilization has grown with fear. Fear of loosing what’s theirs, fear of the police, fear of politics, fear of what’s unknown and different.Sometimes this can manifest in avoidance of the subject but in some occasions it can be a little more –active-. Staples writes, â€Å"And I soon gathered that being perceived as dangerous it’s a hazard in itself† (567). As a result of his dangerous association the author realizes that it’s unsafe to be outside too. As some women tend to opt just to sprint away from you, some men might choose to fight the problem. This brings concerns to the author who apart form being socially un-welcome is now threatened by his own naturally built image. Fear is accompan ied by a need for survival.Some animals grow being dominant, creating fear to control. Other just decide to hide hoping not to be involved into precarious situations. In â€Å"Black Men and Public Space†, Staples describes, â€Å"I chose, perhaps unconsciously, to remain a shadow – timid, but a survivor† (568). Staples explain that he took the –smaller animal- path and tries to remain un-recognizable in order for him to have a safer journey around avoiding confrontation. Is easier to hide that to fight but in the long run that –easiness- brings other problems, where self-blame can evolve to depression and self-depreciation.It comes a time in every man’s life when he has to choose between himself and society. When he has to decide whether to stand on his own or simply hide his true self in order to escape confrontation, arguments and possible rejection. Most people have a tendency to – go with the flow- be just like everyone else. Stap le writes, â€Å"I now take precautions to make myself less threatening† (568). This quote describes the idea previously expressed. He chooses to alter his image to make his journey safer. In order to add this newer safer self, he must subtract what he was before, losing his identity.In Staples essay â€Å"Black Men and Public Space†, big issues are explored and described in a way that we can relate to without getting lost in the context. On a narrow sense the essay can be viewed as how the author goes through the realization of how he is pictured, moving to the changes he has to make to be -socially- less threatening. Doing this one can go a process of depression and losing identity. This is just the example of only one person but this case is not reserved to him only, it happens to almost everyone and in many different levels.We are 6,602,224,175 humans suffering form all kind of unreal and unfair treatment and as a result, hate and resentment are created, and in fac t they are he main cause of racism and un fair treatment towards others thus creating a vicious cycle from which we need to get out in order for humans to walk though these crowded streets in harmony. Work Cited Brent Staples. â€Å"Black Men and Public Space†. Four in One: Rhetoric, Reader, Research Guide, and Handbook. Eds. Eduard A. Dornan and Robert Dees. 5th Edition. Boston: Longman, 2011. 167-169. Print Black Men and Public Space Cesar Augusto Gonzalez Professor Hargett English 1101 October 14, 2010 Vicious Cycle Throughout history, literature has served as a way of expression. Human beings have poured out their feelings onto paper, as long as there have been people interested in them. Common themes have risen through the ages, such as the contrast between light and dark. Darkness is known for its negative undertone. In earlier times, we saw darkness as an interpretation of evil; likewise, light represented God and all good.From literature we, as a society, have built what later became social rules, giving rise to things such as prejudice. In Brent Staples essay â€Å"Black Men and Public Space† this is clearly shown by the authors own experiences of antipathy and hostility towards him caused by his own self. In â€Å"Black Men and Public Space†, Brent Staples begins by coming to the realization of the way he’d be viewed for the rest of his life. He describes feelings of uneasiness toward s his newfound self-image. It all came to him one evening in an ally where his tall frame walked behind a young woman.She proceeded to perceive him as a threat to her safety even her life, and race off into the night. Later on his –problem- took a deeper hit on him when even as a professional this image continued to follow him. It evolved into harm for himself when he is mistaken for a thief several times. Toward the end the author learns how to manage this issue by cleaning his image, and controlling his rage toward the ones who considered a criminal. Consistent rejection can cause a man –or woman to see the world as of one color or the other, to the extremes.Thus creating a situation of self-blame where one might think and accept that every bad incident its their own fault. He is blaming himself for actions that occur without actual intent of the so-called attacker. In â€Å"Black Men and Public Space,† Staples writes, â€Å"My first victim was a woman† (566). This phrase creates a dark tone that only gets clearer as the essay moves on. The image of – the victim- is passed onto the author itself. And the fact that is proclaiming himself as an aggressor indicates that he has acknowledged this as a reality.In today’s society, people have the tendency to change how they –act and react- toward certain groups of people, places of interaction, friends and strangers. It can range from lowering safety standards when ones home, to the point of running from someone that, by mistake, its portrayed and related to something harmful. This can create a unique experience, most of the time being of uneasiness and stress. Staples write, â€Å"I First began to know the unwieldy inheritance I’d come into- the ability to alter public space in an ugly way† (566).It is clearly stated in the previews quote that the author is now experimenting a new way of social awareness that it’s brought upon him by just being that way he is. It is surprising how fast people tend to judge yet it also can be way of protection. Even though the author might not be the real aggressor that does not takes the fact that another man like him could be the authentic one. Today’s civilization has grown with fear. Fear of loosing what’s theirs, fear of the police, fear of politics, fear of what’s unknown and different.Sometimes this can manifest in avoidance of the subject but in some occasions it can be a little more –active-. Staples writes, â€Å"And I soon gathered that being perceived as dangerous it’s a hazard in itself† (567). As a result of his dangerous association the author realizes that it’s unsafe to be outside too. As some women tend to opt just to sprint away from you, some men might choose to fight the problem. This brings concerns to the author who apart form being socially un-welcome is now threatened by his own naturally built image. Fear is accompan ied by a need for survival.Some animals grow being dominant, creating fear to control. Other just decide to hide hoping not to be involved into precarious situations. In â€Å"Black Men and Public Space†, Staples describes, â€Å"I chose, perhaps unconsciously, to remain a shadow – timid, but a survivor† (568). Staples explain that he took the –smaller animal- path and tries to remain un-recognizable in order for him to have a safer journey around avoiding confrontation. Is easier to hide that to fight but in the long run that –easiness- brings other problems, where self-blame can evolve to depression and self-depreciation.It comes a time in every man’s life when he has to choose between himself and society. When he has to decide whether to stand on his own or simply hide his true self in order to escape confrontation, arguments and possible rejection. Most people have a tendency to – go with the flow- be just like everyone else. Stap le writes, â€Å"I now take precautions to make myself less threatening† (568). This quote describes the idea previously expressed. He chooses to alter his image to make his journey safer. In order to add this newer safer self, he must subtract what he was before, losing his identity.In Staples essay â€Å"Black Men and Public Space†, big issues are explored and described in a way that we can relate to without getting lost in the context. On a narrow sense the essay can be viewed as how the author goes through the realization of how he is pictured, moving to the changes he has to make to be -socially- less threatening. Doing this one can go a process of depression and losing identity. This is just the example of only one person but this case is not reserved to him only, it happens to almost everyone and in many different levels.We are 6,602,224,175 humans suffering form all kind of unreal and unfair treatment and as a result, hate and resentment are created, and in fac t they are he main cause of racism and un fair treatment towards others thus creating a vicious cycle from which we need to get out in order for humans to walk though these crowded streets in harmony. Work Cited Brent Staples. â€Å"Black Men and Public Space†. Four in One: Rhetoric, Reader, Research Guide, and Handbook. Eds. Eduard A. Dornan and Robert Dees. 5th Edition. Boston: Longman, 2011. 167-169. Print

Safety program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Safety program - Essay Example They would be held accountable if lack of safety management tools would result in an unfortunate event within their organization. The Senior Management would have the authority to direct, control or change any policy, procedure or accountability assigned to any personnel as they are the main decision makers. However, it would be the responsibility of the assigned Committee / Executive to manage the operational activities and SMS implementation & continuation. First step in implementing an SMS is to define the requirements in a Safety Policy and align it with safety standards at both national and international levels. Safety Policy should be clearly communicated with willing endorsement throughout the organization. Periodic review of the same should also be ensured. The responsibility for managing the SMS is given to one Accountable Executive or a Committee is designed (outsourced help if required). This is a focal point of an SMS to be effective. From then it becomes the responsibili ty of the Committee or Executive to assign safety responsibilities to all employees for their support, involvement and ownership of the issue, since employees are the best source for identification and control of hazards. According to Hawthorne effect employee involvement increases their productivity so it is win-win situation for both.

Hormone replacement therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hormone replacement therapy - Essay Example On the other hand, low-dose vaginal medicines of estrogen, coming in the form of cream, pills or a ring can properly control vaginal symptoms and a number of urinary complications, while limiting body absorption. Low-dose vaginal medications do not prevent hot flashes, osteoporosis or night sweats. Long-term use of systemic hormone therapy for the inhibition of postmenopausal complications is no longer regularly advisable. But some research findings show that estrogen reduces the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases when administered early in menopause (Kaygusuz et al, 2014).     For cases of early menopause in women, estrogen is essentially prescribed together with progesterone-rich medications. The need to balance estrogen concentration levels with progesterone is because the former hormone alone can stimulate the thickening of the uterine walls, thus increase the prevalence of cancer of the uterus (Kaygusuz et al, 2014). Any woman whose uterus has been removed does not need t o take hormone replacement therapy, because it would be meaningless.Demerits of hormone therapy  Despite the advantages of hormone replacement therapy, it carries with it several risks. The use of estrogen-progestin drugs in known to soar the prevalence of certain grave complications, including: cardiovascular diseases, stroke, breast cancer, and blood clots (Kaygusuz et al, 2014). As Kaygusuz et al (2014) said, the therapy should be administered to a healthy woman who has: a) experiences of moderate to serious menopausal symptoms.

Community development in social work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Community development in social work - Essay Example These processes include the organization or establishment of services, e.g. for social welfare, health protection, education, improvement of agriculture, development of small scale industries† (cited in UNESCO Working Paper for ACC Working Group on Community Development, 1956, 1). The word social work is made up two words, ‘social’ and ‘work’, and has different meanings when observed from the social perspective of different regions in the world. Thus, social work in India would be different from the social work being carried out in Iraq or Afghanistan, which would again differ in America, or UK, or Australia. Social work concept changes from country to country, varying according to the social and cultural environment, and political culture in the country, where one is conducting the social work. Broadly, social work, which is based on the principles of justice for all and human rights, aims to bring about social changes, develop good human relationship s, and to empower people for their own well being and liberation. Community Development, however, does not stop at just being a part of social work. There are many more implications to the word, and it is extremely broad in its scope. While CD does imply social work, today in the modern era of globalization, it also broadly implies the activities of the various political leaders, various civic activists, and the actions of other responsible and aware citizens, who all get involved in the various works done for the betterment of lives in local communities. So it is much more than just social service. CD means empowering the citizens as individuals, or in groups, so that they can learn the skills (often required to create political power to bring about social consciousness on some common agenda) which can be implemented to bring about positive changes. Thus, one may redefine CD as â€Å"Community development is a set of values embodied in an occupation.   It

Propaganda and its effects in 20th century product design Essay

Propaganda and its effects in 20th century product design - Essay Example This is highly doubtful, as history has shown that the art, architecture and design movements have been hopelessly and inexorably intertwined. In fact, it would not be incorrect to say that the historical events of the 20th century, especially wartime and political propaganda, have had a profound and lasting effect not only on design, but also on the art, architecture and other aspects that influence the major diaspora of society. The Main Contributions to Design in the 20th Century In the 20th century the countries that made the news most of all were invariably also the nations that made the most contributions to design. The early 20th century was dominated by the Modernist movement and mass production via machines. For practical purposes, the Bauhaus School in Germany (1919-33) made some major contributions to simple designs for articles of common use such as furniture that could be mass produced. Its attitude towards simplicity could be summarized by Ludwin Rohe’s assertion : ‘Less is More’. In direct contrast to it emerged the Art Deco movement of the 1920s, with its emphasis on traditional cabined-making skills and materials such as steel and bauxite, became out of the reach of the common man and was labeled ‘elitist’ as only the rich were able to afford these pieces. The two decades after the Second World War (1950-70) also called the Mid century Modern Era were dominated by influences from Scandinavia, Italy and the USA (www.thenewgallery.co.il). They sought not only to use lightweight material but also bright and vibrant colors, dispelling the drab years of the War just gone by. Organic materials such as leather, steel, vinyl and others have resulted in their widespread use and adaptability to meet the needs of almost any household furniture. Industrial strength materials may be used for sturdier applications. The Uses and Influence of Propaganda Propaganda may be defined as follows: â€Å"Propaganda is the deliberate, s ystematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist† (Jowett & O’Donnell, 2006). Although the use of propaganda has been made before- primarily by kings and queens in swaying the public’s perceptions on certain issues, the 20th century saw the use of this as a weapon in the armory of many a political leader. Take Lenin and Stalin for instance. They used propaganda to overthrow Czar Nicholas of Russia and bring to fruition the Communist or Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Undoubtedly there were some historical and economic circumstances that came to their aid, but it is the skill of these leaders in manipulating these circumstances in their favor that makes propaganda such a potent weapon. Indeed, even fashion styles owe their catching on to propaganda, as they are first sold to the opinion leaders and elite of society and then orders are booked for cloth as the new fashion catches on through eyes, ears and advertisements (www.historyisaweapon.com). Propaganda was also well used in the era of the Third Reich, with Joseph Goebbels being Hitler’s main protagonist. He used propaganda not only to make Hitler look like a Savior and the answer to all of Germany’s troubles, but also later to further the Fuhrer’s own private ideas of an Aryan society and the mass annihilation of the Jews in the Holocaust. Propaganda has had its uses in times of peace as well. For example, Hitler’s vision of a prosperous Germany after the War included that every middle class German family would be able to afford a Volkswagen- that is why advertisements of the day showed it as a family car. Similarly, propaganda has been used by the British to rally support for investing in Government Bonds to

Ethical Processes Within Companies Nike Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethical Processes Within Companies Nike - Essay Example Indera Nababan, the member of the Yakoma, a nonprofit organization in Indonesia, also said that the company pays the underaged employees with a basic minimum wage of 5,200 Indonesian rupiahs, equivalent to US $2.17, that is barely enough for them to survive and show up at work the next day. (Harsono, 1996) Another instance of the was seen in Cambodia where Nike, a company which offers millions of dollars worth of sponsorship deals, was caught having children, as young as 12 years old, as employees. These children were being paid a mere 31 pounds a month. This evidence was caught on tape by BBC journalists filming undercover at the Nike factory in Cambodia. Moreover, a child was found having false papers as a proof of age to get the job. (Johnson, 2000) In response to the allegations that were made regarding the underage employment in Indonesia, Phil Knight, CEO of Nike, declared a set of policies that were going to be adopted by Nike as code of conduct (Connor, 2001). These included setting a minimum age of 18 years for employment in the footwear factory in Indonesia. Also, the company promised to meet U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) standards in the work environment. Moreover, the employees were promised to be given education of high school equivalen t courses in the factories.These policies were enough to change the picture of child labor Indonesia. The decision of minimum age was widely considered to be a brave step by Nike to eradicate child labor, at least from its domain.Nike took another bold step and pulled out its factory in Cambodia after being stamped with the child labor scandal. Following the allegations, Nike management in Britain initiated

Different Views of Paintings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Different Views of Paintings - Essay Example The essay "Different Views of Paintings" analyzes different paintings by considering narrative moment chosen by the artist, the scope, and scale of the scene depicted, and the context of its production. Artemisia was a feminist who focused on serious subjects and addressed challenging themes. The painting Susanna and the Elders by Artemisia Gentileschi represents an opposition against such a tradition. Indeed, only Artemisia Gentileschi used the female gaze to paint. The artist used oil on canvas to prepare the painting Susanna and the Elders, 1610 that measures 1.70m by 1.21m. Many artists hold the view that the seventeen-year-old Artemisia received immense help from her father. Nevertheless, Artemisia presents a popular and acceptable painting in Susanna and the Elders, 1610. The inclusion of anatomical accuracy and advanced color and construction made Susanna and the Elders, 1610 a successful piece of art (Brash 1). Unlike other artists who were indifferent to the original languag e, Susanna and the Elders, 1610, Artemisia adopted the realism of Caravaggio unlike other major artists. This was Artemisia’s first piece of art.The painting Susanna and the Elders by Artemisia Gentileschi presents a Biblical story where a virtuous Jewish wife sexually harassed by the elders of her community . Artemisia shows how lust overcame the two men as they spied on Susanna as she took a bath. The two men cornered her and black mailed her into either sleeping with them or they would level false claims against her.

IRIS module Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

IRIS module - Essay Example As the principal, she is held accountable for the outcome; an issue that seems to have confused her, she doesn’t know where to begin. The results have created trouble for the institution as could be read from Ms. Flores statement. Examination or test scores that are used to determine sanctions or punishment in general, accolades, graduation or promotion for students and compensations best describe what high stakes are. According to Ms. Flores, the tests were meant to be used in determining the best school at the district level and grading for students. It was an important decision; knowing the best school in terms of academic performance and accountability for the school administrators. The test was also to be used for promoting students to the next level; that is indicated when she categorically stated that students with disabilities are going to be left behind. These are the reasons why she (Ms. Flores) describes the testing as high stakes. High-stakes testing are relevant to both general students and students with disabilities. However, knowing the weakness in a student with a disability may be difficult compared to general students (students without disabilities). The test will enable the teachers to know the weakness in the students and come up with appropriate solution to help them improve. The test helps in measuring how well the students with disabilities learn; therefore can be used to strengthen and improve overall academic standard of the institutions. It is the responsibility of every teacher to ensure that the student get the required knowledge in the classroom. In this case, the teacher is responsible for the students’ performance since he/she is authorized to give the knowledge. The process of giving the knowledge to the student is done through following the accepted professional standards that meet the demand of accountability. The teachers

Red, White, and Black by Gary Nash Essay Example for Free

Red, White, and Black by Gary Nash Essay Gary Nash author of Red, White, and Black purpose to their readers is describing the early colonists, but also the relationships toward Europeans, the Indians, and the Africans. Nash successfully analyzes the impact of the colliding three cultures and interprets them to give an overall theme about the relationships between those who made America what it is today. He has shown another point of view to his reader that we grew up and was raise in a white people land; learning only the White people point of view through history. His purpose of writing Red, White Black was to prove that Native Americans and Africans were not victims, but played as a active role to American history. Nash major theme that he covers in his book was about the three cultures in America and to interpret them overall. The theme is about the issue that Americans have towards the Native American and Africans. He wanted to examine and studied other culture history instead of only learning from the American side. He figures out that they were victims to the history and was just a role in the American history. His main point of time frame was from 1492-1796. The introduction to Nash research took place in Eastern and Northern America. Nash was against how the founding fathers came to America and affected the Natives and Africans. He was against how the founding fathers came to their land and changed their destiny of lives and culture because they took what belong to them first. Anthropologists call this process â€Å"transculturation† and historians call it â€Å"Social change. † His argument towards the historical terms is that we are studying a dynamic process of interaction that shaped the history of American Indians, Europeans, and Africans in the North America in the 17 18 centuries. Gary B. Nash was arguing of something different than what is written to us. He believes of what the founding father want us to know and was marked down through history. But reality during those times American Indians and Africans had a big destiny change when the European came along. They changed and affected their lives in there home land. Gary B. Nash written Red, White, and Black purpose was mainly to let people know that, what’s ever that was passed down from the founding father in history is only what their views were and marked down in papers. How the Americans European changed the lives of all Native American and African that was located at Eastern and Northern America.

Does age matter in reltionships Essay Example for Free

Does age matter in reltionships Essay Relationships shape our lives. People can fall in love without considering nothing at that time. When it comes to the age, sometimes no matter for them how old or how young the partners are. Even if they do not consider about the age, but society criticizes and judges easily. As long as the partners satisfy and bless each other who cares about the age except our society. Mi (2011) explains When it comes to love age is just a number. Many couples who have a large age difference, they are so happy with their relationships(para. 6). Age may cause problems for a lot of people in their relationships sometimes not. However, our society affects most of the time. If older women date with younger   men, the women will be frowned directly in our society. According to Mastery (2013) No matter how common it may already sound, dating scenarios such as; older women dating with younger men are still frowned upon by society. People have heard whining from their family. For example; you cannot date with him, he is too old or too young and if people date with young or old people then everybody says about them. It really influences you and makes you guilty however there is nothing wrong to worry. Curley (2013) says What matters love is love, no matter what age or circumstance with more love in your life, there will be more life in your love.. For example; if people have young partner, they can take care of each other better than having old partner. If you have same age partners then partners will definitely need help because they will not be as energetic as before. For example; if you have young partner, he or she can take care of you better than having old partner. If you have same age partner you and your partner will definitely need help because you and your partner will not be as energetic as before. In conclusion, many people might think the different ages cause so many problems in their relationships. I agree, it might be true, but problem is everywhere in relationships does not matter about age even though people are in the same age still they will have different problems. As long as people are happy with their relationships, there is no necessary to say anything. Schilling (2007) explains When it comes to love, age is just a number

Effectiveness of Product Placement of Cars

Effectiveness of Product Placement of Cars Product placement is a marketing tool where a product is put into a movie scene where it is heard or seen, or its brand name heard (Lehu and Bressoud 2008). This marketing practice has since mushroomed in movies. The communication potential of product placement in the movie is considered as a feasible and attractive branding method (Cowley and Barron 2008). As a marketing strategy, product placement has been regarded for its advantages such as a captive audience (Cowley and Barron 2008); lack of clutter (Belch and Belch, as cited in Lehu and Bressoud 2008); and exposure, frequency, support of other media, source association, cost and recall such as other advertisements (Belch and Belch, as cited in Lehu and Bressoud 2008, p. 92). Among the very first industries to use product placement as a marketing strategy has been the auto industry. Car makers were among the first to use the technique because of the potentially very large audience for a low cost (Parrish, as cited in Cowley and Barron 2008). For the year 2007 alone, total spending for product placement reached $2.9 billion in the United States, with the car and apparel industries claiming the biggest chunk (Pope 2008). British luxury carmaker Aston Martin has been in the business since 1914 and is known for its high-profile product placements in popular films. Aston produces high-end and low-volume cars that fit the companys image of sophistication, elegance, credibility, and glamour. The companys marketing strategy has been closely associated James Bond films. Its relationship with the Bond franchise has been one of the most popular partnerships and has contributed to the companys image worldwide. Starting with Sean Connery in the 1964 Bond installment Goldfinger, Aston has sustained its product placement strategy with the most recent placement of Aston Martin DBS for the 2007 film Casino Royale (Superbrands 2009). Studies have suggested that product placement boosts brand recall and promotes greater brand exposure for a product. In a study by Delorme and Reid (1999), product placement appeared to have influenced the audience to develop familiarity and a sense of belonging associated with the brand shown in the movies. The study also concluded that the context in which the brand appears in the movie is also important for brand exposure and that young people are the most susceptible for product placement. DeLorme and Reid (1999) said that, [They] had grown up with much more marketing and advertising therefore, they expect to encounter brands in present day movies (p. 83). Another study also examined what forms of placement are most effective in boosting brand recall (Sapolsky and Kinney 1994). The researchers found that a combination of visual cues and verbal references to the brand in the scenes of a movie are the most effective and also the most expensive placements. Brand recall is also high when a product appears jointly with a major character or the star in the film and provides it with greater visibility. Companies that have used product placement have reported a boost in sales after movie releases. For instance, Reeses candy experience an escalation of sales by 70 percent when the movie ET: The Extra-Terrestrial after the blockbuster movie was released. Reeses candies were featured in several scenes in the movie. BMW AG also experienced a spike in profits as customers decked the showrooms after the release of the 1996 Bond installment Golden Eye featured its Z3 roadster (Pope 2008). Determining how effective product placements are has been a focus of a study by Morton and Friedman (2002). The researchers explained that the brand performance of a product as a result of product placement strategy could be measured according to different variables: revenues, sales or hits at the official company website. The authors suggest that product placement is an effective type of product promotion. Audience receptivity as a result of product placement is key to achieving sales or profitability objectives or not achieving them entirely. Marketing practitioners and executives should ensure that product placement results to the reflection of greater profitability outcomes. Furthermore, researchers have also concluded that the role of marketing executives is to obtain access to opportunities for product placement and guarantee that the appearance of the product works synergetically with the companys image and market positioning (Morton and Friedman 2002). Research Question and Research Objectives This study aims to investigate how product placement is as a marketing strategy in Aston Martin and evaluate its effectiveness. The central research question for the proposed study is: How effective is product placement as a marketing strategy for luxury carmaker Aston Martin? There are specific sub-questions to the main question, to wit: How is product placement used as a marketing strategy at Aston Martin? What are the perceived benefits of product placement as a marketing strategy? Is it an effective marketing strategy in terms of a) producing brand and company awareness; and b) generating sales for the company? The objectives of this study are: To trace, identify, and describe product placement in the companys history since it first placed Aston Martin DB5 in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger until present. To gather the perceptions of the marketing practitioners at Aston Martin on the benefits of their choice of marketing strategy. To gather the perceptions of the marketing practitioners on how placing Aston Martin cars in movies offers competitive market positioning for the company. To collect information on revenue and sales of Aston Martin cars as a result of product placement. Philosophy of the Research Design and the Methodology to be Used This study will be a qualitative case study research in design. This study follows the qualitative tradition of research and will be guided by a detached social constructionist approach. Qualitative research is characterized by an open research design that is suitable for studies which are small-scale in scope. The social constructionist perspective views the social as the process of articulating individual selves and the world. It is a challenge to the primacy of the individual, in effect, placing relationship, the social, as prior and primary (Stacey 2001, p. 51). This study proposes the case study methodology, which is a strategy for doing research which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence (Robson 2002, p. 178). The phenomenon to be investigated for this study is product placement as a marketing strategy and how it contributes to positive profitability outcomes. The researcher in a case study uses multiple sources and methods (Yin 1994). Following the multi-method focus of qualitative research, this study proposes to utilize primary and secondary sources of data. Primary data will be gathered by interviews with marketing executives of Aston Martin. Interviews will be necessary in order to understand the reasons behind their decisions on marketing strategy as well as their opinions on how marketing strategies are effective in fueling company growth. Moreover, interviews provide the opportunity to obtain answers by allowing interviewees to explain and build on their responses. Secondary data will be used to triangulate primary data sources. Among the targeted sources of secondary data will be company revenue statistics, company documents, archival material, and news articles that could verify and elaborate on the responses in the interviews.

Protein Thermal Stability Essay -- Scientific Research, Soy Proteins

Proteins are amazing chemical polymers. They serve a myriad of functions such as providing nutrition in the form of their constitutive amino acids as well as energy. They serve as reactants and enzymes in chemical reactions. Proteins contribute to the texture, viscosity and water holding capacity of foods that contain them. Proteins can be toxins or allergens or hormones, and they serve as transporters for vital molecules such as oxygen in the blood stream (Coultate 1984). These polymers have evolved to play a role in very specific physiological functions and this chemical reactivity can be used for very unique applications beyond a proteins evolutionary scope. A protein’s chemical and physical nature such as the isoelectric point, solubility and size, and its biological attraction to other molecules all can be exploited to separate a particular protein from the solution in which is resides. Typically several steps are used to purify a particular protein. These include heating, acidification, subjecting a solution to reducing conditions, and drying. More sophisticated techniques include chromatography, ultra filtration, reverse osmosis, and high-pressure liquid chromatography (Kinsella and Whitehead 2001). The isolation of proteins from their original matrices allows for their use in different food systems to improve such qualities as nutritional value, texture, and stability. In order for a protein to serve in the latter capacities it must have certain characteristics such as solubility, gelation, ligand-binding or film formation properties. Today there is extensive use of non-native proteins to improve food quality. Products include ice creams, beverages, cereals, baked goods, snack items and dairy items ... ...1979. Functional properties of soy proteins. Journal America Oil Chemists’ Society 56:242-258. Kinsella JE and Whitehead. 1989. Proteins in whey: Chemical, physical and functional properties. Advances in food and nutrition research 33:343-439. McMahon DJ and Brown RJ. 1984. Composition, structure and integrity of casein micelles: A review. Journal of Dairy Science 67:499-512. Mendel F, and Brandon DL. 2001. Nutritional and health benefits of soy proteins. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 49(3):1069-1086. Southward CR. Casein Products. New Zealand Dairy Research Institute. Thompson LD., Dinh T. 2009. FDSC 4303/5305 food chemistry laboratory manual. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University, Department of Animal and Food Sciences. Walstra P. 1990. On the stability of casein micelles. Journal of Dairy Science 73:1965-1979.

Siddhartha: The Journey for Inner Peace and Happiness Essay -- Hermann

     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is about a man's journey to find inner peace and happiness.   He first decides to try to seek peace by following the Samanas, holy men.   Then he seeks happiness through material things and pleasures of the body.   After this path fails to provide him with the peace for which he searches, he follows Buddha but soon realizes that Buddha's teaching will not lead him to his goal.   Siddhartha finally finds peace when Vasudeva, the ferryman, teaches him to listen to the river.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hermann Hesse was a German author and poet born in 1877.   Both his parents and grandparents were missionaries.   His Grandparents were missionaries in China and India-thus began his fascination with the Oriental and Indian culture.   "From the time I was a child, I breathed in and absorbed the spiritual side of India just as deeply as Christianity" (Ziolkowski 147).   His parents' piety had a great impact on him as well as his exposure to oriental culture (Baumer 23).   This fascination led to his study of oriental philosophies and literature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From 1911 until 1912 he traveled in India "in search of peace and timelessness beyond the world of western man" (Archie 5).  Ã‚   He experienced disappointment, however, because the India that had for so long fascinated him was now "too much profaned by commercial efficiency" (Baumer 44).   Soon he realized that "the peace he was seeking and the India he was seeking were not to be reached by ship or train" (Baumer 44).   There was some benefit that came from his journey to India, though-he had the inspiration for Siddhartha on this journey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hesse uses triadic rhythm to tell the story of Siddhartha (Ziolsowski 54).   Siddhartha goes through three stages.   The first is the... ...ies the path of the Buddha, but this path also fails to lead him to the secret of   inner peace.   In one last attempt to reach the third level and achieve peace, Siddhartha   goes to the river to learn its secrets.   By learning the secrets that the river holds within its   depths, Siddhartha finally reaches the level of totality (Ziolkowski 58).    Works Cited Archie, John G.   "Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha: An Open Source Reader" January, 2006. Web 27 April 2025. http://philosophy.lander.edu/oriental/siddhartha-1.pdf Baumer, Franz.   Hermann Hesse.   New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1970. Field, G.W.   Hermann Hesse.   Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1970. Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. Dover Publications, 1998. Ziolkowski, Theodore.   The Novels of Hermann Hesse: A Study in Theme and Structure. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1965.   

The Jumping Frog :: Creative Writing Short Stories War Essays

The Jumping Frog Now that brings me by a natural and easy transition to Simon Wheeler of California; a pioneer he was, and in a small way a philosopher. Simon Wheeler's creed was that pretty nearly everything that happens to a man can be turned to moral account; every incident in his life, almost, can be made to assist him, to project him forward morally, if he knows how to make use of the lesson which that episode teaches, and he used -- well, he was a good deal of a talker. He was an inordinate talker; in fact, he wore out three sets of false teeth, and I told about a friend of his one day -- a man that he had known there formerly, and who he had a great admiration for, of one Jim Smiley, and he said it was worth a man's while to know Jim Smiley. Jim Smiley was a man of gift; he was a man of parts; he was a man of learning; he was -- well, he was the curiousest man about always betting on anything that turned up that you ever see, if he could get anybody to bet on the other side, and if he couldn't he would change sides. As soon as he got a bet he was satisfied. He prepared himself with all sorts of things -- tomcats, rat terriers and all such things, and one day he ketched a frog; said he calculated to educate him. And he took him home and never done nothing but set in his back yard and learn that frog how to jump. Yes, sir, and he did learn him to -- he did learn him to. When it came to jumping on a dead level there wasn't no frog that could touch him at all. Come to jump on the dead level, why, he could lay over any frog in the profession, and Smiley broke all the camps around there betting on that frog. Bye and bye he got a misfortune. He used to keep his frog in a little lattice box. The frog's name was Daniel Webster, and he would bring that box down town and lay for a bet. And one day a fellow came along, a stranger in the camp he was, he says, "What might it be that you have got in the box?" "Well," Smiley says, "It ain't anything particular, it's only just a frog," " Well," he says, "What is he good for?

Review of related literature about billing system Essay

Create editable sequence diagram with Rational Software Architect Create editable sequence diagrams with Rational Software Architect What’s new in Rational Software Architect 8.5 and Design Manager 4 beta Notice the wording in my statement above: â€Å"Adopted 2.0 Draft Specification of UML.† It is true that the specification is still in draft status, but the key is that the Draft Specification has been adopted by OMG, a consortium that does not adopt new standards until they become pretty solid. There will be some changes to the specification before UML 2 is completely adopted, but these changes should be minimal. The main changes will be in the internals of UML–involving features typically used by software companies who implement UML tools. The main purpose of this article is to continue our focus on the essential UML diagrams; this month, we take a close look at the sequence diagram. Please note, again, that the examples provided below are based on the new UML 2 specification. The diagram’s purpose The sequence diagram is used primarily to show the interactions between objects in the sequential order that those interactions occur. Much like the class diagram, developers typically think sequence diagrams were meant  exclusively for them. However, an organization’s business staff can find sequence diagrams useful to communicate how the business currently works by showing how various business objects interact. Besides documenting an organization’s current affairs, a business-level sequence diagram can be used as a requirements document to communicate requirements for a future system implementation. During the requirements phase of a project, analysts can take use cases to the next level by providing a more formal level of refinement. When that occurs, use cases are often refined into one or more sequence diagrams. An organization’s technical staff can find sequence diagrams useful in documenting how a future system should behave. During the design phase, architects and developers can use the diagram to force out the system’s object interactions, thus fleshing out overall system design. One of the primary uses of sequence diagrams is in the transition from requirements expressed as use cases to the next and more formal level of refinement. Use cases are often refined into one or more sequence diagrams. In addition to their use in designing new systems, sequence diagrams can be used to document how objects in an existing (call it â€Å"legacy†) system currently interact. This documentation is very useful when transitioning a system to another person or organization. Back to top The notation Since this is the first article in my UML diagram series that is based on UML 2, we need to first discuss an addition to the notation in UML 2 diagrams, namely a notation element called a frame. The frame element is used as a basis for many other diagram elements in UML 2, but the first place most people will encounter a frame element is as the graphical boundary of a diagram. A frame element provides a consistent place for a diagram’s label, while providing a graphical boundary for the diagram. The frame element is optional in UML diagrams; as you can see in Figures 1 and 2, the diagram’s label is placed in the top left corner in what I’ll call the frame’s â€Å"namebox,† a sort of dog-eared rectangle, and the actual UML diagram is defined within the body of the larger enclosing rectangle. Figure 1: An empty UML 2 frame element In addition to providing a visual border, the frame element also has an  important functional use in diagrams depicting interactions, such as the sequence diagram. On sequence diagrams incoming and outgoing messages (a.k.a. interactions) for a sequence can be modeled by connecting the messages to the border of the frame element (as seen in Figure 2). This will be covered in more detail in the â€Å"Beyond the basics† section below. Figure 2: A sequence diagram that has incoming and outgoing messages Notice that in Figure 2 the diagram’s label begins with the letters â€Å"sd,† for Sequence Diagram. When using a frame element to enclose a diagram, the diagram’s label needs to follow the format of: Diagram Type Diagram Name The UML specification provides specific text values for diagram types (e.g., sd = Sequence Diagram, activity = Activity Diagram, and use case = Use Case Diagram). Back to top The basics The main purpose of a sequence diagram is to define event sequences that result in some desired outcome. The focus is less on messages themselves and more on the order in which messages occur; nevertheless, most sequence diagrams will communicate what messages are sent between a system’s objects as well as the order in which they occur. The diagram conveys this information along the horizontal and vertical dimensions: the vertical dimension shows, top down, the time sequence of messages/calls as they occur, and the horizontal dimension shows, left to right, the object instances that the messages are sent to. Lifelines When drawing a sequence diagram, lifeline notation elements are placed across the top of the diagram. Lifelines represent either roles or object instances that participate in the sequence being modeled. [Note: In fully modeled systems the objects (instances of classes) will also be modeled on a system’s class diagram.] Lifelines are drawn as a box with a dashed line descending from the center of the bottom edge (Figure 3). The lifeline’s name is placed inside the box. Figure 3: An example of the Student class used in a lifeline whose instance name is freshman The UML standard for naming a lifeline follows the format of: Instance Name : Class Name In the example shown in Figure 3, the lifeline represents an instance of the class Student, whose instance name is freshman. Note that, here, the lifeline name is underlined. When an underline is used, it means that the lifeline represents a specific instance of a class in a sequence diagram, and not a particular kind of instance (i.e., a role). In a future article we’ll look at structure modeling. For now, just observe that sequence diagrams may include roles (such as buyer and seller) without specifying who plays those roles (such as Bill and Fred). This allows diagram reuse in different contexts. Simply put, instance names in sequence diagrams are underlined; roles names are not. Our example lifeline in Figure 3 is a named object, but not all lifelines represent named objects. Instead a lifeline can be used to represent an anonymous or unnamed instance. When modeling an unnamed instance on a sequence diagram, the lifeline’s name follows the same pattern as a named instance; but instead of providing an instance name, that portion of the lifeline’s name is left blank. Again referring to Figure 3, if the lifeline is representing an anonymous instance of the Student class, the lifeline would be: † Student.† Also, because sequence diagrams are used during the design phase of projects, it is completely legitimate to have an object whose type is unspecified: for example, â€Å"freshman.† Messages The first message of a sequence diagram always starts at the top and is typically located on the left side of the diagram for readability. Subsequent messages are then added to the diagram slightly lower then the previous message. To show an object (i.e., lifeline) sending a message to another object, you draw a line to the receiving object with a solid arrowhead (if a synchronous call operation) or with a stick arrowhead (if an asynchronous signal). The message/method name is placed above the arrowed line. The message that is being sent to the receiving object represents an operation/method that the receiving object’s class implements. In the example in Figure 4, the analyst object makes a call to the system object which is an instance of the ReportingSystem class. The analyst object is calling the system object’s getAvailableReports method. The system object then calls the getSecurityClearance method with the argument of userId on the secSystem object, which is of the class type SecuritySystem. [Note: When  reading this sequence diagram, assume that the analyst has already logged into the system.] Figure 4: An example of messages being sent between objects Besides just showing message calls on the sequence diagram, the Figure 4 diagram includes return messages. These return messages are optional; a return message is drawn as a dotted line with an open arrowhead back to the originating lifeline, and above this dotted line you place the return value from the operation. In Figure 4 the secSystem object returns userClearance to the system object when the getSecurityClearance method is called. The system object returns availableReports when the getAvailableReports method is called. Again, the return messages are an optional part of a sequence diagram. The use of return messages depends on the level of detail/abstraction that is being modeled. Return messages are useful if finer detail is required; otherwise, the invocation message is sufficient. I personally like to include return messages whenever a value will be returned, because I find the extra details make a sequence diagram easier to read. When modeling a sequence diagram, there will be times that an object will need to send a message to itself. When does an object call itself? A purist would argue that an object should never send a message to itself. However, modeling an object sending a message to itself can be useful in some cases. For example, Figure 5 is an improved version of Figure 4. The Figure 5 version shows the system object calling its determineAvailableReports method. By showing the system sending itself the message â€Å"determineAvailableReports,† the model draws attention to the fact that this processing takes place in the system object. To draw an object calling itself, you draw a message as you would normally, but instead of connecting it to another object, you connect the message back to the object itself. Figure 5: The system object calling its determineAvailableReports method The example messages in Figure 5 show synchronous messages; however, in sequence diagrams you can model asynchronous messages, too. An asynchronous message is drawn similar to a synchronous one, but the message’s line is drawn with a stick arrowhead, as shown in Figure 6. Figure 6: A sequence diagram fragment showing an asynchronous message being sent to instance Guards When modeling object interactions, there will be times when a condition must be met for a message to be sent to the object. Guards are used throughout UML diagrams to control flow. Here, I will discuss guards in both UML 1.x as well as UML 2.0. In UML 1.x, a guard could only be assigned to a single message. To draw a guard on a sequence diagram in UML 1.x, you placed the guard element above the message line being guarded and in front of the message name. Figure 7 shows a fragment of a sequence diagram with a guard on the message addStudent method. Figure 7: A segment of a UML 1.x sequence diagram in which the addStudent message has a guard In Figure 7, the guard is the text â€Å"[pastDueBalance = 0].† By having the guard on this message, the addStudent message will only be sent if the accounts receivable system returns a past due balance of zero. The notation of a guard is very simple; the format is: [Boolean Test] For example, [pastDueBalance = 0] Combined fragments (alternatives, options, and loops) In most sequence diagrams, however, the UML 1.x â€Å"in-line† guard is not sufficient to handle the logic required for a sequence being modeled. This lack of functionality was a problem in UML 1.x. UML 2 has addressed this problem by removing the â€Å"in-line† guard and adding a notation element called a Combined Fragment. A combined fragment is used to group sets of messages together to show conditional flow in a sequence diagram. The UML 2 specification identifies 11 interaction types for combined fragments. Three of the eleven will be covered here in â€Å"The Basics† section, two more types will be covered in the â€Å"Beyond The Basics† section, and the remaining six I will leave to be covered in another article. (Hey, this is an article, not a book. I want you to finish this piece in one day!) Alternatives Alternatives are used to designate a mutually exclusive choice between two or more message sequences. [Note: It is indeed possible for two or more guard conditions attached to different alternative operands to be true at the same  time, but at most only one operand will actually occur at run time (which alternative â€Å"wins† in such cases is not defined by the UML standard).] Alternatives allow the modeling of the classic â€Å"if then else† logic (e.g., if I buy three items, then I get 20% off my purchase; else I get 10% off my purchase). As you will notice in Figure 8, an alternative combination fragment element is drawn using a frame. The word â€Å"alt† is placed inside the frame’s namebox. The larger rectangle is then divided into what UML 2 calls operands. [Note: Although operands look a lot like lanes on a highway, I specifically did not call them lanes. Swim lanes are a UML notation used on activity diagrams. Please refer to The Rational Edge’s earlier article about Activity Diagrams.] Operands are separated by a dashed line. Each operand is given a guard to test against, and this guard is placed towards the top left section of the operand on top of a lifeline. [Note: Usually, the lifeline to which the guard is attached is the lifeline that owns the variable that is included in the guard expression.] If an operand’s guard equates to â€Å"true,† then that operand is the operand to follow. Figure 8: A sequence diagram fragment that contains an alternative combination fragment As an example to show how an alternative combination fragment is read, Figure 8 shows the sequence starting at the top, with the bank object getting the check’s amount and the account’s balance. At this point in the sequence the alternative combination fragment takes over. Because of the guard â€Å"[balance >= amount],† if the account’s balance is greater than or equal to the amount, then the sequence continues with the bank object sending the addDebitTransaction and storePhotoOfCheck messages to the account object. However, if the balance is not greater than or equal to the amount, then the sequence proceeds with the bank object sending the addInsuffientFundFee and noteReturned Check message to the account object and the returnCheck message to itself. The second sequence is called when the balance is not greater than or equal to the amount because of the â€Å"[else]† guard. In alternative combination fragments, the â€Å"[else]† guard is n ot required; and if an operand does not have an explicit guard on it, then the â€Å"[else]† guard is to be assumed. Alternative combination fragments are not limited to simple â€Å"if then else† tests. There can be as many alternative paths as are needed. If more alternatives are needed, all you must do is add an operand to the  rectangle with that sequence’s guard and messages. Option The option combination fragment is used to model a sequence that, given a certain condition, will occur; otherwise, the sequence does not occur. An option is used to model a simple â€Å"if then† statement (i.e., if there are fewer than five donuts on the shelf, then make two dozen more donuts). The option combination fragment notation is similar to the alternation combination fragment, except that it only has one operand and there never can be an â€Å"else† guard (it just does not make sense here). To draw an option combination you draw a frame. The text â€Å"opt† is placed inside the frame’s namebox, and in the frame’s content area the option’s guard is placed towards the top left corner on top of a lifeline. Then the option’s sequence of messages is placed in the remainder of the frame’s content area. These elements are illustrated in Figure 9. Figure 9: A sequence diagram fragment that includes an option combination fragme nt Reading an option combination fragment is easy. Figure 9 is a reworking of the sequence diagram fragment in Figure 7, but this time it uses an option combination fragment because more messages need to be sent if the student’s past due balance is equal to zero. According to the sequence diagram in Figure 9, if a student’s past due balance equals zero, then the addStudent, getCostOfClass, and chargeForClass messages are sent. If the student’s past due balance does not equal zero, then the sequence skips sending any of the messages in the option combination fragment. The example Figure 9 sequence diagram fragment includes a guard for the option; however, the guard is not a required element. In high-level, abstract sequence diagrams you might not want to specify the condition of the option. You may simply want to indicate that the fragment is optional. Loops Occasionally you will need to model a repetitive sequence. In UML 2, modeling a repeating sequence has been improved with the addition of the loop combination fragment. The loop combination fragment is very similar in appearance to the option combination fragment. You draw a frame, and in the frame’s namebox the text â€Å"loop† is placed. Inside the frame’s content area the loop’s guard is placed towards the top left corner, on top of a  lifeline. [Note: As with the option combination fragment, the loop combination fragment does not require that a guard condition be placed on it.] Then the loop’s sequence of messages is placed in the remainder of the frame’s content area. In a loop, a guard can have two special conditions tested against in addition to the standard Boolean test. The special guard conditions are minimum iterations written as â€Å"minint = [the number]† (e.g., â€Å"minint = 1†) and maximum iterations written a s â€Å"maxint = [the number]† (e.g., â€Å"maxint = 5†). With a minimum iterations guard, the loop must execute at least the number of times indicated, whereas with a maximum iterations guard the number of loop executions cannot exceed the number. Figure 10: An example sequence diagram with a loop combination fragment Larger view of Figure 10. The loop shown in Figure 10 executes until the reportsEnu object’s hasAnotherReport message returns false. The loop in this sequence diagram uses a Boolean test to verify if the loop sequence should be run. To read this diagram, you start at the top, as normal. When you get to the loop combination fragment a test is done to see if the value hasAnotherReport equals true. If the hasAnotherReport value equals true, then the sequence goes into the loop fragment. You can then follow the messages in the loop as you would normally in a sequence diagram Back to top Beyond the basics I’ve covered the basics of the sequence diagram, which should allow you to model most of the interactions that will take place in a common system. The following section will cover more advanced notation elements that can be used in a sequence diagram. Referencing another sequence diagram When doing sequence diagrams, developers love to reuse existing sequence diagrams in their diagram’s sequences. [Note: It is possible to reuse a sequence diagram of any type (e.g., programming or business). I just find that developers like to functionally break down their diagrams more.] Starting in UML 2, the â€Å"Interaction Occurrence† element was introduced. The addition of interaction occurrences is arguably the most important innovation in UML 2 interactions modeling. Interaction occurrences add the  ability to compose primitive sequence diagrams into complex sequence diagrams. With these you can combine (reuse) the simpler sequences to produce more complex sequences. This means that you can abstract out a complete, and possibly complex, sequence as a single conceptual unit. An interaction occurrence element is drawn using a frame. The text â€Å"ref† is placed inside the frame’s namebox, and the name of the sequence diagram being referenced is pl aced inside the frame’s content area along with any parameters to the sequence diagram. The notation of the referenced sequence diagram’s name follows the pattern of: sequence diagram name Two examples: 1. Retrieve Borrower Credit Report(ssn) : borrowerCreditReport or 2. Process Credit Card(name, number, expirationDate, amount : 100) In example 1, the syntax calls the sequence diagram called Retrieve Borrower Credit Report and passes it the parameter ssn. The Retreive Borrower Credit Report sequence returns the variable borrowerCreditReport. In example 2, the syntax calls the sequence diagram called Process Credit Card and passes it the parameters of name, number, expiration date, and amount. However, in example 2 the amount parameter will be a value of 100. And since example 2 does not have a return value labeled, the sequence does not return a value (presumably, the sequence being modeled does not need the return value). Figure 11: A sequence diagram that references two different sequence diagrams Figure 11 shows a sequence diagram that references the sequence diagrams â€Å"Balance Lookup† and â€Å"Debit Account.† The sequence starts at the top left, with the customer sending a message to the teller object. The teller object sends a message to the theirBank object. At that point, the Balance Lookup sequence diagram is called, with the accountNumber passed as a parameter. The Balance Lookup sequence diagram returns the balance variable. Then the option combination fragment’s guard condition is checked to verify the balance is greater then the amount variable. In cases where the balance is greater than the amount, the Debit Account sequence diagram is called, passing it the accountNumber and the amount as parameters. After that sequence is complete, the withdrawCash message returns cash to the customer. It is important to notice in Figure 11 that the lifeline of theirBank is hidden by the interaction occurrence Balance Lookup. Because the interaction occurrence hides the lifeline, that means that the theirBank lifeline is referenced in the â€Å"Balance Lookup† sequence diagram. In addition to hiding the lifeline in the interaction occurrence, UML 2 also specifies that the lifeline must have the same theirBank in its own â€Å"Balance Lookup† sequence. There will be times when you model sequence diagrams that an interaction occurrence will overlap lifelines that are not referenced in the interaction occurrence. In such cases the lifeline is shown as a normal lifeline and is not hidden by the overlapping interaction occurrence. In Figure 11, the sequence references the â€Å"Balance Lookup† sequence diagram. The â€Å"Balance Lookup† sequence diagram is shown in Figure 12. Because the example sequence has parameters and a return value, its label —lo cated in the diagram’s namebox—follows a specific pattern: Diagram Type Diagram Name Two examples: 1. SD Balance Lookup(Integer : accountNumber) : Real 2. SD Available Reports(Financial Analyst : analyst) : Reports Figure 12 illustrates example 1, in which the Balance Lookup sequence uses parameter accountNumber as a variable in the sequence, and the sequence diagram shows a Real object being returned. In cases such as this, where the sequence returns an object, the object being returned is given the instance name of the sequence diagram. Figure 12: A sequence diagram that takes the parameter of accountNumber and returns a Real object Figure 13 illustrates example 2, in which a sequence takes a parameter and returns an object. However, in Figure 13 the parameter is used in the sequence’s interaction. Figure 13: A sequence diagram that uses its parameter in its interaction and returns a Reports object Larger view of Figure 13. Gates The previous section showed how to reference another sequence diagram by  passing information through parameters and return values. However, there is another way to pass information between sequence diagrams. Gates can be an easy way to model the passing of information between a sequence diagram and its context. A gate is merely a message that is illustrated with one end connected to the sequence diagram’s frame’s edge and the other end connected to a lifeline. A reworking of Figures 11 and 12 using gates can be seen in Figures 14 and 15. The example diagram in Figure 15 has an entry gate called getBalance that takes the parameter of accountNumber. The getBalance message is an entry gate, because it is the arrowed line that is connected to the diagram’s frame with the arrowhead connected to a lifeline. The sequence diagram also has an exit gate that returns the balance variable. The exit gate is known, because it’s a return message that is connected from a lifeline to the diagram’s frame with the arrowhead connected to the frame. Figure 14: A reworking of Figure 11, using gates this time Figure 15: A reworking of Figure 12, using gates this time Combined fragments (break and parallel) In the â€Å"basics† section presented earlier in this paper, I covered the combined fragments known as â€Å"alternative,† â€Å"option,† and â€Å"loop.† These three combined fragments are the ones most people will use the most. However, there are two other combined fragments that a large share of people will find useful à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" break and parallel. Break The break combined fragment is almost identical in every way to the option combined fragment, with two exceptions. First, a break’s frame has a namebox with the text â€Å"break† instead of â€Å"option.† Second, when a break combined fragment’s message is to be executed, the enclosing interaction’s remainder messages will not be executed because the sequence breaks out of the enclosing interaction. In this way the break combined fragment is much like the break keyword in a programming language like C++ or Java. Figure 16: A reworking of the sequence diagram fragment from Figure 8, with the fragment using a break instead of an alternative Breaks are most commonly used to model exception handling. Figure 16 is a  reworking of Figure 8, but this time Figure 16 uses a break combination fragment because it treats the balance < amount condition as an exception instead of as an alternative flow. To read Figure 16, you start at the top left corner of the sequence and read down. When the sequence gets to the return value â€Å"balance,† it checks to see if the balance is less than the amount. If the balance is not less than the amount, the next message sent is the addDebitTransaction message, and the sequence continues as normal. However, in cases where the balance is less than the amount, then the sequence enters the break combination fragment and its messages are sent. Once all the messages in the break combination have been sent, the sequence exits without sending any of the remaining messages (e.g., addDebitTransaction). An important thing to note about breaks is that they only cause the exiting of an enclosing i nteraction’s sequence and not necessarily the complete sequence depicted in the diagram. In cases where a break combination is part of an alternative or a loop, then only the alternative or loop is exited. Parallel Today’s modern computer systems are advancing in complexity and at times perform concurrent tasks. When the processing time required to complete portions of a complex task is longer than desired, some systems handle parts of the processing in parallel. The parallel combination fragment element needs to be used when creating a sequence diagram that shows parallel processing activities. The parallel combination fragment is drawn using a frame, and you place the text â€Å"par† in the frame’s namebox. You then break up the frame’s content section into horizontal operands separated by a dashed line. Each operand in the frame represents a thread of execution done in parallel. Figure 17: A microwave is an example of an object that does two tasks in parallel While Figure 17 may not illustrate the best computer system example of an object doing activities in parallel, it offers an easy-to-understand example of a sequence with parallel activities. The sequence goes like this: A hungryPerson sends the cookFood message to the oven object. When the oven object receives that message, it sends two messages to itself at the same time (nukeFood and rotateFood). After both of these messages are done, the hungryPerson object is returned yummyFood from the oven object.