Black Widow Killers

Black Widow Killers The Baby Butcher strikes again! This could have been the heading of the local paper in the late 1800s, when a small child was found floating down the river in a small town in Great Britain. Amelia Dyer was known as â€Å"The Baby Butcher† during the nineteenth century because of her brutal killings of infants and young children. When asked why she committed these sadistic murders she, replied with â€Å"I was sending them to God† (Rattle, Vale, & Rennell, 2007). Historically serial killers have been around for centuries.Although most of these have been men, females account for the most sadistic killings. Why does society find it more likely that a man can kill then a woman? When naming a male serial killer such as Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, or Jack the Ripper, most people probably can name at least one victim. On the other hand mention the name Elizabeth Bathory who murdered more then 300 young women, then bathed in their blood with the belief that h er beauty would be restored. Maria Jager murdered a large number of children and adults for profit and thrills while held prisoner in Hungry.In 1912, Louise Lindoff poisoned her entire family for insurance money. Other victims of female serial killers ranged from small children to grown adults for a number of various reasons. Females could commit murder the same as men. Money, power, lust, revenge, pleasure, or even what they believe is higher powers are among the reasons females decide to kill. According to Peter Vronsky, the author of Serial Killers: The method and madness of monsters, â€Å"When women commit violence the only explanation offered has been that it is involuntary, defensive, or the female physiology.Postpartum depression, premenstrual syndrome, and menopause have been included among the named culprits (2007). Being an outsider or rejected by society as a child could also play a huge role concerning serial killers. A majority of serial killers both male and female s uffer from psychopathic disorders, this is currently called antisocial personality disorder or ASPD (Vronsky p52 pp5). Most serial killers begin developing daydreams or fantasies during childhood. Some of these even begin to torture or kill small animals (Vronsky p4 pp5). A stressful or unstable family life is a ajor factor in most killers. The definition of a serial killer differs from person to person. In 1998, the United States Congress passed a federal law titled: Protection of Children from Sexual Predator Act of 1998. Title 18, United States Code, Chapter 51, and Section 1111, defines serial killing as: The term ‘serial killing’ means a series of three or more killings, not less than one of which was committed within the United States, having common characteristics such as to suggest the reasonable possibility that the crimes were committed by the same actor or actors. Federal Bureau of Investigation Symposium, 2005) The psychopathy of a serial murderer is mostly the same in each crime. They lack the sense of remorse or guilt, are impulsive, feel the need for control, and display predatory behavior (FBI Symposium, 2005). In the case of female killers these traits are acquired during a life changing event or even embedded in them as children. In such cases as Amelia Dyer or Elizabeth Bathory psychopathy played a major role. Not only is psychopathy a significant reason for serial killings there are several other significant reasons as well.Serial murderers kill for various reasons. Females, however, usually have an ulterior motive in mind when they choose and act upon their victims. These motives come from a variety of sources; money is the biggest reason for women to kill. They target men as victims when it comes to obtaining money. Life insurances policies are one of the biggest reasons why the men are targeted. Women also tend to prey on their families and even small children as a sense of release or freedom. Although these crimes are grues ome and uncalled for acts of violence, the majority of them do not go unpunished.Most serial killers are caught by law enforcement and sentenced to several years in prison. A few of these criminals are sentenced to death. In the late 1800s this would mean that the criminal would be hung in the town square in front of the entire town. Some crimes remain unsolved until the murderer dies of natural causes, which means they never, get caught or punished for their crimes. Even though cases are solved and criminals are prosecuted, theses crimes come at a cost for the families of the victims. Because the victims of female serial killers range in age, their killings affect many different people.Amelia dyer, killed infants whose mothers could not care for them. Elizabeth Bathory, killed young women of teenage years, these killings affected the mother’s of the victims and their families. People such as Maria Jager or Louise Lindoff killed mostly adults that left parentless children and many families with unanswered questions. Male or female serial killers are everywhere. He/She could be the lady next door or the man down the street. Motives and reasons are unclear for most serial killings and their mental states are mostly to blame. The victims of these killers can range in age, race, and gender.Remember, think twice in who trust is placed, because she may just become the next black widow killer. References Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2005). Serial Killer Symposium. Retrieved from http://www. fbi. gov/stats-services/publications/serial-murder Morton, R. J. , & Hills, M. A. (2005, August). Serial Murders Multi-Disinplanary Perspectives for Investigators. Retrieved from http://www. fbi. gov/stats-services/publications/serial-murder Vronsky, P. (2007). Female Serial Killers How and why women become monsters. New York, NY: The Berkley Publishing Group. Rattle, A. , Vale, A. , & Rennell, T. (2007). Amelia Dyer, Angel Maker.

Tearing Down the Wall

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always had a knack for discovery as long as it was somehow related to video games or technology. If I didn’t know something, I needed to find out and if I didn’t, it would kill me. If I stopped working on something during the day, I would think about troubleshooting the issue during my sleep or for days on end. There were also times when I would stay up all night just to circumvent a virus on my computer or lose hours of sleep when I hacked a Nintendo Wii for the first time. There is no doubt about it, I love technology.I’ve always been told that I am thinker and a tinkerer, which is why nearly 10 years after graduating high school; I made the biggest decision of my life. In 2011, I decided to go college. Many have asked me, â€Å"Why don’t you back to school? † The truth is that I would’ve loved to go right after graduating from high school but life threw me a curve ball. During my senior year, my mothe r and step-father split up. My mother, a housewife who hadn’t work for nearly six years after meeting my step-father, made me assume she became accustomed to it.My mother was able to somehow support my sisters and I because of a settlement she won, but alas nothing lasts forever. I finally graduated high school expecting all of us to move into a Eduardo B. Morillo-Perez 2 new place while my mother and I both worked, but unfortunately it didn’t work out that way. We moved alright but my things went to a room and the rest of the contents of our three bedroom apartment went into storage. I was so confused and hadn’t a clue of what was going on. Soon enough, she mentioned something that I never would’ve expected. â€Å"Everything is packed and ready to go. We are all going back to Ecuador† she said.I refused, thus leaving me here with my belongings, having to fend for myself. I now lost the luxury of slacking off. I had to work any job available just s o I could pay the rent and not starve. I didn’t have mom or dad to ask for money. I had to put up with nasty customers at a fast food restaurant and being taken advantage by other co-workers because I didn’t know how to stand up for myself. I have tried to go back to school and went thought the proper protocols of filling out forms, writing essays, going on interviews but I could never get in without having to pay for everything out of pocket.The biggest hurdle was financial-aid. Due to the fact that I was of certain age, I was still considered a dependent and I had to provide my mother’s tax information. The only way I could have that waived was if I was married. It was then when I grew cold, bitter and blamed my mother for all my setbacks. I felt lost and alone. I felt like I had no one to turn to. As years flew by, I started noticing that I was using my mother’s negligence and lack of absence as a crutch, hindering my progress the entire time. I am not a religious person, I never was, but somehow I always thought certain things happen for a reason.In 2009, I got reacquainted with an old flame from high school. We soon began to catch up on things from the past and soon enough she put the moves on me and the Eduardo B. Morillo-Perez 3 rest is history. I can honestly say that she is the sole reason I decided to back to school despite what anyone told me. When Olivia first met me again for the first time, I was living by myself in a room while working a mundane retail job at the airport. Fast forward nearly four years later and you now have a second-year computer science major with a 3. 5 GPA who has his own car and is well on his way to work on the next gadget or program.

Cars Produced at Eros Motors

We planned our strategy taking into consideration all the aspects of marketing, H. R, finance and operations. Marketing plays a very crucial role in this modern world so we promoted our products through various forms of media. We spent heavily at the start just because we wanted to make our presence felt in the market. We always believed that our team is of utmost importance to us, so we made sure that there is a balance between automation and workforce to maximize production. We also paid them well so that they remain motivated at all times and work towards the goal of the company. Training of employees is a must and this is necessary for the quality of the cars. We noticed that our Warranty claims were high, so by proper training this could have only been reduced. Research and Development is an important area and a good amount of money was spent over the years so that we develop better and environment friendly cars in the times to come. We made sure that the money is not spent on general RD rather we identified some key areas and invested in those constantly. Finance was an area of concern as we were incurring huge losses; we took necessary steps to improve this. We priced our products aggressively and planned production efficiently. As a result this gave us better sales. We also tried to cut down on costs, which gave us a better gross margin over the years. We started to make profits in the later years and this shows that our products have been well accepted by the market. We offered Alpha (medium) and Beta (large) cars in the beginning then we came up with Delta (city – hybrid) and lastly with Zeta (diesel – luxury). The luxury market was untapped and we thought we could do well by selling a small number of cars because the margins in a luxury car are huge. The offering was based on the market research and the demand in the market. The design of the cars kept on changing as requested by the customers. This showed that we were catering to all segments of the market in terms of offering and pricing. Our aim is to be a leading car manufacturer by creating stylish, reliable, eco friendly cars by following the principles of enhancing our team, extending our business and enlarging our market. To sustain in this competitive market we have to take into account what the competitor is doing and react accordingly by delivering a better product. The need of the hour is to connect with the customers. The world is moving towards alternative fuels and we will also try to come up with products that are environmental friendly keeping in mind the needs of the customer yet giving stylish, value for money and fuel efficient cars.

Alba Holidays Limited Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Alba Holidays Limited - Case Study Example The rest of the week, the plane will fly holiday passengers to lower priced holiday packages under the brand name of Prestair. There is no mention about how many flights Alba plans to operate on daily basis. However, there is the mention that the plane will take 1.5 hours to cover the 600 miles distance to Balerica. This means the plane will take 2 hours to cover the average 800 miles daily the rest of the week days. A return trip to these locations obvious will double the mileage and time to 3 hours and 4 hours respectively for Balerica and other destinations. Assuming the plane is rested 6 hours during the day of the week when it is flown to Balerica and 5 hours during each week day when it is flown to other lower priced holiday packages destinations, it is capable of making maximum 6 trips a week on the same day to Balerica and 5 trips daily to other destinations rest of the week. The plane expects to have 90% occupancy annually. This means it will have approximately 144 passengers on each flight. This translates to maximum 864 passengers (144 x 6) weekly to Balerica and 4320 passengers (144 x 5 x 6) during the rest of the week to other holiday destinations. Thus, the total number of passengers for Balerica and other holiday destinations work out to 5184 (864 + 4320) every week. ... other lower priced holiday packages destinations, it is capable of making maximum 6 trips a week on the same day to Balerica and 5 trips daily to other destinations rest of the week. The plane expects to have 90% occupancy annually. This means it will have approximately 144 passengers on each flight. This translates to maximum 864 passengers (144 x 6) weekly to Balerica and 4320 passengers (144 x 5 x 6) during the rest of the week to other holiday destinations. Thus, the total number of passengers for Balerica and other holiday destinations work out to 5184 (864 + 4320) every week. The industry average prices for equivalent brands are 380 for Balerica, and 300 for other holiday destinations. Details regarding costing, finance and administration are given as follows. Full Costing of One Week Sunbronzer Holiday in a Studio in Balerica The figures available in the instructions have been used to arrive at the full costing. However, there are other costs that have not been mentioned in the instructions and hence have been included. These are the costs of advertisements, additional manpower in the form of tour guides, drivers, etc, which serve as the unique sales points (USO) in the holidays' business. As per information available in the instructions, the following expenses have been included to arrive at the full costing figure: One Week's Costing (Sunbronzer) Hangar fees (100,000 x 52/357) 14,566 Aircraft Servicing @ 2 per air mile travelled (600 x 2 x 2) 2,400 Fuel (600 x 8 x 2) 9,600 Aircraft Cabin Maintenance (600 x 0.40 x 2) 480 Depreciation - Land & Building (480,000/ 7) 68,571 Depreciation - Furniture & Fixtures (320,000) 45,714 Allowances for Breakages 200 Gardening, Maintenance & Maid

Information security management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Information security management - Essay Example Taking a step back, there is value in situating a risk assessment process for Accounting Company in the context of a cycle for managing risks. The chart below situates this particular exercise for Accounting Company in terms of a cycle that includes the (1) assessment of risks and determination of needs; (2) the implementation of controls and policies; (3) the promotion of awareness; and (4) monitoring and evaluation; all occurring within the context of a central point of focus (United States General Accounting Office 6): Meanwhile, a compilation of risk assessment approaches for information security that is taken from best practices of many different top organizations in the US has distilled the most important elements of an effective security risk assessment as follows: (1) the identification of threats that could significantly impair crucial assets and operations; (2) estimation of the likelihood of the occurrence of such identified threats; (3) the identification and prioritization of assets and operations in order to determine the most crucial assets and operations to protect in cases of the occurrence of the identified threats; 4) the estimation of probable losses in the event of the occurrence of the threats, to included losses from the costs of recovery, for the most important assets and operations (5) the identification of interventions for risk mitigation, where the emphasis is on the cost-effectiveness of such interventions; and (6) the documentation of the results and the development of a plan of action (General Accounting Office 6). To be sure, while the above outlines a generic information security risk assessment approach that is the common denominator for all kinds of effective, best practice, approaches, the literature actually details many different kinds. Including a matrix approach (Goel and Chen), and many other different best practice

Advanced Portfolio Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Advanced Portfolio Management - Research Paper Example Efficient market hypothesis works on the assumption that on the average the investors have rational expectation. With available information individual investor’s reactions are random and follow a normal distribution pattern. This in turn implies that no individual investor can outperform the market on a consistent basis. Individual investors may over or under react; individual investors may outperform or underperform for a short period. But all the deviations are random in nature and will self-correct in a short period. Thus market will always be right (Copeland and Weston, 1988). Among the three forms of efficiency, the weak form efficiency hypothesizes that the current market price does not reflect fair value and only reflects the past prices. Since it does not adapt to a change in current information, the future price cannot be predicted from past or current prices. Empirical evidence does not always support weak form efficiency of a market. There have been noted differences between stock market behavior in developed and developing countries. However research findings in different markets are not universally accepted (Elango & Hussein, 2010). Many comparative studies have been done to examine performances of many different stocks and variables results have been observed (Solink, 1973; Cooper, 1982; Urrutia, 1995; Dahel & Laabas, 1999; Rao & Shankaraiah, 2003). To compare the performance of stock markets in a rapidly changing economic scenario worldwide, it was decided to check for weak form efficiency in two developed countries and in two countries belonging to Gulf Co-operation Council for a considerably long period of time in very recent past. Four countries, the names of their stock indices considered and time periods chosen given below. Every week trades take place on 5 days of the week and the other two days are excluded from the analysis. However, given that the countries have different customs,

Nursing shortage and current Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nursing shortage and current Problem - Essay Example It is estimated that by 2010, the shortage in nursing cadres will touch 12 percent. It is also estimated that by 2010, the age of 40 percent of the nursing workforce will be above 50 years (GAO, 2001). According to an AP/Denver report, the long standing shortage of nurses is expected to worsen in next seven years (as cited in Medical News Today, 2009). The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by 2016, the number of additional jobs opening annually, in nursing, would be 233,000 (ibid). The Health Resources and Services Administration points out the country will run short of one million nurses by 2020 (Vu, 2008). Only the New York state would be requiring 10, 0000 additional nurses by 2020 (Gillibrand, 2009). Buerhaus also points out that by 2025, the shortage of nurses could hit the figure of 500,000 (as cited in Durnham, 2009). The problem is going to aggravate with the aging of baby boomers. The shortage will not end without extensive RN wage and graduation growth every year for at least the next ten years (Livsey, Campbell and Green, 2006). Although hospitals and other health care organizations have experienced nursing shortages over the past 50 years, the most recent shortage, which began in 1998, seems to be the most long lasting (Buerhaus, Staiger, & Auerbach, 2004, p 176). According to Haebler (as cited in Vu, 2008), too, the current shortage predicted long ago by specialists in the health care field is the worst. According to AP, even the allure of good salary packets is not attracting the required number of candidates into the profession (Medical News Today, 2009). At this point, 2.5 million registered nurses, 82.5 percent of whom are employed as nurses, make the largest working group in the healthcare profession (Peterson, 2001). Since they constitute the largest group in healthcare providers, the national health care system is heavily dependent upon them (GAO, 2001). And, thus,

Critically evaluate the application of Edwin Sutherlands theory of Essay

Critically evaluate the application of Edwin Sutherlands theory of differential association to contemporary criminology - Essay Example ural amalgamation and incorporation came into being, and the crime rate also got its place along with the growth of civilisation with an upward trend and increase. With the passage to time, methods of protecting the society from criminal assaults were taken into consideration. Human societies established political authorities, which introduced laws and rules for keeping the societies in perfect order on the one hand, and for protecting the people from criminal assaults and harms on the other. Hence, boundaries lines were drawn between normal and criminal behaviour. â€Å"The vast majority of the rules†, Sutherland & Cressey state, â€Å"which define certain behaviour as criminal are found in constitutions, treaties, common law, enactments by the legislators of the state and its subdivisions, and in judicial and administrative regulations.† (1970, p. 5) Researches were conducted and theories were articulated in order to discover the real reasons and motives behind committing of crime and getting involved into perversion and deviant behaviour. Nature-nurture theories appeared for further debate and discussion on the topic of the reasons behind people’s getting involved into criminal activities and delinquent behaviour. Some of the theorists believed that innate characteristics are dominant in personality traits, which determine the future behaviour of the individuals. â€Å"Concrete behavioural traits,† Pinker submits, â€Å"reflects the underlying talents and temperaments—how proficient with language a person is, how religious, liberal or conservative—are partially heritable.† (2004, p. 5) On the other hand, another school of thought vehemently declared crime as a learned behaviour. According to this school of thought man is born with pure heart and mind, and it is social environment that spoils a nd detracts the individuals from the right track. Sutherland insisted on the theory that crime is absolutely a learned behaviour, and people learn and adopt criminal

Technology how it impacts us Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Technology how it impacts us - Essay Example Internet has proven to be fruit full in every walk of life, whether it is education, politics or economics, all fields have benefited from internet. In this writing, the focus will be on the positive and the negative impacts of technology on society. Technology has positively and negatively impacted the way human beings used to communicate, it has altered the meaning and limitations of socialization and technology has become a major part in every individual’s circumference. Body Since the advent of mobile phones, people have experienced a complete change in the way they used to communicate with each other. A major part of using a mobile phone is text messaging or in slang it is recognized as texting. Texting is text messaging is a term used to refer to the act of sending small messages from one mobile phone to another. On the core, texting may seem to be of great advantage as it has assisted people in sending tiny and timely information from one end to another within a matter of seconds. But texting has negatively impacted the way people use language and has damage the real essence of English language. When teenagers text, they use abbreviations for several words just to make sure that they can send as much information as possible in a very limited amount of space. Examples of abbreviations used includes: (u for you), (k for okay) and (brb for be right back). On the surface, these abbreviation may seem trendy and cool but in reality these abbreviations are destroying how people used to converse. These abbreviations are even negatively impacting an individual’s learning of English language. Technological advancements have made communication and transactions faster and easier than they used to be. For example: the spread of social media networks, where millions of people come together and communicate and conduct transactions with each other within a very small period of time. Such technologies have assisted individuals in connecting with people acro ss the boundary of their regions, this has further assisted people in knowing and learning about other cultures and what is happening around the world. Similarly, computers which happen to be a part of almost every household and every business have evolved from being slow to being thousand times faster. These fast paced computers have increased productivity of businesses as no longer people need to manually maintain records and keep them safe. Now people no longer have to waste time to go to an outlet and purchase goods and services for themselves, introduction of online shopping facilities have allowed people to buy and sell goods while sitting and relaxing at their homes. Although technology has sped up the transaction and the communication process and has made these processes easier and simpler, but these technologies are ruining the society and especially negatively impacting the youth which happens to be the base of any nation’s success. Teenagers have started becoming a ddicts of technology; they experience similar issues that are experienced by drug abusers if they fail to abuse drugs. They feel that a major part of their life is lost and they believe that without technology such as mobile phones they cannot live at all. Now people spend hours and hours sitting at home talking to their friends over the cell phone instead of going out and meeting up with friends for a simple chat or for the sake of having breakfast.

Disrupting the Recruitment Process to Exploit Weaknesses in Terrorist Research Paper

Disrupting the Recruitment Process to Exploit Weaknesses in Terrorist Organizations - Research Paper Example This paper explores recruitment practices in the global Jihad as they play out in America and Europe. Whereas the focal point of the discussion is terrorism, the paper explores a distinct form of contemporary terrorism, Global Jihad, which embodies religiously inspired conflicts with a global vision. Nevertheless, the paper does not necessarily centre on terror groups with nationalistic or secular motives. The global Jihad is entangled with individuals, organizations, and ideologies from the Middle East, South East Asia, Central Asia, and North Africa. There are four distinct levels of commitment within terrorist organizations. These include passive supporters, active supporters, cadre, and leaders. Although all play a critical part in the running of the terrorist organizations, the cadre can be singled out to be the level that has a phenomenal influence in the recruitment process. Cadre encompasses the nucleus of active members engaged in the overall running of the terrorist operations inclusive of recruiting new members. Terrorist organizations employ both hierarchical and networked structures of organization. Islamic radicalization can be considered as the lynchpin to homegrown terrorism, especially in the West. Delegitimizing radicalization is arguably an effective way of disrupting recruitment process. ... Most recruitment processes into terrorist organization feature aspects such as targeting of the alienated and marginalized, spiritual quest, radicalization, gradual seclusion and cell formation, adoption of violence as a legitimate political means, linkage with a gatekeeper, and eventual operation of the cell. Terrorist recruitment cells can be delimited into four separate cells; management cell, information gathering cell, preparation cell, and execution cell. Disrupting Recruitment Process Most international terrorist organizations are actively engaged in recruitment of Westerners into terrorist organization via facilitation of travel to foreign training camps and mounting grounds. Foreign terrorist organizations have shifted their strategy from passive influence of western radicals into directly motivating, inspiring, and training, especially through internet-based propaganda. Recruitment of Western radicals has worked for foreign terrorist organizations as they can conceal the id entity as the recruits hold â€Å"clean† citizenship. The employment of homegrown terrorist cells has complicated the ability to infiltrate terrorism recruitment rings (Cortright & Lopez, 2007). The four principal ingredients to a thriving terrorist’s organization include recruitment, motivation, funding, and haven. Terrorism is affected by interplay of factors such as a haven, leadership, and the underlying conditions within the society. Terrorist organizations leaders avail motivation, mobilization, and organization functions within the organizations. In addition, leaders within terrorist organizations act as principal sources of propaganda besides acting as symbolic figureheads

McCrae & Costas Five-Factor Model Essay Example for Free

McCrae Costas Five-Factor Model Essay McCrae and Costa’s Five-Factor model of personality is said to be predictive in certain behaviours such as honesty, job performance and procrastination. This Five-Factor model applies to organisational testing because personality is a crucial part in understanding the interests and abilities of an applicant within a business. There have been several criticisms of the Big Five and how accurately it can describe a person’s future performance. These criticisms will be discussed in length in this essay. The essay will also consider the usefulness of the Big Five within psychological assessments. Personality can be defined as â€Å"the dynamic organisation of systems that determine the individual’s characteristic patterns of behaviour, thought, and feeling† (Sibaya Nicholas, Personality, 2008). Simply put one can describe personality as the aspects of a person which make them unique (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). Personality attributes have successfully been studied over centauries and investigators have concluded that the personality domain can be best described by five â€Å"super ordinate constructs† (Digman, 1990). A personality trait is â€Å"a durable disposition to behave in a particular way† and the five-factor model has become the dominant idea of a personality structure (Weiten, 2007). The five-factor model of personality came about as a result of Hans Eysenck’s two dimensions of personality. Eysenck’s theory comprised of neuroticism-stability and extraversion-introversion and he later added the third dimension known as psychoticism (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). Eysenck’s theory also concluded that personality traits could largely be determined by genetics (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). Eysenck’s theory of personality dimensions was a â€Å"precursor of the five-factor model† developed by Costa and McCrae (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). The five-factor model can be seen as the most recent approach to personality and personality traits. Costa and McCrae argue that personality traits derive from five higher order traits. These traits are now known as the â€Å"Big-Five† (Weiten, 2007). Similar to Eysenck’s view on personality traits Costa and McCrae concluded that genetics play a substantial role in personality (Digman, 1990). An example of genetics playing a role in the development in personality traits can be seen in the study of twins. Jim Lewis and Jim Springer were identical twins separated at birth in 1940 (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). These twins were later reunited and research showed that they had similar personality traits. The twins both drove the same model car; they both smoked heavily and liked the same brand of cigarettes (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). A further impact of the five-factor model is that it has shown in studies that this personality study applies across cultures and is widely identifiable in different cultures around the world (Weiten, 2007). The five-factor model states that there are five core personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. These form a mnemonic, OCEAN, which is often used for remembering the personality traits (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). Openness applies to the openness one would have to an experience. Openness is often associated with traits such as curiosity, imagination and flexibility (Weiten, 2007). McCrae states that openness can determine one’s political attitudes or ideologies (Weiten, 2007). Conscientiousness relates to traits involving well disciplined and well organised people and is associated with people being diligent within the workplace (Weiten, 2007). Extraversion relates to people who can be categorised as outgoing or sociable people (Weiten, 2007). Agreeableness relates to one’s ability to be sympathetic, trusting and modest (Weiten, 2007). Agreeable personality traits have been known to be associated with a constructive approach to dealing with conflict but agreeable people have also been known to be aggressive (Weiten, 2007). Neuroticism relates to people who are anxious or hostile (Weiten, 2007). People who score high in this personality trait have been known to over re-act to stressful situations (Weiten, 2007). Organisational psychology â€Å"focuses on role related behaviour, group pressure, commitment to organisations and patterns of communication† (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). In order for an organisational psychologist to determine this behaviour certain organisational testing or psychological assessments need to take place. A psychological assessment is a â€Å"standardised measure of a sample of a erson’s behaviour† (Weiten, 2007). Psychological assessment is one of the oldest and most focussed areas of industrial-organisational psychology (Weiten, 2007). Psychological assessment focuses on an individual’s difference in behaviour and their individual job performance and then develops ways in which they can measure or predict such performances. Testing enables psychologists to select people for jobs, assess one’s potential and develop people. Testing can often lead to labelling of people and selection for jobs, promotions or training has often been made in accordance to these labels. The importance of psychological assessments within the workplace is that they enable the perspective employer to have predictions about the applicant’s future performance and how that applicant may behave in the future. An example of how psychological assessments are beneficial and important can be seen in the use of a personality test. A personality test â€Å"measure various aspects of personality, including motives, interests and attitudes† (Weiten, 2007). Personality tests can be helpful because they assist in personnel selection within business and industry (Weiten, 2007). A sub-division of personality tests is ‘interest inventories’ which determine the interest of an individual in relation to the interests needed to do the job. An example of ‘interest inventories’ can be seen in the need for a sales person to have a personality type that is an extrovert. The example of the sales person can also explain the importance of psychological assessments within the work environment because without this form of testing perspective employers would be unable to employ people that are specifically suited to the position on offer, e. . an extrovert. The use of psychological assessment in business begins when the candidate is still in the selection process. The applicant for a perspective job will first consider the job analysis. A job analysis is the process of obtaining information about a job by determining what duties, tasks or activities it entails in order to perform the job successfully (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). Following a job analys is the applicant would then submit an application and begin the selection process. A selection process can be described as the process of identifying who will be hired from the pool of applicants (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). The applicant will then undergo psychological assessment which involves a prediction of the applicant’s knowledge, abilities, attitudes and personality traits. The way in which these tests help with the selection process are that they are the best predictors of performance and behaviour on the job (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). Now that the selection process has been explained one can similarly link the development and promotion process to psychological assessment. With development or promotion the worker will have to undergo psychological testing to ensure that their abilities and interests fit with the promotion available. The five-factor model applies within the workplace because it enables employers to evaluate employee’s personalities and make use their personality traits to the best of their abilities. Research has indicated that the Big Five traits are able to predict specific behaviour (Weiten, 2007). The Big Five’s ability to predict this behaviour can be seen as beneficial in the workplace. An example of how the Big Five can benefit an industry can be seen in the personality trait ‘conscientiousness’ because it has been said that conscientiousness correlates with honesty, higher job performance and a lower alcohol consumption (Weiten, 2007). This being said one can understand that the Big Five traits allow a perspective employer the ability to employ conscientious workers. Many of the Big Five traits are related to career success (Weiten, 2007). The five-factor model can be used in the selection, development and promotion of employees because it allows the employer to predict what qualities the applicant has. The example used previously about the sales rep needing to be an extrovert is a perfect example of how the Big Five apply to selection, development and promotion. The five-factor model would allow the employer of such sales rep to be able to select candidates that fit the personality type that is required for the job at hand. Similar to this the employer could use the five-factor traits to determine whether an existing employee fits the personality required in a job opening and therefore the five-factor model applies to promotions within business as well. A further benefit to the Big Five is that an employer can determine an employee’s weak traits and develop them further thus improving the workforce. The use of the Big Five within occupational testing has been criticised by many psychologists and researchers as they feel nit does not adequately determine one’s ability to perform a task. A common criticism is that there is a fundamental need for more than five traits (Weiten, 2007). An example of this can be seen in recent studies that state that honesty-humility should be a sixth trait. Another criticism is that studies have shown that the five-factor model can discriminate against people. In the case of South Africa this criticism of the five-factor model only improved the outcome of the test because the discrimination led to changes in legislation which protect the rights of people and state that only valid testing may be done (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). The legislation protecting people’s rights within organisational tests has encouraged the use of these tests in the selection of new employees. Studies have also shown that the Big Five are not necessarily a reflection of one’s personality but rather a reflection of their â€Å"test-taking skills† (Ones, Reiss, Viswesvaran, 1996). This criticism states that the results of the five-factor traits test are a reflection of one’s â€Å"cognitive ability and years of education† (Ones, Reiss, Viswesvaran, 1996). This criticism is not necessarily a negative aspect as it only ensures better use of the Big Five within organisational testing because education is an important aspect to one’s personality. There are two main criticisms of the five-factor model. These are the â€Å"frame of reference effect† and â€Å"socially desirable responding† (Hanges, Dickson, Smith, 2001). Critics argue that the five-factor model is not useful because it is too broad to be applied to psychological assessment (Schmit Ryan, 1993). The first criticism is the frame of reference effect which states that the image the average job applicant would like to convey will have an effect on the psychological assessment (Hanges, Dickson, Smith, 2001). The frame of reference effect can be explained better if one considers that a job applicant will be guided by their self-presentation (Schmit Ryan, 1993). An employee will stand to gain or lose from the results of the psychological assessment and will therefore may alter their response to be in line with what would be considered the correct response (Hanges, Dickson, Smith, 2001). This ‘altered response’ by the job applicant can be seen as a â€Å"ideal-employee† frame of reference where as the response given by a volunteer would be seen as a â€Å"stranger-description† frame of mind (Schmit Ryan, 1993). The second criticism of the five-factor model is the socially desirable response. The â€Å"socially desirable response† can be divided into two sub-groups. Firstly there is â€Å"self-deception† which is the â€Å"unconscious tendency to see oneself in a favourable light† (Schmit Ryan, 1993). Secondly, there is the theory of â€Å"impression management† where a person is consciously aware that they are putting up a false front in order to create a better impression (Schmit Ryan, 1993). The concept of socially desirable responses has undergone three studies which examined the effect of the socially desirable response. The result of these three studies found that in a test of â€Å"fake good vs. honest responses† the personality reliabilities were higher in the fake good (Hanges, Dickson, Smith, 2001). A further study was done on socially desirability consisting of three sample groups. The sample groups were the job applicant, the job incumbent and the student (Hanges, Dickson, Smith, 2001). The results of this study much like the results of other studies showed that the job applicant showed more socially desirable responses than the job incumbent (Hanges, Dickson, Smith, 2001). When defining personality some may argue with Freud’s opinion that personality is largely hidden and unknown. This definition of personality would parallel the argument that the five-factor model is a poor predictor of job success as well as suggesting that it is unethical to use the five-factor model within employment procedures (Hogan, Hogan, Roberts, 1996). This argument could stem from criticisms such as the effect of socially desirable responses, the frame of reference effect and the thought that the five-factor model is limited by only considering five traits. Although these criticisms all have a valid argument one cannot help but believe the evidence that a well-constructed personality assessment is a valid predictor of job performance and it enhances fairness in the employment process (Hogan, Hogan, Roberts, 1996).

Have Discount Retailers gone upmarket in the UK?

Have Discount Retailers gone upmarket in the UK? Preliminary Information Working Title of Dissertation: Have Discount Retailers gone upmarket in the UK? If so, how and why? Research Question and aim: To investigate location of Aldi and Lidl stores in relation to income/social class of catchment area(compare 1991, 2001 and 2011 census data) to understand store strategy. Why would more affluent household shop at hard discounters? Understand hard discounters non-locational strategy. Introduction The review aims to look at theoretical explanations of retailers change such as the Wheel of Retailing and the Conflict Theory. It then focuses on research studies which try to understand consumers store choice decision and factors influencing it. Finally, it will briefly look at methods which are used to understand retailers store decisions. All the sources are either books or peer-reviewed journal articles. Understanding the current literature available is important as it would help support my research findings and improve my research methods based on other academics research. The most widely used model in explaining retail growth is the Wheel of Retailing created by McNair in 1958. The details of his work are mostly described in Hollander (1960) work. The model describes most retailer start as a low margin or focuses on low prices such as the discount grocery retailers. Investment in facilities and services increases, therefore, leads to increasing cost and price with its emphasis on service which allows a higher profit margin. This leaves a gap for lower margin retailers to enter the market which will make traditional retailers vulnerable to competition.ÂÂ   Hollander also identified the factors causing the changes which are Management Deterioration, price competition and excess capacity in factories. The Retail life cycle is a similar theory propose by Davidson et al (1976) cited in Levy et al (2005). It describes 4 stages of a retailer: Introduction, Growth, Maturity and decline. The focus is the profit level and the market share whereas the Wheel of Retailing focuses on the price-quality continuum. Sparks (1990) case study on Kwik Save provides an excellent case study on how it has progressed through the cycle with the name discount removed from their store in 1986 suggesting a move to the maturing stage. These cyclical theories are simple to understand and supportive examples can be found, however, Roth and Klein (1993) found that it is very difficult to test it with limited expense data and Brown (1991) criticise that it only considers price and quality and ignores other factors such as assortments and store size. Also, it assumes that there is only one path to retail growth, therefore alternative theories such as the Big Middle (Levy et al, 2005) was developed. It considers another path of development through innovation targeting at a higher income market which then moves into the Big Middle to benefit from economies of scale and where there is the highest demand focusing on services. There are also non- cyclical theories. The conflict theory suggests competition is the main reason for changes in retailing. Stores can be classified as thesis which has higher margins and antithesis which have a lower margin (such as discounters). Over time, a merger could occur which will lead to synthesis to reduce competition or increased price competition through introduction of value private labels (Burt and Sparks, 1994). Changes in the environment also encourage retail changes. Levy et al (2005) mentioned Dresseman s(1968) work which uses Darwins natural selection theory as an analogy for retail changes where only the fittest store will survive. Roth and Klein (1993) also identifies environmental factors such as demographics, regulation and demand encourage retailers to adapt otherwise they would be outcompeted. Overall, the theories suggest that retailer change due to a changing environment and try to avoid competition, especially price which is the focus of retailers who just joined the market. Consumers store choice Understanding consumers shopping behaviour is important as it allows retailers to strategically plan their store location, format and the assortments. Therefore, this is an area which is widely researched. Fox and Sethuraman (2010) and Leszczyc et al (2004) provides a summary of consumers store choice and segmentation. There are three types of consumers: price, service seekers and cheery-pickers. Price seekers are usually from lower income households who are more price conscious (Katsaras et al., 2001) and would travel to an everyday low pricing (EDLP) stores which are usually cheaper, larger stores to do their main shopping. This includes the deep-discounters. For service seekers who usually are single household who have a higher income and time-deprived due to work commitments, they therefore value convenience store more which provides better services such as Tesco Express Shops. They are known as High/Low Price Store (Hilo) who offers discount by promotion. When doing a Multi-Purp ose Trips, both groups will visit stores near shopping centres and would visit both types of stores. The final type of shopper is the cherry-pickers who go to different stores to look for the best deals, hence they would visit both types of stores and have a lot of time to do shopping but also has the lowest loyalty to a brand or store. Apart from price and convenience, assortment is another factor affecting store choice. Briesch et al (2009) found that it is the 3rd most important factor and it is measured in Store Keeping Units (SKU). Generally, store size is used as a proxy for assortments hence EDLP stores usually has higher SKUs and are more attractive to customers who want choice. However, Broniarczyk et al (1998) study found that retailers could make significant reduction in SKUs and customers perception will remain the same. Briesch et al (2009) also concluded that only the number of brands and availability of favourite brands would affect store choice suggesting assortment could be less important than brands in consumers store choice decision. Brands can be separated into private labels and National brand. The UK is a unique market that the private labels are stronger than in continental Europe. For example, Tesco own private label has three grades: Value, Finest, Normal (Krafft and Mantrala, 2010) which is different from other countries where private labels are seen as low cost and quality(Burt, 2000) hence able to directly compete with National Brand. In the same paper, he mentioned previous studies in the USA by Myers, 1967 found that there is no socio-economic difference in choosing National or private brands but Liversey and Lennin (1978) found that more affluent and young people are more likely to take risks to buy new national brands than lower income people. Hence there is no clear consensus whether private and national brands are targeting different groups. During economic recession, people become more price orientated hence Hard-Discounters would be popular during the period as their price are 15-40% cheaper than traditional retailer (Lamey, 2014). According to Colla (1994) study, he found that 1/3 of people in the sample thinks that the quality in discounters is high due to the basic display hence shop from them. This means traditional retailer are not only competing with hard discounter on price but also on its quality which means after recession, these customers are very likely to be retained. Also, this shows different customer has different view on factors such as quality, therefore different literature provides a different view and there is no consensus on the most important factor. It is now becoming common for retailers to use models to help decide where stores should be located. The three methods that will be discussed are Regression, GIS and Spatial Interaction Model. Regression can be used to accurately predict how one factor affects another with known values. This allows understanding of the relative importance of each factor. Leszczyc and Timmermans (1997) work used regression to analyse variables such as income with repeated trips, store loyalty etc. using data collected from consumer. GIS can be used to help to understand store location decision by doing simple catchment area analysis. This involves drawing a buffer of a certain travel time or distance on the program to show how far people would travel to a store (Benoit and Clarke, 1997). Neighbourhood data could also be incorporated which will help to identify potential new site and analyse current store strategy of a retailer. However, this paper and Birkin et al (2002) raises issues of using the method. How should the buffer be defined and when the buffers overlap, how can we allocate the number of consumers or revenue to each store? The second problem could be solved by using a spatial interaction model which according to Brown (1993), it considers the Trade-off between distance and attractiveness of alternative of shopping area. Hence revenue can be allocated according to the attractiveness (e.g. Floorspace) and its accessibility relative to another. This will improve the accuracy of the analysis. The literature review showed that a wide range of theories have been constructed to understand changes in retail and through research has been done on consumers behaviour and how they are analysed. However, more research is still needed in understanding customers perception of different store types as results still vary a lot. The review of the methods helped me to consider other methods to analyse the relationship between discount retailers and income and the store choice review would help me with the questionnaire design to understand consumer behaviour for discount retailers. Finally, the theory review would help explain the findings in GIS analysis. References Benoit, D. and Clarke, G.P. 1997. Assessing GIS for retail location planning. Journal of retailing and consumer services. 4(4), pp.239-258. Birkin, M., Clarke, G.P. and Clarke, M. 2002. Retail Geography and intelligent network planning. Chichester: Wiley. Briesch, R.A., Chintagunta, P.K. and Fox, E.J. 2009. How does assortment affect grocery store choice? Journal of Marketing Research. 46(2), pp.176-189. Broniarczyk, S.M., Hoyer, W.D. and McAlister, L. 1998. Consumers perceptions of the assortment offered in a grocery category: The impact of item reduction. Journal of Marketing Research. pp.166-176. Brown, S. 1991. Variations on a marketing enigma: The wheel of retailing theory. Journal of Marketing Management. 7(2), pp.131-155. Brown, S. 1993. Retail location theory: evolution and evaluation. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research. 3(2), pp.185-229. Burt, S. 2000. The strategic role of retail brands in British grocery retailing. European Journal of Marketing. 34(8), pp.875-890. Burt, S. and Sparks, L. 1994. Structural change in grocery retailing in Great Britain: a discount reorientation? The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research. 4(2), pp.195-217. Colla, E. 1994. Discount development in france: The introduction of the format and the competitive response. Journal of Marketing Management. 10(7), pp.645-654. Fox, E.J. and Sethuraman, R. 2010. Retail Competition. In: Krafft, M. and Mantrala, M.K. eds. Retailing in the 21st century, current and future trends. [Online].London: Springer, pp.239-255. [Accessed 19 March 2017]. Available from: https://www.dawsonera.com/readonline/9783540720034 Hollander, S.C. 1960. The Wheel of Retailing. Journal of Marketing. 25(1), pp.37-42. Katsaras, N., Wolfson, P., Kinsey, J. and Senauer, B. 2001. Data mining: A segmentation analysis of US grocery shoppers. St. Paul, MN: The University of Minnesota, The Retail Food Industry Center, Working Paper. p01. Krafft, M. and Mantrala, M.K. 2010. Retailing in the 21st century: current and future trends. Berlin: Springer Verlag. Lamey, L. 2014. Hard economic times: a dream for discounters. European Journal of Marketing. 48(3/4), pp.641-656. Leszczyc, P.T.P., Sinha, A. and Sahgal, A. 2004. The effect of multi-purpose shopping on pricing and location strategy for grocery stores. Journal of Retailing. 80(2), pp.85-99. Leszczyc, P.T.P. and Timmermans, H. 1997. Store-switching behavior. Marketing Letters. 8(2), pp.193-204. Levy, M., Grewal, D., Peterson, R.A. and Connolly, B. 2005. The concept of the Big Middle. Journal of Retailing. 81(2), pp.83-88. Roth, V.J. and Klein, S. 1993. A theory of retail change. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research. 3(2), pp.167-183. Sparks, L. 1990. Spatial-Structural Relationships in Retail Corporate Growth: A Case-Study of Kwik Save Group P.L.C. The Service Industries Journal. 10(1), pp.25-84.

Demographic Profile of Diabetic Patients

Demographic Profile of Diabetic Patients INTRODUCTION Background of the Study In the last few decades, the world prevalence of diabetes among adults have increased more than twice, and expected to ascend to 380 million by 2030, according to a report from the InternationalDiabetes Institute.1 About 3.4 million, roughly 4.6 percent of the total population in the Philippines are diabetics. This figure is expected to rise to 7.8 million in the next 15 years.2 Despite such high incidence, awareness on diabetes, its complications and treatment remain major challenges, particularly in developing countries such as the Philippines. Prevention through patient education is imperative because the burden of disease on healthcare and its economic implications are of great magnitude. There is a significant amount of evidence that patient education is one of the most effective way to lessen the complications of diabetes. 3,4,5,6 When coupled with appropriate medications, it is associated with decreased morbidity and mortality.3 Patient education is more likely to be effective if we know the characteristic of the patients in terms of what they know about their disease, their attitude towards it and what they practice in their medications, diet and lifestyle. Very few studies has been made on our country to find the prevailing awareness, attitudes and practices among diabetic patients, 7,8,9 which can aid in the development of future health education interventions targeting the disease. In this study, we will determine the demographic characteristics of diabetic patients consulting at the Diabetes Clinic of a tertiary hospital in Davao City and assess their level of knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and the relationship of KAP and glycemic control among type 2 diabetic patients in an urban health care facility. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE In the Philippines, the prevalence of diabetes according to the NNHES (National Nutrition Health Survey) study is approximately 4.6-7.2%. This figure expands to 17.8% after adding those who have pre-diabetes (impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance or both) which has a prevalence of 10.6%. 2Therefore, one out of every 5 Filipino could potentially have diabetes mellitus or pre-diabetes. As such, the increasing trend of its incidence rate is causing alarm among medical practitioners, and among affected patients as well. In the context of an alarming increase in the magnitude of type 2 diabetes mellitus in our country, the prevailing knowledge, attitudes and practices of these diabetic patients assume immense importance in the control of the disease. Across the globe, a number of studies have been done about perception and practice of diabetic patients10-14, especially in third world countries. An Indian study made by Mukhopadhyay, et al 2010, looked into the perceptions and practices of patients with Diabetes Mellitus Type II in a tertiary hospital.11 In the Philippines, a similar study was done in the rural community of San Juan, Batangas, Philippines. A total of 156 diabetic residents were included as participants of the survey. Knowledge scores were relatively low, with an overall mean of 43%. There were also poor positive responses to attitude scale. The study emphasized the importance of evaluating knowledge, attitudes and practices as crucial means to understand observed behaviors and guide behavioral change.7 According to the American Diabetic Association, self management education is defined as the process of providing the person with diabetes the knowledge and skill that is needed to perform self care, manage immediate concerns and make life style changes. 3 To achieve such effective self care, diabetic patients and their doctors should work hand-in-hand together. Some studies have shown that self-care among individuals with type 2 diabetes had improved glycemic control and reduced complications 15, 16, 17. For people with diabetes, self-management education training is vital since diabetics and their families provide most of their care themselves. It is imperative that regular patient counseling and group education at follow-up visits by health care professionals to help in improving patients’ knowledge and ultimately modify their practices. 19 However, in our setting, adequate diabetes self-management education programs are lacking or weak in most government hospitals in tertiary care. Hence, results of this study could help us design our education programs targeting certain groups or issues that needs further strengthening. Research Question What is the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices and its association with glycemic control among persons with type 2 diabetes in the Diabetes Clinic of Southern Phiilppines Medical Center? Significance of the Study The study will contribute to the understanding of the current status of diabetes care in our local setting, and help in the implementation of programs that would address pressing needs in our patient education and management, based on their knowledge, attitude and practices. It will also help us identify the association of KAP and glycemic control, and further assess the impact of diabetes self-management in disease control. Objectives: General Objective: 1. To determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of patients with type 2 diabetes in the Diabetes clinic of a tertiary hospital. Specific Objectives: To determine the demographic profile of the diabetic patients in the Diabetic clinic of a tertiary hospital in Davao City, in terms of : Age Gender Highest level of educational attainment Employment status Duration of diabetes Antidiabetic medications Co-morbidities To determine the association between patient factors such as age, sex, level of education, employment status, duration of diabetes, antidiabetic medications and co-morbidities and their level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding diabetes To establish the association between the patients’ KAP and their corresponding glycemic control based on HBA1c levels METHODOLOGY Research Design: The study will employ a clinic-based, cross-sectional analytic study design. Research Setting: This study will be conducted at the Diabetes outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital in Davao City, from May 2014 to June 2014. Participants: All patients who are diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus type 2 (T2 DM) who are seeking consult at the Diabetes Clinic in a tertiary hospital for the period of May to June 2014. Inclusion Criteria: Patients must be a diagnosed case of Diabetes Mellitus type 2 based on the following criteria: Plasma glucose > 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) after an overnight fast Fasting is defined as no caloric intake for at least 8 hours up to a maximum of 14 hours, or Two-hour plasma glucose > 200 mg/dl (11.1 mmol/l) during an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test The test should be performed as described by the World Health Organization, using a glucose load containing the equivalent of 75 g anhydrous glucose dissolved in water after an overnight fast of between 8 and 14 hours, or A random plasma glucose > 200 mg/dl (11.1 mmol/l) in a patient with classic symptoms of hyperglycemia (weight loss, polyuria, polyphagia, polydipsia) or with signs and symptoms of hyperglycaemic crisis. Patient must have informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: Patients who does not meet the criteria for T2 DM but are seeking consult at the Diabetes clinic: Impaired fasting glycemia and Impaired glucose intolerance. Patients who have intellect impairment and could not participate in the survey Sampling Procedures All the DMT2 patients visiting the diabetes centre during this period will be identified using the convenient sampling method. Assuming that the prevalence of knowledge among Filipinos is 43% 7 and estimating the proportion within 95% confidence interval with 5% error, the sample size is 168( Raosoft Sample size formula). Data Collection: The data will be collected by giving out pretested predesigned questionnaire to participants with informed consent. Pre-testing of the questionnaire will be done prior to the research proper. Relevant information from the participants will be gathered including: age, gender, highest educational attainment, employment status, duration of diabetes, antidiabetic medications and co-morbidities. Questions pertaining to their knowledge, attitudes and practices will be given in order to assess their corresponding levels. The KAP questionnaire will be adapted from a Malaysian study by Shu Hui Ng et al 15, â€Å"Reality vs Illusion: Knowledge, Attitude and Practice among Diabetic Patients†. The questionnaire has been used in previous KAP studies among diabetics and has proven to be a reliable tool. The self-administered questionnaire had a total of 25 questions (knowledge-14, attitude-5, and practice-6). Each correct answer will be given a score of ‘one’ and the wrong answ er was given a score of ‘zero’. Good knowledge attitude and/or practice will be considered if a patient attains >50% of the total score for each domain. To assess the relationship between KAP towards DM and the actual disease control, most recent(4 +/- 2 weeks) levels of HbA1c will be obtained from the patient records. HbA1C > 7% is considered to have poor control of DM. A. Independent Variables Independent Variables include: sex, age, educational attainment, current employment status, co-morbidities, latest hba1c result. B. Dependent Variables Dependent Variables include: levels of knowledge, attitude and practices Data Handling and Analysis: The principal investigator will ensure that all data collected in the study were of utmost confidential nature. Data analysis will be performed to ensure quality results using frequency, percentage, and statistical analysis. The chi-square test will be used to determine the relationship between KAP and t-test to assess the association between KAP and diabetes control. Spearman correlation test will be used to determine the association between knowledge and attitude, and between knowledge and practice. The level of statistical significance will be set at p

Analysis of Employee Motivation in Ilanco Inc. Essay -- Manufacturing

Analysis of Employee Motivation in Ilanco Inc. Introduction The purpose of this report is to analyse the problems of employee motivation at Ilanco Inc., a relatively small manufacturing company located in Montreal. For many years, this company operates in sweater production, and belongs to the section of clothing manufacturing industry. Currently, approximately 70 employees are working for the company. As many manufacturing organizations, Ilanco has been experiencing a lot of problems with effectively motivating its employees. Such problems have been reflected both in the Motivating Potential Score Survey that we have conducted among the employees and in our interviews with some senior workers at the company. First, this report gives a brief overall description of the manufacturing industry and the company, Ilanco. The major parts of the report outline and analyses the main motivation problems that Ilanco is experiencing. According to these specific problems, several very useful and practical recommendations have been made to help improve the employee motivation at Ilance. Also, in order to make this paper more insightful, some relevant motivation theories have been applied to both the analysis and recommendation sections to help analyse the problems more deeply. Industry Description Manufacturing is a key activity in any economy because of its far-reaching effects. Manufacturing firms represent 20% of Canadian GDP. There are around 40 000 manufacturing firms in Canada, employing almost 2 million people. Production value comes to $135 419 millions. Manufacturing firms with less than 200 employees represent 96% of total number of manufacturing firms in Canada, employing 47% of Canadian labor force involved in processing industry. In Quebec, the manufacturing sector generates over 20% of province’s GDP. Close to 11000 firms are operating, employing some 548 400 people. In Quebec, firms employing fewer than 200 people represent also 96% of the total number of manufacturing establishments. That is, employing 49% of province’s men-power. In Montreal, experienced labor force (1996 Census) represents 1 609 820 in all industries including manufacturing sector that employs 283 370 people. Despite the importance of manufacturing industry, employment has been decreasing in recent years. Description of Company As an example of manufacturing fi... ...nagement. In addition, an appraisal system in every 6 months should be implemented at every level of the company, i.e. team level, department level, company level. There would be different levels of staff performance, e.g. company warning, improvement required, average, competent and outstanding, to name a few. The result of the appraisal is connected to wage increase, bonus and promotion. In summary, Ilanco has a lot of serious problems in terms of staff motivation. If the above recommendations are not taken into consideration by the management, then there is a high possibility for the company to be just a start-up training school. There will still be high turnover rate, low productivity, unmotivated staff, and uncompetitive working environment. There is really no â€Å"bright† future for the company. It probably can still be profitable, but it’s just short-term focused. Once there is a down turn in market demand, Ilanco can hardly survive because of its extremely narrow product line. The management should realize that it is the staff that makes the profit for the company. Without reasonably motivated staff, the company could never focus in long term survive in the business.

Landmark Supreme Court Decisions Essay -- essays research papers

Landmark Supreme Court Decisions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  About 32 years ago, in December of 1965, a group of adults and students from Des Moines, Iowa gathered to show their dislike towards American involvement in the Vietnam War. They decided to wear black armbands and fast on December 16 and 31 to express there point. When the principals of the Des Moines School System found out their plans, they decided to suspend anyone who took part in this type of protest. On December 16 - 17 three Tinker siblings and several of their friends were suspended for wearing the armbands. All of them did not return to school until after New Years Day. Acting through their parents, the Tinkers and some other students went to the Federal District Court, asking for an injunction to be issued by Iowa. This court refused the idea, forcing them to take the case to the Supreme Court. After hearing their case, the Supreme Court agreed with the Tinkers. They said that wearing black armbands was a silent form of expression and that students do not have to give up their 1st Amendment rights at school. This landmark Supreme Court case was known as Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the case of Tinker v. Des Moines Ind. School Board obviously came some conflicting viewpoints about the armbands. The school board said that no one has the absolute right to freedom of expression, where the Tinkers said that only banning armbands and not other political symbols was unconstitutional. The school board said that the armbands were disruptive to the learning environment, where the Tinkers said they were not. Finally, the school board said that order in the classroom, where political controversy should be discussed, is entitled to constitutional protection. The Tinkers believed that the armbands were worn as the students views, and therefore should be constitutionally protected and respected by the school. These were all important arguments in the case.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Personally, I agree with the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the 1st Amendment rights of the students in school. Why shouldn't students have the same rights as other people? If the students wore obscene clothing, ran out of classrooms, or set the school on fire in protest of the war, then yes, I could see disciplinary actio... ...chool districts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In contrast, the time periods in which these cases took place were very different. In the 1960's, the war in Vietnam was going on, and there were a lot of controversial issues and viewpoints facing students at schools. In the 1980's, the war was over and there weren't as many controversial issues surrounding students' rights. One case involved freedom of expression through a school newspaper, the other through articles of clothing, but the major difference between the two cases were the decisions made by the U.S. Supreme Court. They agreed with the Tinkers in the belief that freedom of expression through armbands was okay. However, they disagreed with Cathy Kuhlmeier's belief in freedom of expression through a so-called public forum. As a student, I believe that freedom of expression is one of our most important rights. Without this right people won't know who we are; they won't understand our generation. Because of the many different definitions of freedom of expression, people will always be in controversy over them. Let's hope that our school district never faces a problem as big as the ones presented in this paper. Landmark Supreme Court Decisions Essay -- essays research papers Landmark Supreme Court Decisions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  About 32 years ago, in December of 1965, a group of adults and students from Des Moines, Iowa gathered to show their dislike towards American involvement in the Vietnam War. They decided to wear black armbands and fast on December 16 and 31 to express there point. When the principals of the Des Moines School System found out their plans, they decided to suspend anyone who took part in this type of protest. On December 16 - 17 three Tinker siblings and several of their friends were suspended for wearing the armbands. All of them did not return to school until after New Years Day. Acting through their parents, the Tinkers and some other students went to the Federal District Court, asking for an injunction to be issued by Iowa. This court refused the idea, forcing them to take the case to the Supreme Court. After hearing their case, the Supreme Court agreed with the Tinkers. They said that wearing black armbands was a silent form of expression and that students do not have to give up their 1st Amendment rights at school. This landmark Supreme Court case was known as Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the case of Tinker v. Des Moines Ind. School Board obviously came some conflicting viewpoints about the armbands. The school board said that no one has the absolute right to freedom of expression, where the Tinkers said that only banning armbands and not other political symbols was unconstitutional. The school board said that the armbands were disruptive to the learning environment, where the Tinkers said they were not. Finally, the school board said that order in the classroom, where political controversy should be discussed, is entitled to constitutional protection. The Tinkers believed that the armbands were worn as the students views, and therefore should be constitutionally protected and respected by the school. These were all important arguments in the case.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Personally, I agree with the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the 1st Amendment rights of the students in school. Why shouldn't students have the same rights as other people? If the students wore obscene clothing, ran out of classrooms, or set the school on fire in protest of the war, then yes, I could see disciplinary actio... ...chool districts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In contrast, the time periods in which these cases took place were very different. In the 1960's, the war in Vietnam was going on, and there were a lot of controversial issues and viewpoints facing students at schools. In the 1980's, the war was over and there weren't as many controversial issues surrounding students' rights. One case involved freedom of expression through a school newspaper, the other through articles of clothing, but the major difference between the two cases were the decisions made by the U.S. Supreme Court. They agreed with the Tinkers in the belief that freedom of expression through armbands was okay. However, they disagreed with Cathy Kuhlmeier's belief in freedom of expression through a so-called public forum. As a student, I believe that freedom of expression is one of our most important rights. Without this right people won't know who we are; they won't understand our generation. Because of the many different definitions of freedom of expression, people will always be in controversy over them. Let's hope that our school district never faces a problem as big as the ones presented in this paper.

Sign Of The Crimes :: essays research papers

Sign of the crimes Members of a citizens anticrime group in Linesville, PA., have a new mystery to solve: Who stole their crime watch signs? Five signs and poles were removed from roadsides around Linesville in Crawford County. "We don't know if it was somebody trying to get even," said Ed Barker, chairman of the North Shenango Township Crime Watch chapter. "We don't think it was kids, because the signs were gone, post and all." You're under abreast Michael Copp, 18, Sheffield Lake, Ohio, was charged with stealing his mother's credit card to pay for his 18-year-old girlfriend's breast enlargement surgery. According to a police report, Copp's mother, Gaelene Pakrandt, told officers she had closed the account because her son charged $2,100 in car repair bills. Police said Copp reopened the account without his mother's knowledge after he found the card in a drawer. He charged $2,496 to the card to cover the surgery. Most items purchased with a stolen credit card are confiscated and returned by police. But this case is a little different. Death race 2000 PHILADELPHIA, PA - Tamika Ross, 26, is being held for trial on charges of the murder of Nathaniel Davis. Apparently Ross ran over Davis' hat with her car. When Davis confronted the driver a dispute erupted and Davis allegedly hit Ross. That's when the mother of five took matters into her own hands and ran him over with her car, killing him. When questioned, police quoted Ross as saying, "He hit me so I ran him down." Dead man gets 2 years A man was sentenced last week to two years in prison for faking his death three times to beat drunk driving charges. Peter C. Gentry was first arrested in 1991, but an official looking death certificate sent to authorities said he had died in a Los Angeles auto crash, and the case was dismissed. In 1994, he was arrested again and sent in another death certificate. A year later, Gentry was again arrested and supposedly died this time of "denzor hemorrhagic fever" in Africa. There is no such disease. Soul-mate! not cellmate! Karim Lackey, Philadelphia, PA was acquitted last week of fatally shooting Phillip Shirdan, 42, after his lawyer claimed that Lackey had been the victim of "mistaken identity." Two of Lackey's alibi witnesses claimed they were with him watching the "Soul Train Music Awards" on TV at the time Shirdan was killed in a lounge.

Poem Explication I carry your heart I carry it my Essay

Explication of EE Cummings â€Å"[i carry your heart with me (i carry it in]† To better understand this very romantic poem, â€Å"[i carry your heart with me (i carry it in], we must first understand that Edward Estlin Cummings was an avant-garde, which can be defined as an intelligentsia that develops new or experimental concepts especially in the arts (Merriam-Webster). Punctuation and lowercase type are used in a way that’s visually appealing, while also highlighting the poem’s theme of unity. Cummings used this type of writing in many of his works. The poem â€Å"[i carry your heart with me (i carry it in]† by EE Cummings is a free verse poem about an undying love that is felt from within. The speaker can be a man or a woman. In this case the speaker is a man who has a deep eternal love for his lover; a she in this case. Cummings uses figurative language, linguistic paradoxes, and symbolism in this poem that makes the reader feel that undying love and unity from one lover to another. Cummings uses figurative language, denotations and connotations throughout this poem. The reader can first see this in the title, â€Å"i carry your heart with me†. Obviously he isn’t actually carrying his lovers’ heart in the literal sense. Instead the reader can understand that figuratively her presence and her love are always near. He feels it all the time. It’s within him, â€Å"i carry it in my heart.† Cummings intertwined the denotations and connotations in his poem. He does this by the use of parenthesis throughout the poem. â€Å"i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart) i am never without it (anywhere i go you go†¦..†. Linguistic paradoxes are used as well throughout this poem. The speaker says one thing in one line only to contradict what he is saying in the next. For example: â€Å"(†¦.whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling) â€Å"It† is done by â€Å"only him† but it is her â€Å"doing†. The speaker makes the words work for him, although being contradictory. What is important in understanding this poem is understanding the symbolism of it. The speaker is symbolizing the love he feels for his lover by first saying he â€Å"carries your heart with me (i carry it in my heart) or â€Å"I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)† All these quotes are symbols of his love. He feels love to the bottom of his soul. He uses the â€Å"root of the root† and â€Å"bud of the bud† and the â€Å"sky of the sky† â€Å"of a tree called life; which grows higher that soul can hope or mind can hide† to describe to the reader that his love continues to grow  just as the tree of life continues to grow. This poem is obviously about love. An undying, deep love for the speakers’ lover. EE Cummings uses figurative language, linguistic paradoxes and symbolism to get the reader to actually feel the deep love that is shared between these lovers. It is â€Å"the deepest secret nobody knows (the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart†. â€Å"i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)† Works Cited Cummings, EE. â€Å"Poetry: 1952 Issue. â€Å"[i carry your heart with me (i carry it in].† 1952,. www.poetryfoundation.org. Web. 25 May 2014. Merriam-Webster. . 25 May 2014.

HM Prison Service Essay

British is a very big company and its offices are all around the world and this why I think that the Chain of Command is more horizontally because its Directors and Managers are all over the places. They might have a Chief Executive from whom the orders are passed to directors. The number of workers in a chain of command id important to the efficiency of the business. But too long can make it difficult to communicate. HM Prison Service: Security – The department’s duty is to secure the prison so the other employee feels safer when they are working in this department and the other department.  Finance – Finance Department relates to every other department because every department has employee working in and they have to be paid by the Finance Department.  Operations – This Department relates because when an operation is going to happen they pass the information to the other departments. Personnel – This department relates to other departments because whenever a person is required for the Job for any department. The person is recruited by the personnel department.  Prison Health – This department relates to other departments because when an employee or a prisoner is injured or not feeling well, it means that they have to be taken to the Health Department.  Operational Policy – This department relates to operations department because when an operation is about to happen they have to pass the policies to the Operations Department. They have to be well organised to make all their aims and objectives possible and to make it an even easier place to work so that it can be more productive. There are different teams of people who are split into different functional areas so they are able to make the business operate more efficiently. All of the functional areas aren’t dependent on each other but have to work closely together to operate. There are six different functional areas of a business. I think because the organisation is not very large which means it has a very small and vertical Chain of Command. The more workers you have in the chain of command, the more specialised it becomes.  Segregation Unit – The purpose of the segregation is to maintain safety, its necessary to help prisoners address negative aspect of their behaviour and return to normal location as soon as possible. Example if someone is found breaking the rule, so they will lose privileges. Chaplaincy- The Chaplaincy provides spiritual care for all prison and all the staff, the team normally by an Anglican chaplain who will be responsible for the whole team including all the religions.  Education and Training – Educational and trainer services are available for all prisoners, assessing their skills and teaching basic and key skills. Some prisoners are offered further education. Housing Block/Accommodation – Prisoners live in housing blocks or residential accommodation.  Recreation Area – This area is responsible for the health and welfare of all of the prisoners. Some prisons have health care units where 24 hour nursing care is provided, whilst other prisons only provide primary care.  Workshop/Gymnasium – Workshop vary, and include contract cleaning, sewing, brick laying, car maintenance and light engineering work. Some prisons have craft workshops where anything that made by the prisoners may be sold for local charity. Health Care – This responsible for the health and welfare of all of the prisoners. Some prisons have health care units where 24 hour nursing care is provide, whilst other prisons only provide primary care.  Reception – Usually within housing blocks and has facilities such as TV rooms, pool tables and general open areas where prisoners can freely mix with each other. Visitors Centre – This varies from prison to prison, but usually provides an area where drinks and snacks can be bought. It’s usually where pre-visit checks take place, i.e. the name of the prison being visited and whether they are entitled to a visit. In the case of convicted prisoners, the visitor must be in possession of a valid visiting order which will show the name and number of the prisoner and the name and address of the person’s visiting. The Gate-House – Responsible for checking the ID of all staff, prisoners, visitors and contractors who are going into or out of the prison. This is noted to maintain in the correct roll of the prison. This usually confirmed with reception at any time.  Size – The larger organisation is the more formal the structure tends to become, in order to coordinate larger numbers of workers, departments and diversity of products. Because the BA organisation is a huge company and therefore the organisational structure is very long which makes it hard for BA to communicate with each others. This is where Technical and Operations area is most important because if that is not there they would not be able to communicate. Strategic plans – The type of structure depends on the strategic aims and plans of the business. For example, BA seeks to become more market oriented which will develop structures that place an emphasis on marketing and customers focus. External factors: Environment – BA has many competitors such as Ryan Air. Ryan Air are continually changing, what they have to offer. They may lower prices, bring out new products; engage in exciting new advertising campaigns, and a range of other activities. This is effect BA because they will loose their customers because they are getting better deals from Ryan Air.  Political – Example of Political factors for BA is that the government has put up taxations for BA which makes BA to increase the price of their flight which would affect BA to loose customers. Economic – The economy consists of businesses, individuals working in the functional areas and the government. Because it’s an international airline and BAA is getting the passengers from every corner of the world. This makes BA to pay for its resources such as labour and raw materials. Businesses are continually affected by changes in the economy.  Technological Factors – These factors result from the development of new techniques. Example, New types of products. For example in recent few there I massive change in IT which has transformed the way we run our lives.

Importance of Slavery Essay

Economic, geographic, and social factors all contributed to the rise of importance for slaves in the southern colonies as their position in American society changed from 1607 and 1775. Slaves not only influenced Jamestown in 1607, but they influenced America, all the way into the American Revolution in 1775. Slavery ultimately flourished and aided economic triumph in the southern colonies. With the hopes of making it big in the new colonies, indentured servants came through the headright system, usually people who lacked funds of any sort hoping to make money. During this time, English practiced mercantilism and since they lacked the proper agriculture to grow tobacco. John Rolfe made it a cash crop in the new colonies and they were able to sell it quite easily to their mother country, England. This lasted until about the time of Bacon’s Rebellion where indentured servants were mad due to them thinking they would get land after their 20 years of work. But with this the south turned to slavery as a viable option. Now they could tell by just the color of their skin what class they were in. The triangular trade made this even better. They got more and made slaves work on their large plantations. Since slaves were not citizens they had no rights. The South flourished with their labor. They had huge profits. America did not just depend on tobacco they also had rice and indigo that helped the economy an immense amount. Social factors in the south also encouraged growth. The American slave code is based off the barbatos slave code. Aristocrats who were at the top of the pyramid in social class had many slaves. The blacks were at the bottom and they had no rights. The slave owners often had there slaves reproduce to make them more slaves. The more slaves you had the more money, and the higher nobility you had. Racism was a huge social factor of slavery. The whites thought they were superior to the blacks and they showed it. with the social presser to hate blacks slavery would not have been so successful economically. The geography of the southern colonies was not suited to standard farming as that of the northern colonies. The soil of the land was not suited to the growing of standard crops like wheat and corn. Also, the hot weather of the south did not allow for easy farming, and its wet and temperate sub-tropical climates was best suited for the growing of tobacco, rice, and indigo. Along with this, the extensive river system which divided the southern colonies into tiny interconnected pieces provided the best transportation for mass goods and for wet soil. The many river parts of the south made it easy to transfer goods grown on plantations, and to facilitate the purchase of slaves.

Corporate Responsibility and Society Essay

While commuting home from work, you take a detour through a residential area to avoid a congested main artery. Because only a few drivers take the detour, it removes several minutes from your commuting time due to the light traffic. Is your action generalizable? I do believe that my actions would be generalizable; therefore it would not pass the generalization test. According to Hooker, the meaning of generalization test is that the reason for your action should be consistent with the assumption that if everyone who has the same reason as you would act in the same manner (Business Ethics, 2011). The detour is not an area that is not allowed to be taken; it is there for anyone to take despite of the reason for taking it. Anyone that wanted to cut down their commute time in order to pick up a child from daycare, to get to school on time, to prepare dinner, or just because they no longer wanted to sit in traffic is irrelevant to the fact that they are able to take this route. In order to further put this generalization to the test we should see if it meets and passes all four Corollaries’. Corollary one states that an action is unethical if its general adoption would undermine a practice it presupposes. So everyone is free to take this detour through a residential neighborhood. Suppose everyone decided to take this detour, it would congest this neighborhood, children that normally ride their bikes on the side of the rode or play outdoors are more apt to being either hit by a car or injured by a vehicle in some way. This may pass the corollary test but it fails the generalization test. Corollary two states one shouldn’t be a free rider on the efforts of others. This corollary really doesn’t affect this example because every driver is free to make up his or her mind whether or not to take the detour. So this would pass corollary two. Corollary three states an action is unethical if generalizing the action is inconsistent with achieving its purpose. This actions is telling me that I take the detour when is best suites me, i.e. traffic is at its heaviest and I can achieve a shorter time commute by taking the detour. This action is then generalized when everyone who takes the regular congested route takes the detour when it best suites them. Thus my action of taking the detour is generalized, it would be impossible for those who take the detour when it best suites them to achieve the purpose of the action because the new detour would become congested and we are back to where we started. This action fails corollary three and the generalization test. Last but not least Corollary four states that an action is unethical if generalizing the action is inconsistent with the possibility that everyone who performs the action achieves its purpose. If this action is true then me taking the detour is ungeneralizable because it is impossible for everyone to enjoy the same avoidance of traffic congestion by taking the same detour. After completing all four Corollary test I have come to the conclusion that my action to avoid traffic by detouring through a residential area is ungeneralizable. Although my action may have passed a corollary test or two my action ultimately did not justify the action.

The State of Human Nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The State of Human Nature - Essay Example Hobbes identified and discussed two paths that human nature takes and, no matter the striving and effort put into one or another, the human being and its glory or fall resides in what he called ethical egoism. The purpose of this paper is to discuss this matter by looking at two examples: one given by Michel Montaigne and the other, more recent and representing a deeply disturbing moment in history, by Primo Levi. The ethics and moral values of humans seem to diminish, if not vanish, when it comes to two important processes that set into motion the dynamics of humanity; be it the natural condition that Hobbes discusses, that of the man dealing with no artificial political or religious bodies of governance, a man who has to create a cult for the Self in order to survive, or the condition in which the mechanisms of power punish or reward the individual, man proves to be fundamentally violent and able to start the metamorphosis of everything that once was considered moral value. In 'De Cive' Hobbes concludes that: " I obtained two absolutely certain postulates of human nature: one, the postulate of human greed by which each man insists upon his own private use of common property; the other, the postulate of natural reason, by which each man strives to avoid violent death."1 The transformations do not completely erase the cognitive capacities of the individual, but reinforce in a very dangerous way for the society the Delphic principle 'nosce te ipsum', which can push the individual into a world of absurdity in which reasoning is as well transformed and all meaning becomes corrupt. Michael Montaigne's aim in his essay 'On Cannibals' is a very complex one and it is that of proving that no matter the time or the social circumstances, human nature developed its fundamental values and constantly fought to adjust morality to whatever its interest was. The problem of the pain or pleasure generated by a government like mechanism, which in Hobbes opinion triggers the egotistic behavior, is seen by Montaigne as something which occurs in those of us who have a very strong desire to be better than others, desire that is destructive for the rest of the society, and, this sort of action loses touch with the original selfishness, degenerating thus; we all are barbarians, some are transformed by these inner happenings into more barbaric people. For Montaigne both the cannibal who lives in a natural state of no law and reasoning, who and the cannibal who adhered to a moral barbarism as part of an artificial structure, if we are to put it in Hobbes terms, are guilty of seeing as barbarian, as a threat "whatever is not his own practice".2 When it comes to the questions related to the similarities and differences between the cannibal and the barbarian withholding some moral values, the last one represents the society contemporary to Montaigne, mainly seen in terms of political dispute and greed for power just like in Hobbes case; both philosophers found their theories on the sort of violence generated by self conscious people who end up acting as violent beings who are in fact too weak and fall under the influence of their own edacity. Montaigne's argument stands valid and is a confirmation of Hobbes's thesis that humans act only in their own advantage. Montaigne states that: "I conceive there is more barbarity in eating a man alive, than when he is dead; in tearing a body limb