Discuss the relationships of the daughters to their fathers in Slyvia Essay

Discuss the relationships of the daughters to their fathers in Slyvia Plath's Daddy and Sharon Olds' The Chute - Essay Example ted by Sylvia Plath as expressed in her poem â€Å"Daddy† and Sharon Olds as seen in her poem â€Å"The Chute† struggle instead to communicate the complicated love/hate emotions they had for their fathers to very different effect. Plath’s â€Å"Daddy† is written in first person as a letter to her father, who has been dead for 20 years. Although it is not clear who the dominating figure of verse 1 has been, his identity and the concept that this is a letter emerges in the second verse, â€Å"Daddy, I have had to kill you, / You died before I had time† (6-7). The story that emerges in the subsequent lines is of a woman who has lived in fear and awe of her father for as long as she can remember. The fear is evident in her metaphor of him as â€Å"Marble-heavy, a bag full of God, / Ghastly statue with one gray toe / Big as a Frisco seal† (8-10). Later, she compares her fear of her father to the fear the Jews felt for the Nazis, seeing herself as being shipped off to the concentration camps and describing her father’s appearance in terms of the perfect Aryan. â€Å"But no less a devil for that, no not / Any less the black man who / Bit my pretty red heart in two† (54-56). Finally, her description of the man she married as the model of her father indicates his deep cruelty because he has a â€Å"love of the rack and the screw† (66). She ends the poem by indicating her father has been an evil vampire, sucking her life dry and finally buried with a stake in his heart to the delight of the villagers. Her beginning and end of the poem, each expressed in terms of anger and fear, leave no doubt that her fear outweighed any other emotions she had of her father. However, Plath also provides plenty of clues that her love for her father was almost as strong as her fear of him. Although she is writing against him, defying her fear of him, she seems almost breathless as she allows the thoughts of the poem to be interrupted by line breaks and allows one thought to blend almost

WesternHistory Eassy 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

WesternHistory Eassy 2 - Essay Example While there were several achievements made before this time, there were essentially four major technological advancements that enabled society to propel forward very quickly in England. In most of these cases, it seems clear that practicality and necessity is truly the mother of invention, just as the old adage claims. Leading into the Industrial Revolution, improvements in agricultural technology led to increased population growth and mobility, which also led to increased demand for textiles and other products leading to the need for more efficient production, transportation and power-generating techniques. The advent of the Industrial Revolution was fueled by improvements in agriculture that created surplus consumables. One technological improvement introduced during this era was a more efficient system of crop rotation. â€Å"Farmers had discovered a crop rotation system that allowed them to forgo leaving up to half the land unused or fallow between each planting. Animal husbandry was becoming widely used† (Bond et al, 2009). By planting previously fallow fields with revitalizing plants that also served to feed the livestock, farmers were able to get much greater yield from their fields and livestock, increasing the available food supply for themselves and the greater populace. At the same time, new innovations in metal-working were bringing this harder material to the farm, making it possible to complete work faster and with less effort. â€Å"During this time the seed drill was invented. This machine made sowing seed more effective, distributing the seeds evenly †¦ New iron plows made plowing easier and less time consuming. Thus, less human labor was required as the output of the farms increased dramatically† (Nosotro, 2010). This meant more food could be produced with fewer workers. More food meant more people were born and surviving. It also meant

Effect of Sleep on Academic Performance

Effect of Sleep on Academic Performance Abstract Several studies have reported that a lack of sleep will negatively affect GPA.[FW1] Many others indicated that lack of sleep would also impair cognitive functions in all aspects[FW2]. This study is designed to determine if a sleep will have an impact on academic performance as well as look for a difference between male and female performance. To test this, 100 undergraduate students ages 18-24 will be randomly assigned to one of two condition. One group will be sleep deprived while the other will not, then both groups will take an exam with select math and literature questions taken from the SAT. It is expected that the participants not sleep deprived will score significantly lower than those in the standard sleep group. It is also expected that there will be no significant difference of male and female scores in either the sleep deprived or standard sleep conditions. This will demonstrate that sleep does affect academic performance in both males and females. Keywords: Sleep, Academics, Undergraduate, Students, Deprivation   Effect of Sleep on Academic Performance in Undergraduate Students Humans rely on sleep to help function during the day or during the night.[FW4]The ability for one to learn can be drastically effected by whether or not he/she gets enough sleep the night before. According to one study, it has been found that lack of sleep has negative affect on both memory recall and memory formation (Longordo, Kopp, Là ¼thi, 2009). This is a problem many college students face. When the students need to complete assignments or study for an exam they will often stay up all night and not sleep, hoping to get the paper complete or memorize the information so their grade will reflect how well they understand the material being taught. The problem here is that a lack of sleep makes academic success more difficult to achieve. There is a negative feedback loop demonstrating this predicament; the student stays awake studying or working, then does not receive the desired grade because memory recall is far more difficult, now the thought process is that more studying is req uired for the next exam or assignment, so the student stays up later. This sleep deprivation does not only come from the need to study or complete assignments. Because college is expensive many students get jobs to help pay the tuition (Chiang, Arendt, Zheng, Hanisch, 2014). Because the employed students are not the only ones needing help staying awake while doing assignments or during a lecture, they find alternative methods. As a way to help undergraduates stay awake, they consume energy drinks[FW5]. Energy drinks and their connection to sleep continue to negatively affect student performance. A study conducted by Champlin, Pasch and Perry found that there is a significant correlation between lower grade point average (GPA) and the consumption of energy drinks (2016). Because there are several ways sleep impacts student performance, this researcher intends to continue this area study. The researcher aims to demonstrate that there is a correlation between the amount of sleep a student gets and his/her ability to complete an exam. The hope is that the re will be a significant difference in scores between the two groups, indicating that the amount of sleep an undergraduate student gets the night before an exam will contribute to their score. This is important because it may help students understand that staying up is not the solution to success; therefore, they will may look for healthier and more beneficial study techniques to help them increase their academic performance. The researcher will also look at the difference in scores between sexes in each conditions. It is desired that there will be little difference between these scores, which will show that both male and female students have similar levels of understanding and that sleep has an effect on both sexes. The discovery that lack of sleep can be dangerous led to an article that stated that sleep is a biological necessity (Gilbert Weaver, 2010). It has been found that much like how the absence of eating leads to health concerns and eventual death, the absence of sleep will eventually have these same side effects. The research conducted by Gilbert and Weaver (2010) found that there is a significant negative correlation between poor sleep quality and GPA. This adds to the validity of a study done in 2008 [FW6]which indicated that students with GPAs over 3.0 reported that they were less likely to engage in all-nighters while students with GPAs of 2.5 report occasionally performing this action, and students with 2.0 and lower said that they conduct all-nighters frequently (Thacher[FW7]). This indicates a need for sleep if a student strives to be successful in their college career. In 1997[FW8], two researchers reported that students being sleep deprived were fatigued and had an increase in confusion, which caused those in the sleep-deprived group to struggle in their performance (Pilcher Walters). This may indicate that sleep deprivation[FW9] (SD) does not directly affect student performance instead; it creates the conditions that will impair student success. Another study also demonstrates that SD is not directly affecting the students. Engle-Friedman, Riela, Golan, Ventuneac, Davis, Jefferson, Major (2002) conducted an experiment with results that showed SD students, when given a choice, are significantly more likely to choose questions that are of less difficulty than students who had a normal amount of sleep. They also learned that even though the SD group selected easier questions they still scored less than the other group who chose more difficult questions. It was determined that being sleep deprived causes students to put forth less effort than people not sleep deprived. Even though lack of sleep makes it difficult to focus and makes students want to take t he easiest path to the finish, there are also emotional and physiological effects. Brown, Buboltz, and Soper reported that when people are sleep deprived they suffer an emotional imbalance. This imbalance causes the student to have a low sense of life satisfaction. Accompaning this is for depression and anger (2006). The research conducted by Brown et a. 2006 supports that done by Pilcher and Walters (1997) in that both found that the lack of sleep caused fatigue and confusion. Another more serious physiological effect that arises when the body does not rest enough is that it lessens the production of T cells. This is dangerous because T cells work with the immune system, when the immune system becomes weaker the body is more suseptable to infections and diseases (Longordo, Kopp, Là ¼thi, 2009). This can be a problem for students because if they are too sick to attend class they will fall behind leading to another reason lack of sleep harms GPA, because one cannot learn the information if they are not present. Sleep disorders have a major affect on the academic p erformance of students because they cause sleep deprivation. A study done with 1,845 participants showed that 27% of the students with a GPA less than or equal to 2.0 were at high risk of having a sleep disorder (Gaultney, 2010). Because sleep deprivation has had such a major impact on the GPA in college students, researchers set out to discover what range of sleep is effecting the students. They found a significant difference in GPA between students that had a maximum of 6 hours of sleep compared to the students that Routinely had 9 or more hours of sleep; however, they did not find a statistically significant difference between students that received 7-8 hours and those that had less than 6 nor was the difference significantly different between the students geeting 9 or more hours and those getting 7-8 hours of sleep (Kelly, Kelly, Clanton, 2001). Getting enough sleep is not enough to earn a good GPA, the student must also apply themsenves and be dedicated to the courses they are taking. Because of this the researcher will try to determine just how much sleep effects a students GPA or are they just not applying themselves to be successful. To solve this the following method will be used. Method Participants There will be 100 undergraduate [FW10]students between the ages of 18-24 recruited from Central Washington University (CWU). This range is being selected because it is the most common undergraduate age. All ages are being selected because the researcher wants to view the effect on all undergraduates not just freshman, sophomore etc. Materials There will be a questionnaire with questions such as did you wake up after falling asleep? (see appendix E for all questions) for the participants in the standard sleep time group. There will be a test which will have 20 questions taken from the SAT, 10 questions will be mathematics such as Which of the following is equal to sin(à Ã¢â€š ¬/5)? (see appendix C for questions and appendix D for solutions) calculators will be provided to all participants. There will also be five literature questions formulate the test. Participants will be shown an informed consent prior to beginning the study (see Appendix A) and a debriefing form after completing the study (see Appendix B). Design Using an experimental design, participants will be randomly assigned into one of the two conditions. These conditions will consist of either a deprived sleep group or a standard sleep time group. The administered test contains questions from the SAT because it is a standardized test, which all CWU applicants must have taken, giving them some level of familiarity with it. Participants in the deprived sleep group will be kept awake throughout the night and morning until they have completed the test. To ensure the participants remain awake, they will stay in a laboratory where the room will be lowered to the temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which will be warm enough to avoid any form of injury, damage, or illness yet help prevent the participants from sleeping. Music will play over a loudspeaker for 20 minutes every hour and there will an option of coffee until 2 hours before the test. The participants in the standard sleep time group will be allowed to sleep at their own residence and will return to take the test, when they return they will fill out a questionnaire. Both groups will proceed to take the same test at 12pm. The beginning of the test will have a demographic to determine if sex have an effect on the data. The data will be analyzed based on the number of correct test questions in each group. An ANOVA with alpha = .05 will be performed to determine if there is a significant difference between the deprived sleep and standard sleep time groups, as well as to see if there is a significant difference between male and female performance in each group. Procedure To begin the research all participants will be randomly assigned into one of the two conditions then they will be shown a consent form to read and agree to, if a participant does not agree they will be thanked for their time and asked to leave. The participants that agree to the informed consent form will be randomly assigned into 14 groups. Each group will be designated a day of the week within the next 14 days to take their test. There will be three participants from both groups to take the test each day; this is because of limited space in the lab. Those in the deprived sleep group will be asked to return to the lab by 9pm to be kept awake and the standard sleep group will be asked to sleep for at least 8 hours. Before the test begins, the standard sleep group will be given a questionnaire to fill out as a way to determine if they received the necessary amount of sleep, if they do not meet the required 8 hours they will be given a debriefing form and dismissed as to not contaminat e the data. Both groups will be required to be in the lab at 12pm to take the test. Before starting the test, each participant will be given a TI-83 calculator to assist in the math portion of the test. When a participant completes the test, he/she will return the calculator and then be given a debriefing form explaining the purpose of the study, if he/she is in the deprived sleep group they will be encouraged to go home and sleep. Results The data will be analyzed using an ANOVA. The researcher does not expect a significant difference between sexes in either group, this will show that sleep effects both male and female. The researcher does expect that the individuals will have significantly different scores based on the condition they were assigned to. Specifically, the participants in the deprived sleep group will score lower on both the math and literature than the participants in the standard sleep time condition. This will indicate that sleep does significantly affect the academic performance in undergraduate students. Discussion This study will set out to discover if and/or how sleep effects undergraduate academics and if these effects vary between sexes. The results should support previous research, which has indicated that the amount of sleep students get over the course of a quarter does have an effect on their GPA. It should be reported that students deprived of sleep have a lower score and that there is little to no difference in the scores between sexes. However, several limitations that may arise could have an effect on the results. Because the students are free to opt out of the study at any point, attrition will likely be evident. This would likely occur in the sleep-deprived condition because they may start out enthusiastic but become unwilling to sacrifice sleep to continue participation. Another limitation in the sleep-deprived condition would be from the students that physically could not stay awake which would disqualify them from the study. The test being administered to the students may also have an effect on the collected data. This is because some students may be more proficient in math and literature due to the classes they have already taken. In addition, the questions are being taken from the SAT to give the students a familiarity but many of them would not have taken the exam for many years. The students in the standard sleep time condition may lie on the questionnaire as to not be disqualified from the study. There are some possible ways to solve for these limitations. Having the standard sleep time condition, sleep in a lab where they can be monitored would eliminate the possibility of not knowing if they truly obtained the necessary sleep. Not using such a wide age range could reduce the risk of unfamiliarity with SAT questions as well as narrowing the proficiency gap. Future research could add a time limit, which would help to simulate a real class exam. They may also compare male and female scores between conditions to determine if sleep has an effect on both or just one sex. A practical application to this researchers findings would be knowing whether sleep does or does not have an effect on academic performance, which could be used to inform the students on the effects of sleep. This would benefit people because they would know that having enough sleep will help them do better in school which plays a major role in ones future. Understanding this could lead to an increase in average student GPA and in turn the graduation rates. The knowledge of the difference in scores between sexes could also be used to determine if one sex has the potential for the need of more assistance to learn the material being presented. References   Brown, F. C., Buboltz, W. C., Soper, B. (2006). Development and evaluation of the sleep treatment and education program for students (STEPS). Journal of American College Health, 54, 231-237. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c01bec01-699f-4217-997e-ada931c678d4%40sessionmgr4006vid=11hid=4105 Champlin, S. E., Pasch, K. E., Perry, C. L. (2016). Is the consumption of energy drinks associated with academic achievement among college students? The Journal of Primary Prevention, 37, 345-359. doi:10.1007/s10935-016-0437-4 Chiang, Y.-C., Arendt, S. W., Zheng, T., Hanisch, K. A. (2014). The effects of sleep on academic performance and job performance. College Student Journal, 48, 72-87. doi:10.1037/t05178-000 Engle-Friedman, M., Riela, S., Golan, R., Ventuneac, A. M., Davis, C. M., Jefferson, A. D., Major, D. (2003). The effect of sleep loss on next day effort. Journal of Sleep Research, 12, 113-124. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c01bec01-699f-4217-997e-ada931c678d4%40sessionmgr4006vid=17hid=4105 Gaultney, J. F. (2010). The prevalence of sleep disorders in college students: Impact on academic performance. Journal of American College Health, 59, 91-97. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c01bec01-699f-4217-997e-ada931c678d4%40sessionmgr4006vid=20hid=4105 Gilbert, S. P., Weaver, C. C. (2010). Sleep quality and academic performance in university students: A wake-up call for college psychologists. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 24, 295-306. doi:10.1080/87568225.2010.509245 Kelly, W. E., Kelly, K. E., Clanton, R. C. (2001). The relationship between sleep length and grade-point average among college students. College Student Journal, 35, 84-86. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c01bec01-699f-4217-997e-ada931c678d4%40sessionmgr4006vid=26hid=4105 Longordo, F., Kopp, C., Là ¼thi, A. (2009). Consequences of sleep deprivation on neurotransmitter receptor expression and function. European Journal of Neuroscience, 29, 1810-1819. doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06719.x Pilcher, J. J., Walters, A. S. (1997). How sleep deprivation affects psychological variables related to college students cognitive performance. Journal of American College Health, 46, 121-126. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=c01bec01-699f-4217-997e-ada931c678d4%40sessionmgr4006vid=29hid=4105bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=1997-42387-003db=psyh Thacher, P. V. (2008). University students and the all-nighter: Correlates and patterns of students engagement in a single night of total sleep deprivation. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 6, 16-31. doi:10.1080/15402000701796114 Appendix A Study Title: Sleep and Academics Principal Investigator(s): Eric Flowers Contact: [emailprotected] What you should know about this study: You are being asked to join a research study. This consent form explains the research study and your part in the study. Please read it carefully and take as much time as you need. Ask questions about anything you do not understand now, or when you think of them later. You are a volunteer. If you do join the study and change your mind later, you may quit at any time without fear of penalty or loss of benefits. Why is this research being done? This research is being done to discover if sleep changes performance. Who can take part in this study? The basic eligibility criterion for one to participate is that they must be an enrolled undergraduate student between the ages 18 and 24. Must be able to read and write English. The expected number of participants is to be around 100. What will happen if you join this study? If you agree to be in this study, we will ask you to do the following things: Once the study has been selected, you will be shown an informed consent. Once read and accepted, the participant will be asked return to the lab by 9pm to be kept awake until completion of the test starting at 12pm the next day or will be instructed to sleep for between 8 and 9 hours at their own residence and return by 11:30am to fill out a questionnaire before taking the test. The total time it will take to complete this study is between 15.5 and 16.5 hours. What are the risks or discomforts of the study? The risks and discomforts in this study are exhaustion, extreme tiredness and fatigue if in the deprived sleep group. The discomfort for the standard sleep time group may be from sitting down during the questionnaire and test. Are there benefits to being in the study? There is not benefit to you from being in this study. If you take part in this study, you will help further research in the link between sleep and academics. What are your options if you do not want to be in the study? For all participants:You do not have to join this study. If you do not join, it will not affect any benefits to which you are entitled. Can you leave the study early? You can agree to be in the study now and change your mind later. If you wish to stop at any time, please tell us immediately. What information about you will be kept private and what information may be given out? No defining characteristics will be asked of you. The only characteristics needed for this study are gender and age. This way, confidentiality can be assured. Data collected may be used for future research. What other things should you know about this research study? a. What is the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and how does it protect you? This study has been reviewed by the CWU Human Subject Review Council. HSRC is made up of faculty from many different departments, ethicists, nurses, scientists, non-scientists and people from the local community. The HSRCs purpose is to review human research studies and to protect the rights and welfare of the people participating in those studies. You may contact the HSRC if you have questions about your rights as a participant or if you think you have not been treated fairly. The HSRC office number is (509) 963-3115. b.What do you do if you have questions about the study? Call the principal investigator, Eric Flowers, at (253) 797-6777. If you think you are injured or ill as a result of being in this study, call the principal investigator, Eric Flowers at (253) 797-6777. If you have an urgent problem related to your participation in this study, call the Student Medical and Counseling Clinic at 963-1881. This study is not able to offer financial compensation nor to absorb the costs of medical treatment should you be injured as a result of participating in this research. However, the services at the Student Medical and Counseling Clinic will be open to you as they are to all students. What does your signature on this consent form mean? By signing this consent form, you are not giving up any legal rights. Your signature means that you understand the study plan, have been able to ask questions about the information given to you in this form, and you are willing to participate under the conditions we have described. A copy of the form will be given to you. Participants Name (print): Participants Signature: Date: Signature of Investigator(s): Eric Flowers Date: Appendix B This study is concerned with the effect of sleep on academic performance in undergraduate students. How was this tested? In this study, you were asked to participate after signing a consent form. You were asked to return complete a test to the best of your ability. One group was instructed to return to the lab to be kept awake from 9pm until the completed the test which started at 12pm the next day. The other group was instructed to sleep for 8-9hours and return to the lab by 11:00am the next day to fill out a questionnaire which was used to determine if the amount of sleep obtained met the requirements to continue with the study. Both groups then took the test at 12pm Hypotheses and main questions: We expect to find that those in the sleep deprived group will score lower than the participants in the standard sleep time group. We do not expect to find a significant difference between sex in either group. Why is this important to study? This is important to study in order to better understand differences in sleep, and the effect it has on academic performance. This research may help students realize that not sleeping does not benefit them and will hopefully lead them to find different ways to study. Who do I contact for more information? If you have concerns about your rights as a participant in this experiment, please contact Eric Flowers at (253) 797-6777 or [emailprotected] Thank you again for your participation. Appendix C 10 Math Questions and 5 Literature Questions Measured Math The recommended daily calcium intake for a 20-year-old is 1,000 milligrams (mg). One cup of milk contains 299 mg of calcium and one cup of juice contains 261 mg of calcium. Which of the following inequalities represents the possible number of cups of milk m and cups of juice j a 20-year-old could drink in a day to meet or exceed the recommended daily calcium intake from these drinks alone? 299m + 261j à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ 1,000 299m + 261j > 1,000 299/m + 261/j à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ 1,000 299/m + 261/j > 1,000 A research assistant randomly selected 75 undergraduate students from the list of all students enrolled in the psychology-degree program at a large university. She asked each of the 75 students, How many minutes per day do you typically spend reading? The mean reading time in the sample was 89 minutes, and the margin of error for this estimate was 4.28 minutes. Another research assistant intends to replicate the survey and will attempt to get a smaller margin of error. Which of the following samples will most likely result in a smaller margin of error for the estimated mean time students in the psychology-degree program read per day? 40 randomly selected undergraduate psychology-degree program students. 40 randomly selected undergraduate students from all degree programs at the college. 300 randomly selected undergraduate psychology-degree program students. 300 randomly selected undergraduate students from all degree programs at the college. 3. The first metacarpal bone is located in the wrist. The scatterplot below shows the relationship between the length of the first metacarpal bone and height for 9 people. The line of best fit is also shown. How many of the nine people have an actual height that differs by more than 3 centimeters from the height predicted by the line of best fit?      Ã‚   2 4 6 9 4. A survey was conducted among a randomly chosen sample of U.S. citizens about U.S. voter participation in the November 2012 presidential election. The table below displays a summary of the survey results. Reported Voting by Age (in thousands) Voted Did Not Vote No Response Total 18- to 34-year-olds 30,329 23,211 9,468 63,008 35- to 54-year-olds 47,085 17,721 9,476 74,282 55- to 74-year-olds 43,075 10,092 6,831 59,998 People 75 years old and over 12,459 3,508 1,827 17,794 Total 132,948 54,532 27,602 215,082 Of the 18- to 34-year-olds who reported voting, 500 people were selected at random to do a follow-up survey

Can TV be a Good Teacher? :: Television Education Media Essays

Can TV be a Good Teacher? Many people today blame television and media in general when something bad happens, for example shootings in the schools. However, should television take all the blame for effects and changes in American youth? Television shows crimes and killing, but television can also teach young children how to behave in the right way. Television can not influenced all of us, but it can definitely influence young children, who are, â€Å"curious and easily influenced. They tend to mimic and repeat what they hear and see on television without knowing of right and wrong† (Simmons 149). These influences depend on what kinds of shows children are watching. Parents are the one controlling theirs children, but without parental supervision children will watch what pleases them; that is were the problem lies. For example, if a child is watching a movies that contain violent acts, that can have some bad side effects. One of these effects can be carelessness. The child can become less worried about others and what is going to happen to them; they may not recognize it as violence. A study by Cullingford reports, â€Å"when people were shown killings and then heavily prompted, most did not think of it as violence. The frightening truth was that ‘objectionable content’ had become so acceptable that it was invisible† (Simmons 150). The other effect can be violent behavior. Child may want to become violent, because then they will be â€Å"feared† by every one, just like the people that they see in television. Berkowitz concluded, from his experiment, â€Å" television violence does arouse aggressive behavior, especially if viewers believes that aggression is justified† (Simons 150). Another effect can be revenge. This is probably the biggest message that violent movies are sending to children. In almost all of the movies we see people killing one another just to avenge someone that was either killed or harmed by a â€Å"bad buy,† or they themselves were harmed. This may influence children that have been humiliated in schools or molested. At some point, they may explode with rage to get revenge for what had happened to them. On the other hand, if a child is watching educational channels consisting of historic programs or other kind of educational programs, the child can be influenced in several good ways. First, the child can become smarter. If a child is watching educational programs, they will definitely learn something. Can TV be a Good Teacher? :: Television Education Media Essays Can TV be a Good Teacher? Many people today blame television and media in general when something bad happens, for example shootings in the schools. However, should television take all the blame for effects and changes in American youth? Television shows crimes and killing, but television can also teach young children how to behave in the right way. Television can not influenced all of us, but it can definitely influence young children, who are, â€Å"curious and easily influenced. They tend to mimic and repeat what they hear and see on television without knowing of right and wrong† (Simmons 149). These influences depend on what kinds of shows children are watching. Parents are the one controlling theirs children, but without parental supervision children will watch what pleases them; that is were the problem lies. For example, if a child is watching a movies that contain violent acts, that can have some bad side effects. One of these effects can be carelessness. The child can become less worried about others and what is going to happen to them; they may not recognize it as violence. A study by Cullingford reports, â€Å"when people were shown killings and then heavily prompted, most did not think of it as violence. The frightening truth was that ‘objectionable content’ had become so acceptable that it was invisible† (Simmons 150). The other effect can be violent behavior. Child may want to become violent, because then they will be â€Å"feared† by every one, just like the people that they see in television. Berkowitz concluded, from his experiment, â€Å" television violence does arouse aggressive behavior, especially if viewers believes that aggression is justified† (Simons 150). Another effect can be revenge. This is probably the biggest message that violent movies are sending to children. In almost all of the movies we see people killing one another just to avenge someone that was either killed or harmed by a â€Å"bad buy,† or they themselves were harmed. This may influence children that have been humiliated in schools or molested. At some point, they may explode with rage to get revenge for what had happened to them. On the other hand, if a child is watching educational channels consisting of historic programs or other kind of educational programs, the child can be influenced in several good ways. First, the child can become smarter. If a child is watching educational programs, they will definitely learn something.

Game Console Industry

The game console industry is unpredictable, as the market leader changes as frequently as new games being released. Currently, the most prominent console manufacturers in the industry are Sony (PlayStation), Microsoft (Xbox), and Nintendo (Wii). While Sony and Microsoft focus on powerful machines and games targeted at older teens and young adults, Nintendo’s family friendly, less graphically polished consoles target an entirely different market, and is not applicable to the Sony/Microsoft battle. The adoption of consoles depends heavily on one factor: the content available.A console manufacturer needs to have third-party developer support in order to have a steady stream of quality video games being released throughout the year. Although brand loyalty, technical capabilities and price certainly plays a part on the purchase decision of an individual, consumers tend to buy the console that offers the games that the consumers enjoy the most. Sony and Microsoft both publish a cata logue of a unique line up of video games made in-house as well as receive royalties from third-party video game developers such as Electronic Arts and Activision (ATVI).Microsoft and Sony both use a loss leader strategy, pricing their consoles lower than the production cost; thus, increasing the market for higher margin sales of related software, licensing fees, accessories, and downloadable content. As such, both firms sacrifice console profit to attract customers to adopt their ecosystem. This pricing strategy for game consoles, coupled with each console’s respective launch dates, has immense effect on setting the competitiveness of the companies for years to come.Historically, higher initial pricing methods bottlenecked initial uptake on consoles, and is often followed by price cuts to encourage greater adoption. During the launch of Xbox 360 and PS3, the price disparity and subsequent price drops hugely altered consumer purchasing decisions. The lower initial price point for Xbox 360 resulted in a quick grab for market share, but Sony followed with price cuts; thus, resulting in a price war – one that was won by Sony in total number of sales, but also the most amount of losses.To most consumers, these consoles are mutually exclusive and purchase decision is mostly based on value for money. Timing of the launch is also crucial as many gamers aim to be first adopters for new consoles. Relationship with Gaming Suppliers and Consumers The winner’s curse exists due to the biased optimism of bidders and the unknown value of the object being bid on. This is especially true in the heated rivalry between Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The bid that these two giants are trying to win is the hearts of the console gaming community.However, both companies are unable to actually quantify how much the console gaming industry is worth as bidding takes place during the production phase, prior to sales. Generally video game players can be segmented into PC gamers, Console Gamers, or Casual Gamers. The PC gamers are currently being served by Gaming PC's, with the latest technology and the widest variety of customization regarding multimedia; this is essentially the enthusiasts market.The Casual Gamers are generally younger gamers who have less of a focus on the depth and graphical intensity of games. This demographic is currently being satisfied by Nintendo's Wii & DS or a normal home PC. Both the PS4 and the Xbox One can be categorized as serving the console gamers, for these gamers often demand high quality machines, certain elements of media integration, and high degree of innovation from new generation consoles. However, above all else, the quality of games and price of systems are the primary order winners for console gamers.The quality of games is generally determined based on the two factors of aesthetic and gameplay. The aesthetics of a game depends largely on the processing capabilities of the system while the gameplay comes f rom the creative minds of the game developers. Thus, for Sony and Microsoft to accurately predict the relative demand for their consoles, they need to evaluate the strength of both these key success factors. In the eighth generation of consoles, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have very similar processing power and graphics rendering capabilities.The similarity of the two devices mean that the order winner for a console gamer will not be based on the internal capabilities, rendering demand predictions using aesthetics of a game irrelevant. With regards to game play, this falls squarely on the shoulders of game developers and publishers. Both Sony and Microsoft have their in-house gaming development arm under subsidiaries. Microsoft's game developer, 343 industries are responsible for the blockbuster hit â€Å"Halo 4†, which has  already sold 4 million copies to date.On the Sony side their in-house developers, Naughty Dog has created the â€Å"Uncharted† franchise and has sold 5 million copies with its second instalment alone. From an exclusive content perspective, both companies all have clear winners and it is very difficult to predict which exclusive content will outsell the other. Aside from exclusive titles, there are also independent game developers such as Activision-Blizzard and Square Enix.These independent game developers are capable of influencing player behaviour by releasing exclusive content on specific systems. For example, Microsoft's partnership with Activision on Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (COD MW3), ensures that specific content only gets released over the Xbox platform, thus incentivizing players to choose Xbox during the game’s release in November 2011. Microsoft's success with Call of Duty does not however spell doom for Sony, as Sony's partnership with developers like Square Enix’s Final Fantasy franchise creates enormous success as well.In the end, not only are most games playable across the two different plat forms, but even for the exclusive contents the two firms are essentially ensuring competitive exclusives are available on their respective consoles. Adding to this uncertainty is the fact that games are very much like animated blockbuster movies, while having a talented cast of game developers certainly lowers the risk of creating an unpopular game, it is not guaranteed to always be a hit. A perfect example of this is the game â€Å"Haze†, supported by Sony's PS3 and developed by the All-Star developer Free Radical Design.Prior to its release it was deemed to be the Halo (one of Xbox's most successful franchises) killer. However, once the game hit the shelves it was met with lukewarm reception and only 500K in sales, which resulted in the closure of Free Radical and a huge write-off for Sony. At the time of production for Xbox One and PS4, many games for the consoles have yet to be developed; therefore, making it almost impossible to foresee which franchise will continue to d o well and which will fail.One key order winner for console gamers is the quality of games, yet on this specific metric Microsoft and Sony are practically non-differentiable and it is nearly impossible to predict which console will fare better than the other. Subsequently, because of this ambiguity, it contributes to the notion that in this common value auction, the players do not know the actual market value of the item they are bidding on, and will likely overpay due to the uncertainty. The launch of PS4 and Xbox One As the launch of PS4 and Xbox One is extremely recent, there has been little market data to show who is winning out the competition.Because these consoles are the eighth generation of gaming platforms, observing current actions in comparison to past events can grant us a view into their individual competitive advantages and assess their strategy. The pricing strategy for Xbox One is to offer the console at a much higher premium. At $499USD, the Xbox is $100 more than the PS4, which is largely attributed to the Kinect 2 motion-sensing technology as part of the package. It is yet too early to tell how consumers will react to this huge price discrepancy, as the value added for the bundled technology creates an interesting value proposition.This pricing strategy is also noticeably opposite of what Microsoft has done in the past. In the previous generation of consoles, Microsoft sold each Xbox 360 at a loss of $126, while Sony saw $130 loss per PS3. Microsoft claims to be, at minimum, breaking even per unit of Xbox One to cover variable costs. While this discourages a price war like what has taken place in the pass through Sony and Microsoft’s use of loss leader strategy through their pricing, it is yet to be seen if consumers will be able to swallow the $100 difference. In contrast, Sony is selling the PS4 at an average loss of $60 per console, at a price of $399 per unit.Even with the addition of PS Eye, a similar accessory to the Kinect 2 t he $100 premium of Xbox One is still higher the PS4 cost with PS Eye. We can see that Sony chose to continue to pursue a loss-leading strategy, potentially overestimating the revenue that can be reaped from future sales. Sony is still operating with the optimistic idea that by incurring a high initial loss, they will be able to reap higher benefits in the future, continuing their vicious cycle of the Winner’s curse. Microsoft’s marketing expenditure for the Xbox One launch is expected to exceed $120 million USD.Assuming that Microsoft is breaking even per each console sold, that means it needs to sell at least 200K consoles just to see a return on marketing investment. Noting the fact that Xbox One’s controller itself cost over $100MM USD to develop, a small snippet of full R&D costs, the timeframe at which Xbox makes a positive net present value remains to be seen. Xbox 360 sold just over 79MM units over its time-span; with shifting consumer focus away from con soles to PC gaming, it is hard to predict just how profitable or unprofitable the One will be for Microsoft.The situation is just as devastating for Sony; with a unit contribution loss of $60, it would take a lot of cross-product sales to achieve a return on investment. Sony is just as heavily invested in terms of development and marketing costs compared to Microsoft. Even with the uncertainty of consumer adoption and market share capture rate, the two firms are going head-to-head in hopes of securing a return on their investment through capturing more of the pie. Beyond competing on price and marketing, Sony and Microsoft are competing for first adopters through launch dates.Historically, Sony entered the gaming console market first with the original PlayStation while Microsoft waited a whole generation before entering. PS2 dominated the sixth generation of gaming consoles while the original Xbox only gained about 1/8th of the pie. By launching 13 months ahead in in Europe, Microso ft effectively out competed Sony and was able to gain almost half of the market share. This neck to neck competition means the launch of the eighth generation of consoles will determine who truly wins out in the console world, as clearly both firms are much more concerned about getting their consoles into people’s homes at any cost.Interestingly, Microsoft decided to launch in the Eurozone ahead of Sony while the situation is reversed for the North American market. The two firms are essentially trying to steal shares from each other’s respective strongholds. There are many competitive strategies at play for this battle, but regardless of these actions, both firms are losing money. Microsoft has been making a net loss with the gaming division in the past decade, largely attributable to the winner’s curse and also price wars. There has been signals that Microsoft wants to shift away from this competition that has resulted in such heavy losses on both sides.With a pricing that supposedly creates a unit contribution of zero, Microsoft is no longer suffering from the Winner’s curse to win out the bid of each individual consumer’s wallet. Although it has yet to be seen whether this will be effective as consumers are price sensitive in this industry, Microsoft is also trying to change its value proposition and appeal more to the mass market. Microsoft’s marketing launch strategy focuses largely on pushing the entertainment hub aspect of the product, as opposed to solely the gaming aspect.Many of Microsoft’s marketing ads have been focused on the multimedia content and screen sharing technology of the console. This aims to shift Xbox’s value proposition away from Playstation’s game centric focus, and attempt to communicate to consumers the value for money. In contrast, Sony continues to align their image to fit the hard-core gaming segment alongside the pursuit of the loss-leading strategy. This image is n ot only reflected in marketing techniques, but also the technical specifications of the consoles.Even with the lower price of the PS4, Sony chose to integrate a more powerful console, in hopes that the ‘hardcore’ gamers will buy more games. The heavy initial spending on R&D and marketing is in essence a bid for greater market share. Contrary to the winner’s curse, in this competition between Sony and Microsoft there is no ‘winner’ as increased spending has not translated to greater profits. The pricing and technological attributes of the product is also a bid for each consumer’s purchasing dollar in which the winner makes either a loss or no profit for the console sold.These individual transactions amalgamate to result in the desire to gain a larger share of the pie through greater console sales which leads to heavy losses on both sides. Winner’s Curse Winner’s curse occurs in a common value auction due to incomplete information. In the case of Sony and Microsoft, the adoption rate of their respective consoles is the objective of the auction. Since the value of each customer is worth roughly the same to both Microsoft and Sony, they have equal incentives to win the bid and they are differentiated only by their individual valuations.Prior to the launch of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Microsoft and Sony independently evaluates the value of the market which historically has been inaccurate. At the end, the player that wins the auction and sells the most amount of consoles will often be the one that incurs the largest losses. This is perfectly exemplified in the seventh generation consoles of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, where PlayStation won the bid and outsold Xbox, but in doing so, it cost Sony's console gaming division $5B relative to Microsoft's loss of $3B. These corporations can justify such large losses as they have cash cows in other divisions.The fact that these losses are justifiable is due to both firms’ competitive orientation; if one pulls out of the market, the other would dominate and be profitable. This has been seen in Olympic broadcast rights bidding where stations are willing to lose just so competition won’t gain. The reason for such over-bidding comes down to optimism. Since the value of consumer adoption is nearly impossible to estimate, Sony and Microsoft are essentially guessing what their potential monetary success would. From this uncertainty, the ‘winner’ is simply the one that made the bigger and more optimistic mistake.In the last generation Sony won the auction by making aggressive price cuts following the launch of their console as well as investing heavily into marketing and development expenditures. This spending exceeds the actual value generated from sales of the console and games; thus, resulted in a large deficit of $5 billion dollars. Both firms have been extremely stubborn in their strategies, going head to head to ensur e the other firm does not win. As discussed previously, there has been signs that both firms are acknowledging this winner’s curse scenario, resulting in both aiming to focus on different segments of the consumer market.As this industry is relatively young and consumer interests are fickle and unpredictable, there has been uncertainty in the value of the market. The loss-leading strategy was extremely effective and profitable for Sony during the sixth generation of consoles, prompting Microsoft to enter into the industry. As such, now it is impossible for one to pull out as both realize the market potential when there are no direct competitors. Another strategy for Microsoft or Sony to adopt is to occupy another space and focus their appeal to specific consumers.Nintendo’s Wii was able to be extremely profitable and outsell both Xbox 360 and PS3 as it appealed to a wider demographic, stressing the value proposition of social gaming. The Xbox One is aiming to occupy a d ifferent space by becoming a multimedia hub rather than just a gaming console. However, the success of this is yet to be determined. Analysts suggest that the Xbox should be priced lower in order to compete against the PS4 and PS Eye bundle. However, looking back at this price war and continued winner’s curse, it may be a better strategy for Xbox to maintain its price position.Sony at this moment is more on the defensive where they are not able to raise their price without suffering backlash from consumers. As well, it may be prudent for Sony to wait and see Xbox’s transition away from hard-core gaming to see if they regain adoption rates from this demographic. The winner’s curse has plagued this segment of the gaming industry severely in the past decade with Xbox and PlayStation. As Microsoft tries to redefine its appeal and shift to a more middle segment of the market, this winner’s curse will start to be alleviated.This can only be realized if consumer s accept Xbox’s new position, otherwise the negative spiral continues. Ideally, a consumer will be educated in the differences between the two and purchase based on pragmatic reasons as opposed to perceived value. Xbox pricing their product at cost is a strong indication there is desired change to avoid the winner’s curse. Similarly Sony is losing less per unit of PS4 as well. With less incremental loss per unit, the firms will hopefully generate a profit in the long-run for their gaming divisions.

Emerging Trends †Business Analytics

The Need: The amount of data being generated globally increases by 40 percent a year, according to the McKinsey Global Institute, the consulting firm’s research arm. Gartner predicts that data will grow 800 percent over the next five years and 80 percent of the data will be unstructured. International Institute for Analytics predicts that â€Å"Big data analytics will top all other areas of growth in analytics during 2012 due to the rapid expansion of social, mobile, location and transaction-based data taken in by various industries. As the volume of enterprise data sky-rockets, an industry is growing up around using this flood of information to help companies operate more efficiently and sustainably. Companies increasingly will be deploying sophisticated software as a key component of their sustainability strategy. Mu Sigma, for example, an Indian firm providing data analytics and decision support services for global enterprise, secured a $108 million investment round led by General Atlantic. My smartphone produces a huge amount of data, my car produces ridiculous amounts of really valuable data, my house is throwing off data, everything is making data,† said Erik Swan, 47, cofounder of Splunk, a San Francisco-based start-up whose software indexes vast quantities of machine-generated data into searchable links. Companies search those links, as one searches Google, to analyze customer behavior in real time. Splunk is among a crop of enterprise software start-up companies that analyze big data and are establishing themselves in territory long controlled by giant business-technology vendors like Oracle and I. B. M. Founded in 2004, before the term â€Å"big data† had worked its way into the vocabulary of Silicon Valley, Splunk now has some 3,200 customers in more than 75 countries, including more than half the Fortune 100 companies. The Usage: Here’s an unsubstantiated anecdote: â€Å"There’s a cell service provider in Japan that collects GPS data from cell phone users. The cell provider collects the data in real time, and keeps track of which people are walking the furthest. Once a month, the cell provider gives an award to the walker who covered the greatest distance. In a way, cell phones are working like sensors to collect and analyze streaming big data. † â€Å"Imagine a consumer walking around downtown in a city, shopping. Now imagine letting a shopping service know where he is, plus maybe the kinds of goods he is looking for. As I walk, the GPS coordinates could stream to the shopping service, and it could point him to stores that match his interests. † â€Å"A lot of people know how to work with data,† observed Anand Rajaraman, â€Å"but now there is a lot more data so the kinds of things you can do with it and the way you work with it can are very different. The founder of companies which have been acquired by Amazon and Walmart, Rajaraman is now senior vice president at Walmart Global e-commerce and co-founder @WalmartLabs, and a professor at Stanford. Traditional users of large amounts of Data — retail, telecom and intelligence — are already comfortable with it. The next big set of users is in mobile-soc ial, especially incorporating geolocation. Some areas have been underserved, such as health care, which is described as the third rail because it has been too hard and too slow. But now health care is experiencing a fundamental change similar to what retail felt when customers came in armed with smart phones and had more information than sales people. Patients are starting to acquire more information and health care providers are developing more analytics. The Education: To arrive at solutions on how to perceive, derive, collate, store, sort and use data for business decisions is Data Analytics. All areas of commerce, business, economics and sciences are using data analysis to arrive at solutions. To do this there is a certain skill set that has to be created, the science of teaching this has grown into what academic institutions call Data Analytics or Business Intelligence programs. The institutions that have taken on the mantle of teaching data analytics are the management institutions with inputs from their engineering, mathematics and statistics departments creating interdisciplinary programs to acquire data mining and interpreting skills. Most management institutions are at the forefront on this learning derivative because business now believes that this skill will be critical to improving their penetration and profitability. The Education programs train students on: Data Collection and Integration Processes for Enterprise Decision Making Advanced Data Analysis Database Management Web Analytics Marketing Analytics Process Optimization Text Mining The Nomenclature of Education Programs: Masters of Science in Analytics Masters of Science in Predictive Analytics Masters of Science in Business Intelligence Masters of Science in Business Analytics Masters of Science in Data Mining Certification in Data Analytics Duration of the Program: 10 months to 18 months Statistical Methods and Models Predictive Analytics Advanced Statistics Financial Analysis Predictive Modeling Data Warehousing Data Mining Techniques Mining Genomics Data Some of the Indian Institutions that are helping students gain data analytic skills are: Institutions Indian Institute of Science http://www. mgmt. iisc. ernet. in Location Bangalore Program Name Master of Management Program Length 24 Months (Full Time) Contact Details Department of Management Studies IISC Bangalore 560 012 Phone: +91-80-2293 2567 (Office) Fax: +91-80-2360 4534 E-mail: [email  protected] iisc. ernet. in The Administrative Officer Executive Education Programmes IIM Bangalore, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore 560 076 Phone : +91-80-26993475 /3660/ 3264 /3742 Fax : +91-80 – 26584004 / 26584050 E-mail : [email  protected] ernet. n Admissions Office Indian School of Business Gachibowli, Hyderabad-500032 Phone: +91 40 2318 7474 /7484 /7494 Fax: +91 40 2300 7099 Admissions office Address: Praxis Business School, Next to Akademia International School, Bakrahat Road, P. O. Rasapunja, Kolkata – 700104 Phone: +91 98368 77599/ +9133 24980553/4 E-mail: [email  protected] ac. in Indian Institute of Management Bangalore http://www. iimb. ernet. in Bangalore Certificate Programme on Business Analytics and Intelligence 12 Months (Part Time) Indian School of Business http://www. isb. edu/ Hyderabad Part of the MBA program Analytics Labs (only for enrolled MBA students) 12 Months (Full Time) Praxis Business School http://praxis. ac. in (Knowledge Partners PWC and ICICI) Kolkata Post Graduate Program in Business Analytics Some International Programs offering Business Analytics: 1. In 2007, North Carolina State University began offering the first graduate degree in Analytics. In just 10 months, students can earn a Master of Science in Analytics through the university’s Institute for Advanced Analytics. The degree program addresses data collection and integration, statistical methods and models and complex processes for enterprise decision making. 2. In 2010, DePaul University announced a Master of Science in Predictive Analytics (MSPA) through its Center for Data Mining and Predictive Analytics, a joint venture between the School of Computing and the School of Marketing. The DePaul program covers data mining, predictive analytics and business intelligence. 3. Northwestern University will begin its first MSPA degree program in the fall of 2011. The new MSPA degree provides core basics such as data mining concepts and applications, and extends into advanced data analysis, advanced statistics, database management, financial analysis, web analytics, predictive modeling and marketing analytics. 4. Students can earn a Master of Science in Business Intelligence (MSBI) from Saint Joseph’s University. The program offers evening classes and addresses technology integration, quantitative skills and analytics within a business context. 5. The University of Denver also offers an MSBI degree rogram through the Daniels College of Business. The program focuses on how to gather and leverage information to lead organizations and guide decisions. The cross-functional coursework covers data warehousing, marketing, finance and operations and incorporates real project work. 6. The University of Tennessee Knoxville offers a Master of Science in Business Analytics through the College of Business Administration. The program provides students with an understanding of business and helps them learn the analytical skills needed to solve business problems. Students can choose one of three areas of concentration: Applied Statistics, Process Optimization or Business Intelligence. 7. Since 2003, Central Connecticut State University has offered a Master of Science in Data Mining degree. The program helps students master the cross-industry standard process for data mining, become proficient with leading data mining software, and to understand and apply a wide variety of mathematical and statistical techniques. It also introduces students to the latest data mining techniques and applications such as text mining and mining genomics data. Student Educational Backgrounds: Any student comfortable with Mathematics and Statistics can opt for these programs. Companies In India hiring for Analytics: Target, Dell, IBM, HP (analytics), Citi, ICICI, PWC, Accenture, etc.

The Role of Insight and Creativity in Problem

The Role of Insight and Creativity in Problem The role of insight and creativity in problem-solving A problem is the gap between what is expected and what is already happening. Thus, in bridging this gap, a person can generate solutions through insight in that this person strives to understand the principles, which might feed into the solutions. Here, the person begins solving the problem by considering the requirements and interrelated elements regarding the problem before seeking a common plan that might lead to the desired goal.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Insight and Creativity in Problem-Solving specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, direction and flexibility are important aspects in the process of insightful problem-solving because the person involved directs the steps to finding a solution through a pre-determined plan while adjusting and modifying the plan along the way (Rickards, 1997, pp. 2-6). On the other hand, creativity in prob lem-solving follows a classical model, which holds that the problem-solving process entails four distinct phases including preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. In the preparation step, the person involved in problem-solving begins by identifying the problem before gathering information regarding the possible solutions to the problem through conscious thinking. However, solutions may not be reached during the preparation phase and therefore the person goes into the incubation phase whereby the person may give up or continue considering different aspects of the problem, and in the process, restructuring the possible solutions subconsciously. This process produces tentative solutions, which can be synthesized further in the illumination (insight) phase. Finally, the solutions identified undergo checks, further development, and refinement during the validation phase before they are implemented (Rickards, 1997, p. 10). The whole process is cyclic in nature because if the solutions fail the verification step, one needs to start all over again. Overall, the four-step creative process is a widely accepted model in solving various problems. The functions of reasoning, judgment, and decision-making in problem-solving Problem-solving is the process of developing the options, which guide the process of decision-making. Therefore, the first step toward solving a problem entails decision-making in which the best solution to a problem is selected from a variety of options (Lee Arthur, 1975, p. 3). Accordingly, sound judgment and logical reasoning inform the process of decision-making and therefore, problem-solving in different aspects. Here, judgment is defined as the ability to solve various problems when there is no right or wrong answer during the period of making decisions. Therefore, judgment is an imperative in unique situations, which require one to weigh all the factors affecting the situation before incorporating personal experience, intuitions, and various initiatives in making workable decisions.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, judgment is unique to specific situations, and thus, it is bound to change from one situation to another. As a result, it is imperative that people are trained on various ways of choosing the ingredients and other interrelated elements of problem-solving so that they are prepared to face unique situations when they arise (Lee Arthur, 1975, pp. 5-10). On the other hand, creative problem-solving involves the interplay of three major activities in which the interaction between visual-spatial and analytical reasoning is one of them. Here, the two aspects of reasoning play a major role in problem-solving because creative thinking arises from visual thinking in that the visual images obtained from the surroundings through sense perception are incorporated into the process of finding solutions to problems, which are not observable in nature. Consequently, analytical reasoning aided by visual thinking contributes to the genesis of new ideas that feed into the process of creative problem-solving (Lee Arthur, 1975, pp. 10-23). References Lee, S.S., Arthur, S.E. (1975). Studies of problem solving, judgment, and decision making: Implications for educational research. Review of Research Education, 3, 3-42. Rickards, T. (1997). Creativity and problem-solving at work. Brookfield, USA: Gower Publishing Company.

atmoshpheric circulation essays

atmoshpheric circulation essays Atmospheric Circulation is a vital part of the Earths systems. Without it the system would not be complete. Not only does it complete the cycle it also keeps human, plants, and animals alive. When discussing atmospheric circulation there are two main points that need to be hit on and those are; the greenhouse effect, and its affect on global warming, and how global warming affects the Earth and its climate. First of all the understanding of the greenhouse effect is vital to all the other components of atmospheric circulation. The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere such as; water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, heat would escape back into space and Earths average temperature would be about 60F colder. Because of how they warm our world, these gases are referred to as greenhouse gases. The greenhouse effect is used in greenhouses to grow plants, especially in the winter. Greenhouses work by trapping heat from the sun. The glass panels of the greenhouse let in light but keep heat from escaping. This causes the greenhouse to heat up and keeps the plants warm enough to live in the winter. The Earths atmosphere is all around us, it is the air that we breathe. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere behave much like the glass panes in a greenhouse. Sunl ight enters the Earth's atmosphere, passing through the blanket of greenhouse gases. As it reaches the Earth's surface, land, water, and biosphere absorb the sunlights energy. Once absorbed, this energy is sent back into the atmosphere. Some of the energy passes back into space, but much of it remains trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gases, causing our world to heat up. The greenhouse effect highly contributes to global warming. Many scientists have accepted the fact that greenhouse gases trap heat in the...

How to Fill Out a Check, Step by Step

How to Fill Out a Check, Step by Step SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Between online bill pay and money-transferring apps like Venmo, many of us don’t fill out checks very often. On the occasion that we do need to write one, like to pay rent, take care of a bill, or send a birthday gift to a relative, we might find ourselves feeling uncertain about whether we’re doing it right. This guide will tell you everything you need to know about how to fill out a check. To start, let’s get up close and personal with this small but mighty piece of paper. Anatomy of a Check: Full Diagram Did you know that a check has your bank account number on it? Or that each check has its own number that shows up not once, but twice? Did you ever notice that official checks have a tiny image of a padlock to show they’re certified by the almighty Check Payment Systems Association? Check out this diagram of a personal check to take a close look at everything on it. This particular check belongs to Archibald Squiggles of Splitsville, Indiana. Sam Lindsay for PrepScholar/All rights reserved. As you can see, your checks will show your name and address, bank account and routing number, and a check number. They also may feature the name of your bank. Using this diagram for reference, let’s look at everything you need to do to fill out a check. How to Fill Out a Check First off, you should fill out your check in pen. You could use a pencil, technically, but then your writing could get smudged or, worse, an unsavory character could come along, erase what you wrote, and change it to something else! Pen is more secure and official, especially when a signature is required. When you’re writing a check, you just need a few pieces of information: Name of the recipient, whether it’s an individual or a company Amount of money you’re writing the check for The date you want the recipient to cash the check You’ll also need to know how to write out the amount of money in words, a task that most of us rarely do outside of the context of writing checks. You’ll find some more tips on how to do this below. Once you have all of this information, you’ll find that writing the check is easy. There are five required pieces of information, plus an optional sixth. You can add these five (or six) pieces of information in any order, as long as you fill them all out in the end. For the purposes of this guide, the steps for how to write a check are presented in the order that they appear on the check from top to bottom and left to right, starting with the date. Many of us write checks every month to a landlord or realty management company. Step 1: Write the Date First, you should write the date on its designated line near the top right corner. Put the date on which the recipient can first cash the check. That might be the current date, or a date in the future. For instance, if you’re writing a check for December, 2016 rent, then you might put the date as December 1, 2016. This means that you want the recipient to cash the check on or after December 1, but not before. You can write the date in long form or in the format MM/DD/YYYY. For instance, using the example above, you could write July 1, 2016 or 07/01/2016 (leaving out the zeros and writing 7/1/2016 is fine, too). If you’re writing a longer month, like November, you can also abbreviate it, e.g. Nov. 1, 2016. In the example below, Loretta Checkworth has started writing a check to pay back Archibald Squiggles. She’s writing the check in late September, but dates it as October 1, 2016. Since she and Archibald Squiggles are close friends, he doesn’t mind waiting a week to cash it until Loretta’s sure she has the funds in her account. You’ll notice that Loretta has redacted her home address and bank account number. She knows better than to share personal information with strangers on the internet. Like Loretta, you can date a check in the future if you want the recipient to wait to cash it. If you have insufficient funds in your account until that date, you should also pass the message along to the recipient to wait to deposit the check until the stated date. You could date your check for way in the future, but who knows if we’ll even still be using checks by then. Maybe we’ll pay for everything in flowers to our robot overlords. Step 2: Name the Recipient After you write the date, fill in the name of the recipient. If you’re writing a check to a person, then write his/her first and last name. Loretta writes out Archibald's full name, as you can see on the check below. If you’re sending money to a company, write the full name of the company (e.g., Acropolis Realty, Inc.). You can also write â€Å"cash† as the recipient. Writing cash means that anyone can cash the check. It’s usually not recommended, for security reasons. Step 3: Fill in the Numerical Amount of Money In the payment box, write out the amount of money. Since the dollar sign should already be outside the box, you don’t need to repeat it. Just write the numbers. Include the cents, even if the amount of cents is zero. For instance, five dollars should be written as 5.00, rather than just 5. It is possible to write a check for less than a dollar. In that case, include the zero before the decimal point. An amount of 75 cents, for instance, would be written as 0.75. Loretta owes $150.99 to Archibald, which she indicates in the payment box below. Since the dollar sign is already outside the box, Loretta doesn't write it again when writing a check. Just the numbers, "150.99" are fine. This piggy bank just learned you can write checks for amounts less than a dollar and is rightfully alarmed. Step 4: Write Out the Amount of Money in Words Now comes the slightly less usual task. In addition to writing the numerical amount of money, you also need to write out the amount in words. You’ll write out the dollars in words and the cents in words or as a fraction out of 100. For instance, an amount of $5.00 could be written as â€Å"Five dollars and zero cents† or â€Å"Five dollars and 00/100.† Writing the cents as a fraction is more common because it saves room on a relatively short line. When there’s no change, you can also follow the amount in dollars with the word â€Å"even.† In this example, your third option would be to write, â€Å"Five dollars even.† If you’re writing a compound number between 20 and 100, you should include a hyphen. For example, $21 becomes â€Å"Twenty-one dollars† and $49 becomes â€Å"Forty-nine dollars.† If you’re writing an amount less than a dollar, then you could write out the cents in one of two ways. You could write â€Å"zero dollars and† followed by the fraction, or write the amount out in words preceded by the word â€Å"only.† For example, 50 cents would become â€Å"zero dollars and 50/100† or â€Å"Only fifty cents.† Using these rules, let’s look at a few more examples of how to write out numerical amounts of money in words. Example 1: $10.00 Ten dollars and 00/100 OR Ten dollars and zero cents OR Ten dollars even Example 2: $39.99 Thirty-nine dollars and 99/100 OR Thirty-nine dollars and ninety-nine cents Example 3: $0.75 Zero dollars and 75/100 OR Only seventy-five cents Example 4: $1,789.74 One thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine dollars and 74/100 As you can see, the fourth example only writes the cents as a fraction. While you technically can write out the change in words, you probably wouldn’t have space on the line with such a large number. You could also add clarifying commas when writing out big numbers, although you don’t have to. If you’re running into trouble writing out the numerical value in words, you can also enlist the help of a website, like Calculator Soup. It converts numerical currency values into words. It’s best to make sure you know how to write everything out before you start filling out the check, so you don’t waste a check. Before filling out your check, you can use another piece of paper for some check writing practice. You also want to make sure to write small enough so you can fit the amount all on one line. Loretta is used to writing checks, so she went ahead and wrote â€Å"One hundred fifty dollars and 99/100s† on her personal check in the correct check writing format without a practice run first. Loretta also added a dash after the amount to indicate that nothing should come after. You can include a line like this to safeguard your check and make sure no one can add any additional numbers. Personal checks, where words and numbers collide. Step 5: Add an Optional Memo See the memo line near the bottom left-hand corner on the diagram of the check? Filling out this line is optional. You can write a word or two as a note to the recipient or to describe what the check is for. For instance, you could write â€Å"July rent,† â€Å"Happy Birthday,† â€Å"IOU,† or â€Å"Laser tag.† If your recipient is getting several checks from you or other people, then it may be useful to fill out this memo line to make sure your check doesn’t get mixed up. Step 6: Sign It! Finally, once you’ve filled out the date, recipient, amount of money in numbers and words, and optional memo, you’ll sign your name! A signature is essential, as the check can’t be cashed or deposited if it’s not signed. Once you’ve completed these six steps, you’re all done! Your check is filled out and ready to go. After filling out all of the other essential information, Loretta signed her full name. Now the check is ready for Archibald. Besides knowing how to write a check, there's one other step you should take before sending off your check. Read on for one extra tip about check writing. Extra Tip: Write Down the Check Number Before sending off your check to your friend, landlord, laser tag partner, health insurance company, or whoever the recipient may be, you should take one additional step: write down the check number. Every check has its own number to help you keep track of it. As you can see on Archibald’s check, the check number can typically be found twice on the check, on the top right and bottom right corners. Recording the check number helps you keep track of which check you’re using in case it gets lost or you need to cancel it. Canceling a check costs between $15 and $36 depending on your bank, but it could be worth it if you’re worried about the check falling into the wrong hands. You may also want to cancel the check if you don’t have enough money in your account, depending on your bank’s overdraft fees. Usually, banks charge an overdraft fee between $20 and $40 if a check bounces. If you have overdraft protection, then your bank will cover the cost of the check, but this coverage will be a loan with interest, plus you may have to pay an additional fee. You'll have to compare your bank's overdraft fee with its cancellation fee to decide if the check is worth canceling. If you’re worried about a check bouncing, try to tell the recipient to wait to deposit until you’re sure you have enough money in your account. Writing down the check number is a smart move just in case you need to cancel your check or order new ones. When you order from a third party, like Costco, you need to know the number of your last check so your next group of checks can start with the following number. Loretta Checkworth, of course, recorded her check number before she paid back Archibald Squiggles for their laser tag weekend getaway. Archibald recently deposited Loretta’s check into his bank account, so there’s no longer a debt between them. While Loretta’s an old pro when it comes to check writing, what should you remember as you fill out your own personal checks? Remember to record the check number in case your check gets lost in transit... How to Write a Check: Key Takeaways Filling out a check is no great mystery. You just need a small amount of information, namely the name of the recipient, the amount of money, and the date on which they can cash or deposit the check. If you’re unsure about writing numerical values out in words, perhaps practice on another piece of paper first, so you don’t end up wasting a check. Before sending out your check, record the check number, just in case you need to cancel it. Knowing how to fill out a check a useful skill that anyone with a checking account should have. Next time you need to send a check for rent, a bill, or a gift, you can feel confident that your money transfer will go through.

Rail Track Design for Line Speed Improvement Research Paper

Rail Track Design for Line Speed Improvement - Research Paper Example The design issue under consideration includes route surveying, track component identification, designing the rail curve and other design aspects that help in improving rail transport. Suggestion indicated can be implemented by any train organization seeking to improve or optimize their services (Mundrey, 1993). Rail tracks are used for the guidance of trains and consist of two steel rails laid in parallel. The rails guide the train in motion without the need for steering. The rails are laid on sleepers. The sleeper is also referred to as the cross ties. The sleepers are embedded in the ballast and form the railroad track. The rails are fastened to the sleeper by the use of spikes, lag screws, bolts clips, and patrol clips. The type of fastening sleepers depends on the type of sleepers. For the concrete sleepers clips are used, for the wooden sleepers' spikes are used and for steel sleepers, bolts are commonly used. Conventional rail design involved route surveying and finding the most economical route for the rail line. The engineer worked on ways of designing the rail so as to surpass the geographical obstacles (Engineering Policy Group (EPG). 2009). Currently, the rail design encompasses many design aspects. This design aspect results from the need for greater speeds and heavy loads. Due to these factors, the most important consideration for the rail design are: Route surveying. This involves planning the rail routes so that it passes through the most economical route (Hickerson, 1967). Long term traffic levels; if the projection shows that in the long run, the traffic will increase. Design consideration for expansion of the rail as well as incorporating trains with high speed and heavy should be taken into consideration. Environmental concern: the design should focus on an environmental friendly rail that does not damage the environment. Politics: Government influences and funding greatly affect the quality of the rail and also its long term benefits. Land issues; when designing for increased speed, huge curves are required; the constraining factor to this is the limitation of land. Economic factors: this determines the type of rail constructed. Well funded projects can archive most of the design requirements. Â  

Strategic Choice and Evaluation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Choice and Evaluation - Research Paper Example egmenting the customers and identifying the target market and the gap analysis (identify the lacking) are the part of identifying the strategies (Kozami, 2002). B&G Food is a well-known brand all over the United States, and its current position in the market is stable i.e. there is no potential for growth and no possible decline in the market for B&G products. There is a need for urgent actions in order to increase the opportunities to expand and also grasp the market share. B&G being a very old company in the market, and it has the potential to grasp the most of the market share. B&G Foods is lacking with some of its core plans that need to be amended and reconsidered. For example, their Promotional and Marketing Strategies are not well designed and implemented. The need of establishing new products and service outlets is essential. Moreover, hiring skilled and specialized workforce and conducting training and development programs for employees are essential. B&G Foods can also expand its product line to attract new customers. B&G Foods has to maintain a proper Promotional and Marketing strategy. The potential consumers would get to know the products and services through the promotions, and the overall sales could be raised. The mediums that can be utilized by B&G Foods can be the online advertisement, TV commercials, newspapers ads, promoting the products and services through billboards, etc. Once the strategies are being followed, the core part is to monitor them and evaluate the outcomes. It will help better in implementation, and the feedback of the consumers can also be gathered regarding the particular strategy. There is a need of hiring skillful management. The process of the recruitment must be strict, and the best candidates must be selected for the Job. The skilled workforce for marketing and promotional strategies will help handle the work effectively and efficiently. The other benefit of hiring an expert workforce is that the new and attractive

Grammar and Composition Drafting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Grammar and Composition Drafting - Essay Example In my view, technology plays a destructive role in the modern society because it produces weapon with which people kill each other, ruins people’s morality through boosting greed in them, and destroys nature since it is often impossible to control. The middle part of your paper is the body of the paper. It develops the most important points which support your thesis statement. It contains three paragraphs. These paragraphs follow the points listed in the three-step format. Technology produces weapon with which people kill each other. Billions of people have been murdered with the help of technology since the day a shotgun was invented. Patrick Thomson, a Director of the Royal Museum in Sussex, says, â€Å"Who knows how many people would have lived longer but for the ordinary shot gun† (Thomson, â€Å"Destruction Today†). Similarly, Wendy Clifford, an American reporter, believes weapon plays a fatal role in 2 out of 20 domestic conflicts where it is used (Clifford, â€Å"Domestic Violence and Weapon†). Technology ruins human morality through boosting greed in people. When we see new iPads or iPhones advertised on TV, we wish to get these things even if in reality we do not need them. Other examples of greed for more technologically advanced and thus â€Å"better† things include: wishes to change cars, cell phones, software, and television. Technology destroys nature since it is often impossible to control. Nuclear explosions, oil spills, and animal extinction – these are horrible results of technological progress. It seems, if humanity continues to â€Å"develop† with the same pace, our planet Earth will become a deserted place in the following 100 years or even less. All in all, it is hard to find something less ruinous and destructive than technology invented by people. Since weapon kills people, greed for new gadgets â€Å"kills† morality and human inventions destroy nature, technology may be easily believed to play a destructive role in

Back Pain Treated with Massage Therapy Research Paper

Back Pain Treated with Massage Therapy - Research Paper Example The search included Medline, Embase, Cinahl, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Inclusive were studies that compared massage therapy to other treatments for back pain and excluded was research studies done without a control and studies done with patients on pain medications. The results yielded 20 articles that met the criteria for this review. Positive effects from massage therapy as primary treatment were shown in all but one study. In that study, when compared to acupuncture, this researcher had better results with the acupuncture. There are still some unknowns that need further studies but there is evidence showing that massage is a good primary therapeutic choice. Back pain is one of the most costly and common musculoskeletal problems in modern society. It is the primary reason patients seek massage therapy and the second reason that a patient visits a physician with pain. Most primary care physicians will see at least one patient with low back pain per week. The economic impact of this back pain is great, including loss of work, treatment costs, and disability payments. In 1998, total health care expenditures incurred by individuals with back pain in the United States reached 90.7 billion dollars and total incremental expenditures attributable to back pain among these persons were approximately 26.3 billion dollars. On average, individuals with back pain incurred health care expenditures about 60% higher than individuals without back pain (3,498 dollars vs. 2,178 dollars). (Luo, Pietrobon, Sun, 2004). The primary goal in treating back pain is to improve the pain and return function. The patient and his physician have a number of treatment choices for this care. These choices include surgery, medication, acupuncture, exercise therapy, multidisciplinary rehabilitations programs, massage, and spinal manipulation as well as combinations of these. Most patients with chronic low back pain do not benefit from having surgery (Last, Hulbert, 2009). Chiropractic, massage, acupuncture and meditation have become more popular recently (Pengal, Herbert, 2003). Yet only recently has there been evidence-based investigation into treatments that are alternative to medication and surgery. This research will attempt to determine whether massage is a good treatment for the back pain. Literature Review Background Studies In 1997 the first full systematic review of studies was done by VanTulder, Marits, and Koes et.al. (1997). This was a review of randomized control trials completed up to 1997. The aim of that original literature review was to assess the effectiveness of alternative types of care for back pain. Many options were available at the time. A pain scale was used to rate the back pain in studies at that time and all of the studies included had participants with back pain that was rated between 7 and 9. The trials were then rated for validity and 35% of those trials reviewed were considered of high validity while 5% were considered not valid. Many flaws were noted in the studies, which included the use of medication during the trials and short-term effects were not considered in any of the studies. Only long-term effects were validated. Considering these things, the overall adequacy and validity of early control trial was poor. In 2005 VanTulder, Marits

Plant experiment only methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Plant experiment only methodology - Essay Example f fertilizers on plant growth by measuring parameters such as shoot height, stem diameter and root length in two groups of the same plant grown over two months: one grown with fertilizers, and the other without. In one plot, sixteen equidistant holes were dug to a depth of around 20cm. The spacing between the holes was 0.5m. Into each hole, a maize seed was placed. The hole was then covered with soil and compacted gently. In the second plot, sixteen equidistant holes were dug to a depth of 20 cm. The spacing between the holes was also 20cm. One seed was placed into each hole, along with a little fertilizer. Caution was observed to ensure the fertilizer did not come into contact with the seeds. The holes were then covered with soil and then compacted gently. The plots were adequately watered each day. After two months, the shoot heights, root length and stem diameter of the plants were measured and recorded. Using the measurements, the root/shoot ratios were determined for the two groups of plants. The results obtained should support the idea that fertilizers accelerate plant growth by providing the essential nutrients. The measurements made will indicate that the maize plants grown with fertilizers have taller shoots, larger stem diameters and longer roots compared to those grown without fertilizers. The root/shoot ratios for the two groups of plants will not be largely different because the shorter roots are compensated for by the shorter shoots, and taller shoots compensate for by the deeper roots. 1. Huifeng, N., et al. 2009. Effect of nitrogen fertilizer application on grain phytic acid and protein concentrations in japonica rice and its variations with genotypes. Journal of Cereal Science

Energy Sources In the 21st Century Research Paper

Energy Sources In the 21st Century - Research Paper Example lly and it is a mixture of hydrocarbons primarily methane and other higher alkanes in various proportion and it also contains nitrogen, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide in lesser proportions. It is found in deep underground formations of natural rock along with other hydrocarbons like coal, methane clathrates, etc. (b) Natural Gas Reserves According to a recent assessment by the Potential Gas Committee the reserves of natural gas in the US have increased by 26 percent by the end of 2012 than it used to be in 2010. Now the present estimated reserve is 2,384 trillion cubic feet. The reserves of the natural gas in the US are primarily located in Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, Federal Offshore, Alaska, California, and North Dakota and Texas is the largest reserve (Cathy Proctor, 2013). Extracting natural gas from the ground is a complicated and expensive process. The gas is odorless and colorless requiring extra precautions. Extracting the gas from deep underground decreases the pressure in the reservoir and decrease in pressure might cause sinking of the above ground affecting ecosystem, water and sewer systems, water ways, foundations, etc. The process used to release the natural gas from low-permeability reservoir is called hydraulic fracturing or "hydrofracking". Water is forced inside the shale to release the natural gas which breaks or fracks the shale for releasing the gas. Sand and chemicals are added to the frack fluid for reducing friction and combating corrosion. It is a challenge to deal with fracking fluid (Cathy Proctor, 2013). (c) Transportation The reserves of the natural gas in the US are primarily located in Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, Federal Offshore, Alaska, California, and North Dakota and fortunately most of them are close to either major cities or... This essay stresses that the major sources of energy in the United States are fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal which are used for generating electricity, driving cars and other vehicles, running industries, etc. The fossil fuels are non-renewable sources of energy which constitute for major consumption while renewable sources such as solar energy or wind energy contribute marginally to the total energy consumption in the United States. This paper makes a conclusion that extracting natural gas from the ground is a complicated and expensive process. The gas is odorless and colorless requiring extra precautions. Extracting the gas from deep underground decreases the pressure in the reservoir and decrease in pressure might cause sinking of the above ground affecting ecosystem, water and sewer systems, water ways, foundations, etc. The process used to release the natural gas from low-permeability reservoir is called hydraulic fracturing or "hydrofracking". Water is forced insid e the shale to release the natural gas which breaks or fracks the shale for releasing the gas. Sand and chemicals are added to the frack fluid for reducing friction and combating corrosion. It is a challenge to deal with fracking fluid. natural gas can help in solving some major environmental issues like Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Smog, Air Quality and Acid Rain, Industrial and Electric Generation Emissions, Pollution from the Transportation Sector - Natural Gas Vehicles. Etc.

Plant experiment only methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Plant experiment only methodology - Essay Example f fertilizers on plant growth by measuring parameters such as shoot height, stem diameter and root length in two groups of the same plant grown over two months: one grown with fertilizers, and the other without. In one plot, sixteen equidistant holes were dug to a depth of around 20cm. The spacing between the holes was 0.5m. Into each hole, a maize seed was placed. The hole was then covered with soil and compacted gently. In the second plot, sixteen equidistant holes were dug to a depth of 20 cm. The spacing between the holes was also 20cm. One seed was placed into each hole, along with a little fertilizer. Caution was observed to ensure the fertilizer did not come into contact with the seeds. The holes were then covered with soil and then compacted gently. The plots were adequately watered each day. After two months, the shoot heights, root length and stem diameter of the plants were measured and recorded. Using the measurements, the root/shoot ratios were determined for the two groups of plants. The results obtained should support the idea that fertilizers accelerate plant growth by providing the essential nutrients. The measurements made will indicate that the maize plants grown with fertilizers have taller shoots, larger stem diameters and longer roots compared to those grown without fertilizers. The root/shoot ratios for the two groups of plants will not be largely different because the shorter roots are compensated for by the shorter shoots, and taller shoots compensate for by the deeper roots. 1. Huifeng, N., et al. 2009. Effect of nitrogen fertilizer application on grain phytic acid and protein concentrations in japonica rice and its variations with genotypes. Journal of Cereal Science