Food security issues in Brazil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Food security issues in Brazil - Essay Example Research proves Brazil to be a major agricultural and industrial country, factors that have made the country rank highest in Latin America with regard to economic growth. Despite the continuous improvement, there is a widespread poverty and evident financial inequalities with many concentrations of poverty in the rural areas. This has led to increased food insecurity. According to the World Health Organization website, The World Food Summit of 1996 sought to define food security, noting that it exists â€Å"when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life†. Brazil, like most of the developing countries faces a major challenge of hunger where more than six million citizens are facing starvation (The Economist 2009). Brazil is the largest country in South America with over 190 million citizens. As the fourth leading food exporter, a small population approximated to be 30% of the entire population was faced with constant food insecurity in 2009 (Government of Brazil 2010). Understanding the root causes of food insecurity will help to offer a solution to this problem. There is an urgent need to come up with policies that will boost the food production and also help prevent wastage of produce. Scholars have proved the extend to which Brazil government has made steps towards eradication of poverty as well as food insecurity. Despite the fact that Brazil is not leading in economic development, it has proved to outstrip leading economies like china and India. This success is highly attributed to pro-poor policies that the leaders of the country. The causes of food insecurity to most developing countries are mostly due to poor management and implementation of policies. In Brazil, poor methods of production have accelerated the problem of food insecurity. The poor production methods have been caused by poor quality land and

Analysis of Online Recruitment Process With TAM

Analysis of Online Recruitment Process With TAM ANALYSIS OF ONLINE RECRUITMENT PROCESS FOR JOBSEEKERS USING TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL(TAM) 1) S.Munzarin, 2) A. Manimegalai 3) G. Latha, 4) B. Sindhuja ABSTRACT I.INTRODUCTION Today, online recruitment has become a major tool for many organizations. However, little is known about jobseekers reactions to this new technology. This article is aimed at developing a web-based and central recruitment Process system for the HR Group of the company. Some features of this system will be creating vacancies, storing application data, and Interview process initiation, Scheduling interviews, storing Interview results for the applicant and finally Hiring of the applicant. This online website provides jobseekers to register themselves by attending the registration exam. Reports may be required to be generated for the use of the HR group. This paper provides an insight for jobseekers on the effective use of e-recruitment website and strategy to attract potential jobseekers for employment in reducing the manual work of HR correcting the Test, Short-listing the candidates, Informing the candidates etc. Data gathered from 332 job applicants at System Group Corp. shows useful ness and perceived ease of use – as core constructs of TAM model – are two main factors that predict jobseekers behavioral intentions to use recruitment websites. Keywords:, Technology Acceptance Model, online recruitment, e-recruitment efficient usage, jobseekers, behavioral intentions. Nowadays, e-recruitment is a method to recruit potential employees; with over 90% of Fortune 500 companies using some form of online recruiting (Feldman Klaas, 2002). Job seekers are also conducting their searches online; with over 52 million Americans have used online job searches (Jansen, Jansen, and Spink, 2005). Online recruiting and hiring as a business tool has not only changed the way companies recruit employees and how job seekers search for jobs, it has also impacted both parties involved. If the effectiveness of an organizations web site in attracting potential employees is considered to be a crucial determinant of an organizations ability to generate qualified applicants (Willianson et al., 2003), identifying the factors that influence jobseekers attraction to organization website has to be a high priority.This fact was highlighted by a recent study of college students reporting that 26% of students rejected potential employers from job search consideration because of the poor design of their web sites (Karr, 2000). This paper attempts to use Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) introduced by Davis, (1989) – as one of the most successful models explaining the user/technology adaption – to identify some factors influencing jobseekers behavioral intentions in using e-recruitment websites. The findings of the current paper not only provides an insight for managers on the effective use of organizations recruitment websites but also, by providing a sound theore tical framework, would help to eliminate the shortcomings associated with former studies in the area of online recruitment. To begin our discussion, we first review the existing online recruitment literature. We then explain Technology Acceptance Model as our research framework, and introduce the related hypotheses. Finally, we explain the practical implications of the research, as well as our study limitations. 2. TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL (TAM) In IT literature, the TAM is the most influential model use to measure technology acceptance. This model is the extension of Ajzen and Fishbein’s Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), by Fred Davis and Richard Bagozzi (Bagozzi et al., 1992; Davis et al., 1989) to explain the computer-usage behavior. The main purpose of TAM was: to provide an explanation of the determinants of computer acceptance that is generally, capable of explaining user behavior across a broad range of end-user computing technologies and user populations, while at the same time being both parsimonious and theoretically justified (Davis et al., 1989, p. 985). Numerous empirical studies have found that TAM consistently explains a substantial proportion of the variance (about 40%) in usage intentions and behavior (Venkatesh and Bala, 2008), and TAM compares favorably with alternative models such as the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Venkatesh and Davis, 1996). As of December 2007, the Social Science Citation Index listed over 1,700 citations to the two journal articles that introduced TAM (Davis, 1989; Davis et al., 1989). TAM theorize that an individuals behavioral intention to use a system is determined by two beliefs: perceived usefulness, defined as the extent to which a person believes that using a system will enhance his or her job performance, and perceived ease of use, defined as the extent to which a person believes that using a system will be free of effort (Venkatesh and Davis, 1996). According to TAM, perceived usefulness is also influenced by perceived ease of use because, other things being equal, the easier the system is to use the more useful it can be(Venkatesh and Davis, 1996).Many researchers empirical studies have replicated and tested the model under different conditions for TAMs extended variables as general measures by explicitly including IT acceptance variables (e.g., Davis et al., 1992; Compeau and Higgins, 1995; Ma and Liu, 20 04). However, Davis et al. (1989) TAM assumes that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are of primary relevance for computer acceptance. In the next section, with a full introduction of these two core constructs of TAM perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness – the research hypotheses are presented and the research framework is explained. 2.1.1. Perceived Usefulness (PU) Perceived usefulness is defined here as the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance. Within an organizational context, people are generally reinforced for good performance by raises, promotions, bonuses, and other rewards (Pfeffer, 1982). A system high in perceived usefulness, in turn, is one for which a user believes in the existence of a positive use-performance relationship. Organizations recruitment websites often support jobseekers with comprehensive job information including, salary information, benefits, rewards, and organizational programs (Cober et al., 2000). Perceiving system usefulness as antecedent of e-recruitment utilization, such as using these information and tools to enhance the effectiveness of job application, would draw the attention of many employed jobseekers into adopting the technology for job search (Tong, 2008). 2.1.2. Perceived Ease of Use (PEU) Perceived ease of use, in contrast, refers to the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort. This follows from the definition of ease: freedom from difficulty or great effort. All else being equal, we claim, an application perceived to be easier to use than another is more likely to be accepted by users. On the contrary, a complex system, that is difficult to use, is less likely to be adopted since it requires significant effort and interest on the part of the user (Teo, 2001). As perceived ease of use has an inverse relationship with the perceived complexity of use of the technology, it affects perceived usefulness. TAM thus posits that perceived usefulness is influenced by perceived ease of use (Sanchez- Franco and Roldan, 2005). Similarly, in the e-recruitment context, jobseekers would prefer the system if it is easy to use compared to other methods of job applications. 2.1.3. Behavioral Intention Bagozzi et al. (1992), believe that new technologies (e.g., recruitment websites) are complex, Thus, people form attitudes and intentions toward trying to learn to use the new technology prior to initiating efforts directed at using (Tong, 2008). Sanchez- Franco and Roldan (2005) study found that the relationship between perceived usefulness and behavioral intention was strong among goal-directed users. Consequently, this study relates PEOU to PU and PU to BI with the following hypotheses: H1: Perceived Ease of Use (PEU) positively influences Perceived Usefulness (PU) in Erecruitment adoption. H2: Perceived Usefulness (PU) positively influences Behavioral Intention (BI) to use  organizations e-recruitment website. Therefore, given empirical tested studies of modified TAM and the significant causal link among the three constructs by previous researchers, the author attempts to use Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test these highly validated studies with PEOU, PU, as independent variables and BI as the dependent variable  for this study. The research framework is also illustrated in Figure 1. Figure1. Research framework forjobseekers e-recruitment technology adoption 3. METHOD 3.1. Participants The participants of the study were 347 applicants for System Group Corp. While having more than 1200 employees, System Group Corp. is considered to be the biggest active organization in manufacturing software technologies in Iran. The data was gathered in a two-month period, during which 421 applicants logged on to the organizations website. From among these applicants, 347 questionnaires were gathered by the researcher, and at the end, a number of 332 questionnaires were analyzed (response rate 82%). The respondents of the study included 63 percent male, 73 percent single, and the majority of them ranged between 21 to 25 years old. Participation was completely anonymous and on a voluntary basis. 3.2. Procedure The researchers did not have access to the actual application data due to stringent privacy regulations. Rather, data on the measures were collected using an online questionnaire that was administered subsequent to the online application procedure. we will first describe the data that were collected as part of the application procedure followed by a description of the research questionnaire. 3.2.1. Application Procedure Applicants could search for positions on the System Group official website. Here, candidates could find general information on the organization and its conditions of employment. More specifically, information could be found on the organization’s culture, structure, development opportunities, and benefits. All applicants had to fill out an online form after they had accepted a privacy statement. The form consisted of information on contact details, date of birth, gender, education, and qualifications obtained from college, work experience, and skills. In addition, applicants had the opportunity to give additional information and to upload personal documents such as a curriculum vitae. 3.2.2. Research Questionnaire After completion and submission of the online application, a questionnaire was presented in a pop-up window on a separate web page. This questionnaire was also accessible via a link which could be found in an email confirming the receipt of the applicant’s online application. The confirmation email was sent immediately after the online application had been submitted. A short introductory text accompanied the link to the online survey. 3.2.3. Measures The questionnaire was preceded by a short introductory text. Anonymity and confidentiality of the participants’ responses were emphasized. It was explicitly mentioned that responses could not affect the selection process in any way and that the company did not have access to individual responses. It took respondents approximately 5 min to complete the questionnaire. The questionnaire was offered in both Farsi and English languages. Translations were made from English to Farsi, which were checked by native speakers. All responses were assessed on the following five-point Likert scale (1=completely disagree, 3=neutral, and 5= completely agree), with the exception of items on general background information. The questionnaire was consist of 18 items. To assess behavioral intentions (BI) the measure of Tompson et al., (2008) were obtained. This construct was assessed by five items. Example item is I would like to work for this organization. Perceived ease of use and perceived usefu lness each assessed using five (Williamson et al., 2003) and eight (Palmer, 2002) items scales, respectively. Where applicable, the original wording computerized process was replaced by online application process for consistency throughout the questionnaire. Example items are My interaction with online application processes was clear and understandable; and The organizations recruitment website provides all the information required to apply for job. At the end of the survey, space was provided for remarks or suggestions and respondents were thanked for their participation. 3.2.4. Analysis The descriptive characteristics of the sample (Table 1) were assessed using SPSS 11.0 statistical package, based on the guidelines provided by Dimitriadis (2003). The research model (Figure 1) was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) using LISREL 8.7. As it has been suggested, the structural equation approach has several advantages over traditional analyses (Bagozzi and Yi, 1989). Data were analyzed using the two-step approach suggested by Anderson and Gerbing (1998) and. In the first step, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed, which helps assess the adequacy of the measurement model (Chang, 1998), or in other words, [. . .] the measurement models (or confirmatory factor models) specify how hypothetical constructs are measured in terms of the observed variables (Lin and Lee, 2004). In the second step of the data analysis, the structural model is tested using SEM; structural equation models specify causal relationships among latent variables (Lin and Lee, 2004 ). 4. EXISTING SYSTEM In recent days, staffs are monitoring the candidates during the recruitment process which is nearly the waste of time. Currently all the jobseekers register for their jobs in prior which are stored in the database of the company due to which more space is consumed. After registration all the jobseekers attend the aptitude test and proceed further but only certain candidates are selected for the further process. Presently recruitment is done manually. That is if a company or organization needs employees they make an announcement through newspaper or websites. People who are eligible send application to the organization or company. From these applications they are called for interviews or tests. After tests company has to do short listing manually. From these shortlisted candidates, they are called for interviews. After interview short listed candidates are employed. So it’s all a time consuming procedure too. It may take one month or long. People around the world cannot apply. This is very convenient because in the manual system there are lot of difficulties in conducting and managing a recruitment exam, short listing, maintaining staff etc 5.PROPOSED SYSTEM Online Recruitment is aimed at developing a web-based and central recruitment Process system for the HR Group for a company. Some features of this system will be creating vacancies, storing application data, and Interview process initiation, Scheduling Interviews, Storing Interview results for the applicant and finally hiring of the applicant. Based on the outcome of the exam the jobseekers will be shortlisted. The details of the examination Date of the examination will be made available to them through the website. People all around the world can apply and register. It has made all the process easy. System Analysis is the detailed study of the various operations performed by the system and their relationships within and outside the system. Here we are using the TAM model for analysing the system performance. ADVANTAGES This paper enables the users to have the typical examination facilities and features at their disposal. It resolves typical issues of manual examination processes and activities into a controlled and closely monitored work flow in the architecture of the application. This multi platform solution brings in by default, the basic intelligence and immense possibilities for further extension of the application as required by the user. The system makes it friendly to distribute, share and manage the examination entities with higher efficiency and easiness. It is a comprehensive resource for finding a job online. 6. DISCUSSION In the final model of the study, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use have strong path coefficients( 0.71 and 0.82 respectively) in relation with behavioral intentions. Thus, from a causal point of view, the results of structural equation modeling confirm a strong causal relation between PEU and PU in one hand, and PU and BI on the other hand. The linear relation between PU and BI suggests that the perceived usefulness construct has a direct positive effect on applicants behavioral intentions to use recruitment websites. 7.CONCLUSION In todays competing world, the success of recruitment efforts in organizations is bound with attracting an appropriate group of qualified job applicants using the least possible sources. E-recruitment – as a growing recruitment tool – is not an exception. Therefore, identifying factors that influence e-recruitment success in attracting the qualified group of applicants should be a high priority. Using a TAM model in the area of erecruitment, this study tried to identify two of the most influential factors on the applicants behavioral intentions to use organization recruitment website and the consequent employment decisions. 8. REFERENCES Kroustalis, C., (2012). Internet Recruitment: Examining the Roles of Information, Attitudes, and Perceived Fit on Applicant Attraction, A thesis presented to Graduate School of Clemson University, (P. Raymark, R. Pak, C. Pury Eds.), Proquest Information andLearning Company.37. Lin, H.; Lee, G. Chatzoglou, P.; Vraimaki, E. (2009), Knowledge-sharing behavior of bank employees in Greece, Business Process  Management Journal, 15 (2), 245-266. Venkatesh, V., Bala, H. (2008). Technology accpetance model 3 and a research agenda on interventions. Decision Science , 39 (2), 273-315. Tong, D. (2008). A study of e-recruitment technology adoption in Malaysia. Industrial Management Data Systems , 109 (2),281-300. Thompson, L., Braddy, P., Wuensch, K.E-recruitment and the benefits of organizational web appeal. Computer in Human Behavior , 24, 2384-2398. Bock, G.; Kim, Y. (2002), Breaking the myths of rewards: an exploratory study of attitudes about knowledge sharing, Information Resources Management Journal, 15 (2), 14-21. Bock, G.; Kim, Y, Breaking the myths of rewards: an exploratory study of attitudes about knowledge sharing, Information Resources Management Journal, 15 (2), 14-21.

Free College Essays - Roles of Cassio, Roderigo, and Brabantio in Shakespeares Othello :: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Othello

Roles of Cassio, Roderigo, and Brabantio in Othello         Ã‚   From Shakespeare's play Othello, this paper will be discussing the roles   Ã‚   of Cassio, Roderigo and Brabantio, and their functions.      Ã‚   First, Cassio. Cassio is an honourable lieutenant and a soldier, who is   Ã‚   very loyal and caring towards his commanding officer, Othello, as shown   Ã‚   in one of many places, act two scene one line 45-48 when he is concerned   Ã‚   about Othello's well being because he has been lost at sea and says:    Thanks, you the valiant of this warlike isle, That so approve the Moor! O, let the heavens Give him the defense against the elements, For I have lost him on a dangerous sea       In the beginning of the play Cassio is appointed to the position of    lieutenant by Othello, so Cassio at first has his highest respect, until    later in the play where Othello believes he is having an affair with    Desdemona. Cassio's role in the play is not one of the extremely    important ones. His main function is to be a figure who's actions are    partially responsible for Othello believing that his wife is cheating on    him. For example, Cassio asking for Desdemona's help leads to the two of    them being seen together, which is in act three scene three line 35. In    the end of the play, Cassio becomes the governor in Cyprus after the    former Governor, Othello, commits suicide, in act five scene two from    line 366-378, which shows another of his functions, to act as one of the    means which ties up the loose ends at the end of the play.      Ã‚   Now, Roderigo. Roderigo is a foolish, cheated, gulled, dimwit.   Ã‚   Basically, his function in the play is to act as a lackey towards Iago.   Ã‚   His obedience towards Iago can be compared to that of Lennie Small   Ã‚   towards George Milton in the book Of Mice and Men, By John Steinbeck.      Ã‚   He does whatever Iago tells him to do, consistently in the hope of   Ã‚  Ã‚   obtaining Desdemona's love. He never realizes that his chances for ever

Lab 12

What is an ionic bond? Typically an ionic bond occurs between one metal and one non-metal ion. One atom borrows one or more electrons from another atom. An ionic bond is a type of chemical bond that occurs when one atom loses an electron to form a positive ion and the other atom gains an electron to form a negative ion, which then result in attraction. 2. What is a covalent bond? A covalent bond is a bond that occurs when atoms in a molecule share a pair of electrons. For example, â€Å"the atoms in sugar do not form ions; instead, they are held together because of shared electrons. † 3.Do you think sugar or salt will melt at a higher temperature? Explain your answer. Since sugar is composed of covalent bonds and salt composed of ionic bonds, I think salt will take a higher temperature to melt because salt is bonded together by stronger bonds. Ionic bonds are much stronger than covalent bonds. Covalent bonds are not as strong as ionic bonds so it will not require such a high t emperature to make sugar melt. Part 1 Observations for the sugar solution: There were occasional bubbles off of the steel screw, but no lines of black or yellow off of either like with the salt solution.Observations for the salt solution: The iron nail gave off constant â€Å"streaks† of a blue/green color. The steel screw had constant â€Å"streaks† of yellow as well as many, many tiny bubbles the entire time. The nail also got much more dark after the salt solution. Part 2: Observations for the melting of sugar: Almost immediately the sugar began to melt. At first the sugar just turned from a pure, solid white to a white sugar that almost looked like more of a liquid. Then the sugar began to â€Å"pop† into tiny bubbles and quickly got faster.The tiny bubbles would then â€Å"grow† into larger brown bubbles. Observations for the salt solution: The salt solution created quiet popping noises after several seconds of being held above the candle. The salt t ook much longer to melt than the sugar. The salt also did not have near as large of a reaction as the sugar. The salt just turned darker, where as the sugar made huge bubbles. Questions 1. Why is it important to use distilled water instead of tap water used in Part 1? Distilled water is formed from condensed steam, which therefore makes it free from mineral and organic salts.Regular water is physically purified and chemically treated to kill germs, but contains many salts in it. Distilled water is free of salts, but regular tap water contains many salts. Therefore, if we are trying to see what happens for sugar, it would not be purely sugar if we used tap water because tap water contains salts. If we used tap water we would be mixing salt and sugar so we would not get accurate results. 2. In Part 1, why did you not observe a stream of bubbles coming off the stainless steel screw in the sugar solution?Since sugar is composed of covalent bonds and therefore as we saw in part 2, takes much less time to melt, I think we didn’t observe bubbles because there was not as much as a reaction since it â€Å"melted† so much faster. Also, sugar does not change its composition when added to water, but salt does. Therefore, perhaps the sugar does not cause the screw to bubble much. 3. Did any bubbles form off the screw in the sugar solution at all? Why might this happen despite your answer to Question 2? I did see occasional bubbles, which could be due to the slight chemical reaction of the two chemicals.However, it was obviously not as strong as with the salt since the salt changed its composition when added to water and so did the steel when exposed to the mixture. The transfer of energy might have been so great for the sugar that the sugar only reacted really briefly since it has a much lower melting point. However, the salt has a much higher melting point so perhaps the reaction was so much greater since the transfer of energy was so great, as needed with s alt, that there was more to react with for the salt than the sugar. 4.In Part 1, why did you observe a stream of bubbles coming off the steel screw in the salt solution? The salt solution created much more of a reaction and needs a much higher transfer of energy in order to react. The high transfer of energy created constant bubbles, where as with the sugar it did not. Perhaps the transfer of energy was so much for the salt solution that there were only really brief reactions. However, with the salt solution it needs so much energy in order to change so when all the energy is created in the salt solution, there is a much larger reaction. 5. Explain any changes that took place on the nail.The part of the nail that was exposed to the water changed in each solution. When it was in the sugar solution, the color changed very, very slightly. However, when the nail was placed in the salt solution, the part that was exposed changed a lot. The part that was in the salt solution became much d arker than the part that was not in the salt solution. 6. In Part 2, which of the substances had the lower melting point? Was this what you expected? Explain your results. The sugar had the lower melting point by a lot. The sugar immediately began to melt, but the salt took a lot longer to melt.The sugar began to melt so quickly since it was only held together by covalent bonds. The salt took a lot longer and had less of a reaction since it was held together by ionic bonds, which are much stronger. As explained in the pre-lab questions, this is exactly what I expected. The sugar melt with a much larger reaction as well (as can be seen in the photo below). The salt only popped and the individual crystals turned darker, where as the sugar actually melted and bursted into large bubbles. I think this is because it had such a low melting point that it created a large and immediate reaction.

British Influence in American Culture

To this day, the influence of early British colonists can be felt in multiple facets of American life. This is far more than can be said for the limited authority manifested in present day American culture in regard for Spanish colonialism and subsequent influence. Perhaps the most glaring of influences credited to the country of Great Britain, is the fact that the English language remains the official form of communication throughout the whole of the country.Although Spanish is spoken extensively, currently with nearly 31 million speakers in the United States, this only accounts for approximately ten per cent of the population, whereas English accounts for nearly a full hundred per cent. Further support for the claim comes in the form of the country’s religious practices. Although the presence of a myriad of religions is a reality in America, by and large, Protestantism has been the focal point for many of its citizens, a direct result of British Anglicanism.Of all the religi ous bodies which were brought from the Old World to the New during the entire colonial period, none received so much assistance from the mother country in gaining a foothold in America as did the Church of England . Additionally, it is possible to look to the architecture of most American homes to establish the root influence responsible for them. Although more popular in the American southwest than in other regions, the so-called Spanish style can only account for roughly 7 per cent of designs.The Tudor style, of British origins is far more popular in the U. S. Bibliography. Religion in Colonial America, William Warren Sweet. Cooper Square Publishers, 1965, NY. Colonial America, Richard Middleton. Blackwell Publishers, 1996, Cambridge, Masachusetts. American Colonies and the British Empire 1607-1763, Kenneth M. Stampp. Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1834, NY. American Colonies, Alan Taylor. Viking Publishers, 2001, NY. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. HTTP://www. wikipedia. org

Free Essays on Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project was the code name for the US effort during World War II to produce the atomic bomb. It was named for the Manhattan Engineering District of the US Army Corps of Engineers. Much of the early research was done in New York City. Sparked by refugee physicists in the United States, the program was slowly organized after German scientists discovered nuclear fission in1938. Many US scientists expressed the fear that Hitler would attempt to build a fission bomb. In theory, Jungk wrote, â€Å"this fission bomb would be more destructive than all the explosives the US had.† Frustrated with the idea that Germany might produce an atomic bomb first, Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner asked the famous scientist Albert Einstein, â€Å"to use his influence and write a letter to president Franklin D. Roosevelt.† The letter pleaded for support to â€Å"further research the power of nuclear fission† and â€Å"warned the president of the devastating destruct ion Hitler could cause.† His letters were a success, and President Roosevelt established â€Å"The Fission Bomb Project.† Physicists from 1939 onward, conducted research to find answers to such questions as â€Å"how many neutrons were emitted in each fission?† â€Å"Which elements would not capture the neutrons but would moderate or reduce their velocity?† and â€Å"which element achieved the most powerful fission?† After their research the scientists found that uranium was the most effective for their project. The next question was, â€Å"which isotope of the fission is more effective, the lighter and scarcer isotope of uranium (U-235) or the common isotope (U-238).† They also learned that fission releases a few neutrons. A chain reaction therefore was possible. To create this chain reaction and turn it into a usable weapon was the ultimate goal of the Manhattan Project. In 1942 General Leslie Groves was chosen to succeed Vannevar Bush as the head of â€Å"the Fission... Free Essays on Manhattan Project Free Essays on Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was the code name for the US effort during World War II to produce the atomic bomb. It was named for the Manhattan Engineering District of the US Army Corps of Engineers. Much of the early research was done in New York City. Sparked by refugee physicists in the United States, the program was slowly organized after German scientists discovered nuclear fission in1938. Many US scientists expressed the fear that Hitler would attempt to build a fission bomb. In theory, Jungk wrote, â€Å"this fission bomb would be more destructive than all the explosives the US had.† Frustrated with the idea that Germany might produce an atomic bomb first, Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner asked the famous scientist Albert Einstein, â€Å"to use his influence and write a letter to president Franklin D. Roosevelt.† The letter pleaded for support to â€Å"further research the power of nuclear fission† and â€Å"warned the president of the devastating destruct ion Hitler could cause.† His letters were a success, and President Roosevelt established â€Å"The Fission Bomb Project.† Physicists from 1939 onward, conducted research to find answers to such questions as â€Å"how many neutrons were emitted in each fission?† â€Å"Which elements would not capture the neutrons but would moderate or reduce their velocity?† and â€Å"which element achieved the most powerful fission?† After their research the scientists found that uranium was the most effective for their project. The next question was, â€Å"which isotope of the fission is more effective, the lighter and scarcer isotope of uranium (U-235) or the common isotope (U-238).† They also learned that fission releases a few neutrons. A chain reaction therefore was possible. To create this chain reaction and turn it into a usable weapon was the ultimate goal of the Manhattan Project. In 1942 General Leslie Groves was chosen to succeed Vannevar Bush as the head of â€Å"the Fission...

google case study Essays

google case study Essays google case study Paper google case study Paper Question- 1 With a portfolio as diverse as Googles, what are the companys core brand values? Ans: With a diverse portfolio, Google has its underlying core brand values. These core brand values are as follows Good Work Environment: As a global corporate citizen, Google has always tried hard to be one of the Good Guys in the corporate world, underneath a touchy-feely work environment. Basically Google hires great people and expect a lot from them in return. They also try to create an environment where people can prosper and grow. They treat their people with Justice and respect; share and welcome ideas openly. Doing the Right Things: Within its corporate culture, Google always encourages well-built ethics with an eminent founding credo: Dont be Evil. Honesty and integrity in all they do and their business practices are beyond criticism. They have a motto of making money by doing good things. Offering Prime Online Services: Google adds value by providing tools to the advertisers better target their ads and better understand the effectiveness of their marketing. Google Analytics, free to Googles advertisers, provides a custom report, or dashboard, detailing how Internet users found the site, what ads they saw and/or clicked on, how they behaved while here and how much traffic was generated. Technology Innovation: Google always apply their technology and creativity to solve important problems and come up with new ideas. As a result they are in a quest of building the worlds best technology and products. : Marketing Asset Management: With its ability to deploy data that enable up-to-the minute improvements in a Web marketing program, Google supports a style of marketing in which the advertising resources and budget can be constantly monitored and optimized. Question-2 Whats next for Google? Is it doing the right thing taking on Microsoft with the concept f cloud computing, and Apple in the fght for smart phones? Ans: With the advancement of science and technology, Google is trying to come up with new products and services ideas which seemed beyond individuals imagination. Googles stage of development starts within Google Labs, which lists new products available for testing. It next moves to beta status, where invited users test early prototypes. Once the product is fully tested and ready to be released to the general public, it moves into the gold stage as a core Google product. As their next projects, they have come up with Google Voice and Google Glass. According to my point of view, Google is doing well against Microsofts Cloud Computing concept and Apples smart phones. Google Vs. Microsofts Cloud Computing: Cloud computing is a type of computing that relies on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers or personal devices to handle applications. Google is doing well with this kind of applications where they already inaugurated two of their cloud computing applications which are Going Google and Google Drive. These are the two software where a person can store data here. And the user can access to getting popular to the smart phone users with Android Operating System. Google Vs. Apple Smartphone: Google is also going big in the mobile category. In 2008 it launched Android; a mobile operating system with which Google went head-to-head with Apples iPhone. Although many still prefer Apples platform, but most importantly, Android is free, open sourced, and backed by a multimillion-dollar investment. On the other hand, the iPhone is available only through few distribution channels. In case of applications availability, Android has a wide range of free applications where Apple is lag behind them. Along with this, some other differentiations establish Google as a strong competitor of Apples smart phones.

History of the Sacco and Vanzetti Case

History of the Sacco and Vanzetti Case Two Italian immigrants, Nicola Sacco and Batolomeo Vanzetti, died in the electric chair in 1927, and their case was widely seen as an injustice.  After convictions for murder, followed by a lengthy legal battle to clear their names, their executions were met with mass protests across America and Europe. Some aspects of the Sacco and Vanzetti case would not seem out of place in modern society. The two men were portrayed as dangerous foreigners. They were both members of anarchist groups, and faced trial at a time when political radicals engaged in brutal and dramatic acts of violence, including a 1920 terrorist bombing on Wall Street. Both men had avoided military service in World War I, at one point escaping the draft by going to Mexico. It was later rumored that their time spent in Mexico, in the company of other anarchists, had been spent  learning how to make bombs. Their long legal battle began following a violent and deadly payroll robbery on a Massachusetts street in the spring of 1920. The crime seemed to be a common robbery, not anything to do with radical politics. But when a police investigation led to Sacco and Vanzetti, their radical political history seemed to make them likely suspects. Before their trial  even began in 1921, prominent figures declared that the men were being framed. And donors came forward help them hire competent legal help. Following their conviction, protests against the United States broke out in European cities. A bomb was delivered to the American ambassador to Paris. In the United States, skepticism about the conviction surged. The demand that Sacco and Vanzetti be cleared continued for years as the men sat in prison. Eventually their legal appeals ran out, and they were executed in the electric chair  in the early hours of August 23, 1927. Nine decades after their deaths, the Sacco and Vanzetti case remains a disturbing episode in American history. The Robbery The armed robbery which began the Sacco and Vanzetti case was remarkable for the amount of cash stolen, $15,000 (early reports gave an even higher estimate), and because two gunmen shot two men in broad daylight. One victim died immediately and the other died the next day. It seemed to be the work of a brazen stick-up gang, not a crime that would turn into a prolonged political and social drama. The robbery occurred on April 15, 1920, on a street of a Boston suburb, South Braintree, Massachusetts. The paymaster of a local shoe company carried a box of cash, divided up into pay envelopes to be distributed to workers. The paymaster, along with an accompanying guard, were intercepted by two men who drew guns.   The robbers shot the paymaster and the guard, grabbed the cash box, and quickly jumped into a getaway car driven by an accomplice (and said to be holding other passengers). The robbers managed to drive off and disappear. The getaway car was later found abandoned in a nearby woods. Background of the Accused Sacco and Vanzetti were both born in Italy, and, coincidentally, both arrived in America in 1908. Nicola Sacco, who settled in Massachusetts, got into a training program for shoemakers and became a highly skilled worker with a good job in a shoe factory. He married, and had a young son at the time of his arrest. Bartolomeo Vanzetti, who arrived in New York, had a more difficult time in his new country. He struggled to find work, and had a succession of menial jobs before becoming a fish peddler in the Boston area. The two men met at some point through their interest in radical political causes. Both became exposed to anarchist handbills and newspapers during a time when labor unrest led to very contentious strikes across America. In New England, strikes at factories and mills turned into a radical cause and both men became involved with the anarchist movement. When the United States entered the World War in 1917, the federal government instituted a draft. Both Sacco and Vanzetti, along with other anarchists, traveled to Mexico to avoid serving in the military. In line with anarchist literature of the day, they claimed the war was unjust and was really motivated by business interests. The two men escaped prosecution for avoiding the draft, and after the war  they resumed their previous lives in Massachusetts. But they remained interested in the anarchist cause just as the Red Scare gripped the country.   The Trial Sacco and Vanzetti were not the original suspects in the robbery case. But when police sought to apprehend  someone they suspected, attention fell on Sacco and Vanzetti nearly by chance. The two men happened to be with the suspect when he went to retrieve a car, which the police had linked to the case. On the night of May 5, 1920, the two men were riding a streetcar after visiting a garage with two friends. Police, tracking the men who had been to the garage after receiving a tip, boarded the streetcar and arrested Sacco and Vanzetti on a vague charge of being suspicious characters. Both men were carrying pistols, and they were held in a local jail on a concealed weapons charge. And as the police began to investigate their lives, suspicion fell on them for the armed robbery a few weeks earlier in South Braintree. The links to anarchist groups soon became apparent, and searches of their apartments turned up radical literature. The police theory of the case was that the robbery must have been part of an anarchist plot to fund violent activities. Sacco and Vanzetti were soon charged with murder. Additionally, Vanzetti was charged, and quickly put on trial and convicted, of another armed robbery in which a clerk was killed. By the time the two men were put on trial for the deadly robbery at the shoe company their case was being widely publicized.  The New York Times, on May 30, 1921, published an article describing the defense strategy. Supporters of Sacco and Vanzetti maintained the men were being tried not for robbery and murder but for being foreign radicals. A sub-headline read, Charge Two Radicals Are Victims of Department of Justice Plot. Despite the public support and the enlistment of a talented legal team, the two men were convicted on July 14, 1921, following a trial of several weeks. The police evidence rested on eyewitness testimony, some of which was contradictory, and disputed ballistics evidence that seemed to show a bullet fired in the robbery came from Vanzettis pistol. Campaign  for Justice For the next six years, the two men sat in prison as legal challenges to their original conviction played out. The trial judge, Webster Thayer, steadfastly refused to grant a new trial (as he could have under Massachusetts law). Legal scholars, including Felix Frankfurter, a professor at Harvard Law School and a future justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, argued about the case. Frankfurter published a book expressing his doubts about whether the two defendants had received a fair trial. Around the world, the Sacco and Vanzetti case turned into a popular cause. The United States legal system was criticized in rallies in major European cities. And violent attacks, including bombings, were aimed at American institutions overseas. In October 1921, the American ambassador in Paris had a bomb sent to him in a package marked perfumes. The bomb detonated, slightly wounding the ambassadors valet. The New York Times, in a front-page story about the incident, noted that the bomb seemed to be part of a campaign by Reds outraged about the Sacco and Vanzetti trial. The long legal fight over the case went on for years. During that time, anarchists used the case as an example of how the United States was a fundamentally unjust society.   In the spring of 1927, the two men were finally sentenced to death. As the execution date drew near, more rallies and protests were held in Europe and across the United States.   The two men died in the electric chair in a Boston prison early on the morning of August 23, 1927. The event was major news, and the New York Times of that day carried a large headline about their execution across the entire top of the front page.   Legacy of Sacco and Vanzetti The controversy over Sacco and Vanzetti never entirely faded away. Over the nine decades since their conviction and execution many books have been written on the subject. Investigators have looked at the case and have even examined the evidence using  new technology. But serious doubts still remain about misconduct by the police and prosecutors and whether the two men received a fair trial.   Various  works of fiction and poetry  were inspired by their case. Folksinger  Woody Guthrie  wrote a series of songs about them. In  The Flood and The Storm  Guthrie sang, More millions did march for Sacco and Vanzetti  than did march for the great War Lords.

People management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

People management - Essay Example This paper aims at identifying the reasons of general employee dissatisfaction reflecting in high turnover rate, poor service, and downfall in profitability, decline in repeat business and other signs of detoriation in sports complex. Methodology The first and foremost task as a line manager of this sports complex is to identify all the problems areas. An analysis of the reasons of these problems will help us in actually finding the solution. This can be done through various methods which include observation, questionnaires to find out what employees dislike about company policies by ensuring anonymity, conducting open meetings, building trust among employees by giving value to their suggestions, conducting exit interview from leaving employees to develop sound understanding of deficiencies in the system and the source of dissatisfaction. Findings All the problems of sports complex were actually deep rooted in employee dissatisfaction. Diminishing profits, declining sales, customer c omplaints, high turnover, decline in repeat business all this were the result of ineffective and inefficient human resource policy and practices. A major restructuring and revitalization of HR policy was required to meet the current challenges. The problems identified were Lack of communication No synergy in team work Highly de motivated employees Authoritative management style No effort regarding building human capital relationship Inflexible policies rather than contingency approach Analysis of the Problem and Recommendations A deep analysis of the situation and the problem revealed certain shortcomings in the HR policies and practices. I will discuss in detail all of them one by one what is lacking and deficient and how it can be improved by strengthening certain practices in sport complex. Effective Communication HRM should realize the importance of communication skills and the development of interpersonal skills between the management and workforce. What we observe here at spor ts complex is a certain lack of communication. A good Hr manager needs to build a rapport with his staff so that they can communicate openly with each other. However a good manager should notice and keep track of all verbal and non verbal communication. According to Albert Mehrabian nonverbal communication is a complex communication phenomena which very subtly convey the feelings such as body language, facial expressions, hand and arm gestures, postures, positions and various arms and feet movement all communicate along with the verbal words. Sometimes there is dichotomy between verbal and nonverbal communication which subtly convey the true feelings of the person. 1(Albert Mehrabian, 2009) A good manager is a reader of all sorts of communication and does not ignore any. A manager should possess good interpersonal skills so that environment is friendly, pleasant and receptive. What I recommend here is effective open communication where both managers and workforce can freely interact with each and can openly discuss whatever problems they are facing, instead of opting out of the job or rude behavior with customers which shows lack of interest on the part of the workforce. Effective communication and conflict management is the first step towards building trust among employees. 2(Michael Fielding, 2006) Successful Team

Outsourcing and offshoring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Outsourcing and offshoring - Essay Example which in fact are expensive and time consuming in dealings. The corporate headquarters of Dell Inc. is located at Round Rock, Texas. This is where the company was first started. Dell has regional headquarters in Bracknell, England, for Europe, Middle East and Africa and in Singapore to serve the Pacific Rim, including Japan, India, China, Australia and New Zealand. The company manufactures its computer systems in nine locations: Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tenn.; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Eldorado do Sul and Hortolandia, Brazil (Americas); Limerick, Ireland (Europe, Middle East and Africa); Penang, Malaysia (Asia Pacific and Japan); Chennai, India (India) and Xiamen, China (China). Dell sells its products and services worldwide. The company started its international activities in the year 1987 by opening a subsidiary in United Kingdom (Dell). The reason for any company to open a subsidiary in a different country is the ability of the company to capitalize on low cost labor, easy access to raw materials, low transportation costs, and avoidance of import duties. Usually, firms which aim for a high market share in international markets opt for this kind of strategy (Research). Dell Computer Corporation has got a global supply network which helps the company in its overall product quality along with lowering the costs. Though the company's principle headquarters and design centers are located at Austin, Texas, the company has managed to expand its operations worldwide. Each one of the company's establishments is specialized uniquely. The main headquarters of the company situated in Austin, Texas deals with software development and documentation alongside handling the system development of notebooks, desktops and servers. The company has got two global lines of business namely Dell Imaging and Dell Displays. Singapore center of Dell which was started in the year 2005 is the home for both these global business lines of the company. The entire portfolio of displays along with projectors and Televisions are taken care at the Singapore center. These global lines also include Dell printers and other associated software of the company. The company established a design center in Bangalore, India in the year 2001. The company's design center at Bangalore focuses on software development, server development, international product support, Test engineering and documentation along with enterprise solutions. In the year 200, the company established a design center in the city of Shanghai in China. This center focuses on the system development for desktops along with client system testing and other services related to notebooks and desktops. The company also started a design center in Taiwan in the year 2003 which takes care of data center solutions and notebook and server development. Each of the design centers of the company located at various destinations specialize in different areas. Each center focuses on different activities depending upon the market in which the center is located. The manufacturing units of the company located at various parts of the world manufacture products and the sale of those products is done in those respective regions and they also re-import the products to other places depending on the need and demand. Over the years, Dell has developed the capacity to integrate

CRR-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

CRR-2 - Essay Example This approach, according to (Davis and McKay 1996, p. 100) first of all recounts the oppositions views, and also to help construct the writers own position. After having registered his stance, Howard delves right into the point of the argument he likes to defend by reiterating Deegans concern "what did my son die?" (Howard 2002, p.11). In fact at this point Howard continues with his pathos by registering contingent emotions through the description of the Islamic fanatics who bombed Bali using terms like "despise", "liberal", "open life of western nations" and "violent murder" to appropriate orientation between himself and the audience (Cockcroft & Cockcroft 1992, p.40; Hughes 1990, p. 33). By addressing Deegans concerns one by one Howard logically defends and establishes his ethos (the concept personality and stance as introduced by Aristotle). As a reader since we do not have any preconceive idea as to his character or emotions, these lines establish his personality as sympathetic, logical and as concerned as any Australian citizen (his audience). The essence of Howards argument lies in his statement that Australia is publicly and closely associated with the US since September 11, 2001 because of security reasons. However, in the next five to six paragraphs, Howard digresses from his stance. While he manages to use facts to establish logos, the "process of judgement" (Cockcroft and Cockcroft 1992, p. 10), he does not effectively make a case for his argument. According to Bakhtin (Andrews 1992, p.8), argument principles involve internal dialogic quality of discourse" which means both the sender and receiver must understand the elements of logic in an argument. In these paragraphs Howard digress from his logic, which loses the appeal he established at the beginning of the letter, thereby reduces his credibility. The loss of credibility is also because of Howards inability to find the correct analogy to defend his

Language and Gender Interaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Language and Gender Interaction - Essay Example In fact, Lakoff also goes further to point out that women find themselves in a no win situation; when they use powerless talk they are not taken seriously and when they become assertive they are frowned upon. This paper is a report on a study carried out to verify whether women indeed employ a register of speech different from that of men. The study also sought to find out if the manner of speech depended on the type of audience being addressed. The audience variables included same sex, mixed sex and an audience younger than the speaker (Children). The rationale of this study was to provide facts, if any were found to exist, about the issue of gender determined language. More often than not, allegations that are mostly aimed at trying to put women down in the social hierarchy have been made to the effect that it exists. Such allegations have rarely been supported by factual data. This study therefore aimed to gather factual data that could contribute to shedding light on whether women's manner of speaking is different from that of men. This could shed light and give direction to the debate. The main thrust of gender-based analyses of language has been the norm-and-devia... The masculine manner of speech is therefore the norm while the feminine method is the deviation, Hall, K. and Bucholtz, M., (1995). This forms the basis upon which the linguistic behavior of either gender is judged. Cameron, et al (1988) point out that it can't be a coincidence that men are aggressive and hierarchically organized conversationalists while women ate expected to provide support to conversation. This position seems to point out to an actual existence of differences in manner of and role in speech delivery that is dictated by individual gender. Indeed that existence of this gender schism is a matter widely taken for granted especially when religious scriptures with Judeo-Christian allegations of male supremacy come into play. Hard data to support such conventions is what is direly needed and there is too little of it. For instance, there is little evidence that in mixed gender gatherings women talk more than men. This is an issue that is assumed rather than proven to be true. Linguists Tannen, Deborah (1994) and Holmes, Janet (2006) have investigated conversational styles in business corporations to verify the gender stereotypes. Their study found that gendered speech does not exist along a continuum. Instead, both males and females use masculine and feminine forms of expression at different times in different contexts. One such context variable is the nature of the speech community. A speech community denotes any group of people coming together to discuss any given issue of mutual interest. Such a community can range from pupil s in a classroom to a crowd at an accident scene. As soon as the group is formed, rules of engagement in the conversation emerge. People will therefore talk differently

Discussion question only Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion question only - Article Example The weakest finding is that within the strength portion of the test. Having participated heavily in activities and pushed my limits in the physical arena I expected that all results would register well within the excellent range. However, my ability to reach during the flexibility test was not as high as I would have expected to attain. Flexibility is important in lifelong maintenance of physical well-being. According to the Advanced Centers for Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine: I was able to answer all of the questions correctly accept for the final question. I was surprised to find out that additional protein in a diet does not increase muscle building. With the plethora of protein supplements in the form of pills, powders, drinks, and bars, I was convinced that building muscle was directly related to protein intake. However, according to the test There is no evidence that excess protein will lead to bigger muscles. Eating more protein than you need is a waste, since the excess will be converted to fat or burned for energy. If you want to increase the size and strength of your muscles, try strength training. (Test Your Physical IQ: Answers) While I knew the answer to be moderate intensity when questioned as to which level of intensity was most beneficial for burning fat, I am always surprised the truth of that answer. One feels like one is burning more at a higher intensity - and one is - but in order to burn more overall, one must keep an increased level of activity over a sustained period of time which can only be realistically achieved at a moderate level. About 65% of Americans fall within the sedentary to moderate range. Its important to keep in mind that activity level does not mean the same thing as fitness level (as measured by another test). You could be very fit and still have a light activity level. Seems odd, doesnt it? This can happen, though, because the activity

Education Act (1902) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Education Act (1902) - Research Paper Example Act 1902 was implemented to realign the â€Å"educational administration at local level† by removing all existing school boards throughout England and Wales (UK Parliament, 2010 b). Since then, all elementary schools were monitored by the county and county borough councils. Similar to the explanation made by Gillard (2004), the State University revealed that the 1902 Education Act was implemented in order to remove the power to decide on spending the educational fund away from Local Education Authorities (LEAs) (State University, 2010). Instead, the Act gave LEAs the control over voluntary schools offered by churches (Gillard, 2004). industrialism in England and Wales during the 19th century. Prior to the 19th century, England and Wales had no educational system (UK Parliament, 2010 c). Because of the government’s desire to improve the educational system, the UK Parliament implemented a long list of other Act which serves as a guide on how the government will financially support the children’s education and how each school should teach the

Discussion question only Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion question only - Article Example The weakest finding is that within the strength portion of the test. Having participated heavily in activities and pushed my limits in the physical arena I expected that all results would register well within the excellent range. However, my ability to reach during the flexibility test was not as high as I would have expected to attain. Flexibility is important in lifelong maintenance of physical well-being. According to the Advanced Centers for Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine: I was able to answer all of the questions correctly accept for the final question. I was surprised to find out that additional protein in a diet does not increase muscle building. With the plethora of protein supplements in the form of pills, powders, drinks, and bars, I was convinced that building muscle was directly related to protein intake. However, according to the test There is no evidence that excess protein will lead to bigger muscles. Eating more protein than you need is a waste, since the excess will be converted to fat or burned for energy. If you want to increase the size and strength of your muscles, try strength training. (Test Your Physical IQ: Answers) While I knew the answer to be moderate intensity when questioned as to which level of intensity was most beneficial for burning fat, I am always surprised the truth of that answer. One feels like one is burning more at a higher intensity - and one is - but in order to burn more overall, one must keep an increased level of activity over a sustained period of time which can only be realistically achieved at a moderate level. About 65% of Americans fall within the sedentary to moderate range. Its important to keep in mind that activity level does not mean the same thing as fitness level (as measured by another test). You could be very fit and still have a light activity level. Seems odd, doesnt it? This can happen, though, because the activity

HW 6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HW 6 - Assignment Example Off-the-job training involves employees being trained at an institution that is independent from the organization that they are working with and requires more costs due to more travelling and tuition. On the other hand, on-the-job training is done within the organization implying that it does not require travelling costs or tuition fees. Weighting the aspects incorporated in each method, the best method is on-the-job training because it would not only bring convenience and eliminate additional costs but also encourage mentorship and coaching as employees learn when working. In addition, time is not wasted. In the implementation step, the organization arranged on when to begin the training and the time to be devoted to the training after which the employees began their training. The effectiveness of the decision was weighted by assessing the performance of the employees after the training and comparing it with their pre-training performance. For this particular organization, the outco mes were as anticipated because the employees improved their performance

Stroop methodology: attentional bias in alcohol drinkers

Stroop methodology: attentional bias in alcohol drinkers This study is on attentional bias in alcohol drinkers. In this experiment undertaken the main objective is to find out whether alcohol drinkers are likely to allocate their attention to alcohol-related words, because if our attention is owed to the alcohol-related content, or if our memory processes becomes occupied, the researcher should identify a delay in reaction when the participants are naming the colour of an alcohol-related word when presented. The study therefore hypotheses that moderate alcohol drinkers are likely to allocate their attention to alcohol-related words. For this study, there were 170 participants in total, all aged 18years plus. The Stroop task method was used on the computer (PC). The gathered results were entered into the computer (PC) to calculate descriptive and inferential statics, so the results could be seen visually and statistically. The results show there is significance to the prediction that attentional bias will influence our memory processes in r elation to alcohol drinkers. Introduction Attentional Bias refers to the term not allowing one to examine all possible outcomes when judging about an association. Previous research stems from the famous Stroop effect that was discovered in 1930 by J.Ridley Stroop. This was an experimental effect in which he discovered that the individuals cognitive processing ability was very powerful. In other words The Stroop effect (Stroop, 1935) is a prime example of the human failure to attend selectively to a particular aspect of a complex stimulus (Algom, D., Chajut, E., Lev, S. (2004). Since most researchers are interested in finding out things, the logical next step would be to develop further on and ask whether this actual delay in reaction time is due to moderate drinkers compared to light drinkers. In order to test the effectiveness of this Stroop effect, one uses the colour words example. By this, we mean words that are written using same coloured ink i.e. red written in red ink, and words written in different coloured ink i.e. red written in blue. The participants are asked to read the words and not the colour. This sounds easier to do than it actually is. In this study the methodology and the affects of the Stroop test will be critically evaluated. To achieve this, previous research and literature will be drawn upon. A study of Duka and Townshend (2001) demonstrated attentional bias associated with alcohol cues: differences between heavy and occasional social drinkers, they used a dot probe (alcohol-related pictures and words) and questionnaires, and the aim was to examine whether non-dependent heavy drinkers would differ in their selective attention towards alcohol-related stimuli compared to social drinkers, the results showed attentional bias amongst the heavy drinkers in relation to alcohol-related stimuli, scores in factors such as sociability and sexuality shown to also be high, but low on personality and persistence. A further study of Duka and Townshend (2004) demonstrated the priming effect of alcohol pre-load on attentional bias to alcohol-related stimuli; they used a dot probe and questionnaires, and the aim of this study was to examine whether attentional bias towards alcohol-related stimuli wound increase after priming with either one or two doses of alcohol/placebo, the results on m ood ratings showed dose dependent increased in positive mood radar after alcohol pre-load, and in the dot probe task, all participants showed attentional bias towards the alcohol-related stimuli, and the neutral bias was only positive at low alcohol dosage. A study of Sharma, Albery, and Cook (2001) demonstrated selective attentional bias to alcohol-related stimuli in problem drinkers and non-problem drinkers; they used a modified Stroop task (computerized), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory in order to measure Anxiety, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) to allow scoring (high or low), the participants were divided into three groups: local community alcohol service (CAS), student volunteers who were divided into two control groups, the aim of this study was to examine whether patient of problem drinkers selectively attend to alcohol-related stimuli compare to the two control groups of non-problem drinkers, the results indicate significance amongst the CAS group in longer reaction times in responding to colour of alcohol-related words compared to neutral words, with reduced interference for the high AUDIT group, therefore significant; in the low AUDIT group no significance was found. Additionally, no evidence is provid ed in the interference habituated amongst the three groups. A study of Stetter, Ackermann, Scherer, Schmid, Straube, and Mann (1994) demonstrated whether alcoholics develop an information processing bias towards disease-related stimuli, the results indicated an increase of error amongst alcoholics when presented with the disease-related stimuli compared to the neutral conditions, and controls. A further study Stetter, Ackemann, Bizer, Straube, and Mann (1995) by testing their hypothesis that alcoholics develop a disease-related attentional bias, with 40 male alcohol-dependent, and 40 male healthy, and used the Stroop colour-naming task, the results showed alcoholic inpatients performed significantly poorer than the control group under the critical experimental condition (colour-naming of disease-related words), as compared with the non-critical condition (colour-naming of neutral words; p = 0.03), no effects were found on the reaction times. A study of Johnsen, Laberg, Cox, Vaksdal, and Hugdahl, (1994) conducted in Norway demonstrated attentional bias in the processing of alcohol-related words on alcoholic subjects, using the Stroop colour and word test, the results indicate the alcoholics respond slowly on all categories, more so on alcohol-related words compared to the control group, and both groups responded slowly to colour interfering words than neutral words, the findings suggests that the alcoholic subjects allocated their attention to alcohol-related words, therefore allowing their cognitive processes take over making it impossible to ignore the alcohol-related words. Method Participants The participants were recruited the students at London South Bank University. There will be 170 participants in total, 34 males (17-moderate and 14-light drinkers) and 139 females (68 moderate and 71-light drinkers), and all the participants were adults aged 18years plus. Apparatus All participants were asked to complete the tasks on a computer (PC), and the same apparatus was used to store data, and later analyse the data collected. Design The Stroop task method is used and the two-way ANOVA test will be used to analyse data (2 X 2 Mixed subject design). There are two independent variables i) Group (light vs. moderate alcohol drinkers) ii) Word Type (neutral vs. alcohol-related words), and the dependent variable is the reaction time to identifying the colour the word is presented in. In order to verify differences that may occur, the between group and within group will be looked at in more depth. Procedure In this study, the following was explained. Each participant was asked to follow the instructions provided on the screen. Labels were placed on the buttons on the keyboard for each subject to make their responses. There are two set type of words (alcohol-related words and neutral words). The participants were required to complete a serious of trials in responding to the colour of the ink that the word is written in (BLUE, RED, YELLOW, and GREEN) and (VODKIA, J.DANIELS, GIN, and BEER) rather than word. Part of the instruction was that they must complete each trail as quickly and accurately as possible, as their reaction time would be recorded Results The results of the 2 x 2 ANOVA was used to analyse the data. The effects of word type (alcohol-related words and neutral words) f = (1,168) 140.16, p = . Neutral Word Alcohol Word Main Effect of Drinking Type Light 840.00 mean score (34.28) sd 870.52 mean score (28.51) sd 855.26 mean score (31.66) sd Moderate 849.91 mean score (28.86) sd 892.67 mean score (21.26) sd 871.29 mean score (24.73) sd Main Effect of Word Type 845.01 mean score (31.95) sd 881.73 mean score (27.39) sd Fig 1: The table below shows the mean scores, and standard deviation of the word type (alcohol-related words and neutral words), and drinking (moderate drinkers and light drinkers) Fig 2: shows the interaction graph Discussion For this study the hypotheses do support, in other words significance was found. The literature of the prior studies using the Stroop paradigm with alcohol-related stimuli has a number of fundamental methodological problems. According to Sharma, Albery, and Cook (2001) the first problem identified is that the multitude of different variables that could potentially be manipulated giving a totally different set of results. It therefore becomes apparent that one needs to be very clear on exactly what the variables are and what exactly the researcher wants to achieve. Another problem identified is that of the actual format administered. Again, many issues may arise regarding the way in which the test is formatted. If the format is changed, will the result change along with it? As more development is completed in this area of study on alcohol addiction, the researcher no doubt will see that, the variables and the modes of administration discussed above will have a huge effect on the study. For example, one set of results could construct stronger effects than others, and that the other probable central variables make no difference at all to the outcome. The researcher should also take into account that however, a task is administered to the participants is bound to have both advantages and disadvantages, and can be improved upon. This does not mean that one way is better than the other. It just means that the researcher needs to be aware of this and choose a methodology that best works for them. Choosing the correct methodology in any study therefore can be just as important as the actual study itself. What becomes apparent is that there is no particular way of carrying out a study. Either way studies will carry certain advantages and disadvantages. One particular study related to our discussion was the single-word presentation of the Stroop stimuli. In this case, the stimuli were given in card format. One card had all the needed stimuli for alcohol -related words while the other had neutral words. The time taken by each subject to colour name the words on the first card compared to the second was recorded. In other words, recorded reaction time. This format, although used on many studies, comes with its limitations. Evidence obtained concludes that it is difficult to accurately measure the response time by the individuals and that the process evolved is very time consuming and involves a lot of calculations. In other words this type of format may be seen as being time consuming and tedious for the researcher to carry out. Its not all bad however, the card format can have an advantage in that it produces stronger interference effects (e.g. McNally, Amir and Lipke, 1996; Williams et al., 1996), presumably because it provides a se mantic network of words in a given category (Sharma, et al 2001). In addition, the individuals words recorded in terms of its reaction time are not used with any presentation mode, as each participants reaction times to each category of stimuli are averaged prior to statistical analysis. Other objections to the use of card presented stimuli were that the total time measured included both correct and incorrect responses. Previous research shows that the amount of trials where errors occurred is in fact rare and equivalent for different categories of stimuli. Furthermore, studies by Stetter et al also seem to agree. His study shows that card format stimuli does not allow for the measurement of time-cause of alcohol attentional bias. For instance, with these card presentations one would not know if the strongest bias occurred for alcohol words presented earlier and then the bias attenuated. An attempt to rectify this issue was to assess participants habituation to the stimuli across time. This was achieved by observing how reaction times to the alcohol and neutral stimuli changed during the course of the experiment. In relation to Johnsen et al studies, it was criticized in many aspects such as, the word types not being matched on the frequency. Additionally being assured in using two words alcohol-related words, for example liquor store; red wine. (Sharma, et al 2001).However, Johnsen et al stated clearly that since the studies were carried out in Norway, the words were obviously translated in Norwegian vinmonopol = liquor store, and rodvin = red wine, and as you can see, when translated its single words. Further criticisms were put forward to why the participants were asked to press the key response button; and call out the name of the colour. Sharma et al study contained a number of problems. Firstly, the neutral words were long to a given category (environmental features), which affects the reaction times. Secondly, the number of neutral words being associated closely to the four ink colours (e.g. blue, red, brown, green), also how these colours were closely linked to the words (e.g. blue s ky, green grass). Also concerns were put forward on the manner of design (e.g. low, middle, and high) drinking groups. Lastly, problems occurred with the problem drinkers, who may have resolved their alcohol problems being placed amongst the heavier drinkers. To conclude, there are two opposing thoughts with the methodology used; one that the Stroop paradigm is highly objective, valid and reliable, and the other that some are not worthy of inclusion. Many researchers are continuing to offer theoretical explanations to account for the Stroop paradigm, and still trying to make sense on how it could be adapted to be more advanced in being improved.

The American Clock Essay -- Literary Analysis, Arthur Miller

Arthur Miller is a social dramatist who reflects his outlook on the US government, in many of his plays. The Great Depression had a lasting influence on him, which he portrays in â€Å"The American Clock†. Because he was so deeply impacted by the Depression and the government’s role in it, Miller mocks the idealism of the American dream in â€Å"Death of a Salesman† and â€Å"A View from the Bridge†. Due to his unjust condemnation as a Communist during the McCarthy Era he accuses the faulty court system as culpable. Miller creates John Proctor in, â€Å"The Crucible† as a victim during the Salem Witch Trials, to represent himself during the Red Scare. In his plays, Miller’s characters deal with injustices in order to express Miller’s view that American law is artificial. Miller exploits law as a common theme in his plays to express his outlook about its corruption. He portrays injustice done to the ‘common man and the confinement of America in â€Å"All My Sons† and â€Å"Death of a Salesman†. Miller reflects his political views in his works, by writing about individualism and his experiences. In many of his works, Arthur Miller expresses contempt for the government, which he holds responsible for his childhood poverty, during the Great Depression, and adult persecutions. The Great Depression had an immense impact on Arthur Miller, which he reflects in â€Å"The American Clock†, among other works. After the stock market crash of 1929, the Miller family’s financial comfort drastically changed. Lannone illustrates their extreme change in lifestyle, â€Å"The Depression struck the family hard†¦the garment business of Miller’s father began to decline†¦the family relocated to a dead-end street in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn, where their once-prosperous life became ... ...rays injustice done to the ‘common man and the confinement of America in â€Å"All My Sons†. In â€Å"All My Sons†, Joe attempts to defend his actions during the war, â€Å"Who worked for nothing in that war? It’s dollars and cents, war and peace†¦ half the goddamn country is gotta go if I go† (Miller 150). Here, Miller portrays his view that society is corrupt. This, he explains, is due to big businesses and the government’s negative influence and failure to aid small businesses, like his father’s during the Great Depression, which failed. Joe says, â€Å"That’s the way they do George. A little man makes a mistake and they hang him up by the thumbs. The big ones become the ambassadors† (Miller 411). The ‘big ones’ represent big businesses and the government, which is evident in Miller’s intentional use of the word ‘ambassador’ to create a governmental connotation.

Affirmative Action :: essays research papers

Affirmative Action has been frivolously debated throughout the past 135 years. Citizens of the United States question whether the government should grant certain advantages to races that have endured bigotry in the past. This plan goes by the name of Affirmative Action. Affirmative Action is a federally subsidized program that encourages universities and other educational institutions, to accept a greater number of minority students. Throughout the years, Affirmative Action and the different advocates have changed, but racial inequality remains stagnant. Affirmative action has various proponents and opponents, both of whom seek the eventual goal of an integrated, educated middle class society. The opponents of Affirmative Action argue that it is not the responsibility of the current majority to make up for prior actions; and imposing these types of programs would be a form of so-called, reverse discrimination. The proponents argue that it is everybody’s responsibility to create a society, which gives everybody an equal opportunity regardless of race, and the only way to ascertain this goal is through Affirmative-Action programs. How can this nation come together and disregard the color of a persons skin? Will we reach this goal by subsidizing programs that assist minorities, or shall we sit and wait for time to establish equal opportunity for all? The history of Affirmative Action dates back to the days when the nation attempted to rebuild its society after the civil war. Reconstruction attempted to establish virtuous relations between the white Europeans and black Africans that made up a large part of the American society. The nation was torn on how to establish these relations. Many call Reconstruction the low point of race relations in the United States. This era included the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, defining national citizenship so as to include blacks. This Amendment passed Congress in June 1866 and was ratified, despite rejection by most Southern states (July 28, 1868). In response to the newfound freedom of African Americans, whites incited numerous accounts of violence. White hatred of the black race created an era that experienced the most lynchings in the history of the United States. Whites also began using contemporary forms of labor exploitation to maintain control of their socio-economic advantage. Something needed to be done so that the nation would not split at its seams. One side argued that time was the only solution to racial problems. Creating government programs would make African’s dependent and give them an unfair advantage. â€Å"They were said to be fat state subsidies that unfairly penalized innocent whites and taught blacks self-destructive habits of indolence and independence.† This argument was sustained by the Democratic Party who

‘I Spy’ by Graham Greene

What Is The Significance Of The Title?The title (‘I Spy'), is significant because it shows the similarities between Charlie Stowe and his father. Also because without it we would never come to assume that Charlie Stowe's father is in fact a spy, who is being arrested for spying for the Germans or the ‘Huns' as his wife calls them. This creates the effect of dramatic irony as Charlie, who has observed exactly what we see, does not relise why his father has been taken away by two strangers in ‘belted mackintoshes'.How Does Greene Establish The Similarity between Charlie Stowe And His Father?Greene establishes a similarity between Charlie and his father by making them say nearly the same kind of things. For example, Charlie thinks that he â€Å"†¦ might as well have his smoke.† then later on, his father says â€Å"†¦ may as well have my smokes†. These are quite the same, thus establishing a similarity between the two characters. Also, they both use proverbs a lot of the time. For Example Charlie says â€Å"May as well be hung for a sheep†, which is, of course, a well known proverb. His father, later on, says â€Å"Never do today what you can do tomorrow†, again, this is another proverb. A further example to establish a similarity is that they both do the same action when they are nervous. For instance, they both grip their collar when they are worried. We know this because Charlie â€Å"clenched his fingers on the collar of his night shirt† and then his father â€Å"stood, one hand held high stiff collar. Greene further establishes the similarity between father and son by making them â€Å"both do things in the dark that frighten them†.Also Greene specifically outlines the point that the pair are similar when he writes â€Å"†¦his father was very much like himself†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Also both of them are terrified of being caught/are being caught. To further their similarity, they both don't wish to wake their mother/wife, as Greene writes â€Å"†¦he moved with caution and tiptoed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ,(about Charlie), and then â€Å"I don't want  to wake the family† ,(about Charlie's father). They are similar, not just by the reasons above, by that they are both spying and doing something illegal. Charlie is spying on his father and stealing some cigarettes, while his father is being arrested for spying on the Germans, which is, of course, illegal. Greene establishes the similarity in many ways, including the ones outlined above, in order to provoke emotion and regret.The Story Is Almost Entirely From Charlie's Point Of View. How Does Greene Achieve This?Greene achieves this in a multitude of ways that are outlined below:-He writes about Charlie's feelings. â€Å"Charlie Stowe was frightened† is just one example of this. He also writes as if we are seeing every thing from his point of view. (literally and psychologically). Greene pens Charlie's experienc e. For example, we do not know from the start of the story that his father was spying on the Germans, it is only near the end we start to relise that his father was doing such devious acts of criminality. The story begins with Charlie alone getting out of bed and then ends when Charlie falls asleep. It is like we are looking over his shoulder all the time. Also, we don't know anything about Charlie, so a lot of the description is left to our imagination, so it is as if we have been plunged into the tale with know prior knowledge of Charlie and his capers.All of this gives off a sense of dramatic irony because, although we still see what Charlie sees, we can deduce things that Charlie cannot because of his limited mental ability as a twelve year old.What Atmosphere Is Created In The Story And How?There are many atmospheres created by Greene. So many in fact that I will only list some of them. These are :-An air of mystery. This is created through description, or rather lack of it! Th is is because we know next to nothing about Charlie Stowe, and even less  about his father! Also there is a rather menacing feel about the story. This is because of the use of â€Å"lurking† as in ‘†¦the ‘Huns' who, the monsters lurking in the Zeppelins in the clouds† There is also an atmosphere regarding indifference, when it comes to stealing the cigarettes. This is because Charlie doesn't even bat an eyelid when he takes some of his father's merchandise. Finally, there is a general sense of regret at the end of the story as Charlie realises that â€Å"It would have please him to go down to his father and tell him that he loved him†, but it was all too late for him as â€Å"he could hear through the window, the quick steps going away†.

Nutrition †Obesity Essay

Objective: To assess the association between the consumption of fast food (FF) and body mass index (BMI) of teenagers in a large UK birth cohort. Methods: A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was chosen to allow direct statistical testing of a theoretical model. SEM is a combination of confirmatory factor and path analysis, which allows for the inclusion of latent (unmeasured) variables. This approach was used to build two models: the effect of FF outlet visits and food choices and the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMI. Results: A total of 3620 participants had data for height and weight from the age 13 clinic and the frequency of FF outlet visits, and so were included in these analyses. This SEM model of food choices showed that increased frequency of eating at FF outlets is positively associated with higher consumption of unhealthy foods (b ? 0. 29, Po0. 001) and negatively associated with the consumption of healthy foods (b ? A1. 02, Po0. 001). The SEM model of FF exposure and BMI showed that higher exposure to FF increases the frequency of visits to FF outlets (b ? 0. 61, Po0.001), which is associated with higher body mass index standard deviation score (BMISDS; b ? 0. 08, Po0. 001). Deprivation was the largest contributing variable to the exposure (b ? 9. 2, Po0. 001). Conclusions: The teenagers who ate at FF restaurants consumed more unhealthy foods and were more likely to have higher BMISDS than those teenagers who did not eat frequently at FF restaurants. Teenagers who were exposed to more takeaway foods at home ate more frequently at FF restaurants and eating at FF restaurants was also associated with lower intakes of vegetables and raw fruit in this cohort. International Journal of Obesity (2011) 35, 1325–1330; doi:10. 1038/ijo. 2011. 120; published online 28 June 2011 Keywords: fast food; overweight; ALSPAC Introduction Childhood obesity prevalence have risen dramatically in the last 30 years in the Western world with the most recent figures for England and Wales show that 17% of boys and 16% of girls are obese. 1 An increase in the availability of calorie dense foods is implicated as one of the factors in the aetiology of the obesity epidemic. Fast food (FF) is one section of the food market that has grown steadily over the last few decades and it was worth d8. 9 billion in the United Kingdom in 2005. 2 FF is typically quick, convenient, cheap and Correspondence: Dr LK Fraser, School of Geography, University of Leeds, University road, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. E-mail: l. k. fraser@leeds. ac. uk Received 6 February 2011; revised 21 April 2011; accepted 12 May 2011; published online 28 June 2011 uniform in its production,3 but FF is often high in saturated fats, energy dense and has low micronutrient content. 4–9 Studies from the United States of America have shown that children who consume FF (when compared with children who do not eat FF) have higher energy intake and higher fat intakes9,10 as well as lower vegetable and milk intake. 10,11 Therefore, the consumption of such foods could possibly result in a positive energy balance; and hence, weight gain. There is some evidence from longitudinal studies in the United States of America that consuming FF as a teenager can result in weight gain in both early12 and middle adulthood. 13 FF is often marketed to children and adolescents through television, internet and movie advertising,14–17 with brand recognition being present from an early age. 18 The addition of toys as gifts with FF meals also attracts children. There is growing body of literature that has assessed the location of FF outlets and has found that areas of higher deprivation Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1326 have more FF outlets19–21 and that FF outlets are often located close to schools. 22–24 The majority of research to date has been undertaken in the United States of America, but a study that analysed the fat content of a FF meal in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets in 35 countries showed that the amount of fat varied considerably between countries, within the same FF outlet. 25 This means that results from studies in the United States of America may not be generalisable to other countries. This study aims to assess the cross-sectional association between the consumption of FF and the body mass index (BMI) of teenagers in a large UK birth cohort. Methods The data for this study were obtained from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC),26 which is a birth cohort study where pregnant mothers who lived in the old Avon County in the United Kingdom (the Bristol region) were recruited in the early 1990s. A total of 14 541 mothers completed recruitment. Because of retrospective recruitment the total sample size was 15 224 fetuses and 14 610 live births. This paper presents data on the teenagers who attended the year 13 clinic and completed the year 13 questionnaire. Variables The food frequency data were collected from the questionnaires completed by mother (or carer) and separate questionnaires completed by the teenagers themselves at age 13 years. The data used from the carer questionnaire (collected at the same time point) referred to the questions ‘How often does s/he eat in a FF restaurant? The responses to this question were collected as never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. The carers were also asked ‘In total, how many portions of vegetables does s/he eat in a week (do not include potatoes)’, ‘In total, how many portions of raw fruit does s/he eat in a week? ’ These were free numerical responses, which were retained as a continuous variable for analyses. In the food frequency part of the teenager completed questionnaire the teenagers were asked ‘If you ever buy food yourself from outside school, or from school vending machines, how often do you buy and eat each of the following things (include after school and weekends): chips, burger, pizza, sandwich, pies or pasties, chocolate, crisps, fruit and other food. ’ The height and weight data were collected at clinic visits at B13 years. The exact age, sex, height and weight were used to calculate a BMI standard deviation score (BMISDS) for each participant (1990 UK reference dataset). 27 The teenagers International Journal of Obesity were classified as obese if their BMISDS was greater than the 95th percentile (BMISDS41. 64). The physical activity data were collected via accelerometry at the age 13 clinic visit. 28 The participants wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days and the measure used from this is mean counts per minute, which is a continuous variable. A deprivation score was assigned to each participant by matching the coordinates of their residential address (when carer questionnaire was completed) to the appropriate lower super output area. Each lower super output area has an index of multiple deprivation score (Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007 (IMD))29 assigned from the local census data. This is a continuous variable in which a higher number indicates an area of higher deprivation. Ethnicity was assigned as per the child’s ethnicity into a binary variable of ‘white British’ and ‘other’ ethnicity. Statistical modelling Descriptive statistics were performed in STATA version 10 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA). A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was chosen to allow direct statistical testing of a theoretical model. SEM has many benefits over traditional regression techniques, which include the ability to model equations simultaneously and the incorporation of latent variables. 30 SEM is a combination of confirmatory factor and path analysis, which allows for the inclusion of latent (unmeasured) variables. 31 This approach was used to build two models: the effect of FF outlet visits and food choices and the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMI. The SEM analyses were undertaken in AMOS version 17. 0 (IBM SPSS, USA). The hypothesised model for food choices is shown in the results section (Figure 2). The observed variables are displayed as boxes and latent variables as circles. Each observed variable has an associated random error term and each latent variable has an associated disturbance term, which represents the variance in the latent variable that has not been explained by the observed variables associated with that latent variable. Regression paths are shown by singleheaded arrows and covariances by double-headed curved arrows. The model fit was assessed by two indices; the comparative fit index (CFI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). The CFI is a comparison of the hypothesised model compared with an independence model where all parameters are assumed to be independent. The RMSEA gives an indication of ‘how well would the model, with unknown but optimally chosen values, fit the population covariance matrix if it were available’. 32 A combination of CFI40. 95 and a RMSEA of o0. 50 is a sign of good model fit. The w2-test of overall fit is very sensitive to large sample size so has not been used in these models. 30 The two models were constructed a priori using previous research. The nutritional content of chips, burgers, pizza and Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1327 pies are known to be high in saturated fat and energy and therefore are ‘unhealthy’,4–9,33 whereas fruit and vegetables are known to contain fibre and vitamins and so are classified as ‘healthy’. Exposure to FF outlets is known to be higher in areas of higher deprivation. 19–21 In the food choices model, unhealthy consumption (latent variable) was modelled from the frequency of consumption of chips, burger, pizza and pies (reported by the teenagers themselves), and the healthy consumption was modelled from the number of pieces of vegetables and raw fruit consumed by the teenager (maternal report). The number of times that the teenager visited a FF outlet (maternal report) was regressed on the unhealthy and healthy consumption variables. The model for the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMISDS is shown in Figure 3. Here exposure is a latent variable modelled from maternal and paternal takeaway frequency and deprivation score. The exposure is regressed on the number of visits to FF outlet. The BMISDS at age 13 years is the main outcome of this model. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the ALSPAC Law and Ethics Committee and the local research ethics committees. Results A total of 3620 participants have data for height and weight from the age 13 clinic and the frequency of FF outlet visits, and were included in these analyses (SEM cannot use individuals with missing data). A total of 1711 (47. 3%) were boys and 456 (12.6%) obese. The descriptive statistics are shown in Table 1. Frequency of visiting FF outlets and food consumption frequencies are shown in Figure 1. The results of model 1 are shown in Figure 2 with regression weights shown in Table 2. This model showed that increased frequency of eating at FF outlets was positively associated with higher consumption of unhealthy foods (b ? 0. 29, Po0. 001) and negatively associated with the consumption of healthy foods (b ? A1. 02, Po0. 001). The CFI for model 1 was 0. 98 and the RMSEA was 0. 05 (90% confidence interval 0. 044, 0. 058). These represent good approximate model fit. Table 1. The results of model 2 are shown in Figure 3 with regression weight shown in Table 3. This model showed that increased exposure to FF increased the frequency of visits to FF outlets (b ? 0. 61, Po0. 001), which in turn was associated with higher BMISDS (b ? 0. 08, Po0. 001). Deprivation was the largest contributing variable to the exposure (b ? 9. 2, Po0. 001). The CFI for model 2 was 0. 98, and the RMSEA was 0. 021 (90% confidence interval 0. 009, 0. 033). These represent very good approximate model fit. Discussion This study shows that teenagers who are exposed to more unhealthy foods at home are more likely to eat at FF restaurants and have a higher BMISDS. The negative association of increased visits to FF outlets on consumption of healthy foods (fruit and vegetables) has also been demonstrated. The FF restaurant use in this analysis was reported by the mother or main carer of the teenager and showed that nearly 60% of all the teenagers ate at a FF restaurant at least once a month. This appears to be less frequently than in the United States of America, where studies showed that 60% of older children and adolescents ate FF more than once per week34 and that B30% of children ate at a FF restaurant on any typical day. 9. As one part of the SEM this study showed that eating at a FF outlet was associated with a higher BMISDS. There were no previous UK studies to compare these results with, but previous studies from the United States of America have not found consistent results. Boutelle et al. 11 found no association between frequency of FF consumption and adolescent BMI or weight status, and an Australian study Descriptive statistics Mean BMISDS Deprivation (IMD 2007)29 Physical activity (c. p. m. ) Raw fruit (portions per week) Vegetables (portions per week) s. d. Median IQR 0. 29 13. 7 541 9. 5 9. 5 1. 14 11. 4 190 7 7 0. 024 10. 6 511 8 8 A0. 47, 1. 06 5. 9, 17. 0 404, 653 5, 14 5, 12 Abbreviations: BMISDS, body mass index standard deviation score for age and sex; c. p. m. , cycles per minute; IMD 2007, Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007; IQR, interquartile range. Figure 1 Food frequency data. International Journal of Obesity Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1328 Figure 2 Results of SEM model of food choices. Table 2 Results of SEM model of food choices Regression weights a Unhealthy’fast food Healthy’fast food Chips’unhealthy Burger’unhealthy Fruit’healthy Vegetables’healthy Pizza’unhealthy Pies’unhealthy Estimate s. e. CR P 0. 285 A1. 023 1. 000 0. 732 1. 000 1. 157 0. 774 0. 530 0. 021 0. 124 13. 439 A8. 274 o0. 001 o0. 001 0. 016 45. 243 o0. 001 0. 148 0. 018 0. 016 7. 802 42. 483 32. 720 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 Abbreviations: CR, critical ratio; SEM, structural equation modeling. aAll consumption variables units: never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. showed that FF eaten at home (but not away from home) was associated with higher BMI in adolescents (MacFarlane). Two longitudinal studies using data from the CARDIA study found that higher FF intake in adolescence was associated with higher BMI in young adulthood12 and those who ate FF more than twice a week had put on an extra 4. 5 kg of weight 15 years later. 13 The teenagers who ate more frequently at FF restaurants were more likely to eat less fruit and vegetables, as well as consume more unhealthy foods (chips, burger, pizza, pies) than those teenagers who ate at FF restaurants less frequently. This is an indication that the consumption of unhealthy foods may displace healthy food choices. This is similar to previous research in the United States of America, International Journal of Obesity which showed that children who ate FF consumed 45 g less vegetables per day than children who did not eat FF. 10 At age 13 years the food frequency data were a combination of maternal and self-report from the teenagers, but the total macro- and micronutrient values could not be assessed in this study as these data were not yet available at the time of writing. Deprivation was the largest contributor to the FF exposure variable. This could be explained by the fact that those of higher deprivation eat more FF because of the relative cheapness of FF. It has also been shown in many studies in the United Kingdom and the United States of America that areas of higher deprivation have more FF outlets than more affluent areas therefore, FF is more readily available. 35 An interesting economics paper from the United States of America showed that increasing the cost of FF by $1 could decrease BMI by 0. 78 units. 36 The increased consumption of unhealthy foods (chips, burger, pizzas and pies) by those teenagers who ate more frequently at FF outlets was not surprising, but the associated negative effect of the consumption of fruit and vegetables by these participants is important. These teenagers will not only be consuming more of the saturated fat and salt from the burgers, and so on, but at the same time they are not consuming important nutrients from fruit and vegetables. Although many FF outlets now offer more healthy alternatives such as fruit and vegetables, the consumers may still be choosing the unhealthy foods. Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1329 The FF question completed by the carer did not specify what constituted FF so some respondents may only count large franchises as FF whereas others may use a broader definition that includes independent takeaways. Although the frequency of eating at a FF restaurant was asked, the carers were not asked about the food eaten from these establishments and many FF restaurants now offer more ‘healthy’ alternatives. Although the majority of FF items do not meet the Food Standards Agency nutrient standards for total fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium there are wide variations in similar products from different FF outlets with sodium content varying by up to four times in fried chicken products. 37 Therefore, having data on which food items were consumed from which FF outlet would further enhance future studies. There was no information on why the teenagers ate at FF restaurants, and key questions for the future include; was there no alternative eating establishments in their neighbourhood? Did they prefer FF to other meals or was the cost of food important? Conclusions This study has shown that the teenagers who ate at FF restaurants consumed more unhealthy foods and were more likely to have higher BMISDS than those teenagers who did not eat frequently at FF restaurants. Teenagers who were exposed to more takeaway foods at home ate more frequently at FF restaurants. Eating at FF restaurants was also associated with lower intakes of vegetables and raw fruit in this cohort. Figure 3 The SEM model of FF exposure and BMI. Table 3 Results of SEM model of FF exposure and body mass index Regression weights Fast food ’exposure. Maternal fast food’exposure Deprivation’exposure Paternal fast food’exposure BMISDS’fast food BMISDS’c. p. m. a Estimate s. e. CR 0. 61 1. 000 9. 20 0. 66 0. 08 0. 00 0. 07 8. 654 1. 07 0. 08 0. 02 0. 00 8. 605 8. 680 3. 586 A3. 351 P o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 Abbreviations: BMISDS, body mass index standard deviation score for age and sex; c. p. m. , cycles per minute; CR, critical ratio; FF, fast food; IMD 2007, Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007; SEM, structural equation modeling. a All consumption variables units: never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. Strengths/limitations This is a large dataset with good-quality height and weight data taken at clinic visits by trained staff using validated equipment. There were food consumption data about the teenagers available from both the teenagers and their carers, but this is a cross-sectional study so causation cannot be implied from this data. As expected in a longitudinal study there is attrition and the subcohort used in this study may not be truly representative of the whole cohort. Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. Acknowledgements. We are extremely grateful to all the families who took part in this study, the midwives for their help in recruiting and the whole ALSPAC team, which include interviewers, computer and laboratory technicians, clerical workers, research scientists, volunteers, managers, receptionists and nurses. The UK Medical Research Council (grant ref: 74882), The Wellcome Trust (grant ref: 076467) and the University of Bristol provide core support for ALSPAC. LKF was funded by ESRC/MRC studentship. References 1 Craig RS. Health survey for England 2007, 2008. Available from http://www. natcen. ac. uk/study/health-survey-for-england-2007. 2 Keynote.UK fast food and home delivery outlets, 2006. 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