Whats cool Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Whats cool - Essay Example Different people had their own way of defining it. To begin with, cool was seen as a behavioral characteristic. Cool mainly, was a behavioral attitude practiced by black American men in the US. As a slang word, it was used to mean that a person is ok or in a relaxed state (Simchona par 1). Cool is also a positive attribute assigned to an awesome or great thing. Underdogs, rebels, and the likes of slaves, prisoners, bikers and political dissents, all fostered a cool attitude. This rebellion often invited punishment. Other people view cool as a state of well-being. In the modern society, cool is seen to bring a sense of serenity and internal peace. Other terms used to explain this is the absence of conflict, a state of balance and harmony. This meaning is of an African origin. In other cases cool can be used to describe the absence of excitement or composure in a person. The idiom, ‘Keep your cool’ best defines this. Also in the phrase ‘I’m cool with that’, used to express agreement or assent (Bornstein 3). People also view cool in the form of aesthetic appeal; it is taken as an attitude adopted by intellectuals and artists, who have aided in its infiltration into the culture. Today, it is a global phenomenon having spread across the globe. In fact, the concepts of cool have existed in several cultures over the centuries. Cool has also existed as an epithet. It is a common slag word among the young people and is well understood by the English- speaking people. It has gone to the extent of being used as a vocabulary in languages besides English. It is seen generally as an epithet with a range of related adjectival meanings. Through creativity and innovation, cool appears to be a classic case of resistance to authority. A paradoxical fusion of submission and subversion is represented by â€Å"so cool† (Bornstein 6). In the early 1960s and 1970s, cool like groovy was a very popular expression of satisfaction. Like groovy,

Landscape, Spirit, and Music Essay Example for Free

Landscape, Spirit, and Music Essay Anne Boyd’s â€Å"Landscape, Spirit, and Music: An Australian Story† is a substantive view on the integration of the landscape of a distinct culture represented by aboriginal beliefs and traditions to Australia’s inimitable non-Indigenous music industry. Boyd said, â€Å"it is possible to see something of the significance of music in constructing an ‘inspirited’ relationship with landscape as part of a possible process of ‘aboriginalization’ which is slowly affecting all of Australia’s non-indigenous inhabitants. † Boyd sought to prove her assumptions by presenting various evidences in the works of famous Australian composers such as Ross Edwards, Peter Sculthorpe, and David Lumsdaine, including the artistry of Tommy Barrtjap as a musician. The landscape that Boyd was referring to with regards to the influences of some non-Indigenous Australian composers encompasses the history of Australia, the culture of its indigenous people, as well as the physical landscape or environment that makes the country matchless in beauty and whereiwthal. The history of Australia serves as the backdrop or milieu from which the composers were able to structure their unique, meaningful, and poignant music. Furthermore, the culture of Australia’s indigenous peoples becomes the inspiration for musicians or composers to create something exclusive and distinctive. Thus, the musicians and composers that Boyd mentioned in her discussions were able to create a kind of music that channels mysticism, spirituality, and the metaphysical, representative of Australia’s indigenous culture. Boyd said that â€Å"All three composers [Ross, Edwards Schulthorpe] have drawn upon birdsong, not literally, but in a mythical and ritual sense; birds thus become spiritual messengers linking human music and landscape. † The great influence of Australia’s history and the indigenous culture of its native inhabitants is expected, as argued by Schultz . Schultz said that the emergence of a unique and distinctive music is most likely, particularly in Australia because â€Å"the existence of diverse immigrant population, a sense of real or imagined isolation, insecurity about the presence of a national character†¦ unique natural features such as climate, geography and flora and fauna, a pre-existing and extant culture with a strong and individual civilization, high standards of education with concomitant levels of artistic self-awareness, and substantial government subsidization of artistic activity† are dynamic and influential factors that would encourage such devotion and revolution in making and producing music for the sake of art. Furthermore, Lim believes that the growing interest of non-Indigenous Australian musicians to the history of Australia and culture of its Indigenous peoples as landscapes to developing music has something to do with the stipulation of these composers to develop a unique kind of music and a pe rsonal identity as a musician or composer. Lim said â€Å"Aboriginal cultures continue to be used by artists as a marker of authenticity in the construction of an Australian identity of sense of nationality. † By and large, Boyd’s discussions as supported by the narratives and arguments presented by Schultz and Lim explicate the great weight or importance of Indigenous culture in Australia as well as its history in helping musicians and composers create music that represents nationalism and establish a unique and inimitable identity. Works Cited Boyd, Anne. 2007. â€Å"Landscape, Spirit and Music,† in The Soundscapes of Australia: Music, Place and Spiritually. Richards, Fiona (Burlington, VT: Ashgate), pp. 11-18. Lim, Liza. â€Å"Crossing Cultural Boundaries and Ecstatic Transformation,† Sounds Australian 26 (2006), 10-11. Schultz, Andrew. â€Å"Other Places, Whose Music? : Some Introductory Comments on Appropriation and Tradition,† Sounds Australian 20 (1991): 8-9.

Empowering Patients in Occupational Therapy

Empowering Patients in Occupational Therapy Disability Issues for Healthcare professionals Assignment Introduction Empowerment is a process of helping people to assert control over the factors which affect their lives. It involves a transfer of power from the professional to the patient health care professionals need to give up their power and help their clients gain power (Gibson, 1991). The aim of empowerment is to transform the individual’s lifestyle so that employment, housing, leisure, health and other institutions support empowerment. In a nutshell, Empowerment is a process through which individuals and social groups become able to express their needs and present their concerns. They will also gain power within themselves to make their own decisions, devise strategies for involvement and attain social, political and cultural action to meet those demands. Through such a process people see a closer relationship between their goals in life and a sense of how to achieve them, and a correspondence between their efforts and life outcomes. Empowerment as the main goal of Health Care Professionals For health care professionals, empowerment is as an educational process designed to help clients develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and self-awareness required to effectively assume responsibility for their health-related decisions. Client empowerment is an approach that aims to establish the clients independence and self-control. Most of the time, the clients are seen as passive receivers of care, with health care providers being considered the experts. Modernisation has brought with it the ideology of client empowerment in which the client should become an expert in his or her own health care. The empowerment approach allows clients to gain skills and knowledge for improving their overall health status. They change from being passive to being actively involved in their personal health care process, and as a result, they feel more independent and experience increased autonomy and participation in decision-making. Self-efficacy is important in rehabilitation. A belief in oneself and the confidence to take charge and make decisions relating to personal care can directly affect the efficacy of treatment and the successful use of the available health care services and equipment. Some approaches that can be used to promote active participation, which increase motivation, include individual interviews, group discussions, posters, handouts, and videos, organizing various rehabilitation activities, including meetings with health care professionals, goal-setting, treatment negotiation and choice, decision-making and explanations of the consequences of noncompliance. Empowerment can be based on the â€Å"five As†: acceptance, affect, autonomy, alliance and active participation according to the Empowerment approach called the ‘patient empowerment model’ by Anderson et al. Acceptance is a key characteristic and refers to the amount of respectfulness shown by health care professional (HCP) towards the client. Regardless of the degree of disability, lifestyle, appearance or attitude of the client, the HCP must accept and take into consideration the goals the individual wants to set. This is because no matter what objectives the HCP wants to set, if they do not meet the clients values, he/she will not improve. Affect refers to the emotional aspect of the empowering therapy sessions. Emotional aspect of the problems and barriers the client has in the managing of his/her disability has many effects. Exploring the emotional aspects and barriers strengthens the client’s motivation to address the problem and methods of behavioura l change. In addition, it gives the HCP an opportunity to support the clients to improve their way of living and help their emotional health. Autonomy means how much the client is involved and participates in the decision making of his/her own life and health choices. The client should be responsible for choosing the issues he/she wishes to target and make all non-diagnostic decisions. The HCP should ensure that these decisions are accurate and evidence-based. During the consultation, the HCP should work as a team, but independently, with clients to help them make informed choices about their disability, lifestyle changes and treatment. The HCP should provide clients with the equipment and resources that they cannot obtain for themselves. The last key feature in an empowering consultation is the active participation of everyone involved in the rehabilitation process. Despite the fact that the client should be the main decision maker, this doesn’t mean that the HCP should be a passive participant. The consultation should be able to help the clients identify the issues they want to address and change, how they feel about it, find the different options of change, and find out with the help of the HCP the barriers of change. The role of the HCP is to actively guide the client throughout the process by listening to the client actively, and gently guiding the client from one stage to another. How is Occupational Therapy empowering for the client Overview to Occupational Therapy People experience life to the fullest through meaningful occupations the day to day skills, activities, interactions and experiences that engage us with our environment, our community and the people around us. Our ability to participate in occupations that are important to us promotes health and well-being. The goal of occupational therapy is to positively influence people’s health by enabling occupation. The primary goal of Occupational therapy is rehabilitation and facilitation of health and wellness in the community of the individual’s choice, rather than to manage symptoms. Occupational therapists work with people in a manner that helps to foster hope, motivation and empowerment, as well as lifestyle changes were necessary. These therapists are educated in the scientific understanding of neurophysiology, psychosocial development, activity and environmental analysis, and group dynamics, occupational therapists work to empower each individual to fully participate and be successful and satisfied in his/her self-selected occupations. Occupational Therapists help with situations such as; Difficulties affecting ones ability to care for oneself or others Returning to work after prolonged illness or injury Learning difficulties in the classroom Mobility problems that impair function in the home/workplace/community Difficulties socializing or enjoy leisure time because of functional changes Home or workplace modifications when accessibility is an issue Where do Occupational therapists work? Hospitals Mental health hospitals / services Rehabilitation centres Private practice Long term care facilities Children’s treatment centres Occupational Engagement Occupational engagement describes how a person has to have a balance of activity and rest, a variety and range of meaningful occupations and routines, and the ability to move around in society and interact socially, implying that occupational engagement occurs over a period of time. Moreover, occupational engagement involves interpretation and comprehension emanating from experience, the process that forms the basis for ongoing occupational engagement and a cyclical means of maintaining a sense of self and well-being. Quality of life is an important indicator of community adjustment, and measurements of quality of life are intended to reflect and capture the current life situation of persons with disabilities. Many clients want to be able to feel empowered in things such as satisfaction with work, leisure, finances, living situation, safety, family relations, social relations, and religion. Within occupational therapy, increased occupational engagement is viewed as a goal toward enhanced quality of life. The role of an occupational therapist often is to offer and provide the conditions necessary for satisfactory quality of life to the person. Client-centred practice Client-centred practice is defined as; â€Å"an approach to service which embraces a philosophy of respect for and partnership with, people receiving services† (Law, et al 1995 p253). Client-centred practice is non-directive and focuses on concerns as expressed by the client. People receiving services are capable of playing an active role in defining and solving problems, with the therapist serving as a facilitator to help solve their problems enabling understanding and proposing solutions. The development of client-centred practice reflected Carl Rogers’ key humanitarian principles of self-actualisation, personal growth and the importance of the environment which are all closely linked specifically in the philosophical framework of occupational therapy. Occupational Therapy is a client-centred health profession concerned with promoting health and well-being through occupation† (WFOT 2010 p4) Client- centred occupational therapy is a partnership between the client and the therapist which empowers the client to engage in functional performance to fulfil his /her occupational roles in a variety of environments. The client participates actively in negotiating goals which are given priority and are at the centre of assessment, intervention and evaluation. Throughout the process the therapist listens to and respects the client’s values, adapts the interventions to meet the client’s needs and enables the client to make informed decisions. Therapists are also required to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times working in partnership with them and their carer, putting them at the centre of practice whilst upholding the service users’ right to make choices over the care they receive and the plans they wish to make. Client-centred practice is now the exclusive domain of occupational therapy and other professions, such as nursing and medicine. These have also endorsed the principles of the client centred approach to encourage working closer with service users. Disability and Occupational Therapy Occupational therapists work in rehabilitation in response to the problem of impairment. Traditional rehabilitation services translated the understanding of disability into strategies that aimed to facilitate or minimize the impact of impairments and their consequences while encouraging the person with impairments to be as independent and normal as possible. Disabled persons typically encounter rehabilitation either at a critical phase after the onset of a disability and/or over a long period of time. Consequently, rehabilitation can dramatically influence how disabled persons come to understand their impairment and the appropriate response to it. Rehabilitation helps disabled persons to work toward the elimination or reduction of their impairments’ and toward conformity with functional or social norms can convey an implicit message that disability is a bad thing that needs to be eliminated or masked from view. Disabled persons consistently report that discrimination and attitudinal barriers negatively impact their self-sufficiency and participation in society. The help mentioned above helps to empower the persons with disability issues to continue enjoying and living their life as independent as they can. Occupational Therapy and Mental Health Occupational therapists also helps people who experience mental health illnesses (depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar mood disorder, concurrent disorders, or another condition) to live full, active and more hopeful lives. Occupational therapists work collaboratively with people of all ages; empowering them to determine their goals, lead their care, and work towards recovery. The following are examples of how the knowledge and skill base of OT is used in the process of empowering individuals in all phases of mental health recovery; Help to identify and implement healthy habits, rituals and routines to support a healthy lifestyle. Teach and support the active use of coping strategies to help manage the effect of symptoms of illness on one’s life, including being more organized and able to engage in activities of choice. Support the creation and use of a wellness recovery action plan in group or individual sessions. Provide information to increase awareness of community-based resources, such as peer-facilitated groups and other support options. Barriers that Health Care Professionals face in empowering people with disabilities Health care professionals face various barriers to the successful implementation of empowerment. These can range from practical and physical issues to the complexities of working in a team and the underlying biology of the disability itself. In a clinical situation there is not enough time to be as flexible as you want, some clients would benefit from more work but there is a certain limit of resources such as staff, time and finances. Lack of appropriate equipment, may cause professionals to omit, or not recommend procedures or functional aids for people with disabilities that would otherwise be very helpful to the client. These practical barriers restrict the health care professional from giving the best possible therapy to his/her clients. Another type of barrier that health care professionals might face is the physical barrier of dealing with people with hearing/visual/speech/cognitive impairments as there will be a communication barrier and health care professionals are not always trained to communicate with these kinds of clients. Therapy might not be as empowering to these clients as it will be sort of a passive process because the therapist cannot fully initiate with the client or vice versa. Environmental barriers are also very effective as Health care professionals promote active participation with their clients, however when the person goes in the outside world, he/she might find it difficult to maintain those positive, empowering strategies that he/she was taught. Despite progress in universal design, principles and policies, people with disabilities continue to face an enormous amount of barriers to participating in society. Structures such as parks, fitness facilities, grocery stores, transportation and other recreational facilities are often inaccessible to people with disabilities. Many people with disabilities might show some degree of stress during their rehabilitation process. Stress manifests in various ways that affect health—lowered bodily resistance to disease being one example. Socially, stress can affect the clients immediate surroundings, making it difficult to take positive action. Stress can reduce the efficacy of treatment, therefore health care professionals should assist clients in gaining confidence and improving their outlook. It would also be beneficial if there were health promotion efforts targeted to people with disabilities, this can have a huge impact on improving lifestyle behaviours, increasing quality of life and reducing medical costs. Health professionals and people in the community need to be aware of the growing need to assist people with disabilities in self- managing their own health by creating disability-friendly communities that eliminate the physical, programmatic, and attitudinal barriers that often prevent or limit their participation in many community based health promotion programs. Conclusion References Blanck, P., Martinis, J. (2015). ‘The Right to Make Choices;: The National Resource Center for Supported Decision Making. Inclusion, 3(1), 24-33. doi:10.1352/2326-6988-3.1.24 Rimmer, J., Rowland, J. (2008). Health Promotion for People With Disabilities: Implications for Empowering the Person and Promoting Disability-Friendly Environments. American Journal Of Lifestyle Medicine, 2(5), 409-420. doi:10.1177/1559827608317397 Townsend, E. (1996). Enabling Empowerment: Using Simulations versus Real Occupations. Canadian Journal Of Occupational Therapy, 63(2), 114-128. doi:10.1177/000841749606300204 Wang, L., Dong, J., Gan, H., Wang, T. (2007). EMPOWERMENT OF PATIENTS IN THE PROCESS OF REHABILITATION. Peritoneal Dialysis International, 27(Supplement 2), S32-S34. Retrieved from http://www.pdiconnect.com/content/27/Supplement_2/S32.full Salman, R. (2005). Empowerment: An approach for diabetes education.27(2) Definition of Wellness Dimensions of Wellness,. (2015). Empowerment For Health. Retrieved 9 June 2015, from http://definitionofwellness.com/wellness-dictionary/empowerment-for-health/ Bejerholm, U., Eklund, M. (2007). Occupational engagement in persons with schizophrenia: Relations to self-related variables, psychopathology, and quality of life.61(1), 21-32. Champagne, T., Gray, C. (2011). Occupational therapys role in MEntal health recovery. Kielhofner, G. (2005). Rethinking disability and what to do about it: Disability stidies and its implications for occupational therapy.59(5), 487-496. Occupational therapists: Empowering people with skills for the job of living. MARGARET PARKER, D. (2012). AN EXPLORATION OF CLIENT-CENTRED PRACTICE IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY: PERSPECTIVES AND IMPACT (DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY). University of Birmingham.

The Black Cat: A Comparison Between The Movie And The Book :: essays research papers

The Black Cat: A Comparison Between The Movie and The Book   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are major differences between the film we saw in class and The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe. The film had added effects to get the viewer's attention. The film also let out important parts that were in the short story. The short story gave the reader a better background for character analysis. Although the story was much more enticing because the reader knew the main character better.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the short story the man(abusive husband) is described as a loving and caring husband, who is very fond of animals. He describes to the reader how his obsession with alcohol is like a disease. He gets more irritable everyday because his cravings for alcohol become greater and greater. He was often physically abusive to his wife. One night the man came home very drunk and violent so Pluto(the black cat) scratched him out of fear. then the man lost his temper and cut out the cat's eye with his penknife. One morning the man hanged the cat from a tree limb with a noose around its neck. That night his house burnt to the ground. In the morning he found a petrified white cat with a rope around its neck in the charred remains. A few days later the man saw a black cat with a white chest and he liked it so much he let the cat follow him home. The cat made itself at home but the man avoided it because of a sense of shame for his former deed. The next day the man noticed that the cat was missing an eye just as Pluto. His wife pointed out that the white spot on its chest resembled the Gallows! The cat made the man trip in his basement one day. So he picked up an ax to kill the cat, and his wife stepped in the way and he put the ax through her brains. The man decided to hide the body and the cat behind a bricked up wall in the basement. The police came and looked at everything. Just before they left, they heard a noise from the basement wall. So they tore the bricks down. Thus they discovered the body and the black cat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The film hints that the man was once a loving and caring husband. The wife told her husband he was not the same man she married. The film shows how the alcohol made the man abuse his wife for more drinking money. There is no The Black Cat: A Comparison Between The Movie And The Book :: essays research papers The Black Cat: A Comparison Between The Movie and The Book   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are major differences between the film we saw in class and The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe. The film had added effects to get the viewer's attention. The film also let out important parts that were in the short story. The short story gave the reader a better background for character analysis. Although the story was much more enticing because the reader knew the main character better.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the short story the man(abusive husband) is described as a loving and caring husband, who is very fond of animals. He describes to the reader how his obsession with alcohol is like a disease. He gets more irritable everyday because his cravings for alcohol become greater and greater. He was often physically abusive to his wife. One night the man came home very drunk and violent so Pluto(the black cat) scratched him out of fear. then the man lost his temper and cut out the cat's eye with his penknife. One morning the man hanged the cat from a tree limb with a noose around its neck. That night his house burnt to the ground. In the morning he found a petrified white cat with a rope around its neck in the charred remains. A few days later the man saw a black cat with a white chest and he liked it so much he let the cat follow him home. The cat made itself at home but the man avoided it because of a sense of shame for his former deed. The next day the man noticed that the cat was missing an eye just as Pluto. His wife pointed out that the white spot on its chest resembled the Gallows! The cat made the man trip in his basement one day. So he picked up an ax to kill the cat, and his wife stepped in the way and he put the ax through her brains. The man decided to hide the body and the cat behind a bricked up wall in the basement. The police came and looked at everything. Just before they left, they heard a noise from the basement wall. So they tore the bricks down. Thus they discovered the body and the black cat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The film hints that the man was once a loving and caring husband. The wife told her husband he was not the same man she married. The film shows how the alcohol made the man abuse his wife for more drinking money. There is no

Mittal Steel in 2006

Mittal Steal in 2006: Changing the Global Steel Game Industry Analysis Although steel was a highly demanded good, the industry as a whole was largely unprofitable. One reason for this was that the industry remained highly fragmented in contrast to their suppliers and even some of their buyers, who were considerably more consolidated. Aside from the increased competition that fragmentation contributed to, it also degraded the steal industry’s bargaining power to raw material suppliers and in some cases, such as the auto industry, the buyers.The resulting high fixed costs, volatile raw material prices, and intense price competition fueled unstable profitability. Adding to the fragmentation issues was a lack of differentiation in the market. For the longest time there were really only two production possibilities. One, being vertically integrated and producing higher-grade steel at a higher cost of operation, or two, de-verticalize and focus on low cost, low-grade steel productio n. Depending on the production selected, the resulting accessible customer base was limited.This lack of differentiation further fueled the limited bargaining power of steel manufacturers. As stated above, steel was highly demanded. The problem was that the growth of that demand remained quite stagnate for nearly 20 years. It wasn’t until the explosion of growth in the Chinese construction industry, attributing to 25% of total steel consumption, that the steel industry saw any profitability. In an industry where customers demand a low cost and a consistent product, being able to maintain a reliable supply while being as cost efficient as possible was key to a firms success.Though there was a spike in Chinese demand, only those strategically positioned could access the true value of the Chinese market. This was because the steel industry operated primarily on an intra-regional basis. Many factors attributed to this, but a firm’s dependence on raw material access, and tr ying to avoid high transportation and tariff costs, as well as delivery lags, were the primary reasons for high regional trade. In order to access the benefits of regional trade, firms had to expand their operations through high FDI in the form of M&A’s.This gained them access to highly profitable regions and it allowed firms to spread their risk over a larger area, reducing the impact of demand fluctuations in one particular region. The reason many of these M&A opportunities existed was because of a major shit from government owned steel plants to privatization. Through privatization, FDI opportunities became possible in many countries, thus make intra-regional trade more accessible and attractive. Consolidation & Integration Recognizing that the dynamics of the market were changing, LNM was quick to take advantage.He was steadfast in his belief that they only way to create sustained success was through consolidation and integration. With increased privatization opportunitie s available, LNM began a series of M&A’s that would gain him access to regions that were highly profitable, had lower labor costs, and would position him to have higher bargaining power with suppliers. LNM made the first moves in the industry toward consolidation, and was this strategic initiative that has since driven the evolution of the industry to where it is today.A major source of value creation was derived from their technological lead in DRI. LNM decided early on to focus their operations around â€Å"integrated minimills†, which was untraditional at the time. Through this structure he was able to capture the maximum value of his operation, using scrap in the minimills, then reverse integrating into DRI. Once unreliable, DRI technology had advanced so much that it’s output was now comparable to the quality of integrated steel plants.This technology stronghold provided them better quality steel at a cheaper cost of production, providing them with a huge c ompetitive advantage. Additionally, It was this technology, aided by a proven SWAT team and protocol, which supported their ability to transform underperforming government owned plants to profitable ones in a short period. LMN’s initial approach was to resurrect distressed government owed plants then breath new life into them through technology sharing and smart practices.He soon sought larger targets that would provide him not only economies of scale, but also provide competitive advantages through geographic scope. Starting with Karmet, he began to shift his targeting toward plants that were either highly integrated, possessed significant mineral rights, or supplied a strategic geographic advantage. Through designing their activity architecture in this way, Mittal steel became the world's largest and most integrated steelmaker; providing strong positions in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.The result of their strategic positioning, combined with their focus of coordi nation through KIP and KMP, made Mittal the first firm in the industry to operate as a transnational organization. Each plant provided its own uniqueness, providing different capabilities and skills that could be harnessed for the good of the whole organization. There was also a heavy flow of people, materials and finances between the interdependent plants, but at the center of it all was the Mittal Steel directing tight coordination and a shared strategic decision making process. On a regional level, they operated through regional hubs.This allows Mittal’s positioning of adjacent plants to source from the same suppliers, increasing their bargaining power and reliability of supply, while not jeopardizing cannibalism of sales as each plant’s customer base was unique to their location. Mittal’s vertical integration in mining and low cost position helps support profitability and helps to  reduce capital expenditure needs. They are the most diversified steel  co mpany in the world in terms of asset  location and market presence. They also have a diverse product range, including both flat and long steel.As such, Mittal is not overly dependent on any single  region, product, or end market. These benefits are somewhat mitigated however by the risks associated with Mittal’s rapid expansion through acquisitions. These include such things as institutional risks associated with emerging markets and uncertainties regarding the integration of newly acquired assets, although Mittal's  integration track record has been successful to date. Arcelor Acquisition In light of the above information, I believe that Mittal should pursue the Arcelor acquisition aggressively.Mittal Steel & Arcelor complement each other in terms of geographical coverage and product mix, as there is no significant overlap. Mittal has strong positions in the U. S. market; low-cost operations in Central and  Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa; and vertical raw-material i ntegration. Arcelor is the leader in higher value-added products with strongholds in Western Europe and Brazil, as well as a focus on Russia, India, and China. I believe that the positioning of Arcelor’s plants and resource capabilities would integrate nicely to Mittal’s activity architecture.There would be very minimal duplications of effort, and many of the regions that Arcelor operates are in prime locations to source raw materials. The addition will only strengthen Mittal’s integrated transnational value chain. Through acquisition, Mittal would produce nearly 110 million tonnes of steel per year, making them three times as large than their next competitor. Although this can lead to diseconomies of scale, in Mittal’s case, as the largest player in the steel industry both globally and in the key markets, the combined group would enjoy significant bargaining power.Additionally, through shared expertise, the combined entity would be in a better position t o develop the high growth region of China and South East Asia. Arcelor’s alliance with Nippon and Mittal’s acquisition of Karmet and stake in Valin will provide access to critical Asian markets. Regardless of the â€Å"synergies† the acquisition will create, caution still needs to be exercised by Mittal. There are evident signs that the acquisition will not be welcomed by Arcelor, assuming that Mr. Dolle’s canceled meeting and unreturned phone call was an indication to his temperature on the proposal.If the acquisition turned hostile there is a good chance Mittal would have to overpay for Arcelor, which could have adverse affects to it investment ratings. At the current bid price Mittal would already have to leverage â‚ ¬5 billion and would be in debt by â‚ ¬11. 5 billion. Although they have a good track record of ROI and the industry as a whole has seen a spike in ROIC, they do not want to spend more than they have to. Despite the favorable history and perceived synergies, Mittal should pay at a maximum â‚ ¬27. 1 billion for the deal. They should obviously try to pay as close to the current bid as possible, but at â‚ ¬27. billion they are still in a position where they could access the capital needed given their successful history. Also, at the mark of â‚ ¬27. 1 billion their debt would raise to â‚ ¬20 billion, but with an EBITDA of over â‚ ¬5. 5 billion annually, not to mention the added revenues from the acquisition, the debt could be confidently paid off in a reasonable timeframe. If the bidding exceeds the mark of â‚ ¬27. 1 billion, the negotiations should be ceased and Mittal should pursue other opportunities to continue their global footprint expansion.

When should we trust our senses to give us truth?

In order to answer the question about when we should trust our senses to deliver us the truth, it is important to first understand our senses. Primarily, our senses serves as a jump point of our awareness or our consciousness, as it takes the form of an inner entity within us, somehow becoming a guide for our actions. We perceive our senses as a truth detector, which again goes back to how it guides our actions. For most of us, we consider our senses as a much more reliable truth detector compared to our emotions, as it can often deceive us and possibly lead us to our demise. These senses are able to relay to us whether something is right or wrong, or may be unfit for a situation. Further defining it, I could personally say that it is an instinct, an innate ability, which helps or leads us to perceive the world we live in, including the existence of things and the occurrences of events that may or may not matter to us. We have these five human senses, which include sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. All or some of these senses are present in human beings, and these are very useful in their day to day activities. Our senses enable us to act normally, or even to respond accordingly to whatever predicament we are facing. Our senses are essential in decision making in all of the situations that we may encounter. We synthesize the inputs of our sensory organs and use it to determine what course of action we should take. But still, there are some uncertainties regarding our senses. In a situation where a person sees a car coming when he decides to cross the road at a certain time, how will he be able to tell if what he is seeing with his eyes, what he is hearing with his ears, or how the wind feels in his skin, is really the truth? How can he be so sure that the image or idea that is formed in his head is the reality, and that his senses are not lying to him? In this split second, how will he decide? Should he trust his senses or just ignore them? In the end, it is still up to the person to decide on what course of action he will take, as it is essential to trust ones senses on delivering the truth about a certain event or entity. In order to gauge if we can really trust our senses, we need to lay down certain considerations that we have to follow. One way is to understand the effect of one’s previous knowledge, understanding, and experience, the completeness of one’s senses (whether or not you have all five senses), the presence and the effect of mental illness to one’s judgment and decision making, the usual interpretations of one’s senses, and finally, the accepted norms of the society that one person belongs to. All these considerations have to be understood, as it is essential in understanding whether or not our senses can be trusted to deliver us the truth. Initially, we have to gauge our previous knowledge, understanding, and experience, in relation to using our senses. We could ask ourselves if there are any situations or occurrences that our senses have failed us. We should determine how it has failed us, and what its effect to us is. We should also determine the situation wherein our senses accurately perceived events or objects, and use this to compare on the instances it has failed us. By basing on this previous knowledge, we can see the importance of the stored information that we have generated from the past. This old information will be used to create a new one, and that would be our understanding of our senses, whether they are unreliable or not. If we are able to tell several instances which the senses have failed us, then we start to construct an understanding that at these situations, our senses may not be enough in order to determine the truth. At this point, we start to create a knowledge that tells us how hard it is to perceive an event or an entity with our senses that we possess. One practical example of this is when we need to use the microscope. Before we know about the existence of microorganism unseen to the naked eye, we have a mindset that the world is what is there to see. Our previous knowledge tells us of how surfaces of rocks, soil and other places look like, but with the use of the microscope, we are able to establish a new knowledge about microorganisms that we cannot see with our eyes alone. Our ears are also unable to detect sounds outside the range of our perceivable or tolerable wavelengths. However, we are able to do so with certain devices, and we are even able to put this into practical use, and one example is our use of SONAR. In relation to this information, we would go back to another criterion in gauging the truthfulness of what our senses perceive. This is whether or not one person has complete or incomplete senses. If we look closely at this idea, we become clear to the fact that there are a lot of people living in this world without complete senses, but despite their incompleteness, they are still able to function normally, and that predicament tend to work for them. This is not only a case of faulty functioning sense, but the absence of a sense (or senses). Despite this, they are able to live their lives like people with complete senses do, and this is made possible by their remaining senses. Looking at this in a knowledge standpoint, we may say that they were able to learn how to live even when they lack a certain sense. For a blind man, perception is not limited to the eyes alone, and he is able to navigate his way in the world with the use of his hearing or smelling. They learn to use their remaining senses in different ways, and that enables them to live normal lives. The knowledge that they gain from using their remaining senses becomes different from the knowledge that they gain when they have complete senses. In a way, they are able to fully trust their remaining senses because it’s what they have. Somehow, they were able to hone those senses in a manner that they perceive things accurately, and without failure. Let’s compare a normal person and a blind person when they wait for a train. A normal person relies on a combination of his senses, sight and hearing, in order to determine if the train is already near. He can look far back into the rail and see any hint of the train coming, couple with hearing of the increasing train sound. On the other hand, a blind man would solely rely on his sense of hearing to determine if the train is coming. He could concentrate on the distinct sound that a train makes upon its arrival. The blind man may only rely on hearing in order to determine the train’s arrival, but this doesn’t mean that it is a disadvantage. Even with his sole sense, he can concentrate on the distinct sound made by the train, and it hones his sense of hearing, so that he can accurately perceive the train’s arrival. On the other hand, a man with both sight and hearing could hear and see the train when it arrives, but he may be distracted by one sense and lose concentration of accurately determining its presence. Suffice to say, the presence or absence of any sense does not necessarily mean a diminished understanding of the world a person lives in. The knowledge that he gains with the presence of absence of a sense may vary, but still, he is able to fully understand it, and be able to form his own construct of what is the truth. Another criterion would be the presence and the effects of mental illness to a person’s judgment and decision making. With this criterion, we determine if a person is affected by other things other than his senses in the things that they perceive. Certain cases of mental illness may result to perceiving events or entities which are not real, and are only created by one person’s mind, as a result of his mental illness. If this is the case, then the integrity of what he perceives through his senses is jeopardized. Something that may be non-existent in real life may exist in one’s own perception. This doesn’t mean that he has heightened senses, instead it means that he has a problem, which needs to address in a different manner. This case is also similar to when a person consumes substances that may alter his perception of things. Illicit drugs can often result to hallucinations, but this doesn’t mean that what they may see or experience is real. There is actually no knowledge created in this case, as it invokes the mind to have false perceptions, instead of actually seeing the reality. There is no truth in what the senses may perceive, since it is the person’s mind that creates these images or occurrences that he is having. Our senses are really important in order for us to function fully in our lives. However, there are certain instances that may affect what we perceive with these senses, thus jeopardizing the integrity of what we perceive. Because of this, the knowledge that we create in relation to these senses (their presence or absence) may vary, depending on the situation. Trusting theses senses and understanding their faults are equally important in knowing whether or not they give us the truth. When Should We Trust Our Senses to Give Us Truth Our senses help us interact with the world. Smell, hearing, sight, taste, touch, and external stimulus play a major role in shaping our perceptions of the surroundings and the world. To trust our senses means that we have justified belief of what we perceive is â€Å"true†. To what extent can our senses give us truth? In order to obtain a better understanding of under what conditions we can rely on our senses, we need to compare circumstances where they have most been true with circumstances where they most have not. We appear to rely on our senses in order to perceive the truth in terms of the world and the surroundings. Senses are the representation of reality, we can perceive that there is an apple on the table by touching or seeing it through motor and sensory neurons and electromagnetic rays. Also, senses play a significant role in surviving. A keen sense of smell allows animals to run away from predators and allocate food, similarly, a good eye-sight allows us to see what is going on around us and helps us get familiar with the surroundings in order to adapt. In 2004, many animals such as elephants and flamingos escaped the tsunami in Sri Lanka and India, the animals â€Å"predicted† the coming disaster as they may have more acute sense of hearing or touch which allows them to feel the strong vibration of the Earth. On the other hand, our senses can easily be deceived. Advertisements on TV and internet tell us how great a product is and encourage us to buy it, however, the truth may be that the actual product is not as effective as it seems to be. I bought a shampoo because on the advertisement it said that it can moisturize my hair and make my hair look shiny, and the hair of the model in the advertisement looked pretty which made me want to look like her. However, when I actually used it, it did not have all the effects that were described and my hair still looked the same. Magic performance is successful because of its deception of our senses. Once during a magic show, I saw the performer cut a lady in half but the lady was still alive. The truth is that the performer did not cut the lady, the lady appeared to be in half because of the information that my sense of sight sent. Senses can be misleading because they may only show one side of the situation, unless more senses work togerther and we reasoning the information we get from our senses, we cannot reach the truth. However, we still may not get the truth even if we reason or our senses work together. Different people perceive differently. Blind people do not have their sense of sight so they cannot know that an apple is red but they may have stronger senses of hearing and touch than normal people. It is also understood that emotion affects our perception of truth. I like fast food and therefore I perceive fast food as delicious food and have affection for it, but my mom hates fast food and therefore she sees it disgusting. Despite the problems our senses may cause, they still play a significant role in our areas of knowledge. Evolutionarily, we trusted our sense. According to Charles Darwin’s natural selection theory, the strongest will survive and the weakest will die. Men select the best looking women and women select the strongest looking man. Although the this pattern has now changed, men are still generally attracted to good looking women and women choose men that they feel being safe with. Scientifically, scientists need to observe the phenomenon and conduct experiments through their senses first and then make theories by reasoning. Our senses are limited. We see only a tiny part of reality as we can only see the visible spectrum of the whole electromagnetic spectrum and the things we see are our representation of them. As Hermann von Helmholtz argues, we convert the image we see through our eyes into something that makes sense base on our prior knowledge and experience. The optical illusions created by Hermann and Lingelbach supported Helmholtz’s idea because we have difficulty to see images composed of lines due to limitation in our optical sense. As philosopher Rene Descarte says that â€Å"the senses deceive from time to time, and it is prudent never to trust wholly those who have deceived us even once†, our senses indeed can be fallible and limited, but we need them to interact with the world. So let us just follow our senses and live in the world our senses provide us.