Author: chris

In the field of health psychology, an understanding on how biology, behavior and social context influence an individual’s or group’s health or illness is taken into account. In the last decade, the applicability of health psychology has been advanced and utilized the more, resulting in an increase in doubts cast by critics as to the importance and usefulness of cognitive psychology. Particular models that address memory aspects of visual and verbal information processing with minimal acknowledgement of any sensory modalities have come under heavy criticism. However, research in olfactory memory literature has rapidly expanded since the 1970’s and has risen beyond conventional memory research. Therefore, the literature herein examines principally on the Proustian characteristics of smell and the relationship between olfactory memory and other closely related types of memory. It is key to note that findings from research conducted on olfaction has been consequently used as a base for theories in other fields though caution must be applied so as not to base these general theories on narrowly researched databases. The chief objectives of the study are to investigate the relationship between olfaction and memory and the most remembered olfactory stimuli through a literature review of various articles.
In Baddeley’s 1992 fifteenth Bartlett lecture; he expressed a long-standing commitment expressed by most experienced psychologists in devising theories aimed at encompassing data from diverse sources. He expressed that a theory in health psychology should be economical while giving a plausible account of existing findings that bring into light new discoveries in this field. These discoveries should in turn mold the theory through a “gradual, cumulative modification of the theory.” He further suggested that models should be applied over a wide range of situations or fields; that is scope rather than precision. This notwithstanding, research carried on the basis of findings presented from the Ebbinghaus and Bartlett traditions concentrates chiefly on verbal rather than visual cognition. However, there has been little contemporary support in literature such as in Morris & Gruneberg, 1994 which attempted to inspect whether theories and models in human memory, in reference to modality, relate to memory phenomena in other sensory modalities such as touch, taste, or smell. Comprehensive reviews carried out on olfactory cognition and its influence by the conven¬tional memory literature such as Richardson & Zucco, 1989 and Schab, 1991 shows an interesting analysis and relation to new research areas.
The relationship between olfaction and memory can best be illustrated by perception of smell and the triggering of a long-forgotten event. A perfume may remind someone of a long forgotten person. Research carried out by Engen in 1987 claimed that odor memory does not trigger short-term memory which has been contradicted by the 1997 White and Treishman report. Although evidence of olfactory primacy under which stimuli presented at the beginning of a study is best remembered through rehearsal, the report provides a strong base in evidence presented for recency in olfaction. White and Treisman argued on the basis that olfactory memory is a result of individuals assigning assign verbal meanings to olfactory stimuli. The study further claims that olfactory sense is a crucial sense in animals. This is further supported by evidence presented on the existence of peripheral olfactory memory in imprinted salmon which was carried out by Nevitt et. al in 1994. The study found out that the “remark honing ability of salmon relies on olfactory cues though its cellular basis is unknown.” The role of peripheral olfactory receptors in odorant memory retention was done through imprinting Coho salmon with phenyl ethyl alcohol. This study verified that there was an increased preference for phenyl ethyl alcohol in salmon adults, therefore proving that some “component of the imprinted olfactory home stream memory appears to be retained peripherally.”

This essay discusses depression in length and further on postnatal depression and depression after cancer, its implications and public health responses. Improper diagnosis and consequent prognosis on patients who otherwise are suffering from depression has been commonplace as people tend to ignore depression as a major health issue and should be viewed as an illness. This essay also extensively expounds on postnatal depression normally suffered by mothers after childbirth and depression in relation to cancer.
Depression, therefore, is a state whereby a person experiences low mood and an aversion to any activity be it physical or mental. Depressed people usually feel sad, anxious, helpless, hopeless, worthless, full- of-guilt, irritated and at times restless. This comes along with loss of interest in once pleasurable activities, poor concentration, contemplation of suicide and loss of appetite or the extreme opposite: overeating. Patients may also experience fatigue, aches and pains, insomnia and digestive problems.
Depression can lead to various disorders classified either as Psychiatric syndromes or non-psychiatric. Psychiatric disorders are mainly due to moods. This include Major Depressive Disorder where a person experiences at least two weeks of depression, or loss of interest in all activities; chronic depressed mood condition normally referred to as Dysthymia; Bipolar disorder whereby the state of depression may not be major and Adjustment disorder where a person experiences depressed moods as a psychological response to a particular event or stressing factor, in which resultant emotional or behavioral symptoms are significant but not critical. On-psychiatric illnesses are a result of depressed moods bringing about physiological and infectious disorders such as mononucleosis, a viral disorder, and contributes as an early sign of hypothyroidism.
Depression was determined in U.S by Centre for disease control in 2010 under an analysis termed as Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The BRFSS carried its survey for 235067 adults and found 9.0% as currently depressed inclusive of 3.4% of major depression. Under a clinical context, depression results in production changes of neurotransmitters in the brain that aid in communication such as dopamine and norepinephrine. Levels of these substances, when varied, bring about hormonal changes, physical illnesses, aging, brain damage and changes in genetics.
A complete medical check-up and a thorough study of explicit symptoms helps determine the root-cause of depression. Standardized questionnaires for depression quantifier such as Beck Depression Inventory and Hamilton Rating Scale provide insights to the actual cause of a patient’s depression state. Various tests are necessary to rule out other causes such as blood tests to measure levels of thyroxine to exclude hypothyroidism; ruling out metabolic disturbance by basic electrolytes and calcium tests; ESR and blood counts to rule systemic infection or chronic disease; hypogodanism is ruled out by testerone tests in men and finally side effects as a reaction to drugs previously administered or alcohol should also be done. Elderly people exhibit more cognitive complaints but this could be misread as depression but may rather be dementia which can only be distinguished by cognitive testing and brain scanning. Such as CT scans.
This essay also focuses on Postpartum or postnatal depression (PPD) is a state of illness under clinical depression which mainly affects women rather than men normally after childbirth. Research has indicated prevalence rates between 5% and 25% and lasts either for a few months or up to a year. Fathers experiencing paternity for the first time have been found to be between 1.2% and 25.5%.
Symptoms may vary from feeling sad, fatigued, loss or gain in appetite, reduced libido, crying at various times of day, anxiety, extensive or minimal sleep and irritability. In women, it is said to be caused by hormonal changes therefore necessitating support groups or counseling rather than hormonal treatment. Postpartum exhaustion is a subtype of postnatal depression caused by extreme fatigue and it normally lasts for a few days up to a maximum of 20 days. Another type of postnatal depression is baby or maternity blues which are normally mild and suffered by a large proportion of mothers. Symptoms include crying episodes, irritability, sleeplessness, hypochondrias, impaired concentration, headache and feelings of emptiness and loneliness.
There several major Symptoms of Postnatal Depression a include: Sadness, feelings of guilt, low self-esteem, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, fatigue, inability to feel comforted, anhedonia, emptiness, non-energetic, socially withdrawn, frustrations, anxiety and restlessness, decreased libido, easily angered and impaired writing skills and speech. Postpartum depression can be determined by Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. A score greater than 13 indicates a high likelihood of development of this condition.
Various risk factors or causes have been identified and assigned a scale rating under the above method where a high value increases probability.
“Formula feeding rather than breast feeding (2.04), A history of depression (1.87) (.38 to.39), Cigarette smoking (1.58), Low self esteem (.45 to. 47), Childcare stress (.45 to .46), Prenatal depression during pregnancy (.44 to .46), Prenatal anxiety (.41 to .45), Life stress (.38 to .40), Low social support (.36 to .41), Poor marital relationship (.38 to .39), Infant temperament problems (.33 to .34), Baby blues(.25 to .31), Single parent (.21 to .35) Low socioeconomic status (.19 to .22) Beck (2001), Unplanned/unwanted pregnancy (.14 to .17)” (Beck, 2001)
Additive effects have been found to be: feeding formula, a history of depression and smoking and are directly correlated to PND such as high levels of prenatal depression are interlink with high levels of postnatal depression, hence implying low levels of prenatal depression consequently lead to low levels of postnatal depression. A third factor may come into play to interlink the two such as lack of social support. (O’Hara, 1985) ( Field et al., 1985) (Gotlib et al., 1991.) There is also a correlation between race, social class and sexual orientation with respect to postpartum depression.
In 2006, a study on “the extent to which ethnicity and ethnicity is a risk factor for PPD carried on 26,877 postpartum women found 15.7% were depressed. 25.2% of PPD cases were African American, 22.9% were either American Indian or Native Alaskan, 15.5% of them were Whites, 15.3% Hispanic and 11.5% Asian or of Pacific Islander. Under a controlled environment such as age, income, education, marital status, and baby’s health, African American women still emerged with significantly increased risk for…PPD”. (Segre et al, 2006). Likewise, a study conducted by Howell et al. in 2006 confirms Segre’s findings that “women who are nonwhite and in lower socioeconomic categories have more symptoms of PPD.”

This essay evaluates the performance of a leading global sports corporation, Strike.com, in relation to the impact of its practices such as profit maximization at the expense of ethics and social responsibility. The aim of each firm is to generate profits so as to ensure quick growth but this should be regulated by common practices on professional corporate responsibility such as humane working conditions and reasonable pay. This, if not adhered to, may lead to the firm’s collapse in the long-run such as the case in view of the rest global financial meltdown. First, the essay reflects on the highly successful period of 1996-2001 and the reasons as to why. Further, the firm’s performance after the effects brought about by the investigative report is analyzed. Finally, the appropriate steps that should be taken so as to improve Strike.com’s image to the clients in a more ethically correct environment are analyzed.
In the 1996-2001 period, Strike.com’s success can be attributed to a variety of factors: Minimal labor costs, availability of a large international market and a highly successful advertising, marketing and promotions strategy. The Vietnamese employees were highly exploited by working for long hours, at times working for 15 hours a day with minimal wages which forced them below the United Nations-recognized poverty status of living less than a dollar a day. Although it served to generate more output per employee, it was highly unethical and exploitative. The large corporations such as Marks and Spencer, Wal-Mart, Doshco, Tesco and Sainsbury offered a huge, readily available and well-paying market to Strike.com’s products though these benefits were not passed on to the employees. An 8 figure advertising, marketing and promotions strategy had also been put into place. Sports personalities who are highly renowned were featured wearing the company’s sportswear which largely drove sales by fuelling demand. It was a highly successful advertising strategy that ensured that the company made huge profits.
In 2006, a group of investigative reporters from the BBC Panorama program, working with activists from Dignity International, a charitable organization working on behalf of human rights and workplace issues, produced a well researched and highly critical report and prime-time TV program on the way Strike.com was operating. The report showed that casual workers were physically assaulted on the job and were paid an average of 20 cents an hour. Supervisors were paid a low of $42 a month and regular workers were paid even worse. On March 14, 1997, BBC Panorama reported that 56 young women were forcefully ordered to run around one Strike.com factory. This resulted in them fainting and consequent shock. As a result, Dignity International decided to look at the plight of workers. The report indicated that Strike.com acted in contravention of various labor laws such as the company failed to meet basic minimum wages, provided poor working conditions and health and safety measures were ignored. It further reported that sexual harassment and child labor were prevalent in the Vietnamese factories. Srike.com was found to contradict information given to its Anerican clients about its labor practices. This had led to a misconception that Strike.com had maintained as good an image as it had in the U.S. The company had repeatedly said that it did not tolerate employee mistreatment in its Code of Conduct yet findings indicated otherwise. The report showed that Strike.com went further to discourage workers in joining labor organizations by calling in the military and firing dissident workers whenever means of negations such as strikes and boycotts were deployed. Many workers also complained of being forced to work overtime. Set quotas for each employee which was set even higher once attained forced workers into overtime. The report also exposed a trend whereby workers were employed on training wages for 120 days and were later fired to save on fringe benefits accrued by permanent employees. It was found to be highly irregular that Strike.com’s annual payroll in six of its factories was less than what a single superstar earned on athletic endorsements. Consumer abstinence on Strike.com’s products in order to reverse this critical condition has already started.
To improve this condition and make Strike.com a leading Global Corporate Citizen, the new CEO should first ensure all factories meet the set standards by U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) in indoor air quality. Claims on employee exposure to toxic fumes should be solved by this. Advance notice on testing and considerable changes in order to minimize toxic emissions should be taken into place. Strike.com should be open to public and rights groups’ inspection and unannounced monitoring checks by industry hygienists. Secondly, child labor should be stopped by raising the minimum age in footwear factories to 18 and 16 in apparel factories. Thirdly, non-governmental institutions should be incorporated in its monitoring and evaluation programs with regular reports on the progress being reported to the public. An expanded employee education program with high school equivalent courses should be availed to workers. This is since wages offered are very low hence most workers cannot afford to give up their overtime income for education.
Strike.com should enlarge its micro-enterprise loan program to benefit more Vietnamese. This will ensure that its employees at least live a dignified life. It should commit to a living wage and fund charitable courses such as this. Finally, the company should fund university research programs spearheaded by independent academics on social responsibility with access to its factories as training sites.

Innovation on demand describes a highly useful methodology for systematic technological innovation. TRIZ stands for the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving which is a translation of Teoriya Resheniya Izobretatelskikh Zadach. Basic tools and applications of TRIZcan be applied to the conceptual development of high-level technologies, new products, and manufacturing processes. This book is a must read for practicing engineers who carry out duties such as design, shop floor administration and R and D activities.
TRIZ approaches often leads to discovering of strategic opportunities that technology managers can highly apply to develop new products and processes, proper organizational structures and novel services. Genrikh Altshuller, from the Soviet Union was the first to come up with TRIZ when he was still in high school in 1946. It was applied extensively in the Soviet defense and space industry whereby engineers were able to overcome difficulties in technology while maintaining an efficient economic system. Its availability was highly suppressed and it was unknown in America. In 1984, Gordon and Breach attempted to translate Altshuller’s work and consequently published Creativity as an Exact Science. Its poor translation made a poor read hence a poor impact. In 1991, Invention Machine Corporation developed a TRIZ-based software package which entailed a series of problem solving analogies. It was displayed in New York. This package failed to reveal the extensive thought processes behind TRIZ, which the manufacturers were unfamiliar with and was required in applying the same in solving technology issues. Hence the power in this methodology was not fully realized.

Proper exposure to the methodology was initiated by the Russian immigrants in the 1990s who set up consulting companies in the West and were in collaboration with Altshuller. They applied the principles in training clients and coming up with solutions for their clients; companies. As a result of these efforts, leading companies in the U.S. have reported significant benefits from the application of these fundamentals.
In 1993, Wayne State University in Detroit officially started teaching these fundamentals after modifying them to suit various audiences. This book covers the basic tools concepts and of contemporary TRIZ. The only reason for defining any subject is to determine whether TRIZ can be used. Real-life situations are then used to illustrate these concepts based on patented inventions made with the help of TRIZ.
TRIZ has evolved over time to contain numerous problem analysis techniques and concept generation tools. This book covers formalized powerful tools like ideality tactics, the sufield analysis, definition of principles, and ARIZ have been tackled extensively. Major non-formalized methods discussed are the cost, size and time method and the system operator. It covers two basic principles that are of high interest to engineers and technologists which are: The improvement of technologies and products already in use by use of problem-solving techniques and the development of future generation technologies, products and manufacturing processes through technological forecasting. TRIZ has been extensively used in these basic activities. TRIZ has been widely used in the development of various software packages and generation of libraries that contain good design concepts based on various engineering domains. Finite element analysis (FEA) packages are used in treating a huge variety of stress and strain problems. The results, however, can be applicable or inapplicable depending on the studies carried on the analyzed problem constructed by FEA.

Fey and Rivin focus their work on engineering methodology and do not address contributions from other related areas such as marketing, packaging innovations or operations. Likewise, the use of the phrase on demand in the title should not be interpreted as a guarantee of timely results rather it is a systematic approach to achieving better engineering solutions. This book is true to the first and most fundamental principles of TRIZ and even the section on the formulation of functions advocates a disciplined approach. For example the common formulation “hot air dries hair” is replaced with the correct formulation “hot air evaporates water” on page 15.
The objective of Chapter 1 is to show the need to replace random innovation with systematic innovation due to the shortcomings of the former. TRIZ provides systematic innovation by employing numerous methods for overcoming system conflicts instead of making tradeoffs. These breaks down into two major subcategories according to the laws of technological system evolution which are a set of methodologies on the development of conceptual system designs and a set of tools for identifying and developing of future technologies on page 8. Chapters 2 and 3 provide a variety of ideal systems, physical contradiction, and sufield analysis which entails solution and field of application. Chapter 4 introduces ARIZ which involves algorithm for inventive problem solving, which is the most powerful tool for problem root-cause analysis and solutions proposal in modern TRIZ on page 83.The major aims of ARIZ are problem formulation, breaking psychological inertia, and combining various tools of TRIZ in order to come up with an applicable solution.
Chapter 4 explains the nine laws of technological system evolution which can be used to efficiently develop novel technologies and products, to objectively assess the potential business value of the systems designed and predict the systems that competitors shall implemented. These laws are: Increasing Degree of Ideality, Non-Uniform Evolution of Sub-Systems, Transition to a Higher-Level System, Increasing Flexibility, Shortening of Energy Flow Path and Transition from Macro- to Micro-Level. Fey and Rivin caution that these laws don’t work independently but are intertwined so as to come up with a complex solution. Chapter 6 discusses TechNav – a comprehensive process for the conceptual development of future technologies and products based on rules and laws of technological system evolution and business analysis. These phases are analysis, determination of high potential innovations, concept development, and concept selection and technology plan. A five level distribution of inventions by novelty level is proposed. In this system, inventions still being engineered account for less than five percent of all inventions.

Financial resources, just like other resources used in production are scarce and limited. There is therefore a need to put in place various organizational models to facilitate the management of these resources. Sound financial resource management is fundamental for the success of any business. Several concepts that should be applied in the day-to-day running of businesses and long-term strategies have been discussed here-in so as to avoid poor financial management that otherwise leads to business failure.
There is a need to figure out the major financial concerns of any organization. These are: scarcity of resources in the face of expansion in nature and size; managers and business leaders have insufficient knowledge as to the amount of financial resources available and how to maximally utilize these resources for the most output; poor cost estimation techniques and poor implementation of cost-effective techniques, commitment of funds to recurrent expenditure such as salaries leaving minimal funds other operational costs, development and investment; misappropriation of resources leading to waste and poor assessment of organizational programs and workplace inefficiencies.
This issues form the most of organizational problems experienced by most firms. Most managers feel that they could have done better had they had more financial resources after one of this factors go wrong. This is not always the case since more financial resources do not necessarily equate to sound management. There may be minimal correlation between the quality of program delivery and the financial management system that has been put in place. For instance, a firm dealing with agrochemicals needs to actively advertise their product to the farmer as to why he should use their products which does not necessarily imply heavy financial advertising. However, successful organizations must put in place proper evaluation methodologies so as to ensure quality financial management.
Several activities carried out by firms need to be evaluated. First, proper financial management and decision-making needs to be applied in obtaining financial resources. Efforts to sustainably manage resources at this stage highly depend on the firm’s prioritization and its use of additional resources. A look at sources of funding by organizations shows that public firms are funded through but not limited to public appropriations, loans, donations, profits ploughed back and user fees while private firms get their funding from private investments, endowment income, loans and other diverse activities. There has been a recent wave to privatize public firms mainly due to their performance in managing resources. Despite the firms’ ownership, there is a need to source funds from more than one of these sources. This goes without saying that the more sources a firm has, the more complex its financial management process is, since they have different outcome expectations, time schedules and reporting requirements. This, however, has not deterred managers in their quest to fund their organizations from more than one source. This is because multiple sources provide the firm with a hedge against adverse effects of mistreatment by a single source or unavailability of funds from the source. Firms that have unique, high priority and large projects should seek ways of acquiring special finding sources so as aptly support these projects. These special sources are assured by obtaining a resource commitment from a principal funding partner which is a very dependable source for core and continuing project funding. Temporary or ‘softer’ sources allow experimentation and carrying out of non-core business activities hence they ensure the firm is not held back when major projects are being carried out. No single ideal ratio can be determined but rather each firm should determine its core to non-fundamental resource balance.
Secondly, critical decision making in financial management should be ensured in keeping track of financial resources. Management should effectively carry out the activities of planning, staffing, control and leadership after understanding the financial constraints the firm is currently facing. Therefore, it is incumbent upon them to design a viable system that ensures staff knows the amount of resources available for appropriation to prevent misuse of resources. A system to determine how much there was at the beginning of a trading period, how much has been spent so far, what the money was spent on and how much is left should be put in place to ensure that managers remain accountable to their funding partners. This can be resolved by installing an accounting system. Be it an automated or manual recording system, the system needs to produce accurate and timely results so that critical decisions can be made in good time. A number of software systems are available which are deemed as more efficient and cost-effective.
Thirdly, it is vital to predict organizational costs since available resources for each project are finite. The need and benefits accrued from any expenditure should not be undermined by the costs incurred. Therefore, budgeting is necessitated in the use of resources so as to ensure proper planning and management of resources. This tool is highly successful when combined with accounting methods so as determine expected costs and returns. No matter how well endowed an organization is, there are always constraints as to the amount of resources that can be committed to a specific activity. Budgeting comes in handy to determine the resources needed and how they will be appropriated. This also provides managers with a benchmark tool whereby during the span of the period, the number of achievements can be evaluated against expenditures, hence enabling managers to keep within assigned allocation limits so as to accomplish the set objectives successfully. Budgets can be subdivided by the planned activities or via a recognized accounting system. However, the two systems can be integrated. This integrated approach enables firms to draw a cost-benefit analysis while at the same time design different approaches that can be implemented to come up with a similar end-result. The most advanced budgeting technique is however the budgeting cycle. It can be represented by: Resource acquisition where money is obtained, then a disbursement program is carried out, an accounting strategy is implemented, followed by auditing so as to locate errors; then a report is generated which if satisfactory more funds can be requested for an ongoing program. This cycle continues through the resource acquisition phase and is carried out all over again.

Fourthly, there is a need to maintain a balance as to how resources are used in the organization. This is since some organizations may commit too much funds to activities such as staff salaries and salary support supported by the central management yet it is not provided in the budget leading to neglect of other operational costs. This leads to a budget cut. This implies that fewer resources are available in meeting needed expenditure such as travel and any other office miscellaneous costs. Inflation should also be catered for in drawing a balance in the use of funds. Therefore, it is imperative for managers to keep a balance between salaries and operating costs. If this problem crops up, managers can resolve this by reducing staff so as to increase expense allocations since the firm shall be having a bloated staff who have nothing to do due to scarcity of resources that are highly stretched. This can however have a direct impact on product delivery. The market previously reached may have to reduce leading to a decline in the sales. Some countries outlaw the trade-off between personnel expenditure and other operating costs. In these situations it is vital to seek for an alternative source of funding. However, reallocation is the easiest and most-straight-forward way of ensuring the firm stays afloat. Other techniques such as establishing user fees and sale of the firm’s publications can be used to raise extra finances. This can have a negative impact if the targeted audience has no money to pay for this service. There is no ideal salary-expense ratio but it rather depends on the firm’s diverse staff such as professionals versus unskilled labor and the number of operational costs determined by the firm’s geographical location and mode of program delivery. However, if salary costs are projected at around 75%, this is s a fair projection that there shall be sufficient finances left over to meet operational costs.

In any particular interview, the employer endeavors to find out what a newly-hired employee will bring on –board, that is the value added to the firm. He or she assess whether the skills possessed by the interviewee such as good communication skills, honesty and reliability meet the set requirements besides academic qualifications and experience. Hence, an interviewee should confidently express these skills in order to successfully vie for the job.
A typical interview is normally scheduled for thirty minutes to an hour. First, the employer generally engages the applicant on a general conversation to ensure he is relaxed and comfortable. He or she then gets to more substantive questions on applicants’ qualifications, behavioral questions and on the applicant’s background which lasts for the greater part of the interview. The last 5-10 minutes are left for the applicant to ask questions that he may have in mind. Therefore, it is imperative for an applicant to be thoroughly prepared about the institution’s background. Normally, before a job offer is made, the applicant attends several interviews and faces different evaluation panels. The key to confidence is adequate preparation. Questions like “Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?” should be well anticipated. The interviewee can also give him/herself a pep-talk before the interview. He or she should feel convinced that he is the best candidate and should believe in his or her abilities. Tough questions such as “What made you leave your last job?” should be answered wittingly and positively. The interviewee should not display a negative attitude towards your previous employer but can rather answer “There was limited growth opportunities, and although I greatly enjoyed my job, my ambitions could not be fully achieved.”
Many employers are trained in the STAR approach (Situation, Task, Action and Result). Try to deliver the information required in a structured manner to ensure the interviewers are receptive. In the situation and task part, ensure that you describe it concisely, comprehensively and within context. In the action-based questions, demonstrate skills and personal attributes gained on the tested question. Be personal and detailed but avoid any technical jargon. In the result section, explain how you applied various generic skills so as to solve the task and achieve the set goals.
In structuring your resume, ensure that key points such as skills gained and outstanding honor are at the top of each section since the last part normally receives little attention. Choose a common font such as Times New Roman and a size 12 font-size is normally recommended. Section headings should be centrally located and at times bold. This ensures your curriculum vita captures the employer’s eye. Ensure your resume consists of your name, address, phone number and email address at the top. Your academic qualifications should then follow chronologically from the most recent achievements. Your employment history and experience are then clearly written in a chronological way and should also start with your most recent place of employment. Special and noteworthy achievements should be included. Finally, references should be added at the bottom of the resume or if not requested, you can state ‘references available upon request’. This, however, is a basic resume and can be modified to include various elements as the case may be.
The question as on how to negotiate for a good salary is normally very tricky. Ensure that you are well prepared and decided on the minimum salary acceptable. You should not disclose the actual amount desired but rather give a range within which your desired salary lies. However, you should never discuss the salary issue till you have been offered a job. Do not forget to negotiate for other benefits and perks that go along with your salary. Finally, do not say yes to an offer right away without further negotiation. After you agree on the salary, get this agreement into writing.

In April 1933, during the early months after the Nazis ascended to power in Germany, a law which commonly came to be termed as the Aryanan Paragraph came into effect. It outlawed any person of Jewish descent from government employment. This was the first piece of legislature to be effected in a then heightening assault on Jews led by the Third Reich Hitler and evidently expressed in his toxic rhetoric and ideological imperatives. This placed German Churches at a focal point: They either had to resist these attacks on Jews or dismiss all Jewish preachers and employees so as to preserve their subsidies. Most of the churches publicly or silently fell in line with Hitler’s demands. These in effect became the onset of the world’s bloodiest World War II and the context of Roderick Stackelberg’s book on Hitler’s Germany: Origins, Interpretations and Legacies which provide an interesting read and meets its chief objective of introducing any reader to the history and the atrocities committed in the Nazi Germany. The book extends from the abortive 1923 Beer Hall Putsch to the World War II and the aftermath in the 1940’s. This therefore gives Stackelberg’s novel a wide coverage while ensuring the reader is totally engrossed in the narrative as the story unfolds. Stackelberg , a humanities professor at Gonzaga University in Spokane, he cogently sets out to argue out that the Nazi Regime was supported and maintained through a mass consensus by the majority of the German citizens rather than the implied coercion by most authors. He is hence in agreement with Daniel Goldhagen and his views as phrased in his narrative, Hitler’s Willing Executioners of which he has recognized and praised. He points out that Germans expressed conviction and expediency in their support and collaboration with the Nazi regime. He endeavors to balance ‘intentionalist’ versus ‘functionalist’ approaches to the Holocaust committed against Jews so as to amply show the Nazi’s adherence to the fatal eugenic belief of exterminating all those deemed to be “life unworthy of life”. This resulted in the death of two-thirds of the Jews in Europe at the time. Stackelberg successfully combines dramatic writing with a dispassionate analysis so as to aptly provide a rich historical context the barbaric behavior and actions of the Third Reich by boldly depicting a pre-history of Nazism such as the absolutist rule put forward by his predecessor Otto Van Bismarck, the 19th-century nationalist propagandistsand the Free Corps hooligan squads who not only crushed the 1919 Spartacist revolt but also murdered Rosa Luxemburg. He further covers the Nuremberg trials, the German denazification and the modern-day resurgence of militant neo-Nazi extremists. Although the work presented herein has already been documented in other books, he manages to author an interesting and engrossing superb read on the Nazi Germany history.
The book first provides a detailed coverage of the roots of fascist ideologies, its constituency and the conditions that facilitated its growth in Germany. It then reflects on the key problems facing German unity which Stackelberg clearly and comprehensively covers as absolutism and particularism. This serves as a basis as to why the German Empire changed from a democratic state to social imperialism and finally landed on the path to war. Stackelberg clinically examines the Germanic ideology that was instituted into the masses by the political class so as to influence support. He finds that the politicians managed to drive the cause for nationalism towards fanatism while coupling this with vulgarized idealism and anti-Semitism. Stackelberg has also provided a rich context for German’s history and involvement in the First World War and the resultant crisis in imperial Germany under Bismarck. He goes on further to examine the Weimar Republic through a well-documented study and the weakness of liberal democracy in Germany. This led to the consequent fall of the Weimar republic and the rise of Nazism further facilitated by the Great Depression. The Nazis managed to consolidate power in the 1933-1934 under the Third Reich Hitler whose governance in the 1933-1939 period has been fully analyzed under the aspects of politics, society and culture hence providing a rich and diverse read. Further, Stackelberg manages to depict hideous details of the persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust in this period. The origins of the Second World War, its spread from a European to a global war and its ensuing transformation from triumph to defeat in 1942-1945 have been elaborately covered while providing ample contextual information that leaves a clear imaginative image in the readers’ minds. Finally, the book evaluates the aftermath of the war and Germany’s National Socialism. The last chapter examines Hitler’s place in history and memory and the vital lessons learnt from the ordeal.
In the introduction, Stackelberg clarifies why he wrote the book despite a myriad number of historical books in the market dealing with a similar subject matter. He feels there is a need to write a book that not only covers the Nazi regime but also the 19th century background and the aftermath. Despite the book’s title, only seven out of sixteen chapters are dedicated to the Nazi regime. It provides a rich and essential understanding of the Hitler-led Nazi regime. This was a decision he reached at after having taught the subject matter for over twenty years. Stackelberg feels that the book approaches the Nazi regime under a two dimension: He provides an accurate and complete account of Nazi rule and goes further to provide an interpretive framework that endeavors to explore the reasons as to the extraordinary occurrence in German history. The book provides a clear guideline to the reader whereas incorporating the complex and vast complexities of historical causation as experienced by the contemporary figures that lived in that turbulent and violent era.
In creating a rich analysis and reconstruction of the Nazi regime in 1933 to 1945, the author places the period in a larger context which enables him to ably provide a sufficient background of the regime while ensuring various critical arguments are brought forward.
First, Stackelberg feels that history is inseparable from its interpretative analysis. No author, in Stackelberg’s view should present the bare facts of a historical occurrence without endeavoring to provide a parallel interpretive theory as to why the historical phenomenon took place. Historical books and journals have always depicted the Nazi era under a barbaric and destructive scope and it is almost viewed entirely as the world’s greatest battle of evil versus good. This approach is rather heightened by the atrocities committed such as the irrational racial obsessions and the Holocaust with an aim to wipe out all Jews. Any other approach, such as a metaphysical approach, would definitely not successfully account for the success and popularity of Nazism in Germany. However, rather than approach the Nazi era under a moral and evil conception as multiple authors’ have, Stackelberg endeavors to define the rise of the Nazi regime under a political analysis. Stackelberg feels it is essential to establish why the Germans at the time felt that Nazism was a reconstructive force in the quest for National Socialism that would utterly propel them into a superpower state. He critically notes in a catchy headline that history is past politics, hence, even the atrocities committed under the anti-Semitism derive must have a cognitive understanding. Unlike facts which if in dispute can easily be ratified among historians, an analysis of the reasons as to why German Nazism was widely popular can only be perceived under the analysts own political and societal values. These are highly diverse among historians and are therefore bound to bring forth a degree of controversy.

This essay discusses persuasive message delivery through a study of a real-case scenario of GB Financial Corporation and further goes on to analyze the effectiveness of the delivery of the intended message through rhetoric analysis as a means of influencing change.
The following message is an illustration of a persuasive message sent by a firm’s top management to the junior staff in an effort to induce and manage change:
To: All members of Information Services Department
From: Jeff Butler, Director of Data Management
Cc: Mike Campbell, Senior Vice President, Information Service
Subject: Restructuring and Reorganising GB’s Information Services department
Having successfully been appointed the director, Data Management Department, the duty to steer this department forward to a more technologically savvy situation in the management, distribution, capture and storage of data has been chiefly bestowed on me. Our recent research findings suggest that we should break away from the traditional form of data management associated with Lotus Notes to the new technology offered by Microsoft Exchange. It is therefore imperative that we implement this. Having evaluated the current software platform, applications and database system, I have found it to be in the best interests of the company to shift to this new technology in order to comfortably realize our organization’s goals and objectives.
However, Microsoft Exchange is not any different in its mode of operation and you will find it easy to adapt in your work environment. My experience in consultancy, a span of 10 years, should provide a good basis and inspire confidence in implementing this application. The chief aim of introducing this new technology is to create a new, dynamic database which Lotus Notes software does not provide. This database shall ensure the organisation easily accesses over-the-web data which is published via web technology developed from a MS-Database view point. This new kind of platform shall act as a data agent and a data-publishing service for central, shared and enterprise database deployed herein.
However, there are changes that will come about from the use of Microsoft Exchange databases. After consulting with S&P manager, Mary Han, about critical business problems; sound data management measures and security maintenance will be employed as a solution to any work around problem that might be met in the near future before this technology is fully implemented and ready for full-capacity application. To this effect, I have brought on board a data architect who shall help in implementing this technology. We ought to see positive changes soon over and above our current system.
The initialization processes will involve a series of steps. First and foremost, a customized, home-grown Internet application program shall be designed by the Information Technology department. This is since, Interpush, our Internet applications service provider is under imminent sale. Senior management has therefore decided that we develop our own version rather than outsourcing in order to uphold data integrity. This leaves the burden of developing the application internally, as proposed by Tom Bradley, squarely in our hands. These changes may lead to reassignment of duties previously carried out by some employees. This, however, should not be demoralizing since your new positions will be far more exciting and easier to handle under Ms Exchange applications. I further propose bringing on board four full-time experts from Microsoft Exchange application development to aid in the initialization and implementation program. This is in the best interest of the company, its employees inclusive, and should not be viewed as if we are laying off employees or imminently intending to fire anyone.
I look forward to all weekly staff meetings and in-between-the-week feedback so as to provide an insight to opinions, challenges, suggestions and complaints that you would like to raise for the overall smooth transition from Lotus Notes to the more technology compliant Ms Exchange.
Any comments, views, suggestion or clarification can be in the meanwhile be forwarded to my email address and I will get back to you soonest possible.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Jeff Butler
For most massive changes be it in enterprises, organizations or companies or even simple situations such as GB’s case, managers respond predictably through organization strategy, shifting around staff and also rooting out inefficiencies. Change, therefore, becomes hard as people often express unwillingness to change their ways and habits (David A Garvin). Rhetoric analysis looks at how communication occurs and to what extent the message communicated achieves its intended objective. It also endeavors to show how the message incorporates principles of effective change management.
In ensuring that the message conveyed is sufficiently persuasive, there are various necessary steps. First, the source should ensure that the audience is convinced that change is important. Secondly, there is a need to gather enough information by encouraging feed back through such means as weekly staff meeting and consulting with the audience either face-to-face or by correspondence such as email whereby the audience can discuss their fears, views and even suggestions without the fear of being victimized. This provides a means through which there is constant communication with the audience in order to gauge their mood. The audience’s mood is very important as it shows whether the change is taking place effectively or not and can be quantified by the amount of feedback. Behavioural guidelines should however not be ignored in this correspondence especially through email because hierarchy, in particular, in association with vertical communication, is attained. Email details that it has been sent to all members of staff should not be left out such as Information Services Department and other members concerned such as Mike Campbell, Senior vice president, Information System. This ensures it is able to capture power within it by mentioning high ranking people in the organization. It is after implementing these phases is the change ably implemented.

The concern for safety has accelerated in the past decade due to an increase on terrorist attacks. Terrorism has therefore been discussed based on the article ‘Bomber Wounds 32 in Attack in Istanbul’ as posted on October 31, 2010 in the New York Times. A suicide bomber wounded 15 policemen and 17 civilians in an attempt to attack police in Instanbul’s Taksim Square which is one of the busiest areas. (New York Times, 2010, pg A6). Police have refused to speculate on the bomber’s affiliation. Sunday was the last day of the cease-fire agreement between the government and The Kurdistan Workers Party militia hence they could be responsible though other militant groups have in the past carried out suicide bombings. The attack occurred at 10.30 a.m in Taksim Square, Beyoglu district which is usually full of tourists and civilians. A recent suicide attack close to Taskim Square carried out by leftist militias killed two policemen in 2001.In 2003, Al-Qaeda loyalists killed more than 60 people and wounded hundreds of others in attacks on the British Consulate, a British bank HSBC and two synagogues. The cease-fire agreement was one of a number that have been issued lately in an attempt to hold talks with the government. This suicide attacks have claimed more than 40,000 lives.
This essay reflects on the biological drive as a psychological factor in analyzing the case of suicide bombers. Though suicide bombers would want to prove fearlessness, the actual motives lies in a biological urge towards violence and cause as much harm as possible however detrimental or threatening the situation may be. This is therefore an important element in a comprehensive bio-psychosocial understanding of behavior. Oots and Wiegele argue that “social scientists who seek to understand terrorism should take account of the possibility that biological or physiological variables may play a role in bringing an individual to the point of performing an act of terrorism” Yet, it is rare that any biological studies are conducted on terrorists. One notable exception is an early finding by psychiatrist David Hubbard that a substantial portion of the terrorists he examined clinically suffered from some form of inner-ear problems or “vestibular dysfunction.” This finding has not been replicated, however, nor is there a clear theoretical rationale for a potential link to terrorism. A basic, cursory review of current knowledge on biological factors influencing aggression has been analyzed here-in.
Neurochemical Factors: Serotonin (5-HT), of all neurotransmitters in the mammalian brain, has received the most research attention and has shown the most consistent association with aggressive behavior. Lower levels of serotonin have been linked to higher levels of aggression in normal, clinical, and offender samples. The association between 5-HT deficits and aggression seem to be specific to impulsive, rather than premeditated aggressive behavior, which also appears to be mediated by perceived threat or provocation. Low levels of 5-HT may heighten one’s sensitivity or reactivity to cues of hostility or provocation. In the absence of provocative stimuli, decreased 5HT functioning may have little effect on the level of aggressive behavior exhibited by humans. Since Serotonin is primarily an inhibitory neurotransmitter, it is possible that deficits in 5-HT reduce inhibition of aggressive ideas/impulses that would otherwise be suppressed though evidence of their creation is not concrete.
As neurotransmitters, Norepinephrine NE may affect arousal and environmental sensitivity and Dopamine DA may affect behavioral activation and goal-directed behavior.
Compared to serotonin, the relationship between both dopamine and norepinephrine and human aggression is less clear. Although some studies have linked low levels of DA to increases in impulsive aggression, DA and 5-HT levels are correlated so it is particularly uncertain whether DA has any relationship to aggressive behavior independent of the effect of 5-HT.

This essay critically looks at Sufism as well-stipulated as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam by its adherents. While all Muslims believe that they are on a pathway where utter closeness shall be obtained in Paradise after death and final judgment, Sufism goes further to believe in more closeness and God’s revelation through His Divine Presence. This is achieved by restoration of oneself to a primordial state of ‘fitra’ whereby all actions are not in defiance to God and are done in the love of God.
Islamic scholars recognize two branches of Sufism and are used as the core of separating approaches used by various devotional lineages and masters (Er, 2008). On one hand, there is the way from the signs or arts to the Signifier or the Artisan. The seeker starts by sanctifying his lower self and every corrupting influence that hinders his or her recognition of God’s work through theophany or God’s active manifestation. This is the way commonly advocated by the Imam Al-Ghazali and most of the Sufi orders (Yusuf, 2006).
On the other hand, there is the Classical way from the Signifier or the Artisan to God’s signs and His works. In this category, the seeker finds “jadhba” experienced as divine attraction and enters the path with the endpoint in sight and directly apprehensive of the Divine Presence whereby all spiritual goals are directed. This however does not replace the struggle towards the heart’s purification as in the other branch of Sufism but simply stems from a different entry point into the path. This is primarily followed by masters of the orders such as Naqshbandi and Shadhili. (Abdullah Nur ad-Din Durkee). Classical Sufism is characterized by its adherence to ‘dhikr’ whereby God’s name is repeated severally and asceticism and was mainly due to a revolt against worldliness in 6771-750 CE in the early Umayyad Caliphate. The classical doctrine is universal in nature, and has its roots in the arising of Islam