Interactive video behavioral intervention Essay

Risk behaviors on youth are issues that the sociologists and psychologists regard as big deals. The youth comprises the major work force of the future yet the trends and the activities they do sometimes put them to the verge of having complications and diseases that are transmitted through having sexual intercourses. Their every day activities may lead them to something that can really matter especially with their health and their spirituality. Modernism and liberalism are issues that are usually faced by the youth today by which values that are regarded to be sacred before are now called passe and often treated as something for the centuries, not for the modern age. One of the issues mentioned are women engaging to pre-marital sex at a young age, and worse cases to multiple partners. Downs, Murray, et. al (2004) formulated a study that dealt with the behavior of females who are likely to commit to sexual activities involving oral and anal sex, together with the sexual intercourse itself. Their study aimed to determine some controlling factors with the behavior of women regarding sex. It provided different ways of informing the women of the possible consequences of having sexual intercourse with the opposite sex. Having a number of reviews of articles, they gathered 300 sexually active females (6 months before the study started) from different places in Pittsburgh are that are still subdivided from hospitals, clinics and a teaching hospital. The authors of the study first surveyed for the participants who are willing to be tested and undergo the study. Parents were also asked if they are willing to let their daughters below 18 years become the participants of the study. According from the article, parents were more than willing to let their daughters be part of the team or the respondents. Questions that asked the motives of having sex were asked during the interview. It will help the evaluators to assess the usual situations before the actual intercourse happens. The study also has its way of letting the participants choose a way that they will be best informed. In this way, they will have an idea of how they are going to control their sexual drives. The modes of the study are: interactive video clip, a book that offers the same content as the video and brochures that offer the same topic. One video clip from www. WhatCouldYouDo. org was shown to them that portrayed a girl and a boy that depended on the concept of â€Å"condom† love that is often pictured as something satisfying other than the act of abstinence. Their knowledge about STD was also measured trough the 40 questions posted in the study, and they have a percentage of 65. 5% correct concepts about the matter. On the other hand, 67. 7% of them has the right knowledge about specific STD issues. Controls without the interventions were more likely to still engage in the activity while those who have had the chance to be included in the team with video intervention through randomization were reported to have self control over the next few months. However, the study showed that knowledge of the participant regarding sexual and STD issues did not increased. It was stated in the reports that it could have been better if the control for the study did not receive any intervention to clearly see the effect of the programs in controlling the risk behavior of youth, specifically with the females. The study may be leading to situations by which female will not be choosing the option to have sex with their partners to express their feelings. Moreover, the intention of preventing STD in youth through some information integrated seminars and trainings are good ways in drawing down the lines in the limitations of the actions of the females, and the youth. Reference Julie S. Downs, Pamela J. Murray, Wandi Bruine de Bruin, Joyce Penrose, Claire Palmgren and Baruch Fischhoff. Interactive video behavioral intervention to reduce adolescent females’ STD risk: a randomized controlled trial Social Science & Medicine, Volume 59, Issue 8, October 2004, Pages 1561-1572

92-Tricks of Communication-Leil Lowndes

Technique #1 The Flooding Smile Don’t ? ash an immediate smile when you greet someone, as though anyone who walked into your line of sight would be the bene? ciary. Instead, look at the other person’s face for a second. Pause. Soak in their persona. Then let a big, warm, responsive smile ? ood over your face and over? ow into your eyes. It will engulf the recipient like a warm wave. The split-second delay convinces people your ? ooding smile is genuine and only for them. Technique #2 Sticky Eyes Pretend your eyes are glued to your conversation partner’s with sticky warm taffy. Don’t break eye contact even after he or she has ? ished speaking. When you must look away, do it ever so slowly, reluctantly, stretching the gooey taffy until the tiny string ? nally breaks. Technique #3 Epoxy Eyes ( dusray key baatay suntay suntay dusro say nazray melena chahtay hai .. toh yeh trick kaam key hai ) This brazen technique packs a powerful punch. Watch your target pers on even when someone else is talking. No matter who is speaking, keep looking at the man or woman you want to impact. Technique #4 Hang by Your Teeth ( BHAIYA JI , SMILE ) Visualize a circus iron-jaw bit hanging from the frame of every door you walk through. Take a bite and, with it ? mly between your teeth, let it swoop you to the peak of the big top. When you hang by your teeth, every muscle is stretched into perfect posture position. Technique #5 The Big-Baby Pivot Give everyone you meet The Big-Baby Pivot. The instant the two of you are introduced, reward your new acquaintance. Give the warm smile, the total-body turn, and the undivided attention you would give a tiny tyke who crawled up to your feet, turned a precious face up to yours, and beamed a big toothless grin. Pivoting 100 percent toward the new person shouts â€Å"I think you are very, very special. † Technique #6 Hello Old Friend ( DOSTANA DUDE ) When meeting someone, imagine he or she is an old friend (an old customer, an old beloved, or someone else you had great affection for). How sad, the vicis- situdes of life tore you two asunder. But, holy mack- erel, now the party (the meeting, the convention) has reunited you with your long-lost old friend! The joyful experience starts a remarkable chain reaction in your body from the subconscious softening of your eyebrows to the positioning of your toes—and everything between. Technique #7 Limit the Fidget ( KHUJLEE MAT KARNA baat kartay samay) Whenever your conversation really counts, let your nose tch, your ear tingle, or your foot prickle. Do not ?dget, twitch, wiggle, squirm, or scratch. And above all, keep your paws away from your puss. Hand motions near your face and all ? dgeting can give your listener the gut feeling you’re ? bbing. Technique #8 Hans’s Horse Sense ( ghoday key tarah bano 😛 hamesha pehlay Sunoo, socho fir bolo) Make it a habit t o get on a dual track while talking. Express yourself, but keep a keen eye on how your listener is reacting to what you’re saying. Then plan your moves accordingly. If a horse can do it, so can a human. People will say you pick up on everything. You never miss a trick. You’ve got horse sense Technique #9 Watch the Scene Before You Make the Scene ( be lyk RAJNIKAANTH†¦ LOL ) Rehearse being the Super Somebody you want to be ahead of time. SEE yourself walking around with Hang by Your Teeth posture, shaking hands, smiling the Flooding Smile, and making Sticky Eyes. HEAR your- self chatting comfortably with everyone. FEEL the pleasure of knowing you are in peak form and everyone is gravitating toward you. VISUALIZE yourself a Super Somebody. Then it all happens automatically. Technique #10 Make a Mood Match ( YO boyz†¦:P make a mood match bro.. ) Before opening your mouth, take a â€Å"voice sample† of our listener to detect his or her state of mind. Take a â€Å"psychic photograph† of the expression to see if your listener looks buoyant, bored, or blitzed. If you ever want to bring people around to your thoughts, you must match their mood and voice tone, if only for a moment. Technique #11 Prosaic with Passion ( first im pression is last impression) Worried about your ? rst words? Fear not, because 80 percent of your listener’s impression has nothing to do with your words anyway. Almost anything you say at ?rst is ? ne. No matter how prosaic the text, an empathetic mood, a positive demeanor, and passionate delivery make you sound exciting. Technique #12 Always Wear a Whatzit ( CHENDHA KARNA ) Whenever you go to a gathering, wear or carry something unusual to give people who ? nd you the delightful stranger across the crowded room an excuse to approach. â€Å"Excuse me, I couldn’t help but notice your . . . what IS that? † Technique #13 Whoozat ( for starting a consversation) Whoozat is the most effective, least used (by non- politicians) meeting-people device ever contrived. Simply ask the party giver to make the introduction, or pump for a few facts that you can immediately turn into icebreakers. Technique #14 Eavesdrop In No Whatzit? No host for Whoozat? No problem! Just sidle up behind the swarm of folks you want to in? l- trate and open your ears. Wait for any ? imsy excuse and jump in with â€Å"Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear. . . .† Will they be taken aback? Momentarily. Will they get over it? Momentarily. Will you be in the conversation? Absolutely! Technique #15 Never the Naked City ( Apnay rehnay key jagah ko achi jagh say compare karna chaiyay ) supificial SAKINAKA ) Whenever someone asks you the inevitable, â€Å"And where are you from? † never, ever, unfairly challenge their powers of imagination with a one-word answer. Learn some engaging facts about your hometown hat conversational partners can comment on. Then, when they say something clever in response to your bait, they think you’re a great conversationalist. Technique #16 Never the Naked Job ( if sum1 ask†¦ what do you do? To koi raaapchik word uskay saath adjective may daalnay apnay topic related thok daalnay ka :P) When aske d the inevitable â€Å"And what do you do,† you may think â€Å"I’m an economist/an educator/an engineer† is giving enough information to engender good conversation. However, to one who is not an economist, educator, or an engineer, you might as well be saying â€Å"I’m a paleontologist/psychoanalyst/pornographer. Flesh it out. Throw out some delicious facts about your job for new acquaintances to munch on. Otherwise, they’ll soon excuse themselves, preferring the snacks back at the cheese tray. Technique #17 Never the Naked Introduction ( batey karna sikhoo logo k saamnay.. gungay key tarah khaday mat rahoo ) When introducing people, don’t throw out an unbaited hook and stand there grinning like a big clam, leaving the newlymets to ? utter their ? ns and ? sh for a topic. Bait the conversational hook to get them in the swim of things. Then you’re free to stay or ? oat on to the next networking opportunity. Technique #18 Be a Word Detective ( kaaan khullaa raknay ka,aur uski baato say hint lekar TOPIC nikaal na kaa†¦ samja kya ? ) Like a good gumshoe, listen to your conversation partner’s every word for clues to his or her preferred topic. The evidence is bound to slip out. Then spring on that subject like a sleuth on to a slip of the tongue. Like Sherlock Holmes, you have the clue to the subject that’s hot for the other person. Technique #19 The Swiveling Spotlight When you meet someone, imagine a giant revolving spotlight between you. When you’re talking, the spotlight is on you. When the new person is speaking, it’s shining on him or her. If you shine it brightly enough, the stranger will be blinded to the fact that you have hardly said a word about yourself. The longer you keep it shining away from you, the more interesting he or she ? nds you. Technique #20 Parroting Never be left speechless again. Like a parrot, simply repeat the last few words your conversation partner says. That puts the ball right back in his or her court, and then all you need to do is listen. Technique #21 Encore! ( Koi achaa saa kissaa apni yaaado say dusro ko batana aur puchna kya apko yeh pasand aaya , hum firsay baatay ) The sweetest sound a performer can hear welling up ut of the applause is â€Å"Encore! Encore! Let’s hear it again! † The sweetest sound your conversation partner can hear from your lips when you’re talking with a group of people is â€Å"Tell them about the time you . . . † Whenever you’re at a meeting or party with someone important to you, think of some stories he or she told you. Cho ose an appropriate one from their repertoire that the crowd will enjoy. Then shine the spotlight by requesting a repeat performance. Technique #22 Ac-cen-tu-ate the Pos-i-tive ( a ache see smile chipkaa daaalnay ka,with +tve ness haan ) When ? rst meeting someone, lock your closet door and ave your skeletons for later. You and your new good friend can invite the skeletons out, have a good laugh, and dance over their bones later in the relationship. But now’s the time, as the old song says, to â€Å"ac-cen-tu-ate the pos-i-tive and elim-i-nate the neg-a-tive. † Technique #23 The Latest News . . . Don’t Leave Home Without It ( upto date rahoo†¦ BOLE toh TIP TOP) The last move to make before leaving for the party— even after you’ve given yourself ? nal approval in the mirror—is to turn on the radio news or scan your newspaper. Anything that happened today is good material. Knowing the big-deal news of the moment is lso a defensive move tha t rescues you from putting your foot in your mouth by asking what everybody’s talking about. Foot-in-mouth is not very tasty in public, especially when it’s surrounded by egg-on-face. The Right Way to Find Out So how do you ? nd out what someone does for a living? (I thought you’d never ask. ) You simply practice the following eight words. All together now: â€Å"How . . . do . . . you . . . spend . . . most . . . of . . . your . . . time? † Technique #24 What Do You Do—NOT! A sure sign you’re a Somebody is the conspicuous ab- sence of the question, â€Å"What do you do? † (You deter- ine this, of course, but not with those four dirty words that label you as either a ruthless networker, a social climber, a gold-digging husband or wife hunter, or someone who’s never strolled along Easy Street. ) Technique #25 The Nutshell Resume (apna character bhale he acha ho , alag alag log say miltay ho apna parichay badaltay raheyay†¦ lekin woh topic apna original ho†¦) Just as job-seeking top managers roll a different written resume off their printers for each position they’re applying for, let a different true story about your professional life roll off your tongue for each listener. Before responding to â€Å"What do you do? ask yourself, â€Å"What possible interest could this person have in my answer? Could he refer business to me? Buy from me? Hire me? Marry my sister? Become my buddy? † Wherever you go, pack a nutshell about your own life to work into your communications bag of tricks. Technique #26 Your Personal Thesaurus ( dude means that u shud use different words of same meaning in A COOL dude way†¦ ) Look up some common words you use every day in the thesaurus. Then, like slipping your feet into a new pair of shoes, slip your tongue into a few new words to see how they ? t. If you like them, start making permanent replacements. Remember, only ? fty words makes the difference between a rich, creative vocabulary and an average, middle-of-the-road one. Substitute a word a day for two months and you’ll be in the verbally elite. Technique #27 Kill the Quick â€Å"Me, Too! † ( jaldee mat kehna, mujay bhee but thoda wait karna chaiyay fir thoday tym k baad kehna chaiyay ) Whenever you have something in common with someone, the longer you wait to reveal it, the more moved (and impressed) he or she will be. You emerge as a con? dent big cat, not a lonely little stray, hungry for quick connection with a stranger. P. S. : Don’t wait too long to reveal your shared nterest or it will seem like you’re being tricky. Technique #28 Comm-YOU-nication ( pehlay aap ) Start every appropriate sentence with you. It immedi- ately grabs your listener’s attention. It gets a more positive response because it pushes the pride button and saves them having to translate it into â€Å"me† terms. W hen you sprinkle you as liberally as salt and pepper throughout your conversation, your listeners ?nd it an irresistible spice. Technique #29 The Exclusive Smile (use happydent sumtym LOL,issmile usee ko do JO hamay pasand aae ) If you ? ash everybody the same smile, like a Confed- erate dollar, it loses value. When meeting groups of people, grace each with a distinct smile. Let your smiles grow out of the beauty big players ? nd in each new face. If one person in a group is more important to you than the others, reserve an especially big, ? ooding smile just for him or her. Technique #30 Don’t Touch a Cliche with a Ten-Foot Pole ( koi NOOB jaisa word mat bhakna) Be on guard. Don’t use any cliches when chatting with big winners. Don’t even touch one with a ten-foot pole. Never? Not even when hell freezes over? Not unless you want to sound dumb as a doorknob. Instead of coughing up a cliche, roll your own clever phrases by using the next technique. Technique #31 Use Jawsmith’s Jive (Rhymin words but u Gotta be cool and only U ) Whether you’re standing behind a podium facing thousands or behind the barbecue grill facing your family, you’ll move, amuse, and motivate with the same skills. Read speakers’ books to cull quotations, pull pearls of wisdom, and get gems to tickle their funny bones. Find a few bon mots to let casually slide off your tongue on chosen occasions. If you want to be notable, dream up a crazy quotable. Make ’em rhyme, make ’em clever, or make ’em funny. Above all, make ’em relevant. Technique #32 Call a Spade a Spade ( bade log ko bade key tarah he maana chaiyay.. Don’t hide behind euphemisms. Call a spade a spade. That doesn’t mean big cats use tasteless four-letter words when perfectly decent ? ve- and six-letter ones exist. They’ve simply learned the King’s English, and they speak it. Here’s another way to tell the bi g players from the little ones just by listening to a few minutes of their conversation. Technique #33 Trash the Teasing ( kabhe bhe group talk may paiso so related Kisee aadmi par topic ya joke nahe karna chaiyay ) A dead giveaway of a little cat is his or her proclivity to tease. An innocent joke at someone else’s expense may get you a cheap laugh. Nevertheless, the big cats will ave the last one. Because you’ll bang your head against the glass ceiling they construct to keep little cats from stepping on their paws. Never, ever, make a joke at anyone else’s expense. You’ll wind up paying for it, dearly. Technique #34 It’s the Receiver’s Ball ( bad news ko smile,a relaxd whali breath k saath yaa thoda udaaseen ho expression kum he dikha kar batana chaiyay) A football player wouldn’t last two beats of the time clock if he made blind passes. A pro throws the ball with the receiver always in mind. Before throwing out any news, keep your receiver in mind. Then deliver it with a smile, a sigh, or a sob. Not ccording to how you feel about the news, but how the receiver will take it. Technique #35 The Broken Record (Pagaal ko log ko PAGAL banaanay ka ek he tarekaa,unchaahe baat puchnay par ek he baat ka REPETITION key jiyay) Whenever someone persists in questioning you on an unwelcome subject, simply repeat your original response. Use precisely the same words in precisely the same tone of voice. Hearing it again usually quiets them down. If your rude interrogator hangs on like a leech, your next repetition never fails to ? ick them off. Technique #36 Big Shots Don’t Slobber (fattu log key tarah mat khaday rayna†¦TAREEF jaldee say na karna.. alkee yeh kehna aap nay †¦ yeh sab kia mujay essay khushii mile DHANYAWAAD) .. People who are VIPs in their own right don’t slobber over celebrities. When you are chatting with one, don’t compliment her work, simply say how much pleasure or insight ità ¢â‚¬â„¢s given you. If you do single out any one of the star’s accomplishments, make sure it’s a recent one, not a memory that’s getting yellow in her scrapbook. If the queen bee has a drone sitting with her, ? nd a way to involve him in the conversation. Technique #37 Never the Naked Thank You ( thankU ko dilsay badachadakar bolo) Never let the phrase â€Å"thank you† stand alone. From A o Z, always follow it with for: from â€Å"Thank you for asking† to â€Å"Thank you for zipping me up. † Technique #38 Scramble Therapy ( do sumthin CRAZY bro†¦ ) Once a month, scramble your life. Do something you’d never dream of doing. Participate in a sport, go to an exhibition, hear a lecture on something totally out of your experience. You get 80 percent of the right lingo and insider questions from just one exposure. If you take a piece of blue litmus paper and dip it in a huge vat of acid, the tip turns pink. If you take another blue litm us paper and dip it into just one minuscule drop of acid on a glass slide, the tip turns just as pink. Compare this to participating in an activity just one time. A sampling gives you 80 percent of the conversa- tional value. You learn the insider’s questions to ask. You start using the right terms. You’ll never be at a loss again when the subject of extracurricular interests comes up—which it always does. Technique #39 Learn a Little Jobbledygook ( dude u gotta show interest in their lyf interest abt things which they lyk) Big winners speak Jobbledygook as a second language. What is Jobbledygook? It’s the language of other professions. Why speak it? It makes you sound like an insider. How do you learn it? You’ll ? d no Jobbledygook cassettes in the language section of your bookstore, but the lingo is easy to pick up. Simply ask a friend who speaks the lingo of the crowd you’ll be with to teach you a few opening questions. The words are few and the rewards are manifold. Technique #40 Baring Their Hot Button (PEOPLE k characters and status ko d ekhkar achay saawal pucho wid’out TENSION) Before jumping blindly into a bevy of bookbinders or a drove of dentists, ? nd out what the hot issues are in their ? elds. Every industry has burning concerns the outside world knows little about. Ask your informant to bare the industry buzz. Then, to heat the conversation up, push those buttons. Technique #41 Read Their Rags ( uska man pasand hobby dekho†¦ uskay bare may jaankar eekata karoo) Is your next big client a golfer, runner, swimmer, surfer, or skier? Are you attending a social function ? lled with accountants or Zen Buddhists—or anything in between? There are untold thousands of monthly magazines serving every imaginable interest. You can dish up more information than you’ll ever need to sound like an insider with anyone just by reading the rags that serve their racket. (Have you read your latest copy of Zoonooz yet? ) Technique #42 Clear â€Å"Customs† Before putting one toe on foreign soil, get a book on dos and taboos around the world. Before you shake hands, give a gift, make gestures, or even compliment anyone’s possessions, check it out. Your gaffe could gum up your entire gig. Technique #43 Bluffing for Bargains ( dude u wanna know the thing ,whaz it ? then buy it) PUCHtaach karo The haggling skills used in ancient Arab markets are alive and well in contemporary America for big-ticket items. Your price is much lower when you know how to deal. Before every big purchase, ? nd several vendors—a few to learn from and one to buy from. Armed with a ew words of industryese, you’re ready to head for the store where you’re going to buy. Technique #44 Be a Copyclass Watch people. Look at the way they move. Small movements? Big movements? Fast? Slow? Jerky? Fluid? Old? Young? Classy? Trashy? Pretend the person you are talking to is your danc instructor. Is he a jazzy mover? Is she a balletic mover? Watch his or her body, and then imitate the style of movement. That makes your conversation partner subliminally real comfy with you. Technique #45 Echoing Echoing is a simple linguistic technique that packs a powerful wallop. Listen to the speaker’s arbitrary choice f nouns, verbs, prepositions, adjectives—and echo them back. Hearing their words come out of your mouth creates subliminal rapport. It makes them feel you share their values, their attitudes, their interests, their experiences. Technique #46 Potent Imaging Does your customer have a garden? Talk about â€Å"sowing the seeds for success. † Does your boss own a boat? Tell him or her about a concept that will â€Å"hold water† or â€Å"stay a? oat. † Maybe he is a private pilot? Talk about a concept really â€Å"taking off. † She plays tennis? Tell her it really hits the â€Å"sweet spot. † Evoke your listener’s interests or lifestyle and weave images around it. To give your points more power and punch, use analogies from your listener’s world, not your own. Potent Imaging also tells your listeners you think like them and hints you share their interests. Technique #47 Employ Empathizers Don’t be an unconscious ummer. Vocalize complete sentences to show your understanding. Dust your dialogue with phrases like â€Å"I see what you mean. † Sprinkle it with sentimental sparklers like â€Å"That’s a lovely thing to say. † Your empathy impresses your listeners and encourages them to continue. Technique #48 Anatomically Correct Empathizers What part of their anatomy are your associates talking through? Their eyes? Their ears? Their gut? For visual people, use visual empathizers to make them think you see the world the way they do. For auditory folks, use auditory empathizers to make them think you hear them loud and clear. For kinesthetic types, use kinesthetic empathizers to make them think you feel the same way they do. #49 How to Make ’Em Think We (Instead of You vs. Me ) 1. Level One: Cliches Two strangers talking together primarily toss cliches back and forth. For instance, when chatting about the universally agreed- upon world’s dullest subject—the weather—one stranger might say to the other, â€Å"Beautiful sunny weather we’ve been having. Or, â€Å"Boy, some rain, huh? † That’s level one, cliches. 2. Level Two: Facts People who know each other but are just acquaintances often dis- cuss facts. â€Å"You know, Joe, we’ve had twice as many sunny days this year to date as last. † Or, â€Å"Yeah, well, we ? nally decided to pu t in a swimming pool to beat the heat. † 3. Level Three: Feelings and Personal Questions When people become friends, they often express their feelings to each other, even on subjects as dull as the weather. â€Å"George, I just love these sunny days. † They also ask each other personal ques- tions: â€Å"How about you, Betty? Are you a sun person? † 4. Level Four: We Statements Now we progress to the highest level of intimacy. This level is richer than facts and creates more rapport than feelings. It’s we and us statements. Friends discussing the weather might say, â€Å"If we keep having this good weather, it’ll be a great summer. † Lovers might say, â€Å"I hope this good weather keeps up for us so we can go swimming on our trip. † A technique to achieve the ultimate verbal intimacy grows out of this phenomenon. Simply use the word we prematurely. You can use it to make a client, a prospect, a stranger feel you are already friends. Use it to make a potential romantic partner feel the two of you are already an item. I call it the â€Å"Premature We. † In casual conversation, simply cut through levels one and two. Jump straight to three and four. Chemistry, charisma, and con? dence are three characteristics shared by big winners in all walks of life. Part One helped us make a dynamic, con? dent, and charismatic ? rst impression with body language. In Part Two, we put smooth small-talk lyrics to our body ballet. Then in Part Three, we seized hints from the big boys and big girls so we’re contenders for life’s big league. Part Four rescued us from being tongue-tied with folks with whom we have very lit- tle in common. And in Part Five, we learned techniques to create instant chemistry, instant intimacy, instant rapport. Mind boggling, isn’t it? Sociologists’ research shows: 1) a com- pliment from a new person is more potent than from someone you already know, 2) your compliment has more credibility when given to an unattractive person or an attractive person whose face you’ve never seen, 3) you are taken more seriously if you preface your comments by some self-effacing remark—but only if your listener perceives you as higher on the totem pole. If you’re lower, yourself-effacing remark reduces your credibility. Complicated, this complimenting stuff. Technique #51 Grapevine Glory A compliment one hears is never as exciting as the one he overhears. A priceless way to praise is not by telephone, not by telegraph, but by tell-a-friend. This way you escape possible suspicion that you are an apple-polishing, bootlicking, egg-sucking, back- scratching sycophant trying to win brownie points. You also leave recipients with the happy fantasy that you are telling the whole world about their greatness. Technique #52 Carrier Pigeon Kudos People immediately grow a beak and metamorphosize themselves into carrier pigeons when there’s bad news. It’s called gossip. ) Instead, become a carrier of good news and kudos. Whenever you hear something complimentary about someone, ? y to them with the compliment. Your fans may not posthumously stuff you and put you on display in a museum like Stumpy Joe. But everyone loves the carrier pigeon of kind thoughts. Carry More Cargo than Compliments Another wa y to warm hearts and win friends is to become a car- rier pigeon of news items that might interest the recipient. Call, mail, or E-mail people with information they might ? nd interesting. Technique #53 Implied Magnificence Throw a few comments into your conversation that resuppose something positive about the person you’re talking with. But be careful. Don’t blow it like the well- intentioned maintenance man. Or the southern boy who, at the prom, thought he was ? attering his date when he told her, â€Å"Gosh, Mary Lou, for a fat gal you dance real good. † Technique #54 Accidental Adulation Become an undercover complimenter. Stealthily sneak praise into the parenthetical part of your sentence. Just don’t try to quiz anyone later on your main point. The joyful jolt of your accidental adulation strikes them temporarily deaf to anything that follows. Technique #55 Killer Compliment Whenever you are talking with a stranger you’d like to make part of your professional or personal future, search for one attractive, speci? c, and unique quality he or she has. At the end of the conversation, look the individual right in the eye. Say his or her name and proceed to curl all ten toes with the Killer Compliment. Rule #1: Deliver your Killer Compliment to the recipi- ent in private. If you are standing with a group of four or ? ve people and you praise one woman for being ? t, every other woman feels like a barrel of lard. If you tell one man he has wonderful carriage, every other feels like a hunchback. You also make the blushing recipient uncomfortable. Rule #2: Make your Killer Compliment credible. For example, I’m tone-deaf. If I’m forced to sing even a simple song like â€Å"Happy Birthday,† I sound like a sick pig. If anyone in earshot were foolish enough to tell me they liked my voice, I’d know it was hogwash. Rule #3: Confer only one Killer Compliment per half year on each recipient . Otherwise you come across as insincere, groveling, obsequious, pandering, and a thoroughly manipulative person. Not cool. With careful aim, the Killer Compliment captures everyone. It works best, however, when you use it judiciously on new cquaintances. If you want to praise friends every day, employ the next technique. Technique #56 Little Strokes Don’t make your colleagues, your friends, your loved ones look at you and silently say, â€Å"Haven’t I been pretty good today? † Let them know how much you appreciate them by caressing them with verbal Little Strokes like â€Å"Nice job! † â€Å"Well done! † â€Å"Cool! † Technique #57 The Knee-Jerk â€Å"Wow! † Quick as a blink, you must praise people the moment they a ? nish a feat. In a wink, like a knee-jerk reaction say, â€Å"You were terri? c! † Don’t worry that they won’t believe you. The euphoria of the moment has a strangely numbing effect n the achiever’s objective judgment. Technique #58 Boomeranging Just as a boomerang ? ies right back to the thrower, let compliments boomerang right back to the giver. Like the French, quickly murmur something that expresses â€Å"That’s very kind of you. † Technique #59 The Tombstone Game Ask the important people in your life what they would like engraved on their tombstone. Chisel it into your memory but don’t mention it again. Then, when the moment is right to say â€Å"I appreciate you† or â€Å"I love you,† ? ll the blanks with the very wor ds they gave you weeks earlier. You take people’s breath away when you feed their eepest self-image to them in a compliment. â€Å"At last,† they say to themselves, â€Å"someone who loves me for who I truly am. † Technique #60 Talking Gestures Think of yourself as the star of a personal radio drama every time you pick up the phone. If you want to come across as engaging as you are, you must turn your smiles into sound, your nods into noise, and all your gestures into something your listener can hear. You must replace your gestures with talk. Then punch up the whole act 30 percent! Technique #61 Name Shower People perk up when they hear their own name. Use it more often on the phone than you would in person to eep their attention. Your caller’s name re-creates the eye contact, the caress, you might give in person. Saying someone’s name repeatedly when face-to-face sounds pandering. But because there is physical distance between you on the phoneâ₠¬â€sometimes you’re a conti- nent apart—you can spray your conversation with it. Technique #62 â€Å"Oh Wow, It’s You! † Don’t answer the phone with an â€Å"I’m just sooo happy all the time† attitude. Answer warmly, crisply, and professionally. Then, after you hear who is calling, let a huge smile of happiness engulf your entire face and spill over into your voice. You make your caller feel as hough your giant warm fuzzy smile is reserved for him or her. Technique #63 The Sneaky Screen If you must screen your calls, instruct your staff to ? rst say cheerfully, â€Å"Oh yes, I’ll put you right through. May I tell her who’s calling? † If the party has already identi? ed himself, it’s â€Å"Oh of course, Mr. Whoozit. I’ll put you right through. † When the secretary comes back with the bad news that Mr. or Ms. Bigwig is unavailable, callers don’t take it personally and never feel screened . They fall for it every time, just like I did. Technique #64 Salute the Spouse Whenever you are calling someone’s home, always identify nd greet the person who answers. Whenever you call someone’s of? ce more than once or twice, make friends with the secretary. Anybody who is close enough to answer the phone is close enough to sway the VIP’s opinion of you. Technique #65 What Color Is Your Time? No matter how urgent you think your call, always begin by asking the person about timing. Either use the What Color Is Your Time? device or simply ask, â€Å"Is this a convenient time for you to talk? † When you ask about timing ? rst, you’ll never smash your footprints right in the middle of your telephone partner’s sands of time. You’ll never get a â€Å"No! just because your timing wasn’t right. How to Impress Everyone with Your Outgoing Voicemail Message And here’s the secret: to give the impression you are really on top of your business, change your message every day. Studies show that callers perceive people to be brighter and more ef? cient when they hear an updated message each time they call. If appropriate, let callers know where you are and when you intend to be back. If you have customers who need to be attended to, this is crucial. Technique #66 Constantly Changing Outgoing Message If you want to be perceived as conscientious and eliable, leave a short, professional, and friendly greeting as your outgoing message. No music. No jokes. No inspirational messages. No boasts, bells, or whistles. And here’s the secret: change it every day. Your message doesn’t have to be ? awless. A little cough or stammer gives a lovely unpretentious reality to your message Technique #67 Your Ten-Second Audition ( just keep in suspense†¦. ) While dialing, clear your throat. If an answering machine picks up, pretend the beep is a big Broadway producer saying â€Å"Nexxxt. † Now you’ re on. This is Your Ten-Second Audition to prove you are worthy of a quick callback. Technique #68 The Ho-Hum Caper Instead of using your party’s name, casually let the pronoun he or she roll off your tongue. Forget â€Å"Uh, may I speak to Ms. Bigshot please? † Just announce, â€Å"Hi, Bob Smith here, is she in? † Tossing the familiar she off your tongue signals to the secretary that you and her boss are old buddies. Technique #69 â€Å"I Hear Your Other Line†(I can hear U other lyn†¦kuch kaam hai apko ussay..? When you hear a phone in the background, stop speaking—in midsentence, if necessary—and say â€Å"I hear your other line,† (or your dog barking, your baby crying, your spouse calling you). Ask whether she has o attend to it. Whether she does or not, she’ll know you’re a top communicator for asking. Technique #70 Instant Replay Record all your business conversations and listen to them again. The second or third time, you pick up on signi? cant subtleties you missed the ? rst time. It’s like football fans who often don’t know if there was a fumble until they see it all over again in Instant Replay. Use the Six-Point Party Checklist—the Who? When? Why? Where? What? and How? of a party—as your general game plan. Now let’s get down to speci? cs. Technique #71 Munching or Mingling Politicians want to be eyeball to eyeball and belly to elly with their constituents. Like any big winner well versed in the science of proxemics and spatial relationships, they know any object except their belt buckle has the effect of a brick wall between two people. Therefore they never hold food or drink at a party. Come to munch or come to mingle. But do not expect to do both. Like a good politician, chow down before you come. Technique #72 Rubberneck the Room When you arrive at the gathering, stop dramatically in the doorway. Then s-l-o-w-l-y survey the situation. Let your eyes travel back and forth like a SWAT team ready in a heartbeat to wipe out anything th at moves. Technique #73 Be the Chooser, Not the Choosee( baagha key tarah khaday mat raho.. jo bakra pasaand aaya usko manaao) The lifelong friend, the love of your life, or the business contact who will transform your future may not be at the party. However, someday, somewhere, he or she will be. Make every party a rehearsal for the big event. Do not stand around waiting for the moment when that special person approaches you. You make it happen by exploring every face in the room. No more â€Å"ships passing in the night. † Capture whatever or whomever you want in your life. Technique #75 Tracking Like an air-traf? controller, track the tiniest details of your conversation partners’ lives. Refer to them in your conversation like a major news story. It creates a power- ful sense of intimacy. When you invoke the last major or minor event in anyone’s life, it con? rms the deep conviction that he or she is an old-style hero around whom the world revolves. And people love you for recognizing their stardom. Technique #76 The Business Card Dossier Right after you’ve talked to someone at a party, take out your pen. On the back of his or her business card write notes to remind you of the conversation: his favorite restaurant, sport, movie, or drink; whom she dmires, where she grew up, a high school honor; or maybe a joke he told. In your next communication, toss off a reference to the favorite restaurant, sport, movie, drink, hometown, high school honor. Or reprieve the laugh over the great joke. Like a sales pro, ask yourself, â€Å"How can I change the subject to turn this person on? † Technique #77 Eyeball Selling The human body is a twenty-four-hour broadcasting station that transmits â€Å"You thrill me. † â€Å"You bore me. † â€Å"I love that aspect of your product. † â€Å"That one puts my feet to sleep. † Set the hidden cameras behind your eyeballs to pick up on all your customers’ and friends’ signals. Then plan your pitch and your pace accordingly. Technique #78 See No Bloopers, Hear No Bloopers Cool communicators allow their friends, associates, acquaintances, and loved ones the pleasurable myth of being above commonplace bloopers and embarrassing biological functions. They simply don’t notice their comrades’ minor spills, slips, fumbles, and faux pas. They obviously ignore raspberries and all other signs of human frailty in their fellow mortals. Big winners never gape at another’s gaffes. Technique #79 Lend a Helping Tongue Whenever someone’s story is aborted, let the interrup- tion play itself out. Give everyone time to dote on the little darling, give their dinner order, or pick up the jagged pieces of china. Then, when the group reassembles, simply say to the person who suffered story-interruptus, â€Å"Now please get back to your story. † Or better yet, remember where they were and then ask, â€Å"So what happened after the . . . † (and ? ll in the last few words). When asking someone for a favor, let them know how mu t means to you. You come across as a straight shooter, and the joy of helping you out is often reward enough. Don’t deny them th leasure! Technique #80 Bare the Buried WIIFM (and WIIFY) Whenever you suggest a meeting or ask a favor, divulge the respective bene? ts. Reveal what’s in it for you and what’s in it for the other person—even if it’s zip. If any hidden agenda comes up later, you get labeled a sly fox. Technique #81 Let ’Em Savor the Favor Whenever a friend agrees to a favor, allow your generous buddy time to relish the joy of his or her bene? cence before you make them pay the piper. How long? At least twenty-four hours. Technique #82 Tit for (Wait . . . Wait) Tat When you do someone a favor and it’s obvious that â€Å"he owes you one,† wait a suitable amount of time before asking him to â€Å"pay. Let him enjoy the fact (or ? ction) that you did it out of friendship. Don’t call in your tit for their tat too swiftly(fastly). Technique #83 Parties Are for Pratter There are three sacred safe havens in the human jungle where even the toughest tiger knows he must not attack. The ? rst of these is parties. Parties are for pleasantries and good fellowship, not for confrontations. Big players, even when standing next to their enemies at the buffet table, smile and nod. They leave tough talk for tougher settings. Technique #84 Dinner’s for Dining The most guarded safe haven respected by big winners is the dining table. Breaking bread together is a time when they bring up no unpleasant matters. While eating, they know it’s OK to brainstorm and discuss the positive side of the business: their dreams, their desires, their designs. They can free associate and come up with new ideas. But no tough business. Technique #85 Chance Encounters Are for Chitchat If you’re selling, negotiating, or in any sensitive communication with someone, do NOT capitalize on a chance meeting. Keep the melody of your mistaken meeting sweet and light. Otherwise, it could turn into your swan song with Big Winner. Technique #86 Empty Their Tanks If you need information, let people have their entire say ?rst. Wait patiently until their needle is on empty and the last drop drips out and splashes on the cement. It’s the only way to be sure their tank is empty enough of their own inner noise to start receiving your ideas. Technique #87 Echo the Emo Facts speak. Emotions shout. Whenever you need facts from people about an emotional situation, let them emote. Hear their facts but empathize like mad with their emotions. Smearing on the emo is often the only way to calm their emotional storm. Technique #88 My Goof, Your Gain Whenever you make a boner, make sure your victim ene? ts. It’s not enough to correct your mistake. Ask yourself, â€Å"What could I do for this suffering soul so he or she will be delighted I made the ? ub? † Then do it, fast! In that way, your goof will become your gain. Technique #89 Leave an Escape Hatch Whenever you catch someone lying, ? lching, exagger- ating, distorting, or deceiving, don’t confront the dirty duck directly. Unless it is your responsibility to catch or correct the culprit—or unless you are saving other innocent victims by doing so—let the transgressor out of your trap with his tricky puss in one piece. Then resolve never to gaze upon it again. Technique #90 Buttercups for Their Boss ( makhhan maarkay) Do you have a store clerk, accountant, law ? rm junior partner, tailor, auto mechanic, maitre d’, massage therapist, kid’s teacher—or any other worker you want special attention from in the future? The sure? re way to make them care enough to give you their very best is send a buttercup to their boss. Technique #91 Lead the Listeners No matter how prominent the big cat behind the podium is, crouched inside is a little scaredy-cat who is anxious about the crowd’s acceptance. Big winners recognize you’re a fellow big winner when they see you leading their listeners in a positive eaction. Be the ? rst to applaud or publicly commend the man or woman you agree with (or want favors from). Big winners—before putting pen to paper, ? ngers to key- board, mouth to phone, or hand to someone else’s to shake it— do a quick calculation. They ask themselves â€Å"Who has the most to bene? t from th is relationship? What has each of us done recently that demands deference from the other? † And what can I do to even the score? Remember, repeating an action makes a habit. Your habits create your character. And your character is your destiny. May success be your destiny. Cheer UP bro†¦. 😀 ***************

Change Management and Leadership in Dell company Essay

Change Management and Leadership in Dell company - Essay Example Change Management and Leadership in Dell company Because of various issues, these business entities do not accept the change of management, and involves themselves in different actions that are not in favor of the organization thus, resists change. The consequences of this resistance in change is poor performance of the firm in terms of manufacturing, production and distribution and this is the reason that change management has become very essential for the firms. The operations of organizations are effectively looked-after by change management including logistics, purchases, and controlling (Scheer, et al., 2003). The organization change is not only dependent on the resources and technology of the organization, but it depends on setting mindset of the employees positively towards the organization and creating an organization culture where flexible environment is made for all employees so that the maximum output can be extracted from them (Scheer, et al., 2003). Therefore, a responsible leadership should be able to implement change s in the organization and should motivate the employees for giving their maximum energy for their organization not only for increasing the revenue, but taking competitive edge over the rivals. Dell’s Change Management: Michael Dell founded Dell in 1984 on the basis that the company will sell their computers directly to the end user. The aim of the company was to understand the needs and requirements of users and providing operating systems that will meet the needs of those users. The company is the one of the largest and most well renowned companies around the world for selling reliable IT related product. The mission of Dell is to become the most successful computer firm of the world by providing the best customer services to clients. The company has more than 40000 employees and it maintains a large corporate culture as different team members belonging to different regions works together for Dell (Hill & Gareth, 2009). The company aims for change management because of maint aining consistent growth and become the market leader in mobile computing industry. Different brands of Dell plays an important role in making the company market leader because Dell acquires products of other strong brand and then making these products merge into a large company. After acquiring these brands, Dell improves overall operations of the brand, gives comprehensive training to its employees, and introduces new technology in their systems, which help the company to introduce these brands as reliable dell products. The acquisitions of these brands results in economies of scales, which makes the distribution network of Dell stronger, and the company is able to cater many regions with the help of these brands (Hill & Gareth, 2009). The vision of Dell for making change management is to increase its business growth consistently and increasing the revenue of the company at the same time. In order to achieve this change management successfully, the company focuses on the following four elements: (i) The company focuses on taking the market share of the mobile computing industry by making efforts to improve the production of their products. (ii) Change management helps the company to improve its overall efficiency and decrease the cost of production. (iii) Dells aim to enter in new market where there is a chance of expanding and company can become the market leader in these regions. (iv) The company creates the value of shareholder by

Shelly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Shelly - Essay Example This story can be seen as an allegory about the theme nature versus nurture. It shows that even monsters are capable of love and even a harmless creature can be turned into a monster, given the treatment that he or she receives from his or her creator or the people around him or her. To give more clarity to the theme, nature versus nurture, in Frankenstein, Shelly has used a set of verbal imagery including the images of fire, light, gloomy weather, remote settings, violence and finally death. The way in which the narrator in the story get cast away from mythical stories, which are very close to nature and get drawn towards science which was in some way opposite to nature, is by watching a lightning burning down a tree to ashes (Shelly, 56-58). Here, the light and fire is metaphoric of the transformation of the author from being a person fascinated by nature into someone who has the confidence to command nature, who believes in nurture rather than nature. And when Frankenstein narrate s his own inner story to his creator, the imagery of fire is repeated and the reader hears the monster wondering about the nature of fire in the following words: I found a fire†¦and was overcome with delight at the warmth I experienced from it. In my joy, I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain. How strange, I thought, that the same cause should produce such opposite effects (Shelley, 218). This is a profound depiction of the basic contradiction involved within the evil-good duo, which can also be interpreted as a reflection of nature- nurture duality as well. Because in nature there is no evil or good as such and they exist only within a frame created by human beings. So it can be argued that evil is an after-effect of nurture. And the fire teaches that simple lesson to the monster who is just like a new born baby unaware of good and evil, and who is just learning to tread the earth and the landscape of humanity. Throughout the s tory, people are seen seeking refuge around a wood fire to talk, to understand the contradictions of life better (Shelley, 257). Similarly, there is also mention of the â€Å"feverish fire† glimmering in the eyes of Frankenstein even when his health is failing him (Shelley, 254). Here, fire is the life force, the passion that keeps one alive. Fire is the boundary between life and death, between nature and nurture. In the same way, light is used as an imagery that represents knowledge- the point at which humans depart from nature and enters the realm of nurture. This is why Frankenstein is seen observing that â€Å"I began also to observe, with greater accuracy, the forms that surrounded me, and to perceive the boundaries of the radiant roof of light which canopied me† (Shelly, 217). Again the reference to knowledge is made when narrator says, â€Å"as exemplified in the change from life to death, and death to life, until from the midst of this darkness a sudden light broke in upon me† (Shelly, 84). This was the moment of knowing the secret of life. This was the point of transition from simply living the nature to nurturing life. But the same light becomes â€Å"oppressive† for Frankenstein because it is the growing existential knowledge that becomes an unbearable curse for him (Shelly, 214). And this is why, towards the

Transformational Leadership Atta ur Rehman Essay

Transformational Leadership Atta ur Rehman - Essay Example Even though knowledge is inadequate on what types of leaders are needed, there are a number of assumptions about leadership. Foe example, in an organization there is an assumption that leaders of organizational change should be both leaders and managers. Another assumption about leaders who change their organizations is that only administrators will be leaders. However this assumption that change comes only from individuals in top positions ignores the invisible leadership of lower-level staff members (Murphy, 1988). Vast studies of organizational leadership have been focused on leaders in administrative positions. These leaders begin with having a vision, develop a shared vision with their co-workers and value the organization's personnel. Leaders who change their organizations are proactive and take risks. They recognize shifts in the interests or desires of their clientele, anticipate the need to change and challenge the status quo. Transformational leadership has been found to be a significant factor in facilitating, improving and promoting the organizational progress of employees. Nevertheless, the data on leaders of organizational change and the emerging information on transformational leadership indicate that the characteristics of these individuals mirror those of leaders who have changed other organizations. Leaders of organizational change have vision; foster a shared vision, and value human resources. They are proactive and take risks. Vision to Change Organization Every type of leadership requires a vision. A vision is actually a force that provides meaning and purpose to the work of an organization. Leaders of change are visionary leaders, and vision is the basis of their work. To actively change an organization, leaders must make decisions about the nature of the desired state (Manasse, 1986). They begin with a personal vision to forge a shared vision with their co-workers. Their communication of the vision is such that it empowers the authority to people to act. According to Westley and Mintzberg (1989) visionary transformational leaders are dynamic and apply the following three stage process to create useful changes in their organizations. (a). They create an image of the desired future of the organization. (b). Communicate the vision to serve all. (c). Transformational leaders empower the followers so that they can enact the vision. For organizational leaders who implement changes in their organizations, vision is a hunger to see development (Pejza, 1985) as well as the force which forms meaning (Manasse, 1986). Leaders of organizational change have approach to display a clear picture of what they want to accomplish. Further they have the ability to visualize one's goals (Mazzarella & Grundy, 1989). In their vision, they present purpose, implication, and significance to the work of the organization and empower the staff to contribute to the realization of the vision. The American Association of School Administrators' (1986) description of leadership includes the leader's ability to translate a vision into reality as well as the skill to coherent the vision to others. According to Manasse (1986),

Interior Design Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interior Design - Research Proposal Example Introduction Environment Design is basically a learning milieu where design graduates are encouraged to use their innovative and inventive talent in the management and marketing of design in order to pursue their careers in the design industry. â€Å"Lighting is a science and an art†, assert Steffy (2002:1). There have been numerous developments in lighting design recently which make it an interesting topic of research. Professional lighting designers are required today since they are being offered various job opportunities in the lighting industry. There are a number of lighting design consultancies which are offering outstanding lighting schemes to its consumers and organizations like landmark hotels, restaurants, shopping spas, exhibitions, yachts, house gardens, etc. Steffy (2002:1) affirms that nearly $10 billion worth lighting hardware is sold in the United States every year. The research will focus on questions like: How rapid has the lighting design industry flourished during the last decade? Which areas of lighting design are more in demand? What particular kinds of designs are more in demand from consumers’ perspectives? What benefits has it offered to different international lighting design companies? Is the trend increasing, decreasing or is consistent? What are the hard and soft issues that arise in different lighting fields such as in interiors, exhibitions, theatre, and garden projects? What are the costs? How does lighting weigh on the companies’ budget? These issues have inspired me to conduct a research about lighting design in today’s design industry. Literature Review Sources. Some sources that are going to be helpful in the research are: Karlen, M, & Benya, J 2004, Lighting Design Basics, illustrated edn., John Wiley and sons, USA. (This book is helpful in understanding the basic science that is involved in lighting design. It is a good study guide for beginners helping them understand through concise and visual lesson format.) Tregenza, P, & Loe, D, The Design of Lighting, illustrated edn., Taylor & Francis, USA. (This book has been written for practicing designers and thus will be a helpful guide in understand what issues practicing lighting designer face. Technicalities regarding lighting and color theories and other concepts have been discussed in detail.) Past Research Papers. Some past research that will be helpful is: Dorsey, J, Arvo, J, & Greenberg, D 1995, ‘Interactive design of complex time dependent lighting’, Computer Graphics and Applications, vol. 15, no, 2, pp. 26-36. (Researchers conducted a research about lighting design in theatrical productions. They have discussed some specific techniques that help in lighting regardless of complexities of scene and design. This research will prove helpful in understanding lighting concepts in theatres.) Shacked, R, & Lischinski, D 2002, ‘Automatic lighting design using a perceptual quality metric’, Computer Gra phics Forum, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 215-227. (This presents a new approach for the rendering of 3D objects. This approach serves as an effective lighting design tool. This research will prove to be helpful in understanding lighting design tools and their working.) Methodology I plan to visit different lighting design companies to locate answers to my research questions. I plan to conduct structured personal

Waste Management in LA County Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Waste Management in LA County - Essay Example In addition to the Integrated Waste Management Board, the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD) also undertakes significant tasks of waste management. The Sanitation Districts was established in 1923 with the County Sanitation Districts Act. It consists of 25 independent special districts which fulfill the waste management needs of around 5.1 million people in Los Angeles. It constructs, operates and maintains facilities to collect treat and disposes of sewage and industrial water (Green D., 2007 p.93). The major portion of landfills and waste water treatment plants in Los Angeles are operated by the Sanitation Districts. The LA County’s Integrated Waste Management Plan and Hazardous Waste management Plan are prepared and administered by the Department of Public Works (DPW). It also advises Los Angeles County’s Board of Supervisors on all issues on waste management. The major goal of this board is to reduce the solid waste through recycling, the composting, an d source reduction. It would also respond to any sort of complaints about the discharge of toxic waste that would harm the environment, soil, water, or wildlife. The CIWMB has initiated a ‘Zero Waste’ master plan of twenty year recycle program called Solid Waste Integrated Resource Plan (SWIRP). The program includes various tasks such as conversion, source reduction, recycling, renewable energy, and maximum material recovery in order to achieve the goal by 2030.

Effects of Modern-Day Fascination with Celebrities Essay

Effects of Modern-Day Fascination with Celebrities - Essay Example To be more precise, celebrities make the society to throw away the cultural makeup. Hence, the community members put on a fake image that does not depict their own characters. Technology is the primary cause of these entire obsessions with celebrities. Teens glue themselves to the television; watching programs that makes them more interested in the lives of celebrities more than their own. Smartphones, on the other hand, provide updates about celebrities’ gossips every hour. Just to remember, the past week, everyone talk was all about the revealed story of Solange, Beyonce’s sister attacking Jay-Z while in an elevator (Sarah, 2014). Thus, the society read about it in the magazine, searched it on the internet, or heard it from friends. Most people obsession with celebrities can lead to cultural paradigm alterations. To some extent, the adjustments are real. A good example is of Michael Sam, the footballer who came out building the confidence of most of the young gay athl etes. He advanced the advocacy for gay marriages and promoted free to talk about their sexuality. On its negative side, the culture of celebrities and fascination with status and wealth make the average and poor people feel unworthy of the world. As a result, the mind of the young people growing up to find a place in the world is corrupted with no option but to become rich even through violence. In fact, some researchers claimed the existence of a growing disorder known as â€Å"Celebrity Worship Syndrome.† The disease is however not inclusive of personality disorder (Inglis, 2010).

Blog Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Blog - Article Example The company understood that the S5, which is packed with health and fitness features like pedometer, built-in heart rate monitor, and fitness tracker would trigger even more interest in its Gear Fit. That is why the Gear Fit was hyped and aggressively marketed prior to its launch that came soon after the launch of the S5. The essence was to portray the Gear Fit as a companion to the S5 that was not a luxury but a valued-adding gadget. So, essentially, Samsung used the popularity and reach of its smartphones to sell the Gear Fit. Secondly, Samsung adopted a health and fitness theme with the launch of the S5 and the Gear Fit that would surely resonate with most people who are conscious of health and fitness. By doing this, the company made sure that by the time the gadget came the target market had already got wind of its availability and developed interest in it. This shows a good application of market/consumer segmentation techniques, because unless you want to stay healthy and fit there is really no need to buy the gadget. Samsung knew who it wanted to rope in, and it went for the jugular. Personally, I know about the Gear Fit before its launch and even though I am not a fan of Samsung gadgets I developed interest in it (to the point of contemplating buying one) simply because I am very conscious about my health and

The sing glass, the singing art Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The sing glass, the singing art - Article Example It is also obvious from first glance that those sculptures do not seem to belong there on the car. There are almost no colors used in this artwork. The glass used is clear and the car is in dull white. There is, however, some appearance of fragility in the overall art installation. The glass sculptures are sparingly placed all over the car. The curves of the sculptures are very striking, and they are even more emphasized by the soft white light that illuminates it. They are cell-like abstracts in form. The dimmed surroundings gives off a hint of bluish effect on the light illumination on the glass sculptures. This effect gives off a serene mood, which is, at first, both amusing and perplexing at the same time. The rust on various places on the car is also emphasized by the car’s dull white color. Interestingly, even without immediately realizing the message of the artwork, one can immediately sense that the car is somewhat giving way to the glass sculptures. One would later on realize that the oldness of the car and the newness of the glass sculptures are part of the overall message of the artwork. Upon closer and longer inspection and reflection, it becomes apparent that Aoki is trying to depict bacterial growth on the car. The glass sculptures represent spores of fungi that seem to overtake the car. By this time, it is understood that the oldness of the car seems to say that old things give way to news growths. It could have a different meaning altogether, or it could be taken at face value --- where old things or surfaces become ideal places for fungi growth. By this time, too, it is understood that the light seems to say that these things (microorganisms) are usually unseen and ignored, and one needs to cast light over them to make them go noticed. Aoki might also be trying to say that bacteria are everywhere, but they are always unseen. This is just like the characteristic of the glass used. Glass is usually unnoticed, unless

Write A Detailed Comparison Essay Example for Free

Write A Detailed Comparison Essay The class has been studying different types of newspapers-Tabloids and Broadsheets. The tabloid The Sun and the broadsheet is The Times. Stereotypically a tabloid is more informal, more pictures, humorous and has obvious bias. Its target audience is less educated and more gossip. A broadsheet newspaper on the other hand is targeted at more sophisticated and smarter and has more information, fewer pictures, more analysis, more in depth politics and is serious. The newspaper story we worked on was about an Arab who planned to plant a bomb in his pregnant girlfriend holdall and when the aeroplane was airborne it was going to explode. Luckily the security found the bomb and dis-armed it. He said he couldnt go on the El Al flight because he was an Arab, so he was going to meet her at where they were planning to get married in Tel Aviv. They say it would have killed all 400 passengers and crew and send his girlfriend and the baby to certain death. While both have the same story there are some similarities and difference. The similarities include the same basic facts, same picture (but different size) and the layout is also the same. The differences are the size of the writing is smaller; the overall size in the broadsheet is larger and has more information in a smaller section. Where as the in the tabloids the writing is bigger and the overall size is smaller. Also the broadsheet has longer sentences. Another difference is the target audience is different for example tabloids are targeted at lees educated, younger and more humorous kind of people, whereas broadsheets are stereotypically for the more educated, political and more sophisticated and serious e. g. The Sun newspaper says Detectives said it would have destroyed the jumbo and slaughtered all 400 passengers and crew. Where as The Times says it would have resulted in the loss of 400 passengers and crew. This shows the style of writing like in the tabloid it exaggerated the point (e. g. words which are highlighted) and this has an effect on the readers because Slaughtered is a kind of dramatic and effective word. Whereas in the broadsheet it is more serious, more calm and is less exaggerated and not as dramatic as a tabloid. The visual appearance also has similarities and differences. The similarities are they both have mastheads (except in different style), headlines, sub-headlines and small adverts near the bottom. The differences are tabloids takes up more of the page on a main story, pictures are bigger, has puns (e. g. next to the mast head it said The Sam Frocks collection. This also makes it more humorous and makes more young males want to buy it). The sub-headline was also longer. Broadsheets have smaller pictures, more writing and the headline is shorter but meaningful (makes the reader want to read on and get interested) and has no puns. This might be because a more mature newspaper wouldnt put something humorous right next to a big serious story. The content of the story is the same only in the basic facts but otherwise different. Tabloids even show an obvious bias towards someone or something e. g. in The Sun they referred to the man as an Arab rat and this shows that he is cunning, clever and scheming and nearly got away with it. Also how they used emotive language e. g. Sobbing girl, this also had an effect because the audience would of felt sorry for her. This emotive language shows that the word Sobbing is more kind of slang and make the reader feel pity on her. The broadsheet didnt show obvious bias because mainly it is a more mature type of newspaper and because it is more mature it doesnt take sides and puts both sides of the argument. Also the order in which they refer to things is very different but there were some in the same position of the order. The first two paragraphs have the same kind of information and this might be because it is the main part of the story and the aims of the two newspapers was to get the reader interested and read on. But from there it is in different orders but has the same information in different places. This might be because the newspapers are aimed at different audiences. The styles of the two papers are very different. The broadsheets use a wider range of vocabulary and focuses on the facts and uses comments to add realism to the story. Where as the tabloid shows obvious bias towards the bad guy and makes everyone reading feel sympathetic towards the innocent people such as the girl was going to die for no reason all because of her boyfriend and it said she got duped. The writers referred to her as a Sobbing girl and this gives an image in the readers mind thinking that she is weak and sad and fragile, and needs looking after. The Sun doesnt focus a lot on the basic facts and focuses more on the people e. g. the way they use the emotive language to make people feel sympathetic towards the innocent people. It would have destroyed the jumbo and slaughtered all 400 passengers and crew. And hundreds could have been killed if the jet had plummeted into busy streets. The aim of this was to make the reader feel hatred towards the terrorist and feel sorry for the people who would have died for no reason. The Times just focuses mostly on the facts. She was on her way to Israel, where the Arab said he would marry her. This also a bit similar to The Suns quote because this is just focusing on the people e. g. this makes people feel sad for the girl because she was duped by her fianci. Although both stories are the same, the style they are written in is different. This is mainly because the newspapers are targeted at different audiences (tabloids are for the less educated, humorous and young. Broadsheets are for the more sophisticated and people who understand a wider range of vocabulary). In conclusion the main reason is that the target audience is different and as a result of that the way they are reported.

Theories of Kant for Company Ethics

Theories of Kant for Company Ethics Early growth in computer processing had little effect on jobs, But as year goes by artificial intelligent had evolve to a point where it is able to think like a human as more and more large amount of new skills were being captured. With these robots, automation or software it is possible to replace people who’s worked in manufacturing industry, service industry or even agriculture industry. Since the notable advancement in computing technology which moves from improved industrial robotics to automated translation service. Andrew McAfee believes that these transition had becoming the reasons behind the sluggish employment growth of the last 10 to 15 years as the rapid technological change has been destroying job faster than it is creating them. (Andrew McAfee, 2012) Therefore, a new argument had risen over the years among employer and employees whether should companies should be responsible for the unemployment caused by their information system. Hence several ethical point of view had been brought up to response to this issue where from ethical egoism point of view believes that companies should not responsible for unemployment as with the information system they are able to benefit from a long term profit therefore this is a morally right action. But Kantianism point of view will be discussed throughout this article to respond to this issue. Kantianism is a deontological ethical theory that concludes that the only good thing in the world that can be called good without qualification is a good will. (Michael J.Quinn, 2003) This bring us back to the issue where should companies be responsible for unemployment caused by their information system. From Kantianism perspective, companies should be responsible for unemployment as Kantianism theory had pointed out that when ones struggles between what ones’ want to do and what ones’ ought to do, what ones’ want to do is no longer important. Ones should only focus on what ones’ ought to do (Michael J.Quinn, 2003). Therefore, the discussion below will look into several categorical imperative formulation that were proposed by Kant to have an in depth view to determine whether companies should or should not be responsible for from Kantianism perspective. Categorical Imperative first formulation poses the basic conception of fairness and universalizability where there will be a consistent law that were tailored for everyone and not there cannot be one rule for me and another for everyone else. For examples, if a company starts to retrench employees that were caused by their information system and felt that it is ok for that company to retrench their employees by doing so companies will be denying and destroy the relationship between employees and employers where employees will lose trust in their employers as they might just get replaced anytime by Information System which leads them to lower productivity and the whole act of making them unemployed will be self-destructing. The desire for consistency will drives the first formulation where could companies retrench employee cause of their information system? Of course not, If every companies in the whole starts to implement information system and replacing their worker with it, it will cause an immense chaos to the world economy where 40% of low income manual labor will lose their jobs in United State and also shifting the bull’s eye onto the middle class workers where jobs like accountant might be replaced by software too. This would lead to severe loss of foundation income for their families where day to day expenses will be a huge problems for these families. (SHOULD ADD MORE IMPACT ONTO THE WHOLE SOCIETY LATER)Since if every company implements information system and causes unemployment, everyone would be unemployed which will disrupt the whole economy and lead the whole world to poverty all because of a personal interest. Therefore, it is wrong for a company to cause unemployment due to their implemented information system and company have to responsible for this issue that were caused by them solely for maximizing their profits. Categorical Imperative second formulation can be seen as the act in such a way that you always  treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a mean but always at the same time as an end. (Michael Rohlf, 2010). Therefore, portrait that rational agency is to be valued for its own sake â€Å"as an end† and that it is therefore illegitimate ever to treat a rational agent merely as a means to an end. Looking back to the case study provided, by implementing information system and causing unemployment, company had treated their employees as a mean to an end. The company sacrifices the job opportunity of their employees in order to achieve a lower cost for their product and higher productivity but at the cost of retrenching their workers. It was wrong for the company to retrench their employees as the company is treating their employees as a working machine rather than a rational agent with whom they could work with and try to collaborate machines with human instead of replacing all of the employees to solely automations. According to Kant there are two types of beings one being known as persons and other known as things.(H.J Paton, 1964) A person consist of infinite worth whereas things have a finite worth and can be bought or sold. In this case, company had treated their employees as a ‘things’ instead of a ‘person’ as company weighs them as a finite worth and retrench them in order to achieve company’s need which is to obtain a low cost production and being able to maximize shareholder’s wealth. Therefore, company is responsible for the unemployment cause by implementation of information system as according to categorical imperative second formulation, there should be moral exchanges between parties, as each parties treat each other not solely as an object of instrumental value alone but as objects of intrinsic value too. Thus, company should recognize their employees as au tonomous and rational human beings that are capable of willing freely and not upset or frustrate the freedom and autonomy of their employees by channeling forces or threats to retrench them just because their productivity is not on par as machines. Categorical Imperative third formulation stated that all maxims as proceeding from our own making of law ought to harmonize with a possible kingdom of end. In lay man’s term it means that in considering morality, we need to imagine ourselves making law in a Kingdom of people who are ends in themselves and should not act selfishly or be swayed by emotions which in our case company implementing information system in their organization. Whilst these automation could help in increasing the overall productivity, lowering down total product cost and also results in a higher earning does not mean that ones have to do it, instead company should integrate or implement partial machines that could help in increasing the overall productivity. In so doing, these company will make law for rational people where when we are torn between universal moral laws (retrenching employees without any proper reason will cause upsets to them which will demoralized them and ending their source of income) and particular desires produced in us (implementing machines to maximizes profit), you find a rational solutions to aid the problems (inter-cooperate human and machines together) which does achieve a particular desires and does falling towards either side. That said being able to look at several Kant’s point of view, we could conclude that Kant had several point of view where first formulation focuses on universalized rules where ones act only on that principle of action through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law where if rule is universalized, any companies that implemented information system will have to retrench their employees, employees loses their job and thus lowering the purchasing power which would results in more economy downturn. Therefore the rules is self-defeating and it company should be responsible for the unemployment caused by their information system. However, the second point of view focuses on looks into treating people as ends in themselves rather than means to ends. Therefore, company should not treat employees as a mean to end by retrenching them just because they had found a better substitute for them instead company should treat them as a rational people where coll aborating them into catching up with new skill sets to work on other fields. Lastly, Kant’s third formulation states that in everything ones do and every autonomous action ones makes, ones is required to picture himself/herself as a person writing the law for a new kingdom where everybody must treat everybody else as end in themselves which company have to find a rational principle of act to solve the issue between maximizing profit and unemployment where it will harmonize both parties. #Provide real world examples. References http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/515926/how-technology-is-destroying-jobs/ http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant/ http://hercules.gcsu.edu/~hedmonds/lecture%20notes/kant%20lecture%20notes.htm http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/50-economic-numbers-from-2011-that-are-almost-too-crazy-to-believe https://financesonline.com/blue-collar-blues-are-we-losing-our-blue-collar-workers/ http://www2.fiu.edu/~harrisk/Notes/Ethics/KANT.htm Biblography http://thepietythatliesbetween.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/kantian-ethics-part-3-second.html http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/06/this-is-the-way-blue-collar-america-ends/276554/ http://www.businessinsider.com.au/why-blue-collar-jobs-are-dissapearing-2012-1 http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2011/12/15/9461848-dismal-prospects-1-in-2-americans-are-now-poor-or-low-income http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/5i.htm http://thepietythatliesbetween.blogspot.com.au/search?q=kantian+ethics http://www.rsrevision.com/Alevel/ethics/revision/kant_aspects_of_theory.pdf

Emerging Threat of Invasive Fungal Infections

Emerging Threat of Invasive Fungal Infections Introduction Emerging threat of Invasive Fungal Infections Invasive fungal infection continues to be a major problem associated with high morbidity and mortality mainly to immunocompromised patients as well as to immunocomptent patients but to a much lower extent. (1) Invasive fungal infection and fungemia are caused by a variety of fungal pathogens. The most commonly isolated yeasts are Candida species (spp.) and Cryptococcus spp. Aspergillus species remains the most common mould however, Fusarium spp., Scedosporium spp., Penicillium spp. and Zygomycetes are increasingly isolated.(2) Patients mostly become colonized during hospitalization however, very few patients who become colonized develop sever infection. Nosocomial fungal infections can represent up to 15% of all nosocomial infections.(3) The spectrum of opportunistic invasive fungal infections has increased substantially owing to the rapidly growing population of immunocompromised patients.(4) Due to lack of specificity of symptoms diagnosis of fungal infections can be challenging.(3 ) Candida infections are mostly prevalent in critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs) and very low birth weight infants. Candidaemia is highly fatal with a reported mortality in the range from 36% to 63%.(5) In the recent years, mortality rates in ICU patients have decreased substantially probably due to earlier initiation of antifungal therapy.(6) Conversely, aspergillosis is the most common fungal infection in immunocompromised most specifically in haematological malignancy and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients. Incidence of aspergillosis has increased considerably but mortality has decreased owing to better diagnosis and treatment.(7) Treatment of Invasive Fungal Infections Treatment and prophylaxis of invasive fungal infections involves systemic antifungal therapy. Historically amphotericin B and Flucytosine have been the only available antifungals; these were followed by the development of the older triazole antifungals; fluconazole and itraconazole in the late 1980s. More recent advances have led to the release of amphotericin lipid formulas, newer broad spectrum triazoles (voriconazole, posaconazole) and the newest class of echinocandins.(8) Amphotericin B either as a deoxycholate or in lipid formulations has been the backbone of antifungal therapy for many years. The triazole antifungals have also emerged as front-line treatment and prophylaxis for many systemic fungal infections. Triazole antifungals used systemically include fluconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole and voriconazole. Fluconazole has a major role in prophylaxis and treatment of both invasive and superficial fungal infection. Voriconazole is the drug of choice in invasive aspergillosis of the lung. Posaconazole is used as a salvage therapy for invasive aspergillosis as well as a prophylaxis in HSCT and neutropenic patients.(9) Itraconazole is active against most fungi except for Zygomycetes.(10) Terbinafine which is widely used in skin infections is also effective against systemic candidiasis including vulvovaginal candidiasis although less effective than fluconazole and itraconazole.(11,12) Flucytosine is used in combination with amphotericin B for treat ment of severe systemic mycoses and has also in combination with other antifungals for treatment of colorectal carcinoma.(13) Echinocandins Introduced Despite the advantages in medical practice and introduction of newer agents, mortality due to fungal infections remained high with mortality due to Aspergillus approaching 100% in HSCT patients.(14,15) There has also been a change in epidemiology of fungal infections with non-albicans species reaching up to 50% with no significant change in mortality in spite of these newer agents in two studies conducted 15 years apart.(16,17) Echinocandins is a newer class of systemic antifungals introduced after almost 15 years of no new agents. They work by inhibiting ÃŽ ²-D glucan in fungal cell wall. Echinocandins have favourable kinetics which allows their once daily dosing. (18) The first echinocandin product to be licensed is caspofungin (FDA approved in 2001), that was followed by micafungin (FDA approved in 2005), and anidulafungin (FDA approved in 2006). (19)The discovery of the echinocandin antifungals has provided a new alternative for patients with equal if not higher efficacy relative to older agents and apparently lower toxicity.(20,21) Echinocandins are extensively used in the treatment of invasive fungal infections mainly invasive candidiasis in neutropenic and critically ill patients.(22)They are also approved as a salvage treatment for invasive aspergillosis.(23) The major advantage of the echinocandins members is their higher efficacy against many candida species including C. glabrata and C. krusei res istant to fluconazole added to their lower toxicity rates compared to older antifungals.(20,21,24) The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) recommends echinocandins as first line treatment of Candidaemia while caspofungin is offered as an alternative to voriconazole for treatment of invasive aspergillosis.(22,23) Echinocandins showed equal efficacy to triazole antifungals and even superior efficacy in subgroup analysis since it demonstrates superior efficacy for prophylaxis in patients with hematologic malignancies and undergoing HSCT.(25) Echinocandins Safety Treatment of fungal infections is challenging and riddled with adverse events. (26,27) Echinocandins showed no difference in drug related adverse events and all-cause mortality as compared to triazole antifungals where both groups have shown to be generally well tolerated, nevertheless, echinocandins has significantly decreased adverse event related mortality compared to triazole antifungals.(25) Echinocandins have revealed hepatic toxicity in clinical trials yet the incidence is considered low.(28) The most commonly reported toxicities associated with echinocandins in clinical trials are rash, phlebitis, and nausea. The renal profile of this class appears to be superior to that of older agents.(29,30) Serious adverse events reported with echinocandins in the context of clinical trials are very few with atrial fibrillation and seizures in two cases treated with anidulafungin and disseminated intravascular coagulation in another one treated with micafungin.(31,32) Unfortunately, till now there is insufficient data on the frequency of hepatic and renal toxicities in normal clinical settings although they have already been reported in context of clinical trials. Moreover, as these agents became more widely used outside clinical trials, new adverse reactions are surfacing. Anidulafungin has been reported to be associated with alopecia in a female patient after several months of treatment.(33) Anidulafungin has also been associated with life-threatening haemodynamic stability in another patient during administration.(34) Three cases has shown a considerable drop in their cardiac index or a worsening of the mean arterial pressure, one following caspofungin administration and the other two post anidulafungin administration.(35) Echinocandins has also been associated with a decrease in cardiac contractility in few case reports and in vitro studies which warrant further investigations.(36,37) Further studies seem to be mandatory to investigate this po tential risk. Limitations on Detecting Risk Pre-marketing studies are incapable of detecting rare events. In addition due to their short duration they are also unable to detect delayed toxicities. It’s worth noting that to detect doubling of a 0.1% event with 80% power; more than 50,000 subjects need to be studied. This leads to drugs being authorized without serious rare events are adequately studied. One cannot also be sure that the safety profile demonstrated in the pre-marketing clinical trials with limited number of subjects remains unchanged when used by millions of patients in normal settings. This difference in safety profile demonstrated is not only attributed to difference in number of users but may also be due to choosing of healthier subjects to participate in clinical trials, providing better care to clinical trials participants in addition to shorter duration of exposure in clinical trials as compared to normal settings. This difference in safety profile may as well be attributed to the fact that participa nts in clinical trials are rarely representative to the general patient population. (38,39) Post Marketing Risk Detection Pharmacovigilance is defined as the continuous process of detecting, evaluating, communicating and improving safety of medicines under normal conditions.(40) Post marketing data on adverse events include spontaneous case reports, medical record databases, and data collected in prospective postmarketing studies.(41) Spontaneous reports are unsolicited reports of clinical observations originating outside of a formal clinical trial and that are submitted to regulatory agencies or drug manufacturers.(42) The report is considered important if it involves an ADR that is new, rare, serious or occurring at a higher frequency than expected.(43) Spontaneous reporting systems have a potential for detecting or ‘signalling’ new ADRS that have not been previously recognized in clinical trials.(38) The most crucial factor that determines the value of spontaneous reports is the quality of submitted reports and whether it has a complete description of the ADR, patient demographics, baseline characteristics other confounding factors or medication and temporal relation.(42) Signal detection using large postmarketing ADRs databases is the first step in detecting unknown and unexpected associations between drug exposure and adverse events which has to be followed by qualitative case-by-case analysis to identify signals that may be of value or warrant further investigation.(44,45) Safety evaluators usually look at common trends or patterns or and potential causal relations. (42) Advantages and Limitations of Spontaneous Reporting In all countries, the nation pharmacovigilance system relies on spontaneous reporting by healthcare practitioners, patients and manufacturers to the national coordinating center.(46) Spontaneous reporting is the only source of pharmacovigilance that provides the highest volume of data at the lowest cost.(47) The most important function of spontaneous reporting is early detection of signals which helps in hypothesis formulation that may lead to initiation of confirmatory investigations or regulatory actions that may end up with warnings, label changes or product withdrawal.(48,49) Large postmarketing databases are the most important source for mining of drug safety data, however, analysing data from these databases is very challenging owing to the limitations of these unsolicited reporting systems.(50) One of the most important limitations of spontaneous reporting is the quality of data since cases are mostly poorly documented with no follow up data which necessitates contacting the reporter for more data.(42) Another limitation is under-reporting whose extent is very hard to estimate and which depends on many factors including the severity of the reported ADR among many other factors.(51,52) Reporting rate also undergoes fluctuation along the drug life cycle with higher rates noticed when the drug is newly introduced to the market (weber effect). Higher reporting rates are also noticed for serious medical events or after negative publicity. (53) It’s estimated that FDA receives only 1% of ADRs in one study and 8% in another of all occurring ADRs which affects is reflected on the inability of spontaneous reporting system to estimate incidence of a specified ADR. (54,55) Role of Data mining in Pharmacovigilance The role of data mining in the field of pharmacovigilance is evolving. At the outset, it’s worth noting that data mining methods involve identifying the observed relation between a drug and a certain ADR. These relation identification methods are based totally on the frequency with which the drug and event are reported. The relations identified using these data mining techniques cannot be used to prove or negate a causal relation.(50) Data mining methods can elucidate complex drug issues such as concomitant medications or conditions that may not be investigated using traditional methods. However, this is usually confronted by the non-systematic attainment of background rates of adverse events and drug exposure data which hinder estimation of risk based on spontaneous reporting databases.(56,57) In the context of data mining, the term ‘signal’ is used to refer to a quantitative association between a drug and an event which exceeds a certain threshold set by the investigator that warrant further evaluation. The ‘signal score’ is the number reflecting the strength of the quantitative association which reflects how much the observed frequency differs from that expected.(50,56,58) The application of computational and statistical methods to large drug safety databases for identifying drug-event pairs disproportionately reported at higher frequency than expected by a statistical independence model is referred to as ‘Safety data mining’ and ‘disproportionality analysis’. Many data-mining methods are applied to pharmacovigilance; the ones that are most commonly reported in the literature are the proportional reporting ratio (PRR) and the reporting odds ratio (ROR) in addition to the Bayesian and empirical Bayesian methods.(59–62) Signal Detection Methods Disproportionality analysis is the main concept behind computerized pharmacovigilance methods. Disproportionality analysis is dependent on the construction of a 22 contingency table as shown in table (1). (63) Disproportionality methods differ in how they are calculated and how they account for low counts. They are generally classified into Frequentist and Bayesian approaches. Drug of interestOther drugs Event of interestab Other event cd Table 1: Statistical significance in spontaneous reporting is calculated using the frequencies in the table above Frequentist approaches Frequentist approach usually accompanied by hypothesis testing of independence using chi-square or Fisher’s exact test.(64) Proportional reporting rate (PRR) or Case/Non-case design PRR can be considered as an approximation of conditional probability and is calculated using the following equation: PRR= = a/(a+c) à · b/(b+d). Where a/(a+c) can be perceived as the probability of developing the event of interest given that the drug of interest is taken and an event in turn, b/(b+d) can also be perceived as the probability of developing the event of interest given that another drug is received given that any other drug is taken and an event occurred.(63) PRR is a valuable aid to signal generation which is easy to calculate and interpret with various refinements made possible.(59) Reporting Odds Ratio ROR is a ratio of two ratios and is calculated according to the equation: ROR= a/bà ·c/d where a/b is the ratio of the patients who had the event of interest a divided by the number of patients who had the event while taking other medications. This ratio in turn is divided by c/d which is calculated by dividing all patients who had the drug of interest but did not have the event of interest by all other patients who did not have the event of interest given that they took any other drugs. (63) ROR is not affected by general under reporting for a specific drug or as specific event.(65) It has been proposed that ROR may be less biased than other disproportionality methods being considered as the case-control studies analysis.(66) Nevertheless, others believe that in practice there is no difference in performance between ROR and PRR.(60,67) Bayesian approaches Bayesian approaches tries to account for uncertainty in disproportionality measure calculated from small samples by shrinking the disproportionality measure towards baseline case of no association. This shrinking is a reduction of spurious associations when there are not enough data to support it and is proportional to the variability in the disproportionality statistics.(64) The Bayesian approaches include Multi-item Gamma Poisson Shrinker (MGPS) which is currently used by the FDA.(68,69) MGPS is based on an empirical Bayes framework and its computed measure is called empirical Bayes geometric mean (EBGM) which is the Bayesian version of the Relative Reporting Ratio (RRR). RRR is the ratio of the incidence of the observed incidence rate of a drug-event pair to its expected rate under the assumption that the drug and event are independent.(70) Another Bayesian approach adopted by the WHO is called Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN), which estimates a Bayesian version of the Information Component (IC). A positive IC indicates that based on all reports in the database the drug-event pair is reported more often than expected. (61) Postmarketing Safety Databases for Signal Detection Databases utilized in drug safety data mining are postmarketing databases maintained by manufactures, regulators and different consortia. These databases are different in their reporting guidelines, coding dictionaries and rules for data entry. These databases vary in size and may reach millions of reports. The analysis of these databases may yield different results and so a single database available to all stakeholders is needed. Ideally this database will not have duplicate reports or missing data and is consistently coded for drug and event name. A number of databases are commonly available for signal detection activities, however; they differ in accessibility. These include the database of the WHO International Drug Monitoring Programme and the FDA’s public release safety database (AERS).(50) WHO Safety Database The WHO safety database is a large database receiving AEs from the national collaborating centers participating in the WHO Drug monitoring program.(71) It has the advantage of having the drug names coded according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and ADRS are coded using the WHO Adverse Reaction Terminology. However, data is accessible by subscription only.(68) European Medicines Agency EudraVigilance database The EMEA pharmacovigilance system is called the EudraVigilance. It has 2 modules one for clinical trials and another for post marketing surveillance. It has analytical capabilities and performs signal detection in terms of PRR and ROR. It has restricted access even to manufacturers who can only see reports that they have submitted to the EMEA.(72) US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) AERS is the FDA’s postmarketing safety database. AERS database is intended to support the FDAs post-marketing safety surveillance program for drugs. It relies on unsolicited reports submitted by healthcare professionals and patients on adverse events and medication error reports as well as required reports by manufacturers and so represents a useful resource for investigating drug safety.(73) The public-release version of AERS is available beginning with January 2004 as quarterly data directly downloadable from the FDA website. The new FDA FAERS was launched in the 10th September, 2012, and replaced the Adverse Event Reporting System (also known as Legacy AERS).(74) The main aim of the current study is to: Map the safety profile of echinocandins antifungals.as compared to other drugs. Compare the safety profile of echinocandins to that of other systemic antifungals. Assess the effect of changing the reference group on the top signals identified. To achieve these aims data mining methods and disproportionality analysis will be employed to the FDA AERS to achieve these aims. This study will therefore add to the knowledge on the safety profile of this newer class of antifungals.