Clinical objectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Clinical objectives - Essay Example The calculation changes on the yearly basis, however, it is crucial for hospitals to stay current on the measures which are included and how their performance on the measures during the defined performance period will contribute to the overall total performance (TPS). To improve the quality of healthcare delivery, it is crucial to ensure that there is patient satisfaction. Hospital Impatient Value-Based Purchasing (HIVBP) program, and the Medicare reimbursements are closely linked to patient satisfaction. Patients have high expectations in their care and the attitude of care givers which greatly contributes to satisfaction. In a period where physicians are being measured by the quality of their treatment, it is crucial to understand the concept of value base purchasing and Medicaid reimbursement. Value-Based Purchasing (HIVBP) program and the Medicare reimbursements are closely linked to patient

How can leaders increase employee productivity through motivation Essay

How can leaders increase employee productivity through motivation techniques and approaches - Essay Example There is overwhelming amount of literature based on studies conducted by various researchers over the years which point to the fact that over and above the conventional motivation techniques and practices which mainly involve financial motivation such as higher pay packages, bonuses etc. contemporary leaders are increasingly focusing on developing innovative motivation techniques. This study aims to assess and examine the various factors which leaders can use to motivate their employees, the significance and relevance of motivation, and the role of leaders in motivating employees. This is achieved through an extensive literature review – comprising of theoretical perspectives, case studies and meta-analysis. The results revealed that there is a direct and positive relationship between motivation and employee performance and productivity. On the basis of this study it is recommended that organizations and leaders introduce innovative motivational strategies and practices and constantly challenge the employees to help them stay motivated. â€Å"In motivating people, youve got to engage their minds and their hearts. It is good business to have an employee feel part of the entire effort . . . ; I motivate people, I hope, by example—and perhaps by excitement, by having provocative ideas to make others feel involved.† Human resource is one of the most critical and integral part of an organization. It has been observed that a talented pool of highly motivated workers plays a key role in steering an organization towards successful accomplishment of its goals (Sims, 2002; Wiley, 2010; Daft and Marcic, 2010; Frey and Osterloh, 2002). Hence it is imperative for managers to ensure that the employees are managed effectively and adequately motivated to ensure better performance and productivity. Enhancing employee performance and productivity entails provision of adequate training and education to the workers, ensuring a positive work environment, and

Threats and Opportunities for Insurance Companies

Threats and Opportunities for Insurance Companies Climate change has become one of the most important aspects of our daily lives as it has a deep impact on our systems and the general well being of humanity. Such unprecedented change in the climate has resulted in extreme catastrophes such as hurricanes, floods, wild fires, etc. The loss caused by such accidents is not limited to the general public, but is further passed on to industry, which thrives on the concept of underwriting assets. The industries core belief is to quantify the uncertainty of an unforeseen event. But as these events are growing in frequency and size, it will continue to challenge the sustainability of insurance companies. Inevitably, it will transfer the burden to the insurance purchaser, as insurance companies will seek higher premiums for their products, which will only make it less affordable for the masses to afford essential insurance coverage. In this essay we will discuss the various challenges that the industry faces due to climate change, the possible ways to mitigate the threats, and then the scope of more opportunities arising out of the given change. Climate change can be seen as a threat to many insurance companies in the long term as well as the short term. IPCC (2007) has confirmed an increase in the frequency of the catastrophe in the recent years. Insurance claims running into billions of dollars can cause a huge dent in this industry, which makes up up-to 10% of the US economy. It is only natural for insurance companies to charge higher premium for those asserts. Which are exposed to high risks, making it less affordable to the market. The chairman of Lloyds of London quoted that climate change is the number- one issue for that massive insurance group. And also Europes largest insurer, Allianz, stated climate change stands to increase insured losses from extreme events in an average year by 37% within just a decade (Hawker, 2007,p.28). In the past, insurance companies have relied on previous data to formulate policies. But such a practice has only caused high losses as the climate is changing in a rapid way. Warren buffet pointed out insurance companies cant simply extrapolate past experience. If there is a is truly global warming, for example, the odds would shift, since tiny changes in atmospheric conditions can produce momentous changes in weather patterns'. Therefore new techniques such as risk management system (RMS) are used extensively by insurance industry for assessing and managing risks. Hurricane Andrew caused a loss of $23 billion to insurers as they based their policies after relying on past data. However, the same industry had a much smaller impact when hurricane hit the US coast in 20004 and 2005, as they used future risk models such as RMS to formulate policies (Herweiger et. al., 2009). Climate change leads to increase damage and costs as ever increasing level and long lasting wildfires are causing more claims and property damages. Such frequency and magnitude of potential losses can jeopardize the solvency of insurance and reinsurance companies. Sustainability can be insured if the given threats are dealt with adequately. Insurance industries have a history of fostering practices and technologies to reduce risks. Some of the possible and effective ways to mitigate risks are, firstly, a lesser premium can be charged from customers of motor insurance who drive hybrid cars or use pay as you drive scheme. Special benefits can be given to customers who buy vehicles jointly to use them under car pool system. Secondly, a close association with government agencies to improve land use planning, better management of forestry agriculture and wet lands can help in having a well balanced growth that does not put to much pressure on natural resources. Collaboration with private builders to promote, improved building codes, which insure minimum damage to the environment, lower energy requirements and long-term durability. Thirdly, building awareness amongst clients and formulation of public policy. Companies can provide information and edu cation to customers about the harmful effects of violating laws of nature. Consultation should be given to primary and secondary industry to reduce their impact on their immediate environment. . Many insurers have already made investments in green projects like renewable energy, energy efficiency, forestry projects and green funds to ensure that their customers receive protection and also saving them from large claims (Mills, 2007,p.7). Promotion of voluntary energy saving and energy efficient codes can help reduce our dependence on state electrical supply. Active participation from insurers such as AIG offer its Private Client Group a service in which crews are deployed to apply fire retardant in areas such as Colorado which are threatened by wildfire. Climate change can prove as a very big opportunity for insurers as the unpredictable climate can threaten their customers and lead them to insuring their assets. However they must adapt timely successfully. Responding to change is important as it brings opportunities. Insurance companies should develop new solutions and introduce insurance of new assets and risks for their customers changing needs. It is also seen that the Insurance industry is in constant search of better returns for its vast investments. In this regard it could take advantage of the opportunities available in alternative energy sources as it is a good investment as constant technological developments make this it more affordable and attractive for the public. Introducing new products such as risk based pricing under which insurance premiums are charged as per their risk exposure. For normal policies, premium is charged by keeping various factors in hand, but the premium is standard for all, no consideration is given to a policy holders risk exposure. For example- buying car insurance in UK, Any individual above the age of 21 is charged a basic insurance premium which is more or less standard. However when it comes to providing insurance cover to an individual below the age of 21, the policy premium is charged at a much higher rate, as the possibility of an accident is much higher as these new drivers are mostly inexperienced. Another opportunity comes from state help, in form of promotion, because If the majority of the population do not insure their properties then in case of a catastrophe, the financial burden will fall on the state insurers, so to save from this burden, governments promote and favour private insurance companies. Thus making it profitable for private insurers as well as the government. Some of the possible ways to tap the available opportunity are firstly by energy saving insurance, which is given to promoters of energy efficient projects to protect them from loss due to underachievement of predicted energy efficiency. Secondly by motor insurance where packages such as pay as you drive insurance are given, in which cover is given for the miles driven. This helps to reduce miles driven by 10 % to 15 % and also reduces accidents. Thirdly by green building insurance, insurance schemes for buildings that comply with green, eco friendly codes. Fourthly by micro insurance, where the majority of the population living below poverty line, cannot afford insurance of any sort. Therefore new packages for this section of the society can help to capture a very large customer base. Fifthly by investing in alternate energy sources As they can help to get a much higher returns to the surplus investable capital of insurance companies, as this sector holds great promise for better, cleaner greener energy, through technological innovations. And lastly by improved identification of flood plains will help to promote insurance purchasing in the marked areas. After exploring the implications of climate change on the insurance industry, I have shown above, the threats opportunities that the insurance companies face. By comparing both sides of the argument, I believe that the insurance industry faces more threats than opportunities due to climate change. An ever-increasing catastrophe rate, sparked by excessive climate change has lead to increased financial losses, reduced customer base in some case cases complete wipe out of companies. Therefore it is only right for these companies to mitigate these risks in order to insure sustainability. In the given scenario, there also exist enough opportunities to develop new business models and increase revenue through new policies, revised competitive rates. Many untapped market segments, which remain untouched by industry, can provide high revenues. Adequate investments in research and technology will be beneficial for the industry. Above all, a close association with the general public, government agencies private sector enterprise will help the insurance industry to protect itself from the dangers of climate change and provide sufficient opportunity to grow in size.

Toni Morrisons Sula - Female Struggle for Identity Essay -- Sula Ess

The Female Struggle for Identity in Sula   Ã‚  Ã‚   The novel Sula by Toni Morrison exemplifies the new feminist literature described by Helene Cixous in "The Laugh of the Medusa" because of the final portrayal of the two main characters Nel and Sula.   However, it is clear throughout the novel that both Cixous's and Gilbert and Gubar's descriptions of women characters are evident within this novel.   The traditional submissive woman figure paradoxically is set against the new woman throughout the novel.   It is unclear whether the reader should love or despise Sula for her independence until the very last scene.   Although both the perspectives of Cixous and Gilbert/Gubar are evident within the text, ultimately it is the friendship of the two women that prevails and is deemed most important.   This prevailing celebration of womanhood in all of its dualistic and mysterious aspects is exactly what Cixous pushes women writers to attempt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First there is the presence of the old stereotypical woman character, a woman split between the conventional and nontraditional roles of women.   No differences are apparent initially between Morrison's Sula and any other women's literature in the past.   Women are depicted either as docile servants to men, like Nel, or ball-busting feminist monsters like Sula.   The hidden aspect of the novel lies underneath these stereotypical surface roles, in the incomprehensible and almost inappropriate bond of the two women.   In the final scene of Sula, Nel comes to the realization that the emptiness inside her is due to the loss of Sula, not Jude (Morrison 174).   Her friendship with Sula is all that matters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The development of a feminist reading from the perspective of Gilbert and Gubar... ... but instead reunites the two women's spirits.   "We was girls together," Nel says, and it becomes clear the importance of this revelation to her.   She cries "circles and circles of sorrow" for the lost itme between herself and Sula (Morrison 174).   Perhaps she also cries for a whole history of lost women seperated by societal functioning and a world built my men.    Works Cited   Cixous, Helene. "The Laugh of the Medusa."   The Critical Condition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends.   Ed. David H. Richter.   Boston:   Bedford Books, 1998. 1453- 66.   Gilbert, Sarah M. and Gubar, Susan.   "From the Infection in the Sentence: The Woman Writer and the Anxiety of Authorship."   The Critical Condition: Classic Texts andContemporary Trends.  Ã‚   Ed. David H. Richter.   Boston: Bedford Books, 1998.   1361-74.   Morrison, Toni.   Sula.   New York:   Plume Printing, 1982.

Racism: White American and Hispanics Essay

Stereotypes of African Americans 1. African Americans love fried chicken, hot sauce, and grape soda. 2. Large populations of African Americans are lazy and uneducated. 3. They are obsessed with their television shows. 4. African Americans sag their pants and wear clothes that are too big. 5. African Americans drop more money on their hair (Weave, perm, braids, etc. ) than their own house bill. 6. African Americans only listen to hard core rap music. 7. African Americans still to this day pull the racism card because of slavery. 8. A lot of African Americans are in the welfare system. 9. African Americans travel in â€Å"heards†. 10. African Americans live in the â€Å"ghetto† or the more trashy part of town. 11. African Americans are great athletes. 12. African Americans can run fast and jump out of the gym. 13. African Americans always get themselves into fights but both men and women can back themselves up. 14. African Americans are involved in gang violence. Stereotypes of Native Americans: 1. Native Americans are all drunks. 2. Native Americans get checks from the government for being a Native American. 3. Native Americans own casinos. 4. Native Americans are not educated. 5. Native Americans can talk to the animals. 6. Native Americans have herbs that can heal anything. 7. Native Americans live on reservations. 8. Native Americans have really long hair. 9. Native Americans smoke the peace pipe. 10. Native Americans speak a broken language. Stereotypes of Hispanic Americans: 1. Hispanics can cook well. 2. Hispanics are all landscapers, construction workers, maids or bus boys. 3. Hispanics have a lot of kids. 4. Hispanics speak terrible English, if any. 5. Most Hispanics are illegal citizens. 6. Hispanics are involved in gang and drug violence. 7. Hispanics take away American jobs. 8. Hispanics are ill mannered. 9. Hispanics are hard working. 10. Hispanics are great dancers. 11. Hispanics are very religious. 12. Hispanics love bright, vibrant colors. 13. Hispanics wear sombreros. 14. Hispanics drive â€Å"tricked out† cars. Stereotypes of Asian Americans: 1. Asians eat anything that moves. 2. Everything is made in Asia. 3. All Asians look alike. 4. Asians eat with chopsticks. 5. Asians know Kung fu or some other form of martial arts. 6. Asian languages are the most difficult to understand. 7. Asians are good at math. 8. Asians can’t drive well. 9. Asians are all skinny. 10. Asians love rice, soy sauce, and sushi. Stereotypes of White Americans: 1. Whites are materialistic. 2. Whites are the most racist of all races. 3. White people can’t dance. 4. All whites are rich. 5. Whites think they are better than everyone else. 6. Whites are stuck up. 7. Whites think that all other races owe us something for living in our country. 8. Whites are terrible athletes. 9. White people are oblivious to other people’s pain and struggle in America. 10. Whites are all obese.

Etched in Our Minds (Rspc Memories) Essay

Hundreds of memories refreshed my mind as I remember the flashbacks and echoes from my time of yore. My past RSPC years were not quite in high spirits. I did not win any contest in Journalism; a sad smile was always drawn on my face every now and then. It was not easy to recover after all the downs, disappointments, dissatisfaction, and setbacks. But this year’s Regional Schools Press Conference brought me into the new world where all dreams came true and fairytales did exist. New friends came into my life and new-fangled memories were made to bring smiles in everyone’s face. Bayugan City is what they call it. This is where the 2012 RSPC was held. Strong competitors battle in for the honour of their division and school. Vigorous cheers and yells rocked in the gymnasium to let everyone know that they have what it takes to be a regional winner and national qualifier. Spanking faces welcomed me into the new chapter of my life as a journalist. Another task to complete and another competition to win. But after all those academic mind activities, still a bunch of crazy friends surround and make me happy as each precious day passes. Typically, journalists from schools are nervous for what topic will be given, who will be their proctors and the question that cannot be beat is â€Å"Will I Win?† Well, everything happens for a reason. Sometimes you have to exert immeasurable efforts to win up a battle but besides the contest. I expect the reminiscences of fun with my co-contestants of my school and the division. I admit that I don’t really know everyone of my division but I do know that everyone of us wanted to meet each other. Wait! I know you are waiting for the love story chapter of this story, right? Well, that part is always present. This I call â€Å"Mr.JE† was with me. A lot of never seen before scenes happened those nights. And remember Mr. _ _ _ _? My greatest enemy? I caught him staring at me, not just once and but 4 times, don’t wonder why I know. I counted it! And surely he also saw me staring at me. Actually, there were three princes with me in RSPC but definitely I know â€Å"Mr.JE† would be my prince in reality. Just kidding! The night before the day that the winners will be aanounced was made memorable. Music videos of Call Me Maybe, Glad You Came and Live While Were Young. I can say that my co-journalists are really crazy and they made everyone including our Tatay Jay and Mama Ghen enjoyed that night. Tumultuous voices and creams of fun filled our headquarter. We did not waste any millisecond, because in life there are no rewinds. At the day of announcing of the first past the post. We did not win in any individual contest but guess what? â€Å"Champion in Collaborative Desktop Publishing Secondary Level English Category, BAGANI†Ã¢â‚¬ , announced by the speaker. Everyone was shocked and traumatized emotions mixed up. We did not expect this to happen and we directly rushed to the stage like we own it. Thanks to our coaches who exerted immense support. As the day slowly come to an end, home sweet home at last. I grabbed my diary and wrote up those recollections. Surely, the exuberance that we had in Bayugan will always be treasured though it will never happen again but it will always be etched in our minds forever.

The Canterbury Tales essays

The Canterbury Tales essays In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, a group of pilgrims travels together to Canterbury and along the way tell one another stories to pass the time. Chaucer makes use of these stories and the people who tell them to comment on the society of his time, suggesting certain things by his choice of which pilgrim tells what kind of story. Some of the pilgrims are clerics, and others are government workers or members of the public. They represent a cross-section of the society of the day, as do many of the characters in the stories they tell. One of the persistent images in these stories is an image of women, which varies from the submissive to the more aggressive and which is found in both the pilgrims and their stories. In "The Franklin's Tale," ideas about women are expressed in the usual terms but in a different way, combining different traditions to produce an image of women and marriage as both an instance of male dominance combined with the courtly love tradition which so infused much of the poetry of the time. The image created of women is that they are decorative and virtuous, and this is also an element in the courtly love tradition. The traditions included by Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales are different and more expansive, for the tales include a number of women from different classes. These woman are lustier and more accessible, as a rule, with one of the primary representatives being the Wife of Bath. Love in these stories is an ongoing battle between the sexes, sometimes in the courtly love tradition (as in "The Franklin's Tale" in which Dorigen and Arviragus are obsessed with meeting the requirements of courtly love, or in the description of the Squire in the Prologue, who also deliberately pursues the traditions of courtly love). The Wife of Bath is a lusty woman who also uses the courtly love tradition in her story, though she deliberately toys with it as she te...

Learn About the French Verb Faillir

Learn About the French Verb Faillir Faillir is a very interesting and useful French verb. It is irregular in conjugation and does not have an English equivalent; the simplest translation is to almost do something.​ Faillir is usually followed by an infinitive and can be translated by to almost do something, to all but do something, to very nearly do something, or to narrowly miss doing something. Faillir is most commonly used in the past: Jai failli tomber. - I almost fell.Nous avons failli rater le train. - We very nearly missed the train.Il a failli dire  « non  » avant dy rà ©flà ©chir.  - He almost said no before thinking about it. Faillir Faillir is followed by a noun and means to fail in/at or to fail to keep: Jai failli ma mission. - I failed in my mission.Il a failli sa parole. - He failed to keep his word. Expressions with Faillir faillir la tradition - to break with traditionne pas faillir sa parole - to keep / be true to ones wordne pas faillir sa rà ©putation - to live up to ones reputationrà ©sister jusquau bout sans faillir - to resist unflinchingly to the end Conjugations Though this verb has conjugations in all the tenses, faillir is used almost exclusively in the past (passà © composà ©, passà © simple, and plus-que-parfait), so the past participle failli is the most important form for you to know. To talk about nearly doing something in another tense, manquer de is preferable (though the meaning is subtly different). Note that il faut is the third person singular present tense of both faillir and the impersonal verb falloir.

Analysis Of Kill A Mockingbird Essay -- To Kill a Mockingbird, White

The book notably opens with an immediate instance of self-delusion: tricking the reader into believing that Maycomb is just an old, ordinary, and quiet town through description of the town’s history, when in reality, it was teeming with prejudice and racism. The reader immediately leans about this sleepy southern town where â€Å"a day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County† (Lee 6), however the reader slowly begins to realize that there’s more to the town than what meets the eye, as â€Å" it was a time of vague optimism for some of the people: Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself† (Lee 6). Up until this point, any first-time reader was probably thinking of a dreary, yet pleasant town where nothing really happened. However, this allusion to Roosevelt’ s fireside chats places this narrative in the 1930’s, and this is the detail that causes the reader to put the two ideas together. Any time before the late 60’s in a southern town does not bode well on the topic of acceptance, especially the issue of racism. This skepticism is later confirmed through Mr. Radley using a racial slur to accuse a black man for trespassing on his territory. Overall, the beginning of the book is a great example of self-delusion in order t... ... middle of paper ... ...tside the courthouse after the trial, and Jem was instantly reminded of the verdict: Jem was suddenly furious. He leaped off the bed, grabbed me by the collar and shook me. â€Å"I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever, ever, you hear me? You hear me? Don’t you ever say one word to me about it again, you hear? Now go on!† (Lee 331). In the face of bigotry, Jem initially refused to accept reality. He refused to admit that, even though Maycomb was the town he grew up in, even though it was where he called home, he was completely surrounded by injustice. Jem deluded himself rather than accepting the fact that the world is a lot harsher, crueler and just more unfair than he thought. It’s a common theme across the book that people can’t accept the truth and choose to ignore it. And although the book takes place in the 1930’s, this self-deception is still present.

Titanic Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Titanic - Research Paper Example Broadcast TV shows such as Big Brother, The Simpsons, The View and Family Guy have gained increased popularity over time resulting to unconstructive impacts on the social, political, educational and religious scenes. This essay discusses the negative impacts of Broadcast TV shows by exploring the key areas it touches on. Stereotypes and Prejudices. Broadcast TV shows have been observed to contribute highly in the perpetuation of prejudice and negative stereotypes in the American society (Shaffer 413). Although such shows use this as a form of humor, it has a huge impact on the way society views certain groups of people. Nearly every broadcast TV shows portrays Black males as drug dealers, thugs or criminals. This impacts negatively on the way society view Black males. On the other hand, Muslims are depicted as terrorists which was facilitated by the 9/11 attack. Society is influenced to view them as bad people who are a threat to security. These two examples show how Broadcast TV sho ws promote stereotypes and prejudices in society resulting to tension between racial groups in society. Social Effects. The first social problem arising from watching Broadcast TV shows is lack of originality among the population. People are likely to imitate the TV stars mode of speaking, dressing and personal style which is a common problem among teenagers. Teenagers should strive to seek their own identity and discover their own talents with the help of their parents. This also leads to increased peer pressure as teenagers will strive to dress and act like their friends. Secondly watching TV Broadcast shows leads to the development of anti- social behavior (Clarke 413). This is because individuals tend to spend too much time watching TV and have no time for family, friends or fun activities. Such people tend to be withdrawn and cannot communicate effectively with other members of society. These shows lead to the propagation of negative behavior including violence, crime, premarit al sex and drug abuse. The content aired by these shows has violent scenes that affect the audiences’ thought in a negative way (Gentile 70). Watching these shows has be a major contributing factor to the rising levels of violence mainly among the young people (Gentile 70). Some scenes have been known to encourage drug and alcohol abuse since they illustrate it to be ‘cool’ and highly appealing to the audience. Some of these shows contain sexual scenes that lead to the high occurrence of teenage sex and pregnancies. This is because such shows depict this behavior to be fun and acceptable. Generally speaking, Broadcast television shows provide the wrong idea about certain practices and make them believe that they are totally fine. Watching these shows is highly addictive hence people do it for many hours in a day. Recent studies have revealed that there is a relationship between the length of time that is spent on watching TV and obesity. Watching TV for long hour ’s leads to a sedentary lifestyle since it is an inactive activity that requires minimal physical and mental activity. People are advised to undertake in physical and mental tasks that stimulate their brain and body to ensure mental and physical fitness. These shows contribute to emotional and physical problems linked to self esteem and weight loss (Shaffer 413). TV stars are represented as having perfect body shapes and flawless skin. Women and young people in society are affected by these images and tend to feel

Disaster related risk management practices in IHG Essay

Disaster related risk management practices in IHG - Essay Example Risk management in this context can be stated as an ongoing process which sustains throughout organizational life cycle. With these considerations, the essay discusses disaster risk management practices in an organization namely InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) in Japan. Disaster usually follows natural threats and its severity depends on the level of impact on the organization. On the other hand, the level of impact is subjected to the choices made by organizations (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, â€Å"Risk Management Plan†). THESIS STATEMENT The essay is based on understanding the disaster related risk management practices in IHG which faced losses due to recent earthquake in Japan, in the year 2011. The objective of the study is to discuss the event along with its consequence on the risk management activities of IHG. Furthermore, it also describes the learning gained from the incident. BUSINESS OF THE ORGANISATION IHG is a British hospitality organization and is also considered as one of the biggest hotel brands in the world. IHG operates in excess of nine hotels under its name and its business strategies concentrate on driving the demand of the brand. IHG operates the business in three different ways namely franchising, joint venture and ownership. Franchising is the biggest part of the business of IHG, however, it also uses the bricks and mortar model of business (InterContinental Hotels Group, â€Å"Overview†). ... This natural disaster had created a drastic impact on the performance of IHG. Its ANA Holiday Inn, which is situated in Sendai, had to be closed down for new reservation. The organization also became vulnerable in terms of safety of its people and guests due to the disaster. Furthermore, the property of ANA Holiday Inn which was situated in the close proximity to Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant also faced the risk of disruption. The share price of the organization also fell drastically after the incident occurred in Japan (Telegraph Media Group Limited, â€Å"Japan Earthquake: The Companies Most Affected by the Disaster†). RISK MANAGEMENT IN IHG IHG has an established international risk management procedure and outline which is entrenched in every operation and activity of the organization. The objectives of risk management of IHG are to create a vigorous, reactive and strong procedure along with a successful, respected and liable business over the long run. With respect to ri sk management, the key objective of the organization is to recognize and manage risks, in line with the strategic objectives and long-term value of the business (InterContinental Hotels Group PLC, â€Å"Corporate Risk Management†). Risk Screening The risk management process is characterized by risk screening procedure which determines the risk severity and frequency. According to risk severity and frequency, risks can be separated into minor risks which do not necessitate much management attention and significant risks which require considerable management attention. There are two types of risks an organization can face such as internal risks and external risks. Internal risks comprise management, cost and cash flow related risks. On the other hand, external risks are usually related with

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 18

Research paper - Essay Example There are two ways to classify fuels. Firstly, on the basis of the physical state they exist in, either being solid, liquid or gas and secondly, how they are obtained: either naturally or are manufactured. Fuels existing naturally include Wood, Coal, Petroleum and Natural gas whereas manufactured fuels include Coke, Charcoal, Alcohols and Water gas to name a few (Types of Fuels and Their Characteristics 37-38). Solid fuels for example Coal have been widely used throughout and have a number of advantages. Their transportation is easy and also there is no risk of a spontaneous explosion. They also do not possess a very high temperature for ignition. However, their content of ash is great which is harmful for the environment (Types of Fuels and Their Characteristics 38). Around 80% of the coal is used for generating electricity. It is also utilized in furnaces for steel production. The refined coal is called ‘coke’ and it does not pollute the environment. When coal is heated in the absence of the air, coal tar and coal gas are removed which are its impurities (Walker 11). Out of all the fossil fuels, coal has the highest number of reserves around the world and is obtained through mining. Huge number of ‘coal basins’ are present in the Northern hemisphere of the Earth, like in the countries England, China and Australia to be specific (Spliethoff 25). The liquid fuels like Petroleum can be classified as natural or crude oils and also as manufactured or artificial oils. The advantages of liquid fuels include easy storage and transport, requirement of less space and no production of dust or ash upon heating. On the other hand their use carries some disadvantages as well. They give off a bad odor, special tanks are required for their transportation and the extremely inflammable and volatile nature of these liquids pose great hazards (Types of Fuels and Their Characteristics

Define term Clutter and Gestures in public speech Essay

Define term Clutter and Gestures in public speech - Essay Example A normal hand wave is considered as a fine gesture of saying â€Å"Hello† and â€Å"Good Bye† while appreciating someone’s work by patting his back is a nice gesture of motivating him. A frown often gives a feeling of being angry and irritated while a smile offers a feeling of bliss. Gestures are universal expressions found in every living body capable of emoting them with great impact. Gestures have been documented in different forms of art such as paintings and sculptures. The famous portray of Monalisa is a symbol of female beauty emoting elusive facial expressions. While delivering public speech, most individuals use their hands and facial expressions to express the worth of a sentence or words. The word â€Å"Smile† brings a smile on the face while the world â€Å"Magnanimous† makes us spread our arms to highlight its impact and worth. Gestures can be used to connect with the nature, society and technology in a manner that does not require words to express the actual feelings. They are ubiquitous and innate in living bodies defining life through wide arrays of emotions and feelings. Clutter is defined as a confused multitude of things and statements often using more than what is actually required to offer a substantial meaning. It is like filling gaps or spaces in a disorderly manner that confuses audiences to the core. Usually, clutter defines a confused state of mind lacking clear and transparent ideas. It normally happens in extempore when a speaker is asked to speak on a particular topic; rather than clearly defining the subject matter of the topic, the speaker tends to use unnecessary words. It is hard to avoid clutters while speaking especially when the mind and is not refined and mature enough. It also highlights the normal human psychology that gets affected by pressure and expectance. Almost every speaker goes through the feeling of nervousness while speaking in front of a group. It is a

English final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English final - Essay Example After the incident of the Fukushima catastrophe, authorities have of late come to reconsider the safety protocols and designs of nuclear reactors as a mode of becoming equipped for impending calamities in case they do occur. However, most of those charged with making policies contend that nuclear power is fundamental in bridging the energy insufficiency regularly experienced by most nations because of increasing needs for energy due to industrial development. The nuclear calamity at Fukushima has accentuated majority of the arguments and counterarguments concerning the dire need to accept and adopt nuclear energy (Pineda, 2013). This paper seeks to evaluate the viability of the use of nuclear energy as compared to the challenges that it presents to the contemporary world in both the United States and other nations. There are many impediments and challenges to nuclear power usage and adoption both within the United States and many other countries globally. ... Most people argue, which I agree with, that the use of nuclear energy has the potential to bring about climatic variations; nevertheless, there have remained apprehensions that despite its acceptance, energy costs are expected to upsurge which is a major public fear. Nuclear power setups have encountered resistance in the modern-day world owing to disagreement in relations to its safety that can be owed to reactors failure because of inadequate training, lack of or absence of maintenance, deprived designs and lack of adequate research relating to the complications bedeviling the plants. Similarly, the issue or problem of storing wastes from nuclear reactors has proven to be administratively problematic due to the environment conservational anxieties raised by nation-states and other troubled stakeholders (Gleason et al. 2001). I have already come across literature that suggests that many countries on planet earth have protested or expressed their suspicions that the wastewater emanat ing from the nuclear plants may possibly have reached into waterbodies, as a result polluting it and making it unfit for human consumption (Futami, 2013). In order to ensure that nuclear energy remains both a viable option for energy for the United States and other nations, governments have enacted nuclear programs that are multifaceted in nature. This means that the regulations and policies address the barriers and the challenges inhibiting the development of nuclear energy and ensuring its safety in terms of the health of human beings (Sidel & Levy, 2007). This has been achieved through the addressing of opportunities that aim at developing new technologies and the intellectual capital to shape the global nuclear energy policy and infrastructure.

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Research paper - Essay Example There are two ways to classify fuels. Firstly, on the basis of the physical state they exist in, either being solid, liquid or gas and secondly, how they are obtained: either naturally or are manufactured. Fuels existing naturally include Wood, Coal, Petroleum and Natural gas whereas manufactured fuels include Coke, Charcoal, Alcohols and Water gas to name a few (Types of Fuels and Their Characteristics 37-38). Solid fuels for example Coal have been widely used throughout and have a number of advantages. Their transportation is easy and also there is no risk of a spontaneous explosion. They also do not possess a very high temperature for ignition. However, their content of ash is great which is harmful for the environment (Types of Fuels and Their Characteristics 38). Around 80% of the coal is used for generating electricity. It is also utilized in furnaces for steel production. The refined coal is called ‘coke’ and it does not pollute the environment. When coal is heated in the absence of the air, coal tar and coal gas are removed which are its impurities (Walker 11). Out of all the fossil fuels, coal has the highest number of reserves around the world and is obtained through mining. Huge number of ‘coal basins’ are present in the Northern hemisphere of the Earth, like in the countries England, China and Australia to be specific (Spliethoff 25). The liquid fuels like Petroleum can be classified as natural or crude oils and also as manufactured or artificial oils. The advantages of liquid fuels include easy storage and transport, requirement of less space and no production of dust or ash upon heating. On the other hand their use carries some disadvantages as well. They give off a bad odor, special tanks are required for their transportation and the extremely inflammable and volatile nature of these liquids pose great hazards (Types of Fuels and Their Characteristics

English final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English final - Essay Example After the incident of the Fukushima catastrophe, authorities have of late come to reconsider the safety protocols and designs of nuclear reactors as a mode of becoming equipped for impending calamities in case they do occur. However, most of those charged with making policies contend that nuclear power is fundamental in bridging the energy insufficiency regularly experienced by most nations because of increasing needs for energy due to industrial development. The nuclear calamity at Fukushima has accentuated majority of the arguments and counterarguments concerning the dire need to accept and adopt nuclear energy (Pineda, 2013). This paper seeks to evaluate the viability of the use of nuclear energy as compared to the challenges that it presents to the contemporary world in both the United States and other nations. There are many impediments and challenges to nuclear power usage and adoption both within the United States and many other countries globally. ... Most people argue, which I agree with, that the use of nuclear energy has the potential to bring about climatic variations; nevertheless, there have remained apprehensions that despite its acceptance, energy costs are expected to upsurge which is a major public fear. Nuclear power setups have encountered resistance in the modern-day world owing to disagreement in relations to its safety that can be owed to reactors failure because of inadequate training, lack of or absence of maintenance, deprived designs and lack of adequate research relating to the complications bedeviling the plants. Similarly, the issue or problem of storing wastes from nuclear reactors has proven to be administratively problematic due to the environment conservational anxieties raised by nation-states and other troubled stakeholders (Gleason et al. 2001). I have already come across literature that suggests that many countries on planet earth have protested or expressed their suspicions that the wastewater emanat ing from the nuclear plants may possibly have reached into waterbodies, as a result polluting it and making it unfit for human consumption (Futami, 2013). In order to ensure that nuclear energy remains both a viable option for energy for the United States and other nations, governments have enacted nuclear programs that are multifaceted in nature. This means that the regulations and policies address the barriers and the challenges inhibiting the development of nuclear energy and ensuring its safety in terms of the health of human beings (Sidel & Levy, 2007). This has been achieved through the addressing of opportunities that aim at developing new technologies and the intellectual capital to shape the global nuclear energy policy and infrastructure.

Lack of Mother’s Love Leads to Self Destruction Essay Example for Free

Lack of Mother’s Love Leads to Self Destruction Essay In D. H. Lawrence’s short story â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner,† Paul’s determination, hunger for love and self-destructiveness result from a lack of love from his mother. Living in a family that equates money with luck, and love, Paul misunderstands what he needs to do to be considered successful. The result of his mother’s self absorption and general coldness causes Paul to eventually ride his luck to the end of his life in a failed search for love. Paul’s determination He wishes to make the house stop murmuring, â€Å"There must be more money!† Paul wants to prove his mother wrong that he is unlucky Severe anxiety over his inability to predict the winners in the big races of the year furthers Paul’s determination Paul’s hunger for love His mother’s behavior toward her children is cold and egotistical Paul equates money with love as learned from his mother His desire to give his mother money as a â€Å"birthday present† to take away her cares Paul’s self-destructive behavior His never-ending quest for â€Å"luck† He assents to give his mother all five thousand pounds when she asks for a lump sum Paul feels he must work harder to come up with the Derby race winner since his mother has squandered the previous money, which leads to his death

The Competitive Strategies Of Coca Cola Economics Essay

The Competitive Strategies Of Coca Cola Economics Essay This paper is discussing about the economic market structure, especially for imperfect competition market which are monopolistic competition market and oligopoly market. There will be explanations about definition, characteristics, and examples of monopolistic competition market and oligopoly market. There is Dunkin Donuts Inc. for the monopolistic competition market and Coca Cola Co. for the oligopoly market. This paper also will discuss about competitive strategies of Coca Cola. Introduction In economy study, people know that there are view types of market in the existence. These market types are differentiated according to number / distribution of firm(s) in the market. According to Sloman Norris (2002), there are four types of market structures in the practice, which are perfect competition, monopoly and monopolistic competition, oligopoly markets. Perfect competition market is a market with the most sellers and buyers in transaction. In this type of market, the products that provided are mostly homogenous. To get in into this market, there are no barriers. Both of the buyers and sellers is price taker (OSullivan et al, 2008), so in this market price is not the factor that could affect the sales, instead of it service is much more attractive. Monopoly market is a market with a single firm that provide product that has no close-substitutes. This condition clearly shows that this type of firm has power that will allow them as the price maker, since there are no close-substitutes that can be chosen by consumer to replace the use of the service or goods provided by the firm. In this monopoly market there is entry barriers such as patent, government policy, etc. Perfect competition and monopoly market are the extreme condition in market. The other two market structures which are monopolistic competition and oligopoly market is more common type of market that we can see in the real life situation if they are compared to perfect competition and monopoly market. This paper will discuss more on imperfect competition market that are the including the monopolistic competition market and the oligopoly market, which are more relevance to the practice with the relevance and appropriate examples. Contents Theory Monopolistic Competition Market Monopolistic competition was developed by an American economist named Edward Chamberlin in 1930s (Sloman Norris 2002). Monopolistic is a type of monopoly market; there are quite number of firms running in the industry, but they produce a differential product which distinguish them from other. In monopolistic market, a firm is independence; means that firm in this market are hardly affected with their competitors act or decision, or vice versa (Sloman Norris 2002). Firms in the monopolistic market are offering their products through different things from their competitors; appearance, levels, technology, quality, price, etc. These differentiations of product are also known as Product differentiation (Parkin,2000). There are no entry barriers to get in into this monopolistic competition market. Barrier such as patent or government regulation is not applicable in this market (OSullivan et al, 2008). According to Parkin (2000), firms have the free entry and exit in monopolistic market. Normally if the condition of this market is highly profitable there will be a positive signal that invite numbers of firm to come in and the distribution of profit will be divided to the firms in market, but when they performance of market is low, there will be number of firm as well leaving this market. The below tables show monopolistic market in profit and loss time (Case Fair, 2008): However, in the long run there will be no super abnormal profit for firms in monopolistic market, since because of the signaling, firms are freely enter and exit from the market. Here is the long term condition graph (Case Fair, 2008): Oligopoly Market Oligopoly is a term that derived from the term of the Greeks which are oligos meaning little or few and polein meaning to sell. Oligopoly refers to a market where there are only few firm running the business in the field. (Tucker, 2005). Not the same with monopolistic, to enter into oligopoly market is not easy to be done, since oligopoly market has the entry barrier as monopoly market (Sloman Norris 2002). According to OSullivan et al (2008), government has intervention in this market, making sure there is no bunch of firms operating in the oligopoly industry by issuing controller such as patent and business licenses. Besides that, firms in oligopoly market are majority competing also by advertising campaign. The expenditure budget for advertising in this market is very high. Not similar with monopolistic competition market, oligopoly market is interdependent. The decision that made by firm that operating in oligopoly will affect the other firms that operating in the same market. In this market there will be no firm that does not consider the action taken by their rival. Most of the companies in oligopoly firm compete through non-price competition. By practicing non-price competition, each oligopolist create barrier for competitors to combat an important product improvement. Here are some examples of non-price competition (Riley, 2006): Free deliveries and installation Extended warranties for consumers and credit facilities Longer opening hours (e.g. supermarkets and petrol stations) Branding of products and heavy spending on advertising and marketing Extensive after-sales service Expanding into new markets or diversification of the product range In oligopoly market, the graph of demand will shows a kinked curve. The kinked demand curve model happen because of two assumptions that made in oligopoly market, which are: If a firm rising the selling price, the other firms remain (not follow to increase the price) If a firm cutting the selling price, the other firms will follow to cut down their selling price as well Kinked demand curve in monopolistic market (Anonymous, n.d) Oligopoly market has a tendency to thinks what is their competitor reaction to their new policies. To examine this oligopolist behavior can be done with the Game Theory. Game Theory is a study to analyze the strategic behavior depends on the reaction of the competitor into the new policies (Sloman Norris 2002). As outlined by Samuelson and Nordhaus (2005), some general findings of game theorist in the area of imperfect competition are: As the number of non-cooperative oligopolists becomes large, industry price and quantity tend toward the perfectly competitive outcome. If firms decide to collude rather than compete, the market price and quantity will be close to those generated by monopoly. But experiments suggest that as the number of firms increases, collusive agreements become more difficult to police and the frequency of cheating and non-cooperative behavior increases. In many situations, there is no stable equilibrium for oligopoly. Strategic interplay may lead to unstable outcomes as firms threaten, bluff, start price wars, capitulate to stronger firms, punish weal opponents, signals their intentions, or simply exit from the market. In this Game Theory, there is also a term called Prisoners Dilemma that illustrate the difficulties in maintaining a cooperation (Mankiw, 2004). According to Parkin (2000), there are 3 things that need to be paid attention in Game Theory, which are rules, strategies and payoffs. The game theory will be illustrated as following: A and B are caught stealing a car, both of them were interrogated by the polices and they will sentence for 2 years in prison. The police suspect that A and B is involved in recent robbery, but they have no evidence to prove it. Rules: A and B were put in different cabin, each told they are suspected involve in robbery. If both of them confess they did it, they will sentence into 3 years prison, however if one of them confess and the other one does not, the first one will only sentence for 1 year prison and the other one 10 years. Strategies: the possible action that can be taken by A and B are , Confess or denied they involved in the robbery. Payoffs: because there are two players and two strategies, there are four possible outcomes, which are: Both confess, both denied, A confesses B denies, and B confesses A denies. 10 Years 1 Year 2 Years 2 Years 3 Years 3 Years 1 Year 10 Years Prisoners Dilemma Payoffs Matrix (Parkin 2000) Company in Monopolistic Competition and Oligopoly Market Monopolistic competition market can be entered easily, even though there are many competitors in the industry competing in it. Food and beverage industry is also included in monopolistic competition market. In example Starbucks, McD, KFC, and Dunkin donuts are well known in the franchise business in food and beverage industry. Dunkin donuts is a beverage industry firm that provides donuts and the regular coffee. Founded in 1950, today Dunkin Donuts is the No. 1 retailer of hot and iced regular coffee-by-the-cup in America (Miranda, n.d.). In beverage industry like Dunkin donuts we can see there is quite numbers of firms are operating in the same industry such as Krispy Kreme, Starbucks, etc. Each of these companies has their own characteristic that differentiate them with their competitors; such as Krispy Kreme is more concentrating in the production of donuts, while Starbucks are providing more various blended coffee. However, Dunkins donut also has its own characteristic which is providing the regular coffee with the delicious donuts or cakes. According to Miranda (n.d.), Dunkin Donuts in Florida are doing very well and doing better than the other franchises in other states. Dunkin Donuts sells 52 different donuts and more than a dozen coffee beverages as well as bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and other baked beverages. Dunkin donuts is having a powerful market position. It has become the No.1 in regular hot coffee sales, No.1 in bagels, No.1 in donuts and No.3 in breakfast sandwiches, and Dunkin donut is developed with a strong and profitable franchise business model (Goumas, 2006). There is no entry barrier for those firms that wanted to come into beverage market, such as J.Co in Malaysia; its a new comer in the beverage industry. For Oligopoly market there is Coca Cola Co. which is leading in the carbonated beverage industry for years. There are only a few producers in carbonated beverage, this makes carbonated beverage industry included in oligopoly market. Coca Cola Co. are included in oligopoly market, even though in the real life there is quite a lot carbonated drinks available (which can be categorized into monopolistic competition), such as FN in Malaysia. But in the practice, these carbonated beverages industries were dominated by Coca Cola Co. and Pepsi Co. for decades, this beverage industry become oligopoly. Thus, for the smaller firm such as FN in beverage industry has their sales in a little share and cannot be compared to the sales of Coca Cola and Pepsi. The main rival of Coca Cola is Pepsi Co., which has been decades competing in the Coke industry. In the carbonated soft drink industry today, Coco-Cola dominated 43.7% of the market, followed by PepsiCo. occupied 31.6% and Cadbury-Schweppes 15.8% (In January 1999, the smallest oligopolist Cadbury Schweppes PLC, sold part of its international business to Coca-Cola Co.) ( oligopolywatch.com, 2005). The branding and advertisement effort for Coca Cola and Pepsi are also competitive and they have their own characteristic. For Pepsi, they always hire well-known artist such as Britney Spears, Beyonce and Pink to advertise their Pepsi Coke. In the other side, Coca Cola always use a creative advertisement. They never stop their advertisement, even though they know that both of them is the leader in the industry, because they never want to lose to one another. From the number of firms in the market, the tendency that firms can go in into market and the branding advertisement effort, makes the carbonated beverage industry become an oligopoly market rather than monopolistic competition market. Competitive Strategies of Coca Cola Co. Advertisement and Sponsorship Consider the long-running Coke-Pepsi feud, both Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo. are trying to made a useful foil for advertising, and company created product distinctions during the competition. During the Beijing Olympic in 2008, again Coca Cola has been the official partner for this event in past 80 years. For Coca Cola there is never too early to do promotion, it proven by the launching of limited edition Coca Cola Olympic edition with various languages (Baar, 2008). In December 2008, Coca Cola running a new mobile marketing campaign in Germany and also they did advertise in television that showing the Coca-Cola truck driving through a snowy landscape. (Khan, 2008). Expand in Market and Product Range Recently, Coca Cola put more effort in expanding their production in China. Coca Cola Co. has built 2 production plant in the less developed central and west China (The Coca Cola Company Press, 2009). Since Pepsi sales compare to Coca Cola sales in China is larger, Coca Cola does not stop expanding their target which is China market. Coca Cola Co. has variety products which have been introduced as the needs of the customer. As stated in The Coca Cola Company Press (2009), Coca Cola has more than 3,000 beverages, from diet and regular sparkling beverages to still beverages such as 100 percent fruit juices and fruit drinks, waters, sports and energy drinks, teas and coffees, and milk-and soy-based beverages, our variety spans the globe. Keep Innovative and Efficient over the Long Run Oligopolistic competition is proved to be beneficial, because it provides continuous improvement, and ensures that managements would keep their organizations innovative and efficient over the long run. Argued by Zachary (1999), market leaders need challengers to keep them on their toes. According to Weier (2009), Coca Cola Company plant to lunch out Freestyle drink dispenser, in the US nationwide. This dispenser have the concept of fulfill customer choice to new heights, the most interesting aspect is the technology its built on. Cutting Price By doing innovation such as lunch out Freestyle drink dispenser, it will help Coca Cola Company to do price cutting. Freestyle will become Cokes front-line robotic army for business intelligence, sending massive amounts of consumption data back to the beverage companys Atlanta headquarters. The dispensers collect data on what customers are drinking and how much, and transmit that information each night over a private network to data warehouse system in Atlanta. Unique byproduct of this BI enabled dispenser is that Coke can try out new flavors and get back almost real time feedback on the viability of its success.   It will no longer have to ensemble Customer focus group and try it out in a lab.   The real world becomes the lab and the marketing department at Coke can watch consumers vote yea or nay on the viability of new product instantaneously.   This not only improves the speed of feedback but also makes the entire test marketing process cheaper.   Conclusion There is perfect competition market and imperfect competition market. Perfect competition markets are including perfect competition and monopoly market. However, imperfect competition markets are monopolistic competition market and oligopoly. From the overall analysis, it shows that the oligopoly is the most difficult competitive structure to evaluate than other market structures, because the intensity of competition is high whereby oligopolists battle for market share. Each and every move by a player attracts retaliation. And many market structures tend towards being an oligopoly as time progresses. In oligopoly market effort such as branding, advertising, business expansion is very core. Since the price battle cannot be done in oligopoly market, a firm must be able to make moves in non-price battle. To gain the competitive advantages in the long run, Coca Cola need to take care about their advertisement and sponsorship program, developing the research and development, keep expanding their market; specially the location where Pepsi Co. gain more sales compare to Coca Cola. Coca Cola Company is one of the successful firms in oligopoly market, their effort to be existence in the market has leaded them to the top of beverage market until now.

GCSE English Coursework †Wide Reading Assignment - Lamb to the Slaughter :: English Literature

GCSE English Coursework – Wide Reading Assignment - Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl, and The Speckled Band In this wide reading assignment I have been looking at two stories, 'Lamb to the Slaughter' by Roald Dahl, and 'The Speckled Band' by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle. Both these stories are classed as murder mysteries, and I am intending to investigate and compare the motives of the killers in both stories. 'The Speckled Band' is written in first person from the viewpoint of Dr. Watson. The story starts with Watson looking over notes of the cases that he and Holmes have taken in the last eight years; one in particular comes to his mind, and from their Watson tells the story of 'The Speckled Band'. The killer in 'The Speckled Band' is Dr Grimesby Roylott. Roylott is a tall man who was well built. 'Lamb to the Slaughter' is written in a third person perspective, and the story starts with a description of a room, and then breaks into the characters, and follows them though the rest of the story. The killer in 'Lamb to the Slaughter is Mary Maloney, a gentle, petite housewife. The two stories, as previously said, are both classed as murder mysteries, however when comparing these two stories the styles of writing and the way in which the stories are presented is completely different. An example of this would be the chronological order of each of the stories. What I mean by this is the traditional order of murder mysteries would be body, a motive, a weapon, a death, a suspect, an alibi and detectives. Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band are no exception to these "guidelines". The Speckled Band follows this order and is a very traditional murder mystery; Lamb to the Slaughter on the other hand does not follow the conventional style of murder mysteries and follows its own order. This order would be a motive, a weapon, a death, a killer, an alibi and detectives. In changing the traditional order of murder mysteries I feel that Dahl is mocking the genre of Murder Mysteries. The motives in 'The Speckled Band' are clear from an early stage. Its clear to see that Roylott's motives was the money, or the lack of it he would have if his step-daughters were to marry. While spending some time in India, Dr Roylott married a considerably rich woman. Upon her and Roylott's return to England Mrs Stoner died, and left her money to Dr Roylott, and an annual fund that Julia and Helen Stoner could collect when they were to wed. This is what Dr Roylott obviously

Comparing and Contrasting the Portrayal and Warfare in Poetry :: War Poems Jesse Pope Wilfred Owen Essays

Comparing and Contrasting the Portrayal and Warfare in Poetry War poetry A Comparattive Essay Choose two poets that we have studied so far. Compare and contrast the portrayal of warfare in four of the poems studied. This essay will compare and contrast the portrayal and warfare in four of the poems studied. The first world war was portrayed as a glorious and credible cause, fighting war for your country was deemed as the duty of any credible man. Being able to represent your country on the battlefield was the greatest honour a man could have. Men were engulfed with the idea of being able to fight for their countries futures. Women would have to do everything they could to stop their husbands and sons from risking their lives by signing up for the war. At this time poetry was written to encourage men to go and fight, poets like jessie pope who wrote war poetry enforced this view. JESSIE POPE WILFRED OWEN WHO’S FOR THE DULCE ET DECORUM EST. GAME? THE CALL DISABLED These poems were written about (and at the same time as), World War I, between 1914 to 1918. In these barbaric four years->killing spree 7 million men and leaving 17 million men injured, (physically-the war tactics resorted to the tortures of gas attacks, gun-shot wound, shell shock, starvation and exposure, to name a few...), the rest were scarred by memories never fading. World war one devastated lives and souls, time and space. But citizens back home had no way of knowing what war was capable of, without television or radio to communicate to them, they were only left to imagine the true horrors men were enduring. If people had reailsed the true extent and the horrors of what was actually happening, morale would have been severely detrimentally affected. These poems were created by the thoughts and feelings expressed by soldiers at battle. Propaganda was partially to blame for the young lives that were stolen by the war, because it encouraged men to actively volunteer for the dream of taking the empire to victory and in return recieve the pride of serving their country. Propaganda was engineered to give citizens a false impression/ illusion of positivity about the events that were truely making history horrifically, and consistently sent a message of fortitude and unity to the enemy. Men were driven by promised finicial gain, status and the chance to travel, but under such pointless pain, suffering and horror that awaited them, ready to engulf them all in battle, in such conditions as; 48 hours bomboardment, being surrounded by dead bodies, acheing (mentally, physically and emotionally), foul infestation, and living in fear and horror was not worth the cost of a

Heuristic Evaluation

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O O O|   | 1. 4| Do menu instructions, prompts, and error messages appear in the same place(s) on each menu? | O O O|   | 1. 5| In multipage data entry screens, is each page labeled to show its relation to others? | O O O|   | 1. 6| If overtype and insert mode are both available, is there a visible indication of which one the user is in? | O O O|   | 1. 7| If pop-up windows are used to display error messages, do they allow the user to see the field in error? | O O O|   | 1. 8| Is there some form of system feedback for every operator action? | O O O|   | 1. | After the user completes an action (or group of actions), does the feedback indicate that the next group of actions can be started? | O O O|   | 1. 10| Is there visual feedback in menus or dialog boxes about which choices are selectable? | O O O|   | 1. 11| Is there visual feedback in menus or dialog boxes about which choice the cursor is on now? | O O O|   | 1. 12| If multiple options can be selected in a menu or dialog box, is there visual feedback about which options are already selected? | O O O|   | 1. 13| Is there visual feedback when objects are selected or moved? | O O O|   | 1. 4| Is the current status of an icon clearly indicated? | O O O|   | #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 1. 15| Is there feedback when function keys are pressed ? | O O O|   | 1. 16| If there are observable delays (greater than fifteen seconds) in the system’s response time, is the user kept informed of the system's progress? | O O O|   | 1. 17| Are response times appropriate to the task? | O O O|   | 1. 18| Typing, cursor motion, mouse selection: 50-1 50 milliseconds| O O O|   | 1. 19| Simple, frequent tasks: less than 1 second| O O O|   | 1. 20| Common tasks: 2-4 seconds| O O O|   | 1. 1| Complex tasks: 8-12 seconds| O O O|   | 1. 22| Are response times appropriate to the user's cognitive processing? | O O O|   | 1. 23| Continuity of thinking is required and information must be remembered throughout several responses: less than two seconds. | O O O|   | 1. 24| High levels of concentration aren't necessary and remembering information is not required: two to fifteen seconds. | O O O|   | 1. 25| Is the menu-naming terminology consistent with the user's task domain? | O O O|   | 1. 26| Does the system provide  v isibility:  that is, by looking, can the user tell the state of the system and the alternatives for action? O O O|   | 1. 27| Do GUI menus make obvious which item has been selected? | O O O|   | 1. 28| Do GUI menus make obvious whether deselection is possible? | O O O|   | 1. 29| If users must navigate between multiple screens, does the system use context labels, menu maps, and place markers as navigational aids? | O O O|   | 2. Match Between System and the Real World The system should speak the user’s language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order. | Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 2. 1| Are icons concrete and familiar? | O O O|   | 2. 2| Are menu choices ordered in the most logical way, given the user, the item names, and the task variables? | O O O|   | 2. 3| If there is a natural sequence to menu choices, has it been used? | O O O|   | 2. 4| Do related and interdependent fields appear on the same screen? | O O O|   | 2. 5| If shape is used as a visual cue, does it match cultural conventions? | O O O|   | 2. 6| Do the selected colors correspond to common expectations about color codes? | O O O|   | 2. | When prompts imply a necessary action, are the words in the message consistent with that action? | O O O|   | 2. 8| Do keystroke references in prompts match actual key names? | O O O|   | 2. 9| On data entry screens, are tasks described in terminology familiar to users? | O O O|   | 2. 10| Are field-level prompts provided for data entry screens? |   |   | 2. 11| For question and answer interfaces, are questions stated in clear, simple language? | O O O|   | 2. 12| Do menu choices fit logically into categories that have readily understood meanings? | O O O|   | 2. 13| Are menu titles parallel grammatically? | O O O|   | 2. 4| Does the command language employ user jargo n and avoid computer jargon? | O O O|   | 2. 15| Are command names specific rather than general? | O O O|   | 2. 16| Does the command language allow both full names and abbreviations? | O O O|   | 2. 17| Are input data codes meaningful? | O O O|   | 2. 18| Have uncommon letter sequences been avoided whenever possible? | O O O|   | 2. 19| Does the system automatically enter leading or trailing spaces to align decimal points? | O O O|   | 2. 20| Does the system automatically enter a dollar sign and decimal for monetary entries? | O O O|   | #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| . 21| Does the system automatically enter commas in numeric values greater than 9999? | O O O|   | 2. 22| Do GUI menus offer activation: that is, make obvious how to say  Ã¢â‚¬Å"now do it†? | O O O|   | 2. 23| Has the system been designed so that keys with similar names do not perform opposite (and potentially dangerous) actions? | O O O|   | 2. 24| Are function keys labeled cle arly and distinctively, even if this means breaking consistency rules? | O O O|   | 3. User Control and Freedom Users should be free to select and sequence tasks (when appropriate), rather than having the system do this for them.Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked â€Å"emergency exit† to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Users should make their own decisions (with clear information) regarding the costs of exiting current work. The system should support undo and redo. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 3. 1| If setting up windows is a low-frequency task, is it particularly easy to remember? | O O O|   | 3. 2| In systems that use overlapping windows, is it easy for users to rearrange windows on the screen? | O O O|   | 3. | In systems that use overlapping windows, is it easy for users to switch between windows? | O O O|   | 3. 4| When a user's task is complete, does the system w ait for a signal from the user before processing? | O O O|   | 3. 5| Can users type-ahead in a system with many nested menus? | O O O|   | 3. 6| Are users prompted to confirm commands that have drastic, destructive consequences? | O O O|   | 3. 7| Is there an â€Å"undo† function at the level of a single action, a data entry, and a complete group of actions? | O O O|   | 3. 8| Can users cancel out of operations in progress? | O O O|   | 3. | Are character edits allowed in commands? | O O O|   | 3. 10| Can users reduce data entry time by copying and modifying existing data? | O O O|   | 3. 11| Are character edits allowed in data entry fields? | O O O|   | 3. 12| If menu lists are long (more than seven items), can users select an item either by moving the cursor or by typing a mnemonic code? | O O O|   | 3. 13| If the system uses a pointing device, do users have the option of either clicking on menu items or using a keyboard shortcut? | O O O|   | 3. 14| Are menus broad (many items on a menu) rather than deep (many menu levels)? | O O O|   | 3. 5| If the system has multiple menu levels, is there a mechanism that allows users to go back to previous menus? | O O O|   | #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 3. 16| If users can go back to a previous menu, can they change their earlier menu choice? | O O O|   | 3. 17| Can users move forward and backward between fields or dialog box options? | O O O|   | 3. 18| If the system has multipage data entry screens, can users move backward and forward among all the pages in the set? | O O O|   | 3. 19| If the system uses a question and answer interface, can users go back to previous questions or skip forward to later questions? O O O|   | 3. 20| Do function keys that can cause serious consequences have an undo feature? | O O O|   | 3. 21| Can users easily reverse their actions? | O O O|   | 3. 22| If the system allows users to reverse their actions, is there a retracing mechanis m to allow for multiple undos? | O O O|   | 3. 23| Can users set their own system, session, file, and screen defaults? | O O O|   | 4. Consistency and Standards Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 4. | Have industry or company formatting standards been followed consistently in all screens within a system? | O O O|   | 4. 2| Has a heavy use of all uppercase letters on a screen been avoided? | O O O|   | 4. 3| Do abbreviations not include punctuation? | O O O|   | 4. 4| Are integers right-justified and real numbers decimal-aligned? | O O O|   | 4. 5| Are icons labeled? | O O O|   | 4. 6| Are there no more than twelve to twenty icon types? | O O O|   | 4. 7| Are there salient visual cues to identify the active window? | O O O|   | 4. 8| Does each window have a title? | O O O|   | 4. | Are vertical and horizontal scrolling possible in each window? | O O O|   | 4. 10| Does the menu structure match the task structure? | O O O|   | 4. 11| Have industry or company standards been established for menu design, and are they applied consistently on all menu screens in the system? | O O O|   | 4. 12| Are menu choice lists presented vertically? | O O O|   | 4. 13| If â€Å"exit† is a menu choice, does it always appear at the bottom of the list? | O O O|   | 4. 14| Are menu titles either centered or left-justified? | O O O|   | 4. 15| Are menu items left-justified, with the item number or mnemonic preceding the name? O O O|   | 4. 16| Do embedded field-level prompts appear to the right of the field label? | O O O|   | 4. 17| Do on-line instructions appear in a consistent location across screens? | O O O|   | 4. 18| Are field labels and fields distinguished typographically? | O O O|   | 4. 19| Are field labels consistent from one data entry screen to another? | O O O|   | 4. 20| Are fields and labels left-justified for alpha lists and right-justified for numeric lists? | O O O|   | #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 4. 21| Do field labels appear to the left of single fields and above list fields? | O O O|   | 4. 2| Are attention-getting techniques used with care? | O O O|   | 4. 23| Intensity: two levels only| O O O|   | 4. 24| Size: up to four sizes| O O O|   | 4. 25| Font: up to three| O O O|   | 4. 26| Blink: two to four hertz| O O O|   | 4. 27| Color: up to four (additional colors for occasional use only)| O O O|   | 4. 28| Sound: soft tones for regular positive feedback, harsh for rare critical conditions| O O O|   | 4. 29| Are attention-getting techniques used only for exceptional conditions or for time-dependent information? | O O O|   | 4. 30| Are there no more than four to seven colors, and are they far apart along the visible spectrum? O O O|   | 4. 31| Is a legend provided if color codes are numerous or not obvious in meaning? | O O O|   | 4. 32| Have pairings of high-chroma, spectrally extreme colors been avoided? | O O O|   | 4. 33| Are saturated blues avoided for text or other small, thin line symbols? | O O O|   | 4. 34| Is the most important information placed at the beginning of the prompt? | O O O|   | 4. 35| Are user actions named consistently across all prompts in the system? | O O O|   | 4. 36| Are system objects named consistently across all prompts in the system? | O O O|   | 4. 7| Do field-level prompts provide more information than a restatement of the field name? | O O O|   | 4. 38| For question and answer interfaces, are the valid inputs for a question listed? | O O O|   | 4. 39| Are menu choice names consistent, both within each menu and across the system, in grammatical style and terminology? | O O O|   | 4. 40| Does the structure of menu choice names match their corresponding menu titles? | O O O|   | 4. 41| Are commands used the same way, and do they mean the same thing , in all parts of the system? | O O O|   | 4. 42| Does the command language have a consistent, natural, and mnemonic syntax? | O O O|   | 4. 3| Do abbreviations follow a simple primary rule and, if necessary, a simple secondary rule for abbreviations that otherwise would be duplicates? | O O O|   | #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 4. 44| Is the secondary rule used only when necessary? | O O O|   | 4. 45| Are abbreviated words all the same length? | O O O|   | 4. 46| Is the structure of a data entry value consistent from screen to screen? | O O O|   | 4. 47| Is the method for moving the cursor to the next or previous field consistent throughout the system? | O O O|   | 4. 48| If the system has multipage data entry screens, do all pages have the same title? O O O|   | 4. 49| If the system has multipage data entry screens, does each page have a sequential page number? | O O O|   | 4. 50| Does the system follow industry or company standards for function key a ssignments? | O O O|   | 4. 51| Are high-value, high-chroma colors used to attract attention? | O O O|   | 5. Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover From Errors Error messages should be expressed in plain language (NO CODES). #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 5. 1| Is sound used to signal an error? | O O O|   | 5. 2| Are prompts stated constructively, without overt or implied criticism of the user? O O O|   | 5. 3| Do prompts imply that the user is in control? | O O O|   | 5. 4| Are prompts brief and unambiguous. | O O O|   | 5. 5| Are error messages worded so that the system, not the user, takes the blame? | O O O|   | 5. 6| If humorous error messages are used, are they appropriate and inoffensive to the user population? | O O O|   | 5. 7| Are error messages grammatically correct? | O O O|   | 5. 8| Do error messages avoid the use of exclamation points? | O O O|   | 5. 9| Do error messages avoid the use of violent or hostile words? | O O O|   | 5 . 10| Do error messages avoid an anthropomorphic tone? | O O O|   | 5. 1| Do all error messages in the system use consistent grammatical style, form, terminology, and abbreviations? | O O O|   | 5. 12| Do messages place users in control of the system? | O O O|   | 5. 13| Does the command language use normal action-object syntax? | O O O|   | 5. 14| Does the command language avoid arbitrary, non-English use of punctuation, except for symbols that users already know? | O O O|   | 5. 15| If an error is detected in a data entry field, does the system place the cursor in that field or highlight the error? | O O O|   | 5. 16| Do error messages inform the user of the error's severity? O O O|   | 5. 17| Do error messages suggest the cause of the problem? | O O O|   | 5. 18| Do error messages provide appropriate semantic information? | O O O|   | 5. 19| Do error messages provide appropriate syntactic information? | O O O|   | 5. 20| Do error messages indicate what action the user needs to take to correct the error? | O O O|   | 5. 21| If the system supports both novice and expert users, are multiple levels of error-message detail available? | O O O|   | 6. Error Prevention Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. | Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 6. 1| If the database includes groups of data, can users enter more than one group on a single screen? | O O O|   | 6. 2| Have dots or underscores been used to indicate field length? | O O O|   | 6. 3| Is the menu choice name on a higher-level menu used as the menu title of the lower-level menu? | O O O|   | 6. 4| Are menu choices logical, distinctive, and mutually exclusive? | O O O|   | 6. 5| Are data inputs case-blind whenever possible? | O O O|   | 6. 6| If the system displays multiple windows, is navigation between windows simple and visible? | O O O|   | 6. | Are the function keys that can cause the mos t serious consequences in hard-to-reach positions? | O O O|   | 6. 8| Are the function keys that can cause the most serious consequences located far away from low-consequence and high-use keys? | O O O|   | 6. 9| Has the use of qualifier keys been minimized? | O O O|   | 6. 10| If the system uses qualifier keys, are they used consistently throughout the system? | O O O|   | 6. 11| Does the system prevent users from making errors whenever possible? | O O O|   | 6. 12| Does the system warn users if they are about to make a potentially serious error? O O O|   | 6. 13| Does the system intelligently interpret variations in user commands? | O O O|   | 6. 14| Do data entry screens and dialog boxes indicate the number of character spaces available in a field? | O O O|   | 6. 15| Do fields in data entry screens and dialog boxes contain default values when appropriate? | O O O|   | 7. Recognition Rather Than Recall Make objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate. | Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 7. 1| For question and answer interfaces, are visual cues and white space used to distinguish questions, prompts, instructions, and user input? | O O O|   | 7. 2| Does the data display start in the upper-left corner of the screen? | O O O|   | 7. 3| Are multiword field labels placed horizontally (not stacked vertically)? | O O O|   | 7. 4| Are all data a user needs on display at each step in a transaction sequence? | O O O|   | 7. 5| Are prompts, cues, and messages placed where the eye is likely to be looking on the screen? | O O O|   | 7. | Have prompts been formatted using white space, justification, and visual cues for easy scanning? | O O O|   | 7. 7| Do text areas have â€Å"breathing space† around them? | O O O|   | 7. 8| Is there an obvious visu al distinction made between â€Å"choose one† menu and â€Å"choose many† menus? | O O O|   | 7. 9| Have spatial relationships between soft function keys (on-screen cues) and keyboard function keys been preserved? | O O O|   | 7. 10| Does the system gray out or delete labels of currently inactive soft function keys? | O O O|   | 7. 11| Is white space used to create symmetry and lead the eye in the appropriate direction? O O O|   | 7. 12| Have items been grouped into logical zones, and have headings been used to distinguish between zones? | O O O|   | 7. 13| Are zones no more than twelve to fourteen characters wide and six to seven lines high? | O O O|   | 7. 14| Have zones been separated by spaces, lines, color, letters, bold titles, rules lines, or shaded areas? | O O O|   | 7. 15| Are field labels close to fields, but separated by at least one space? | O O O|   | 7. 16| Are long columnar fields broken up into groups of five, separated by a blank line? | O O O|   | 7. 17| Are optional data entry fields clearly marked? O O O|   | 7. 18| Are symbols used to break long input strings into â€Å"chunks†? | O O O|   | 7. 19| Is reverse video or color highlighting used to get the user's attention? | O O O|   | 7. 20| Is reverse video used to indicate that an item has been selected? | O O O|   | 7. 21| Are size, boldface, underlining, color, shading, or typography used to show relative quantity or importance of different screen items? | O O O|   | 7. 22| Are borders used to identify meaningful groups? | O O O|   | 7. 23| Has the same color been used to group related elements? | O O O|   | 7. 24| Is color coding consistent throughout the system? O O O|   | 7. 25| Is color used in conjunction with some other redundant cue? | O O O|   | 7. 26| Is there good color and brightness contrast between image and background colors? | O O O|   | 7. 27| Have light, bright, saturated colors been used to emphasize data and h ave darker, duller, and desaturated colors been used to de-emphasize data? | O O O|   | 7. 28| Is the first word of each menu choice the most important? | O O O|   | 7. 29| Does the system provide  mapping:  that is, are the relationships between controls and actions apparent to the user? | O O O|   | 7. 30| Are input data codes distinctive? | O O O|   | . 31| Have frequently confused data pairs been eliminated whenever possible? | O O O|   | 7. 32| Have large strings of numbers or letters been broken into chunks? | O O O|   | 7. 33| Are inactive menu items grayed out or omitted? | O O O|   | 7. 34| Are there menu selection defaults? | O O O|   | 7. 35| If the system has many menu levels or complex menu levels, do users have access to an on-line spatial menu map? | O O O|   | 7. 36| Do GUI menus offer affordance: that is, make obvious where selection is possible? | O O O|   | 7. 37| Are there salient visual cues to identify the active window? | O O O|   | 7 . 8| Are function keys arranged in logical groups? | O O O|   | 7. 39| Do data entry screens and dialog boxes indicate when fields are optional? | O O O|   | 7. 40| On data entry screens and dialog boxes, are dependent fields displayed only when necessary? | O O O|   | 8. Fexibility and Minimalist Design Accelerators-unseen by the novice user-may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions. Provide alternative means of access and operation for users who differ from the â€Å"average† user (e. . , physical or cognitive ability, culture, language, etc. ) #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 8. 1| If the system supports both novice and expert users, are multiple levels of error message detail available? | O O O|   | 8. 2| Does the system allow novices to use a keyword grammar and experts to use a positional grammar? | O O O|   | 8. 3| Can user s define their own synonyms for commands? | O O O|   | 8. 4| Does the system allow novice users to enter the simplest, most common form of each command, and allow expert users to add parameters? | O O O|   | 8. | Do expert users have the option of entering multiple commands in a single string? | O O O|   | 8. 6| Does the system provide function keys for high-frequency commands? | O O O|   | 8. 7| For data entry screens with many fields or in which source documents may be incomplete, can users save a partially filled screen? | O O O|   | 8. 8| Does the system automatically enter leading zeros? | O O O|   | 8. 9| If menu lists are short (seven items or fewer), can users select an item by moving the cursor? | O O O|   | 8. 10| If the system uses a type-ahead strategy, do the menu items have mnemonic codes? | O O O|   | 8. 1| If the system uses a pointing device, do users have the option of either clicking on fields or using a keyboard shortcut? | O O O|   | 8. 12| Doe s the system offer â€Å"find next† and â€Å"find previous† shortcuts for database searches? | O O O|   | 8. 13| On data entry screens, do users have the option of either clicking directly on a field or using a keyboard shortcut? | O O O|   | 8. 14| On menus, do users have the option of either clicking directly on a menu item or using a keyboard shortcut? | O O O|   | 8. 15| In dialog boxes, do users have the option of either clicking directly on a dialog box option or using a keyboard shortcut? O O O|   | 8. 16| Can expert users bypass nested dialog boxes with either type-ahead, user-defined macros, or keyboard shortcuts? | O O O|   | 9. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 9. 1| Is only (and all) information essential to decision making displayed on the screen? | O O O|   | 9. 2| Are all icons in a set visually and conceptually distinct? O O O|   | 9. 3| Have large objects, bold lines, and simple areas been used to distinguish icons? | O O O|   | 9. 4| Does each icon stand out from its background? | O O O|   | 9. 5| If the system uses a standard GUI interface where menu sequence has already been specified, do menus adhere to the specification whenever possible? | O O O|   | 9. 6| Are meaningful groups of items separated by white space? | O O O|   | 9. 7| Does each data entry screen have a short, simple, clear, distinctive title? | O O O|   | 9. 8| Are field labels brief, familiar, and descriptive? O O O|   | 9. 9| Are prompts expressed in the affirmative, and do they use the active voice? | O O O|   | 9. 10| Is each lower-level menu choice associated with only one higher level menu? | O O O|   | 9. 11| Are menu titles brief, yet long enough to communicate? | O O O|   | 9. 12| Are there pop-up or pull-down menus within data entry fields that have many, but well-defined, entry options? | O O O|   | 10. Help and Documentation Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation.Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user’s task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 10. 1| If users are working from hard copy, are the parts of the hard copy that go on-line marked? | O O O|   | 10. 2| Are on-line instructions visually distinct? | O O O|   | 10. 3| Do the instructions follow the sequence of user actions? | O O O|   | 10. 4| If menu choices are ambiguous, does the system provide additional explanatory information when an item is selected? | O O O|   | 10. | Are data entry screens and dialog boxes supported by navigation and completion instructions? | O O O|   | 10. 6| If menu items are ambiguous, does the system provide additional explanatory information when an item is selected? | O O O|   | 10. 7| Are there memory aids for commands, either through on-line quick reference or prompting? | O O O|   | 10. 8| Is the help function visible; for example, a key labeled HELP or a special menu? | O O O|   | 10. 9| Is the help system interface (navigation, presentation, and conversation) consistent with the navigation, presentation, and conversation interfaces of the application it supports? O O O|   | 10. 10| Navigation: Is information easy to find? | O O O|   | 10. 11| Presentation: Is the visual layout well designed? | O O O|   | 10. 12| Conversation: Is the information accurate, complete, and understandable? | O O O|   | #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 10. 13| Is the information relevant? | O O O|   | 10. 14| Goal-oriented (What can I do with this program? )| O O O|   | 10. 15| Descriptive (What is this thing for? )| O O O|   | 10. 16| Procedural (How do I do this task? )| O O O|   | 10. 17| Interpretive (Why did that happen? )| O O O|   | 10. 8| Navigational (Where am I? )| O O O|   | 10. 19| Is there context-sensitive help? | O O O|   | 10. 20| Can the user change the level of detail available? | O O O|   | 10. 21| Can users easily switch between help and their work? | O O O|   | 10. 22| Is it easy to access and return from the help system? | O O O|   | 10. 23| Can users resume work where they left off after accessing help? | O O O|   | 11. Skills The system should support, extend, supplement, or enhance the user’s skills, background knowledge, and expertise —-not replace them. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 1. 1| Can users choose between iconic and text display of information? | O O O|   | 11. 2| Are window operations easy to learn and use? | O O O|   | 11. 3| If users are experts, usage is frequent, or the system has a slow response time, are there f ewer screens (more information per screen)? | O O O|   | 11. 4| If users are novices, usage is infrequent, or the system has a fast response time, are there more screens (less information per screen)? | O O O|   | 11. 5| Does the system automatically color-code items, with little or no user effort? | O O O|   | 11. | If the system supports both novice and expert users, are multiple levels of detail available. | O O O|   | 11. 7| Are users the initiators of actions rather than the responders? | O O O|   | 11. 8| Does the system perform data translations for users? | O O O|   | 11. 9| Do field values avoid mixing alpha and numeric characters whenever possible? | O O O|   | 11. 10| If the system has deep (multilevel) menus, do users have the option of typing ahead? | O O O|   | 11. 12| When the user enters a screen or dialog box, is the cursor already positioned in the field users are most likely to need? O O O|   | 11. 13| Can users move forward and backward within a field? | O O O|   | 11. 14| Is the method for moving the cursor to the next or previous field both simple and visible? | O O O|   | 11. 15| Has auto-tabbing been avoided except when fields have fixed lengths or users are experienced? | O O O|   | 11. 16| Do the selected input device(s) match user capabilities? | O O O|   | 11. 17| Are cursor keys arranged in either an inverted T (best for experts) or a cross configuration (best for novices)? | O O O|   | 11. 18| Are important keys (for example,  ENTER  ,  TAB) larger than other keys? O O O|   | 11. 19| Are there enough function keys to support functionality, but not so many that scanning and finding are difficult? | O O O|   | 11. 20| Are function keys reserved for generic, high-frequency, important functions? | O O O|   | 11. 21| Are function key assignments consistent across screens, subsystems, and related products? | O O O|   | 11. 22| Does the system correctly anticipate and prompt for the user's probab le next activity? | O O O|   | 12. Pleasurable and Respectful Interaction with the User The user’s interactions with the system should enhance the quality of her or his work-life.The user should be treated with respect. The design should be aesthetically pleasing- with artistic as well as functional value. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 12. 1| Is each individual icon a harmonious member of a family of icons? | O O O|   | 12. 2| Has excessive detail in icon design been avoided? | O O O|   | 12. 3| Has color been used with discretion? | O O O|   | 12. 4| Has the amount of required window housekeeping been kept to a minimum? | O O O|   | 12. 5| If users are working from hard copy, does the screen layout match the paper form? | O O O|   | 12. | Has color been used specifically to draw attention, communicate organization, indicate status changes, and establish relationships? | O O O|   | 12. 7| Can users turn off automatic color coding if necessary? | O O O|   | 12. 8| Are typing requirements minimal for question and answer interfaces? | O O O|   | 12. 9| Do the selected input device(s) match environmental constraints? | O O O|   | 12. 13| If the system uses multiple input devices, has hand and eye movement between input devices been minimized? | O O O|   | 12. 14| If the system supports graphical tasks, has an alternative pointing device been provided? O O O|   | 12. 15| Is the numeric keypad located to the right of the alpha key area? | O O O|   | 12. 16| Are the most frequently used function keys in the most accessible positions? | O O O|   | 12. 17| Does the system complete unambiguous partial input on a data entry field? | O O O|   | 13. Privacy The system should help the user to protect personal or private information- belonging to the user or the his/her clients. #| Review Checklist| Yes No N/A| Comments| 13. 1| Are protected areas completely inaccessible? | O O O|   | 13. 2| Can protected or confidential ar eas be accessed with certain passwords. O O O|   | 13. 3| Is this feature effective and successful. | O O O|   | System Title:__________________________ Release #: __________________________ Evaluator: __________________________   Date: __________________________ Primary Source Making Computers-People Literate.  © Copyright 1993. By Elaine Weiss ISBN: 0-471-01877-5 Secondary Source Usability Inspection Methods.  © Copyright 1994. By Jakob Nielsen and Robert Mack ISBN: 1-55542-622-0 SCREEN SHOTS Homepage Navigations via Categories Shipping and Returns Policies Frequently Asked Questions Navigations via Hyperlinked Images External Links Result Filtering