The Return Shadow Souls Chapter 35 Free Essays

â€Å"Nevertheless† – Damon’s eyes took on a steely glint – â€Å"without the amulet my assistant and I will not perform.† â€Å"But – with it you will? I say, are you saying that you lost your amulet here?† â€Å"As a matter of fact, yes. Just around the time the party arrangements were being set up. We will write a custom essay sample on The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 35 or any similar topic only for you Order Now † Damon flashed a beautiful, haunting smile at the young vampires and then turned it off suddenly. â€Å"I had no idea I would have your help, and I was trying to find a way to get an invitation. So I took a look around to see how the place would be laid out.† â€Å"Don’t tell me it was before the grass was rolled,† someone said apprehensively. â€Å"Unfortunately, yes. And I was given a psychic message, which told me that the k – the amulet is buried somewhere here.† There was a chorus of groans from the crowd. Then there were individual voices raised, pointing out the difficulties: the rock-hardness of the rolled grass, the many ballrooms with their many floral arrangements in soil, the kitchen garden and flower gardens (which we haven’t even seen yet, Elena thought.) â€Å"I realize the virtual impossibility of finding this,† Damon said, taking the half of the fox key back into his hand and making it disappear neatly by passing it near Elena’s hand, which was ready to receive it. She now had a special place for it – Lady Ulma had seen to that. Damon was saying, â€Å"That is why I simply said no at the beginning. But you pressed me, and now I’ve given you the full answer.† There was some more grumbling, but then people began walking out in ones and twos and threes, talking about the best places to start looking. Damon, they’re going to destroy Bloddeuwedd’s grounds, Elena protested silently. Good. We’ll offer all the jewels you three girls have on you, as well as all the gold I have on me, as a recompense. But what four people can’t do, maybe a thousand can. Elena sighed. I still wish we’d had the chance to talk to Bloddeuwedd. Not just to hear her speak, but to ask her some questions. I mean what reason would a beautiful blossom like her have to protect Shinichi and Misao? Damon’s telepathic answer was brief. Well, let’s try the top rooms, then. That was where she was headed, anyway. They found a case of crystal stairs – quite difficult to locate when all the walls were transparent, and frightening to ascend. Once on the second floor they looked for another one. Eventually Elena found it, by stumbling over the first step. â€Å"Oh,† she said, looking from the step, which now showed itself through a line of red across its front edge, to her shin, which showed the same damage. â€Å"Well, it may be invisible, but we aren’t.† â€Å"It’s not quite invisible.† Damon was channeling Power to his eyes, she knew. She’d been doing the same – but these days she wondered which of them had more of her blood in them: him or her? â€Å"Don’t strain yourself, I can see the steps,† he said. â€Å"Just shut your eyes.† â€Å"My eyes – † Before she could ask why she knew why and before she could scream he had picked her up, his body warm and solid and the only solid thing anywhere around. He headed up the stairs holding her so that her dress was out of the way of the blood droplets that fell freely into space. For someone afraid of heights, it was a wild, terrifying ride: even though she knew Damon was in top condition and would not drop her and even though she was certain he could see where he was going. Still, left to herself and her own volition, she would never have made it farther than the first stair. As it was, she didn’t even dare wiggle much in case she threw Damon off balance. She could only whimper and try to endure. When, an eternity later, they reached the top, Elena wondered who would carry her down, or if she would be left here the rest of her life. They were confronted by Bloddeuwedd, the most enchantingly inhuman creature Elena had yet seen. Enchanting†¦but odd. Was there not a slight primrose pattern to her hair in back and on the sides? Wasn’t her face actually the shape of an apple-blossom petal as well as having the petal’s faint bloom? â€Å"You are in my private library,† she said. And, as if a mirror had cracked, Elena came free of the last of Bloddeuwedd’s glamour. The gods had made her out of flowers†¦but flowers don’t speak. Bloddeuwedd’s voice was toneless and flat. It ruined the image of the flower-made girl completely. â€Å"We’re sorry,† Damon said – naturally not at all out of breath. â€Å"But we’d like to ask you some questions.† â€Å"If you think I will help you, I will not,† the flower-petal girl said in the same nasal tone. â€Å"I hate humans.† â€Å"But I am a vampire, as you have surely already discerned,† Damon was beginning, laying the charm on thick, when Bloddeuwedd interrupted him. â€Å"Once a human, always a human.† â€Å"I beg your pardon?† Damon’s loss of control might have been the best thing that could have happened, Elena thought, trying to keep behind him. He was so clearly sincere about his scorn for humans that Bloddeuwedd softened a little. â€Å"What did you come to ask?† â€Å"Only if you had seen one of two kitsune lately: they’re brother and sister and call themselves Shinichi and Misao.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Or they might – I’m sorry? Yes?† â€Å"The thieves came to my house at night. I was at a party. I flew back from the party and almost caught them. Kitsune are hard to catch, though.† â€Å"Where†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Damon swallowed. â€Å"Where were they?† â€Å"Running down the front stairs.† â€Å"And do you remember the date that they were here?† â€Å"It was the night that the grounds were made ready for this party. Stone rollers went over the grass. The canopy was erected.† Weird things to do at night, Elena thought, but then she remembered – again. The light was always the same. But her heart was beating fast. Shinichi and Misao could only have been here for one reason: to drop off half of the fox key. And maybe drop it in the Great Ballroom, Elena thought. She watched dully as the entire outside of the library rotated, almost like a giant planetarium, so that Bloddeuwedd could pick out a globe and place it in some contraption that must make the music play in various rooms. â€Å"Excuse me,† Damon said. â€Å"This is my private library,† Bloddeuwedd said coldly against the swelling of the glorious ending to the Firebird Suite. â€Å"Meaning now we must leave?† â€Å"Meaning now I am going to kill you.† How to cite The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 35, Essay examples

Organizational Behavior Big Five Model Of Personality

Question: Discuss about theOrganizational Behavior for Big Five Model of Personality. Answer: Introduction Primary goal of this essay is to reflect on how individuals act differently while executing management practices with in organizational behavior. In order to understand this, Big Five Model of Personality concepts and results are used. The score that I got after undergoing Big Five Model of Personality test is attached in the appendix. That test helped me to understand the strengths and weaknesses with in my personality. This essay also includes information on how my personality influences my motivation and work performance. While discussing, main focus has been given on the dimensions of the Big Five Model of Personality model. Besides, pertinent theories of organizational behavior along with individual examples are also used to support the discussion in this essay. In the end of this essay, a recommendation is provided that can help me to enhance my work performance and improve my motivation in the future. According to Gurven et al. (2013), Big Five Model of Personality which is also known as Five Factor Model is settled based on the common linguistic descriptors of personality, lexical hypothesis. Factor analysis which is known as a statistical technique is used to group the descriptors all together. In this way, a connection is built between personality and organizational behavior (Judge et al. 2014). A number of researchers conducted several researches on Big Five Model of Personality and they started by going through a large number of personality traits. Then a list of these personality traits were made that was later reduced by 5-10 fold (Halverson et al. 2014). After that factor analysis was executed in order to group the remaining traits. Data that was used while doing this research was collected through opinion poll based on self-report and peer ratings. Figure 1: Big Five Model of Personality (Source: Milfont and Sibley 2012) As mentioned by Kneevi et al. (2016), in order to describe personality of an individual, most of the psychologist used five dimensions that are displayed in figure 1. They are also known by the acronym OCEAN. Detail information on those five dimensions are hereby mentioned below, The first dimension of the Big Five Model of Personality is Openness that states human personality including emotion, dissimilar experiences, innovative ideas, indebtedness for art and curiosity. Primary goal of this dimension is to understand whether an individual is creative, curious or not. The second dimension that is Conscientiousness which is designated as propensity to be prearranged and consistent, aim for accomplishment, showing self-will and act unquestioningly (Cobb-Clark and Schurer 2012). Third dimension is Extraversion that showcases positive energy assurgency and confidence. If an individual is highly extravert then he will try to perceive attention and will try to dominate things. On the other hand, an individual with low extraversion will force him to stay sel-absorbed and aloof (Lehmann et al. 2013). Agreeableness which is the fourth dimension measures individuals trust and helpful nature and decides whether if a person is well mitigated or not. As mentioned by Chan g et al. (2012), if a person is highly agreeable then he will be looked as nave or submissive. On the other hand, low agreeable individuals are normally competitive. Last but not the least; Neuroticism is described as human characteristics that help to experience hostile emotions with ease. Some of such emotions include helplessness, nervousness, fury and despair. It also helps to indicate instinct control and demonstrative stability (Carlo et al. 2014). It is mentioned that an individual with stable and calm personality will have high need of stability; however, it can be seen as demotivating and unconcerned. On the other hand, low need for stability might cause a sensitive and impulsive personality. Through Big Five Model of Personality, my strengths and weaknesses within my personality are identified. In case of openness to experience, I scored only 35 out of 100 that can be considered as a low score. It is said that high score in this personality trait means an individual is creative, curious and complex (Wortman et al. 2012). However, low scoring means that person is conservative, down to earth, and not creative and has narrow interests. Individuals who score high in openness to experience is marked by some adjectives which are cultured, original, intelligent, broad minded, curious and innovative. However, my scores are low that means I am absolutely not one of them. I tend to do my jobs by following traditional ways, does not matter how much time it would take. I do not like to use innovative or new methods out of fear that something might go wrong. That is one of my weaknesses within my personality. In todays corporate world, people are always looking to create things. They are even supported by their organizations to become imaginative. I am also not curious that means I do not love to learn new things which are also a major weakness (Zvolensky et al. 2015). New technologies are being implemented in companies almost every day. In order to survive in the work place people are learning as much as they can out of curiosity and requirement. My score in conscientiousness was 79 which can be considered as high. Individuals who score high in this trait are known to be reliable, careful, disciplined and organized (Judge et al. 2013). This clearly indicates my strengths in my personality. It is however true as my personality includes typical behaviors such as hard working, accomplishments oriented and responsible. Even though I do not like to acquire new ideas, I know how to do things in time. For example, if my seniors provide me with a project that has a narrow deadline, I can manage that one way another. Most of the other employees would look for short cuts and innovative ideas; however, I stick to traditional ways. This consumes my energy and forces me do hard work. However, I can maintain it and can complete the work within the time limit. I believe that traditional ways are tested; therefore, the chances of error are negligible. As I am a careful person, I always take precautions and I always create several backups for my jobs. In extraversion I scored 64 which is again a high score. This means I am friendly, talkative and fun loving. In one word I am quite sociable. This clearly indicates that I am flexible and suitable to organizational behavior. Team work is known to be one of the most important organizational behavior which out which it is impossible to execute a large task successfully. Now, if an individual is not friendly and fun loving then he will not be able to execute his task with in a group (Barrick et al. 2013). For example, if I am assigned to group where other people are from different backgrounds, race, sex, culture and color, then I will try to become comfortable with them. I understand that doing a team work is only possible if team members are bonded emotionally. I can easily mix with those members of my team as I am a talkative and fun loving person. Besides, I will also use m friendly behavior to help out others to overcome their hurdles in my team which will obviously help me and my t eam members to cultivate good results from that project. This is surely one of my strengths within my personality. I scored 69 in agreeableness that means I have a good nature and I am merciful, polite and understanding. This is strength of my personality as these traits are perfect for a leader in an organization. It not only helps me to perform better but also allows collaborating perfectly when needed (OReilly et al. 2014). For example, if I am a manager in a business organization, then my first duty would be to win the loyalty of the employees who are working under me. Now, it is obvious that people will make mistakes in workplaces. However, I will figure out their mistakes only to strengthen their skill. Some managers in several organizations will provide you warnings or will demonstrate your faults in front of others in an improper manner. However, I will call the employees individually and will communicate with them about the problems they are having which is forcing them to make mistakes. I will show merci and will allow the employees to enhance their working through trainings so that the y do not repeat their mistakes. In the last train, that is Neuroticism, I have scored 11 which low; however, it is good. It means I can keep myself calm and relaxed in serious situations (Wayne et al. 2013). For example, it is possible that my team along with me has worked really hard in a project but the results are not expected. In that situation, it is obvious that we will receive negative reviews from our superiors. In this situation, most of the team members will panic and will feel demotivated (Judge and Kammeyer 2012). However, I can keep myself calm in that situation as I believe that failure is just another part of life. I will cheer up my team members and will try to motivate them so that they can perform better in the next projects. Figure 2: Recommendation to enhance motivation and performance (Source: Judge et al. 2013) From the Big Five analysis it is found that my only weakness in my personality is my traditional thinking and working style. Lack of creativity is my working style has sometimes affected my performance as others did better than me using innovative ideas. Therefore, there are recommendations that will help me to improve by creative skills. First of all I will have start thinking that creativity is an essential skill. I solely believe that creativity includes risks and one should not walk on this path as uncertainty waits in this. However, it is true that I am failing even after following traditional ways; therefore, creativity can only improve my results. I will have to take examples of companies such as Google and Apple where employees are allowed to take risk and implement as much innovation as they can in the workplace. That is why; both of these organizations are known be the paradise of employees. Theories of organizational behavior strongly recommend that one should communicate with the successful employees to learn how they did things to gain success in their lives. I will find some people who have used innovation as their primary tool and achieved success in their life. I will have interacted with them in order to learn to use creativity in a proper manner. Following old and traditional paths will do no good to me. I will have to ask questions, to myself and to the world. I will have to find better ways to complete a task in way that it would cultivate better results. If I do not ask questions then I will not learn new things. Practicing openness is another solution that I can adopt. Creativity cannot be learned easily. I should not try to use it to complete bigger tasks. I will have to use openness in smaller tasks at fist where chances of failure are negligible. Then I will understand how I can implement innovation in broader manner. I will have to act as an explainer to no one but to myself. I will have to talk to myself about my successes and failures. I will have to explain to myself that I can cultivate better results by using innovation and openness in my work style. Even if I fail, I will have to explain the reasons to myself so that I can find out solutions for my mistakes. In the end, it can be concluded that this assignment, an analysis has been done on my personal behavior depending on big five personality trait model. Depending on the results I found, strengths and weaknesses of my personality are identified. It is found that my only weakness is that I refuse use innovation and openness which I will have to rectify in the near future if I want to become a successful person on my life. On the other hand, I will also have to work on my strengths so that they become more powerful with time. References Barrick, M.R., Mount, M.K. and Li, N., 2013. The theory of purposeful work behavior: The role of personality, higher-order goals, and job characteristics. Academy of Management Review, 38(1), pp.132-153. Carlo, G., Knight, G.P., Roesch, S.C., Opal, D. and Davis, A., 2014. Personality across cultures: A critical analysis of Big Five research and current directions. Chang, L., Connelly, B.S. and Geeza, A.A., 2012. Separating method factors and higher order traits of the Big Five: A meta-analytic multitraitmultimethod approach. Journal of personality and social psychology, 102(2), p.408. Cobb-Clark, D.A. and Schurer, S., 2012. The stability of big-five personality traits. Economics Letters, 115(1), pp.11-15. Gurven, M., Von Rueden, C., Massenkoff, M., Kaplan, H. and Lero Vie, M., 2013. How universal is the Big Five? Testing the five-factor model of personality variation among foragerfarmers in the Bolivian Amazon. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(2), p.354. Judge, T.A., Simon, L.S., Hurst, C. and Kelley, K., 2014. What I experienced yesterday is who I am today: Relationship of work motivations and behaviors to within-individual variation in the five-factor model of personality. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(2), p.199. Halverson, C.F., Kohnstamm, G.A. and Martin, R.P., 2014. The developing structure of temperament and personality from infancy to adulthood. Psychology Press. Judge, T.A. and Kammeyer Mueller, J.D., 2012. General and specific measures in organizational behavior research: Considerations, examples, and recommendations for researchers. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33(2), pp.161-174 Judge, T.A., Rodell, J.B., Klinger, R.L., Simon, L.S. and Crawford, E.R., 2013. Hierarchical representations of the five-factor model of personality in predicting job performance: integrating three organizing frameworks with two theoretical perspectives. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(6), p.875. Kneevi, G., Lazarevi, L.B., Bosnjak, M., Puri, D., Petrovi, B., Teovanovi, P., Opa i, G. and Bodroa, B., 2016. Towards a personality model encompassing a Disintegration factor separate from the Big Five traits: A meta-analysis of the empirical evidence. Personality and Individual Differences, 95, pp.214-222. Lehmann, R., Denissen, J.J., Allemand, M. and Penke, L., 2013. Age and gender differences in motivational manifestations of the Big Five from age 16 to 60. Developmental psychology, 49(2), p.365. Milfont, T.L. and Sibley, C.G., 2012. The big five personality traits and environmental engagement: Associations at the individual and societal level. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32(2), pp.187-195. OReilly, C.A., Caldwell, D.F., Chatman, J.A. and Doerr, B., 2014. The Promise and Problems of Organizational Culture CEO Personality, Culture, and Firm Performance. Group Organization Management, 39(6), pp.595-625. Wayne, J.H., Casper, W.J., Matthews, R.A. and Allen, T.D., 2013. Family-supportive organization perceptions and organizational commitment: The mediating role of workfamily conflict and enrichment and partner attitudes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(4), p.606. Wortman, J., Lucas, R.E. and Donnellan, M.B., 2012. Stability and change in the Big Five personality domains: Evidence from a longitudinal study of Australians. Psychology and aging, 27(4), p.867. Zvolensky, M.J., Taha, F., Bono, A. and Goodwin, R.D., 2015. Big five personality factors and cigarette smoking: A 10-year study among US adults. Journal of psychiatric research, 63, pp.91-96.

Romeo And Juliet Story Essays (1020 words) - Rodham Family

Romeo And Juliet Story As quoted by Hamlet in the play by William Shakespeare, "To be or not to be, that is the question"(Fetzer 360). When on the subject of President Clinton, some would rather he "not be" than "to be". Some look down upon him because of recent accusations against him concerning him having a sexual relationship with someone other than his wife and then lying about not taking part in any of his accused shenanigans. The whole ordeal has upset many parents about how their children will react to all that is going on about the Clinton scandal, but still some parents find it as an educational and somewhat profitable lesson to teach their children. The Presidency is a highly honorable task and the President has disgraced his office. As leader of the free world, it is his responsibility to set a good example. To little surprise, there are some countries that are angered by the way the President has handled himself lately. The Clinton scandal is giving parents a chance to have serious talks to their children, justifying the act of lying in the minds of children, and giving countries a reason to look down upon the United States. Due to President Clinton's actions concerning these allegations, there have been three substantial and obvious affects on today's society. First, the scandal is giving parents a chance to sit down and have serious talks with their children. Children are interested in learning about what is going on with the President and why he is in such big trouble, so parents find this as an opportune time to talk about lying and lying's drastic consequences. As stated by Chuck Green, "I wrote that parents can cite no finer example than Bill Clinton not as an example of getting away with lying but as an example of its consequences"(Green n.pag.). The problem with this is parents sometimes get into a sticky situation when they don't know what to tell their children, but Chuck Green replies by saying, "Just tell your kids the truth - that lying doesn't pay, even if you are the President. Sooner or later, you'll pay a heavy price"(Green n.pag). Lying is not the only major issue that the President's problems have brought to many parents' attention. Sex has become another issue that parents can discuss with their children because of the recent scandals. A lot of parents choose not to tell their children about "the birds and the bees," but the scandal almost forces them to talk about it. "Mr. Clinton's troubles also are putting parents on the spot when it comes to explaining sex, which is a good thing"(MacDonald n.pag.). When asked about what she thought about the Clinton scandal, Amy McMahon said that, "She and other parents and experts say that discussions with children about the President's on going problems may border on 'distasteful' and 'disgusting'. Some, though, see it as an opportunity to talk about family values, appropriate and inappropriate behaviors and what happens when people get into trouble"(MacDonald n.pag.). Sex is a part of everyone's life, and it has the necessity to be discussed with a child eventually; this inappropriate situation allows for a good discussion in this area. Next, in the minds of children, the President's lying has significantly justified the act of lying. Children see the President as a role model, which they look up to and sometimes imitate in actions. A boy said of the President, "He can't lie like the rest of us, 'cause he's a role model"(Shales n.pag.). "If kids find the President as a role model and they see and hear of the President doing these bad things, it might get imbedded in their heads that what the President has done is all right"(Hoover n.pag.). Looking at the situation from another standpoint, some might say that they see the President doing bad things then they will learn from his mistakes, right? That is not true. Parents have tried to teach their children right from wrong and they have always told them to get a role model to look up to. If the President is a role model and so many kids look up to him, then they will think what he is doing is the right thing. Then the parents will go and tell their kid what their role model did was wrong and the children get confused and don't know what to think. The fact that the President is such a role model was evidently not taken into account when Clinton considered the recourse

Evaluating a Process Analysis Essay

Evaluating a Process Analysis Essay When developing a paragraph or essay through process analysis, you should keep several points in mind: Be sure to include all steps and arrange them in sequence.Explain why each step is necessary, and include warnings where appropriate.Define any terms that your readers may not be familiar with.Offer clear descriptions of any tools, materials, or equipment needed to carry out the process.Provide your readers with a way of determining whether or not the process has been carried out successfully. Heres a draft of a short process analysis essay, How to Make a Sand Castle. In terms of content, organization, and cohesion, the draft has both strengths and weaknesses. Read (and enjoy) this student composition, and then respond to the evaluation questions at the end. How to Make a Sand Castle For young and old alike, a trip to the beach means relaxation, adventure, and a temporary escape from the worries and responsibilities of ordinary life. Whether swimming or surfing, tossing a volleyball or just snoozing in the sand, a visit to the beach means fun. The only equipment you need is a twelve-inch deep pail, a small plastic shovel, and plenty of moist sand. Making a sandcastle is a favorite project of beach-goers of all ages. Begin by digging up a large amount of sand (enough to fill at least six pails) and arranging it in a pile. Then, scoop the sand into your pail, patting it down and leveling it off at the rim as you do. You can now construct the towers of your castle by placing one pailful of sand after another face down on the area of the beach that you have staked out for yourself. Make four towers, placing each mound twelve inches apart in a square. This done, you are ready to build the walls that connect the towers. Scoop up the sand along the perimeter of the fortress and arrange a wall six inches high and twelve inches long between each pair of towers in the square. By scooping up the sand in this fashion, you will not only create the walls of the castle, but you will also be digging out the moat that surrounds it. Now, with a steady hand, cut a one-inch square block out of every other inch along the circumference of each towe r. Your spatula will come in handy here. Of course, before doing this, you should use the spatula to smooth off the tops and sides of the walls and towers. You have now completed your very own sixteenth-century sandcastle. Though it may not last for centuries or even until the end of the afternoon, you can still take pride in your handicraft. Do make sure, however, that you have chosen a fairly isolated spot in which to work; otherwise, your masterpiece may be trampled by beach bums and children. Also, make a note on the high tides so that you have enough time to build your fortress before the ocean arrives to wash it all away. Evaluation Questions What important information seems to be missing from the introductory paragraph? Which sentence from the body paragraph might be placed more effectively in the introduction?Identify the transitional words and phrases used to guide the reader clearly from step to step in the body paragraph.Which piece of equipment mentioned in the body paragraph doesnt appear in the list at the end of the introductory paragraph?Suggest how the single long body paragraph might be effectively divided into two or three shorter paragraphs.Notice that the writer includes two warnings in the concluding paragraph of the essay. Where do you think these warnings should have been placed, and why?Which two steps have been listed in reverse order? Rewrite these steps, arranging them in a logical sequence.

Frank Lloyd Wright Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Frank Lloyd Wright - Essay Example Wright was also a proficient educator who advocated for the respect of humanity and the natural environment. His works have remained unique for many years and in 1991 he was crowned the greatest American architect of all times. Wright spent over seventy years creating designs that changed the art and architectural arena of the 20th century. Till his death in 1959, Wright devoted all his energy in improving and developing his career and this made him gain recognition in the American architectural history. Wright is remembered for his great contribution to the development of ‘prairie school’ of architecture which he became the principal practitioner in 1900. Prairie school gained wide recognition for its radical approach to the construction of modern homes. This brought a total change in the America’s architectural field and the entire construction fraternity (Alofsin 49). Wright -designed apartments exhibited low roof over continuous widow bands that turned corner which were unique from the tradition convectional boxlike structures. His works for business and church are among the most remarkable structures in architectural history that have remained incomparable up to date. For instance, In 1994 Wright erected the Larkin Company administration block which was well ventilated, had metal desk, fireproof and well condition. Soon after its completion, he erected yet another unique structure at the Unitarian church of Oak Park which was later registered as a historic l andmark. LaFontaine and Wright (50) argues that during his seventy years in the architectural career, Wright created over one thousand designs which included recreation complexes, commercial buildings, religious houses and museums among others. In fact, Wright redefined our concept of space, providing all people with an opportunity to live in fresh environment integrated in the natural world.

Unilevers Attempts to Improve the Sustainability Essay

Unilevers Attempts to Improve the Sustainability - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that Unilever is a company leader in the fast moving consumer goods (FMGG) industry. The company sells food, personal care, refreshment, and home products throughout the whole world, including Europe, the Northern and Southern Americas, Asia and Africa. The total number of Unilever’s brands has grown up to 400 by 2012. The four major business categories and key brands are listed in the paper. Unilever being a globally operating company has felt the pressure of growing sustainability and environmental concerns and responded to the modern trend by adopting a special plan to become environmentally responsible and sustainably sourced business. In 2010, Unilever presented its Sustainable Living Plan which covered a number of initiatives that the company was planning to undertake with a purpose to improve its operations in a sustainable and environmental framework. This plan was comprised of three major goals that should be achieved by 2020: improving health and well-being of more than 1 billion of people; halving of the environmental footprint of producing and use of Unilever’s products; enhancing of the livelihoods of millions of people. Sustainability monitoring bodies and industry associations have recognized the Unilever’s efforts in relation to sustainable and environmental responsibility, and have given some awards to the company. Thus, for example, Unilever has been ranked in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for being a super sector leading company in food& beverage industry. In addition to this recognition, Unilever has received some other awards from external organizations since 2009.

Health Care Using Visual Aids Health And Social Care Essay

Health Care Using Visual Aids Health And Social Care Essay Tonks in Safer by design report points out that there is a great need for good design for medicine, and more attention should be paid to health care design. The NHS is seriously out of step with modern thinking and practice with regard to design (Tonks, A., 2008). Moreover recent studies conducted by Spinillo and Padovani focused on information design aspects in effectiveness of medicine inserts, showed that deficiencies in typography and confusing visual instructions affect task performance and information comprehension (Spinillo and Padovani, 2009). Well designed information can be crucial for improving patient-doctor communication and prevent from misinterpretation, which can have serious consequences. Paling recommends using visual aids wherever possible, to maximize understanding. Good visual aids can help the viewer to see the risk numbers in context, thus providing information and not just data. Furthermore he states For many patients, truly informed consent (or indeed dissent) is difficult to achieve without visual aids. According to Palings studies use of a simple visual aid can also improve the doctor-patient relationship. When simple visual communication tools are shared between doctor and patient, they offer an opportunity to deepen the bond between them. The closer the doctor-patient partnership, the more likely the patient is to be satisfied (Paling, J., 2003 also Buetow, S., 1998). Concluding Paling urges that more research is needed on how different strategies, particularly use of visual aids, help patients to understand risk. Similar studies have already assessed analogous visual tools such as the Wong-Baker FACES pain rating scale widely used to help patients communicate their level of pain (Paling, J., 2003). Furthermore he suggests that research should assess how differences in culture, age, and gender affect patients perception of risks. Few studies have examined how different groups respond to risks of any kind, and no studies seem to have investigated which approaches are the most effective for communicating medical risks to different populations (Paling, J., 2003). Figure 1. Wong-Baker Faces Scale From Wong DL, Hockenberry-Eaton M, Wilson D, Winkelstein ML, Schwartz P: Wongs Essentials of Pediatric Nursing, 6/e, St. Louis, 2001, P. 1301. Recently Dartey and colleagues looked at improving communication for patients with chronic pain using affective graphic design; also scales inspired by Wong-Baker faces. Designed leaflets concerned patients with low literacy skills and intended to aid accurate timing for medication taking. According to Darteys research using visual metaphors to facilitate healthcare communication to low-literacy patients stimulates the mind and aids adherence, however, it requires verbal explanation from the health professionals. It should also be developed in collaboration with the target community taking into account their cultural settings (Dartey et al., 2009). Figure 2. UCSF Computer generated medication calendar (UCSF TODAY 2007) Machtinger and colleagues present the success of a visual system implemented by UCSF research team in America. This new visual system creates a weekly computer generated calendar for patients on medication allowing them to see what medication they need to take and how much on a daily basis. Patients receive also written instructions in English and in their native language (Fig 2). The system aims to prevent miscommunication between doctor and patient, allowing the patient to have full understanding of the daily dosage of their medication. A system that concentrated on visual aspects in particular worked well for patients that suffered from memory loss and aided the communication of information to other nationalities. This system created by UCSF supports the use of visual aids to communicate messages to various groups of people, in particular enhancing effective communication across language barriers. Machtinger et all. suggest that visual symbols and use of colour coding can aid doct or-patient communication and improve mutual understanding (Machtinger et all., 2007). Mansoor and Dowse investigated the effect of pictograms on readability of patients information materials. According to the findings of their research presence of pictograms had a positive effect in the acquisition and comprehension of drug information. Moreover participants expressed an overwhelming positive desire for pictograms in their drug information (Fig. 3) (Mansoor and Dowse, 2003). Researchers stressed that in order to stimulate interest; drug information should be user-friendly, attractive, and easily accessible. Evaluating consumer or patient preference through open-ended questions best assesses these features. This form a crucial part of design process of patients information materials This forms a crucial part of the design process of patient information materials as it provides us with valuable information on how to improve the physical appearance and the readability of the leaflets, thereby making the leaflets more comprehensible. Leaflets with the appropriate tone, length, and design can do much to aid responsible medicine taking say researchers. According to this study, it was evident that the Z-fold leaflet including pictograms was the preferred format and design (Mansoor and Dowse, 2003). Figure 3. Nystatin suspension medicine labels (actual size of labels used 4.70 ÃÆ'- 7.85 cm) (Mansoor and Dowse, 2003). The following features successfully contributed to the location and understanding of the information: 1. short, easy-to-read and highlighted headings for navigating through the leaflet; 2. bullet points and broken paragraphs as opposed to solid text for attracting attention; 3. large spaces between paragraphs and important points rendering the leaflet less intimidating; and 4. large print size that improved legibility. Features that detracted from complete understanding of the information included: 1. the shaded box was ineffective in attracting attention and was often ignored; and 2. the length of the leaflet was a deterrent that sometimes hindered attention span. (Mansoor and Dowse, 2003). Suitably designed and tested drug information can improve compliance rates, satisfy patient information needs, and educate patients on the correct use of their medication (Mansoor and Dowse, 2003). It also plays an important role in empowering patients to become more active participants in their health care. A more informed patient enables greater participation in the decision-making process, resulting in a positive impact on medicine-taking behavior and health outcomes. It is, therefore, essential that information provided on medicine labels and PILs should be patient oriented, relatively brief, concise, and comprehensive. (Mansoor and Dowse, 2003). Review of literature on use of pictorial aids in medication instructions done by Katz and colleagues seams to prove that the use of pictorial aids enhances patients understanding of how they should take their medications, particularly when pictures are used in combination with written or oral instructions (Katz et al., 2006). Also Houts and colleagues in their review state that, according to existing research, pictorial aids improve recall, comprehension, and adherence (Houts et al, 2006). According to their findings there is evidence that people prefer pictures in health messages that are culturally sensitive and include representation of people like themselves and therefore they are more likely to notice these messages. However they couldnt find any experimental studies which compare attention given to culturally targeted and generic health messages. (Houts et al, 2006). Houts brings out Levie and Lentzs research example. They convey study on pictures in education cite which shows, that children prefer stories with pictures to ones without, furthermore audio-visual presentations are considered as more enjoyable and interesting if accompanied with picture (Levie and Lentzs, 1982). Houts points out that particular audience can respond differently to certain pictures and therefore health educational materials should be first tested with intended audience (Houts et al, 2006). Delp and Jones study suggests that addition pictures to health education text draws patients attention and will increase the chance that the text will be read. Leiner et all. research compares non-illustrated leaflet in opposition to a video tape with animated cartoons explaining the need for a polio vaccine. Both the leaflet and video contain the same information. Scores for animated cartoon group were significantly higher than the group with printed information given. Houts et all. reviewing existing studies noted that verbal health information accompanied by pictures helps remember and also recall these information. Houts literature search shows that almost all of studies found in educational data base reported that written or spoken text with pictures are better than text alone. This is called the pictorial superiority effect in educational research. The effect, according to researchers speculation, is caused by greater brain activation evoked by pictures. However no study was found to prove that the pictorial superiority effect was greater for particular type of content or pictures. Houts et all. stressed that more research is needed, especially on the conditions that maximize pictures effects. Houts gives also useful practice implications for designing the information: Educators should: ask how can I use pictures to support key points?, minimize distracting details in pictures, use simple language in conjunction with pictures, closely link pictures to text and/or captions, include people from the intended audience in designing pictures, have health professionals plan the pictures, not artists, evaluate pictures effects by comparing response to materials with and without pictures (Houts et al, 2006). Houts et all. stressed that pictures can change adherence to health instructions, however emotional response to pictures affects whether they increase or decrease target behaviors. The research suggests that all patients can benefit, but patients with low literacy skills are especially likely to benefit. Patients with very low literacy skills can be helped by spoken directions plus pictures to take home as reminders or by pictures plus very simply worded captions (Houts et al, 2006) Green and Myers argued that graphic stories and adult themed comics are an innovative and creative way to learn and teach about illness. Juxtaposing text and image can be beneficial especially for people with low literacy skills, learning difficulties; elderly people (Kripalani et al., 2007) can also be helpful in communication with young patients. Powerful visual messages convey immediate visceral understanding in ways that conventional texts cannot say authors (Green and Myers, 2010). Figure 4 . Cancer Vixen: a personal story of breast cancer Green and Myers research has shown how combining pic ­tures and text enhances understanding, as the activities of reading and viewing activate dif ­ferent information processing systems within the brain. (Mayer R.E., Sims V.K.,1994). This combination also fosters con ­nections between new information and existing knowledge, thereby increasing recall of health information, especially among those with low literacy. This process is even more effective when pictures overlap with text, are explana ­tory, and are engaging (Green and Myers, 2010). Green and Myer say that graphic pathographies can also help patients and their families better understand what to expect of a certain disease (Fig. 4) (Green and Myers, 2010). Research conducted by Coad and collegues exploited using art-based techniques in engaging children and young people in healthcare. The study looked at how art-based techniques and activities can be applied for use in consultation work and/or research projects with children and young people. In Coads research three art-based activities of using photographs, drawings/posters or collages and mapping techniques were considered in terms of application to field work. (Coad, J., et al., 2007) Art-based techniques, says Coad, give children and young people the opportunity to articulate their feelings through their own visual representations, including those with writing and/or language difficulties, one major challenge is understanding what the art-work means to them (Coad, J. et al., 2007).