Barclays bank approach to system implementation ((business information Essay

Barclays bank approach to system implementation ((business information system)) - Essay Example This would mean spending more money to pay the extra manpower added to run the two systems together. With the case for Barclays, this cost was minimized when they decided to use the ‘big bang’ approach where by they only spent on the new system rather that both the new and the old as in parallel or pilot approaches of system implementation. During the process of migrating old data to the new IBM database DB2, erroneous data that were found in the old databases were removed and only complete and useful data was moved. This helped the bank on saving disk space and also in the cleaning of their data. When running only one system the concentration level of the staff using the system becomes high because they only need to focus on one system rather than two. This method of changeover reduces interruptions caused when the staffs have to work on two systems concurrently. Therefore, Barclay staff had minimum interruption considered to when the bank had decided to use a parallel method. Since the staffs using the new system don’t have a fallback system, they tend to learn how to use the new system faster than when the organization was running on a parallel system changeover approach. Regardless of preparing for the last 18 months for the launch of the new system, no one knows when things might go wrong. By adopting the ‘big bang’ approach, the bank had risked losing both the old system and the new one just in case it failed. The impact of such failure would also be more than when other methods were used. There is always the risk of meeting the deadline of launching the new system especially when a team is involved in the development process. For the case of Barclays, they never had problem in meeting their deadline and things went smooth. Merging data from various databases into one centrally located and accessible by all branches was a difficult task. This was so because, some of the data had to

Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder Essay Example for Free

Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder Essay Throughout the decades of time, society has been continuously determining the perception of what it is to be beautiful. The American standard of beauty is often reflected upon advertisements that convey an unrealistic expectation for most everyday women. Whereas, teenagers have grown to interpret advertisements as a model for how they should appear physically. Marilyn Monroe was perceived as the epitome of beauty in the 1950s. The well-known sex symbol was recognized because of her curvaceous build. But for instance, Twiggy, a popular model in the midst of the 1960s, later set a misconstrued standard to what was beautiful. With the rising of her stardom, the glamorization of being thin was beginning to take a turn on a more positive note. That is until the famous 90s heroin chic model, Kate Moss, hit the scene taking the modeling industry by storm in an unhealthy manner with her campaign Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. As time continues to inevitably move forward in American culture, as will the image and conception of what beauty truly is in the eyes of our society. The value of women has always been subjectified to that of their appearance; therefore, the desired standard to be beautiful continues to evolve in the wrong ways. Today, the media puts pressure on both girls and women to look a specific type of way and throughout the past several years it has begun surface more frequently due to the drastic lengths people are willing to go to achieve their idea of perfection. Molly Edmonds, a woman who wrote 10 Ways the Definition of Beauty Has Changed on a popular health website HowStuffWorks exclaims the problem is, what society considers beautiful has a tendency to change, which means our pursuit of beauty tends to be lifelong and subject to the whims of trendsetters. In American culture today, society is endlessly pushing the average woman be compelled to the thought of have a slimming but toned stomach, long but muscular legs, basically, a perfectly proportioned body in order to bear acceptance from those amongst them. If a young female in this day and age is, for example born with brown, curly hair she might feel as if she has to have blonde, straight hair in order to fit in. As if somewhere in the world there is a recipe for the perfect woman that requires specific ingredients and an  exquisite taste. Most females are not satisfied with their physical features because of the image of this ideal woman that has been corrupted in the minds of people through radio, television, magazines, and movies by advertising with these countless models, which are materialized by their unrealistic slender bodies and high cheek bones. Basically, telling us that we are not good enough on our own skin; that we need THEIR tips, THEIR products and THEIR services to transform into THEIR picture perfect, ideal women. To the naked eye, these various advertisements and ways of entertainment seem to be harmless but in the reality of the widespread problem, the media is relentlessly bombarding us with their desires, perma nently damaging the self-esteem of both women and even men. Although it isnt written about or explained through definitions, were able to recognize societys standard of beauty by the images of the men and women that are chosen to be projected. Beauty throughout the mid-century was evoked sensually through a natural look. Therefore, normal women were discovered for that certain type of look; women like Norma Jean, also known as Marilyn Monroe. Traveling back into the 50s, a time where beautifully built women were praised by all, both men and women, because of their physical appearance. Marilyn Monroe was emulated for her full-figured stature and ravishing natural beauty. Anne Peterson once wrote, Monroe was a presence impossible to ignore. Her image signified vitality and brazenness, sexuality and innocence. It reset the standard of what it meant to be sexy, and what it meant to be sexy in public. No star has troubled the status quo as significantly since. After becoming Playboy Magazines first cover model and centerfold, Monroe soon achieved in becoming one of the largest the sex symbols of the decade. The actions people displayed began to transcend from an uptight society to a point where people were free to express themselves. This added a boost to prod individuals into becoming more open with their sexuality instead of hiding their true selves to those who surrounded them. In addition to modeling Marilyns acting career blossomed. People all over America were buying televisions to put in their homes, which caused moving film to play a much larger role in society than in previous decades. (Boyd) This new up rise in the ways of entertainment developed a type of industry where physical beauty was essential for making  a career. Marilyn Monroes signature blue eyes and curly blonde hair contributed to her stand out look compared to the other popular models and actresses of the era. As the years continued to pass, so had a tremendous development and perception of beauty through the eyes of our society. Since the 1960s, models such as Twiggy and Kate Moss have replaced more voluptuous figures like Marilyn Monroe as the new ideal of beauty and the desired male look has likewise become more trim and hard-bodied with each passing decade. (Tolerence) From the original curvaceous figure of Marilyn Monroe, that had rose along with television sales in the 50s, to Twiggys emaciated figure that was popularized as the art of runway modeling began to become more common, and which later returned back to a more waifish or heroin chic look, increasing Kate Moss popularity in the fashion industry. Twiggys role in new fashion portrayal was probably the biggest change in ideals in the 20th century. This skinny look that was advertised more and more, pushing the image that full-figured models were beautiful too created an uprooting dilemma throughout the years. Taking a turn for the worst in this time period, girls and women then began to obsess over both their weight and self-image. It wasnt until then was when many of the different eating disorders that are known today were discovered. George Santayana once said, Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. The quote is suitable to relevance of the fashion industry; in a way that history does repeat itself. Each year that passes uncovers a new kind of fashion statement. Along with these statements comes a new image; an image on how one needs to look to fit in. What society has had trouble grasping is that physical appear is not what beauty needs to be defined as. Beauty should be defined by the goodness of your heart and the knowledge you enlighten the world with. Works Cited THE IDEAL WOMAN THROUGH THE AGES. DISCOVERY NEWS. N.P. 12 DEC. 2012. WEB. 2 APRIL 2014. http://news.discovery.com/history/art-history/history-beauty-120412.htm PETERSON, ANNE. THE UNHERALDED MARILYN MONROE. THE HAIRPIN. N.P. 26 OCT. 2011. WEB. 2 APRIL 2014. http://thehairpin.com/2011/10/scandals-of-classic-hollywood-the-unheralded-marilyn-monroe Edmond, Molly. 10 Ways the Definition of Beauty Has Changed. HowStuffWorks. Web. 7 April 2014. http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/hygiene-tips/10-ways-the-definition-of-beauty-has-changed.htm/printable SIZE BIAS AS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION. TOLERANCE. WEB. 7 APRIL 2014. http://www.tolerance.org/article/size-bias-social-construction Wood, Louise. Perceptions Of Female Beauty In The 20th Century. Web. 7 April 2014. http://barneygrant.tripod.com/p-erceptions.htm Playboy. Wikipedia. Web. 7 April 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playboy Etcoff, Nancy. Survival of the Prettiest. Web. April 7 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/e/etcoff-prettiest.html

Changes in Marriage Equality Laws

Changes in Marriage Equality Laws Compare and contrast how your views of a traditional nuclear family, cohabitation and sexuality might differ from those of your parents. The ever changing world as we know it has led to differences in lifestyles and contemporary views towards how families should be run in modern society but the core values of family life still remain the same. Families are still mediums whereby people can enjoy security, companionship and a refuge from an often harsh and uncaring world. Structures of families have changed along with society in general but the traditional nuclear family of mother, father and children still remains an ideal. Many variations of the traditional nuclear family have arisen in the years since world war 2 that have changed the current generations views to that of our parents and grandparents generations. In previous generations the mother was expected to look after the household and not partake in paid employment while the father was considered the bread winner and sole source of income for the family. This perception of the nuclear family has changed vastly due to major changes in social structure, education, the feminist movement etc. These forces have changed how we view the modern family along with the increase in cohabitation, decline in marriage, rise in divorce rates and the prolonged postponement of union formation. Single-sex marriages, single-parent families, cohabitation and single living have increased in regularity. Increases in the rate of divorce has lead to a growth in the popularity of cohabitation whereby more couples live with each other before marriage, somewhat as a testing period, and couples are marrying later in life. Marriage has become less relevant in our generation compared to the golden age of marriage during the 50s and 60s where marriage was an important institution in society. Changes in laws such as those concerning same-sex marriage have led to this attitude. In the last two decades there has been a dramatic increase in cohabitation in the US. Between 1970 and 1994, the number of unmarried couples living together rose from about 500,000 to almost 3.7 million. Between 1965-74 just 11% of marriages were preceded by cohabitation whereas between 1980-84 44% of all marriages involved at least one spouse who had cohabited (1). Cohabitation has been prevalent in previous generations where couples were unable to marry due to the fact that they werent able to afford marriage or were not lawfully able to marry. Couples also believe that it is easier to end a cohabiting relationship than it is to end a marriage. For one tenth of cohabiters, cohabitation is a long term relationship which does not lead to marriage (1). In the space of a couple of decades cohabitation has nearly replaced marriage as the regular choice of a first union. In France, a massive rise in cohabitation occurred between 1965 and 1995 when the proportion of couples starting their union by cohabitation increased from 10% to 90% (2). During the 1990s marriage was still the superior marker for first union entry in the south of Europe whereas in juxtaposition most western and northern European countries and the United States cohabitation had surpassed marriage as the preamble for first partnership. The mean age for which people enter marriage has increased for many reasons. The prolonging of many transitions to adult life(finishing education, leaving the parental household, starting a first job) along with the rise in young adults entering unions without marriage has added to the mean age. Nowadays marriage is no longer seen as the singularly appropriate avenue for childbearing. People who decide to have a child do not feel rushed into marriage and being pregnant is not seen as a determinant for marriage. This attitude can be compared to those of prior generations where pregnancy before marriage was frowned upon and unmarried cohabitation did not last very long due to social pressure. In our parents generations the normal route of marriage followed by childbearing has been steadily replaced by a number of different pathways: in some countries, the sequence of cohabitation followed by marriage and then childbearing has become the most common path, while in other societies, cohabitation first followed by first or second birth and then marriage has become the most popular pattern and an increasing number of couples with children opt to not marry at all (3). In the United States the number of children born to parents who cohabitate nearly doubled between 1984 and 1994, growing from 6% to 11% (4). In recent times marriage instability has increased, this along with less-stable living arrangements have led to an increase in the numbers of single parent families and a high frequency of single motherhood across Europe. In Europe a substantial percentage of children are exposed to living with a single parent before reaching the age of 15. The total exposure ranged from 11-18 percent in Southern Europe (Italy and Spain), Belgium, Poland, and Slovenia; to 39-41 percent in Austria, Germany, and Latvia; and, outside of Europe, to a very high level of 52 percent in the United States (these figures are period life table estimates based on the FFS data). In agreement with the evidence provided by the census data in Table 6 above, the authors argue that, while the pace of family change has varied across countries, the shift of childrearing from married parents to single mothers is universal in Western societies, and has been proceeding faster than the shift to cohabiting parents and stepfa milies (5). In our parents and grandparents generations there was a fundamental belief that marital union should be between a man and a woman. Same sex couples were shunned and granted none of the rights that were enjoyed my heterosexual couples. Throughout the world same sex couples and those in support of equal rights for same sex couples have campaigned for what they feel are basic human rights that should apply to everyone; the right to have their relationship recognised lawfully and the right to marry. Homosexuality has gradually become decriminalised since the 60s in most countries but is still criminal in some countries run by religious laws. Pressure from these groups seeking equality for same sex couples and recognition of their union along with the increase in cohabitation has led to law reforms that allow these couples to achieve a specific legal status when the register their partnerships. Although same sex couples are gaining momentum in their continuous battles to secure recognition there are still pockets of resistance and intolerance. The introduction of civil partnership to the United Kingdom has granted same sex couples more rights including employment, pension and inheritance related rights. This increase in rights is a stark contrast compared to the limited rights allocated to same sex couples in our parents and grandparents times. References Cohabitation: A Snapshot by Hilda Rodriguez, 1998 Cohabitation is here to stay by Touleman, 1997 Children born outside marriage in France and their parents: recognitions and legitimations since 1965 by Munoz-PÃÆ'Â ©rez, F., and F. Prioux, 2000 Larry Bumpass, 2002 Shifting childrearing to single mothers. Results from 17 Western countries by Heuveline, P., J. M. Timberlake, and F. F. Furstenberg, Jr., 2003

Does Creatine Supplementation Really Enhance Athletic Performance? Essa

Does Creatine Supplementation Really Enhance Athletic Performance? The Purpose of Creatine In our competitive society, being the best is of utmost importance. Athletic performance is no exception, and athletes are constantly striving to find new ways to train which will help them to become the best. Many supplements promising results have come and gone, but creatine may actually be able to deliver improved athletic performance. Many athletes are currently supplementing their diets with creatine to increase their strength, muscle mass, and weight by providing their bodies with more available energy, thus reaching new heights in athletic performance. What is Creatine and how does it work Improving Energy Production Creatine is a nutrient that is found naturally in the diet as well as the human body. The primary dietary sources of creatine are raw beef and fish, as heating tends to destroy creatine . However, moderate increases in meat consumption are unlikely to increase muscle creatine levels because one must consume approximately 12 pounds of meat per day to achieve the same creatine levels as supplementation. When dietary consumption is inadequate to meet the body's creati.ne needs, it is manufactured in the liver and kidneys from a combination of the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. Creatine is present inside muscles, especially skeletal muscles. In the muscles, creatine. is used to form creatine phosphate (CP), a potent chemical which can indirectly supply the energy our muscles need to contract, especially for quick and explosive movements such as in sports. All work done in human cells (including contracting muscles) is fueled by the breakdown of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to adenosine... ...ation on power output and fatigue during bicycle ergometry. Journal of Applied Physiology, 78(2), 670-673 Earnest, C.P., Snell, P.B., Rodriguez, ., Almada, A.L. Mitchell, T.L. (1995). The effect of creatine monohydrate ingestion on anaerobic power indices, muscular strength and body composition. Acta Physiologica Scandiavica 153, 207-209. Febbraio, M.A., Flanagan, T.R., Snow, R.J., Zhao, S. F., Carey, M.F. (1995). Effect of creatine supplementation on intramuscular Tcr metabolism and performance during intermittent, supramaximal exercise in humans. Acta Physiologica Scandiavica, 155, :387-395. Harris, R.C., Soderlund, K. & Hultman, E. (1992). Elevation of creatine in resting and exercised muscle of normal subjects by creatine supplementation. Clinical Science 83, 367-374. Sahelian, R. (1997). Creatine: Nature's muscle builder. Let's Live, 65(3), 104

Sleep Apnea Devices Market Worth $19.72 Billion by 2017

The â€Å"Sleep Apnea Diagnostic & Therapeutic Devices Market [Polysomnographs, Respiratory Polygraphs, Pulse Oximeters, CPAP, Masks, Adaptive Servo-Ventilation (ASV), Oral Appliances, Nasal EPAP, Neurostimulation] Global End-user Analysis, Competitive Landscape & Forecast to 2017† analyzes and studies the major market drivers, restraints, and opportunities in North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World. Browse 147 market data tables spread through 318 pagesand in-depth TOC of â€Å"Sleep Apnea Diagnostic & Therapeutic Devices Market [Polysomnographs, Respiratory Polygraphs, Pulse Oximeters, CPAP, Masks, Adaptive Servo-Ventilation (ASV), Oral Appliances, Nasal EPAP, Neurostimulation] Global End-user Analysis, Competitive Landscape & Forecast to 2017†. http://www. marketsandmarkets. com/Market-Reports/sleep-apnea-devices-market-719. html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports. This report studies the global sleep apnea devices market, with forecast to 2017. Sleep problems are touted as a ‘global epidemic’ and sleep apnea is a crucial contributor to this disorder. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the most common type of sleep apnea; around 84% of people with sleep apnea are diagnosed with the disease. Studies suggest that about 100 million people worldwide are suspected to have obstructive sleep apnea, of which more than 80% remain undiagnosed. Sleep apnea is a relatively new market in the medical field, gaining momentum at a fast pace, especially in developed geographies. The demand for sleep apnea devices is slated to increase at a faster pace, owing to gradually increasing awareness among both patients and the medical fraternity. The global sleep apnea devices market was valued at $7. 96 billion in the year 2011 and is expected to reach $19. 72 billion by the year 2017. North America was the largest sleep apnea devices market, followed by Europe and Asia. North America will continue to lead the sleep apnea device market in the next few years, followed by Europe. The Asian region’s contribution to the global sleep apnea device market is expected to pick up in the coming years, as the medical condition gets more recognition. The global sleep apnea devices market, which is broadly classified into Diagnostic Devices and Therapeutic Devices, is witnessing high competitive intensity. Segment rivalry is high, as there are a few well-established firms and several small firms with similar product offerings. The market is dominated by Philips Respironics and ResMed, Inc. , which jointly comprise 70% of the market. Fisher and Paykel Healthcare, CareFusion Corporation, Natus Medical Incorporated, DeVilbiss Healthcare, Weinmann Medical Devices, etc. are some of the other prominent players in the global sleep apnea devices market.

Does an Item’s History and Origin Make It Inevitably American? Essay

I would say yes and no, as far as fast food I would say yes; during my time in the military I came across a lot of fast food chains. Mainly McDonalds, but what really surprised me was when I went to Singapore; they had Burger King, Subway, and KFC. When I saw KFC, I had to try it just to see if it was like America, and it was. I mean they didn’t have these restaurants near the pier where the ships pull in, they were out in town. Hard Rock Cafà © and Planet Hollywood are other places are other examples of why I say yes. When it comes to music, other countries watch MTV and Hip Hop is really big. I was watching a Hip Hop award show and noticed that they had rappers from other countries rapping in their language, I was amazed. As far as TV shows and movies I would say no; we as Americans are running out of ideas, meaning we are now copying shows from other countries. American Idol and XFactor are two examples of why I say no, both shows were knock offs from Britain shows. When it comes to films I never knew how many movies we (meaning Americans) have taking foreign movies and put a twist on them until I was working at Blockbuster videos. I can name two movies that were copied; â€Å"Let Me In† came out in 2010 is a American romantic horror film which is based on the 2008 Swedish film â€Å"Let the Right One In†. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a 2009 Swedish drama thriller film based on a Swedish novel; in 2011, an American version was in the theaters. I hope my examples justify why I say yes and no.