Use Source A and your knowledge of the period to explain why people supported Roosevelt in the 1932 election

By 1932 unemployment in the USA had reached 13 million and was rising rapidly. The poor were without food and eating in soup kitchens. The depression was causing public disorder and when a group of 22,000 First World War veterans (The Bonus Army) marched to Washington because, like many other people, these veterans were poor and demanded to be given an immediate bonus which the government had promised to give them in 1945, tanks were sent in to disperse them. People were shocked by the violence and critical of the government's response. The Republicans, lead by President Hoover did not believe in interfering in business to promote prosperity, he claimed that it was the government's job to encourage rather than to spend. As a result he refused to set up relief programmes to help the unemployed and he argued that it was up to the individuals to turn around the economy. The people were unhappy as they had been promised ‘the final triumph over poverty' in 1928, but the Republicans had been unable to offer any solution to the collapse of the economy. Roosevelt was a good campaigner showing himself to be cheerful, optimistic and caring, whereas Hoover was plodding, drab and defeated throughout the election campaign. The speech in Source A is in terms of waging war on poverty, Roosevelt talks of a ‘call to arms', a ‘crusade' and ‘waging war'. This is very active and energetic in contrast to Hoover's defensiveness. The people had been hurt by poverty and were being given a chance to fight back by voting for the Democrats. Roosevelt appeals to patriotism in his ‘crusade to restore America' and gives hope when using the word ‘restore' that prosperity can return. The phrasing ‘Destruction, Delay, Deceit and Despair' is full of energy and shows that Roosevelt means business. People supported Roosevelt in the 1932 election because they were disillusioned with Hoover who had been unable to bring them out of the depression and because Roosevelt was positive, forceful and able to give hope. A ‘New Deal' appealed to them because the old deal had failed and they were being called to take action against poverty along with their government as Roosevelt says ‘Give me your help†¦ to win in this crusade'

Albert Einstein- the 20th Century Science Hero Essay

Albert Einstein is considered the most influential physicist of the 20th century. He is known for developing the theories of relativity. He is also noted for his mathematical formula of E = mc? (David Bodanis). Although he was not directly involved in the Manhattan Project, which was responsible for creating the atomic bomb, but he is still considered the mastermind because of his breakthrough formula. In 1921, he won the Nobel Prize for physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect (A.  Calaprice & T. Lipscombe). The Einstein’s were a secular, middle class Jewish family. Albert’s father Hermann Einstein was a salesman and an engineer who owned a company that manufactured electrical equipment and his mother Pauline Koch was a house wife. They were living in Ulm, in Wurttemberg, Germany, when Albert was born on March 14, 1879 (Whittaker). In 1894, Hermann Einstein’s company failed to get an important contract to electrify the city of Munich and he was forced to move his family to Milan, Italy. Albert was left at a boarding house in Munich to finish his education (A. Calaprice & T. Lipscombe). It was at this location, that Albert began elementary school at the Luitpold Gymnasium, where he excelled in his studies. He enjoyed classical music and played the violin. However, he was not fond of formal education and made it his business to teach himself math and science (Whittaker). One of the books Albert was intrigued with was a children’s science book in which the author imagined riding alongside electricity that was traveling inside a telegraph wire. Einstein began to wonder what a light beam would look like if you could run alongside it at the same speed. If light were a wave, then the light beam should appear stationary, like a frozen wave. Yet, in reality, the light beam is moving. This paradox led him to write his first â€Å"scientific paper† at age 16, (Whittaker). â€Å"The Investigation of the State of Aether in Magnetic Fields. † This question of the relative speed to the stationary observer and the observer moving with the light was a question that would dominate his thinking for the next 10 years (A.  Calaprice & T. Lipscombe). While his parent remained in Italy, Albert continued his education at Aarau, Switzerland. In 1896 Einstein attended the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich to be trained as a teacher in physics and mathematics (Whittaker). Five years later, he earned his diploma, and acquired Swiss citizenship. Also at this time he was unable to find a teaching post, so he accepted a technical assistant position in the Swiss Patent Office. In 1905 he obtained his doctor’s degree (A. Calaprice & T. Lipscombe). During his stay at the Patent Office, Einstein had a lot of down time. This is noteworthy because it was in this spare time, that he produced much of his remarkable work. Some of these great accomplishments included being appointed Privatdozent in Berne, becoming Professor Extraordinaire at Zurich, also Professor of Theoretical Physics in Prague, and returning to Zurich in the following year to fill a similar post (Whittaker). In 1914 he was appointed Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Physical Institute and Professor in the University of Berlin. Einstein’s accomplishments were on the rise and became very important works which include the Special Theory of Relativity (1905), Relativity (English translations, 1920 and 1950), General Theory of Relativity (1916), Investigations on Theory of Brownian Movement (1926), and The Evolution of Physics (1938). Among his non-scientific works, About Zionism (1930), Why War? (1933), My Philosophy (1934), and Out of My Later Years (1950) are perhaps the most important (A. Calaprice & T. Lipscombe). Albert Einstein received honorary doctorate degrees in science, medicine and philosophy from many European and American universities. During the 1920’s he lectured in Europe, America and the Far East and he was awarded Fellowships or Memberships of all the leading scientific academies throughout the world. He gained numerous awards in recognition of his work, including the Copley Medal of the Royal Society of London in 1925, and the Franklin Medal of the Franklin Institute in 1935 (Whittaker). He became a German citizen in 1914 and remained in Berlin until 1933 when he renounced his citizenship for political reasons and emigrated to America to take the position of Professor of Theoretical Physics at Princeton. He became a United States citizen in 1940 and retired from his post in 1945 (Whittaker). While Einstein was touring much of the world speaking on his theories in the 1920s, the Nazis were rising to power under the leadership of Adolph Hitler. Einstein’s theories on relativity became a convenient target for Nazi propaganda. In 1931, the Nazi’s enlisted other physicists to denounce Einstein and his theories as â€Å"Jewish physics (A. Calaprice & T. Lipscombe) . † At this time, Einstein learned that the new German government, now in full control by the Nazi party, had passed a law barring Jews from holding any official position, including teaching at universities. Einstein also learned that his name was on a list of assassination targets, and a Nazi organization published a magazine with Einstein’s picture and the caption â€Å"Not Yet Hanged† on the cover (A.  Calaprice & T. Lipscombe). In December, 1932, Einstein decided to leave Germany forever. He took a position a the newly formed Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, New Jersey, which soon became a Mecca for physicists from around the world. It was here that he would spend the rest of his career trying to develop a unified field theory—an all-embracing theory that would unify the forces of the universe, and thereby the laws of physics, into one framework—and refute the accepted interpretation of quantum physics. Other European scientists also fled various countries threatened by Nazi takeover and came to the United States. Some of these scientists knew of Nazi plans to develop an atomic weapon. For a time, their warnings to Washington, D. C. went unheeded (David Bodanis). In the summer of 1939, Einstein, along with another scientist, Leo Szilard, was persuaded to write a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to alert him of the possibility of a Nazi bomb. President Roosevelt could not risk the possibility that Germany might develop an atomic bomb first. The letter is believed to be the key factor that motivated the United States to investigate the development of nuclear weapons. Roosevelt invited Einstein to meet with him and soon after the United States initiated the Manhattan Project (M. Talmey). Not long after he began his career at the Institute in New Jersey, Albert Einstein expressed an appreciation for the â€Å"meritocracy† of the United States and the right people had to think what they pleased—something he didn’t enjoy as a young man in Europe (David Bodanis). In 1935, Albert Einstein was granted permanent residency in the United States and became an American citizen in 1940. As the Manhattan Project moved from drawing board to testing and development at Los Alamos, New Mexico, many of his colleagues were asked to develop the first atomic bomb, but Eisenstein was not one of them. According to several researchers who examined FBI files over the years, the reason was the U. S. government didn’t trust Einstein’s lifelong association with peace and socialist organizations. FBI director J.  Edgar Hoover went so far as to recommend that Einstein be kept out of America by the Alien Exclusion Act, but he was overruled by the U. S. State Department. Instead, during the war, Einstein helped the U. S. Navy evaluate designs for future weapons systems and contributed to the war effort by auctioning off priceless personal manuscripts (David Bodanis). One example was a handwritten copy of his 1905 paper on special relativity which sold fo r $6. 5 million, and is now located in the Library of Congress (M. Talmey). On August 6, 1945, while on vacation, Einstein heard the news that an atomic bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. He soon became involved in an international effort to try to bring the atomic bomb under control, and in 1946, he formed the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists with physicist Leo Szilard. In 1947, in an article that he wrote for The Atlantic Monthly, Einstein argued that the United States should not try to monopolize the atomic bomb, but instead should supply the United Nations with nuclear weapons for the sole purpose of maintaining a deterrent. At this time, Einstein also became a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He corresponded with civil rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois and actively campaigned for the rights of African Americans (Whittaker). After the war, Einstein continued to work on many key aspects of the theory of general relativity, such as wormholes, the possibility of time travel, the existence of black holes, and the creation of the universe. However, he became increasingly isolated from the rest of the physics community. With the huge developments in unraveling the secrets of atoms and molecules, spurred on by the development to the atomic bomb, the majority of scientists were working on the quantum theory, not relativity. Another reason for Einstein’s detachment from his colleagues was his obsession with discovering his unified field theory. In the 1930s, Einstein engaged in a series of historic private debates with Niels Bohr, the originator of the Bohr atomic model. In a series of â€Å"thought experiments,† Einstein tried to find logical inconsistencies in the quantum theory, but was unsuccessful. However, in his later years, he stopped opposing quantum theory and tried to incorporate it, along with light and gravity, into the larger unified field theory he was developing (Whittaker). In the last decade of his life, Einstein withdrew from public life, rarely traveling far and confining himself to long walks around Princeton with close associates, whom he engaged in deep conversations about politics, religion, physics and his unified field theory.

750 word editorial to submit to USA today for possible publication on Article

750 word editorial to submit to USA today for possible publication on why I think the Mental Health Access ACT OF 2012 needs to be passed so it can help the nations veterans - Article Example Delivering mental healthcare to this segment is a unique challenge that requires specialized training. Combat stress has become the inescapable part of life of a war veteran that results in psychological stress. The Post-Deployment Health Assessment for soldiers has revealed the alarming results of mental disorders for those who are engaged in violent war-fronts where they have to witness killings and bloodshed. The Mental Health Access Act of 2012 aims to improve and enhance programs and activities of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve the levels of resilience of the veterans. Establishment of such a system to provide accurate and reliable measures for mental health services to the veterans is the need of the hour. The bill sponsored by Senator Murray (Democrat) and introduced on June 25, 2012 is the right step in achieving the desired goal. The bill broadly has the twin objectives. Pre-deployment training, wherein the soldiers will be counseled about what to expect in the front to enable them to be mentally tough and let them know how to handle it when confronted and the options available to them. Soldiers killing themselves and committing suicide is distressing news as compared to their dying in warfronts for a cause. According to the figures reported by the Department of Veterans Affairs the nation’s veterans who live through the conditions, post-traumatic disorders coupled with substance abuse have turned out to be serious ailments. Many ancillary problems like emotional numbing, sleeplessness, irritability, hyper vigilance, depression, anxiety and poor concentration makes their life tortuous. The authorities need to take decisive steps to prevent, inform and treat. The brave, faithful men and women who have sacrificed much and have dedicated their lives to serve the nation deserve more and their grievances need to be comprehensively addressed, treated and alleviated. The Mental

Critical issue in global health ( Mental Health in the People's Essay

Critical issue in global health ( Mental Health in the People's Republic of China ) - Essay Example Phillips noted the recent developments in mental health policy as a step in the right direction. Under pressure from the international community and a growing awareness of the benefits of healthy population, the government is reportedly investing heavily on public health measures such as in mental health. However, the speaker pointed out that there are still much to be done and improved on. There is the case of the vulnerabilities in the National Mental Health Law and the need for more experts and talents to fill the gap in the area of research and mental health treatment. According to Phillips, it is important for the world to be aware of the state of mental health in China because there are several critical differences. He cited the case of suicide as an example. He found that in China, suicide is impulsive rather than premeditated and this is the reason why many suicide cases were diagnosed to be free of mental illness. This along with several other issues, concluded, Phillips is the reason why high-income countries could also learn something from China. Phillips, M. (22 October 2013). Mental Health in the China People’s Republic of China: An Epidemiological Journey. [Video file]. Retrieved from

The improvement of diabetes care concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The improvement of diabetes care concept - Essay Example It is acknowledged that evidence based practice is rational and logical and research keeps moving forward amassing more and more knowledge, opening many possibilities. Such evidence corroborated research should be implemented in the management so that updated knowledge could improve interventions and quality. The care provided must be constantly evaluated and improved based on new and refined knowledge (Burns and Grove, 2003). Evidence based practice also ensures treatment interventions on the basis of reliable research by integrating clinical expertise, patient information and evidence guidance. The nursing profession is accountable to society for providing high quality, cost-effective care for patients (Burns and Grove, 2003). This study will give two Executive summaries of two articles and an in-depth analysis of another similar research based article. With more research coming out in the field, medical practitioners feel that research evidence based practice is more important for a long term disease like diabetes. Research connected practice is of great significance for my practice and I have chosen this module because of its pertinence to my career. There will be connected literature review closely linked with regional and cultural backgrounds, psychological mindsets and disease management. Di Censo et al (1998) explains evidence-based practice (EBP) as 'The process by which nurses make clinical decisions using the best available research with their clinical expertise and patient preferences in the context of available resources'. Research based practice relies on systematic research studies while evidence considers nurse's clinical experience, practice trends and patient preferences (Newell and Burnar d, 2006). EXECUTIVE SUMMERY OF AN INPATIENT DIABETIC CARE PATHWAY: This study depends on the development and testing of a care pathway for diabetes management examining the impact of length of stay, re-admission, CP driven care advantage and improvement parameters. CP was developed in consultation with ward staff mainly to improve nurse knowledge; but for the use of both medical and nursing staff. Requirement of constant support for staff was examined by measuring staff knowledge before and after trial using questionnaire. Patients were randomised for normal and CP care. According to discharge patient notes assessment CP maintained better care while standard of documentation was similar. Baseline demographics like age, diabetes duration, sex, type of diabetes etc. including intervention period, and follow-up of patients being randomised to either normal care or a care pathway (CP), with a knowledge questionnaire, regarding analyser comparisons between staff located and CP groups were all attended to. Frequency of blood glucose monitoring was monitor ed and was found to be more appropriate to CP group as CP was significantly better quality of care with standard documentation, of both CP and non-pathway groups. Result showed improvement in hospital stay and HbA1c control, but not significantly. CP group had higher knowledge in staff and patient both, with reduction in length of hospitalisation and better quality of

Reflective journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Reflective journal - Essay Example Through Sainsbury’s 2014 Christmas Advert, I got to understand the conflicting messages which can be through previous messages. From the role of History as a resource of the citizens, I was able to comprehend the role of history before and after both national and international events. The above can be applied in my future academic as well as real life pursuit while visiting new places and understanding how their present culture is influenced by history. I met the objectives of the lecture through understanding the significance of History and its various meanings to modern life1. Dr Andrea Mammone lectured the second Lecture, and its primary objective was to teach on the historical creation of Identities with the major focus being on totalitarianism. I was able to meet the objectives of the lecture.In the lecture, I was able to grow by understanding identities related to fascism across different social aspects. The lecturer exhibited the relative historical characters from politics to sport and how they are used and revised to legitimise modern political and local situations. Through the integration of memory and history, the different vectors of memory such as historical studies, mass media, commemorations and museums amongst others are established. This leads to various types of memories such as collective and individual memory, personal and public amongst others. Mussolini is with fascism and after his fall images even in sports were used to signify his fall. Fascism is from other countries such as Austria and France. From the class, I was able to underst and how the identities directly challenged the acceptance of diversification, as well as democracies around the world. I was thus able to achieve the lecture’s goal through understanding how past historical activities had led to the creation of identities on almost all social aspects2. The third lecture on creating identities with reference to

HW 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HW 8 - Essay Example -The company can also use results from PEST analysis to determine which upcoming markets are worth investing in, and the expected return, which when maximized, will help keep the business several steps ahead of its competitors. The economic crisis that hit the banking sector in 2008 that resulted in the failure of several banks across the world directly affected the business as it limited access to funds for investment. To counter this, the business resolved to increase efficiency in its production by reducing the use of natural resources and decreasing waste by employing lean production techniques. The result of which was a considerable decrease in cost of production, while at the same time keeping the environment clean. Secondly, during the 1970’s, a number of governments introduced rules that aimed at minimizing air pollution from running engines. The Company noticed an opportunity and came up with efficient catalytic converters that convert harmful gasses to less harmful substances. Human resource development refers to the ability to attach value to the human work force and developing their abilities to maximize output. The process is a dynamic one that involves proper selection of a good work force to hire, providing a good environment for the people to work on and deliver to their full potential, as well as giving the employees an opportunity to develop themselves. With increased employee engagement comes improved product quality. This is because better-engaged employees understand and live up to the company’s brand, which translates to excellence in the end product. Secondly, employee engagement also helps the workers in utilizing their full potential, enabling then to identify their strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities available for them to develop. There are three ways employed by Harrods in an attempt to involve its employees in

Roles and responsibilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Roles and responsibilities - Essay Example Coaching and physical instruction involves programming and planning process. It extensively involves the teaching style, the learning style, the leadership style, the coaching style and the communication skills. According to Cross (1999), physical fitness is categorized into two, first, is the general fitness which refers to the condition of an individual health and wealth being. Secondly, is the specific fitness which is mainly task-oriented. It is defined depending on an individual’s ability to carry out different aspects of sports. Physical fitness is gained through exercising, having the correct nutrition and adequate rest. All these are important in an individual’s life. According to Weinberg and Gould (2005), physical activity is an exercise through which the body is made to work extra hard than normal. It involves actives that go to the extreme level as compared to one’s routine of just sitting, standing and walking up the stairs. Increased Physical activi ty is beneficial to all. Sport is known to be a game that has its basis in physical athleticism, (Heyward, 2006). The roles and responsibilities of a coach are viewed at times as being complex and involving Cassidy, (2005). At the same time they are exciting and very rewarding to all individuals involved. ... This is based on the idea that reassurance and relieve is attained through sharing anxieties. Fourthly, a coach is a demonstrator; a coach has to clearly demonstrate the right skill which the athletes are supposed to perform. Fifth, he or she plays a role of a friend; a coach and an athlete develop personal relationship with time as they work together. Apart from provision of coaching advice sport coach become a close person who can also be involved problems discussion and sharing of success. A coach has to be careful and ensure that all personal information remains confidential. Through this, the coach will manage to maintain the existing friendship and respect. The sixth role is that of a facilitator, a coach is greatly involved in identifying the appropriate competitions which best suit the athletes. This will assist the competitors in attaining their yearly objectives. The seventh role is that of a fact finder, a coach plays a key role in collection of data of both national and i nternational results and provides updates with the latest training techniques. Eight, a coach is a fountain of knowledge; in some cases coaches are asked questions on different events on media, for example television, diet, sport injuries and other topics outside the field of sports. Ninth, a coach is also an instructor who is supposed to instruct athletes on different sport skills. Tenth, he or she is a motivator; a coach plays a key role in maintaining the motivation of athletes throughout the year. Twelfth, he or she is a role model, a coach remains to be a model on specific behavioural and social role for those under him or her to imitate. This is among the most important roles as coaches are required to be good examples to

Managed care contracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managed care contracts - Essay Example Managed care is sometimes used as a general term for the activity of organizing doctors, hospitals, and other providers into groups in order to enhance the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Managed Care Organizations (MCO) include HMO, PPO, POS, EPO, PHO, IDS, AHP, IPA, etc. Usually when one speaks of a managed care organization, one is speaking of the entity that manages risk, contracts with providers, is paid by employers or patient groups, or handles claims processing. Managed care has effectively formed a "go-between", brokerage or 3rd party arrangement by existing as the gatekeeper between payers and providers and patients. The term managed care is often misunderstood, as it refers to numerous aspects of healthcare management, payment and organization. It is best to ask the speaker to clarify what he or she means when using the term "managed care". In the purest sense, all people working in healthcare and medical insurance can be thought of as "managing care." Any s ystem of health payment or delivery arrangements where the plan attempts to control or coordinate use of health services by its enrolled members in order to contain health expenditures, improve quality, or both. Arrangements often involve a defined delivery system of providers with some form of contractual arrangement with the plan. See Health Maintenance Organization, Independent Practice Association, Preferred Provider Organization (Pohley 2008). Systems and techniques used to control the use of health care services. Includes a review of medical necessity, incentives to use certain providers, and case management. The body of clinical, financial and organizational activities designed to ensure the provision of appropriate health care services in a cost-efficient manner. Managed care techniques are most often practiced by organizations and professionals that assume risk for a

Management Accounting IP Week 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management Accounting IP Week 3 - Essay Example The ski selected is a mass-market ski with a special binding. It will be sold to wholesalers for $80 per pair. Because of availability capacity, no additional fixed charges will be incurred to produce the skis. A $100,000 fixed charge will be absorbed by the skis, however, to allocate a fair share of the company’s present fixed costs to the new product. Ski Pro has approached a subcontractor to discuss the possibility of purchasing the bindings. The purchase price of the bindings from the subcontractor would be $5.25 per binding, or $10.50 per pair. If the Ski Pro Corporation accepts the purchase proposal, it is predicted that direct-labor and variable-overhead costs would be reduced by 10% and direct-material costs would be reduced by 20%. The above calculations show that when Minnetonka Corporation is making the bindings the contribution margin was $10 and when it is from the subcontractor, the contribution margin was $9.5. Thus contribution margin when buying is getting reduced by $0.5 Therefore it is suggested that Minnetonka Corporation should make bindings as contribution margin is higher, rather than buy it from sub-contractor. There is not profit or loss when Minnetonka is making the bindings however if it buys it is incurring a loss of $5000. Hence Minnetonka should make the bindings. The maximum purchase price that should be acceptable to Minnetonka Corporation would be where the contribution margin from buying is at least equal to the contribution margin from making the bindings so that whatever profit or loss incurred when bought is equal when making the bindings. From the calculations in the spreadsheet it was found that if contribution has to be same with both making and buying, that is $10 then Minnetonka Corporation should buy the bindings from the subcontractor at maximum purchase of $10 /pr or $5 per binding. 3. Instead of sales of 10,000 pair of skis, revised estimates show sales volume at 12,500 pair. At this new volume, additional

Major differences between the two theories Essay Example for Free

Major differences between the two theories Essay The obviously notable difference between Bandura’s social cognitive theory and Beck’s cognitive theory is the bias that each has towards behavior. For instance, Bandura’s model is more behavioral, whereas Beck’s model is inclined towards psychotherapy or seems to provide psychological solutions to problems. The social cognitive theory (by Bandura) is presented in an agentic perspective. It explains why people exhibit differences in self-organization, being proactive, participation in self-reflection, and in self-regulation (Bandura, 1986). In essence, the theory does not just show that human beings have different capabilities, it also shows that other factors such as the environment play a major role in shaping behaviorism (Bandura, 1986). The theory further describes human beings as producers as well as products of what they make (the proverb manners maketh man should be true). Bandura’s theory also gives the socio cognitive aspects of human beings, for example, why they act in particular manners and what elicits such behavior. Additionally, the theory also gives reasons why the human nature is vast in terms of capabilities and how humanity is fashioned by direct and observational experience that is integrated in a variety of forms. In contradistinction, Beck’s theory gives a picture of the phenomena underlying dysfunctional beliefs (Beck, 1976). This theory does not just describe personality, but provides solutions to psychological problems. This is achieved by the model’s blow-by-blow analysis of the casual agents of depression and how depression can be remedied (Beck, 1976). Beck’s theory seems to give mediation approach in solving psychological problems by encouraging patients to be participants of the problem solving process rather than passive and helpless respondents. Another difference between the two theories is the triad used in each of the theories, which forms the basis of the entire illustrations and discussions. Bandura’s model is a triad with behavior, environmental factors and personal determinants as the main elements. On the other hand, Beck’s cognitive model consists of behavior, antecedent events and consequences (Beck, 1976; Beck, 1998). The triads may seem to portray a similarity between the two models but in real sense they exhibit differences since the explanation of how the elements in the triads affect each other or act on their own is slightly different. For instance, in Bandura’s theory, the description of how the factors in the triad affect each other revolves around cause and effect. One of the factors, such as the environment is implied to be a cause (or a factor that determines) of behavior. Thus, there is emphasis on reciprocal determinism. On the other hand, Beck’s triadic illustration of the factors that shape personality and character is influenced by the person (self), the world and the future. In this context, it is evident that personality is affected not just by behavior but also by other events that occur in life. In fact, Beck (1976) describes the person (self) as the main source of ideas to solve depression problems with reference to the world and anticipation of a better future. Conclusion Bandura’s Cognitive Theory and Beck’s Cognitive Theory seem to have more similarities in that they describe personality and the factors shape it. Many elements described in each theory’s triad show convergence in meaning. Major differences between the two models lie in the description of the models. While Bandura’s model is inclined towards behaviorism, Beck’s model provides an explanation of psychological dysfunctions and possible remedies. References Bandura A. (2006). Psychological modeling: Conflicting theories. Chicago: Aldine Transaction. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-Efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W. H. Freeman Company Bandura, A. (1986).Social foundations of thoughts and action: A social cognitive theory. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Professional Technical. Bandura, A. (1976) Social learning theory. New York: Prentice Hall Bandura, A. (1971). Psychological modeling: Conflicting theories. Chicago: Aldine- Atherton. Beck, A. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford Press Beck, A. (1976). Cognitive therapy emotional disorders. NY: International Universities Press. Beck, A. (1998). The Integrative Power of Cognitive Therapy. New York: Guilford Press.

Corporate Restructuring Strategies Business Essay

Corporate Restructuring Strategies Business Essay Corporate restructuring is the process of redesigning one or more aspects of a company. The process of reorganizing a company may be implemented due to a number of different factors, such as positioning the company to be more competitive, survive a currently adverse economic climate, or poise the corporation to move in an entirely new direction. Here are some examples of why corporate restructuring may take place and what it can mean for the company. In general, the idea of corporate restructuring is to allow the company to continue functioning in some manner. Even when corporate raiders break up the company and leave behind a shell of the original structure, there is still usually a hope, what remains can function well enough for a new buyer to purchase the diminished corporation and return it to profitability. Purpose of Corporate Restructuring To enhance the share holder value, The company should continuously evaluate its: Portfolio of businesses, Capital mix, Ownership Asset arrangements to find opportunities to increase the share holders value. To focus on asset utilization and profitable investment opportunities. To reorganize or divest less profitable or loss making businesses/products. The company can also enhance value through capital Restructuring, it can innovate securities that help to reduce cost of capital. Corporate Restructuring entails a range of activities including financial restructuring and organization restructuring. 1. Financial Restructuring Financial restructuring is the reorganization of the financial assets and liabilities of a corporation in order to create the most beneficial financial environment for the company. The process of financial restructuring is often associated with corporate restructuring, in that restructuring the general function and composition of the company is likely to impact the financial health of the corporation. When completed, this reordering of corporate assets and liabilities can help the company to remain competitive, even in a depressed economy. Just about every business goes through a phase of financial restructuring at one time or another. In some cases, the process of restructuring takes place as a means of allocating resources for a new marketing campaign or the launch of a new product line. When this happens, the restructure is often viewed as a sign that the company is financially stable and has set goals for future growth and expansion. Need For Financial Restructuring The process of financial restructuring may be undertaken as a means of eliminating waste from the operations of the company. For example, the restructuring effort may find that two divisions or departments of the company perform related functions and in some cases duplicate efforts. Rather than continue to use financial resources to fund the operation of both departments, their efforts are combined. This helps to reduce costs without impairing the ability of the company to still achieve the same ends in a timely manner In some cases, financial restructuring is a strategy that must take place in order for the company to continue operations. This is especially true when sales decline and the corporation no longer generates a consistent net profit. A financial restructuring may include a review of the costs associated with each sector of the business and identify ways to cut costs and increase the net profit. The restructuring may also call for the reduction or suspension of production facilities that are obsolete or currently produce goods that are not selling well and are scheduled to be phased out. Financial restructuring also take place in response to a drop in sales, due to a sluggish economy or temporary concerns about the economy in general. When this happens, the corporation may need to reorder finances as a means of keeping the company operational through this rough time. Costs may be cut by combining divisions or departments, reassigning responsibilities and eliminating personnel, or scaling back production at various facilities owned by the company. With this type of corporate restructuring, the focus is on survival in a difficult market rather than on expanding the company to meet growing consumer demand. All businesses must pay attention to matters of finance in order to remain operational and to also hopefully grow over time. From this perspective, financial restructuring can be seen as a tool that can ensure the corporation is making the most efficient use of available resources and thus generating the highest amount of net profit possible within the current set economic environment. 2. Organizational Restructuring In organizational restructuring, the focus is on management and internal corporate governance structures. Organizational restructuring has become a very common practice amongst the firms in order to match the growing competition of the market. This makes the firms to change the organizational structure of the company for the betterment of the business. Need For Organization Restructuring New skills and capabilities are needed to meet current or expected operational requirements. Accountability for results are not clearly communicated and measurable resulting in subjective and biased performance appraisals. Parts of the organization are significantly over or under staffed. Organizational communications are inconsistent, fragmented, and inefficient. Technology and/or innovation are creating changes in workflow and production processes. Significant staffing increases or decreases are contemplated. Personnel retention and turnover is a significant problem. Workforce productivity is stagnant or deteriorating. Morale is deteriorating. Some of the most common features of organizational restructures are: Regrouping of business: This involves the firms regrouping their existing business into fewer business units. The management then handles theses lesser number of compact and strategic business units in an easier and better way that ensures the business to earn profit. Downsizing: Often companies may need to retrench the surplus manpower of the business. For that purpose offering voluntary retirement schemes (VRS) is the most useful tool taken by the firms for downsizing the businesss workforce. Decentralization: In order to enhance the organizational response to the developments in dynamic environment, the firms go for decentralization. This involves reducing the layers of management in the business so that the people at lower hierarchy are benefited. Outsourcing: Outsourcing is another measure of organizational restructuring that reduces the manpower and transfers the fixed costs of the company to variable costs. Enterprise Resource Planning: Enterprise resource planning is an integrated management information system that is enterprise-wide and computer-base. This management system enables the business management to understand any situation in faster and better way. The advancement of the information technology enhances the planning of a business. Business Process Engineering: It involves redesigning the business process so that the business maximizes the operation and value added content of the business while minimizing everything else. Total Quality Management: The businesses now have started to realize that an outside certification for the quality of the product helps to get a good will in the market. Quality improvement is also necessary to improve the customer service and reduce the cost of the business. VARIOUS STRATEGIES FOR BUSINESS RESTRUCTURING Smart sizing: It is the process of reducing the size of a company by laying off employees on the basis of incompetence and inefficiency. Some Examples Acquisitions: HLL took over TOMCO. Diversification: Videocon group is diversified into power projects, oil exploration and basic telecom services. Merger: Asea and Brown Boveri came together to form ABB. Strategic alliances: Siemens India has got a Strategic alliance with Bharati Telecom for marketing of its EPABX. Expansion: Siemens is expanding its medical electronics division- a new factory for medical electronics is already come up in Goa. Networking: It refers to the process of breaking companies into smaller independant business units for significant improvement in productivity and flexibility. The phenomenon is predominant in South Korea, where big companies like Samsung, Hyundai and Daewoo are breaking themselves up into smaller units. These firms convert their managers into entrepreneurs. Virtual Corporation: It is a company that has taken steps to turn itself inside out. Rather than having managers and staff sitting INSIDE in their offices moving papers from in basket to out basket, a virtual corporation kicks the employees outside, sending them to work in customers offices and plants, determining what the customer needs and wants, then reshaping the corporate products and services to the customers exact needs. This is a futuristic concept wherein companies will be edgeless, adaptable and perpetually changing. The centrepiece of the business revolution is a new kind of product called a Virtual Product Some of the these products already exist, camcorders create instant movies, personal computers and laser printers have made instant desktop publishing a reality. And for all these we can obtain cash instantly at ATMs. Verticalization: It refers to regrouping of management functions for particular functions for a particular product range to achieve higher accountability and transparency. Siemens in 1990 moved from a function-oriented structure to a vertical entrepreneur-oriented structure embracing size business and three support divisions. Delayering- Flat organization: In the post world war period the demand for goods was ever increasing. Main objective of the corporations was production and capacity build up to meet the demand. The classical, pyramidal structure was well suited to this high growth environment. This structure was scalable and the corporations could immediately translate their growth plans into action by adding workers at the bottom layer and filling in the management layers. But the price paid in the whole process was much higher. The overall process became complicated; number of middle managers and functional managers grew making the coordination of various functions complex. Senior/top management was alienated from the front-line people as well as the end users of the product or sen/ice. Decision-making became slower. Hence, a need is felt to attack the unproductive, bulky and sluggish network of white-collar staff. A powerful strategy would be to remove the layers of senior and middle management i. e. making the organization structure flat. The perspective of organizational restructuring may be different for the employees. When a company goes for the organizational restructuring, it often leads to reducing the manpower and hence meaning that people are losing their jobs. This may decrease the morale of employee in a large manner. Hence many firms provide strategies on career transitioning and outplacement support to their existing employees for an easy transition to their next job. The important methods of Corporate Restructuring are: Joint ventures Sell off and spin off Divestitures Equity carve out Leveraged buy outs (LBO) Management buy outs 1. Joint Ventures Joint ventures are new enterprises owned by two or more participants. They are typically formed for special purposes for a limited duration. It is a combination of subsets of assets contributed by two (or more) business entities for a specific business purpose and a limited duration. Each of the venture partners continues to exist as a separate firm, and the joint venture represents a new business enterprise. It is a contract to work together for a period of time each participant expects to gain from the activity but also must make a contribution. For Example: GM-Toyota JV: GM hoped to gain new experience in the management techniques of the Japanese in building high-quality, low-cost compact subcompact cars. Whereas, Toyota was seeking to learn from the management traditions that had made GE the no. 1 auto producer in the world and In addition to learn how to operate an auto company in the environment under the conditions in the US, dealing with contractors, suppliers, and workers. DCM group and Daewoo motors entered in to JV to form DCM DAEWOO Ltd. to manufacture automobiles in India. 2. Spin-off Spinoffs are a way to get rid of underperforming or non-core business divisions that can drag down profits. Process of spin-off The company decides to spin off a business division. The parent company files the necessary paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The spinoff becomes a company of its own and must also file paperwork with the SEBI. Shares in the new company are distributed to parent company shareholders. The spinoff company goes public. Notice that the spinoff shares are distributed to the parent company shareholders. There are two reasons why this creates value: Parent company shareholders rarely want anything to do with the new spinoff. After all, its an underperforming division that was cut off to improve the bottom line. As a result, many new shareholders sell immediately after the new company goes public. Large institutions are often forbidden to hold shares in spinoffs due to the smaller market capitalization, increased risk, or poor financials of the new company. Therefore, many large institutions automatically sell their shares immediately after the new company goes public. There is no money transaction in spin-off. The transaction is treated as stock dividend tax free exchange. Split-off: Is a transaction in which some, but not all, parent company shareholders receive shares in a subsidiary, in return for relinquishing their parent companys share. In other words some parent company shareholders receive the subsidiarys shares in return for which they must give up their parent company shares Feature of split-offs is that a portion of existing shareholders receives stock in a subsidiary in exchange for parent company stock. Split-up: Is a transaction in which a company spins off all of its subsidiaries to its shareholders ceases to exist. The entire firm is broken up in a series of spin-offs. The parent no longer exists and Only the new offspring survive. In a split-up, a company is split up into two or more independent companies. As a sequel, the parent company disappears as a corporate entity and in its place two or more separate companies emerge. 3. Divestures Divesture is a transaction through which a firm sells a portion of its assets or a division to another company. It involves selling some of the assets or division for cash or securities to a third party which is an outsider. Divestiture is a form of contraction for the selling company. means of expansion for the purchasing company. It represents the sale of a segment of a company (assets, a product line, a subsidiary) to a third party for cash and or securities. Mergers, assets purchase and takeovers lead to expansion in some way or the other. They are based on the principle of synergy which says 2 + 2 = 5! , divestiture on the other hand is based on the principle of anergy which says 5 3 = 3!. Among the various methods of divestiture, the most important ones are partial sell-off, demerger (spin-off split off) and equity carve out. Some scholars define divestiture rather narrowly as partial sell off and some scholars define divestiture more broadly to include partial sell offs, demergers and so on. Motives: Change of focus or corporate strategy Unit unprofitable can mistake Sale to pay off leveraged finance Antitrust Need cash Defend against takeover Good price. 4. Equity Carve-Out A transaction in which a parent firm offers some of a subsidiaries common stock to the general public, to bring in a cash infusion to the parent without loss of control. In other words equity carve outs are those in which some of a subsidiaries shares are offered for a sale to the general public, bringing an infusion of cash to the parent firm without loss of control. Equity carve out is also a means of reducing their exposure to a riskier line of business and to boost shareholders value. 5. Leveraged Buyout A buyout is a transaction in which a person, group of people, or organization buys a company or a controlling share in the stock of a company. Buyouts great and small occur all over the world on a daily basis. Buyouts can also be negotiated with people or companies on the outside. For example, a large candy company might buy out smaller candy companies with the goal of cornering the market more effectively and purchasing new brands which it can use to increase its customer base. Likewise, a company which makes widgets might decide to buy a company which makes thingamabobs in order to expand its operations, using an establishing company as a base rather than trying to start from scratch. 6. Management buyout In this case, management of the company buys the company, and they may be joined by employees in the venture. This practice is sometimes questioned because management can have unfair advantages in negotiations, and could potentially manipulate the value of the company in order to bring down the purchase price for themselves. On the other hand, for employees and management, the possibility of being able to buy out their employers in the future may serve as an incentive to make the company strong. It occurs when a companys managers buy or acquire a large part of the company. The goal of an MBO may be to strengthen the managers interest in the success of the company. Purpose of Management buyouts From management point of view may be: To save their jobs, either if the business has been scheduled for closure or if an outside purchaser would bring in its own management team. To maximize the financial benefits they receive from the success they bring to the company by taking the profits for themselves. To ward off aggressive buyers. The goal of an MBO may be to strengthen the managers interest in the success of the company. Key considerations in MBO are fairness to shareholders price, the future business plan, and legal and tax issues. Benefits of Management buyouts It provides an excellent opportunity for management of undervalued cos to realize the intrinsic value of the company. Lower agency cost: cost associated with conflict of interest between owners and managers. Source of tax savings: since interest payments are tax deductible, pushing up gearing rations to fund a management buyout can provide large tax covers. Conclusion: Restructuring strategies encompasses enhancing economy and improving efficiency. When a company wants to grow or survive in a competitive environment, it needs to restructure itself and focus on its competitive advantage. Thus, the merger and acquisition strategies have been conceived to improve general economic well-being of all those who are, directly or indirectly, connected with the corporate sector. The intension of buy back is visualized as to support share value during periods of temporary weakness, survival and to prevent takeover bids.

Learning Perspectives in Education

Learning Perspectives in Education Learning: Perspectives, Perceptions and Performance â€Å"Learning† is a vague, important term. When mentioned, common associations are often relegated to the association with young schoolchildren and not so often as one of the most intriguing and inquired upon aspects of psychology. Prior to further elucidation, as if oft the case, the examination of â€Å"learning† merits a definition. Though it seems to be a word of self-evident meaning, because it is hard to study directly, some further refining must be utilized. This self-evident ‘acquisition of knowledge’ can only be measured with behavioral outcomes and should be observationally able to be distinguished from reflexive or instinctive responses. A behavioral outcome might consist of a high test score, a rat that quickly presses a lever, an employee that receives bonus compensation or any other number of commonly conceived examples. In discussing the nature of learning, there are perhaps two or three popularly dominant perspectives which are essential to understand in the formation of any reasonably comprehensive review. These perspectives include the behaviorist, the social learning, and the cognitive schools. Though it becomes apparent that these three influences are not without critique and that, even within each, there exists what might be labeled ‘factions’, their fundamental contributions cannot be ignored. Behaviorism The first of these perspectives is the behaviorist. In this scheme, there are two broad branches: classical conditioning and instrumental conditioning. In classical conditioning, learning occurs by the pairing of the stimulus with a desired response of the subject. Experimentally, this is an example of Pavlov’s famous dogs and the learning that results is a consequence of the learned associative relationship and is not contingent upon any action by the subject. The alternative to this method is instrumental conditioning in which the subject gets to â€Å"choose†. By this, it is meant that the reinforcement is contingent upon what the subject â€Å"chooses† as evidenced by the behaviorally discernibly different response. Within the realm of behaviorism, one key contributor and voluminous icon of psychology in general is Thorndike. As a function of his experiments with cats in boxes for which they had to perform some specific behavior to escape, he concluded that learning was a process of an incremental nature and that their was became a neural link between the stimulus and response. This was evidenced by his successive experiments in which the cats became ‘smarter’, that is, they learned what specific behavior was required in order to be released. As the number of trials progressed, there was an inverse relationship with the time needed to escape. The work of Skinner furthered the science of behaviorism by his greater elucidation of the four broad categories of reinforcement: Application of a positive stimulus – Commonly referred to as a reward, this involves the presentation of something the subject desires. Removal of a positive stimulus – An example of this for children would be â€Å"time-out†. Theoretically and often in reality, this method is useful to extinguish unwanted behaviors. In fact, according to Skinner, the most effective way to eliminate a behavior is to ignore it, thus removing any external reinforcement. Application of a negative stimulus – Typically referred to as â€Å"punishment†, this involves the application of an unwanted or noxious stimulus to shape behavior. Removal of a negative stimulus – This is the be the restoration of â€Å"normal† conditions upon cessation of an undesirable action or commission of some desired behavior. A parenting example would be the removal of a ‘grounded’ condition upon acceptable repentance of some past action. In addition Skinner identified another type of reinforcer that he labeled a â€Å"general reinforcer† due to its wide applicability. Money is one such item and is so labeled because subjects desire it regardless of their state of depravity. This is in contrast to food which is not an adequate stimulus unless one is hungry, that is deprived of food. Another theorist, Guthrie provides yet additional insight into the theories and methods of learning. One of his key contributions to the field is with his â€Å"Law of Continuity†. In this, Guthrie proposes eloquently that, â€Å"a combination of stimuli which has been accompanied by movement will on its recurrence tend to be followed by that movement†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ in other words, an action in a given situation will likely be repeated when the subject finds themselves in a similar situation. The Cognitive Approach While there is the well-known debate of nature versus nuture that runs throughout science, such polarity also exists within the field of psychology and learning. A pure behaviorist would insist that so-called ‘choices’ are really nothing more than an animal-like actions in all behavior is reducible to stimulus and response type mechanisms. As behaviorism has significantly added to our understanding of the human condition, there exist alternative perspectives that are also quite useful. One such branch of the more cognitive division of psychology is referred to a Gestalt psychology. From this perspective, the insight that the brain is not the passive recipient of stimulus but actively involved in the perception and construction of reality is posited. Further, Gestalt psychologists attest that a given stimulus exists not in isolation but in the total context of the perception of the subject. For example, Wertheimer, the father of Gestalt psychology, cited the example of two blinking lights being able to present the perception of apparent motion. This as well as the popular psychology examples in which a certain line has the appearance of being longer than another depending on the lines and figures around it speaks to the tenet of Gestalt psychology that an experience as a whole, is greater than the sum of the individual parts that make it up. From these and other example, the idea that the mind is able to shape its own perspective of reality by virtue of its own beliefs about how things should be or how they are desired to be is a major enduring contribution of t he Gestalt movement. Though not a cognitivist, Piaget’s contribution to learning could arguably be filed in this area. Particularly noted for his contributions to developmental psychology and thus much appropriate for child rather than adult learning, Piaget declared the existence of fairly defined period of development. During these periods, a child was able to learn specific skills and acquire certain abilities with not being able to achieve certain others due to the maturation and innate abilities that of a developing brain. For example, the period of approximately seven to twelve years old is referred to as the concrete operations period. During this range, reasoning and problem solving abilities are generally limited to â€Å"concrete† phenomena that can be seen and observed rather than abstract in nature. Observational or Social Learning Though cognitive in nature, these theories have been treated separately due to both their easy discernment by more ‘pure’ cognitive perspectives and by the distinctness of the contributions of the key theorists. Up to this point, the models of learning that have been postulated, whether behaviorist or cognitive, have been focused on the subject only. Moving somewhat further away from the ‘clean’ and ‘pure’ perspective of behaviorism, social learning theory attests that the focus must extend beyond the subject to the contextual influence on others. In describing the views of social learning, some of the most controversial and informative experiments in modern psychology have be conducted. For example, Bandura’s famed ‘prison experiment’ in which subjects were put into a mock prison with some subjects assigned to be â€Å"guards† while others were simply â€Å"prisoners†. The experiment was terminated early due so me of the subjects ‘taking their roles a bit too seriously’. In another classic experiment, children were shown a film showing an adult acting aggressively by hitting a doll or shown an adult being kind to a doll. These same children later modeled the demonstrated behavior, whether aggressive or not. Such findings are reinforced by LeBon’s work on â€Å"crowd psychology† in which individuals and groups are influenced by others to model or imitate certain implicit behaviors. Implications on Health Well-Being Animals, depending on the species, have a number of unlearned, innate behavioral responses to certain stimuli. Examples such as sea turtles that ‘automatically’ head toward the sea upon birth on a sandy beach to dogs that seek the warmth and scent of their mothers while they cannot see after birth abound in literature. On the other hand, humans seem to come into the world as a blank slate to be written upon by life’s experiences. It is this aspect of humanity that makes learning play such a pivotal role in our development and beyond. Further, after even a short perusal of the various schools of thought, it becomes apparent that the human animal is complex enough to warrant the consideration and application of all perspectives. By doing so, it is possible not only achieve specific learning goals but also to achieve the avoidance of certain other issues that may occur from situations in which learning does not occur. One such example of this is the child who is raised with excessive punishments to shape behavior. According Skinner and other behaviorists, this can produce a ‘maladapted’ adult who has emotional issues. These emotional issues may manifest themselves in any manner of behaviors such as avoidance of others or difficulties in relationships to, at the extreme, sociopaths who ‘act out’ their frustrations upon others. From a cognitive perspective, much of the therapeutic approach of this school is in bringing the â€Å"cognitive errors† that a person commits to their conscious awareness. These â€Å"errors in thinking† occur when a person creates false assumptions or acts utilizing illogical conclusions in choosing their responses to stimuli. Extreme but common examples are those who express feelings of being a â€Å"total failure† and consider suicide. In most cases, such errors are much more subtle but just as insidious with regards to their ability to alter behavior. Clearly, learning plays not just a role in the development of humans but is an ongoing factor in the ‘success’ of daily living. Psychologists, human resource specialists, trainers and managers and supervisors of any business are vitally concerned about learning in the workplace. As the business world grows more sophisticated, new skills are needed. These new skills must be taught, learned and successfully applied for the mutual success of the individual and the enterprise. As such, lessons from all three perspectives are quite relevant. By utilizing key components of each perspective and theorist, one can gain a flexible paradigm by which there is greater understanding and application to additional circumstances. It is with this goal of greater applicability that a number of specific contributions are outlined below: Thorndike on Education Thorndike had much to say in regards to educational process and the efficacy of teaching methods and styles. This insight is relevant regardless of the age of the learner. Consider the situation the student faces. Consider the response the wish to connect with this situation. Form the bond. All else equal, from no bond that will have to be broken. All else equal, from as few bonds as possible. All else equal, form bonds in the way they are required to act later. Favor the situations and responses that naturally occur in life (Hergenhahn and Olson 2005, p. 72). The bond that Thorndike refers to is the previously mentioned neural bond that exists between the stimulus and the response. Though these recommendations contain a number of Thorndike’s behavioral precepts, a key ‘learning’ for typical occupational settings is the last advisement. Reminiscent of the idea that if one is going to train for a five-kilometer road race, it is at some point necessary to train by running reinforces the point that training for a specific task should, as much as possible for effective learning, resemble the task itself. Skinner on punishment Just as Thorndike â€Å"lectured† on educational process, the iconic behaviorist Skinner advises in regards to punishment. This topic is perhaps most salient to child-rearing, an occupation in which there exists considerable frustration that might be at least slightly abated by the application of a learning theory. From a behaviorist standpoint, â€Å"punishment† is the application of a negative or undesired stimulus in order to shape behavior. While commonly utilized, Skinner cautions that punishment: Causes unfortunate emotional byproducts Indicates what an organism should not do rather than what it should do. Justifies inflicting pain on others. Being in a situation where previously punished behavior could be engaged in without being punished may excuse a child to do so. Punishment inflicts aggression toward the punishing agent and others. Punishment often replaces one undesirable response with another (Hergenhahn and Olson 2005, pp. 92-94). Guthrie on breaking habits Also a behaviorist, Guthrie addressed the issue of â€Å"habits†. From a behavioral perspective, habits are simply a specific response to a large number of stimuli in which the greater the number of the stimuli, the greater the strength of the habit. As habits can be a significant annoyance and possibly quite maladaptive, insight into their extinguishment is valuable. According to Guthrie, the following four methods are useful and valid: Threshold Method – In this method, the technique of ‘warming up’ to an idea is utilized rather than the sudden presentation of the stimulus in order to attenuate the response. Fatigue – This method demonstrates the futility of a response to gain the desired results but simply letting a subject ‘wear themselves out’ when a stimulus is presented. Incompatible Response Method – This method relies upon the pairing of a stimulus which generates an unacceptable response with a stimulus in which the response is not compatible with the unacceptable response. Such action has the effect of lessening the ability of the former stimulus to evoke and undesirable response. Though this is a behavioral percept, it has the net effect of forcing the subject to cognitively â€Å"rethink† the pairing and its meaning. Sidetracking – This method is one in which a habit in not so much eliminated as simply avoided. By removing the stimulation, one can effectively sidetrack the response (Hergenhahn and Olson 2005, pp. 220-224). Wertheimer’s Facts versus Principles According to Wertheimer, the father of Gestalt psychology, real â€Å"learning† occurs not by the simple recitation of facts but rather by the understanding of underlying principles. As apt illustration of this idea is the following example: A school inspector who was impressed by the children he had observed but wanted to ask one more question before departing. â€Å"How many hairs does a horse have?† he asked. Much to the amazement of both the inspector and the teacher, a nine-year old boy raised his hand and answered, â€Å"3,571,962.† â€Å"How do you know that your answer is correct?† asked the inspector. If you do not believe me,† answered the boy, â€Å"count them yourself.† The inspector broke into laughter and vowed to tell the story to his colleagues when eh returned to Vienna. When the inspector returned the following year for his annual visit, the teacher asked him how his colleagues responded to the story. Disappointedly, the inspector said, â€Å"I wanted very much to tell the story but I couldn’t. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember how many hairs the boy said the horse had.† (Hergenhahn and Olson 2005, p. 281). Enough said. Piaget’s â€Å"Learning depends on failure† Though we generally judge the success of learning by achievement, the noted developmental psychologist Piaget suggests that perhaps this should be reconsidered to some extent. Specifically, Piaget indicated that learning occurs only when the dilemma of ‘not learning’ or a failure to learn is present. To elaborate, the inability or failure of previous learning to account for a given set of circumstances makes it possible for new situations to be assimilated and accommodated, thus providing the raw material for learning to occur. Important to this assimilation and accommodation, or learning process is the ability of the teacher to gradually challenge rather than overwhelm the individual ((Hergenhahn and Olson 2005, pp. 302-303). Bandura: Human Monkeys are Different†¦ In early behaviorist experiments, animal subjects did not â€Å"look† at other animals to learn adaptive strategies. While more recent experiments have indeed demonstrated this phenomena, is was the failure of these early experiments that led Bandura to postulate model learning. In this system, Bandura explained and predicted human behavior by such as means that the stimulus was simultaneously internal and external to the subject. This is, to some extent, a cognitive behavioral approach and aptly illustrates the importance of positive role models and the influence that others can have upon learning and behavior. Conclusion Human learning simply cannot be fully understood by the use of a single perspective. It is not that any one paradigm is incorrect but rather each is only a partial representation of the range and diversity of the human condition. By availing oneself of multiple perspectives, one becomes the beneficiary of significantly more vast knowledge by which life, through work-, school- or home-life can be improved through the application of numerous principles and precepts designed to foster adaptive responses to the stimulation life brings. Works Consulted Hergenhahn, B. and M. Olson. (2005). An Introduction to the Theories of Learning, 7th Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, US: Pearson Prentice-Hall. Le Bon, G. (1914). The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind. London: T.F. Unwin.

Muslim Attitudes to Marriage and Family Life :: Papers, Religion, Culture

Muslim Attitudes to Marriage and Family Life Works Cited Missing In Islam, marriage is a partnership. Muslim women accept only Allah as their master, and do not therefore consider themselves to be inferior to a husband. It is basic in Muslim society that the man is responsible for the family's welfare and business outside the home, but the woman has virtually absolute rights within it so long as her behaviour does not shame her provider or husband. No institution works well without a clear leader, and therefore there should be one in every family. Most Muslim women are quite happy for this leader to be the man. If the man is not worth respecting, divorce is a straightforward matter, and the woman may look for a better one. Sometimes the woman in a household is more intelligent or organized or practical than the man, so he will quite sensibly leave most matters to her-but in Islam he is still responsible for her and therefore must take care of her and try to provide for her as much as he could and not just take advantage of her advantage of her. The women usually live with the husband's family but must be treated with the same respect and not considered an outsider. Marriage and family life are considered to be very important in Islam. Traditionally the man's duty is to go out to work to support the family and the woman's duty is to bring up the children and look after the household. The father makes the main decisions whilst the mother is important within the home and must be shown respect by her husband and children. This is seen as the natural order of things and the way Allah intended men and women to live. The man was also considered to be the provider for the family. Muslims believe that their household is an institution founded by God and intended to give a secure atmosphere for the growth and progress of all its members. Anything, which weakens or disrupts it, therefore

Marketing Analysis of Clarion :: essays research papers

Clarion AM/FM CD Player   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Clarion AM/FM CD Player w/ CD Changer Control that I purchased was manufactured in China. The country of origin shouldn’t be all that surprising to me, since China and Japan are probably the two leading manufacturers when it comes to audio technology in the world today. China has long been ahead of the United States on entertainment technology such as audio players or television sets.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The intended use is obviously to be utilized as a CD deck to be installed into a car’s dashboard component. The box it is contained in is rather simple; a black backdrop with a frontal view of the deck on the front and a strip of red crossing the box diagonally, fading into the black giving it a luminous appearance. Although this packaging design seems almost overly simple, it is its simple ness that appeals to the consumer’s eye. The black backdrop stands out and the red stripe gives it a sleek look that appeals to car owners looking for a new stereo system to place in their car.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I’m not entirely sure how climate considerations or ingredients would figure into a product such as this. As far as the directions for use go, there is a detailed instruction booklet included that contains instructions for setting up the options on the CD Player as well as how to operate its multifunction. There are two languages displayed on the box, English and French, which works well for this area since the proximity to Canada brings in a lot of French-speaking consumers. In other parts of the country however, they may want to add in a Spanish translation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Size and serviceability most probably vary with the place of purchase, the size is adequate for it’s purpose and intended use, there is a warranty you can fill out if you wish, and some places of purchase will install it into your automobile for you. Shipping distance wouldn’t be an issue here since they mass-produce and ship products such as these, and it is not difficult or expensive for a store to acquire more of such a product when it runs out.

Malcolm X / Muslim religion Essay -- Biographies

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I did my report on Malcolm X. Malcolm X claimed himself as a Muslim. He didn’t always though. He had some very challenging moments in his life. In his earliest childhood memory the Ku Klux Klan attacked his house. They were forced out of their city because his father was a Minister for a Baptist church, and tried recruiting fellow African-Americans to join his church. The white people in the community called them the â€Å"trouble Negroes.† They were run out of their community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He had two older brothers, Wilfred and Philbert, and older sister Hilda, and a younger brother Reginald. His dad had previously been married previously, and so Malcolm had two half-sisters, Ella, and Mary, and a half-brother named Earl. Malcolm’s half family lived in Boston, but is immediate family lived in Lansing, Michigan. His father ended up getting killed there between the ages of eight and ten.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His mom ended up meeting a guy, and after about a year he left her because he couldn’t deal with six kids. She was on welfare for a long time after her husband died, and the social workers were really hard on the family. They would isolate the members, and then try to instigate harsh feelings. After the guy left Malcolm X’s mom had a nervous breakdown, and she ended up being sent to a mental hospital. For a while he lived with his older brother Wilfred, and his older sister Hilda, but eventually he got sent to a foster ...

End the Wolf Hunt – Save the Wolves

Molly Kinney Composition 1 Mary Burmaster November 11 2012 Saving the Grey Wolves Wolves and humans have been coexisting for hundreds of years. Before Europeans conquered our vast country, wolves held a very esteemed place in Native American culture, as they were vital to forest ecosystems, and were often believed to be spiritual beings in many tribes (kidsplanet 1). As much as they were honored in tribal cultures, others feared them.Children’s fables often described them as â€Å"the big bad wolf† in stories such as Little Red Riding hood and The Three Little Pigs (kidsplanet 1). Settlers saw wolves in this way because they were a sort of competition, dwindling stock and wild game numbers (kidsplanet 1). Even into the 20th century, the belief that wolves were still a threat to human safety continued despite documentation to the contrary, and by the 1970s, the lower forty eight states had wolf populations less than three percent of their historical range, about 500 to 1 ,000 wolves (kidsplanet 1).In a book written by Bruce Hampton called The Great American Wolf, he states, â€Å"In the span of three hundred years nationwide, but only seventy years in the West, hunters in the United States had managed to kill off the wild prey of gray wolves; settlers, farmers, and ranchers had occupied most of the wolves' former habitat; wolfers had poisoned them; bounty hunters had dynamited their dens and pursued them with dogs, traps, and more poison; and finally, the government had stepped in and, primarily at the livestock industry's behest, quite literally finished them off.    Fortunately, around this time in the 70’s, American’s were starting to become much more aware of their impact on the environment and the wildlife. The Endangered Species Act was created in 1973, and the Grey Wolf was put on the list in 1974. After almost 35 years of restoration efforts and conservation work, the Grey Wolf has finally been taken off the endangered speci es list in Minnesota, with about 1,700 hundred wolves in the state (kidsplanet 1). Less than a year later, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) passed a law allowing a certain number of wolves to be hunted starting November 3, 2012 (kidsplanet 1).In the month and half the season has been open, about 150 Grey wolves have been killed (dnr. state. mn). Grey wolves are a vital part of our ecosystems and perhaps eventually grey wolves will once again thrive well enough that hunting them will not result in more conflict, but it is too soon to start the hunt again. Hunters should not be allowed to hunt grey wolves in Minnesota, because they have not had enough time to replenish their population and wolves are not a threat to human safety at all.Normally when an animal is taken off the endangered species list, it is given a five-year grace period to try and regain its spot back in the ecosystem before declaring a hunting season is even a thought in the minds of DNR decisio n makers (Horon 1). Since it took close to 40 years for the Grey wolf to be taken off the list, it seems logical to give the animal an even longer period to recover, to ensure that the animal does not get put on the list ever again.Though one hunt most likely will not kill off all the wolves, if hunting continues every year, there could be serious damage once again to the wolf population, as said in an article from a Wisconsin news website, madison. com. â€Å"One hunt won't put wolves†¦ back on the list but research hints at possible longer-term harm to the wolf population and even an increase in wolves killing livestock, researchers say† (Seely 1). However, the Minnesota DNR ruled that less than one year was a sufficient amount of time for the wolves to repopulate, and opened a wolf-hunting season on November 3rd, 2012.Before settlers came to North America, more than 250,000 wolves roamed the uncharted territory that is now the United States (Cosmos magazine). With eve ry year of citizen growth in the New World, Wolf population decreased. As the U. S. grew and became more populated, settlers practically made careers out of wolf hunting. In the 19th century, the pelts were in such high demand that almost everyone sought to kill as many wolves as possible (kidsplanet 1). People moving west bought hundreds of acres of land to raise their stock on, and killed every wolf that came near.Research from1974 showed that there were only about 500 Grey wolves living in the entire United States (kidsplanet 1). In efforts to re-grow the wolf population, conservationists took wolves into protection. Being protected by the Endangered Species Act has helped the Grey Wolf a lot. In the  Great Lakes, wolves have grown in population and expanded their range from Minnesota to Northern Michigan and Wisconsin (Meador 1). Although there have been huge gains in favor of the wolves, population recovery is far from over.Only 5,000 to 6,000 wolves occupy a mere five percen t of the animals’ historical range throughout Minnesota and the rest of the United States (Meador 1). Replenishing wolf populations through out the states would protect the future of wolves and allow them to play their important role in the forest environment in greater fulfillment of their former range. Yet another reason why wolves should not be hunted is because they pose no actual threat to humans or livestock. Wolves are able to kill animals much larger than humans and should be treated with respect.Contrary to the belief that wolves are vicious and aggressive towards humans, there have only been two reported deaths by wolf attack since 1900, one of which is heavily disputed (OregonWild 1). Moreover, wolves are opportunists, and sometimes eat livestock. However, they have a relatively small impact on the livestock industry as a whole (OregonWild 1). Unstable meat prices, disease, fuel and land prices, weather, dogs, and even human thieves pose larger threats to the marke t. (OregonWild 1). It is simply not true when people in favor of the wolf hunt say that wolves are detrimental to the industry.The United States livestock industry has been in a slow decline, preceding wolf recovery by many decades; However, a study done in an area of Oregon with a high wolf population showed that from 2009 to 2011, while the wolf population grew from 500 to 1400, revenue in the livestock industry jumped almost fifty percent to almost $27 million in a county with barely 7,000 citizens (OregonWild). Although wolves were not the cause of the huge increase, it is clear that their impact in the industry is small (OregonWild).Like shark attacks, when wolves wreak havoc, it can make for upsetting photos and grim stories, and so the risk of wolves to livestock is many times magnified (OregonWild 1). Research done in areas of high wolf populations has actually shown that having wolves around may actually decrease livestock loss by keeping smaller predators like coyotes in c heck (OregonWild 1). Of course, there are many people who believe that a Wolf hunt is completely acceptable under current circumstances. Many supporters believe that if professionals are not actively watching wolf population, it will increase much too rapidly (Robb 1).In an article from petersenhunting. com, Bob Robb, a hunting column writer, says, â€Å"This is especially true in areas where there are lots of animals for them to eat – like the Yellowstone ecosystem. Because wolf numbers exceeded targeted reintroduction population goals in the Yellowstone ecosystem more rapidly than expected, the animal was removed from the Endangered Species List and a sport hunting season on wolves was instituted in 2009† (Robb 1). Research does show that wolf packs not observed by researchers do reproduce more (petersenhunting 1).Minnesotans should not be allowed to hunt wolves because they have only been off the endangered species list for a year so their populations are not at the greatest numbers, and statistics from states where wolf hunting is illegal show that they may actually help the livestock industry and are not a threat at all. Very recently, researchers at Yellowstone National Park were saddened when the Alpha Female, called 832F by scientists and â€Å"Rockstar† by visitors, was found dead outside park boundaries on December sixth.Seven other wolves were found dead with her, all killed by hunters (EarthIslandJournal 1). After environmentalist’s work getting the Grey Wolf on the list finally paid off, they had hopes for the wolves to once again thrive someday in their natural habitat. This will never happen if we start diminishing wolf populations, right when they are at the height of restoration progress. Works Cited â€Å"DNR- What Happened behind Closed Doors? †Ã‚  Howling for Wolves Minnesota. N. p. , 13July 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. ;http://www. owlingforwolves. org/news/dnr-what- happened-behind-closed-doors;. â€Å"COSM OS Magazine. †Ã‚  Grey Wolf Withdrawn from Endangered List. N. p. , 05 May 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. . Greder, Andy. â€Å"Minnesota Wolf Hunt: About 150 Wolves Killed Statewide’’. â€Å"TwinCities. com. N. p. , 18 Nov. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. Horon, Sonia. â€Å"The Grey:? A Bad Fairy Tale About Wolves. †Ã‚  Globalanimal. com. Global Animal Website, 27 Jan. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 012. Meador, Ron. â€Å"Save the Grey Wolf. †Ã‚  Causes. Minnpost, n. d. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. ;http://www. causes. com/causes/75833-save-the-grey-wolf;. Motsinger, John. â€Å"Wolf Weekly Wrap-up | Defenders of Wildlife Blog. †Ã‚  Wolf Weekly Wrap-up | Defenders of Wildlife Blog. N. p. , 7 Dec. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Oregon Wild. †Ã‚  Wolves-Misunderstood. N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. ;http://www. oregonwild. org/fish_wildlife/bringing_wolves_back/wolves- misunderstood; Robb, Bob. â€Å"Petersen's Hunting. †Ã‚  Petersens Hunting. N. p. 2 Nov. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. Seely, Matt. â€Å"Questions abound before Wisconsin’s Wolf Hunt†Ã‚  Madison. com. 14 Oct. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012 William, Matt. â€Å"Yellowstone Popular Alpha Female Wolf Shot Dead by Hunters Outside Park. 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Wolf Management. †Ã‚  : Minnesota DNR. Minnesota DNR, Web. 13 Nov. 2012. ;http://www. dnr. state. mn. us/mammals/wolves/mgmt. html;.

The Organizational Behavior

Organizational behavior studies human behavior in the workplace and the interaction between people and the organization. When applied to understanding organizational culture, the set of understandings or meanings share by a group of people, and diversity, the differences that exist between individuals, organizational behavior helps a company gain competitive advantage. It does so by improving access to and retention of labor as well as worker productivity and company image. According to Vandeveer, Menefee and Sinclair (2006), organizational behavior is the systematic study of human behavior in the workplace, the interaction between people and the organization with the intent to understand and predict human behavior. Based on theories that behavior is generally predictable, there are differences between individuals, there are fundamental consistencies and that there are a set of rules in almost every organizational setting, organizational behavior explores relations in an attempt to determine causes and effects and draws conclusions based on scientific evidence. Two of the many areas of study include organizational culture and diversity. Organizational culture is a set of understandings or meanings shared by a group of people that are largely tacit among members and are clearly relevant and distinctive to the particular group which are also passed on to new members (Louis, 1980). There are three levels of organizational culture, behavior and artifacts, values, assumptions and beliefs defined by Schein (1988). Behavior and artifacts include expressions that can be seen, felt or heard, such as dress code, offices, awards and recognition and how people interact with each other. Values include things such as a company's mission statement, codes of conduct, and slogans. Assumptions and beliefs are tacit in nature; they are not visible and are not easily identified because they exist as unspoken rules. Underlying assumptions and beliefs grow out of values until they become taken for granted and drop out of awareness. The study of organizational culture is important because it affects productivity, performance, commitment, self confidence, and ethical behavior (Sathe, 1985). Diversity represents the differences that exist between individuals. It includes a broad range of things such as culture, race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomics, age, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, religion, language, appearance, personality, learning and thinking styles, communication and conflict styles, family status, geography, military status, education, life and work experiences, and functional responsibility in a given organization (What is diversity? ) Goals of studying diversity in organizations are to understand and take advantage of similarities and differences of all people in achieving a company's mission. With this knowledge, it may be possible to establish a process that allows diverse groups of people to maximize productivity, creativity, and enjoyment to reach their full potentials without being advantaged or disadvantaged by irrelevant or limiting factors. A Business-Higher Education Forum representative states, â€Å"Demographic trends compel business and higher education to make a conscious investment in the development of the talent and productivity of all citizens. † (Corporate, higher education leaders warn: U. S. ust focus on diversity or face decline in competitiveness, 2002) In addition to recruitment, diversity in the workplace can reduce lawsuits and increase marketing opportunities, creativity, and business image (Esty, Griffin, and Schorr-Hirsh, 1995). Ultimately, organizational behavior is a discipline that can be used to improve an organization. Organizational culture and diversity are two areas that prove the tremendous potential for applying organizational behavior. Labor supply, retention and performance and company image depend on successful cultural and diversity practices.

Critical Care Sound Environments Health And Social Care Essay

ABSTRACT. Intensive attention units in infirmaries take attention of critically sick patients under really nerve-racking conditions. A turning literature is demoing that intensive attention units ( ICUs ) are frequently really noisy and frequently transcending World Health Organization ( WHO ) guidelines1,2. However few surveies have linked more elaborate analyses of the sound environment, such as mean sound force per unit area degrees, transient sound degrees, and spectral distribution, to nurse well-being and public presentation. This survey differs from old surveies in several ways. Namely, we have studied the possible impact of layout design applications on the features of ICU sound environments. This was accomplished by comparing the subjective and nonsubjective qualities of two ICU sound environments with different layout designs. Furthermore, the survey included: 1 ) detailed nonsubjective and subjective noise degree measurings at multiple locations in each of the two units st udied, and 2 ) analysis of the association between the aim and subjective noise degrees via different statistical trials, including analysis of the impact of the ICU sound environments on sensed nurse results.I. IntroductionThe sound environments of ICUs are aurally demanding while nurses endeavor to put to death complex undertakings. It hence becomes of import to understand the acceptable and unacceptable subjective and nonsubjective qualities of the ICU sound environments from the nurses` point of position. In this survey, we believe nurses ‘ perceptual experience of their workplace sound environment is critical for the rating of undertaking and nurse well-being supportive ICU sound environments. By matching the subjective perceptual experience measurings with nonsubjective sound degree measurings, we can derive a more thorough appreciation of how physical and perceptual acoustic parametric quantities interact in the ICU scene. In order to cast visible radiation on these con cerns, we focused on the undermentioned research inquiries in this comparative research survey: 1 ) Do nonsubjective noise degrees differ: ( a ) between assorted locations within an single critical attention unit? ( B ) when comparing similar locations in the two critical attention units to each other? ( degree Celsius ) when comparing overall ( mean ) degrees in the two critical attention units to each other? ; 2 ) Do nurses` noise-induced irritation and loudness perceptual experience differ: ( a ) between assorted locations within an single critical attention unit? ( B ) when comparing similar locations in the two critical attention units to each other? ; 3 ) Does the sensed impact of overall noise degrees in the workplace on subjective nurse wellbeing and work public presentation differ when comparing two units to each other? ; 4 ) Is there a relationship between aim and subjective noise degrees? ; 5 ) Is there a relationship between noise degrees and noise-induced nurse results? II. PREVIOUS RESEARCHA. Overview of Hospital Acousticss1. ResultsThe acoustic environment in infirmaries can impact all residents, including staff, patients, and visitants. The undermentioned treatment in relation to the focal point of this survey is largely limited to the effects of noise on staff members: emphasis and irritation ; work public presentation ; wellness results and work overload. Information about how hospital acoustics may impact patients and visitants can be found in beginnings such as Bush-Vishniac et Al. 2 and Ryherd et al.3. The staff ‘s well-being, efficiency and effectivity in presenting attention and executing critical undertakings is critical to maximise patient safety, satisfaction, and attention quality in ICUs. Stress-annoyance: Intensive care unit are nerve-racking attention scenes that can be exacerbated by the centripetal overload caused by environmental factors, including the acoustic environment. Stress is the person ‘s assessment of a mis match between perceived demand and perceived self-capabilities to get by 4. Depending on the badness and continuance, it may take to illness ( i.e. , elevated blood force per unit area, dyspepsia ) , behavioural alterations ( i.e, unhappiness, depression, negative attitudes ) . Anxiety is a psychological responses to environmental stimulations or activity bring forthing rousing 5. Excessive anxiousness degrees can take to upsets. Like anxiousness, irritation is one of the early psychological responses which reflects the unwantedness of the environment stimuli 6. Irritation relates to the invasion of a stimulation on a mental or physical activity. In one survey, higher mean sound force per unit area degrees predicted higher sensed emphasis, and perceived irritation degrees in a Pediatric-ICU 7. In another survey, less sensitiveness to resound and greater personality robustness ( such as committedness, control, and challenge ) were linked with less noise-induced emphasis 8. In the same survey, ICUs nurses working eight-hour eventide displacements reported that they were significantly distressed by noise. There is some grounds that high noise degrees in attention scenes contribute to staff emphasis and irritation. However, the figure of noise-induced nurse emphasis surveies conducted in the ICUs is really limited. Work public presentation: Hospital sound environments that are supportive of infirmary undertakings could potentially better staff effectivity in presenting attention. Improved nurse work public presentation in ICUs can forestall inauspicious events, better health care quality, and optimise resource use. The survey fou nd that noise in the workplace was perceived to hold a negative impact on staff work public presentation and concentration 3. A Neonatal-ICU survey showed that sound that exceeds 55dBA most of the clip can potentially interfere with work. This multidisciplinary literature reappraisal survey highlighted that undertakings necessitating rapid reaction clip and watchfulness are sensitive to resound. Noise-induced work public presentation research has been more normally conducted in the operating theatres 9-11. The impact of noise on staff public presentation ( particularly in ICUs ) has non been widely examined. Health results: The acoustic environment throughout the infirmary may lend to negative ague or chronic symptoms in staff. Critical attention nursing is a really demanding occupation and it requires uninterrupted watchfulness, watchfulness, and wellbeing to carry on critical undertakings efficaciously. The survey found that of the 47 ICU nurses surveyed in an ICU, reported annoya nce, weariness and concerns due to workplace noise 3. The earlier mentioned survey besides showed that addition in mean sound degrees was significantly related to an addition in bosom rate 7. Elevated bosom rate can tie in with cardiovascular harm particularly in hypertensive persons 12. Noise-induced hearing loss has been the concern for executing sawboness in the operating theatres 13,14. However, noise-induced wellness results ( including hearing loss ) of ICU nurses` have non yet been the focal point of hospital noise literature. Work overload: Work overload can be critically of import for overall wellbeing of staff. Poor acoustical conditions in workplaces can worsen staff attitude and perceived work overload. When noise degrees exceed a nurse ‘s get bying abilities it can take to centripetal overload 6. Centripetal overload can do emotional exhaustion, dissatisfaction, and decreased sense of personal achievement. This in bend can do feelings of ineffectualness, awkwardne ss, low satisfaction, and perceived deficiency of success 15. In one survey, it was found that medicine mistake and other inauspicious events necessary for patient safety were associated with emotional exhaustion and staff burnout 16. In another survey it was besides found that nurse emphasis due to ICU noise was positively related to nurse emotional exhaustion and burnout17. Hagerman et Al. showed that in a coronary bosom unit enhanced acoustical conditions such as decreased echo clip and improved address intelligibility improved staff attitude perceived by patients 18. The limited bing grounds points to a important job that should be investigated farther to find appropriate acoustic conditions that will minimise negative work overload effects.2. Acoustic prosodiesThere is a turning organic structure of literature on infirmary noise. Many of those surveies focus on qualifying overall noise degrees in a assortment of hospital infinites including ICU ‘s, but few of them focuses specifically on ICU staff response 3. A assortment of different methods have been used in qualifying the infirmary sound environment. The grounds of these methodological analysis differences are non good known 3 but may be related to motivations such as single penchants, practicality, common sense, convenience, the degree of proficient expertness, etc. ( 1 ) Overall noise degree steps: These steps have been preferred most normally. This may be based on their practicality and convenience, in add-on to their incorporation into assorted guidelines such as WHO. Leq, Lmin, Lmax and Lpeak sound degrees can supply a general overview of the sound environment, but they remain limited for the elaborate analysis of the sound environment. ( a ) Leq: It enables the speedy comparing of the noise degrees with recommended values and those in other types of infinites. Therefore, it might be widely accepted as to be the primary step to depict a sound environment. This might besides happen in relatio n to the degree of proficient expertness required to show some penetration about more elaborate features of the sound environment. However, this common belief can be misdirecting about the truth and adequateness of the usage of chiefly Leq degrees. ( B ) Lmax, Lpeak and Lmin: The highest and the lowest values measured over clip provide more information about the overall noise degree fluctuations. In most instances, these steps are conventionally used to depict infirmary sound environments. However, these values remain unidimensional and level to depict the general tendency in sound environment. ( 2 ) Detailed noise degree steps: To counterbalance the restrictions of the overall sound steps, the usage of extra acoustic prosodies is critical for the elaborate analysis of the sound environment. Compared to above mentioned sound steps, Ln percentile ( Ln ) , echo clip ( RT ) , speech intelligibility ( SI ) , and the spectral content such as frequence analysis and noise standards steps h ave been less normally used. Hospital acoustic research has been the involvement of different research groups such as medical groups and proficient groups. Based on the group ‘s proficient expertness on the subject, some acoustic prosodies might hold been preferred to the others. ( a ) Sound quality related steps: In the ICUs, there is diverseness of noise beginnings such as dismaies, HVAC systems, conversation and medical equipment. Those noise beginnings generate noises with different frequences and sound forms. Ln percentiles and spectral content analysis become of import for elaborate analysis of fluctuations, tonic content, spectral distribution, and other features in the noise degrees over clip. ( B ) Speech quality related steps: Some other specific features of the infirmary room acoustic environment have been described with the usage of extra acoustic prosodies such as SI and RT. To construe the intervention of the infirmary noise degrees and room conditions with criti cal medical communications, SI has been used. To stand for the degree of drawn-out being of noises that can perchance overlap and interfere or dissemble the other sounds, RT has been used.3. Measuring ICU sound environmentsMethods applied during the sound sample aggregations can hold important impact on the appraisal of the infirmary sound environments. There has non been a widely accepted understanding about how the sound samples should be collected to qualify the complex and dynamic ICU sound environments in close propinquity to occupant experience 3. However there has been some consensus on a few methodological considerations among different ICU-noise surveies such as locations where sound informations collected in the attention scenes. Noise degrees in the ICU patient suites have been normally documented. Sound recordings took topographic point either in a representative patient room 3,19,20 or in more than one patient room with different characteristics such as distance to the nurse station, occupied-empty, figure of patient beds 2,7,21-28. There was a good understanding on the location of the sound metre: every bit near as possible to patient caput – to capture what the patient hears- while avoiding any intervention with nurse work flow. Hanging the mike from the top of the medical tower in the patient room has been introduced as a practical solution 3. Different continuances were preferred for the aggregation of sound samples such as 168hr, 72hr, 24hr, and 8hr at patient locations. Among those, 24hr entering period was more widely accepted than others. A few ICU-noise surveies have conducted different continuance noise degree measurings at the nurse Stationss such as 24hr and 168hr 2,26,27. Busch-Vishniac et Al. described the sound environment of one more puting – hallways- in their survey and placed the metre at the room centre 2. Largely the merchandises of two companies have been preferred to mensurate sound degrees: Larson Davis and Br uel & A ; Kj?r. It was non a common attack to document the sound metre scenes used. Much of the noise degree measurings were conducted based on slow response clip ( 1sec ) as suggested by Occupational Safety and Health ( OSHA ) for typical occupational noise measurings 2,28,29. Some surveies used fast response clip ( 0.125sec ) as suggested by WHO 3,21. When recorded based on fast response clip, more fluctuations can be expected in the sound degrees. The penchants among averaging intervals varied and ranged between 5sec and 24hr ( i.e. 30sec, 1min, 5minaˆÂ ¦etc. ) . Among ICU-noise surveies the usage of 1min averaging interval was more common likely because it enables a more elaborate expression to the clip history informations. Sound recordings were normally analyzed as a map of clip. Day clip and dark clip mean sound degrees were normally reported. Among the reviewed ICU-noise surveies, non many of them were conducted during the weekends but during the weekdays. Morrison et A l. and Ryherd et Al. considered twenty-four hours and dark clip based on 12s hr nurse displacements ( twenty-four hours time:7am-7pm ; dark clip: 7pm-7am ) 3,7. MacKenzie and Galbrun considered the twenty-four hours and dark clip periods based on WHO guidelines ( 16hour twenty-four hours time:7am-11pm ; 8hr dark time:11pm-7am ) 21. In drumhead, consistence of the methodological penchants in infirmary acoustics research can be really helpful for the dependability of the comparings between the consequences of different surveies.III. METHODOLOGYPutingThe research was conducted in two intensive attention units ( ICU ) at Emory University Hospital. Neurological ICU ( Neuro-ICU ) is a late opened 20- bed unit ( Fig. 2 ) . This unit received the â€Å" ICU Design Citation † award in 2008 for its design purpose to heighten the critical attention environment for patients, households and clinicians. Some unit design features include big private patient suites with household studio, dis trusted nurse work countries and care support countries and a scope of noise cut downing applications. High public presentation absorbent acoustic ceiling tiles and bead ceiling applications reside chiefly along the two parallel sides of the corridors and at the nurse Stationss, painted dry wall, vinyl flooring and 6ft broad ( two-wing ) glass patient room doors are some of the surface applications in the unit. Patient attention nucleus of the Neuro-ICU sits about on 19,000sqft. This nursing floor has a bunch type layout. The layout is composed of a six- bed and fourteen- bed bunchs. Each bunch has a cardinal nurse station with its ain attention support countries ( e.g. medicine room, supply roomaˆÂ ¦etc ) and computerized patient monitoring system. In entire, the unit has two cardinal nurse Stationss and 17 distributed nurse work countries. Approximately one-third of the 390sqft patient room is segregated from the patient attention country by a semi-opaque glass wall and good equipped for household demands. Approximately one-third of the patient attention nucleus floor country is occupied by the corridors. The length of the corridors is 600ft. Entire Neuro-ICU includes extra infinites such as public household countries, CT scan lab, and a curative garden. With all these infinites, the entire Neuro-ICU sits about on 24,000sqft. The Medical Surgical ICU ( MedSurg-ICU ) is a 1980s epoch twenty-bed unit ( Fig. 1 ) . Compared to the other unit, MedSurg-ICU has a more traditional physical environment with ceiling tile, vinyl flooring, 5ft broad ( two-wing ) glass patient door and painted dry wall surface applications. Patient attention nucleus of this unit sits about on 8,800sqft. The nursing floor has a triangular form race path layout design – medical and support countries are located in the centre and patient suites are located on the margin and the corridor separates these two infinite types. Twenty private patient suites are organized around one big triangular form service hub. This hub contains two patient monitoring cores – each serves to ten patients- at the corners and a centralised attention support country. Patient suites in this unit are about 190sqft and equipped with a Television like the patient suites in the other unit. This peculiar layout type requires the usage of unintegrated co rridors for staff and household members. Approximately, one-quarter of the patient attention nucleus floor country is occupied by the staff corridor. The length of the staff corridor is 240ft. Entire MedSurg ICU including the household corridor environing the unit, sits about on 12,500sqft. In contrast to the physical environment differences, both units apply similar staffing theoretical accounts with intensivists and nurse practicians and suit critical attention patients with similar sharp-sightedness degrees. In both units, by and large ten to twelve registered nurses are working during each displacement. The Neuro-ICU nurses largely work 12-hr displacements ( 7am-7pm, 7pm-7am ) ; the MedSurg-ICU nurses besides work 8-hr displacements ( 7am-3pm, 3pm-11pm, and 11pm-7am ) . In both units, nurses can work either at the weekend or during the weekdays or both ; during the twenty-four hours clip or dark clip or both.Measures1. SoundObjective and subjective noise degree measurings in two units were conducted during two back-to-back months. In both units, same processs were applied. Objective noise degree measurings were conducted at four different locations in each unit: centralised nurse station, empty patient room, occupied patient suites with and without respiratory venti lator and multiple informations points in the corridors. A sum of 96-hr uninterrupted stationary noise degree measuring was conducted at the nurse station of each unit from Thursday to Monday. Saturday and Sunday was deliberately included as it has non been much addressed in the literature. In each unit, 24-hr uninterrupted stationary sound degree measurings were conducted in the occupied patient suites without respiratory ventilator during a weekday. In relation to limited entree, merely 45-min sound samples were collected from the occupied patient suites with respiratory ventilator. Similarly in each unit, 45-min uninterrupted stationary sound degree measuring was conducted an empty patient room while patient room doors were closed. At the corridors, multiple 15-min sound samples were collected at indiscriminately selected times during twenty-four hours and dark. In entire, about 246-hr sound informations was collected from both units. For the computation of overall noise degrees in each unit, all sound informations collected at different locations were taken into consideration. Medical equipment dismaies happening in the patient suites, patient proctor dismaies happening both in the patient suites and at the nurse Stationss, sound of the ice machine engine, phone ring, staff conversation, turn overing medical carts in the corridors were some of the common noises in two units. In MedSurg-ICU nurses are paged via overhead beepers. In Neuro-ICU 3G-phones or regular phones at the baies are used alternatively. At the corridors, the mike was located at a tallness of 4.5ft somewhat off the room centre and stabilized on a tripod. In the patient room, the mike was hanged from the ceiling at a tallness of 6ft. The distance between the patient ‘s caput and the mike was minimized every bit much as possible. Similarly, mike was hanged from the ceiling at the nurse station at a tallness of 6ft. In Neuro-ICU, the sound metre was set up at the nurse station of fourteen-bed side. In MedSurg-ICU, sound metre was located at somewhat off the centre of the cardinal nurse work zone in the centre of the unit. Sound information was collected utilizing a fast response clip for upper limit and lower limit degrees ( 0.125 s ) as recommended by World Health Organization ( Berglund and Lindvall 1999 ) . Three Larson Davis-type 824 sound degree metres were used and collected informations was downloaded via Larson Davis 824 Utility package. For unattended field measurings, two Lockable Larson Davis outdoor me asurement instances were used. . For safety intents, 50ft mike extension overseas telegram was run from each outdoor sound metre instance to the walls and eventually to the mark point on the ceiling. The out-of-door noise measuring instance was placed carefully at a topographic point out of the nurse manner. Before any installing effort, proposed locations for the arrangement of sound metre at different locations in the units were approved by the charge nurse. One-minute averaging interval was used. One-third octave set informations was obtained. The dynamic scope was 80dB un-weighted from floor-38dB to overload-118dB.2. Self-reportAn electronic study was administered to 90 and 60 five registered nurses working in Neuro-ICU and MedSurg-ICU severally. Nurses were contacted via electronic mail by the nurse pedagogue of each unit and they gave their consents online. The study consisted of four subdivisions: nurse profile and working conditions, perceived sound environment in the workpl ace, perceived impact of noise degrees on nurse results, general hearing wellness and noise sensitiveness. Survey response rate was 39 % and 35 % in Neuro-ICU and MedSurg-ICU severally. In Neuro-ICU, 85 % of the nurses participated in the survey was full clip and 15 % was portion clip nurses. In MedSurg-ICU, 70 % of the nurses participated in the survey was full clip ; 26 % was portion clip and the remainder was PRN. In two units more than 80 % of the nurse population was female. Similarly, in both units more than 80 % of the nurses were younger than fifty old ages old.IV. ResultA. Objective noise degrees1. Make nonsubjective noise degrees differ when comparing overall ( mean ) degrees in the two critical attention units to each other?Noise degrees measured at multiple different locations in each unit are averaged for the computation overall noise degrees including Leq ( assumed name ) , Lmax ( dubnium ) , Lpeak ( dBC ) and Lmin ( dubnium ) . Those locations are: nurse station empty patient room, corridors and occupied patient suites with and without the respiratory ventilator. To clear up, in order to spread out the sample size, measurings conducted in the occupied patient room with ventilator were besides considered in the computation of overall noise degrees for each unit. In MedSurg ICU and Neuro-ICU overall averaged Leq, LMax, LMin and LPeak noise degrees ranged between 57-58dBA, 105-97dB, 57.5-54dB, and 120-113dBC severally. Detailed consequences are shown in Fig. 2. For elucidation intents, in this paper the term â€Å" averaged † does non reflect the calculation methods used but refers to the consideration of multiple measurings in the computation of individual noise degree. More elaborate analysis consequences are shown in Fig. 3. This chart represents the per centum of clip that different degree unprompted sounds ( LFMax ) in the scenes exceeded peculiar noise degrees. This type analysis consequences are referred as â€Å" happening rate â₠¬  in this paper. In both units more than 98 % of the clip LMax noise degrees exceeded 70dB. It was more than 96 % of clip that LPeak noise degrees exceeded 80dBC in both units. Finally, it is possible to reason, the difference between overall averaged LAeq degrees in Neuro-ICU and MedSurg ICU are unperceivable. Information about perceptual experience of alteration in sound intensivity can be found in Mehta et al 30. However elaborate noise degree measurings indicated significant differences. The sound environments of two units are different based on the happening rate of the impulse sounds at high noise degrees.2. Make nonsubjective noise degrees differ when comparing similar locations in the two critical attention units to each other?A-weighted mean sound force per unit area degrees ranged between 52-60dB and 45-56 dubnium at four different locations in MedSurg-ICU and Neuro-ICU severally ( Fig. 4 ) . Those four locations were nurse station, occupied patient room without respirat ory ventilator, empty patient room and the corridor. In both units, patients with respiratory failure are connected to respiratory ventilator and most of those patients are under isolation which restricts the entries and activities in the patient suites. It was possible to carry on comprehensive measurings in the patient room without respiratory ventilator. Therefore, measurings conducted in the occupied patient room without respiratory ventilator was considered for location particular more elaborate noise degree analysis. At all four locations, LMax degrees exceeded 70dB about full clip in both units. Except empty patient room, at all other locations LMax noise degrees exceeded 80dB more than 36 % of the clip In MedSurg ICU and 11 % of the clip in Neuro-ICU. In general, noise degrees and happening rate of high degree impulse sounds was higher in MedSurg-ICU. Average sound force per unit area degree ( LAeq ) differences between nurse Stationss, occupied patient suites and the corrid ors of two units were either unperceivable or merely perceptible ( Fig. 4 ) . However LAeq noise degree difference between two units` empty patient suites was significant. LMax happening rates were dramatically different from each at other locations. Happening rates occurred at the nurse Stationss are shown in Fig. 5 as an illustration. However LMax happening rates did non differ dramatically in the empty patient suites ( Fig. 6 ) . LPeak happening rate analysis showed really similar consequences to LMax happening rate consequences.3. Make nonsubjective noise degrees differ between assorted locations within an single critical attention unit?In MedSurg-ICU and Neuro-ICU, overall noise degrees and happening rates of impulse sounds was much lower in the empty patient suites compared to other locations ( Table I ) . Occurrence rate of LPeak & gt ; 90dBC was systematically higher at the nurse station compared to other locations in both units. However, noise degree differences between nur se station and other locations were non ever perceptible based on differences between A-weighted Leq degrees.B. Subjective noise degrees1. Make nurses` noise-induced irritation and loudness perceptual experience differ between assorted locations within an single critical attention unit?In MedSurg-ICU, perceived loudness degrees at the nurse station were significantly higher ( p & lt ; 0.05 higher ) than other three locations harmonizing to nonparametric significance trial consequences. Average degrees of subjective irritation and volume are shown in Table II. Similarly, in Neuro-ICU perceived volume and irritation degrees in the empty patient room were significantly less ( P & lt ; .05 ) than other three locations.2. Make nurses` noise-induced irritation and loudness perceptual experience differ when comparing similar locations in the two critical attention units to each other?At all four locations – the nurse station, in the empty and occupied patient room and at the corrido rs perceived irritation and volume degrees of MedSurg-ICU nurses were systematically higher than the sensed degrees reported by Neuro-ICU nurses ( Table II ) . MedSurg ICU nurses perceptual experience of noise-induced irritation and volume at four locations ranged between 2.25 and 4.1.Same sensed degrees ranged between 1.6 and 3.2 among Neuro-ICU nurses. Additionally, nonparametric Mann-Whitney U trial consequences showed that noise-induced irritation and loudness perceptual experiences of nurses at the nurse Stationss and in the empty patient suites was significantly different in two units. Two unit nurses` sensitiveness to resound and tolerance to high noise degrees in the workplace did non differ significantly ( p & gt ; .05 ) . Overall, nurses were non really sensitive to resound and they could digest high noise degrees slightly.3. Does the sensed impact of overall noise degrees in the workplace on subjective nurse wellbeing and work public presentation differ when comparing two units to each other?A ­Perceived negative impact of workplace noise degree on five nurse result was reported higher by MedSurg-ICU nurses compared to Neuro-ICU nurses. MedSurg-ICU and Neuro-ICU nurses` responses ranged between 3-4.3 and 1.7-3 severally ( Table III ) . Overall, MedSurg-ICU sound environment was perceived systematically worse for nurse well-being and work public presentation compared to Neuro-ICU sound environment. Harmonizing to nonparametric significance trial consequences, all perceived five noise-induced nurse results differed significantly in two units.C. Correlations1. Is at that place a relationship between aim and subjective noise degrees?Spearman nonparametric correlativity trial was used to analyse the relationship between aim and subjective noise degrees. Overall and individually analyzed MedSurg-ICU and Neuro-ICU subjective and nonsubjective noise degrees systematically represent the being of a important relationship between subjective and nonsubjective noise degrees ( Table IV ) . Subjective noise-induced irritation and volume degrees are significantly and positively correlated with A-weighted mean sound force per unit area degrees and happening rate of impulse sounds happening at high degrees.2. Is at that place a relationship between noise degrees and noise-induced nurse results?Overall, subjective volume degrees are significantly and positively correlated with sensed noise-induced irritation, work public presentation, wellness and anxiousness ( p & lt ; .01 ) .D. Spectral content1. Frequency distribution of noise degreesOverall, sound force per unit area degrees were higher in MedSurg-ICU at low, mid and high frequence scopes ( 250Hz-8kHz ) ( Fig. 7 ) . At all locations but empty patient room, noise degree differences across frequences were largely either merely perceptible or unperceivable. At 8kHz clearly noticeable noise degree differences occurred between two unit nurse Stationss and occupied patient suites. At 250Hz and 5 00Hz, clearly noticeable and significant noise degree differences occurred between empty patient suites. Below 250Hz, sound force per unit area degrees were largely higher in Neuro-ICU ( Fig. 8 ) . In the empty and occupied patient room, noise degree differences at 16Hz were significant otherwise it was either merely perceptible or clearly noticeable. This happening might be related with the busyness noise generated by the HVAC engine located in the unfastened infinite in Neuro-ICU. This unfastened infinite about located in the centre of the unit and is non accessible by the residents but included in the design to supply natural visible radiation for some patient suites.2. Room Criteria ( RC ) analysisIn MedSurg-ICU, RC values were higher. However, RC evaluations were largely hissy and vibrational in Neuro-ICU while it was chiefly impersonal and non vibrational in MedSurg-ICU ( Table V ) .E. Fluctuation clipF. Speech Interference LevelIn general, speech intervention degrees in MedSu rg-ICU were higher at all four locations analyzed compared to Neuro-ICU. At the nurse Stationss, address intervention degrees ( SIL ) of the noise were highest and ranged between 50-53dB ( Table VI ) . Two female nurses will be able to ( hardly ) communicate with each other in normal voice up to a distance of about 3-4ft. Same distance ranged between 5.5-7.5ft if nurses raise their voices. Slightly lower SIL values occurred in the occupied patient room and in the corridors. Lower SIL degrees can enable safer communications from longer distances. Furthermore, compared to females, males in general are able to pass on better at longer distances.G. HVAC background noise degreesBackground noise degrees caused by HVAC systems were calculated based on steady 15-min sound samples collected in the empty patient suites. Sound force per unit area degrees across three frequences ( 500Hz, 1000Hz, 2000Hz ) were averaged every minute. In Neuro-ICU, HVAC noise degrees in the patient room were accep table harmonizing to American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers ( ASHRAE ) recommended RC values, 25-35dB in the private suites 31. In Neuro-ICU, RC values ranged between 29-31dB. In MedSurg-ICU HVAC noise degrees in the patient room were higher than ASHRAE recommended values and ranged between 37-38dB in MedSurg-ICU.V. DISCUSSIONOne of the purposes of this survey is to lend to the on-going attempts to better health care sound environments. These attempts can enable more comprehensive analysis of helter-skelter health care sound environments. The survey findings discussed in this subdivision can supply some penetration for the appraisal of the bing and development of intelligence acoustic prosodies that might be necessary for more elaborate survey of the infirmary sound environments.1. Appraisal of overall ( mean ) vs. elaborate noise degree steps and their relation to subjective noise degreesOverall nonsubjective sound environment of two units were sig nificantly different based on elaborate noise degree measurings. Happening rate analysis is referred as elaborate noise degree measuring as it reflects the behaviour of impulse sounds during every minute. Statistically important differences between subjective noise-induced nurse results and loudness perceptual experience of MedSurg-ICU and Neuro-ICU nurses were consistent with the important differences between happening rates of impulse sounds ( LFMax, LCPeak ) that occurred at high degrees. Furthermore, nonparametric correlativity coefficient trial consequences indicated the being of a important and positive relationship between perceived irritation and volume degrees and happening rates of impulse sounds. However, overall noise degree measurings ( i.e LFMax, LCPeak, LFMin, LAeq ) particularly overall mean sound force per unit area degree did non bespeak perceptible differences between the sound environment of two units. Similarly, elaborate nonsubjective noise degree measurings be sides suggested important differences when comparing similar unprompted sound environments ( i.e. nurse station, occupied patient room and corridors ) in two units. Unlike detailed measurement consequences, overall mean sound force per unit area degree differences indicated either merely perceptible or unperceivable differences between similar locations in two units.2. Appraisal of stationary vs. unprompted sound environments and their relation to subjective noise degreesLocation specific subjective noise degree analysis ( i.e. perceived noise degrees at the nurse Stationss, in the empty and occupied patient suites and corridors ) indicated that MedSurg-ICU nurses` noise-induced irritation and loudness perceptual experiences were systematically higher than Neuro-ICU nurses` perceptual experiences. Particularly, subjective irritation and volume degrees differed significantly at the nurse Stationss and in the empty patient suites of two units. Nurse Stationss have unprompted sound env ironments where major sound beginnings are medical dismaies, telephone ring, staff laugh and talkaˆÂ ¦etc. Subjective noise degree differences between two unit nurse Stationss were consistent with important differences between happening rates of impulse sounds ( LFMax, LCPeak ) at the nurse Stationss. Unlike nurse Stationss, doors closed empty patient suites have stationary sound environments where chief noise beginning was the HVAC system. This clip, subjective differences between two unit empty patient suites were consistent with important differences between A-weighted mean sound force per unit area degrees measured in the empty patient suites. Furthermore, nonparametric correlativity coefficient trial consequences indicated the being of a important and positive relationship between perceived irritation and volume degrees and mean sound force per unit area degrees.3. Fluctuation clip and subjective noise degrees4. Features of infirmary sound environments and layout design ap plicationsAbove mentioned consequences confirms the earlier findings that suggest the being of a relationship between aim and subjective noise degrees. The theoretical account reviewed here suggests that different infirmary layout design applications can chair the relationship between aim and subjective noise degrees. Two unit nurses reported sensed effectivity of different layout design applications to cut down noise degrees based on their experiences and observations. Overall, three chief layout design applications were found effectual. Those were private patient suites, segregated corridor system and a unit with baies and centralised nurse station instead than a unit with merely centralised nurse station32. Private patient suites can diminish sensed complexness of the patient room sound environment as there are less noise beginnings in single-bed suites than multi-bed suites. In MedSurg-ICU, cardinal nurse station is a common-use workplace and at most times it is extremely popula ted by nurses for coaction, single work and telecommunication intents. Higher patient bend over rates ( new admittances and conveyances ) in MedSurg-ICU besides requires extra paper work to be done at the nurse station. In Neuro-ICU, nurses largely collaborate, work separately and telecommunicate at the de-central nurse Stationss. They visit the centralised nurse station for registering patient medical records, utilizing common resources such as copy-fax machine. Segregation of corridors used by household members and staff members can command riotous breaks by household members. On the other manus, household members can get down a insouciant conversation with staff members anytime while voyaging in the shared corridors. One of the chief noise beginnings in the health care scenes are conversations. Based on researchers` observation, the physical distance between the nurse Stationss or patient monitoring nucleuss can lend to the sensed frequence of the unprompted noise happenings. In this survey noise degree and happening rate of impulse sounds found to be critical for nurses` volume and irritation perceptual experience. In MedSurg-ICU, physical distance between two patient monitoring nucleuss ( from centre to centre ) was 48ft. In Neuro-ICU, same distance between two centralised nurse Stationss was 118ft. Distribution of noise beginnings based on layout constellation can escalate complexness of the perceived sound environment33. MedSurg-ICU race path layout design offers a more compact physical environment while Neuro-ICU bunch layout design provides more broad physical environment.5. Spectral content of the sound environment vs. subjective noise degreesStatistically important subjective noise degree differences between two unit nurse Stationss were non consistent with merely perceptible differences between RC values. However, more elaborate frequence analysis showed that clearly perceptible higher noise degrees occurred at 8kHz at MedSurg-ICU nurse station. Th is happening can be related with unprompted ( high noise degrees at high frequences ) nature of sound environment at the nurse Stationss. Statistically important subjective noise degree differences between two unit empty patient suites were consistent with clearly perceptible differences between RC values. This relationship can be explained by the steady nature of the sound environment in the empty patient suites. And this happening can besides foreground the dominancy of noise degrees at mid frequences in nurses` irritation and loudness perceptual experience in steady sound environments.VI. DecisionIn healthcare acoustics literature, it is widely accepted that noise degrees in critical attention scenes are really loud and raging. This survey agrees with this decision and reminds that features of different ICU sound environments can change drastically. Some of those differences are highlighted via elaborate comparative noise degree analysis between two units in this survey. Impulsiv eness ( high happening rate at high noise degrees ) degree of an ICU sound environment is suggested to be one of the chief indexs of sensed noise-induced nurse results and nurses` volume perceptual experience. At specific locations in the unit that have with steady sound environments, higher mean sound force per unit area degrees relates better to nurse irritation and volume degrees. Spectral content of the sound environment might besides be related with nurse irritation and loudness perceptual experience. Lower perceived noise-induced work public presentation can be expected in the units with higher address intervention degrees. Furthermore noise degrees at specific locations in the unit can be acoustically more debatable than the others where focussed intercessions can be necessary. For diagnosing of these possible conditions, conductivity of elaborate noise degree measurings at multiple different locations in the unit might be of import. During and after location specific noise d egree analysis, it might be good to oppugn whether peculiar acoustic metric used represents the general feature of the sound environment studied and observed. It might be critically of import for hospital decision makers to take enterprises for cut downing unprompted noise beginnings in ICUs such as reconsideration of dismay scenes that most times do n't match to exigency degree of the incidence, integrating of higher engineering for paging health professionals such as 3G-phones and avoiding overhead beepers. It might be critical for designers to see the recent technological progresss in HVAC systems to assist bettering occupant results. The sate-of-the-art HVAC system application in Neuro-ICU offers significantly less bothersome and quieter ( clearly perceptible ) sound environment in the patient suites compared to the HVAC noise generated by the older edifice system in MedSurg-ICU. In add-on to the application of technological progresss, strategic arrangement of the HVAC engine an d its insularity from the edifice construction can be critically of import to avoid possible feelable quivers and noises happening at really low frequences. Finally, in add-on to conventional acoustic intercessions ( i.e. absorbent surface stuff applications ) , some layout design considerations can besides be critical for the formation and consideration of the health care sound environments get downing from the early design stages.RecognitionsThis work has been partly supported by ASHRAE Graduate Student Grant-In-Aid. We appreciate GaTech Healthcare Acoustics squad members` partnership. We are thankful to Emory University and Dr. Owen Samuels for his advice. We are besides grateful to nurse pedagogues Ann Huntley and Mary Still, registered nurses Tim Rice and Anya Freeman and to all Neuro-ICU and MedSurg ICU nurses, patients and household members for their uninterrupted aid and forbearance during noise degree measurings in the units.