Night World : Witchlight Chapter 11

She's what?† Keller said, coming out of the bathroom, toweling her hair. â€Å"She's sick,† Winnie said. â€Å"Runny nose, little temperature. Looks like a cold. Her mom says she has to stay home from school.† Well, it looks like we're having a run of good luck, Keller thought. It would be much easier to protect her inside the house. Winnie and Nissa had spent the night in Diana's room, while Keller, who was supposed to be asleep on the sofa bed in the family room, wandered the house in between catnaps. She'd asked Galen to stay in the guest room, and he had done just that. â€Å"We can have a quiet day,† she said now to Winnie. â€Å"This is great-as long as she gets well for Saturday.† Winnie grimaced. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Um-you'd better go in and talk to her yourself.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"You'd just better go. She wants to talk to you.† Keller started toward Diana's room. She said over her shoulder, â€Å"Check the wards.† â€Å"I know, Boss.† Iliana was sitting up in bed, wearing a frilly nightgown that actually seemed to have a ribbon woven into the lace at the neck. She looked fragile and beautiful, and there was a delicate flush on her cheeks from the fever. â€Å"How're you feeling?† Keller said, making her voice gentle. â€Å"Okay.† Iliana modified it with a shrug that meant fairly rotten. â€Å"I just wanted to see you, you know, and say good-bye.† Keller blinked, still rubbing her hair with the towel. She wasn't crazy about water, especially not in her ears. â€Å"Say good-bye?† â€Å"Before you go.† â€Å"What, you think I'm going to school for you?† â€Å"No. Before you go.† Keller stopped toweling and focused. â€Å"Iliana, what are you talking about?† Tm talking about you guys leaving. Because I'm not the Wild Power.† Keller sat down on the bed and said flatly, â€Å"What?† Diana's eyes were that hazy iris color again. She looked, in her own way, as annoyed as Keller felt. â€Å"Well, I thought that was obvious. I can't be the Wild Power. I don't have the blue fire-or whatever.† She tacked the last words on. â€Å"Diana, don't play the dumb blond with me right now, or I'll have to kill you.† Diana just stared at her, picking at the coverlet with her fingers. â€Å"You guys made a mistake. I don't have any power, and I'm not the person you're looking for. Don't you think you ought to go out and look for the real Wild Power before the bad guys find her?† â€Å"Diana, just because you couldn't stop that car doesn't mean that you don't have power. It could just be that you don't know how to tap into it yet.† â€Å"It could be. You're admitting that you're not sure.† â€Å"Nobody can be absolutely sure. Not until you demonstrate it.† â€Å"And that's what I can't do. You probably think I didn't really try, Keller. But I did. I tried so hard.† Diana's eyes went distant with agonized memory. â€Å"I was standing there, looking down, and I suddenly thought, I can do it! I actually thought I felt the power, and that I knew how to use it. But then when I reached for it, there was nothing there. I tried so hard, and I wanted it to work so much†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Diana's eyes filled, and there was a look on her face that struck Keller to the heart. Then she shook her head and looked back at Keller. â€Å"It wasn't there. I know that. I'm certain.† ‘It has to be there,† Keller said. â€Å"Circle Daybreak has been investigating this ever since they found that prophecy. ‘One from the hearth that still holds the spark.' They've tracked down all the other Harmans and checked them. It has to be you.† â€Å"Then maybe it's somebody you haven't found yet. Some other lost witch. But it's not me.† She was completely adamant and genuinely convinced. Keller could see it in her eyes. She had managed to vault back into denial in a whole new way. â€Å"So I know you'll be leaving,† Iliana went on. â€Å"And, actually, I'll really miss you.† She blinked away tears again. â€Å"I suppose you don't believe that.† â€Å"Oh, I believe it,† Keller said tiredly, staring at an exquisite gold-and-white dresser across the room. â€Å"I really like you guys. But I know what you're doing is important.† â€Å"Well, is it okay with you if we just hang around for a little while longer?† Keller asked heavily. â€Å"Just until we see the light and realize you're not the Wild Power?† Iliana frowned. â€Å"Don't you think it's a waste of time?† â€Å"Maybe. But I don't make those decisions. I'm just a grunt.† â€Å"Don't you treat me like a dumb blond.† Keller opened her mouth, lifted her hands, then dropped them. What she wanted to say was, How can I help it when you're determined to be such a nincompoop? But that wasn't going to get them anywhere. â€Å"Look, Iliana. I really do have to stay until I get orders to go, all right?† Keller said, looking at her. â€Å"So you're just going to have to bear with us for a little while longer.† She stood up, feeling as if a weight had fallen on her. They were back to square one. Or maybe not quite. â€Å"Besides, what about Galen?† she said, turning back at the door. â€Å"Do you want him to go?† Diana looked confused. Her cheeks got even pinker. â€Å"I don't†¦ I mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"If you're not the Wild Power, you're not the Witch Child,† Keller went on ruthlessly. â€Å"And you know that Galen has to promise himself to the Witch Child.† Iliana was breathing quickly now. She gulped and stared at the window. She bit her lip. She really is in love with him, Keller thought. And she knows it. â€Å"Just something to keep in mind,† she said, and went out the door. â€Å"Did you get any info on the license plate?† Nissa shook her head. â€Å"Not yet. They'll call us when they have anything. And a courier brought this.† She handed Keller a box. It was the size of a shirt box but very sturdy. â€Å"The scrolls?† â€Å"I think so. There are wards on it, so we have to get Winnie to open it.† They had a chance after breakfast. Mrs. Dominick took the baby and went out shopping. Keller didn't worry too much about her. Just as Jaime was now being watched by Circle Daybreak agents, any members of Iliana's family who left the safety of the wards would be followed for their own protection. They sat around the kitchen table-except for Iliana, who refused to join them and sat in the family room in front of the TV. She had a box of tissues, and every few minutes she would apply one to her nose. â€Å"Before you open that,† Keller said to Winnie, â€Å"how are the wards around the house?† â€Å"They're fine. Intact and strong. I don't think anybody's even tried to mess with them.† Galen said, â€Å"I wonder why.† Keller looked at him quickly. It was just what she had been wondering herself. â€Å"Maybe it has something to do with what happened yesterday. And that's the other thing I want to talk about. I want to hear everybody's opinions. Who was in that car-Night Person or human? Why did they try to run over Jaime? And what are we going to do about it?† â€Å"You go first,† Winnie said. â€Å"I think you had the best view of it.† â€Å"Well, I wasn't the only one,† Keller said. â€Å"There was someone else beside me.† She looked toward the living room. Iliana made a show of ignoring her completely. Keller turned back. â€Å"But anyway, simplest first Let's say the car was from the Night World. They cruised down the street in front of the school once before coming back. It's perfectly possible that they saw Iliana standing at the window. Maybe they were trying to determine for sure that she was the Wild Power. If she'd stopped the car, they'd have had solid proof.† â€Å"On the other hand,† Nissa said, â€Å"they must be pretty sure she's the Wild Power. After all, it's really beyond question.† She was looking earnestly at Keller, but she spoke loudly enough for Iliana to hear everything distinctly. Keller smiled with her eyes. â€Å"True. Okay, more ideas. Winnie.† â€Å"Uh-night.† Winnie sat up straighter. â€Å"The car was from the Night World, and they weren't actually trying to run over Jaime. They were going to snatch her because they somehow knew she'd been with us, and they figured she might have some information they could use.† â€Å"Nice try,† Keller said. â€Å"But you were over by the door. You didn't see the way that car was driving. No way they were planning to grab her.† â€Å"I agree,† Galen said. â€Å"They were going too fast, and they were heading right for her. They meant to kill.† Winnie dropped her chin into her hands. â€Å"Oh, well, fine. It was just an idea.† ‘It brings up something interesting, though,† Nissa said thoughtfully. â€Å"What if the car was from the Night World, and they knew Iliana was watching, but they weren't trying to get her to demonstrate her power? What if they were just trying to intimidate her? Show what they were capable of, by lolling her friend right in front of her eyes? If they knew how close she and Jaime were-â€Å" â€Å"How?† Keller interrupted. â€Å"Lots of ways,† Nissa said promptly. â€Å"If they haven't snooped around that high school and talked to other kids, their intelligence system is worse than I think. Ill go farther. If they don't know that Jaime was in that music room with us yesterday at lunch, they ought to turn in their spy badges.† ‘If that's true, then maybe it's even simpler than we think,† Galen said. â€Å"The law says that any human who finds out about us has to die. Maybe the car was from the Night World, and they didn't know that Iliana was watching-or they didn't care. They thought Jaime knew the secret, and they just wanted to carry out a good, old-fashioned Night World execution.† â€Å"And maybe the car wasn't from the Night World!† Iliana yelled suddenly, jumping off the family room couch. She wasn't even pretending not to listen anymore, Keller noted. â€Å"Did any of you ever think of that? Maybe the car just belonged to some crazed juvenile delinquents and it's all a massive coincidence! Well? Did you think of that?† She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at all of them. The effect was somewhat diluted because she was wearing a frilly nightgown with a flannel robe over it and slippers with teddy bear heads on them. Keller stood up, too. She wanted to be patient and make the most of this opportunity. But she never seemed to have much control where Iliana was concerned. â€Å"We've thought of it. Circle Daybreak is trying to check on it-whether the car's registered to a human or a Night Person. But you're asking for a lot of coincidence, aren't you? How often do people deliberately run each other over in this town? What are the chances that you just happened to be watching when one of them did it?† She felt Galen nudge her ankle with his foot. With an effort, she shut up. â€Å"Why don't you come over here and talk with us about it?† he said to Iliana in his gentle way. â€Å"Even if you're not the Wild Power, you're still involved. You know a lot about what's been going on, and you've got a good mind. We need all the help we can get.† Keller saw Winnie glance at him sharply when he said the bit about Iliana having a good mind. But she didn't say anything. Iliana looked a little startled herself. But then she picked up the box of tissues and slowly came to the kitchen table. â€Å"I don't think well when I'm sick,† she said. Keller sat down. She didn't want to undo what Galen had accomplished. â€Å"So where does that leave us?† she asked, and then answered her own question. â€Å"Nowhere, really. It could be any of those scenarios or none of them. We may need to wait for whatever Circle Daybreak comes up with.† Keller looked around the table grimly. â€Å"And that's dangerous,† she said. â€Å"Assuming it was the Night World that sent that car, they're up to something that we don't understand. They could attack us at any moment, from any direction, and we can't anticipate them. I need for all of you to be on your guard. If anything suspicious happens, even the fittest thing, I want you to tell me.† â€Å"It still bothers me that they haven't even tried to get in here,† Galen said. â€Å"No matter how strong the wards are, they should at least be trying.† Keller nodded. She had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach about that. â€Å"They may be laying some kind of a trap somewhere else, and they may be so confident that well fall into it that they can afford to wait.† â€Å"Or it could be that they know I'm not the one,† Hiana chimed in sweetly. â€Å"And they're off kidnapping the real Wild Power while you guys are wasting your time here.† She blew her nose. Keller gritted her teeth and felt a pain in her jaw that was getting familiar. â€Å"Or it could be that we just don't understand dragons,† she said, possibly with more force than was necessary. She and Diana locked stares. â€Å"You guys, you guys,† Winnie said nervously. â€Å"Um, maybe it's time we opened this.† She touched the box Circle Daybreak had sent. Diana's eyes shifted to it with something like involuntary interest. Keller could see why. The box had the mysterious allure of a Christmas present. â€Å"Go ahead,† she told Winnie. It took a while. Winnie did witchy things with a bag of herbs and some talismans, while everyone watched intently and Diana mopped her nose and sniffled. At last, very carefully, Winnie lifted the top of the box off. Everyone leaned forward. Piled inside were dozens and dozens of pieces of parchment. Not entire scrolls but scraps of them, each encased in its own plastic sleeve. Keller recognized the writing†-it was the old language of the shapeshifters. She'd learned it as a child, because Circle Daybreak wanted her to keep in touch with her heritage. But it had been a long time since she'd had to translate it. Diana sneezed and said almost reluctantly, â€Å"Cool pictures.† There were cool pictures. Most of the scraps had three or four tiny illustrations, and some of them had only pictures and no writing. The inks were red and purple and deep royal blue, with details in gold leaf. Keller spread some of the plastic sleeves across the table. â€Å"Okay, people. The idea is to find something that will show us how to fight the dragon, or at least something to tell us how he might attack. The truth is that we don't even know what he can do, except for the black energy he used on me.† â€Å"Um, I can't read this, you know,† Diana pointed out with excessive politeness. â€Å"So look at the pictures,† Keller said sweetly. â€Å"Try to find something where a dragon is fighting a person-or, even better, getting killed by one.† â€Å"How do I know which one's the dragon?† It was an amazingly good question. Keller blinked and looked at Galen. â€Å"Well, actually, I don't know. I don't know if anybody knows how to tell a dragon from another Night Person.† â€Å"The one in the mall-Azhdeha-had opaque black eyes,† Keller said. â€Å"You could tell when you looked into them. But I don't suppose that's going to show up on a parchment like this. Why don't you just look for something with dark energy around it?† Iliana made a tiny noise that in someone less delicate would have been called a snort. But she took a pile of the scraps and began poring over them. â€Å"Okay,† Keller said. â€Å"Now, the rest of us-â€Å" But she never got to finish. The phone on the kitchen wall shrilled. Everyone glanced up toward it, and Iliana started to stand, but there was no second ring. After a long moment of silence, it rang again-once. â€Å"Circle Daybreak,† Keller said. â€Å"Nissa, call them back.† Keller tried not to fidget as Nissa obeyed. It wasn't just that she was hoping against hope that there was useful information about the car. For some reason she couldn't define, that very first ring of the phone had made her feel unsettled. The early warning system of the shapeshifters. It had saved her life before, by giving her a hint of danger. But for what was about to happen now, it was entirely useless. â€Å"Nissa Johnson here. Code word: Angel Rescue,† Nissa said, and Keller saw Diana's eyebrows go up. â€Å"Yes, I'm listening. What?† Suddenly, her face changed. â€Å"What do you mean, am I sitting down?† Pause. â€Å"Look, Paulie, just tell me whatever-â€Å" And then her face changed again, and she did something Keller had never seen Nissa do. She gasped and brought a quick hand up to her mouth. â€Å"Oh, Goddess, no!† Keller's heart was pounding, and there was a boulder of ice in her stomach. She found herself on her feet without any memory of standing. Nissa's light brown eyes were distant, almost blank. Her other hand clutched the receiver. â€Å"How?† Then she shut her eyes. â€Å"Oh, no.† And finally, very softly, â€Å"Goddess help us.†

‘Fortunate to survive so many enemies for so long’ – discuss this verdict of the Weimar, 1919-24

In November 1918, following the calamity of World War One, the authoritarian German Kaiser Wilhelm II was forced to abdicate. Two months later the Weimar was established. This new authority promised to rule more liberally, and brought hope of freedom and prosperity to the German people. However, from its birth in 1919 to its collapse, the Weimar Republic was to face many problems. Thus, the verdict that the Weimar was fortunate to survive would seem correct. The Weimar began its rule over a country in unfavourable circumstances with considerable deep-routed problems. These dated back to Imperial Germany, and were obvious even before the war. Germany had only been united since 1871. Social tensions had been created by rapid industrialisation that led to changes within the class system, as agriculturists were suspicious of industrial workers taking their place. Also, Germany's economy was behind; Britain had a larger navy, and colonial policy in Africa was not successful. This led to doubt concerning national efficiency. To make matters worse, Germany was run by a narrow elite who was unsympathetic to the hardships his people faced. Less that half a century later, the First World War further devastated Germany. The country encountered continual military defeats, army mutiny, low morale, poor living and working conditions, food shortages, a lack of consumer goods, inflation and much more. As a result of these pressing problems, the Weimar had little choice but to accept the terms of the ‘Treaty of Versailles'. This had devastating consequences for Germany. Weakening the country economically, Germany was compelled to give up much of its land including industrial regions such as Alsace Lorraine, surrender all of its colonies, dematerialise the Rhineland, disarm its army and eliminate its airforce, and pay reparations of i6,600 million. These things brought further hardship for the German people, as the country was continually drained of its wealth and resources. Socially stunting, Germany was forced to accept all responsibility for starting the war, and to accept article 231; the ‘War Guilt Clause'. This led to an overwhelmingly low morale. Politically, Germany was to have an Ally-friendly liberal government. This was a main cause of the introduction of a new constitution, and heavily influenced the style of the Weimar. The set-up of this new democratic government itself brought problems for Germany. The Weimar adopted a policy of proportional representation. This system worked effectively as long as the politicians were prepared to support the constitution. However, the President was given powers under article 48 which could, in times of ‘national emergency', be used to undermine the democratic constitution. This was often abused, and led to dictator-like rulers. Also, the new constitution meant that the Republic consisted of many small parties that had to work together in coalition governments with a proportional representation system. This did not work as the parties had very different political views, and so often couldn't agree on issues. As well as this, many parties within the Weimar actually disagreed with its existence. Leaders of the army, civil service and legal system disliked the new constitution. This lead to certain figures deliberately working against the Republic and stirred trouble in hope that it might fail. The most significant threat came from the President of the Republic from 1925, Field Marshall Paul von Hindenburg. Thus, the Weimar itself led to further weakness in Germany. As well as internal enemies, the Weimar also faced a vast number of outer opposition groups. On the left of German politics, communists such as the Spartacists in 1919, attempted to overthrow the government. On the other extreme, monarchists like Wolfgang Kapp in 1920, or extreme nationalists attempted to destroy democracy in Germany. These revolutions undermined the Weimar, and rallied much opposition from the German people. The opposition also led to other flaws in the Weimar. For example, the Spartacist revolution resulted in the Eber-Groner pact, which was designed to protect Germany from Communism. However, this agreement represented a huge mistake made by Ebert and his SPD colleges in believing that the threat to the Republic came primarily from the left, when later the army wouldn't help protect the government against Hitler as he was right wing. Also, the very fact that the pact was needed showed that the Weimar was weak. The sum of these factors led to an overall weakness in the Weimar, though some are much more vital that others. Perhaps the most important was Treaty of Versailles, which led to social, economic, and most crucially political unrest as it also contributed to the success of the Weimar's opponents i. e. the slogan of the ‘November criminals', or the ‘War guilt clause' gave the Nazis a useful source of propaganda. Another vital weakness was constitution itself, which allowed both internal and external opponents to attack its weaknesses, such as proportional representation, or Article 48 which Field Marshall Paul von Hindenburg used to undermine the Constituency. Also, many of the factors that led to the Weimar's weaknesses inter-link with one another, for example the lack of German unity partly resulted due to previous deep-routed problems of Imperial Germany, or the Spartacist revolt that resulted in the unsuccessful Eber-Groner pact. Yet, despite all of these varied problems, the Weimar remained, supporting the statement that it was ‘Fortunate to survive so many enemies for so long'. Yet, there were some factors that worked in favour of the Weimar i. e. many people were simply relieved to have change, and pleased that the soldiers were able to return home. Another helpful act is that in 1926 reparations were reduced, and assistance was given to Germany to help with re-building. Therefore, as well as simply withstanding defeat, the Weimar managed several accomplishments which led to an improvement the German people' way of life, for example the Constitution solved hyperinflation in 1923, and also improved foreign relations. Plus, after 1924 further improvements were made i. e. Dawes plan by Stresseman. Yet, overall the Weimar's weaknesses seem to out-weigh its strengths, and hence the statement seems to be an accurate interpretation.

Jenny: A Character Analysis Essay

INTRODUCTION This paper is a two-part personality analysis of Jenny’s character in the movie Forrest Gump. Jenny is the lead character’s childhood friend who, as a child, is sexually and physically abused by her own father and, as a young adult, gets into drug addiction and attempts suicide, and eventually succumbs to an early death, leaving behind Forrest and their only son. Section I looks at Jenny from the points of view of Social Cognitive and Psychodynamic theories. Section II is an in-depth analysis of Jenny’s personality using Social Cognitive Theory.    Section I:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Character Personality Matrix Theory Major Components Structure Process Growth and Development Psychopathology Change    Social Cognitive Theory    Jenny has a talent in singing but has poor self-perception, low self-efficacy and does not have goals.    Jenny lacks self-regulation.       Jenny has a mal-adaptive personality which is a result of her low self-efficacy. She could have learned her anti-social or maladaptive behavior (drug use, being associated with anti-social peers, and suicidal tendencies, among others) through observation from models as well as through direct experience. She was brought up by an abusive father, she has witnessed aggression (she was present when Forrest was bullied by the kids at school) and, as a grown-up, been a direct recipient of an aggressive behavior (she was hit in the face by her boyfriend in the Blank Panther party).       Jenny’s maladaptive behavior is a result of dysfunctional learning — she has observed and directly experienced inadequate or sick models (his father and his peers) — and maintained this kind of learning through reinforcement. She seems to have a phobia in relationship, that’s why she keeps running from Forrest who loves her and whom she professes to love.    Jenny shows a remarkably altered behavior toward the end of the movie — the result of her acquiring new thought patterns and behavior, and improved self-efficacy. Psychodynamic Theory Jenny has a weakened ego caused by an internal conflict. Jenny is suffering from anxiety caused by earlier trauma (her traumatic experience with her father, and even her experience of witnessing traumatic events happen to Forrest). Jenny is living in a distorted reality. She has learned to repress her emotions. She may also be living in denial of her traumatic past. Jenny’s maladaptive behavior from young adulthood and into adulthood are mainly caused by her traumatic experiences when she was a young girl (that is, the physical and sexual abuse she received from her father). Jenny exhibits a conflict of wishes and fears. She has carried over into adulthood her childhood wishes and dreams. Jenny’s altered behavior toward the end of the movie may be the result of undergoing cathartic hypnosis or free-association method.    Section II:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Application of Personality Theory    Theory Description and Rationale Social cognitive theory is a personality theory proposed by Albert Bandura and Richard Walters in 1963. Taking its roots from the social learning theory proposed by Neal Miller and John Dollard in 1941, it views people as â€Å"neither driven by inner forces nor automatically shaped and controlled by external stimuli†¦ [but are] active agents who exercise some influence over their own motivation and actions,† (Bandura, 1986, p. 18, 225). It views people as â€Å"self-organizing, proactive, self-reflecting and self-regulating rather than as reactive organisms shaped and shepherded by environmental forces or driven by concealed inner impulses,† and human processes as â€Å"the product of a dynamic interplay of personal, behavioral, and environmental influences,† (Fajares, 2002). What’s good about the theory is that it takes into account the individual’s beliefs and expectations. It emphasizes that although reinforcement and punishment affect motivation, they do not directly cause behavior. According to the theory, the beliefs that people have about themselves are critical in their response to situations. People are both products and producers of their own environments and of their social systems, and, though they are influenced by their environment, their interpretations of their situations greatly shape their behavior. Humans, in the view of the theory, posses intricate capabilities that define what it is to be human. They can symbolize and deduct meanings from symbols, learn, self-regulate, and self-reflect, among other things, and these capabilities help them define their own personality (Fajares, 2002). According to the theory, modeling, which can be direct (from live models), symbolic (from books, movies, and television), or synthesized (combining the acts of different models), lies at the core of social cognitive theory. Modeling can cause new behaviors, facilitate existing behaviors, change inhibitions, and arouse emotions (Pervin, 1989). The choice of the social cognitive theory to analyze the character of Jenny in the movie, Forrest Gump is mainly due to the author’s perception of the theory as the most comprehensive of all the personality theories, and hence, the most fitting to analyze the character in question. The theory takes into consideration factors that behavioral and cognitive theories dismiss. It can also clearly explain things that the other theories cannot explain, as it does not have as many limitations as the other personality theories. Character Description From the view of the social cognitive theory, Jenny is a talented woman, but has poor self-perception and low self-efficacy. This means that she most likely thinks of herself as incapable of coping with situations. Likewise, Jenny has poor self-regulation and is without goals. This means that she does not have a guide that will help her to establish her priorities, and is more likely incapable of regulating her own behavior. Having directly experienced physical and sexual abuse from her father as a child, and having lived in an environment that tolerates maladaptive behavior as a young adult, Jenny eventually exhibited maladaptive behavior herself as a result of the interplay of her environment and her poor self-perception, self-efficacy and self-regulation. It is also a result of her dysfunctional self-conception and expectations. Towards the end of the movie, we see an altered Jenny. She is more mature in appearance and in the way she carries herself. She is shown performing a normal job (a waitress) and finds it easier to talk to Forrest about why she keeps running away from him. From the point of view of the social cognitive theory, this improvement in her behavior is a result of an improved self-efficacy and the acquisition of new thought pattern and behavior. From the point of view of the psychodynamic theory, Jenny may be described as one who has a weakened ego due to her internal conflicts, which is brought about by her traumatic experiences in the hands of her father when she was a child. She has carried into adulthood the memories of the traumatic experiences of her childhood, albeit in a repressed manner. She may not be conscious of the underlying problems in her personality, but it is shown in the way she keeps running away from Forrest whom she says she loves, and as manifested by her involvements with drugs and her having suicidal tendencies, among others. The altered Jenny that we see in the movie may have been the result of undergoing cathartic hypnosis or free-association method. She could have finally discovered and resolved her inner conflicts and set free her repressed memories. Character analysis Structure    The character of Jenny in the movie has a talent in singing. In fact, her dream is to become a professional singer. As a young kid, Jenny showed ability to relate with another person on a personal level; she and Forrest taught each other some tricks. She also showed the ability to encourage others to overcome their fears; she urged Forrest to climb tree, shouting, â€Å"Come on Forrest, you can do it!† from the tree top. However, even as a kid, she already seemed to have escapist tendencies: she is seen running away from her father, and praying to God: â€Å"Dear God, make me a bird, so I can run far, far away from here† (Tishe, Finerman, & Zemeckis, 1994). She also urges Forrest to run away and to run fast whenever she sees her friend being bullied. She shouts: â€Å"Run Forrest, run!† Many years later, when Forrest was assigned to Vietnam, she would advise him not to try to be brave but to run away from trouble, fast. But while her friend’s Forrest’s runs are in the literal sense, Jenny’s is both in the literal and in the figurative senses. She did a lot of running, but not away from trouble, but towards it, and away from the person she loves — Forrest. Viewed from the structure of her personality through the lens of social cognitive theory, Jenny appears to have poor self-perception, as manifested when, as an answer to Forrest’s question as to why she wouldn’tt marry him, she says it is Forrest who would not want to marry her (implying that Forrest deserves someone better than her) and, again, when she gives Forrest her being screwed up as the reason for her running away from him. She tells him when she explained for the first time why she kept going out of his sight: â€Å"I was just messed up† (Tishe, Finerman, & Zemeckis, 1994). Jenny likewise has a poor self-efficacy. According to Bandura (1986) in Pajares (2002), self efficacy is the perceived ability to cope with specific situations. It is the people’s â€Å"judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances.† Having a poor self-efficacy hindered Jenny from achieving her dream of becoming a famous singer because self-efficacy is the very basis of motivation. People with poor efficacy tend to avoid activities that they perceive to be beyond their capabilities, may not put much effort to achieve their dreams, may not persist when there are obstacles, may have negative thought patterns while performing the tasks needed to be done to achieve their dreams and may have negative emotional reactions while anticipating an event, or in the middle performing a task. Hence, she always finds herself wanting to fly but couldn’t. Finally, though Jenny had dreams of a good future, she did not have goals. According to the social cognitive theory, goals are those that â€Å"guide us in establishing priorities among rewards and in selecting among situations that enable us to go beyond momentary influences and to organize our behavior over extended period of time,† (Pervin, 1989, p.338). Jenny failed to establish her priorities and overcome the bad influences in her life and to have an organized behavior over a period of time. Hence, since attending an all-girl school, she has been involved in maladaptive behavior, such as getting into drugs, being with bad crowds, having suicidal tendencies, as well as having relationship phobia, among others. Process As a young kid, Jenny had been exposed to and directly experienced aggressive behavior from his father, and from the bullies who mistreated Forrest in her presence. And while attending an all-girl school, she might have had negative influences from peers, and these negative influences may have been accepted in her new environment. Having been introduced to an environment that gave positive rewards to bad behavior by means of acceptance, Jenny eventually turned out doing the modeled behavior. But more than just having been thrown in an environment that accepts negative behavior, the more important thing that could have contributed to Jenny’s maladaptive behavior is her lack of the ability to self-regulate. Self-regulation involves an individual’s ability to control their behavior rather than mechanically reacting to external influences (Pervin, 1989). If Jenny was able to self-regulate, meaning, she was able to process the influences modeled to her such that she was able to assign which behavior was socially acceptable, and which behavior was not, she could have prevented herself from succumbing to the negative influences modeled to her. According to the social cognitive theory, behavior is maintained by expectancies or anticipated consequences. Individuals learn to set appropriate goals for themselves, and reward themselves with self-praise, when they are able to model the behavior and with guilt when they fail to. Moreover, behavior is not exclusively regulated by external forces; there is a process of self-reinforcement through which individuals reward themselves for attaining the standards they set for themselves (Pervin, 1989). Jenny, who does not have goals in the first place, as mentioned in the structure section of this paper, also does not seem capable of self-regulating. Growth and Development As a result of her low self-efficacy, Jenny has developed a maladaptive personality which she learned through observation from models as well as through direct experience, having been brought up by a physically and sexually abusive father, and having witnessed and directly experienced aggression outside of the home; she was present when Forrest was bullied by the kids at school and, as a grown-up, been hit in the face by her boyfriend during an argument in a Blank Panther party. Jenny seems not to have become an aggressive person, but she developed maladaptive behavior. Her aversive experiences drove her to use drugs, develop phobia of relationship, and to attempt or contemplate suicide. Psychopathology Jenny’s maladaptive behavior is a result of dysfunctional learning —she has observed and directly experienced inadequate or sick models (his father and his peers) and maintained this kind of learning through reinforcement. Her exposure to and direct experience of inadequate models may have resulted in dysfunctional expectancies and self-perceptions. Her running away from Forrest who loves her and whom she professes to love may be indicative of a relationship phobia. It may be possible that she is reminded of her painful past which she might be trying to run away from whenever she is with Forrest. Or maybe she has developed fear of pain — fear of being ridiculed when with Forrest perhaps, or fear of the ghost of her painful past. According to the social cognitive theory, dysfunctional expectations and self conceptions have a great role in the learning of overt behavior, such that people learn, erroneously, to expect painful things to follow some events or to associate pain with an event (Pervin, 1986). In Jenny’s case, her developing a relationship phobia (with Forrest) may be caused by associating pain with being with Forrest, or expecting pain to happen by being with Forrest for a long period of time. Her incessant impulse to stay away from Forrest after brief encounters with him may be a defensive behavior to escape the pain she expects to experience or painful events she expects to happen when she is with Forrest. Change Toward the end of the movie, we see a new Jenny. She no longer exhibits maladaptive behavior, no longer runs away from Forrest, and is now able to confess her feelings. In the view of social cognitive theory, change in behavior happens when there is alteration in the level of and strength in self-efficacy. As the level of self-efficacy increases, a person’s behavior tends to change toward positive behavior (Pervin, 1989). At some point in her life (while Forrest was running across America), Jenny must have had acquired new thought patterns and behavior, and improved self-efficacy. This change in Jenny might have been brought about in part by maturation and her becoming a mother, but mostly by having new influences to model from. During that time in her life when change started to develop, she could have met new friends who modeled to her good behavior, in an environment that accepts that kind of behavior. She might have had systematic desensitization of her phobia; thus, in the end she is not only able to go back to the man she loves and with whom she has a child, but also ask him to marry her. Internal and External Factors Jenny’s personality is both a product of internal and external factors. Among the external factors that greatly influenced her personality include her father and the abuses he inflicted upon her; her aunt who took care of her when she was taken from her father; her peers in school and the people she came in contact with throughout her life; Forrest himself and the friendship they shared together since they were young children; and the events in the society they were born into. Compared with Forrest, Jenny is more involved with the events that shaped their country. The internal factors, on the other hand, include her thoughts about, feelings toward and perceptions of the people that she came in contact with and of the events that took place around her. Together, the external and internal factors have defined the person that is Jenny. Conclusion   Ã‚   Overall, when seen from the perspective of the social learning theory, Jenny comes out as a person who was not only screwed up by the environment but also by her inability to process her circumstances in a manner that could have enabled her to prevail over the sad events in her life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jenny’s greatest achievement is that she eventually prevailed over her maladaptive behavior toward the end of the movie. This change, from the point of view of social cognitive theory, is not impossible. All she needed is someone to model from — someone who has had similar circumstances like hers, but is behaving differently. She must have had at least one such model.    References Albert Bandura biographical sketch. (n.d.) Retrieved January 26, 2008 from Emory University, Division of Educational Studies Website: http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/bandurabio.html Bandura, Albert. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: New Prentice Hall. Boeree, George C. (2006). Albert Bandura. Retrieved January 28, 2008 from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/bandura.html    Pajares, Frank. (2002). Overview of social cognitive theory and of self-efficacy. Retrieved January 25, 2008 from http://www.emory.edu/EDUCATION/mfp/eff.html Pervin, Lawrence A. (1989). Personality theory and research. US: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Social cognitive approach to personality: Albert Bandura. (2001, February 26). Retrieved, January 26, 2008 from http://condor.admin.ccny.cuny.edu/~hhartman/SOCIAL%20COGNITIVE%20APPROACH%20TO%20PERSONALITY%20ALBERT%20BANDURA%20 (1925).htm Social cognitive theory. (n.d.) Retrieved January 26, 2008 from http://www.infosihat.gov.my/Artikel%20HP/Social%20Cognitive%20Theory.doc Social cognitive theory. (2004). Retrieved January 26, 2008 from the University of Twente Website: http://www.tcw.utwente.nl/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Health%20Communication/Social_cognitive_theory.doc/ Social Cognitive Theory. (n.d.) Retrieved January 26, 2008 from University of Wisconsin-Milwauke Website: http://www.uwm.edu/~vince/psy407/wwwcourse.407.lec20.soccog.handout.htm    The psychodynamic theory. (n.d.) Retried January 26, 2008 from Ryerson University Website: http://www.ryerson.ca/~glassman/psychdyn.html Tishe, S. & Finerman W. (Producer) & Zemeckis, R. (Director). (1994). Forrest Gump [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.   

Presentation PowerPoint Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

PowerPoint Presentation Example As earlier stated in my introduction, this report aims at achieving two main goals. The most essential one is to improve students’ academic performance. Secondly, it is to guarantee student manage their time effectively and utilize it well. People say that time is money and am sure we all love money and use it carefully (supposed to be like a joke). I am also sure that we do not want to waste our parent’s money sitting around wasting time and doing nothing. (make it fun by like asking question or asking another student the same question. (MAYBE, Jimmy, do you think it is good to waste time in school?) I am going to narrow down to three main topics in my presentation of managing students time. The first will be on follow plans, good study habits and procrastination. I believe these topics touch on the relevant issues in time management especially when students are concerned. We are all supposed to have plans. I believe you have some plans after this. It maybe to go eat a burger or hang out with your friends ( supposed to be fun when you are saying this. You may make a joke by mentioning some crazy plans. Take care though not to stay on that for long). Now, in the school context, we students are supposed to make academic plans and follow them strictly. The plans show time allocation for each subject. They also make sure that time for one subject does not take up the other’s time. Follow plans are supposed to help your organization during study. They also make sure you cover all subjects without discrimination. By sticking to follow plans, the time you have in school will be well managed. There are various types of follow plans. The most common and recommended ones are study plans, revision plans and progress assessment plans. Study plans are for organization of study time and materials. Revision plans come in handy when preparing for exams and progress assessment plans monitor your academic achievement over time. Students ought to have all of these plans

Research Paper on Womens Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research Paper on Womens Rights - Essay Example However they overlooked the fact that raising children, milking cows, washing clothes and all the other household chores require heavy intensive labor. And recent experiments and tests have shown that women are more pain tolerant than men. The biological implication of the women as the child bearer has also played a pivotal role in incarcerating them in the house. The common view, that a woman's place is in the house basically stem more from that than any other reason. Even after the invention of contraceptives and abortions, due to which they have a greater control over child birth, societal pressures force them to take up the position of a dedicated wife and mother. Due to this pressure the world fails to see and benefit from the intellect of talented women. Most of them fail to finish college and even if they do a little percentage pursue careers. Traditionally, females are expected to learn skills from their mothers. More emphasis is given on developing instincts for running houses rather than a profession. During the 1960s many studies revealed that girls tended to achieve higher in early school years rather than in high schools. A major reason was that girls themselves were never aware that they can have more prospects than just being a house wife. The concept did not exist in their minds. They accepted whatever was ingrained in them. However this trend has been changing over the years. (Eisenberg & Ruthsdotte, 1998) General History Taking a trip down the lane of history it can be seen that the formal education of girls has always been given less importance than that of boys. When America was a colony, the girls used to study in dame schools. They did not have any master school of their own and they could only attend the school for boys if there was any room available for them. This was mainly in the summers when all the boys were out working. However the number of women students started increasing gradually and by the end of the 19th century it had reached great levels. This was due to the fact that more and more women colleges and universities were opened and these women could even apply in regular institutes. In 1870 it was recorded that one fifth of the students studying in the colleges and universities were females. Another survey held in 1900 showed that this proportion had increased to more than one third. As for degrees, women were found to be obtaining 19 % of all the undergraduate college degrees around the start of the 20th century. By the end of the 20th century, this figure had dramatically risen to about 49 %. Even in graduate studies these women were seen to increase in number. Around the mid 1980's they were earning 49 % of all masters degrees and 33 % of all doctoral degrees. Also around the same period it was recorded that 53% of all college students were women from which more than a quarter were above the age of 29. Political History of Women Liberation First Wave The women rights movement began on the 13th of July 1848 when 6 women met for tea. Their conversation drifted towards the situation of women and feeling discontented with it they decided to take action. Today we are living the legacy of the conversation between these women. After two days of the

IP1 management report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IP1 management report - Essay Example Business choices frequently require the information of individuals in more than one practical region(Dell, 2015). This prompts a superior understanding of the bigger view, permitting individuals with distinctive thoughts, viewpoints and ability to voice their plans and find innovative and creative answers for issues that the association is encountering. Among the major organization and overall management strategies, Dell Inc. uses framing, particularly in solving challenges and as a good example on how the company’s managers observe the organization function. Framing does not necessarily give a solution for this issue but it gives a sense of direction and intuition. It prompts teamwork and contribution from everyone including the staff, middle-level management etc. It structural attribute that rationalizes the need for organization, accuracy and self-driven motivation as key constituents for making the right decisions and countering an issue efficiently(Dell, 2015). Additionally, communication is among the core factors and an aspect that Dell management emphasizes on throughout the operations. This helps the managers to create a bond and strong relationship with the rest of the staff members. Consequently, it facilitates novelty and expression without any pressure from the employees; they will freely approach the leader with new ideas and potential solutions for problems (Chapman, 2014). According to Dell’s management, leadership is as significant as management itself hence their key aims is establishing the harmonizing link between both. They ensure that the company’s corporate leaders are experts of all business functions, and through this management, supervision and control is easier because, an executive has more details on the different modules of an organization(Dell, 2015). Additionally, under leadership and sustainability, the leader rotates through different roles before they come to their main project as part of individual

Malaria case management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Malaria case management - Essay Example Eradicating malaria in the world is one of the top priorities of global health organisations and is a key objective of attaining universal health related targets stipulated in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (United Nations 2010). Consequently, both developed and developing countries have reinvigorated efforts to combat the disease that has remained a serious threat to health and wellbeing of people across the world for a long period. Currently, policies to control and prevent malaria infections form an important component of public health systems and primary care services play a pivotal role in their implementation. Some of malaria control and preventive measures include application of insecticide treated bed nets to prevent human contact with mosquitoes, indoor residual spraying with efficient insecticide and eradicating mosquito breeding habitats (Mathews 2011). Other measures include use of anti malarial drugs to treat the infection in all segments of affected population, including pregnant women and HIV/AIDS patients in addition to maintaining sustained malarial surveillance across the world (Mathews 2011). These policies have enhanced management and treatment of malaria in primary care service. However, before investigating impacts of government policies in management and treatment of the condition in primary care, it is important to explore the symptoms and causes of malaria and how they inform nursing practice. Causes and symptoms of malaria Malaria is a vector borne disease transmitted by female anopheles mosquito. The causative malarial parasite is a protozoan of genus plasmodium (MacDonald 1997). There are five major species of malarial parasites responsible for transmission of malaria. They include Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium knowlesi. However, plasmodium vivax and plasmodium falciparum are the most important causes of malaria infection in the world (MacDonald 1997). The initi al symptoms of malaria infection are not specific and demonstrate remarkable resemblance to signs of a minor systemic viral disease (WHO 2009). The symptoms include fatigue, headache, fatigue and lassitude, normally followed by abdominal, muscle and joint pains. These symptoms are accompanied by fever, anorexia, chills, profuse sweating and vomiting. These signs are the major defining characteristics of malaria infection at the early stage (WHO 2009). People in regions where malaria is endemic are usually knowledgeable about these symptoms and consequently, incidences of self diagnosis are prevalent. Achan et al (2011) noted high incidents of malarial over diagnosis in primary care services especially in malaria endemic regions based on the demonstrated symptoms. According to Brieger (2009), the severity of malarial symptoms varies depending on the type of parasite involved. Infection by plasmodium vivax and plasmodium ovale demonstrates more pronounced symptoms of fever and chills than other malarial species. However, fatality rate at early malaria infection is rare but it increases when treatment is delayed and on prescription of ineffective drugs (Brieger 2009; WHO 2009). Delaying treatment of

Incarnation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Incarnation - Research Paper Example Thus, in the earliest state of Christianity, the Evangelists did neither elaborate on Jesus’s words â€Å"The Father and I are one†3 nor expound on the baptizing formula â€Å"in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit†4; which, according to Dibb, indicates that they were more concerned with the message of salvation, rather than with the theological detail.5 On the other hand, identifying Jesus as Christ and linking Him to the Father (Lord), the New Testament writers not just suggested the fulfillment of Jewish expectations of the Messiah, but also His divine status – the latter being considered the central point that has made the uniqueness of Christianity6. All in all, the whole Christian tradition could be considered as â€Å"recording and interpreting various collective and individual experiences of Jesus†7; while the experiential knowledge of Jesus, in turn, became more or less the basis of ‘philosophy’ in the context of Christology89. ... This paper is focused on the central concept in Christology, namely the incarnation, which actually represents the greatest challenge faced by theologians, philosophers and apologists concerned with the Christian faith and worship. The following sections explore the concept of incarnation as viewed by representatives of different schools of thought and traditions within the Christian Church, as well as by contemporary theologians and researchers in the field. Thus, the paper traces the development of this concept over the centuries and attempts to address its acceptability nowadays. Early Christian Writers – Views of the Nature of God The relationship between the human and the divine, the finite and infinite, in the person of Jesus, appeared an issue that increasingly required further articulation. St Ignatius, who became the Bishop of Antioch in 69 AD and was sentenced to death in about 107 AD, wrote a series of Epistles to the Christians, in which Jesus Christ is depicted as â€Å"God becoming visible†, â€Å"God existing in flesh, true life in death†, representing the mind of the Father12. Ignatius had philosophically described a progression â€Å"from divinity to humanity†, where Jesus Christ is not considered a separate being but a part of the progression whereby the mind of God had become flesh, and the â€Å"doorway to the Father†13. However, according to Ignatius, the human and divine in Christ does not interfere with the unity of God14. One of the earliest Christian writers, St Irenaeus of Lyons (120 – 202 AD), who served at Lyons as a presbyter to Polycarp, wrote his magnum opus – Against Heretics – at about 180 AD15. In this work, having exposed the errors of Gnosticism, Irenaeus set forth

Just-in-time (JIT) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Just-in-time (JIT) - Research Paper Example According to Helle (1988), integrating the concept of JIT scheduling with the MRP-II could not only preserve the simplicity of MRP-II design but also enables the end-users to easily understand the purpose of using the MRP-II (p. 100). Even though both the concept of JIT and MRP-II aims to reduce the bottle-necks that could hinder the flow of production, the success of JIT scheduling is still highly dependent on the capabilities of the MRP-II. In general, the application of MRP II can lead to management problems related to inaccurate information entered in MRP II software, the absence of proper skills necessary for the implementation of effective production planning and control system, the absence of top-management support, and the probability wherein the MRP II report will be by-passed by staff (Sheikh, pp. 190 – 192). Since manufacturing and control system is complex by nature, problems related to the use of MRP-II could negatively affect the success of implementing an efficient JIT scheduling. For example: Staff of Manufacturing X does not support the implementation of MRP-II system. Since JIT scheduling and MRP-II has been integrated to improve the flow of production, the lack of employee support over the use of MRP-II system could still result to inefficient JIT scheduling

Leading in Teaching, Learning and Mentoring Practice Essay

Leading in Teaching, Learning and Mentoring Practice - Essay Example Moving onwards to the role of a teacher as a leader in the educational settings, it can be further elucidated by considering the major roles of a teacher leader as explained by Harrison and Killain (2007). Through their work, they have emphasized the role a teacher can play in the lives of their pupils both by working along with his colleagues and also himself directly. Some of them include role of a teacher as a; Participative leadership- through which the teacher leader himself becomes a part of the change being brought about and is in a better position to collaborate with his fellows in achieving a set target A teacher leader is different from a school leader. He enjoys authority and power of a more expanded nature. Through formal and informal efforts, a teacher leader can collaborate with his colleague and even the head of the institution for the betterment of the educational setup. While in the work environment, a number of incidences are encountered which further strengthen the statement that a teacher plays the role of a leader. Two of such cases are elaborated in the subsequent paragraphs. I had the opportunity to work in Meadow High School and teach autistic children with special needs. During my stay there as a teacher, I came across the ways in which these children were being dealt with. While some of them were commendable, I found certain aspects of interaction and teaching lacking there. The school plans and teaches to a mainly primary model which prepares the student for an entry level qualification, although there are opportunities for the students to gain GCSE’s and A levels if the students are able to do so. In recent years the needs of students have become more complex as was witnessed by me during my interaction students which all had Autism of a moderate to complex level. ‘Autism is one of the most common developmental disabilities in the world, affecting approximately 1

Quantitative Case Study in Public Relation Campaign

Quantitative in Public Relation Campaign - Case Study Example In the same year, 12.8 per 100000 women died from breast cancer. Breast cancer when detected at an early stage can be treated. But when it is detected at a later stage, it cannot. Amputation is what will be done and if the cancer is systemic, then death will follow (Abdel-Fattah, Zaki, Bassili, el-Shazly & Tognoni, 2000). Due to these effects, it is important to begin promoting awareness for women and young girls to occasionally be undergoing breast cancer screening. The campaign purports to employ situational theory in assessing the level of awareness on breast cancer self examination technique (J. J. Scheurich et al. 2004). It is believed that breast cancer can be detected at personal level. The campaign main objectives is to promote the awareness to young girls and encourage them to be practicing breast cancer self examination (Abdel-Fattah et al, 2000). The study is focused on using the situational theory of public (STPs) to find out the level of knowledge about breast cancer among young girls (Abdel-Fattah et al, 2000). There is need to describe the level and extent in which breast cancer self examination is practiced by young girls of the target sample. Finally describe the perception of the young women concerning the causes, control and fatality of breast cancer (Abdelhadi, 2006). The memorable brand to be used in the entire campaign is a pink ribbon which is international symbol of breast cancer awareness (Abdelhadi, 2006). Participants and respondents will wear the ribbon as a sign of sending the message of awareness and to commit. Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer affecting women in developed and developing countries. Over the years, the disease has always been connected to manifest more on older women. Cancer has bee rated to have ousted HIV/AIDs and is now number one killer disease in the

Evaluating E-Commerce Strategy Development within Organisations Essay Example for Free

Evaluating E-Commerce Strategy Development within Organisations Essay Background The news about the â€Å"New Economy† has triggered many entrepreneurial ventures to exploit on the electronic commerce (e-commerce) opportunities. Ventures such as Amazon and eBay have received significant media attention and investor optimism about the potential of e-commerce. Now that the smoke has settled, both management and academic research have become interested on the impact of e-commerce on those companies that have supplemented their brick-and-mortar outlets with e-commerce initiatives. Several researches have emerged on effect of e-commerce on organisational strategy. Tapscott et al (1998) discusses the organisational changes created by B2B e-commerce and the benefits of deploying e-commerce within the organisation. O’Connell (2000) discusses the effect of e-commerce in the organisational structure in light of the resource-based view and transaction cost theory. E-commerce has been seen as improving efficiency, communication and lowering costs across business processes (O’Connell, 2000; Krovi et al., 2003; Garicano and Kaplan, 2001). In addition, researches have also shown the influence of e-commerce on brand management. Wind Mahajan (2001). discuss how the competitive environment is changing with the increasing number of Internet users and how the new technology is redefining the marketplace. The research presented a conceptual framework delineating the drivers and outcomes of marketing strategy in the context of competing in both physical and electronic marketplace. Part of the emergence of electronic marketplace is the ability of organisations to offer highly customized products to consumers, and the capability to build and to manage customer relationships (Brown, 2000). The aim of the research is to investigate the way in which an organisation develops its electronic commerce strategy over time in light of existing strategic approaches and development found within related literature. The research particularly looks into Marks Spencer e-commerce strategy as the case study for the research. The research looks into how Marks Spencer has developed and implemented its e-commerce strategy. Drawing from strategic management theories, the research specifically focuses on the how an e-commerce strategy is grounded on reducing transaction cost within the organisation and across the value chain. Furthermore, the research also looks into the importance of relationship marketing and how e-commerce is providing organisations with the necessary technology to achieve seamless exchange of information and reduced costs. Strategically, the adoption of e-commerce within an organisation hinges on these two important strategic management theories. In addition, the research is confined within the business-to-consumer (B2C) market, since business-to-business (B2B) relations are frequently characterized by a small number of customers and a strong emphasis on personal contacts between customers and salespeople as their means of marketing communication. Therefore, the research focuses on how consumers view their shopping experience within an e-commerce site, particularly Marks Spencer. The Overview of the Study   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The remainder of this study is as following statement:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chapter 2, Literature Review, will provide a concise concept and explanation of electronic commerce within retail organisation. The review of related literature discusses the concept and application areas of e-commerce within organisation. The review will also tackle the important strategic management concepts such as transaction cost theory and relationship marketing and how e-commerce is enabling organisations achieve increased efficiency, improved communication, and lower costs across its value chain. Chapter 3, Methodology, will describe the research design of this study. The research design of this study is empirical research method using secondary data for quantitative analysis. Chapter 4, Results, will demonstrate the results of this study.   At first, the descriptive statistical data such as maximum, minimum and mean, on the consumer’s perspective on the different service attributes of e-commerce site for Marks and Spencer. Chapter 5, Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations, the â€Å"Summary† section will first provide a comprehensive summary of the major findings of this study. The â€Å"Conclusion† section will highlight the implications of the research findings. Finally, â€Å"Recommendations† will be proposed to help companies to utilize the importance of electronic commerce in their strategic assessment.   In next chapter, related researches in electronic commerce will be reviewed CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Electronic Commerce According to the International Engineering Forum, e-commerce is â€Å"an emerging model of new selling and merchandising tools in which buyers are able to participate in all phases of a purchase decision, while stepping through those processes electronically rather than in a physical store or by phone (with a physical catalog). (online International Engineering Forum)† E-commerce enables a customer to access product information, select items to purchase, purchase items securely and have the purchase settled financially.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While the notion of e-commerce as the ability of organisations or a person to sell over the Internet is very popular, the research paper will adopt the definition of Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). E-commerce can be defined as â€Å"the total of all applications that pertain to online communications and transaction (OECD, 2000).† The definition better suit our purpose of discussing e-commerce in the context of strategic management. The research views e-commerce holistically, which encompasses the communication between organisations and customer over the Internet, the completion of one-time or on-going online transactions, and e-CRM systems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The emergence of e-commerce in the retail sector is one of the most widely adopted and anticipated development in the industry. Following the success of Amazon, many brick-and-mortar retailers jumped into the dot com bandwagon and established their online presence in the World Wide Web. Many have adopted e-commerce capabilities out of a fear of falling behind competitors or as a result of the general momentum to expand the use of an existing Internet presence. Nonetheless, the main value proposition for organisations adopting an online presence is the prospect of increasing revenue from new markets and using a lower-cost, electronic-distribution channel (online International Engineering Forum).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With a strong demand from organisations in creating an online presence, internet service providers (ISPs) have begun to offer electronic-commerce hosting services. ISPs often position as a outsourced service provider of the customers’ electronic-commerce capabilities, managing the networking and server aspects of the initiatives. Such services are important consideration for the roll-out e-commerce sites as it allows organisations to leverage on the expertise of ISPs and allows organisations to concentrate on their core businesses (online International Engineering Forum).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the customer’s perspective, the main benefit of an e-commerce system is the convenience it brings to consumers, who are constrained by busy schedule and numerous activities. The e-commerce system enables a customer to locate and purchase a desired good or service over the Internet when the customer is ready to make the purchase. Its function is synonymous to a virtual store (online International Engineering Forum).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the merchant’s perspective, the e-commerce system enables the organisation to take advantage of the strengths of online store and increase revenues. One of the key benefits of implementing an online store is the capability to cover greater market reach and a complementary distribution channel to its existing brick-and-mortar stores. However, in order to effectively implement an e-commerce strategy, the e-commerce system must recreate or utilize existing data and business processes. The merchant must recreate the same shopping experience in its online store providing in-store assistance, secure payment process, catalogs and prices about the products and services, inventory management, and transaction capabilities (including credit authorization, tax computation, financial settlement, and shipping) (online International Engineering Forum).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, e-commerce not only allows merchants to take advantage of market reach, but it also enables merchants to redefine and enhance an enterprise’s brand strength, customer-service capability, and supply-chain efficiency. An e-commerce site is one of the areas of an enterprise infrastructure that is open to customers via the Web, but it is linked with other information system of the enterprise value chain (online International Engineering Forum).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In implementing an e-commerce site, provision of the basic system requires an Internet connection, a Web-application server and e-commerce application software, and a personal computer for the shopper. Figure 1 illustrates the basic economic drivers and application requirements of an e-commerce marketplace. On the buyers side, consumers are driven to the online retail store through advertisements, interesting features, needed information, and directory. On the sellers side, merchants are driven to the online space because of its ease of entry, increasing website traffic, ability to sell and integrate marketing messages (online International Engineering Forum). Figure 1. Business Drivers in e-commerce strategy E-Commerce Strategies and Business Drivers A number of initiatives implemented within an organisation are driven by a market need. All industries are characterized by trends and new developments that gradually or speedily produce changes important enough to require a strategic response from participating firms. The popular hypothesis about industries going through a life cycle helps explain industry changes but is still incomplete (Porter, 1980 p. 157-162). The life-cycle stages are strongly keyed to changes in the overall industry growth rate (which is why such terms as rapid growth, early maturity, saturation, and decline are used to describe the stages). Yet there are more causes of industry change than an industry’s position in the life cycle (Porter, 1980 p. 157-162). While it is important to judge what growth stage an industry is in, there’s more analytical value in identifying the specific factors causing fundamental industry and competitive adjustments. Industry and competitive conditions change because forces are in motion that create incentives and pressures for change (Porter, 1980 p. 162). The most dominant forces are called driving forces because they have the biggest influence on what kinds of changes will take place in the industry’s structure and competitive environment. The Internet and e-commerce opportunities are unquestionably spawning a sweeping business revolution that altered industry boundaries, opens up all kinds of new business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) market opportunities and threats, sparks competition from new and entirely different breed of enterprises and mandates fundamental changes in business practices (Thompson and Strickland 2001).   In his book The Business of E-Commerce: From Corporate Strategy to Technology, Paul May discusses four business drivers for adopting an e-commerce strategy. First, organisations have the compulsion to catch up with competitors or to gain competitive advantage by being early adopters of the new technology. Organisation’s constant pursuit to gain competitive edge in the marketplace is a primary concern and part of a survival component in the business strategy. Second, organisations need to develop a credible e-commerce channel from its current online portfolio. Third, organisations are constantly looking for ways to reduce cost and increase efficiency within its value chain. E-commerce can be a creative force in delivering reduced transaction cost, increased communication and coordination, and improve business processes. Fourth, e-commerce enables organisations to improve its value chain by creating strategic supplier partnership and delivering customized customer solutions. It allows organisations improve business’ infrastructural capabilities to play as an extended enterprise and not merely a single business entity delivering greater value to its customers (May, 2000). Each of these drivers can be harnessed as a propulsive force for the business, rather than a deflective or immobilizing one (May, 2000). Application areas of E-commerce Six key emerging application areas in electronic commerce can be identified. It can be organized into two important domains: business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B). The application areas include categories in consumer retailing to real-time business-to-business collaboration (May, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retailers were the first adopters of the business-to-consumer e-commerce. Retailers found selling products and services online as a promising channel of distribution for its products and reaching new markets. Nonetheless, B2C e-commerce is now more diversified and classified into three application areas which include retail, auction, and advice (May, 2000). The three application areas of B2C e-commerce are retail, auctions, and advice. Although each has its own distinguishing characteristics, and dynamics, a consistent theme underlies the development of all three. This is the increasing â€Å"busy-ness† of consumer lifestyles: the extension from work life into private life of a culture of ever-decreasing time-frames and ever-increasing obligations. Lack of time and complexity of choice drive the growth of products and services in each of these areas (May, 2000). Business-to-consumer is a term that stresses the direction of delivery: B2C e-commerce is supposedly something done by business to consumers. Yet this domain is founded on intense customer focus. Insight into the conflicting desires and pressures affecting consumers is a powerful ally in building successful strategies in this highly competitive area (May, 2000). Business-to-business, on the other hand, is the umbrella term used to refer to transactions between businesses conducted online, and the business networks and supply chains that make these transactions possible. While B2B activity has always, taken place, the Internet brings with it a new framework, B2B companies no longer need to depend on the traditional one-to-one model for business transactions (Michel, 2003). Procurement, inventory exchange, and real-time collaboration are relatively obscure categories of application, which have the potential to flip many businesses inside-out. Procurement introduces process improvements in the buying functions of organisations and also points the way to a more competitive environment in inter-company trading. Inventory exchange introduces the mechanism of the market to smooth out supply and demand inefficiencies across entire value chain, potentially lowers transaction and carrying costs, and focuses on improving exchange of supplier information. Real-time collaboration allows organisations to cooperate as fluid colonies of actors, undermining the stability of companies who prefer hands-off relationships or who prefer their reality-checks to be presented monthly (May, 2000). e-Commerce application in Retail Industry Retailers are now increasingly adopting electronic commerce as another distribution means of selling products and services. Online channels have also proved increasingly popular amongst retail companies within other formats such as hypermarkets or catalog retailers, who have attempted to expand into the sector to escape from stale growth within their respective markets (Datamonitor 2006). Datamonitor estimates the global Internet retail sector valued at $656.4 billion in 2005, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.3% over the 2001-2005 period. The estimate is based on the total revenues generated through the sale of retail goods via online channels, valued at retail selling price, with any currency conversions calculated using constant 2005 annual average exchange rates (Datamonitor 2006). With the number of Internet users increasing exponentially year-on-year, the industry has experienced strong global growth within the global Internet retail sector. Much of the demand for online purchases is due to the escalating number of working mothers and time-starved consumers who are conveniently seeking ways of shopping without the hassle of driving to a retail store and falling in-line (Datamonitor 2006). At present, drugs and health beauty aids are the sector’s most lucrative segment in 2005, accounting for a total of $154 billion in total revenues or 23.5% of the retail sector’s total value. Computer, hardware, software, and supplies contributed significant revenues in 2005, generating $114.9 billion in revenues or 17.5% of the sector’s total value (Datamonitor, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While analyst do not see a similar spectacular growth in the global Internet retail industry, experts still is optimistic the pace of revenue expansion for the next four years. Industry experts project to the expansion of industry to remain strong valuing the industry at $1.169 trillion by 2010. This translates to 12.2% CAGR over the 2005-2010 period (Datamonitor, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In terms of revenues generated per region, Datamonitor reports that Europe has the largest market share in the global Internet retail sector with 44.4% of total value, followed by the United States and the Asia Pacific with 22.5% and 21.7% respectively (Datamonitor, 2006).

An Spanish American War History Essay

An Spanish American War History Essay This paper discusses about the war between Spain and United States and the summaries the causes of Spanish and American war. It also details the significant events during the Spanish-American war. This paper describes the important terms, people and events of Spanish -American war. It examines the Spanish-Cuban Tensions and the Yellow Journalism of Spanish -American war. This paper also provides the American Imperialism and Treaty of Paris. It states the effects of the Treaty of Paris during the Spanish-American war. This paper concludes this concept by providing the essential concept of Spanish-American war. Spanish- American War Summary of Spanish- American war The Spanish-American war was a conflict between America and Spain in 1898 effectively due to the intervention of US in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence. United States was attacked Pacific possessions of Spain led to the involvement in the case of Philippine Revolution as well as to Philippine- American war. The public opinion of America was grown at reports of Spanish Atrocities in Cuba. United States tariff had put restrictions on sugar imports to America and severely hurt the economy of Cuba that was dependent on the producing and selling sugar. The main issue was that Cuban independence, the ten-week war was fought in the case of both Caribbean and Pacific. United States had many business men with the investment interests in the case of Cuba that became concerned. The public of United States was stirred into anti- Spain frenzy due to the Yellow journalism of men including Hearst and Pulitzer. In 1898, America was dispatched the USS Maine on a friendly mission to Cuba. American fought the war in the case of fronts such as Cuba after the declaration. In 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed in order to ending the Spanish- American war. After the Spanish-American war, America was improved Cuba in the case of infrastructure and educational systems and United States had also decided to move from their places. In 1901, America was forced Cuba for inserting the Platt Amendment in the case of their constitution that have given the US military base. America was also kept the Island countries for ships in Cuba. This is the summary of Spanish-American war. Increasing Spanish-Cuban Tensions (19th century) Cuba had been a colony of Spain and this Spain was dependent upon sugar production. In 19th century, many people in Cuba were dissatisfied with the ruling Spanish regime. The government of Spanish was also riddled with the inefficient, corruption and unwilling for granting Cuban populations. As a result, nationalist of Cuban people wanted for ending Spanish rule for the protection of Cuban. After the war, Spanish promised reforms and but the nationalists assumed this too late. The Spanish would leave for US intervention and because of American had significant economic investment in Cuba. In 1896, the Spanish was sent the general to Cuba in order to putting down the insurrection and the general was built the camps in order to prevent the insurrectos from leading population against Spanish rule. In Cuba, the segments of US public were outraged by the reports of atrocities. In 1895, Cuban revolt included a general opposition to a long history of Spanish control. The tariff raised prices in the sugar products that were imported from Cuba in the case of protecting US sugar growers. American Imperialism (1898) The imperialist behaviour of United States was occurred in 1898 that has been a great historical attention. America had commonly claimed for standing in opposition for the practising of taking of colonies to be democracy for all. During this war, the German and British were the famous countries and those countries were not involved in Spanish- American war. This war was required the help of these two countries in the event of serious fighting. United Kingdom required for offsetting German intimidation in order to foster better relation between Britain and America. The ground troops of America were arrived in the Philippines and the US troops allied with the Filipino for fighting against Spain. This Spanish and American war proved the importance of Pacific Islands among to these countries. The Pacific cross road was used for supplying the US Navy in future operations in Pacific Islands. In 1898, Hawaii could be easily performed as a coaling station without formal annexation and because American businessmen had also controlled the Island anyway. The imperialism of American was anti-colonialism of the early republic and but conscious options dependent upon the economic motivations and that held true before 1898. This was the imperialism of United States. Treaty of Paris (1898) The Treaty of Paris was the agreement that was signed on 1898 at the end of Spanish- American war. The Treaty of Paris also indicated the concluded stage of Spanish Empire and the Pacific Ocean. The Treaty of Paris granted to United States the rights of Ownership to Guam and Puerto Rico. After the agreement, Cuba region was given to Cuban in the case of Treaty of Paris of 1989 and the Spain was considered the tremendous financial debt Cuba owed towards United States. America agreed in order to paying twenty million dollars for the Philippines according to their agreement. The Treaty of Paris was also eliminated the presence of Spanish Empire with the America and in the case of Islands of the Pacific region. The Treaty of Paris was also made several privileges to Cuba and the Cuban people were satisfied with this agreement. After the agreement, America decided to replace from Cubans place and they constructed many elements for the enhancement of Cuban people. Conclusion The

Development of Alcohol Sensor for Pharmaceutical Products

Development of Alcohol Sensor for Pharmaceutical Products 1.0Â  Title Development of alcohol sensor for detection of alcohol content in pharmaceutical products 2.0Â  Introduction Over the years, alcohol is being used widely in various number of industries. Alcohol poisoning and inflammation may happen whenever the alcohol concentration exceeds the toxic level for the living creatures. Nowadays, alcohol abuse is one of the worldwide social problems and has become a public sanitation issue. Hence, the preventative pathways must be taken so that the toxicological and psychological effects can be avoided. It is essential to come with a safer, low cost, fast, sensitive and selective analytical method in order to determine the amount of alcohol content in any samples tested. As pharmaceutical products are the essential part in our daily life nowadays, hence, designing the analytical methods for detection of alcohol content in this products is very important, especially for the prevention of consuming the chemically unsafe products. Various of analytical methods have been used to determine the alcohol concentration during the years. Some techniques may come with their own advantages and even drawbacks. The discovered disadvantages can be overcome by producing a utilization of enzymatic methods. The enzymes will catalyses almost all the transformation of the chemical that exist during the cell metabolism. Moreover, the chemical analysis can be done more efficiently as the nature and specificity of the enzyme catalytic activities. The external addition of the cofactor also helps a lot with the alcohol sensor designed. 3.0Â  Literature Review 3.1Â  Alcohol dehydrogenase Alcohol dehydrogenase is being applied as the bioselective compounds in alcohol biosensors. This enzyme is essential in catalyzing the reversible oxidation process occurred for the primary aliphatic and the aromatic alcohols, but not for methanol. The process that took place is based on the Equation (1). RCH2OH + NAD+ ↔ ADHRCHO + NADH + H+ (1) When compared with the alcohol oxidase-based alcohol biosensor, alcohol dehydrogenase-based are more stable and explicit. However, the exterior addition of the co-enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is needed by this type of biosensors. Furthermore, the added cofactor requires to be close to the enzyme and it must not irreversibly combined or entrapped (Azevedo et al., 2005). The combination of electrogenerated chemiluminescence ethanol biosensor and the alcohol oxidase enzymatic reaction is practised for detecting the ethanol in the several subject materials tested (Jia et al., 2009). Hence, it is essential for a biosensor to exhibiting significant reproducibility and stability. It is a requirement for the alcohol biosensor having a great potential for the usage in other biological assays and able to determine variety of substrates. 3.2 Alcohol Oxidase Known as an oligomeric enzyme, alcohol oxidases have eight identical monomers arranged in a quasi-cubic arrangement. Each sub-units of this arrangement are holding a strongly bounded cofactor which is flavin-adenine dinucleotide (FAD) molecule (Vonck van Bruggen, 1990). This enzyme is associated in the methanol oxidation pathway of methylotrophic yeasts. Besides involving in the methanol oxidation, alcohol oxidase also oxidises the short-chain alcohols like ethanol, propanol and butanol (Azevedo et al., 2005). Going through the oxidase-catalysed reaction, the ways to follow the reaction is by measuring the decline in O2 tension or the elevation in H2O2 concentration. Alcohol oxidation catalysed by this enzyme is an irreversible mechanism as O2 has a strong oxidising characteristic. The reaction requires alcohol oxidase and utilizing molecular oxygen (O2) as an electron acceptor, referring to Equation (2) (Azevedo et al., 2005). Alcohol Oxidase RCH2OH + O2 RCHO + H2O2(2) The characteristics of this form alcohol biosensor acts as a finer alternative to other determination methods in detecting the ethanol for various types of sample material tested, such as in pharmaceutical products nowadays (Kuswandi et al., 2014). It will be a great improvement if the enzymatic reaction occurred is able to be monitored optically so that the alcohol presence can be detected by the naked eye. Hence, a better quality of alcohol biosensor can be made. 3.3O2 Detection According to the Equation (1), the consumption of oxygen can be monitored by the alcohol oxidase sensors. The monitoring is done subject to the electrochemical detection principles and by the optical detection (Azevedo et al., 2005). The enzyme-catalysed reaction will be able to generate the optical or visual determination of alcohol based on the oxidation or reduction of H2O2. Hence, the use of optical membrane or a film is required so that it will be more efficient to monitor the reaction. Next, the O2 tension can be detected readily. 3.3.1Electrochemical detection Monitoring of O2 is generally done based on a Clark-type O2 electrode, which consists of a platinum cathode and a reference electrode, sunk in an electrolyte solution and a semi-permeable membrane covering it, so that O2 will be able to diffuse through (Azevedo et al., 2005). Equation (4) shows an example of the reduction process of oxygen while proportionally producing a current. Ag anode, 4Ag + 4Cl → 4AgCl + 4e(3) Pt cathode, O2 + 4H+ + 4e → 2H2O(4) Commonly, oxygen probes-based ethanol sensors have a membrane covering the Clark-type electrode, where alcohol oxidase is immobilised. The difference between the base oxygen level and the level after oxygen concentration decreases due to the enzymatic reaction will be shown as the electrode signal output. It is clearly showed that there will be no electrochemical interference comes from other sample elements. Nevertheless, the accuracy and reproducibility of the sensor may be lessened due to its oxygen dependency basis of the measurement. Hence, a low response is obtained, causes by the high value of the minimum detectable concentration of the oxygen due to the high background signal (Bott, 1998). However, the new alternative can be utilized to overcome the flaws is by using H2O2 detection. 3.3.2Â  Optical detection The developing of alcohol sensors has built up the fluorescence-based sensors. It works based on the enhancement of the fluorescence or other certain compounds quenching, including malachite green, fluorescent dyes and even ligands towards the alcohol disclosure. Besides that, the immobilisation of alcohol oxidase onto the oxygen sensor coated with an oxygen sensitive ruthenium organic complex is done to construct an optical bio-sniffer for ethanol vapours. Moreover, co-immobilisation of alcohol oxidase and oxygen sensitive dyes is designed to assemble the other optical sensors (Azevedo et al., 2005). 3.4Â  Detection of H2O2 3.4.1Â  Electrochemical methods 3.4.1.1Â  Amperometric detection H2O2 which is formed by alcohol oxidase enzymatic reaction can be identified electrochemically with amperometric electrodes. The detection is done either by measuring the anodic or cathodic response, which showing the oxidation and reduction of H2O2 at the working electrode surface correspondingly. As shown by Equation (5), the enzymatic reaction will result the oxidation of H2O2. H2O2 → O2 + 2H+ + 2e(5) Nonetheless, H2O2 is electroactive too at the negative potentials, according to Equation (6). H2O2 + 2e + 2H+ → 2H2O (6) These reactions are not discovered on oxygen probes based on the Clark electrode, due to the electrode surface is covered by an oxygen membrane, which is not permeable to H2O2 and mostly other compounds. Lately, by using other immobilisation procedures, carbon paste electrodes (CPE) and screen-printed electrodes are being developed (Azevedo et al., 2005). The most significant advantage of H2O2 electrode based sensor is easy to construct the sensor in small size besides having a high upper linearity and a wider linear range. In contrast, the presence of reducing compounds in any real sample matrices will be oxidised too, hence will causes the electrochemical interference to occur. Besides that, slower responses are observed too. Finally, the electrode with an electrocatalyst species is needed to be modified for both the reduction and oxidation of H2O2 so that the required applied potential can be decreased. 3.4.1.2Â  Potentiometric detection The potentiometric biosensor is constructed by co-immobilising alcohol oxidase and horseradish peroxidase in the surface of a fluoride-sensitive electrolyte isolator semiconductor capacitor chip. The capacitance will change if there is any presence of ethanol and p-fluoraniline (Menzel et al., 1995). Si/SiO2/Si3N4/LaF3 layers utilized in the fluoride-sensitive biosensor, are able to determine the ethanol concentration in the time of the on-line monitoring of different bioprocesses, according to reactions (7) and (8) (Azevedo et al., 2005). Alcohol Oxidase Ethanol + O2 Acetaldehyde + H2O2 (7) Horseradish Peroxidase H2O2 + p-fluoraniline F + H2O + aniline-derivative polymers(8) 3.4.2Â  Spectroscopic methods To detect the H2O2 production by alcohol oxidase during the ethanol oxidation, few methods can be benefited. Colorimetric methods which are based on the chromogen substrate conversion into a coloured product will absorb in the visible spectral region. Next, fluorescent methods are due to the production of fluorophore product and being stimulated with a shorter wavelength radiation before emitting a visible light. Then, chemiluminescence works by the emission of visible light upon chemical reaction (Azevedo et al., 2005). The methods being chosen must be fast, cheap, sensitive, reliable, stable and undergo continuous analysis methods with a high sample. The numbers of variety types of analytical techniques are flow analysis, segmented flow analysis, flow-injection analysis and liquid chromatographic analysis. 3.5Â  Immobilisation techniques Many ways are being implemented to immobilise enzymes while designing the biosensors. The enzymes are able to be immobilised by physical adsorption or covalently attached to the insoluble matrices, by cross-linking which employing the bifunctional reagent or by entrapment into the membranes or polymeric films. 3.5.1Â  Enzyme modified electrodes There are numbers of approaches in order to implement the physical combination of immobilised enzymes and the electrodes. 3.5.1.1 Membrane electrodes Immobilising the enzymes on a membrane is the most popular techniques being used for the biosensors. This cannot be beaten by other methods since it is easy to construct and its simplicity. Enzyme immobilisation is done by sandwiching the particular enzyme between the electrode and the membrane. The improved procedures used may lead to a higher enzyme activity and a greater stability (Nanjo Guilbault, 1975). As a protective retention layer, a membrane prevents electrochemically interfering compounds from touching the electrode surface. This is due to the presence of the charged groups on the membrane surface and the exclusion of size. Besides that, the covered electrode are protected because the membrane used is impermeable to most substances (Boujtita et al., 2000). Furthermore, covering the enzyme electrode with a membrane has variety of purposes such as producing the diffusion barrier between enzyme and the substrate. This also enables the prevention of a swamping effect whenever the substrate concentration is high. At the same time, a linear response to the concentration is also allowed. 3.5.1.2Â  Carbon paste electrodes By mixing an electrically conducting graphite or carbon powder with a pasting liquid, the carbon paste electrodes is able to be prepared. The examples of pasting liquid being used are mineral oil, silicon oil paraffin oil. Enzymes involved are incorporated within the paste or previously immobilised on the graphite powder by adsorption or covalently bonded. In addition, some additives are added to the paste so that the sensitivity and the storage and operational stability of the sensor can be improved (Azevedo et al., 2005). 3.5.1.3Â  Self-assembled monolayers This form of technique is implemented by sequentially self-depositing the transducing and biocatalytic modules by adsorption through electrostatic interactions. Two different catalytic layers which consist of alcohol oxidase, a modified horseradish peroxidase and electrochemical interface are sequentially and rationally deposited. Next, supramolecular structures are produced and connect catalytic reactions, substrate and product diffusion and heterogeneous electron transfer steps readily (Azevedo et al., 2005). 3.5.1.4Â  Screen-printed electrodes Screen-printed electrodes consist of a polyester substrate and a three electrodes system. The electrodes also containing fabrication of alcohol oxidase immobilized in a poly(carbamoyl)sulfonate hydrogel using poly(ethylene glycol)diglycidyl ether (Patel et al.,2001). This type of electrode system is a low cost screen-printed electrode. 3.5.2Â  Immobilised enzyme reactors The most significant benefit of the usage of enzyme immobilized reactor is producing the great quantity of enzyme that are able to be immobilise and even in micro reactors. This will allow the equilibrium of the reaction that occurred to be attained besides capable of completing the substrate conversion. Moreover, the operational stability of the sensor is enhanced. It is stated that any small alterations in flow rate, temperature, pH, ionic strength and the activators and inhibitors presence will deflate the effect on final signal (Gorton et al., 1991). Bioreactors that are used with immobilised alcohol oxidase exist in different types, generally packed bed, rotating bioreactor and open-tube reactors. Usually the packed bed reactor is implemented with immobilised alcohol oxidase. This form of bioreactor integrates a flow analysis system with electrochemical or spectrometric detection (KÃ ¼nnecke Schmid, 1990). Commonly, rotating bioreactor also used immobilised alcohol oxidase with the electrochemical detection of H2O2. The rotation will enable the presence of circumvent diffusional constrains in the low-dimensional spaces like around the active sites of the enzymes (Matsumoto Waki, 1999). For covalently immobilised enzyme, controlled pore glass is usually utilized for solid support purpose. It is a macro-porous high-silica glass acquired from the alkali-borosilicate glass. Alkali-borosilicate glass is came with the fine mechanical properties and is able to designed with broader porosities and pore size range. Furthermore, it can be adjusted with several reagents so that other functionalities can be proposed (Azevedo et al., 2005). Currently, the optimisation of enzyme immobilisation is done to produce better stability to the controlled pore glass preparations of alcohol oxidase. 4.0Â  Problem Statements The purpose of this study is to determine the right method for detection of alcohol concentration in the pharmaceutical product samples. Alcohol is the substance that present in more than 500 medication products and is found in concentrations up to 68 percent. This may causes negative effects towards the patients that are consuming the products, such as for the patient under treatment with central nervous system depressants or other substances that interact with alcohol. Drug addictionand habituationmay happen and it is formerly known that all drugs haveside effects. It is an essential step to developing a right and efficient method in determining the alcohol content in these pharmaceutical products before approving the production of them into the industry range. 5.0Â  Objectives These are few objectives that have been identified in order to deal up with the problem statement and carried out the research on alcohol content detection content in the pharmaceutical products. Study of methods in determining the alcohol concentration in the samples tested. Study of enzymatic reactions involve during the alcohol detection analysis. Study of advantages and disadvantages for different techniques in the alcohol content determination.