Author: chris

Entrepreneurship In Practice

Case Study: “El Bulli: The Taste of Innovation”

Instructions: Read the case which can be found on the iTunes U course shell and write a brief case analysis about the organization. A case analysis is NOT a summary, but rather an in depth examination of the concepts described as they relate to the course content.

Students must answer the following:

1) Explain the overall strategy of the entrepreneur and his restaurant as it relates to strategies and concepts discussed in class. You must use at least three (3) examples from class in the answer.

2) Identify the major issues and or problems that the organization faced and provide your own examination rationale and prescription to those problems, i.e. solve them. You must use at least three (3) examples as discussed in class in your answer.

3) What role does innovation play in the case and how does the restaurant’s innovation relate to the course discussions relatin

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Pick one topic from the below.  Identify any issues that state and local law enforcement agencies have had to face as they adapt to homeland security-related demands; Use example and have some depth to the response.

 

•Discuss the differences between domestic terrorism and similar criminal acts such as serial shootings, prank bomb threats? Use example and have some depth to the response.

 

•Provide some analysis on how well the U.S. is protected from terrorism at different levels of security concerns. Have detail and depth to the response.

 

•Discuss any issue from the class text/lecture or current news, or ask questions that you want to see

Research the South University Online Library and the Internet to read more about the behavioral patterns. Conduct an interview (via phone or face-to-face) of ten or more people in the age group of fifteen to sixty-four years, to survey the impression of their health, health problems, and lifestyle choices.

Ask the following questions, while conducting the interview:

• Do you smoke?
• Do you drink alcohol?
• Do you wear a seatbelt while driving a car?
• Do you talk on the phone while driving?
• Do you exercise four to five times a week?
• Do you eat a healthy diet with fruits, vegetables, fish, chicken, and whole grain?
• Do you suffer from any of the following conditions: high blood pressure, stress, weight issues, or diabetes?

Compile the data collected through the interview for each category of questions, taking into consideration the age group to which they belong.

For doing so, create a three column chart.

• In the first column, list the health behaviors for which people were interviewed.
• In the second column, list the percentage of individuals interviewed against each behavior.
• In the third column, list the percentage of people who believe they have healthy lifestyles (information can be found in the text readings or from the Internet).

Next, analyze the chart to understand how these columns differ from each other.

In a Microsoft Word document, create a 3- to 4-page report of your analysis, answering the following questions:

• Are you surprised to see the trends of the most common behaviors? Discuss.
• Did an individual’s age relate to his or her health behavior? For example, do individuals in the age group of fifty to sixty years have different behaviors than individuals in the age group of thirty to forty years?
• What are some of the changes that the people you interviewed could implement in their lifestyles and behaviors to improve their health status?

Scientific Journal Article Critique

Each time you evaluate an article, you will complete Part I and Part II. You will submit on a typed hardcopy Part I., and Part II on the due date listed in your syllabus.

 

Part I.

1. Skim the article (take light notes)

• Read the abstract. The abstract informs you of the major findings of the study, and the importance.
• What is the big picture of the study (this is done as you read the article)
• Record terms or techniques you are not familiar with.
• Include questions to parts of the article you do not understand.
• If you are unfamiliar with concepts discussed throughout the article, then perform a Google search.

 

2. Re-read the article

• Go to the Materials and Methods and Results section, and ask the following questions within each section

o   Was the study repeated? (You should know why a study must be repeated. If you do not know ask Prof. Olave or Dr. Bignami ASAP)

o   What was the sample size? Is this representative of a large population?

o   What were the variables? Controls?

o   What factors might affect the outcome (according to the investigators)

o   Interpret the data within each figure without looking at the text. Once you have done this, then read the text.

o   Understand the purpose of the Materials and Methods

3. Preparing to summarize the article:

• Describe the article in your own words first. Can you explain to a friend without looking at your notes? If not, then most likely you do not understand. Go over your notes again.
• What was the purpose of the study?
• A reader who has not read your article must understand your summary.

 

4. Write a draft of your summary:

• Begin to write the article without looking at your notes. If you choose to look at your notes, then you may not understand the article, and may unintentionally plagiarize.
• Ask yourself the following questions to write your summary (without looking at your notes) in your own words:

o   What was the purpose of the study?

o   What questions were asked?

o   How did the study address these questions?

o   What assumptions did the author make?

o   What were the major findings?

o   What questions are still unanswered (according to the authors of the article)

 

Part II. Critical Review and Assessment of the Article

• In your summary, include your own analysis and evaluation of the article.
• Do not include personal opinions
• Use professional language. For example:

Common language: Dipodomys merriami is a kangaroo rat that has a longer Loop of Henle, and this helps it survive better in the desert by retaining more water.

Professional language: A longer Loop of Henle in Dipodomys merriami allows for greater water absorption, an adaptation that has led to survival in an arid environment.

• How did this study answer questions proposed in the introduction section of the paper?
• Include the limitations of the study:

o   Does the data support the conclusions of the study. Explain.

o   What questions remain unanswered?

o   How could future studies be improved?

 

 

Note: This scientific writing critique is based on Pechenik, Jan A. “Writing Summaries and Critiques.” A Short Guide to Writing about Biology. Ed. Rebecca Gilpin. 6^th ed. New York: Pearson, 2007. 130-138.

We have discussed happiness a bit from the standpoint of contemporary science. Now, let’s consider where ancient philosophy might contribute to the discussion by overlapping with or extending these perspectives.

This lecture is a running commentary on the philosopher Aristotle. The large question it seeks to address is: ‘What does it mean to say that ethics is about happiness?’

Human Agents

Aristotle started his consideration of ethics with something so fundamental one might almost overlook it: the structure of human actions.

Every human action deserving of the name aims at something; and that ‘something’ is (or, at least seems) a good. Therefore, we might say paraphrasing Aristotle, “the good is that at which all  human actions aim.”

Another way to say it, is that ethics is rooted in desire, for we need to be ‘moved’ to action, and for that we need a felt desire.  Where the direct aim of study might be knowledge, the point of human life—where we are defined as “agents”—is the good attainable by and through our actions. Ethics, as a “science,” meant helping us to attain what we desire. In other words, to act well and successfully achieve the goals we set.

But in our lives we pursue many good things, and even different kinds of goods. When I pump gas at the filling station, my goal is to get my car in a state to take me somewhere. I had a student once who played soccer well enough to gain a college scholarship. While the latter was an aim, he also confessed that playing soccer for him can be its own reward.

These kinds of considerations led Aristotle to start searching for a term and a concept that would capture the life of human desire and action in one great sweep. He thought that finding this would give ethical study something to aim at. He asked, is there one good for human agents that sums up all the rest? If so, he thought, it would have to be an “ultimate good.” That is, this good is not made good by its leading to something else (e.g., gassing up the car). This good would not be one of the things we seek in order to get something else. Further, he said, in addition to being ultimate this good would have to be “self-sufficient.” The one who possesses it would not be in a state of wanting anything else.

Is there a name for a good like that (i.e., ultimate and making its possessor self-sufficient)? Aristotle claimed that this what most people have in mind when they use the word “happiness.”

“For the present we define as self-sufficient that which taken by itself makes life something desirable and deficient in nothing.  It is happiness, in our opinion, which fits this description.  Moreover, happiness is of all things the one most desirable, and it is not counted as one good thing among many others.”

 

Now, while Aristotle thought everybody had some idea of happiness when they use the word, most would not be able to give a very good definition. This leads him to start examining what people usually say happiness is. Here are some of the most popular responses:

• Happiness is wealth
• Happiness is health
• Happiness is power
• Happiness is fame
• Happiness is honor

 

But on examination, Aristotle finds that each of these definitions is wanting: either not really ultimate or not able to make its possessor self-sufficient. For instance, it was clear to Aristotle that wealth couldn’t be ultimate, because money was only good when you traded it in for something you really want. (Aristotle couldn’t have foreseen the seeming endless shopping made possible by the internet of course.) Being famous, on the other hand, makes you dependent on lots of other people who must continue to know of you. Hardly self-sufficient.

The Human ‘Function’ and Happiness

Aristotle turns in another direction for a definition of happiness. His view of the natural order assumed that every existing thing was designed for something, had a “function” of sorts. Rocks are designed to fall to the ground when dropped. Knives, a human artifact, are designed to cut.  Among living things, functions are identified with respect to the kind of life an organism has. Plants take in nutrition (soil, water) and sunlight, and grow. Animals, in addition, have senses like sight and hearing, issuing in a distinctive way of inhabiting an “environment.” To understand the human function, or what our life is for, we need to identify the distinctive life proper to us.

We share in the life of plants, he implies, in taking in nutrition to grow. We also share in animal life, since like them we respond to stimuli in our environment through our bodily senses. But above these, humans have reasoning. Because it’s what distinguishes us, Aristotle states that our function is a life guided by reasoning. Further, the word that Aristotle uses for reason, logos, also signifies the capacity of language. So, it becomes clear that for Aristotle, a reasonable life was a life undertaken with others in societies. (In a later unit, will come back to the idea of “moral reasoning.”)

So, for Aristotle happiness will be defined in relation to the kind of life fitting for humans, one that involves reasoning in important ways. Putting this with our earlier point that humans are bodily agents, we can now conclude that happiness will be a life of reasonable actions. Just one more point needs to be made here. Aristotle notes that in ordinary talk we evaluate many things that have a function. The function of a knife is cut, but “a good knife,” we say, is one that cuts well. Thus, while human lives generally will reflect reasoning, a “good human life” will be one that ‘reasons and acts well.’ Thus for Aristotle, happiness has everything to do with a life that expresses reasoning, and does so excellently.

Here are his words:

“…we state the function of man to be a certain kind of life, and this to be an activity or actions of the soul implying a rational principle, and the function of a good man to be the good and noble performance of these, and if any action is well performed when it is performed in accordance with the appropriate excellence: if this is the case, human good turns out to be activity of soul in accordance with virtue, and if there are more than one virtue, in accordance with the best and most complete.” Nichomachean Ethics, Book I

Questions (For Reflection/Notes):

1.What do you find appealing in Aristotle’s account of human happiness?

2.What do you find most puzzles about it?

 

Healthcare Information Technology and Standards

The ability to exchange and use health information electronically is important in order to improve healthcare quality and safety. Interoperability is critical to future exchange of health data to reduce medical errors, improve quality, and contribute to medical research. In order for this to happen, it is necessary to come to agreement on a variety of data standards. It is also critical that health data is secure from all types of threats and technological vulnerabilities.

Using the South University Online Library or the Internet, research about healthcare IT and their standards. Based on your research and understanding, respond to the following:

• What are the five main core development areas for Health IT?
• What do we mean by data standards? Give five examples of current data standards that are being used. What is their purpose?
• What is needed to achieve interoperability between all providers? What types of network standards are necessary in addition to data standards?
• What has been the role of Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health IT in data standards and interoperability? What is the Nationwide Health Information Network?
• How do the standards in the EHR systems and interoperability networks impact the working environment of healthcare professionals?
• What are the ways health organizations will need to protect health data from threats (man-made and natural disaster) and technological vulnerabilities?

The discovery of the electromagnetic spectrum in the late nineteenth century opened a doorway to a hidden part of the natural universe of which humankind had largely been unaware. Humans learned to exploit electromagnetic waves for the purposes of communications and other uses. The speed at which the power of the electromagnetic spectrum was harnessed for technology during the twentieth century was staggering, and it has yet to subside.

Today, the technology that we use constantly would not be possible if it were not for the knowledge of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Using the readings for this module, the Argosy University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following:

• In order from the longest to the shortest wavelength, list component wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. For each type of radiation, be sure to provide its name, wavelength range, and frequency range.
• Describe a practical application or technology that utilizes each specific part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
• In your opinion, state whether the world would have the technology it has today without the knowledge of the electromagnetic spectrum. Give reasons for your answer. In addition, describe what the world might be like without this knowledge.

Support your statements with appropriate examples and scholarly references.

Write your initial response in a minimum of 200 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

 

• Do you agree or disagree with the assessment of how our knowledge of electromagnetic radiation has aided the development of our technology? Give reasons to support your statements.
• What future technologies could be developed by harnessing the attributes of the electromagneti

 

• Determine the fundamental difference between interrogating and interviewing under the circumstance of criminal investigation. Provide one (1) example of a situation or scenario when each of these would be used.
• * From the e-Activity, and based on Figure 7.5 Linear Use-of-force Continuum in Chapter 7 of the textbook, support or critique the argument that a police officer should use an Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) and / or taser before the utilization of deadly force when making arrests. Provide a rationale to support your response.
• Please note attached is the Figure 7.5 Linear Use-of-force Continuum in Chapter 7 of the

 

Memory and learning can be complex. Have you ever been surprised by the fact that you can remember a song you learned years ago? Or have you struggled to remember a name you learned minutes ago? Consider the different challenges or successes you have experienced remembering information you need—for example, trying to recall names and faces, dates, computer passwords, or math equations.

There are many different ways that psychologists can understand how people learn and remember. Three conceptual approaches are the focus of this assessment: neurological, behavioral, and cognitive. The neurological approach focuses on the relationship between changes in neural function and brain structures and their interaction with the experience of memory. The behavioral approach focuses on the relationship between patterns of stimuli and how they are associated with observable behavior (for example, the names we speak when interacting with individuals, the passwords we type, et cetera). The cognitive approach focuses on the relationship between the content of our thinking and our ability to recall information.

In preparation for this assessment, research the relationship between learning, cognition, and memory, as well as the three conceptual approaches (neurological, behavioral, and cognitive).

Directions

For this assessment, complete the following:

1. Describe one research question you would like to explore related to learning and memory.
2. Choose two of the three conceptual approaches listed above. Compare and contrast how these approaches address your research question.
3. Find three or four scholarly sources, such as peer-reviewed research articles or textbooks, that are related to this research question. Describe what you learned from these sources regarding your research question, and explain how this knowledge contributes to your understanding.
4. Identify which conceptual approach best fits the approach of each of the authors of the scholarly sources.
5. Describe the methods and measures used in each of the three conceptual approaches. Different approaches will measure memory or learning in different ways based on the conceptual approach. For example, the neurological approach would focus on physical changes in the brain, while the behavioral approach would focus on observable changes in behavior.
6. Describe the practical impact reading these articles might have on your personal or professional life.

Strive to be as concise as possible and limit the length of your completed assessment to no more than 5–6 pages, excluding the title page and reference page. Support your statements and analyses with references and citations from at least three resources.

Additional Requirements

• Include a title page and a reference page.
• Use at least three resources.
• Follow APA format.
  • Note: You may use the APA Paper Template linked in the Resources. This resource is not required.