OCR Psychology Assignment Essay

The article â€Å"Fashion company’s shock tactics in the fight against size zero† appeared on the Daily Mail’s Website on Tuesday, September 25th 2007.  1. Assumptions  The first psychological assumption is that the use of shock tactics by way of an image portraying a naked anorexic woman will â€Å"jolt the fashion industry into action over the problem of anorexia†. The article suggests that the use of strong fear appeal will be enough to provoke behavioural change and an awareness of the illness. A fear appeal is a technique used to persuade an audience into behaving in a particular way by arousing a fear of the consequences of not following the message given. The effect of fear appeals was studied by Janis and Feshback (1953). The second psychological assumption is that â€Å"the fashion industry and the obsession with stick-thin size zero models† is to blame for the increase in cases of anorexia. The article therefore suggests that people outside of the fashion industry perhaps idolise models who appear to be rewarded with fame and fortune for being stick-thin. It assumes people imitate these models’ behaviour in the hope of being like them. Research into vicarious learning was conducted by Bandura (1965) who consequently formed the social learning theory.  The third psychological assumption relates to the billboard designers’ decision to use a picture of a female anorexic and presumes that the majority, if not all, of anorexic sufferers are female. A study that explored the prevalence of anorexia among males and females was performed by Kjels et al (2003). 2. Evidence  Evidence opposing the first assumption was conducted by Janis and Feshback (1953), who studied the motivational effect of fear arousal in health promotion communication. The entire freshman class of a Connecticut high school was divided into 4 groups, 3 of which were given 15-minute lectures on tooth decay and oral hygiene, while the fourth acted as the control group. Each lecture had a different strength of fear appeal, and results showed that although strong fear resulted in greater immediate anxiety, the minimal fear group showed the largest changes in behaviour. The minimal fear group showed 36% behaviour change, whereas strong fear only showed 8%. This therefore opposes the view of the article that the image of the naked anorexic woman will cause the fashion industry to take action against the illness and, although it will have some effect, a minimal fear approach would be most successful. Evidence that supports the second assumption was provided by Albert Bandura (1965). Bandura showed three groups of children tapes of a man being aggressive towards a doll. The first group saw the man being rewarded for his actions, the second saw him being punished and the third were not shown any consequences. The children were then placed in a room with a similar doll and observed. Results of the study showed that children were significantly more likely to imitate aggressive behaviour when they had observed the model being rewarded. Bandura labelled this imitation â€Å"vicarious leaning.† This forms part of the social learning theory suggesting that behaviour is learnt through observation and imitation. This supports the second assumption as people observing models within the fashion industry witness them being rewarded for being thin with fame and fortune, and subsequently imitate their behaviour in order to gain the same rewards. They try to be as thin as the models by starving themselves and consequently become anorexic, as the article would suggest. The evidence that challenges the third assumption is given by Kjelsà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s et al. They studied 1026 female and 934 male adolescents using DSM-IV and DSM-III-R criteria to establish the prevalence of eating disorders in both genders. Each participant was asked to complete a questionnaire, and results showed that while 17.9% of female participants had suffered anorexia at some point in their lifetime, 6.5% of males had also. The study concludes that although prevalence of anorexia nervosa is higher in females, males are also susceptible to the illness. The image of the female anorexic on the billboard therefore does little to raise awareness of the illness among men and perpetuates the stereotype that eating disorders are a female disease. 3. Applications  In relation to the first assumption, Janis and Feshback would argue that instead of using shock tactics a more effective way of bringing about a change within the industry would be to provide people with information on the disease, and preventative measures. Leaflets and posters containing this information could be distributed to people within the industry itself, and perhaps to the public in order to provide awareness to the majority. This may however have little effect, as there is no guarantee that the information would be listened to by an industry out to gain profit. Bandura’s theory and study suggests that people learn anorexic behaviour from seeing underweight models in the media. Therefore, in relation to the second assumption, the number of anorexic cases could be decreased by ensuring that no model within the fashion industry is below certain measurements; for example, by preventing the use of size zero models. If people are exposed to healthier-looking models, people may develop healthier eating habits. This however assumes that size 0 models are ill, and could be perceived as discrimination against healthy individuals. There may be resistance against this motion from the fashion industry and models themselves. In relation to the third assumption, Kjelsà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s et al’s study suggests that males are also susceptible to anorexia. Therefore people need to be made aware of this to increase the perceived susceptibility, especially in males. Health promotion could include information on male anorexia, and contain pictures of male sufferers who are willing to share their stories. If awareness of anorexia in males is raised and the stereotype of it being a typically female disease scrapped, then the number of males who seek help will increase. However if males do not perceive themselves susceptible they are unlikely to choose to read the health promotion in the first place as they believe it to be a female disease.

Notes about officer’s Essay

You are the first officer at the scene of an outdoor assault. You find the victim bleeding but conscious, with two of the victim’s friends and several onlookers standing nearby. You call for backup and quickly glance around but see no one fleeing the scene. Describe the steps you would take while you wait for backup to arrive. What kind of search pattern(s) would investigators be most likely to employ in each of the following situations: Two people searching a small area with well-defined boundaries Several people searching a large area  A single person searching a large area Officer Bill Walter arrives at the scene of an apparent murder: a body bearing several gunshot wounds lies on the floor of a small, unair-conditioned house in late July. A pungent odor almost overwhelms him when he enters the house, so he opens a window to allow him to breathe so he can investigate the scene. While airing out the house, he secures the scene and interviews bystanders. When he inspects the scene, he discovers very little blood in the room and little evidence of a struggle. What mistake did Officer Walter make in his investigation? What conclusion did he draw about the scene from his observations? Officer Martin Guajardo is the first responder at an apparent homicide scene. After securing the area, interviewing the sole witness, and calling for backup, he begins to search for evidence. He makes note of a bloody knife lying next to the body, with a small scrap of bloody cloth clinging precariously to the knife. Because it is a very windy day, Officer Guajardo removes the scrap of fabric and seals it in a plastic bag. A few moments later, a crime-scene team, including a photographer, arrives to take over  the investigation. What mistakes, if any, did Officer Guajardo make before the crime-scene team arrived? During his search of a homicide scene, investigator David Gurney collects evidence that includes a bloody shirt. After the crime-scene team has completely processed the scene, Investigator Gurney packages the shirt in a paper bag, seals the bag, and labels it to indicate the contents. He then delivers the shirt to the laboratory with an evidence submission form. There, a forensic scientist breaks the seal, removes the shirt, and performs a series of tests on it. He replaces the shirt, discards the old seal, and places a new seal on the package containing his initials and the date on which it was resealed. What mistakes, if any, were made in handling the shirt? What important elements are missing from the following crime-scene sketch?

Succubus Shadows Chapter 4

I spent the whole morning waiting restlessly for Roman. Surely he had to come home at some point to sleep, right? Of course, being part greater immortal, he'd have a lot of the traits of his angelic parentage – and angels and demons never needed to sleep. Roman could likely get by on very little rest and simply chose to sleep in as often as he did for the fun of it. I left a message on Jerome's cell phone, which was useless more often than not. I also kind of wished I hadn't parted from Carter so soon. Caught up in the Pictionary absurdity, I'd totally forgotten about my siren song encounters. Indeed, I'd nearly written them off until last night's repeat. But if Jerome was hard to get a hold of, Carter was impossible. He kept no cell phone and seemed to take personal pride in showing up at unexpected moments. Left with no other options, I called my friend Erik. He was a human who ran a store specializing in esoteric and pagan goods. He was often my backup for bizarre supernatural situations, sometimes knowing more than my friends did. As I dialed his store's number, I couldn't help but marvel at the circles my life seemed to run on. I was repeating the same pattern over and over. Something weird would happen, I'd fruitlessly attempt to contact my superiors, and end up seeking Erik for help. â€Å"Why the fuck does this keep happening to me?† I muttered as the phone rang. Cody never got stalked by paranormal forces. Neither did any of the others. It was like I was specifically being targeted. Or cursed. Or simply imbued with bad luck. Yes, my life was a never-ending spiral, doomed to repeat the same patterns of annoying immortal threats – and miserable romantic situations. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Erik? This is Georgina.† â€Å"Miss Kincaid,† he said in his usual genteel voice. â€Å"A pleasure to hear from you.† â€Å"I need your help with something. Again. Are you around? I wanted to swing by before work.† There was a pause, and then I heard regret in his voice. â€Å"Unfortunately, I have to run errands and close the store today. I'll be back this evening. When do you finish work?† â€Å"I'll probably be free at ten.† Another evening shift. â€Å"I can meet you then.† I felt bad. His store usually closed around five. â€Å"No, no†¦that's too late. We could try tomorrow†¦.† â€Å"Miss Kincaid,† he said gently, â€Å"I'm always happy to see you. It's no difficulty at all.† I still felt guilty when we disconnected. Erik was getting old. Shouldn't he be in bed by ten? Nine? There was nothing to be done for it now, though. He said he'd do it, and I'd seen him when he was obstinate. I had nothing to do but wait now and hope Roman would surface before I had to work. When he didn't, I simply left him a note saying I needed to talk to him immediately. It was the best I could do. At work, no one was out or – best of all – hungover. I was caught up on my paperwork, which gave me a lot of free time. Whether that was good or bad, I couldn't say. It kept me from messing up my job but merely left me in a cycle of rumination. It was nearly closing time when I noticed Seth at his usual station in the caf? ¦. Maddie had worked the day shift, which meant I didn't have to face their cute couple antics. He caught my eye as I walked through, and against my better judgment, I sat down across from him. â€Å"How goes it?† I asked. My usual romantic fixation with him was put on pause when I saw that he looked agitated. He tapped the screen in annoyance. â€Å"Bad. I've been staring at this screen for two hours and haven't gotten anything done.† He paused. â€Å"No, that's not quite true. I ordered a Wonder Twins T-shirt and watched some videos on YouTube.† I smiled and propped my chin up in my hand. â€Å"Doesn't sound like a bad day's work.† â€Å"It is when it's been going on all week. My muse is an ungrateful harlot who's abandoned me to actually come up with my own plots.† â€Å"That's a record for you,† I observed. I'd seen him have fits of writer's block when we dated, but it never lasted more than a few days. â€Å"When's your deadline?† â€Å"Not for a while, but still†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He sighed. â€Å"I don't like to be stalled out. I'm not really sure what to do with my days if I'm not writing.† I started to say that he must have wedding stuff to do but then thought better of it. I kept to lighter topics. â€Å"Maybe it's time to pick up a hobby. Fencing? Origami?† That slightly bemused smile that was so characteristic for him crossed his lips. â€Å"I tried latch hook once.† â€Å"You did not.† â€Å"I did. Do you know how hard that is to do?† â€Å"It's actually pretty easy,† I said, trying to hide my laughter. â€Å"Kids do it, you know. Your nieces could probably do it.† â€Å"They can. And you're not making me feel better.† But those beautiful brown eyes were amused. I studied them for a moment, loving the way they would sometimes turn amber. A moment later, I snapped myself out of my lovesick spell. â€Å"There's always dancing,† I said mischievously. This made him laugh too. â€Å"I think we've proven how futile that is.† I'd tried twice to teach him how to do it – swing and salsa – all with disastrous results. Seth's talents lay in his mind, not his body. Well, upon further consideration, I realized that wasn't entirely true. â€Å"You haven't found the right kind,† I said. I'd given up on hiding my grin. â€Å"What's left? Riverdance? Square dancing? And do not even suggest jazz. I saw Newsies and was traumatized for, like, five years.† â€Å"Harsh,† I said. â€Å"You could still probably wear your T-shirts with jazz dancing. I know you must have a ‘Dancing Queen' shirt somewhere.† His shirt today sported Chuck Norris. â€Å"Unless, of course, you wanted some variety. Square dancers have some pretty sweet costumes.† He shook his head in exasperation. â€Å"I'll leave the dancing getup to you. And no, no ‘Dancing Queen' shirt yet – though I do have an Abba one. I think a ‘Dancing Queen' shirt would be better for you anyway, not me.† His eyes moved from my face to what he could see of my body at the table. â€Å"You look like you could go dancing right now.† I started to feel myself flush at his gaze and immediately utilized shape-shifting to nix it. The unseasonably warm weather lent itself to sundresses, and I had another on today. It was a cream-colored trapeze, sleeveless with a keyhole top that may or may not have been showing managerial-appropriate cleavage. He wasn't ogling me or anything, but I had learned long ago that Seth was good at keeping his emotions off of his face. I wondered what went through his mind. Simple aesthetic admiration? Lust? Disapproval of non-managerial cleavage? â€Å"This old thing?† I asked breezily, uncomfortable for reasons I couldn't explain. â€Å"You were wearing that color the first time we met.† He suddenly seemed embarrassed. â€Å"Not sure why I remember that.† â€Å"You don't,† I said. â€Å"I was wearing purple.† Now I felt flustered to remember that. He frowned in a way I found cute. â€Å"Were you? Oh, yeah. I guess you were. The violet top and flowered skirt.† Every detail. If he'd mentioned me wearing a snakeskin jacket, I might have passed out. Yet, I had a feeling he did remember that. Probably my shoes and the way I'd styled my hair too. An awkward silence grew. I might have been keeping the flush off of my face, but there was warmth spreading through me. And only half of it was desire. The rest was something else†¦something sweeter and deeper. I cleared my throat. â€Å"What's the book about? Cady and O'Neill, right?† He nodded, looking grateful for the subject change. â€Å"The usual. Mystery and intrigue, sexual tension and life-threatening situations.† He hesitated. â€Å"It's the last one.† â€Å"I – what?† I felt my jaw drop. Whatever romantic feelings that had been stirring in me immediately got pushed to the back burner. â€Å"You mean like†¦the end of the series?† Seth had written a lot of mysteries over his career, but Cady and O'Neill – his intrepid art and archaeology explorer duo – was his flagship series. â€Å"Why?† He shrugged, eyes moving back to the laptop screen. â€Å"Because it's time.† â€Å"How†¦how will you make your living?† His smile turned wry as he looked back up at me. â€Å"I've written other books that aren't about them, Georgina. Besides, you don't think my fans'll have enough faith to follow me to a new series?† â€Å"True,† I said softly. â€Å"We'll follow you anywhere.† I'd meant to say â€Å"they'll,† but it was too late. â€Å"I hope so,† he said, averting his eyes for a moment. When he looked back, I saw a spark of excitement. â€Å"But I'm actually into doing something new. I've got this idea – and it's really great. I just want to lose myself in it, you know?† I did know. I'd seen him forget parts of his real life plenty of times while caught up in a book. I wondered if this new project he was so enthusiastic about would intensify that zeal. â€Å"So you've got the ending for Cady and O'Neill figured out?† I asked. â€Å"No,† he said with a sigh, glow dimming. â€Å"That's the problem. I don't know how this is going to end.† I suddenly wondered if he was still talking about the books. Our gazes met again, and whatever might have come next was interrupted when Beth appeared at my side. â€Å"Georgina? A friend of yours is here to see you.† My heart leapt. Roman. Roman had read my note. His advice on that eerie siren song was about the only thing that could have dragged me away from Seth. I sprang up from my seat, giving Seth an apologetic look. â€Å"I've got to go.† He nodded, some troubled emotion in his eyes that I couldn't identify. That troubled me in return. He might be good at keeping his emotions off of his face, but at one time, I'd been pretty good at figuring them out. â€Å"No problem,† he said. Wistfulness? Was that the mystery emotion? I couldn't ponder it any longer. Roman was more important. I took the steps downstairs two at a time, anxious to see him. But when I reached the registers, where Beth had said my friend was waiting, it wasn't Roman I saw. It was Cody. Or, well, I think it was. It took me a moment to figure it out. He was dressed all in black – and not just jeans and a T-shirt. We were talking full regalia: a studded-leather jacket, steel-toed boots, and an – ugh – mesh shirt. His blond hair had black streaks in it, and heavy black eyeliner and lipstick over white foundation completed the look. I didn't know what to say, so I simply grabbed his arm and dragged him into my office before anyone else could see him. â€Å"What the hell are you doing?† The sun had only just gone down, which meant he must have doubled the speed limit to make it here so quickly. â€Å"I'm here to see Gabrielle,† he explained, casting an anxious glance at my doorway. â€Å"Where is she? I wanted to get here before you guys closed.† â€Å"She's not working tonight.† His face fell, but I couldn't help but add, â€Å"And honestly, I think that's a good thing.† â€Å"Why? Peter had a copy of The Seattle Sinner, and after going through it, we thought this would be the way to get her attention. He helped dress me.† â€Å"Wait. Peter had a copy of – ? Never mind. I don't want to know. Believe me, you would have gotten her attention. But I'm not sure it'd be the kind you want.† Cody gestured to his attire. â€Å"But she's into this scene. You said yourself that she dresses all in black.† â€Å"Yeah,† I admitted. â€Å"But yours seems†¦I don't know. Overdone. People like her are always on the lookout for wannabes. You try too hard, and you'll just put her further off.† He sighed and slumped into my desk's chair, dejected. â€Å"Then what am I supposed to do? That newspaper was my only lead.† â€Å"Well, for starters, don't let Peter dress you again. Ever. As for the rest†¦I don't know. Let me ask around and see if I can get you more to go on. Just please don't wear this outfit again.† â€Å"Okay,† he agreed. Just then, Doug stuck his head in. It wasn't his night to work, so I was kind of surprised, but not nearly as surprised as he was. â€Å"Hey, Kincaid, I had a question about the schedu – Jesus Fucking Christ! What is that?† â€Å"It's Cody,† I said. Doug walked gingerly into the office and peered at Cody's face. â€Å"Well, I'll be damned. It is. I thought it was the ghost of Gene Simmons.† â€Å"Gene Simmons isn't dead,† said Cody. â€Å"Cody's trying to impress Gabrielle,† I explained. Doug opened his mouth, no doubt to comment on the impossibility of that, but I held up a hand to stop him. â€Å"Yeah, yeah. I know. What did you need?† Doug needed to switch some shifts, and without his ladylove around, Cody decided to leave. I let him out the back door, not wanting to cause a panic in the store. Once the schedule was set, Doug and I bantered about the Cody and Gabrielle situation. Before long, I lost track of time, and closing announcements were being made on the intercom. Doug said his farewells – half afraid I'd put him to work if he stayed – and I set off to finish my own tasks. My meeting with Erik was getting closer, and I felt a mix of excitement and apprehension. An hour after the doors were locked, staff began to go home. I made one last sweep of the store and found Seth still sitting in the caf? ¦. No surprise. My coworkers could never bring themselves to kick him out when we closed. He'd actually gotten locked in once and accidentally set off the alarm. I walked over to his table, noting the enraptured look on his face as his fingers danced along the laptop's keys. â€Å"Hey, Mortensen,† I said. â€Å"You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.† It took almost thirty seconds for him to look up, and even then, he seemed surprised to see me. â€Å"Oh. Hey.† I could feel a smile playing on my lips. This was picture perfect Seth behavior. â€Å"Hey, we're all closed down. Time to go.† He glanced around, noting the dark windows and lack of people in the store. â€Å"Oh, man. Sorry. I didn't even notice.† â€Å"I take it the muse came back?† â€Å"She did.† â€Å"So you know how it's going to end now?† â€Å"No. Not yet.† I walked Seth to the back door and armed the alarm before letting myself out. He told me good-bye, and if he'd had any dreamy affection for me earlier in the night, it was gone now. His characters now consumed his heart. It was something I'd had to accept when we were together, and watching him walk down the street, I decided that was how it should be. Seth's writing was too much of his being. I let my own dreamy affection go and drove up north of the city to Erik's store. I still felt a little bad about him meeting me so late, but the lights in his windows gleamed out into the night. And inside, the usual music and incense were going strong, just as they would during business hours. Glancing around, I didn't see him right away. Then, I noticed him kneeling down in front of some palmistry books. â€Å"Hey, Erik.† â€Å"Miss Kincaid.† He rose to his feet, but the motions were jerky and unsteady. And when he finally turned to face me, there was a gauntness in his dark-skinned face that hadn't been there the last time I saw him. My instinct was to rush over and support him, but I had a feeling he wouldn't welcome that. Still, I asked the obvious. â€Å"Are you okay? Have you been sick?† He gave me a gentle smile and began moving – slowly – toward the store's main counter. â€Å"A passing cold. They seem to last longer than they used to, but I'll be fine.† I wasn't so certain. I'd known Erik for a long time†¦. I'd lost track of the years, actually. It wasn't an uncommon thing with mortals, one that often blindsided me. One moment they'd seem young and healthy†¦the next, they were old and dying. It never hurt any less, either. Part of the reason Seth had broken up with me was to spare me the pain of that loss because I began growing overly paranoid about his well-being. Now, watching Erik, I felt even worse for keeping him out so late. I also felt bad because I realized I never visited except when I needed something. When had I last seen him? Months ago, when Jerome had been summoned. I'd sought Erik's help then and hadn't been by since. â€Å"Tea?† he offered, just like always. â€Å"No, no. I don't want to delay you,† I said. I leaned against the counter and felt relieved when he settled down on a stool. â€Å"I just wanted to ask you a couple things. Something weird happened.† I almost laughed as the words left my mouth. That was such a typical opening statement for me. Again, that earlier thought returned: my life was one big circle, repeating and repeating. I gave him the rundown on my weird encounters with the unknown and – for the large part – indescribable force. He listened carefully, bushy gray eyebrows knit into a frown. â€Å"I hate to tell you this,† he said when I finished, â€Å"but there are probably a number of things that could describe.† â€Å"Surprise, surprise,† I murmured. That was more a commentary on my life, not his abilities. â€Å"The fact that your†¦uh, friend couldn't identify it is intriguing.† Erik was one of the handful of people who knew Roman was in Seattle. Erik had no interest in Heaven and Hell's policies and wouldn't be tattling anytime soon. â€Å"Of course, he lacks the full skill set his relatives have. I don't suppose you've spoken to any greater immortals?† I shook my head. â€Å"No. They're notoriously absent, as usual. I think I'll be seeing Jerome soon.† He'd probably want to check in with Roman. â€Å"So we'll see then.† â€Å"I'm sorry I don't have any ready answers. I never seem to.† â€Å"Not in the beginning,† I said. â€Å"But you always come through in the end. More patterns.† â€Å"Hmm?† â€Å"Nothing,† I said with a small sigh. â€Å"Sometimes I just feel like the same things are happening to me over and over. Like, even this siren thing. Why me? In the last year, I've been targeted over and over. What are the odds? Why does this keep happening?† Erik's eyes studied me for several moments. â€Å"There are some people around whom the powers and supernatural beings of the world will always circle. You appear to be one of them.† â€Å"But why?† I asked, surprised at the childish tone in my voice. â€Å"I'm just another succubus. There are tons of us out there. And why recently? Why only in the last year?† It had to be the cruelest joke in the world that all these paranormal mishaps had started happening right when my romantic ones had. Apparently, one source of pain just wasn't enough. â€Å"I don't know,† Erik admitted. â€Å"Things change. Forces move that we can't see.† He paused and coughed, making me wince. How sick was he? â€Å"Again, I feel like I'm useless to you.† I reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder. â€Å"No, no. You're invaluable to me. I don't know how I would have gotten by all these years without you.† This earned me a smile. Wanting him to go to bed, I picked up my purse to leave. As I was heading to the door, he suddenly said, â€Å"Miss Kincaid?† I glanced back. â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"Do you still talk to Mr. Mortensen?† The question caught me by surprise. Erik had been intrigued when Seth and I were dating, marveling at the connection between a human and a succubus, though he didn't have the crazy obsession that Carter used to. â€Å"Sure. Sometimes.† My earlier conversation with Seth came back to me, the ease and warmth that had surrounded us. â€Å"And things are amicable?† â€Å"More or less.† Aside from his impending marriage, of course. â€Å"That's good. It doesn't always happen in these situations.† â€Å"Yeah, I know. Although – † I bit off my words. Erik tilted his head, studying me curiously. â€Å"Although what?† â€Å"It's amicable, except sometimes†¦sometimes this whole situation with him. It's like having my soul split in two.† â€Å"Understandable,† he said. Those eyes burned with compassion, and I felt tears spring up in my own. â€Å"I'm sorry I brought it up. I was just curious.† I assured him it was okay and said good-bye again. The mention of Seth and the recollection of being with him earlier had made my mood go melancholy. I drove back to West Seattle, miserable that I'd be helping with his wedding tomorrow and worried over Erik's sickly state. As heavily as those thoughts weighed on me, they immediately flew from my mind as soon as I walked into my living room. â€Å"Roman!† He sat on the couch as he had last time, now eating a microwavable chicken pot pie. The TV was on, but he didn't seem to be watching it. When he looked up at me, he didn't wear that amused, teasing look. His expression was dark. Troubled, even. â€Å"I've been waiting for you to get home,† I exclaimed, tossing my purse and keys to the floor. â€Å"You won't believe what happened.† Roman sighed. â€Å"No, you won't believe what happened.† â€Å"Yeah, but this is – â€Å" He held up a hand to interrupt me. â€Å"Let me get this out first. It's been driving me crazy.† I swallowed my impatience. â€Å"Okay. I'll bite. Does it have something to do with Simone?† He nodded. â€Å"Yeah. I followed her tonight to this twenty-four-hour coffee shop called Bird of Paradise.† He eyed me carefully. â€Å"Do you know it?† Now I felt a frown creeping over my face. â€Å"Yeah†¦it's in Queen Anne, right around the corner from Emerald City. What was she doing there? I mean, aside from getting coffee?† Roman's expression turned darker and – unless I was mistaken – sympathetic. â€Å"She was there hitting on a guy,† he said. â€Å"Seth.†

Urbanized film by Gary Hustwit 'summary' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Urbanized film by Gary Hustwit 'summary' - Essay Example The importance of maintaining a proper balance between the natural beauty and the construction of infrastructure is also highlighted in the movie. Urbanized explains the fact that the movement of people to cities has highly increased over the years. It presents the viewer with the fact that by the year 2050, 75 percent of the people of the world would be residing in cities. This reveals the drastic increase in comparison to the year 2010 where it was seen that 50 percent of the world’s population was in cities. With the presentation of the statistics, the maker of the movie tries to explain the importance of the proper construction and maintenance of cities as most of the world’s population would be residing in them. The movie presents the fact that good and effective constructions programs in the cities can help the people living in the city overcome their miseries and live in a better environment. The movie shows the viewer the different cities across the globe to explain the importance of proper construction and architectural strategies for the maintenance of cities. It takes the viewer to the poor, unhygienic conditions of cities like Mumbai in India to show the poor slum conditions prevailing in the cities and very low standards of sanitation and public health as up to 600 people need to use a one washroom. On the other hand, Huswit takes us to Santiego in Chile where proper planning by Alejandro Aravena who is an architect by profession has led to the designing of a housing scheme for people who are non-affording so that they have a better standard of living. He contrasts and compares different cities to indicate the impact that proper planning and construction can have on the living stand ards of the people. Gary Huswit uses his movie â€Å"Urbanized† to explain to the audiences that proper architectural designing, good schemes as well maintenance of sanitation and infrastructure is central to the proper running of a

British Cinema 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

British Cinema 2 - Essay Example A little research into the history of British cinema tells us that in the early 1900s, it experienced a boom or a period of development, which was marred by a recession in the next ten years due to increased competition, mainly from the US and due to other commercial practices. To make the film industry recover from the devastating recession, a Cinematograph Films Act 1927 was put into effect which was successful in achieving the desired result as the 1930s saw a production of approximately 200 hundred films. Some of the names that caught attention were of Alfred Hitchcock. Many argue that this over-expansion had an adverse affect on the industry, which reached an all time low point during World War II period. As with any other industry, it recovered in the post-war period and gained stability with increasing American investment. It was in this period that British films also earned Academy Awards, and Charles Dickens's classics were adapted into movies. However, another period of recession struck the industry towards the middle of the 1970s and continued to last till the end of 1980s. As investments started coming, it recovered from the previous setbacks and continued to develop in the 1990s. Even though, it is impossible to say whether the British film industry was at its high or low judging from the quantity of the films made but it still gives an idea of how it was developing. Many people claim, that some of the best British films were churned out before the world when it was undergoing through recession, so it can be argued that even while British cinema was facing recession, it still had its importance and a strong foothold in the film industry. BRITISH FILM PRODUCTION IN 1990s- 2000s In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the British film industry was facing hard times due to tough competition given to them by their American successes, which attracted a large audience from people living in Britain too. They were faltering times for the British films industry, whose films were not even becoming a success in their own country. Their box-office revenues had nose-dived but changed its direction in 1993 and cinema attendances began to go up. Many expensive and high-budget films were also produced. However, they did not become as much a success as the lower budgeted movies became because of their different story line and advanced sound techniques which also received international appreciation, including American audiences. Four Weddings and a Funeral released in 1994 became a huge success and revived interest in British cinema. It was produced by Duncan Kenworthy, Working Title Films and Channel Four Films and was penned by Richard Curtis. The issues faced by British film production in the early 1990s were countless. The British film industry was in constant pressure of releasing huge budgeted successes to compete with the successes achieved in America. Unfortunately, for the British films industry, making huge-budgeted movies did not guarantee success and the audience was somewhat getting bored of stereotypical roles in movies given to actors. Productions costs were rising dramatically what with the search for additional and advanced equipments for film making and newer technology to improve the quality of sound. Computer generated images had begun to be used in movies and the added

Financial Accounting and Corporate Governance Research Proposal

Financial Accounting and Corporate Governance - Research Proposal Example Chief among these participants are the board of directors and management. There are aspects of the corporate governance regime that have an impact on the relationship between shareholders and the company† (Jacques du Plessis & Et. Al., 2010). The regulators and legislators in the United States have realised that transparency is essential to inspire trust and confidence in the business. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was passed in 2002 by the United States Congress to protect the interest of the investors by making corporate disclosures more accurate and reliable (Hoffman & Rowe, n.d.). Corporate governance helps in integrating the choices and the actions of the managers with the shareholders’ interests. Financial accounting plays an important role in this integration process. Corporate governance can be thought of in terms of the outsider’s perspective or the shareholder’s perspective. The organisation consists of a hierarchy which includes shareholders, board of d irectors and managers. Responsibility is delegated to the various entities in the hierarchy. Corporate governance simply involves alignment of interest of all these entities. Two kinds of agency problems arise whereby the alignment of interest may occur between managers and the board but not the shareholders and alignment between the board and the shareholders but not the managers. The financial accounting system resolves these agency problems. They provide useful information to directors and shareholders (Armstrong, 2009). Corporate governance plays an important role in promoting transparency in an organisation. There are various approaches to corporate governance which result in various theories. The objectives of the organisation are set by the owners or the directors in the agency theory. Managers have the responsibility of execution of the objectives. Structures and processes are designed to enable control of management. The theory holds that individuals are rational and egoist s and thus managers cannot remain faithful to the owners. The managers can resort to diversion of corporate resources to fulfil their selfish needs unless an external control is placed on them. The owners or directors can be considered as the principle in the agency theory. The action is originated by the principle and he bears the responsibility for the action. The principle does not always execute the objective himself. He may employ an agent to act on his behalf. The managers are the agent and should behave ethically and should avoid conflict of interests. Compliance with rules is essential and a minimum threshold exists for the acceptable behaviour. According to the stockholder theory the organisation is merely a property of stockholders. Stockholders take an egoistic view. The owners channelize the members of the organisation towards the achievement of their interest. The owners expect a return from the investments they have made in the organisation. Managers have the duty to f unction in a manner in order that return is maximised. Strategies are implemented to ensure faithfulness on the part of the managers. The stakeholder theory focuses on all the stakeholders of the organisation. All the stakeholders function in a manner to maximise their self interests. The managers have the responsibility to balance out the conflicting interests of various stakeholders. The managers are faithful agents of all the stakehold

Aquarius Advertising Agency Case Analysis Article

Aquarius Advertising Agency Case Analysis - Article Example Their second goal is to develop media plans for billboards, television, newspaper, internet and radio. A subsidiary goal is in marketing, distribution and research marketing of effective adverts. The culture of the organization is centred on a traditional model characterized by interactive communication between account managers and clients. Moreover, the technology is consistent with current information technology equipment such as computers for emailing and advert design, as well as telephones for contacting clients. The matrix organizational structure would not be a feasible option for Aquarius. Foremost, the option would be a very expensive option to maintain in the case of Aquarius. The major reason is that Aquarius is involved in the advertisement industry accustomed with frequent turnover of clients. Consequently, there fluctuations in its profit margins would experience financial strain in maintaining the matrix structure. A further disadvantage of the structure is that it would worsen the internal conflict in communication that Aquarius has experienced and attempting to resolve. This is because the matrix structure is consistent with dual reporting and accountability to seniors. As a result it would create confusion among subordinates regarding their directing

Email revision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Email revision - Essay Example I would like to take such a chance to submit my request to you as a supervisor in the sense that I have imperative ideas, whose discussion is vital. Therefore, I beg for the date’s adjustment to 22nd since I have a due schedule on 20th where I have some reports to deliver. In the first place, I would like us to consider salary increment due to the extreme economic crisis where we are not able to meet our personal needs. Secondly, we should consider the clothing character where the management should permit casual wear on Fridays. Thirdly, I would like us to factor gender balance in the company. It is a concept, which will establish respect among the employees hence restrict them in their entitlements Further, the management should enhance an effective strategy to promote self-esteem to the staff. Such an approach will involve eradication of the nepotism character in the entity. Further, the idea will enhance equality. Moreover, we should discuss a mechanism, which will factor staff advancement. Critically, it is recommendable for the workers to exchange ideas and train one another a method, which will perfect their skills. Finally, we should determine the remedies towards frequent short notices and excessive travelling. I kindly hope that you will be interested as you respond to my request. Yours faithfully, Miguel

Understanding and managing customers in the chocolate market Essay

Understanding and managing customers in the chocolate market - Essay Example The chocolate market is one of the successful market sectors in the world. It targets a wide range of customers from children up to senior citizens. However, entering in this kind of market without sufficient knowledge and experience will just incur losses.It is important to know how the different chocolate companies like Hershey, Cadbury, and Nestle were able to achieve success in the chocolate business. This paper discusses the current events that are happening around the chocolate sector in order to provide relevant information to potential clients entering the chocolate market.It also provides information on the current size and value as well as the trends and development in the chocolate industry. This paper tends to analyze the risks and opportunities in entering this kind of market sector.The cocoa into which chocolate is created was discovered in the Amazon 4000 years ago (2000 B.C.). The cocoa was part of the Mayan culture (6 AD to 600 AD) and symbolized as the "god's food." For the Aztecs (1200 AD), cocoa beans were used for currency. In the early decades of the 16th century, the process of making chocolate drink 'Chocolati' was learned. In the same period, Hernando Cortez established the first cocoa plantation in Mexico. The chocolate arrived in Spain in 1528 and became popular in Europe not until the 17th century. The first chocolate made by machine was produced in Spain. Several chocolate factories were established in the United States, France, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Germany during the late 18th century up to the early 19th century. Switzerland took over the lead in chocolate innovation as Swiss Daniel Peter discovered the milk chocolate in 1875. In the early 1900's the Swiss chocolate became famous around Europe while in the United States, the New York Cocoa Exchange was established for buyers and sellers of chocolates. In the Second World War, chocolates were used as supplements for the soldiers. The U.S. astronauts also included chocola tes, as part of their diets. (Chocolate Month Club) B. CURRENT SIZE AND VALUE United States and Europe Ryan Freund (2008) reports the global chocolate confectionary market had annual sales of 75 billion US Dollars in 2006. From the given figure, Europe contributed 35 billion US Dollars while the United States of America totalled for 16 billion US Dollars. They combine for a majority of the global chocolate market sales. Table 1 shows the average amount of chocolate the consumers spend per year. The United States has higher chocolate sales per capita of $53.16 compared to $48.08 chocolate sales per capita in Europe. Both spend at an average of $50 on chocolates every year. (Freund 2008) Table 1 Country/Region Chocolate Sales per Year Population1 Chocolate Sales per Capita United States $16 billion 301 million $53.16 Europe $35 billion 728 million $48.08 The British people are regarded as the biggest chocolate consumers in Europe consuming at an average of 10 kilos each person, every year. The British market is said to be around 4 billion Pounds. The two leading chocolate markets in United Kingdom are Cadbury and Nestle. (BBC News 2004) Table 2 shows the market value for chocolate confectionery in UK from 2004 to 2008. The chocolate market is sub-divided in to six (6) categories which are: "'boxed', 'moulded bars', 'Seasonal', 'Countlines', 'Straightlines' and 'other' Chocolate". (Business Insights 2008) Table 2 Germans and French are the next largest chocolate consumers in Europe eating annually at around 8.3 kilos and 5.8 kilos each respectively. (Food Production Daily 2005) Table 3 illustrates the value of chocolate confectionery sales in Germany from 2004 to 2008. Like in Table 1, the sales value is further divided into six (6) subcategories.2 Table 3 Asia In Asia, the Japanese eat at an annual average of 2.2 to 2.3 kilos each. In China, the Chinese are eating chocolates at an average of 1

Social Networking Sites and its Effect on Friending Research Paper

Social Networking Sites and its Effect on Friending - Research Paper Example It is also a source of emotional support especially during the events of emotional trials. Friends are also the people needed in times of problems aside from parents and relatives. However, due to the evolution of social media in making friends, the definition of friends has changed and a different meaning had been acquired. Social network sites (SNSs) have many advantages to on line users. For job application or work related issues you can use Likedin.com. When people are looking for people with common interest certain social networks such as Myspace.com comes to mind. People who are looking for possible partner or wanted to start a relationship can log-in to Friendster.com. For college students for example, social sites such as Facebook.com are used to connect to peers or share school lessons and activities and can also be used to answer queries (Ellison et al., 1143). Social network sites (SNSs) provide an easier approach to different reasons, a cheaper version where a good intern et connection and a device or a gadget i.e. personal computer, laptop, mobile phone, tablet or a notebook are needed. One can gain access to all of these sites wherever and in anytime of the day. A person can also log in on the different sites all at once and multi-task. It provides countless unimaginable opportunities to users such as finding long lost friends and childhood friends who had not been seen in years. Other scenarios are finding the right partner, finding a better job and so on. It makes the process of making friends easier and faster by sending a request and accepting it just by clicking the accept button. It is a no fuss activity and one can know more about the person connected with by visiting his page and reading its contents such as recent activities, likes, dislikes, pictures posted aside from personal information. It also provides a wider range of network consisting of different people with different degree of physical interaction in one’s day to day life. Facebook which is established in 2004 in Harvard University and made 200 users worldwide as of 2009 has provide a strong link with users’ high school friends that they left behind due to studying college in other places (Lewis J., West A. 1148). It also provided information on the up to date information of the makers and their friends’ lives. In every new technology discovered, there are always few drawbacks that arise and one of them is giving the word friends a different meaning and context. It also provides a new range or levels of friends when it comes to social network sites. One of the drawbacks of using these media is that they provide new sense to the word friendship with other people. They provide less interaction with them and a shallow definition of it. According to Allan (1989) as cited by Lewis & West (2009) in real life, there are different sorts of friends; those who are close and those are merely acquaintances. Always acquaintances are grater in number in your friends’ list than your close friends. These acquaintances are people one bump into everyday without having a conversation with each other, a classmate in one of your classes, a group mate in a project and anyone else where a person does not have a significant interaction and does not provide a sense of commitment and emotional support. Boyd (2006) as cited by Lewis & West (2009 1211), assessment of this relationship has no weight as well as what

There is no need for animal research anymore Essay

There is no need for animal research anymore - Essay Example (Carl, n.d) All this is being done in the name of science, medical research, cosmetics, tobacco and other various forms of consumer products. Why aren’t these tests being so widely condemned? How is this not cruel and unjust? Somehow one species tends to overlook the rights of others when there is benefit. But is it all worth it? Is it even valid? Do we even need animal experimentation in today’s world of advanced scientific simulation and other techniques? According to studies, the annual number of animals used in laboratory tests, reaches an estimated 100 million. These tests are performed on a wide range of animals that include rats, mice, rabbits, apes, monkeys but also domestic cats and dogs (Carl, n.d). An estimated 1600 chimpanzees are housed in U.S research facilities. Almost 23 million rats and mice were subjected to â€Å"experimentation† in the year 1998. These figures come from National Association for Biomedical Research. PETA, on the other hand, says that the figures go higher. Rodents and mice were not even included in the 1996 Animal Welfare act, eventhough 90 percent of the testing is done on them. It wan’t until end of 2000 that they were included in these statistics. Many justify animal testing by crediting it for major medical breakthroughs, including penicillin, chemotherapy for childhood leukemia, hip replacement, insulin, the polio vaccine and heart bypass surgeries. (Fast Facts: animal testing) The most common justification about animal experimentation is that it is a necessary process for the development of medicines, vaccines and cures for human illnesses. Those in favor of animal testing justify the act by asking, what will happen to the research on finding cures diseases such as AIDS, cancer and other heart diseases, if animals aren’t used for medical experimentation? Is animal testing so important, that the research on these diseases will not

Foreshadowing is the essential part of Steinbecks style in Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Foreshadowing is the essential part of Steinbecks style in Of Mice and Men Essay Steinbeck, in my opinion, has one of the most unique styles of writing which is not only effective but also inspirational. The fact that he puts the whole plot and the ending right in front of us (at the beginning, in every section and even in the name) and we dont recognise it easily is truly fascinating. Hints of the grand finale could be found nearly everywhere in the novella. In the beginning of the play we learn that Lennie likes to pet soft things. He starts off by petting a mouse and then petting a puppy, of which he kills both as a result of his unrecognised brutal strength. The puppy was all innocent and fragile and Curleys wife was seen in the same way which foreshadows the killing of Curleys wife. The idea of Curleys wife knowing the history of Lennie with pets and his blindness about the strength he possesses and still allowing him to stroke her hair was particularly considered peculiar by me. The only way I managed to justify this was that perhaps she was unaware of the dangers at that particular time as she was too caught up in the moment of perhaps she wanted to be rid of her depressive and oppressive life. Perhaps she was just fed up of her failure of her dreams and living a life of such misery that she thought of death to be the only way out and maybe death by the hands of Lennie seemed like a good idea because he was still considered to be childish meaning the element of innocence could be attached to him. Foreshadowing plays a huge role in indicating towards the fact that Lennie wont make it alive to the end of the novella. The opening sets a pleasant mood to the story, it makes the world seem peaceful and lively then these feelings transforms into a darker and a much more sorrowful aura. The extract Ill put the old devil out of his misery right now was said by Carlson to Candy. This action foreshadows the death of Lennie; He can be personified as Candys dog as his main purpose is also to accompany George hence when Lennie/ the dog is of no use or has exceeded his limit then he will be put down. This also highlights one of the theories attached to this story in perspective; the idea of Darwins Survival of the fittest theory. The natural environment and settings could also emphasise Darwins theory as it was linked to nature but the quote also shows that a weak element in the food chain (Carlson) preys a weaker member of the food chain (the dog) and later on we learn that George (a weak member of the food chain) kills Lennie (a weaker member of the food chain in terms of mental abilities) regardless what the intents where. Furthermore, the death of Candys Dog and Lennie is pretty identical which can contribute to the method in which Lennie was murdered. The dog was shot in the head which was the same way Lennie was killed. The quotes I ought to of shot that dog myself and He wont even feel it. shows that the idea of George killing Lennie himself rather than getting some else to do it is being suggested to George. Additionally, the second quotes highlights that its all for the best and this action is being taken for the greater good. In Addition, I should have done it myself said by Candy also suggests and foreshadows that George will be the murderer of Lennie. Candy realised afterwards and in a way regretted that he didnt kill his dog, his best companion, himself, in the same George wouldnt want Curley to kill Lennie so he would commit the murder himself. This could be considered a gesture of loyalty and love that now Lennie wouldnt have to suffer anymore or it could also be a sign that George was just fed up of carrying Lennies burden around on his back. In my judgement, I would question Georges actions because I believe there are always other ways of getting around the situation and who gave George the right to take someones life. In conclusion, the element of foreshadowing is the main and one of the most important techniques which the novella is based on. Foreshadowing and hints of the future aspects of the story could be found at nearly every stage of the novella and I think that this doesnt only make the story interesting but it also clamps the reader in deeper and deeper, it makes a readers hunger to find out the ending even more and more. In my opinion, Of Mice and Men is one of the most inspiring storys Ive read not only plot and content wise but also writers techniques wise.

Project management methodologies

Project management methodologies Part 1 A methodology is a set of guidelines or principles that can be tailored and applied to a specific situation (Jason P. Charvat, 2003). IT Project Management Methodology is characterized as a collection of methods to perform highly structure planning, scheduling and scoping of IT project in order to deliver welcoming products or services to clients (Jason P. Charvat, 2003). A software development methodology refers to the framework that is used to structure, plan, and control the process of developing an information system (Selecting a Development Approach, 2008). A successful project management methodology aims to structure the processes of leading project to a satisfied end by undertaking certain right perspectives and logical sequences of processes within the project development life cycle. A reasonable project management methodology is crucial to bridge the cap between rough project plans and detailed technical matters. According to the figures from KPMG International, 81% of companies reported an increase in the number of new IT projects in the past 12 months(2006), and 88% reported an increase in the complexity of projects (Ann Bednarz Denise Dubie, 2006). Generally speaking, IT project is relatively more complex and technical than in other disciplines. During the life cycle of IT project, the methodology is used to monitor the status of progress at each phase. At the same time, due to diverse nature of information technology project, acceptable IT project management methodology ensures the entire project on the right track and consistency of process, and reviews the further possible improvements by evaluating current strategies and progresses. Regardless, clear IT management methodology is a critical process to manage the project activities precisely and greatly in crease the odds of project success (Stephen B. Page, 2002). Information technology project management methodology commonly consists of five major components, which are initiating, planning, executing, controlling and closing of project (Kathy Schwalbe, 2006). The five phases are interrelated, and each of these components represents a specific phase of project development life cycle. For example, planning processes involve several comprehensive aspects of the project, such as schedule management plan, scope management plan, cost estimates, possible training and procurement plans, and so on, defining each related knowledge area at that point in time (Joseph Phillips, 2004 Kathy Schwalbe, 2006). From the big picture, the executing processes require the most resources and time, following by the planning processes (Kathy Schwalbe, 2006). Software development is a phase of software production. It includes all stages of activities to develop software which meets the needs of clients and potential user groups. The term Software development is different from project management, as software development usually falls under the execution phase of project management. In other word, software development is a subset of project management. However, they still have some other overlaps. For software development lifecycle, it still incorporates some sections from planning processes, monitoring and controlling processes. In addition, the software development cannot be self-sufficient and independent from project management as the development process is the inner cycle of IT project. Furthermore, the software development methodologies and IT project management methodologies are also interlinked but differ from each other. The aim of software development methodologies is to provide a framework to assist and clarify each individual ph ase of development lifecycle from the start to completion, and improve overall performance of software product. Whereas IT project management methodologies focus on the entire procedures of activities involved in the project life, an IT project itself not only contains certain amount of software development tasks but also other correlated preliminaries and later stage finalizations. For instance, an IT project could be split into different streams, deployment component is part of the project and it operates under the project management methodologies. The software development methodologies only monitor the stage of software development, but IT project management methodologies are also employed to assist the running of the whole project (Kurt Bittner Ian Spence, 2007). In general, IT project management methodologies widely spread on the project management template. They are the guidelines to assist software development kind of technical activities and planning stage kind of administr ation activities. Part 2 The efficient delivery of IT projects means the project is capable of using optimized amount of identified and allocated resources to deliver products or services to clients. It mainly focuses on the integrated resource use by the project whereby time and budget are two indicators. The minimized acquisition cost of project from start to completion defines the basis of efficient delivery. The term Triple Constrains is defined as scope, time and budget. The scope factor is used to measure the effectiveness of the project. The effective delivery of IT project suggests that the project provides desired level of quality and enables clients to use the products or services effectively (Wim Van Grembergen, 2001). The use of IT project management methodologies is considered important in the efficient and effective delivery of IT projects. In general terms, the balance of scope, time and budget is always crucial for IT projects success. It helps to reduce the cost of a project by accomplishing more workload with lower amount of resources and a shorter time frame without any expense of quality (Stephen B. Page, 2002). This goal is achieved only by applying appropriate methodologies to project management. Moreover, a clear methodology ensures the entire operation of project is following predetermined sequences of processes and enables monitoring the project in terms of cost, timing and schedule (Jason P. Charvat, 2003). Since the operation of project is capable of optimize using allocated resources, the project maintains a good balance status in terms of time and budget. Budget control, meeting deadlines and fulfill the general customer requirements are essential to reach the scope of high qualit y project (Stephen B. Page, 2002). At the same time, a clear definition of scope is very important to successful completion of project and positive feedbacks from users in order to accomplish the aims of effective delivery of IT projects. A standard IT project management methodology enables different parties in the project team to unify interdepartmental activities. Although it is inevitable to encounter conflicts and possible confusion between team members during the project life-cycle stages, an appropriate methodology should be applied to resolve the technical or non-technical conflicts by certain approaches. For instance, the methodology authorizes project manager to acquire sufficient information about the conflicts by looking through the conflicting parties point of views (Stephen B. Page, 2002). If the conflict is a technical issue, the resolution process could be done by involving both parties and a technical expert to search for an ideal resolution which is indentified and agreed by all parties (Stephen B. Page, 2002). However, for non-technical conflicts, project manager or other senior managers should attempt to help it out as soon as possible via different ways (Stephen B. Page, 2002). As mentioned above, reduction of internal conflicts is able to cut back the opportunity cost, which has assisting effects on efficient and effective delivery of IT project. In general, conflicts would result in consuming extra resources of the project, but it could still be beneficial to the project as the resolutions may produce more effective ways of performing tasks (Manjeet Singh), or possibly reduce the risks of failure. Furthermore, an early introduction of formal IT project management methodologies adds critical values to the project itself. It is extremely important to clarify all intended processes, procedures and documents required in each phase before kick-off (Stephen B. Page, 2002). Early stage of methodology notification provides a roadmap to all stakeholders. This produces synergistic effect, which could possibly minimize the total amount of resources committed to the project (Harold Kerzner, 2004). In addition, the methodologies are enhanced through the valuable insights from the pre-discussion at the beginning of the project (Harold Kerzner, 2004). Otherwise, delay in obtaining the information about methodology leads to unnecessary waste of time and efforts. It is unclear for each party involved in the project to produce demanded deliverables. Possible restart or backtrack to initial start point would be required in order to reproduce intended outcomes. To sum up, appropriate use of IT project management methodologies bring various kinds of benefits while undertaking IT project. Project managers also need to aware of the proper time to introduce the methodologies to team members. Bibliography Ann Bednarz Denise Dubie, November 15 2006, Project management software can curb IT inefficiencies, Network World, viewed 18 March 2010, . Harold Kerzner, 2004, Advanced project management: best practices on implementation, John Wiley Sons, Inc.,Hoboken, New Jersey, p. 116. Jason P. Charvat, 2003, Project management methodologies: selecting, implementing, and supporting methodologies and processes for projects, John Wiley Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey, p.3. pp.10-11. Joseph Phillips, 2004, IT project management: on track from start to finish, The McGraw-Hill Companies, pp.459-406. Kathy Schwalbe, 2006, Information Technology Project Management Fourth Edition, Thomson Course Technology, p. 72, p. 95, p.110. Kurt Bittner, Ian Spence, 2007, Managing iterative software development projects, Pearson Education, Inc, p.550. Manjeet Singh, Resolving conflicts, ProjectMinds, viewed 21 Mar 2010, . Stephen B. Page, Aug 14 2002, the key to becoming a successful project manager, TechRepublic, viewed 21 Mar 2010, . U.S Department of Health Human Services, March 27 2008, SELECTING A DEVELOPMENT APPROACH, U.S Department of Health Human Services, viewed 17 March 2010, . Wim Van Grembergen, 2001, Information Technology Evaluation Methods Management, Idea Group Publishing, p. 214. Project Management Methodologies Project Management Methodologies LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction: In this chapter the literary information of this research are analysed and discussed leading to the unanswered question which this study answers through the research and data analysis. This chapter is analysed thorough a research done using numerous books and journals related to this research area. Project management (Woodward, 2007) is a key to companies adopting business improvement methodologies such as Six Sigma, which improve their efficiency and competitiveness in the market. Project management is a core competency for a company to maximize the effect of the methodologies to be used for the research. In the past Organizations have been mainly focused on the development of their products lifecycle and ensured that their project management practitioners have had the required knowledge in the form of procedures, tools and techniques. Companies have sought to improve their project management competency through structured training programs. In this chapter the project management methodologies used for developing the project in an organisation is discussed in this chapter. The process of project management methodology in a project is analysed in depth based on PRINCE2 methodology and the process of Project Management department is evaluated by investigating project management department in Infosys technologies limited. The project management team roles are investigated and their responsibility in a project is analysed by the author in this chapter. 2.2 Project Management Methodologies: Kerzner (2005) defines a methodology is a set of guidelines that can be applied to a specific situation during a project. In a project environment, these guidelines might be a list of things to do. A methodology is of a specific approach, templates, forms and even checklists used over the project life cycle.The project methodology is the work of all team members involved in the project throughout the life cycle of a project to for the project success. The project management methodologies (OGC, 2005) are: PRINCE2 PMBoK Method123 Tensteps COBIT PRINCE2 is a true framework developed and instituted in the UK under the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) a government agency; System Development Life Cycle (SDLC), the classic waterfall approach and Solutions-based Project Methodology and a simplified approach for the consultants to work for the clients. The Ten Step methodology comes to project management frameworks and appear to be only two or three that are generally applicable. The Development Methodologies, i.e. management of the technology including information technology and software development in particular are suitable to complete the project. The process includes the project management methodologies and classic building development by a way of comparison. The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) adopt the principle of making its copyright materials such as PRINCE2 widely available to use for developing the project, the only cost incurred is the purchasing of the manual. OGC has encouraged supplier organisations to provide a competitive range of tools, training and other services to support the users. With the development of PRINCE2, OGC is keen to ensure the best package of products and services that are available to the users. OGC has also established collaboration partnerships with a number of organisations specifically to provide support for PRINCE2 and the related areas of Programme Management and the Management of Risk. (OGC, 2005) PMBoK, Method123 and COBIT (Lewis, 2002) focus on the technology and focus more on a generic project management approach. The methodology to use based on the organizational requirements is of Light and Heavy methodologies, the project size and complexity will affect the type of methodology to be selected. Managing the project and managing the technology is by applying the appropriate methodology, project managers are likely to deliver the solutions based on the client requirements. The two types of methodologies are: Project management methodologies and Development methodologies. The project framework of project management methodologies consists of eight chapters as follows: (Lewis, 2002) 1. Understanding Project Methodologies 2. Project Methodologies Explained 3. Project Management Frameworks 4. Development Methodology Selection and Utilization 5. Implementing Project Methodologies 6. Supporting the Methodology 7. Project Templates and Techniques 8. Project Processes and Trends A methodology (Nicholas, 2001) of managing projects observed that projects have common characteristics that can be formalized into a structural process to manage projects more effectively. The project development process and the development methodology are the means of getting from segment to segment. The methodology provides a means for selecting the degree of project management appropriate to the project. Each phase can typically be brought to closure in some logical way before the next project phase begins and each phase results in discrete deliverables which provide the starting point for the next phase. Cost and schedule estimates: plans, requirements and specifications are evaluated at the end of each phase, sometimes before deciding whether to continue with the project. Adopting an incorrect methodology or having no project framework in an organisation might cause a: (Pinto, 2000) †¢ Schedule and cost slippages, †¢ Miscommunication within the team, †¢ Wasting time on administrative tasks that have no purpose, †¢ Reliance on technical wizardry to get projects done, and †¢ Project management burnout. The project management department get the message across senior management which briefly explains the capability maturity model (CMM) and its five levels in it as sets of strategies for improvement. The CMM levels are: Initial, Repeatable, Defined, Managed and Optimized. The project management methodologies take a leading role in a company and it needs to be good in a few areas: (Cleland and King, 1998) †¢ Project management philosophy is firmly entrenched †¢ Project management is a core competency †¢ The company is focused on making projects succeed †¢ Processes and infrastructure are in place †¢ Effective reporting is established †¢ Both project methodology and development methodologies are well documented †¢ Project staff is provided continuous training †¢ Project information is communicated continuously †¢ Projects are monitored against performance †¢ Quality and delivery excellence are built in †¢ Projects are routinely audited Different methodology proponents use different labels, perhaps to differentiate their products. In all the methodologies described while the first several items in the list are dealt with, the remainder is absent. It is almost as though the author was interrupted in mid flight and never returned to the same spot. Similarly, some methodologies are mentioned but not described and others are described but not listed in explanatory tables. (Meredith and Mantel, 2005) 2.3 PRINCE2 Project Management Methodology: CCTA (1996) defines a PRINCE2 as â€Å"a management environment for the purpose of delivering one or more business products according to a specified Business Case is needed to produce a unique and predefined result at a pre-specified time using predetermined resources†. A PRINCE2 project consists of the following characteristics: (Wearne, 2006) A finite and defined life cycle, Defined and measurable business products, A corresponding set of activities to achieve the business products, A defined amount of resources, An organisation structure, with defined responsibilities, and to manage the project. A PRINCE2 project is driven by its business case which describes the organisations justification, commitment and rationale for the projects outcome. The business case is regularly reviewed with the projects progress to ensure the business objectives, which may well change during the life of the project till the objectives are met. The projects are of different groups of people involved, including the customer, one or more suppliers and the user. PRINCE2 is designed to provide a common language across all the people involved in the project. Bringing customers and suppliers together generally involves contracts and contract management. The aspects of PRINCE2 recognise the need to provide projects with necessary controls and breakpoints to work successfully within a contractual framework. (Burke, 1999) PRINCE2 (Colin, 2005) is a method for managing projects and it helps to work out who should be involved and what will be their responsibilities to complete the project successfully. It gives a set of processes to work through and explains what information should be gathered along the way. PRINCE2 is a process-based approach to project management. The processes define the management activities to be carried out during the project. PRINCE2 describes the components that are applied within the appropriate processes and recommends a number of techniques to be utilised for the process. The PRINCE2 process model consists of eight distinct management processes and the activities from setting the project on the right track through controlling and managing the projects progress through to project completion. The Planning process is triggered by many of the other processes. The key to successful use of the process model is in tailoring it to suit the needs of the individual project. (Bradley, 2005) 2.3.1 Directing a Project (DP): This process is performed by the Project Board (Project Manager, Project coordinator and project officer) and describes the direction and key decision making of the project. This is the only process performed by the project board. Whenever a decision is made, the Project Board will the Business Case, Project Plan and Risk Log as the basis for that decision. (Bradley, 2005) The DP processes are managed by the project board throughout the project from start-up to project closure. The DP process has five major steps: (Baguley, 2004) Authorising the preparation of a project plan and business case for the project Approving the project go-ahead Checking that the project remains justifiable at key points in the project life cycle Monitoring progress and giving advice as required Ensuring that the project comes to a controlled close 2.3.2 Starting up a Project (SU): SU (Bradley, 2005) gives an idea about the project whether it is viable and worthwhile to process. It is classed as pre-project work and includes the activities with definition and appointment of the Project Management Team Preparation with a brief idea about the project. According to (Baguley, 2004) starting up a project is a pre-project process with five objectives: Design and appoint the project management team Ensure that the aims of the project are known Decide on the approach which will be taken within the project to provide a solution Define the customers quality expectations Plan the work needed to draw up the PRINCE2 between customer and supplier. 2.3.3 Initiating a Project (IP): This process prepares the information on whether there is sufficient justification to proceed with the project, establishes a sound management basis for the project and creates a detailed plan for as much of the project as management are in a position to authorise. (Baguley, 2004) IP is the first stage of the project. It lays the groundwork for the project and creates the Project Initiation Document (PID). The information contained within the PID expands on that contained within the project brief and will define in detail the project that will be delivered including standards which will met or maintained the Business Case and Project Plan. The following activities are all carried out during IP prior to assembling the PID. Refining the Outline Business Case and risks with information gathered or forecast during the creation of the Project Plan Identifying and agreeing an appropriate level of control for the project and defining the project communication plan creation of the project files, the Issue Log and Lessons Learned Log. If the project is managed in stages, the next Stage Plan will be created when assembling the PID. (Bradley, 2005) 2.3.4 Controlling a Stage (CS): CS covers the day-to-day management of the project and it is where the Project Manager does their job. This involves: Handing out work to the teams, Monitoring that the work is progressing within tolerance and to the correct level of quality, Creation of Highlight Reports to send to the Project Board at a frequency agreed when the controls were set during IP, Risk management, Logging and analysing the impact of issues, and Resolving any problems or deviations within tolerance. (Bradley, 2005) 2.3.5 Managing Stage Boundaries (SB): In order (Bradley, 2005) to maintain control over the project: larger, complex or more risky projects should be divided into stages. Each planned stage is approved by the Project Board before it is delivered. The Project Manager will: Create the next Stage Plan Update the Project Plan, Business Case, and Risk Log And any other information as appropriate Prepare an End Stage Report for presentation to the Project Board Seek authorisation from the Project Board to deliver the next Stage Plan 2.3.6 Managing Product Delivery (MP): MP (Bradley, 2005) covers the work of the Team Manager and a role dedicated to work with the specialist teams ensuring that their work is completed within any constraints defined within the Work package agreement. In simple terms, MP covers: Accepting the work from the Project Manager, Creating a Team Plan if appropriate, Getting the work done, Reporting Checkpoints at an agreed frequency, Carrying out any necessary quality checks, Escalate the issues which has the work package tolerances, and Returning the completed work back to the Project Manager. 2.3.7 Planning (PL): PL (Bradley, 2005) is triggered whenever the Project Manager or Team Manager appropriate and creates a plan. The process describes the production of a plan including: The initial identification of the required plan format Identifying and describing the products that must be created together with any additional activities dependencies Estimation and the scheduling of events Creation of the plan narrative. 2.3.8 Closing a Project (CP): CP (Bradley, 2005) ensures that everything has been delivered to the customers satisfaction and ties-up any lose ends. It also ensures that the products produced are handed over to those responsible for their on going and future operation. All of the closure activities are subject to the Project Board confirmation that they are happy for the project to finish. Once the project closure has been completed the following information will have been created: End Project Report; Including the Post Project Review Plan; Follow-on Actions Recommendations and for each open Issue. For those currently open risks which may impact has been delivered during its operational use with lessons learned report; both positive and negative lessons and Project file archive. The Post Project Review Plan will identify appropriate times for measures of benefit achievement. 2.4 PRINCE2 in an Organisation: PRINCE2 (OGC, 2005) provides benefits to the managers and directors of a project and to an organisation through the controllable use of resources and the ability to manage business and project risk more effectively. PRINCE2 proven best practice in project management and it is widely recognised to provide a common language for all participants in a project in an organisation. PRINCE2 (Scott, 2002) encourages formal recognition of responsibilities within a project and focuses on what a project to deliver. PRINCE2 provides projects with a controlled and organised start, middle and end; Regular reviews of progress against plan and against the Business Case flexible decision point and management control of any deviations from the plan. The existence of a viable Business Case is confirmed at the start of the project, and verified throughout the project to form the basis of every decision made by the Project Board. The Business Case is a statement of reasons for doing the project and the benefits of carrying out the project balanced against a summary of the cost, timescales and risk involved in achieving the benefits (Turner, 2004). If the Business Case is no longer considered viable then the Project Manager will ask to close the project. The involvement of management and stakeholders at the right time and place during the process of a project plays an important role for the success of a project. Managers using PRINCE2 are able to establish terms of reference as a pre-requisite to the start of a project. A defined structure for delegation, authority and communication; divide the project into manageable stages for more accurate planning; ensure resource commitment from management is part of any approval to proceed; provide regular but brief management reports and keep meetings with management and stakeholders to a minimum but at the vital points in the project. Those who will be directly involved with using the results of a project are able to participate in all the decision-making on a project; involved in day-to-day progress and provide quality checks throughout the project and ensure their requirements are being adequately satisfied. (Kerzner, 2003) PRINCE2 suggests the projects that should be broken down into stages and the sub-processes dictate how each individual stage should be controlled. It includes the way in which the process is authorized and received. It also specifies the way in which progress should be monitored and how the highlights of the progress should be reported to the project board. A means for capturing and assessing project issues is suggested together with the way in which corrective action should be taken. This covers the things that should be done at the end of a project. Project is formally de-commissioned and follow on actions are identified in the project itself be formally evaluated. (Kerzner, 2003) A good project management (Maylor, 2005) method guides the project through a controlled, well-managed, visible set of activities to achieve the desired results. PRINCE2 provides the projects with: A controlled and organised start, middle and end Regular reviews of progress against plans and against the Business Case Flexible decision points Automatic management control of any deviations from the plan The involvement of management and stakeholders at the right time during the project Good communication channels between the project management team and the rest of the organisation Agreement on the required quality at the outset and continuous monitoring against those requirements. PRINCE2 (CCTA, 1996) is designed to be used on all type of projects in any environment. It contains a complete set of concepts and project management processes that are the minimum requirements for a properly run and managed project. The way in which it is applied to each project will vary considerably and tailoring the method to suit the circumstances of a particular project is critical to its successful use. PRINCE2 projects are always focused on delivering pre-defined products to meet a specified Business Case. It enables the project to capture and retain a definition of the business benefits that are the driving force behind the project itself. The customer and supplier environment assumes that there will be a customer who will specify requirement and pay for the project. A supplier will provide resources and skills to create that product successfully. The customer and supplier normally come from separately managed areas. Stakeholders have an interest and will be impacted by the project with its outcomes. The stakeholders include: (Healey, 2003) Customers, who have commissioned the work and will benefit from the end results on the Project Board by Project Executive, User(s) will be impacted by the outcome as they will use or operate the final product and represent on the Project, Board the Senior User(s), the customer and user may be the same group of people, Suppliers provide specialist resource or skills to the project with goods and services represented on the Project Board by the Senior Suppliers, Suppliers appoint Sub-contractors to provide products or services to them. PRINCE2 (CCTA, 1996) offers a series of plan levels that can be tailored to the size and complexity of a project. Each level of plan consist of the needs and recommend planning technique based planning, but the planning process includes the identification of activities and their dependencies. PRINCE2 facilitate the principle of management by exception and provide each level of management with information allowing them to assess progress to make appropriate decisions based on accurate information. 2.5 Project management methodologies risk management process: PRINCE2 (Bradley, 2005) defines risk management in two phases, risk analysis and risk management. Risk analysis covers the identification and evaluation of risk through the identification and selection of appropriate responses for the process. Risk management is of planning and the selected actions for monitoring and reporting on their status. Quality within PRINCE2 begins by establishing the Customers Quality Expectations and agreeing associated Acceptance. These will be detailed within a Project Quality Plan together with any external standards which will need to be met. It will also detail the change control processes and will contain the Configuration Management Plan. The Project Quality (Shtub and Bard, 2003)Plan defines how the project will achieve the required quality. Configuration Management defines how the assets of the project are identified, protected and controlled. It also identifies how it links with other PRINCE2 components and techniques to describe the role. The Configuration Management plan is identified within the Project Quality Plan. PRINCE2 emphasises the need for the controlled management of change and this is enforced with a change control technique plus the identification of the processes and responsibilities for change control. Change is inevitable and often beneficial to uncontrolled change causes project failure. Controlling change ensures that all changes are documented and analysed. Changes will be authorised only when their impact is fully understood and deemed to be beneficial or acceptable to the project. PRINCE2 is a generic project management (Baguley, 2004) method and recognised for using different techniques. Product Based Planning describes a framework, which can be applied to any type of project. PRINCE2recognises that most organisations will have their own defined change control processes to recommend an approach that treats each change request during the project development. The change control technique identifies the process and responsibilities for handling a change requests from its initial entry onto the Issue Log through its analysis and implementation. Bradley (2005) defines a number of activities which must be carried out in order for the project to be defined, developed and closed. PRINCE2 consists number of components which contain further detail on specific project management issues. Various components covered by PRINCE2 are: Business Case; Organisation; Plans; Controls; Management of Risk; Quality in a Project Environment; Configuration Management; Change Control. Project management (Kliem, et al., 2002) maturity models are designed around the companys own environment, structure and needs in to four levels of maturity: 1. The first level usually reflects an informal and individualistic approach to project management with poor project definition and co-ordination, 2. The next level reflects a more functional application with some project co-ordination and where project management is mainly viewed as a tool or technique, 3. The third level addresses project management as being practiced with some degree of excellence either in a transitional or matures state, 4. The final level addresses portfolio management and may not be applicable to all types of industry depending on their project types and numbers. The project management (Churchhouse, 1999) maturity models are effective in an organization and this ownership is shared across the executive management. Implementation and deployment will generally be responsibility of a dedicated team assigned, preferably to a central department or group within the organization who work as a team and provide strong sponsorship, guidance and commonality across the organization. This management team is supported by a network of project management practitioners within the organization. Structured methodology and documentation use across all levels of the organization, incorporating the companys cultural and operational characteristics aligned with the companys quality system, complies with industry and professional standards; and is effectively applied in operational use. Project management tools, whether technical or non-technical, enterprise wide need to meet the needs of the project management community with defined methodology. (Thayer, 2000) The project management (Harrison, 2002) needs are defined, measured, understood and developed to a visible career structure that has formal recognition, status and reward. Organizations from time-to-time need some direct intervention, whether its mentoring executive and senior management, coaching project and line managers, assisting project team members carry out their roles, assessing and bringing back on-track in-trouble projects, recruiting project managers for permanent or temporary assignments, creating a project management office (PMO), measuring workforce performance, or improving the visibility of project management within the organization. Management development of all the management layers is critical to success, whether an executive briefing, senior program or line management course needs to fully understand their roles and responsibility in supporting the environment, coaching behaviours and mentoring individuals. Managers are to be aware of the development and investment of the procedures, tools, training and competency with the investment manifests itself into the behaviours of the workforce across the whole width of the company. (Earl, et al., 1995) 2.6 Project Management department process: Measuring the behaviours in the upper management levels provides a clear demonstrable metric to the improvement of project management within Infosys Technologies Limited. The behaviours are categorized into the five areas that constitute a project manager leaders role: (Raz, et al., 2003) 1. Planning. 2. Organizing and staffing. 3. Directing and leading. 4. Controlling. 5. Reporting. The improvement is measured in two ways (Gray and Larson, 2002), firstly a percentage improvement between before and after scoring and secondly the percentage increase. PRINCE2 is documented to get the maximum benefit for an organisation and it accredits training organisations and registered consultants able to work to tailor and focus PRINCE2 on requirements. Each PRINCE2 project consists of a Project Board made up of the customer, someone who can represent the user side and someone to represent the supplier. In PRINCE2 these people are called Customer, Senior User and Senior Supplier respectively. The Project Manager reports regularly to the Project Board, keeping them informed of progress and highlighting. The Project Board is responsible for providing the Project Manager with the necessary decisions for the project to proceed and to overcome any problems. On some projects (Kerzner, 2003) the assurance is done by a separate team of people called the Project Assurance Team, but the assurance job can be done by the individual members of the Project Board themselves. On most projects there is a lot of administrative work needed, keeping everyone informed, arranging meetings, keeping plans up-to-date, chasing things up and keeping files. Project Managers often do all the work themselves, particularly on smaller projects. But if there are a number of projects going on at the same time, a Project Support Office can be setup to help the Project Managers in the process. One of the simplest yet most effective things upper management can do is to set out the companys policy for project management. This establishes the vision for how the company wants to best utilize project management concepts and gives a clear downwards communication. A useful starting point for considering the need to model project management performance is making the distinction between project performance and PM performance. These two are interlinked, but different and it is important not to confuse the two. PM performance might focus on delivering a project within budget, yet if the overriding success criterion or key performance indicator (KPI) for the project is delivering future benefit to the organisation. (Courtney and Hugh, 2001) The impact of success criteria on a number of Information Technologies (IT) projects the customer and other stakeholders, such as users, will define what they mean by quality. This focus on meeting customer and other stakeholder requirements corresponds with definitions of quality in the quality management literature and makes a link between quality, project performance and PM performance. The customers definition of what is quality in a project environment will be based upon attributes linked to the quality of the management process as well as attributes linked to the quality of the end product delivered by the project. (Jan Van Bon, 2006) The developing models of project (Woodward, 2007) performance can be provided in two ways. First, models that help organisations provide effective PM performance can lead to beneficial outcomes regardless of the success or otherwise of the project being managed. Second, as elements of PM performance may influence overall sat

State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Ghada Alem Article Assessment State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP): Eligibility Expansion Impact I. BACKGROUND During an introductory course about health policy, namely Fundamentals for Health Policy, health insurance coverage in the U.S. was among the subjects presented. Under the public sector, there are two large insurance programs that are funded by the federal government: 1) Medicare, and 2) Medicaid. Fundamental aspects of the Medicaid program were discussed along with The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) expansion of the program’s eligibility. Moreover, CHIP or State Children’s Health Insurance Program was introduced. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to further detail the CHIP program and to explore the impact of expanding its eligibility. CHIP was created in 1997 when Congress acted to provide low-income children with health insurance. Prior to CHIP, a coverage gap occurred for this group of children in their states whose family income is above the eligibility level for Medicaid program. Initially, the program had a ten years block grant of $40 billion. Upon its expiry in 2007, Congress made an attempt to extend the program through passing of two versions of CHIP Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA). However, the U.S. then president GW Bush vetoed both versions and signed a temporary extension instead. When president Barack Obama took office back in 2009, Congress made its second attempt toward extending the program and the president signed it into law to be his first acts assuming his office. The Reauthorization Act of CHIP (CHIPRA) granted $33 billion in federal funds for children’s coverage and an extension until 2019. However, the funding was effective only through fiscal year 2015. [1] CHIPRA gave states additional resources and options to help reduce the uninsured children rate [2]. Such options include expanding the CHIP program eligibility to new populations, encouraging families to signup for coverage through simplifying enrollment and renewal procedures for Medicaid and CHIP program, and funding outreach grants to help enroll eligible children [2]. Although these policy changes would have potential and hence, invoke more studies examining their impact, few efforts have actually examined the implication of the new policy changes [2]. In this paper, two articles that have actually addressed the impact of CHIP eligibility expansion are covered in the following sections. II. FIRST ARTICLE ASSESSMENT In the first article titled â€Å"Coverage For Low-Income Immigrant Children Increased 24.5 Percent In States That Expanded CHIPRA Eligibility†, Saloner et al., stated the absence of any previous studies examining the effect of CHIPRA for immigrant children. Thus, authors compared changes post CHIPRA passage in terms of coverage and access. The said comparison was aimed at immigrant children who reside in states that expanded eligibility to them against the states that did not expand their eligibility. [3] Goals and Methods This article indicates that CHIPRA policy did not eliminate some barriers that could be a cause for missing health insurance coverage in immigrant children (e.g., language and cultural barriers). However, states were provided with federally funded health insurance as a new option by the policy toward expanding eligibility to immigrant children. Accordingly, authors hypothesized that a coverage and access increase would occur among immigrant children as a result of the policy. The study design was cross-sectional by using the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). The main data sources were the 2003, 2007, and 2011–12 rounds of the National Survey of Children’s Health. Sample selection was based on CHIP eligibility income threshold that would most likely extract eligible children population in the previous year. Two groups were compared against a children and parent in the same income category who are US-born: 1) children and parents who are foreign-born, an d 2) children who are US-born with foreign-born parents. During the study period, children in the comparison group (i.e., US-born child and parents) had higher healthcare coverage and access. Three outcomes related to health insurance coverage had been examined: 1) coverage status at the time of the survey, 2) coverage type (i.e., private plan or public), and 3) coverage gap during past year. Sample characteristics of all children living in states that implemented (or did not) the policy were compared using descriptive analysis. In order to ensure that the policy was the source of differences affecting immigrant children in states, authors controlled for state-level trends of children and parents who are US-born. Isolation between independent outcomes changes and confounding ones occurring during the same time period were possible through difference-in-difference-in-difference method (quasi-experimental). [3] Findings and Conclusions Insurance coverage increase among immigrant children in states that expanded the eligibility was 24.5 percent compared to the same group in states that did not expand the eligibility. This increase was contributed to the public insurance high enrollment. Moreover, decrease of unmet healthcare needs and disparities (among immigrant children and nonimmigrant families) were evident in states that adopted the eligibility expansion. Finally, healthcare coverage and access gaps between immigrant and nonimmigrant children was reduced due to CHIPRA eligibility expansion. [3] Article Assessment Policy Implications This research effort is a contribution highlights the importance of healthcare insurance coverage and access for immigrant children. Usually, immigrant children (foreign-born or US-born with foreign-born parents) have poor preventive care compared to nonimmigrant children. This poor status at the children earlier stages in life would have consequences through adulthood. Additional research effort should examine the remaining financial and cultural care barriers. Moreover, variation in the new policy implementation among states and other groups should be investigated. Finally, a significant factor that needs to be examined is sustainability; the explored healthcare coverage and access improvement in this study was applicable to the two years following CHIPRA and hence, further studies are required to check for any further improvements after those two years. [3] II. SECOND ARTICLE ASSESSMENT In the second article titled â€Å"The Impact Of Recent CHIP Eligibility Expansions On Children’s Insurance Coverage, 2008–12†, Goldstein et al., stated the absence of any in-depth analysis about the impact CHIP expansions to higher-income children on insurance coverage. Hence, they intended to estimate the impact of CHIP eligibility expansion on changes in un-insurance, public insurance, and private insurance. [2] Goals and Methods The data source for this study was from the 2008-2012 American Community Survey (ACS). A difference-indifferences framework study design was used in this study. Authors have analyzed two groups of children: 1) newly eligible children for CHIP (i.e., the treatment group), and 2) similar children who were not eligible for CHIP (i.e., comparison group). The treatment group consisted of all children who were made newly eligible for CHIP by their state’s expansion. Sensitivity analysis was used with different comparison groups to test the consistency of results since difference-indifferences estimates can vary depending on the composition of the comparison group. Authors first analyzed unadjusted changes in the three types of insurance coverage (public, private, and uninsured) by calculating the raw change in each type for the treatment and comparison groups between 2008 and 2012. They then calculated difference-in-differences estimates for each type of insurance coverage. Next, th ey estimated the relative change in the un-insurance rate attributable to the expansions. Finally, they assessed the degree of crowd-out (i.e., the share of gains in public coverage from the expansions that was a result of decreases in private coverage). All estimates were weighted using survey weights that reflected the complex survey design of the ACS. [2] Findings and Conclusions A decrease of 1.1 percentage point in the newly eligible uninsured group was estimated in this study due to the expansion (15% cut in un-insurance rate). An increase of 2.9 percentage points in public coverage was evident with variations in states adoption. Since higher-income children might not have access to affordable coverage, the study findings suggest providing coverage to them through CHIP toward lowering their risk of being uninsured. The study concluded that a significant reductions in un-insurance among newly eligible children was produced by the recent CHIP expansions. [2] Article Assessment Policy Implications Analytical approach includes a couple of limitations. First, authors included the year of the expansion’s passage in their pre-expansion period, which could be a source of bias to their change estimates downward. Second, measurement error could arise from their use of the ACS (ACS does not provide state-specific program names for CHIP or include a verification question for un-insurance, and it may overestimate no group coverage) [2]. Third, it is unknown whether the changes reported in the results of this study could be generalized to the remaining thirty-five states in the case these states chose to expand CHIP eligibility [2]. A policy implication could be realized if CHIP funding is not extended. Authors indicated that in the case of no extension, families with children enrolled in the program could turn instead to a health insurance Marketplace to purchase subsidized coverage. However, many of these families would not be eligible for such subsidized coverage. This is due to the fact that ACA definition for affordability is based on the cost of premiums for employee-only coverage that ignores the cost to the family of covering dependents. For instance, dependent family members for a worker would not be able to receive Marketplace subsidies, even if the cost for full family coverage were unaffordable, since the worker were offered affordable employee-only coverage. Accordingly, some children would end up without either CHIP coverage or access to affordable private insurance. Thus, many children in this study could also lose coverage in the case of not addressing barriers to employer-sponsored family covera ge and Marketplace subsidies. [2] CONCLUSION Generally, CHIP expansion has a positive impact on children insurance coverage. While the first study addressed benefits to immigrant children from the expansion, the second one addressed the reduction of uninsured children through the expansion. Expansion was supported as it would result in maintaining a good health and reducing disparities among this immigrant population [3], and would decrease the risk for having uninsured children [2]. REFERENCES [1] Teitelbaum JB. Essentials of Health Policy and Law. Jones Bartlett Learning; 2012. [2] Goldstein IM, Kostova D, Foltz JL, Kenney GM. The impact of recent CHIP eligibility expansions on childrens insurance coverage, 2008-12. Health Aff (Millwood). 2014;33(10):1861-7. [3] Saloner B, Koyawala N, Kenney GM. Coverage for low-income immigrant children increased 24.5 percent in states that expanded CHIPRA eligibility. Health Aff (Millwood). 2014;33(5):832-9. 1 | Page