Thursday, September 26, 2019
Baseball Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Baseball - Essay Example The team switches their roles as soon as three members of the defense gets three hitters out in any of the several ways. An innings refers to the turn on offense for each team. The team scoring most of the runs at the end wins the game. The professional Major League Baseball teams of North America are categorized into National League and American League each of which is comprised of three subdivisions – East, West and Central. The champion is decided by the playoffs comprising of four teams. There are three regular season division winners and one wild card team, which is the one with best record out of the league’s non-division winners. The younger players get a chance to develop their skills through experience against opponents on the field with similar levels of expertise. The pitchers played a strong role in the game during the 1960s and early 1970s. Players have attempted strikes but came back when their jobs faced some threats. The baseball at the college and professional level is played in nine innings where every team may get a turn to bat and attempt to score runs. The other team pitches and defends in the field. Baseball at the highschool level is played in seven innings while a six innings game is played in the field. Each inning is divided into two halves where one team (away team) bats in the first half and the home team bats in the second half. The defense in the game always possess the ball and this also distinguishes baseball from other sports. Whenever the defending team gets three players out from the batting team, the teams undergo switching. Pitching is an integral part of the game of baseball. Pitching should be effective and it mainly helps the defensive team to prevent the scores of the runners from getting a base. A proper full game would ensure above one hundred pitches from each team but a pitcher tends to become tired before
Requirement analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Requirement analysis - Coursework Example The efficiency of the system has been lowered making it not to be reliable. The unreliable system takes a long time for it to enable the customers to sign an application form. The application form enables the customers to open an account, well known as trading product account. The share trading account is categorized into, high risk accounts, medium risk account, low risk accounts and also specific market account. Hence, the choice of the account to be opened depends highly on the customers. The system has got a lot of complications and this becomes the requirement analysis. They include; the time taken for a customer to complete the application process is long (Holmes, et al. p.21), implying that a lot of questions are asked and this makes the entire process tiresome. Printing time is highly delayed as the delay may take up to twenty four hours. So the enterprise stockbrokers have come up with an objective of enhancing the efficiency of the online stock trading system. The ES has a way of reducing the printing time and also reducing the application time (P arrish, et al. p. 54). Enterprise stockbrokers have come up with investigation techniques that combine both the measures and the goal driven analysis to ensure the efficiency of the system (Aalst, et al. P. 87). It has introduced a new and accurate requirement analysis procedures that can react effectively to changes or rather business adjustment. The proposed methodology reflects on the emerging issues and ensures that the objective of enterprise stockbrokers are obtained and also ensures that the enterprise stockbrokers system adds value to the business. This entails to the item or arrangement that is consistently conveyed by the project. Note that toward the starting this can be a bit fluffy if the last objective or even extension have not been characterized yet. This second layer represents the Business System and involves the last item, as well as those stakeholders
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Introduction to Rhetorical Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Introduction to Rhetorical Studies - Essay Example This essay will examine an example of a symbolic action, identify the audiences, and identify the second and the third persona show what the audience agency is. Language can be used as a symbol Kenneth Burke gives an example where while in class he saw a bird flying up in order to get out of a room. This action of the bird flying up in order to get out is due to tropisms; although the windows were open the bird kept flying nervously about the ceiling. The windows were high, they extended almost to the ceiling; yet the bird kept trying to escape by batting against the ceiling rather than dipping down and flying out of one the open windows (4). This particular bird’s instinct was to escape by flying up; hence it ignored the easy exit through the windows. Burke imagines how different things would be if the bird could speak his language. A simple statement would have served to solve the problem. Fly down just a foot and out one of those windows would have solved the problem if the bird could hear the language of human beings this shows how symbolic language can be. Burke gives another example where a bird uses the principle of leverage as an improved method for Unnesting or de birding a Nest but it cannot spread the information to other birds because of lack of language to communicate the invention and make it spread throughout all birddom. Man is considered to be a symbol-using animal; he clings to a kind of naà ¯ve verbal realism that refuses to realize the full extent of the role played by symbolicity in his notions of reality (Burke, 5). The second persona in the example of the bird is the reader because he is the one representing the pronoun ‘you’. The third persona is the bird because it because it is the one used to depict the pronoun they. The audience agency in the examples of symbolism above is to show clearly how symbolic language can
Monday, September 23, 2019
Provision of Customer Service within Intercontinental Hotels Group Case Study
Provision of Customer Service within Intercontinental Hotels Group - Case Study Example In accordance with Hoffman et al. (2008) customer services excellence can be achieved in modern organizations by focusing on specific sectors, such as: ‘competence, credibility, security, communication, responsiveness, accessibility and understanding’ (Hoffman et al. 2008, p.418). On the other hand, McNeill (1993) notes that customer services excellence means that ‘the organization is able to identify and fulfill the customer’s unique expectations’ (McNeill 1993, p.87). It is explained that the above target offers to the organization a competitive advantage towards its rivals who are able to offer to their customer only a series of standardized services. In the study of Christopher (2005) another approach is used for explaining the service excellence is used; in accordance with the above researcher the achievement of service excellence is depended on the ability of the organization involved to create ‘a market-driven logistics strategy’ ( Christopher 2005, p.65). Trying to explain the context of customer service excellence, Gallan (2008) supported that the specific term is used for referring to ‘service that meets or exceeds provider and customer expectations’ (Gallan 2008, p.30). It is made clear that customer services excellence can significantly help the development of organizational performance; however, the potential requirements of the specific initiative would be made clear ensuring that the risks for the organization involved are minimized. (Hoffman et al. 2008, p.418).Â
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Integrated Marketing Communications in Apple Inc Essay
Integrated Marketing Communications in Apple Inc - Essay Example Upon mentioning Apple, what come into people’s mind are their simplified campaigns of advertising that portray their products as exceptional. They apply their advertising in many mediums such as email, the web, television, billboards, and print ads that when combined have been highly successful in both marketing the new version of their new product but above all the new â€Å"smart cover†as an essential accessory. Apple’s public relations department is doing an excellent job at creating positive image for their newest product as both a business product and a family friendly product. The company integrates diverse mediums of communicating with their prospects by targeting appealing marketing concepts. Most of its advertisements involve children using the product, family members connecting via Face time, or a possible kid-friendly application. Agreeably, all these integrated marketing communication methods are creating a positive image for Apple.Because Apple†™s products are appealing, their newest product is receiving tremendous public attention due to its frequent media use. In addition, people are using it on television on news broadcasts and even by some prominent people as a display tool. In the world of promotions, Apple rarely partakes in any but, recent news has it that Best Buy is reserving Apple’s newest product for an upcoming promotion. This means that when a company increase the number of marketing channels in its strategy, it is more likely to reach more and new people. Hence, using a number of combined efforts to reach and communicate with your audience is the most effective in the current marketplace (Pride and Freel, 2006:316-17). However, it is worth noting that, it is crucial to use a technique like this especially during economic recovery. With reference to a research carried out
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Therapeutic Cloning Essay Example for Free
Therapeutic Cloning Essay Introduction            Cloning is the practice of creating a genetically the same copy of an original creature. And although it seems like twentieth-century idea, cloning is actually a part of natural processes, and had taken place many decades before though it was attainable. Since a variant of the cloning process plays such a large role in stem therapies, it’s worth taking a look at how cloning processes work (Cohen, 2002).            Most public attention has been focused on the area called reproductive cloning – reproducing an entire creature be it frog, sheep, dog, or human being. As the twenty-first century unfolds, it is far more likely that what has been called therapeutic cloning – cloning used to cure disease – is going to have a more immediate impact on all our lives. Your chances of getting a cloned liver are greater than your chances of seeing a cloned you (Avise, 2004). Therapeutic Cloning            Relative to genetic testing, therapeutic cloning is a technology very much in its infancy. Whereas we can plausibly predict, that genetic testing methods and the scope of such tests will dramatically improve in the proximate future, a like projection in the case of therapeutic cloning is more of a stretch. This view notwithstanding, analysis of current regulation of therapeutic cloning does have something to gain from postulating a future world in which therapeutic cloning is in clinical application (Savulescu Hendrick, 2003).            One likely application of therapeutic cloning is in the treatment of leukemia, and more broadly in various types of tissue and organ transplantation. Therapeutic cloning is important for four seasons. First, there is a shortage of tissue for transplantation. Second, there are problems with compatibility of transplanted tissue form another individual, requiring immunosuppressive therapy with serious side effects. Cloned tissue would be compatible without the infectious risks of xenotransplants. Third, the role of transplantation might be expanded to include common diseases such as heart attack and stroke. Fourth, cloning may prove to be a cost-efficient means of preventing disability and morbidity, and of promoting distributive justice (Shannon, 2005).            In considering the ethical aspects of therapeutic cloning there are two separate issues: should embryos produced during in vitro fertilization (IVF), which would otherwise be discarded, be available for research (with the consent of the couple who produced them); and, should we deliberately create embryos for use in research? It is difficult to argue against using embryos that would otherwise be discarded. The main ethical issue raised by both the production of ES cells and therapeutic cloning, is that of destroying embryos for the purposed of research or tissue for transplantation. If the embryo is considered to have a moral status similar to, say, a child, them embryo research would normally be wrong. On this view, IVF and almost any termination of pregnancy would also be wrong. A less absolute position would be that what is wrong with destroying embryos is a need to respect human life in general. But that wrong need to be balanced against the value of such research. Furthermore, for every live birth, up to five embryos will miscarry. In attempting to have a child by natural conception, we implicitly accept that this loss is a price worth paying to produce a new life. If the loss of embryos is an acceptable price to pay to produce a new life, is it not also an acceptable price to pay to save an existing life (Avise, 2004)? Tissue Therapy via Therapeutic Cloning            More than 40 years elapsed since Joseph Murray and his colleagues at a Boston hospital successfully transplanted a kidney between identical twins. This landmark approach was later extended by the medical community to other organs (e.g., heart, liver, lung, and pancreas) and to transplants involving more distant relatives and unrelated individuals. Transplants between unrelated individuals are especially challenging because, unless ameliorative actions are taken, the immune system of a transplant recipient sooner or later rejects the alien cells. To alleviate this problem, donor and recipient typically are matched as closely as possible for genes underlying immune responses, and immune-suppressive drugs also are administered. Such procedures are fairly common and have saved many lives. Nonetheless, modern transplantation surgery remains risky due to inherent immunological intolerances of patients to foreign tissue (Cohen, 2002).            Thus, many research professionals are excited about â€Å"therapeutic cloning,†a new genetically modified (GM) approach that in theory should avoid the immunorejection problem. In this procedure, genes in cells to be transplanted originate from the patient, who therefore serves in effect as both donor and recipient. Because the donor and recipient tissues have identical genotypes, presumably the immune system would not recognize the implanted tissue alien. Another reason for enthusiasm about therapeutic cloning is that this research gives scientists welcome opportunities for basic research on human genetic disorders as they unfold during cell and tissue development (Bellomo, 2006).            The notion of therapeutic cloning for tissue or organ reconstruction in humans traces to the development of nuclear-transfer cloning methods for sheep and other farm animals. As applied to human cells, the procedure might work as follows: A suitable cell is removed from a patient and its nucleus is inserted physically into an enucleated egg. The egg then begins to multiply in a test tube, and, from the developing mass, pluripotent cells (those that possess a capacity to differentiate into multiple tissue types) are induced to grow replacement cells needed by the patient. Nerve cells might be grown to treat Alzheimer’s disease or spinal cord injuries, skin cells could be used to repair burn damage, retinal cells for macular degeneration, pancreatic cells for diabetes, hematopoietic cells for leukemia, neuroglia cells for multiple sclerosis, and so on. When returned to the patient’s body the cloned cells in such tissues or organs ideally would repair or replace the damaged body part, without evoking immunological rejections (Avise, 2004).            Several technical challenges must be overcome before this approach is medically viable. First, nuclear transfer (NT) techniques developed for farm animals will have to be improved and adapted to our species. Second, cells in the proliferating mass must be generated in such a way that they indeed are pluripotent at the outset. Third, the developmental potential of those flexible cells then must be channeled to produce the specialized kind of tissue that the patient requires. Fourth, methods must be devised to put those now-dedicated cells together properly to make therapeutically useful tissue or organ. This may take place naturally when the cells are placed in a patient’s body, or in some cases it may be accomplished initially in vitro. For example, replacement skin tissue for burn victims might be constructed by seeding the cloned cells onto sheets of a polymeric scaffolding substance. Finally, tissue therapy must be conducted such that the cloned cells do no harm when returned to the patient. It would be disastrous, for example, if even a few cells in the transplanted tissue began to divide in an unregulated, cancerous fashion (Shannon, 2005).            Of course, ethical issues will have to be addressed as well. When the initial oocyte created by NT begins to divide into two cells, then four, then eight, and so on, when does the cloned mass become a new human being worthy of protection under the law? Opponents of therapeutic cloning often contend that an individual arises at the exact moment that the first appears, such that any sacrifice of an early cell mass, even for medical purposes, is tantamount to slaughter. Proponents of therapeutic cloning view this notion as nonsense. How, they as, can a few amorphous cells be granted legal rights that take precedence over those of sentient human beings is desperate need of cell therapy? Remarkably, in US society, most of the debate over the possible legalization of therapeutic cloning hinges on this one emotion-laden philosophical issue (Bellomo, 2006).            In such public discussions, a common error (or often, an intentional argumentative ploy) is to equate therapeutic cloning with reproductive cloning. Although the initial laboratory steps in the two procedures are identical – both begin by inserting a cell nucleus into an unfertilized egg – that is where the similarity ends. In reproductive cloning, the GM egg would be re-implanted in the womb and allowed to grow into a fetus and baby, the intent being to generate a fully functional and independent human being genetically identical to its predecessor. In therapeutic cloning, the early clump of pre-implantation cells that comes from the GM egg would be grown in vitro and used to produce replacement tissues for medical rehabilitation (Avise, 2004). Elimination or Treating Heritable Diseases via Therapeutic Cloning            Although therapeutic cloning does not reproduce an entire organism to develop in utero and live life outside the womb, one motivation for reproductive cloning might be therapeutic. Reproductive cloning could allow genetic engineering interventions to correct defective genes before they have a chance to exert detrimental effects. Correction at the earliest stage would also free germ or reproductive cells and hence subsequent generations from carrying the defective gene (Savulescu Hendrick, 2003).            Certain genetic disorders may enhance certain universal human vulnerabilities, such as those to infection, bleeding, and aging. Beyond increasing these, everyone has inherited vulnerability to some disease or diseases. We would all like to be free from the threat of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and Alzheimer’s disease. Therapeutic cloning might substantially improve the treatment for these diseases since therapy for these is currently limited by the availability or immunocompatibility of tissue transplants (Avise, 2004).            Among the genetic disorders, some are so highly heritable and horrific that we might wish to employ reproductive cloning to enable the use of genetic engineering to correct the defective gene. That would free the clone and all subsequent generations from their ravaging impact (Savulescu Hendrick, 2003).            However, reproductive cloning is an inefficient and error-probe process that results in the failure of most clones during development. For a donor nucleus to support development it must properly activate genes important for early embryonic development, it must properly activate genes important for early embryonic development and suppress differentiation-associated genes that were transcribed in the original donor cell. Inadequate â€Å"reprogramming†of the donor nucleus is thought to be the principal reason for the developmental loss of most clones. In contrast, reprogramming errors do not appear to interfere with therapeutic cloning, because the process appears to select for functional cells (Shannon, 2005). Ethics of Therapeutic Cloning            Can therapeutic cloning be ethically tolerable? Debates about the theory of proportionality, the slippery slope and the principle of subsidiarity here center again in a little dissimilar way (Savulescu Hendrick, 2003).            It is uncertain whether the principle of proportionality offers a believable a priori opposition against therapeutic cloning. If it is well thought-out suitable to make embryos for study aiming cryopreservation of oocytes; in vitro maturation of oocytes and the like, then it is contradictory to decline therapeutic cloning in advance as being disproportional (Avise, 2004).            A consequentialist opposition, as a slippery-slope disagreement, is that therapeutic cloning will unavoidably direct to reproductive cloning. This objection firstly presumes that reproductive cloning is necessarily and categorically wrong, a premise still debated. Clearly, it would be premature, if not criminally irresponsible, in view of the serious health risks for children conceived by cloning to start clinical trials on reproductive cloning right now. But what if, somewhere in the future, these risks could be controlled? Would cloning then still be entirely baseless – even if it were ‘safe’ – then it is practical to exclude reproductive cloning, and not to forbid other, non-reproductive, relevance of cloning (Bellomo, 2006).            Are there suitable alternatives to therapeutic cloning? First, it is important to note that therapeutic cloning strictu sensu, starting with the first clinical trials, will not come up soon. Much basic research is needed, about the question whether it will be possible to control the differentiation of human embryonic stem (hES) cells in vitro. This study can, and ought to, be made with additional IVF embryos. At the same time, research into potential ‘embryo-saving’ alternatives for therapeutic cloning should be stimulated. For the relative ethical examination it is once more essential to evade the drawback of one-dimensionality. Amongst others, the following options are suggested in the literature: a) the use of adult stem cells; b) transferring a human somatic cell nucleus into an enucleated animal egg; and c) the direct reprogramming of adult cells, i.e., to reprogram an adult cell to make it revert to it unspecialized state so that it can then be influenced to develop into a specific type of tissue (this involves the development of undifferentiated cells without the need to create an embryo) (Shannon, 2005). Summary and Conclusion            Cloning can be divided into therapeutic and reproductive cloning. Therapeutic cloning is the use of cloning technology to produce, for example, tissues for transplantation to people with disease. Reproductive cloning is cloning to produce a liveborn offspring (Avise, 2004).            The possibility of therapeutic cloning focuses on the concept of stem cells. Stem cells have the ability to develop into different mature cell types. Totipotent stem cells are cells with the potential to form a complete animal if placed in a uterus. They are early embryos. Pluripotent stem cells are immature stem cells with the potential to develop into any of the mature cell types in the adult (liver, lung, skin, blood etc.), but cannot by themselves form a complete animal if placed in a uterus. Human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines obtained from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst or pre-implantation embryo have recently been established. ES cells are pluripotent. Possible future clinical applications of human ES cell technology include: hemopoietic repopulation (‘bone marrow transplant’); treatment of diseases or spinal cord injury; screening of drugs; and as vectors for gene therapy (Cohen, 2002).            We should distinguish reproductive cloning with a therapeutic intent from therapeutic cloning to produce stem cells. Most of us are familiar with the nightmare scenario of reproductively cloning a person in order to use him as possession for â€Å"spare parts.†Parents who conceive children in the hope that the new child would be a good match immunologically to donate an organ needed by an existing child contribute to this image. With a child cloned from the original, there would be no doubt that the needed organ would perfectly match the recipient immunologically. Creating a person to be a source of spare parts is not what therapeutic cloning is about (Bellomo, 2006).            Therapeutic cloning provides hope for cures or better medical treatment for people with many diseases. These include many of the genetic disorders for which reproductive cloning with a therapeutic intent might be entertained, but they also include diseases that are not necessarily genetic. A therapeutic cloning, cells are extracted from an embryo to clone specific bodily tissues for medical use, particularly transplantation. Type I or juvenile diabetes is one example of a disease that might be cured by therapeutic cloning to produce stem cells. Without contradiction, we can condemn reproductive cloning and at the same time, if we choose, support research with embryonic stem cells (Cohen, 2002). References: Avise, J. C. (2004). The Hope, Hype Reality of Genetic Engineering: Remarkable Stories from Agriculture, Industry, Medicine and the Environment. New York: Oxford University Press US. Bellomo, M. (2006). The Stem Cell Divide: The Facts, the Fiction, and the Fear Driving the Greatest Scientific, Political, and Religious Debate of Our Time: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Cohen, D. (2002). Cloning. Brookfield, Connecticut: Twenty-First Century Books. Savulescu, J., Hendrick, J. (2003). Medical Ethics and Law: The Core Curriculum. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences. Shannon, T. A. (2005). Genetics: Science, Ethics, and Public Policy : a Reader. New York: Rowman Littlefield.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Subjective Well-being Concept: Strengths and Weaknesses
Subjective Well-being Concept: Strengths and Weaknesses Subjective wellbeing: A critical discussion of its strengths and weaknesses Subjective Wellbeing is a new science and has to do with how people see their lives in terms of personal satisfaction (Diener, Suh, and Oishi, 2005, pg. 1). It can be affected by moods, illness, positive and negative emotions, economic status, and many other factors. The concept of Subjective Wellbeing has been around for a long time; however it has only been in recent years that researchers have studied and tested it. All those involved admit that it is not the final word and more research needs to be conducted (Frank, 2005, pgs. 69-79). Subjective Wellbeing has strengths, but there are also limitations. Subjective Wellbeing studies are important and valuable in that they provide us with a deeper understanding of human nature and they give us information that will assist us in improving the quality of life for others. Much progress has been made in researching the area of subjective wellbeing, but most of the current literature in this field indicates there are limitations. One of the strengths of Subjective Wellbeing is its usefulness in improving the quality of life. Emmons and McCullough (2003) conducted a study on the effects of gratitude on wellbeing. Participants were randomly assigned conditions. They were asked to meditate once a week or once a day for 2-3 weeks on what in their life they can be grateful for. They claim the results of this study were significant in their positive impact on wellbeing. They had to admit that they did not know how long the results would last (pg. 386). Subjective Wellbeing studies are usually administered as questionnaires and can give us a good indication as to quality of life for individuals providing the term â€Å"wellbeing†is clearly defined (Muldoon, Barger, Flory, and Manuck, 2003, pp. 542-545). Any abstract study of this nature must have clear definitions of key terms such as â€Å"wellbeing†, yet not necessarily a highly defined term as most people instinctively know what makes their lives better or happy. On the other hand, there are some scientists that are critical of the notion that most people know instinctively what gives them a sense of wellbeing. These critics claim that wellbeing can mean different things to different people. There are critics who do not believe that people necessarily have the ability to make an accurate assessment of their own wellbeing. The argument has been presented that people can become quite adaptable to less than favorable circumstances and conditions and will answer the qu estionnaire in a manner that is not completely honest. They may have become used to lowered living conditions and therefore would regard themselves inaccurately as having greater satisfaction than what they would normally report. Critics of this subjective study also have a problem with the lack of objective reference points. They believe it makes it difficult to compare people’s assessments of their own wellbeing (Van Bruggen, 2001, pg. 10-12). When reviewing the answers to the questionnaires it would appear that there is a common thread in the way people respond to them. This allows us to believe many of the same things give people a sense of wellbeing, yet when the answers are examined more closely idiosyncrasies are revealed. When investigated in depth it appears there are differences in what determines wellbeing for each individual. It would be important to ask the right questions. This would require an understanding of what constitutes wellbeing. The question arises as to what human goals or needs are the building blocks for Subjective Wellbeing. If we want to understand what makes for wellbeing we must determine universal goals and needs. These goals and needs are supposed to represent the components of Subjective Wellbeing. If these goals and needs are fulfilled, then it is believed that the individual will score high on subjective wellbeing. If this is true then those needs and goals must be identified. It is not on ly the achievement of those goals and needs that contributes to wellbeing, but also the way they are achieved. Within the context of goals and needs are many questions, such as if there is greater satisfaction through them being met through personal achievement or luck (Van Bruggen, 2001, pg. 10-12). One question researchers have regarding these Subjective Wellbeing studies is if a person’s sense of wellbeing is consistent and stable. Critics of Subjective Wellbeing question the study participants’ truthfulness and reliability. It has been determined that the respondents’ mood when taking the questionnaire can bring about an inaccurate outcome (Muldoon, Barger, Flory, and Manuck, 2003, pgs. 542-545). In a study conducted to determine the affect of mood on Subjective Wellbeing, Robinson (2000) states: Although laboratory studies can highlight the effects of mood on processing and judgment, they cannot tell us about how people evaluate their daily lives. By measuring naturally occurring life events, mood states, and cognitive WB, the present investigation sought to fill this gap. In particular, the primary purpose of these studies was to understand the relation between daily experiences and cognitive WB. The results of cross-sectional and longitudinal designs reveal that the relation between life events and cognitive WB is entirely mediated by mood states. Mood states appear to serve both reactive and prospective functions, and are therefore the key to cognitive WB change (page 10). Another factor to be considered in Subjective Wellbeing studies is that of personality traits. Certain personality traits can influence the outcome of the questionnaire skewing the results. Chan, Ungvari, Shek, and Leung (2003) conducted a study to determine the quality of life of Chinese patients with schizophrenia. Their study was longitudinally based and they report this was the strength of their research. They claim this longitudinal design provided for greater accuracy because it regulated â€Å"influence of personal characteristics on dependent variables†(page 3). One of the limitations of their study is that the sample size was too small and they lacked a matched control group (page 3). In considering personality traits affecting the outcome of Subjective Wellbeing studies the question of IQ has been explored. Researchers led by Professor Ian Deary at the Edinburgh University in Scotland conducted a study where they recruited 500 volunteers who agreed to have their IQ’s tested. The participants had their IQ’s tested at the age of 11 years old and then at the age of 80 years old. The results of this test were that there was no correlation between their IQ’s and overall life satisfaction. What the researchers did find was that health played a factor in life satisfaction but not the intelligence level of the individual. Oftentimes a higher IQ causes the individual to place more demands and higher expectations on themselves. This can set the individual up for disappointment and therefore lower Subjective Wellbeing scores (Deary, et. al. 2005, pgs. 141-142.) An interesting model was created that did not address life satisfaction directly but nevertheless had an impact on Subjective Wellbeing. This model was developed to determine emotional-social intelligence (ESI) and was called the Bar-On model. This model measured behavior and performance and it proved to be consistent over time and highly accurate across cultures. Although the Bar-On model was not used specifically for measuring Subjective Wellbeing its results were very important and gave scientists information that can be applied in this area. What this model revealed were the areas in an individual that could use improvement in order to enhance overall life satisfaction. This model’s strength is its usefulness in many different areas and that it is highly teachable. It could be very useful in schools, for example. As with other models, longitudinal studies are required to obtain greater understanding and also acquire more accurate outcomes (Bar-On, R, 2005, pg. 20). Frank (2005) states the methods used to measure Subjective Wellbeing oftentimes do a fairly good job of monitoring the experiences we have that we are consciously aware of but there are limitations. One of the limitations is that there may be other things that are more important to us than those experiences we are cognitively aware of. He gives the following example: Suppose we lived in parallel universes and in one of those universes you earned $100,000 a year and in the other one you earned $200,000 a year. Suppose the individual would feel equally happy in either universe. Then consider that the people who lived in the wealthier universe would be inclined to spend more money on keeping a cleaner environment resulting in a longer and happier life for everyone. Frank states it is obvious that people would be better off living in the richer universe. His point is that there may be other things that are more important to us that we are not consciously aware of at this time; therefore the results of Subjective Wellbeing measures may not be accurate (pgs. 69-79). As we can see there are limitations to Subjective Wellbeing as a measure for life satisfaction, yet it has enough strength that it is still an important and useful emerging science. References Bar-On, R. (2005). The Bar-On model of emotional-social intelligence (ESI). Issues in Emotional Intelligence, (1)4, pp. 1-28. In P. Fernà ¡ndez-Berrocal and N. Extremera (Guest Editors), Special Issue on Emotional Intelligence. Psicothema, 17. Chan, G.W.L.; Ungvari G.S.;, Shek, D.T.L.; Leung, J.P. (2003). Impact of deinstitutionalisation on the quality of life of Chinese patients with schizophrenia: A longitudinal pilot study. Hong Kong J Psychiatry, 13(4), pp. 2-5. Deary, A.; Gow, A.; Whiteman, M.; Pattie, M.; Whalley, L.; and Starr, J. (Jul 2005). Lifetime intellectual function and satisfaction with life in old age: longitudinal cohort study. BMJ. 331, pp. 141–142. Diener, E.; Suh, E.; and Oishi, S. Recent Findings on Subjective Well-Being (2005, pg. 1). Retrieved August 1, 2005 from http://www.psych.uiuc.edu/~ediener/hottopic/paper1.html Emmons, R.A. and McCullough, M.E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective wellbeing in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 84, No. 2, pp. 377-389. Frank, R.H. (Spring, 2004). How not to buy happiness. Daedalus. Vol. 133, Issue 2, pp. 69-79. Muldoon, M.F.; Barger, S.D.; Flory, J.D.; Manuck, S.B. (14 Feb. 1998). What are quality of life measurements measuring? BMJ, 316, pp. 542-545. Robinson, M.D. (2000). The reactive and prospective functions of mood: Its role in linking daily experiences and cognitive well-being. Cognition and Emotion, 14(2), pp. 145-176. Van Bruggen, A.C. (2001). Individual production of social well-being: an exploratory study. pp. 1-16. Retrieved August 1, 2005 from http://dissertations.ub.rug.nl
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