Behavior Modification In My Life

The three instances where I observe behaviorism in action is related to my home. I am a single parent of two. I have a son 21 and daughter 19 who still live at home. We work as a team and behaving appropriately is imperative. Instance 1: Though my children are very close to me and share all aspects of their lives with me, they expect me to leave them alone when they are with their friends.I have observed all the time from their facial expressions and gestures that whenever their friends come to our house, they expect me to leave them alone and not be a part of their group at that point of time.In this instance, the attitude of my children forces me to behave in the way, I do. My interactions with their friends are limited to a few customary greetings. I don’t need anyone to tell me to go the other room, because I automatically head towards other portions of my house when the young guests are around. This is because â€Å"Many attitudes are so well established and so frequentl y used that people can express them and act on them without a second thought. † (Smith and Mackie, 2002, p. 249)Instance 2: Whenever any three of us are late, the other two expects the late comer to inform how much time would he/she take to return back home and whether it would be possible for him/her to take the dinner with the family. In this instance the principle of commitment guide us to behave the way we do. Smith and Mackie rightly observed, â€Å"It’s not only our commitments to others that leads us†¦. Our commitment to maintaining a positive view of ourselves helps too. † (2000, p. 392) By keeping other members of our group informed, all the three of us not only reduce other members’ anxiety but also make them know how caring we are.This may cause each one of us some discomfort like talking on the mobile while driving, which is certainly not an acceptable behavior or excusing ourselves from an important lecture for a while which means loosing some precious moments, but we do it any way. Hence in order to project ourselves in a certain manner we slightly go out of the way which is unacceptable from not only the point of view of common norms but to our inner self too. Instance 3: Each one of us expect the other two members of our families to do their share of work and not overload just one person for the upkeep of the house.Though my daughter does not particularly like cleaning her room or washing the clothes, she does it half-heartedly. In this instance, the behavioral principle of obedience forces her to behave in a certain manner which she somewhat dislikes. She routinely engages in the cleaning activities, which strengthens the viewpoint that she is submitting to authority. In this case that authority is not only me, the parent but also the way in which we as a family are expected to behave to make life easier for each other.She does not want to loose the sanctity of a quiet and well-behaved family of ours by her regu lar cribbing about the activities she dislikes. Thus she abides by the rules of the family. The impact of behaviorism in popular culture has both negative and positive implications. We behave in a certain manner because we see others behaving in that manner. In the words of Mixon, â€Å"†¦behavior is the product of association. † (para. 11) Hence when we see others behaving properly we automatically follow their behavior. For example we don’t speak in a library when all the others are quiet. This is a positive implication of behaviorism.However we fall prey to bad behavior too, by seeing others. For example it is not good to litter a park but we don’t follow rules when we are in a park, where we see others have already littered it. This is a negative implication of behaviorism. Hence behaviorism conditions us and we get conditioned in both positive and negative ways. References Smith, E. R. , Mackie, D. M. (2 Ed. ). (2000) Social Psychology. USA: Psychology Press. Wagner, K. V. (2008). Retrieved Jan. 21, 2007 from http://psychology. about. com/od/behavioralpsychology/f/behaviorism. htm Mixon, C. (2008). Retrieved Jan. 21, 2007 from http://www. barkingdogs. net/bmod. shtml

Memory Organization

Memory Basics Memory is the workspace for the computers processor. It is a temporary storage area where the programs and data being operated on by the processor must reside. Memory storage is considered temporary because the data and programs will remain there only as long as the computer has electrical power or is not reset. Before being shut down or reset, any data that has been changed should be saved to a more permanent storage device of some type (usually a hard disk) so it can be reloaded into memory again in the future. We often call memory RAM, for Random Access Memory.Main memory is called RAM because you can randomly (and quickly) access any location in memory. When we talk about a computers memory, we usually mean the RAM in the system, meaning primarily the memory chips or modules that make up the primary active program and data storage used by the processor. This is often confused with the term storage, which should be used when referring to things such as disk and tape drives (although some people do consider them a form of memory). 2Types of Memory To better understand physical memory in a system, it is necessary to see where and how it fits into the system.Three main types of physical memory used in modern PCs are †¢ ROM: Read Only Memory †¢ DRAM: Dynamic Random Access Memory †¢ SRAM: Static RAM 2. 1ROM Read Only Memory, or ROM, is a type of memory that can permanently or semipermanently hold data. It is called read-only because it is either impossible or difficult to write to. ROM is also often referred to as non-volatile memory because any data stored in ROM will remain, even if the power is turned off. As such, ROM is an ideal place to put the PCs startup instructionsthat is, the software that boots the system.Note that ROM and RAM are not opposites, as some people seem to believe. In fact, ROM is technically a subset of the systems RAM. In other words, a portion of the systems Random Access Memory address space is mapped into one or more ROM chips. This is necessary to contain the software that enables the PC to boot up; otherwise, the proces- sor would have no program in memory to execute when it was powered on. For example, when a PC is turned on, the processor automatically jumps to address FFFF0h, expecting to find instructions to tell the processor what to do.This location is exactly 16 bytes from the end of the first megabyte of RAM space, and the end of the ROM. If this location was mapped into regular memory 1 chips, any data stored there would have disappeared when the power was turned off previously, and the processor would subsequently find no instructions to run the next time power was turned on. By placing a ROM chip at this address, a system startup program can be permanently loaded into the ROM and will be available every time the system is turned on. The motherboard ROM normally contains four main programs, including the following in most systems: †¢ POST: Power-On Self Test.A series of test routines that ensure the system components are operating properly. †¢ CMOS Setup: A menu-driven application that allows the user to set sys- tem configuration parameters, options, security settings, and preferences. †¢ Bootstrap Loader: The routine that first scans the floppy drive and then the hard disk, looking for an operating system to load. †¢ BIOS: Basic Input/Output System. A series of device driver programs designed to present a standard interface to the basic system hardware, especially hardware that must be active during the boot process. Four different types of ROM chips are ROM. Read Only Memory †¢ PROM. Programmable ROM †¢ EPROM. Erasable PROM †¢ EEPROM. Electrically Erasable PROM, also called a flash ROM No matter which type of ROM you use, the data stored in a ROM chip is non- volatile and will remain indefinitely unless intentionally erased or overwritten. 2. 1. 1PROM PROMs are a type of ROM that is blank when new and must be pr ogrammed with whatever data you want 2. 1. 2EPROM One variation of the PROM that has been very popular is the EPROM. An EPROM is a PROM that is erasable. EPROM is erased by exposure to intense UV light. 2. 1. 3 EEPROM/Flash ROMA newer type of ROM is the EEPROM, which stands for Electrically Erasable PROM. These chips are also called flash ROMs, and are characterized by their capability to be erased and reprogrammed directly in the circuit board in which they are installed, with no special equipment required. 2 2. 2DRAM Dynamic RAM is the type of memory chip used for most of the main memory in a modern PC. The main advantages of DRAM is that it is very dense, meaning you can pack a lot of bits into a very small chip, and it is very inexpensive, which makes it affordable for large amounts of memory.The memory cells in a DRAM chip are tiny capacitors that retain a charge to indicate a bit. The problem with DRAM is that it is dynamic, and because of the design must be constantly refresh ed or the electrical charges in the individual memory capacitors will drain and the data will be lost. Refresh occurs when the system memory controller takes a tiny break and accesses all the rows of data in the memory chips. DRAMs use only one transistor and capacitor pair per bit, which makes them very dense, offering a lot of memory capacity per chip than other types of memory. 2. 3 Cache MemorySRAMThere is another distinctly different type of memory that is significantly faster than most types of DRAM. SRAM stands for Static RAM, which is so named because it does not need the periodic refresh rates like DRAM (Dynamic RAM). Due to the design of SRAM, not only are refresh rates unnecessary, but SRAM is much faster than DRAM and is fully able to keep pace with modern processors. SRAM memory is available in access times of 2ns or less, which means it can keep pace with processors running 500MHz or faster! This is due to the SRAM design, which calls for a cluster of six transistors f or each bit of storage.The use of transistors but no capacitors means that refresh rates are not necessary because there are no capacitors to lose their charges over time. As long as there is power, SRAM will remember what is stored. Compared to DRAM, SRAM is much faster, but also much lower in density and much more expensive. The lower density means that SRAM chips are physically larger and store many less bits overall. The high number of transistors and the clustered design means that SRAM chips are both physically larger and much more expensive to produce than DRAM chips.Even though SRAM is too expensive for PC use as main memory, PC designers have found a way to use SRAM to dramatically improve PC performance. Rather than spend the money for all RAM to be SRAM memory, which can run fast enough to match the CPU, it is much more cost-effective to design in a small amount of high-speed SRAM memory, called cache memory. The cache runs at speeds close to or even equal to the processo r, and is the memory from which the processor normally directly reads from and writes to. During read operations, the data in the high-speed cache memory is resupplied from the lower-speed main memory or DRAM in advance. 3Memory Packaging Memory is made from tiny semiconductor chips and must be packaged into something less fragile and tiny in order to be integrated with the rest of the system Different types of memory paclages are †¢ Dual Inline Packages (DIPs) and Memory Modules †¢ Single Inline Memory Modules (SIMMs) †¢ Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMMs) 3. 1DIPS Most memory chips are packaged into small plastic or ceramic packages called dual inline packages or DIPs. A DIP is a rectangular package with rows of pins running along its two longer edges These are the small black boxes you see on SIMMs, DIMMs or other larger packaging styles . 2SIMMs SIMMs are available in two flavors: 30 pin and 72 pin. 30-pin SIMMs are the older standard, and were popular on third and fourth generation motherboards. 72-pin SIMMs are used on fourth, fifth and sixth generation PCs. SIMMs are placed into special sockets on the motherboard created to hold them. The sockets are specifically designed to ensure that once inserted, the SIMM will be held in place tightly 3. 3DIMMs DIMMs are 168 pins in size, and provide memory 64 bits in width. They are a newer form factor and are becoming the de facto standard for new PCs; they are not used on older motherboards motherboards.SIMMs have contacts on either side of the circuit board but they are tied together. So a 30-pin SIMM has 30 contacts on each side of the circuit board, but each pair is connected. DIMMs however have different connections on each side of the circuit board 4Memory Banks Memory chips (DIPs, SIMMs, SIPPs, and DIMMs) are organized in banks on motherboards and memory cards. The banks usually correspond to the data bus capacity of the system’s microprocessor. The number of bits for each bank can be made up of single chips, SIMMs, or DIMMs. 4 5Memory ReliabilityA part of the nature of memory is that it will inevitably fail. These failures are usually classified as two basic types: hard fails and soft errors. The most well understood are hard fails, in which the chip is working and then, due to some flaw, physical damage, or other event, becomes damaged and experiences a permanent failure. Fixing this type of failure normally requires replacement of some part of the memory hardware, such as the chip, SIMM, or DIMM. Hard error rates are known as HERs. The other more insidious type of failure is the soft error.A soft error is a nonpermanent failure that may never reoccur, or occur at infrequent intervals. (Soft fails are effectively â€Å"fixed† by powering the system off and back on. ) Soft error rates are known as SERs. There are basically three levels and techniques for fault tolerance used in modern PCs: †¢ Non-parity †¢ Parity †¢ ECC (Error Correcting Co de) Non-parity systems have no fault tolerance at all. The reason they are even used is because they have the lowest inherent cost. No additional memory is necessary as is the case with parity or ECC techniques. 6ParityTne standard IBM set for the industry is that the memory chips in a bank of nine each handle one bit of data: eight bits per character plus one extra bit called the parity bit. As the eight individual bits in a byte are stored in memory, a parity genera- tor/checker, which is either part of the CPU or located in a special chip on the motherboard, evaluates the data bits by counting the number of 1s in the byte. If an even number of 1s is in the byte, the parity generator/checker creates a 1 and stores it as the ninth bit (parity bit) in the parity memory chip.That makes the total sum for all nine bits an odd number. If the original sum of the eight data bits is an odd number, the parity bit created is 0, keeping the 9-bit sum an odd number. The value of the parity bit is always chosen so that the sum of all nine bits (eight data bits plus one parity bit) is an odd number. The following examples may make it easier to understand: Data bit number: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Data bit value:10110011 Parity bit:0 5 In this example, because the total number of data bits with a value of 1 is an odd number (5), the parity bit must have a value of 0 to ensure an odd sum for all nine bits.The following is another example: Data bit number: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Data bit value :00110011 Parity bit: 1 In this example, because the total number of data bits with a value of 1 is an even number (4), the parity bit must have a value of 1 to create an odd sum for all nine bits. When the system reads memory back from storage, it checks the parity information. If a (9-bit) byte has an even number of bits with a parity bit value of 1, that byte must have an error. The system cannot tell which bit has changed, or if only a single bit has changed.If three bits changed, for example, the byte still flags a parity-check error; if two bits changed, however, the bad byte may pass unnoticed. The following examples show parity-check messages for three types of systems: For the IBM PC: PARITY CHECK x For the IBM XT: PARITY CHECK x yyyyy (z) For the IBM AT and late model XT: PARITY CHECK x yyyyy Where x is 1 or 2: 1=Erroroccurredonthemotherboard 2=Erroroccurredinanexpansionslot yyyyy represents a number from 00000 through FFFFF that indicates, in hexadecimal notation, the byte in which the error has occurred. Where (z) is (S) or (E ): S) = Parity error occurred in the system unit (E ) = Parity error occurred in the expansion chassis When a parity-check error is detected, the motherboard parity-checking cir- cuits generate a non-maskable interrupt (NMI), which halts processing and di- 6 verts the systems attention to the error. The NMI causes a routine in the ROM to be executed. The routine clears the screen and then displays a message in the upper-left corner of the screen . The message differs depending on the type of computer system. 7 ECC (Error Correcting Code) ECC goes a big step beyond simple parity error detection.Rather than just detecting an error, ECC allows a single bit error to be corrected, which means the system can continue on without interruption and without corrupting data. ECC as implemented in most PCs can only detect and not correct double-bit errors. Because studies have indicated that approximately 98 percent of memory errors are single- bit variety, the most commonly used type of ECC is one in which the attendant memory controller detects and corrects single-bit errors in an accessed data word (double-bit errors can be detected, but not corrected).This type of ECC is known as SEC-DED and requires an additional seven check bits over 32 bits in a 4-byte system and eight check bits in an 8-byte system. ECC in a 4-byte system obviously costs more than non-parity or parity, but in an 8-byte system, ECC and parity costs are equal. ECC entails the memory controller calculating the check bits on a memory- write operation, performing a compare between the read and calculated check- bits on a read operation and, if necessary, correcting bad bit(s).The additional ECC logic in the memory controller is not very significant in this age of inex- pensive, high-performance VLSI logic, but ECC actually affects memory perfor- mance on writes. This is because the operation must be timed to wait for the calculation of check bits and, when the system waits for corrected data, reads. On a partial-word write, the entire word must first be read, the affected byte(s) rewritten, and then new check bits calculated. This turns partial-word write operations into slower read-modify writes. Most memory errors are of a single-bit nature, which are correctable by ECC.Incorporating this fault-tolerant technique provides high system reliability and attendant availability. An ECC-based system is a good choice for servers, workstations, or mis sion-critical applications in which the cost of a potential memory error outweighs the additional memory and system cost to correct it, along with ensuring that it does not detract from system reliability. 8 The System Logical Memory Layout The original PC had a total of 1M of addressable memory, and the top 384K of that was reserved for use by the system.Placing this reserved space at the top (between 640K and 1024K instead of at the bottom, between 0K and 640K) led to what today is often called the conventional memory barrier. The constant pressures on system and peripheral manufacturers to maintain compatibility by never breaking from the original memory scheme of the first PC has resulted in 7 a system memory structure that is (to put it kindly) a mess. Logical memory sections are given below †¢ Conventional (Base) memory †¢ Upper Memory Area (UMA) †¢ High Memory Area (HMA) †¢ Extended memory (XMS) †¢ Expanded memory (obsolete) Video RAM memory (part of UMA) †¢ Adapter ROM and Special Purpose RAM (part of UMA) †¢ Motherboard ROM BIOS (part of UMA) 8. 1 Conventional (Base) Memory The original PC/XT-type system was designed to use 1M of memory workspace, sometimes called RAM (random access memory). This 1M of RAM is divided into several sections, some of which have special uses. DOS can read and write to the entire megabyte, but can manage the loading of programs only in the portion of RAM space called conventional memory, which was 512K at the time the first PC was introduced.The other 512K was reserved for use by the system, including the motherboard and adapter boards plugged into the system slots. After introducing the system, IBM decided that only 384K was needed for these reserved uses, and the company began marketing PCs with 640K of user memory. Thus, 640K became the standard for memory that can be used by DOS for running programs, and is often termed the 640K memory barrier. The remaining memory after 640K was rese rved for use by the graphics boards, other adapters, and the motherboard ROM BIOS.This barrier largely affects 16-bit software such as DOS and Windows 3. 1, and is much less of a factor with 32-bit software and operating systems such as Windows 95/98, NT, and so on. 8. 2 Upper Memory Area (UMA) The term Upper Memory Area (UMA) describes the reserved 384K at the top of the first megabyte of system memory on a PC/XT and the first megabyte on an AT-type system. This memory has the addresses from A0000 through FFFFF. The way the 384K of upper memory is used breaks down as follows: †¢ The first 128K after conventional memory is called video RAM.It is re- served for use by video adapters. When text and graphics are displayed onscreen, the electronic impulses that contain their images reside in this space. Video RAM is allotted the address range from A0000-BFFFF. 8 †¢ The next 128K is reserved for the adapter BIOS that resides in read-only memory chips on some adapter boards plug ged into the bus slots. Most VGA-compatible video adapters use the first 32K of this area for their onboard BIOS. The rest can be used by any other adapters installed. Many network adapters also use this area for special-purpose RAM called Shared Memory.Adapter ROM and special-purpose RAM is allotted the address range from C0000-DFFFF. †¢ The last 128K of memory is reserved for motherboard BIOS (the basic input/output system, which is stored in read-only RAM chips or ROM). The POST (Power-On Self Test) and bootstrap loader, which handles your system at bootup until the operating system takes over, also reside in this space. Most systems only use the last 64K (or less) of this space, leaving the first 64K or more free for remapping with memory managers. Some systems also include the CMOS Setup program in this area.The motherboard BIOS is allotted the address range from E0000-FFFFF. 8. 3Extended Memory The memory map on a system based on the 286 or higher processor can extend bey ond the 1M boundary that exists when the processor is in real mode. On a 286 or 386SX system, the extended memory limit is 16M; on a 386DX, 486, Pentium, Pentium MMX, or Pentium Pro system, the extended memory limit is 4G (4,096M). Systems based on the Pentium II processor have a limit of 64G (65,536M). For a system to address memory beyond the first megabyte, the processor must be in protected modethe native mode of 286 and higher processors.On a 286, only programs designed to run in protected mode can take advantage of extended memory. 386 and higher processors offer another mode, called virtual real mode, which enables extended memory to be, in effect, chopped into 1M pieces (each its own real-mode session). Virtual real mode also allows for several of these sessions to be running simultaneously in protected areas of memory. The extended memory specification (XMS) was developed in 1987 by Mi- crosoft, Intel, AST Corp. , and Lotus Development to specify how programs would use exte nded memory.The XMS specification functions on systems based on the 286 or higher and allows real-mode programs (those designed to run in DOS) to use extended memory and another block of memory usually out of the reach of DOS. Before XMS, there was no way to ensure cooperation between programs that switched the processor into protected mode and used extended memory. There was also no way for one program to know what another had been doing with the extended memory because none of them could see that memory while in real mode. HIMEM.SYS becomes an arbitrator of sorts that first grabs all the extended memory for itself and then doles it out to programs that know the XMS protocols. In this manner, several programs that use XMS memory can operate together under DOS on the same system, switching the pro- cessor into 9 and out of protected mode to access the memory. Extended memory can be made to conform to the XMS specification by installing a de- vice driver in the CONFIG. SYS file. The most common XMS driver is HIMEM. SYS, which is included with Windows 3. x and later versions of DOS, starting with 4. and up. 8. 4 High Memory Area (HMA) The High Memory Area (HMA) is an area of memory 16 bytes short of 64K in size, starting at the beginning of the first megabyte of extended memory. It can be used to load device drivers and memory-resident programs to free up conventional memory for use by real-mode programs. Only one device driver or memory-resident program can be loaded into HMA at one time, no matter what its size. Originally, this could be any program, but Microsoft decided that DOS could get there first, and built capability into DOS 5 and newer versions.The HMA area is extremely important to those who use DOS 5 or higher because these DOS versions can move their own kernel (about 45K of program instructions) into this area. This is accomplished simply by first loading an XMS driver (such as HIMEM. SYS) and adding the line DOS=HIGH to your CONFIG. SYS file. Tak ing advantage of this DOS capability frees another 45K or so of conventional memory for use by real-mode programs by essentially mov- ing 45K of program code into the first segment of extended memory.Although this memory was supposed to be accessible in protected mode only, it turns out that a defect in the design of the original 286 (which, fortunately, has been propagated forward to the more recent processors as a feature) accidentally al- lows access to most of the first segment of extended memory while still in real mode. The use of the HMA is controlled by the HIMEM. SYS or equivalent driver. The origins of this memory usage are interesting because they are based on a bug in the original 286 processor carried forward through even the Pentium II. 8. 5 Expanded MemorySome older programs can use a type of memory called Expanded Memory Spec- ification or EMS memory. Unlike conventional (the first megabyte) or extended (the second through 16th or 4,096th megabytes) memory, expanded memory is not directly addressable by the processor. Instead, it can only be accessed through a 64K window and small 16K pages established in the UMA. Expanded memory is a segment or bank-switching scheme in which a custom memory adapter has a large number of 64K segments onboard, com- bined with special switching and mapping hardware. The system uses a free segment in the UMA as the home address for the EMS board.After this 64K is filled with data, the board rotates the filled segment out and a new, empty segment appears to take its place. In this fashion, you have a board that can keep on rotating in new segments to be filled with data. Because only one segment can be seen or oper- ated on at one time, EMS is very inefficient for program code and is normally 10 only used for data. 9Video Memory The video memory is such an important component of the video card, and indirectly the entire PC, that several new memory technologies have been created specifically for it.The goal: to impr ove the speed with which information can be pumped into and out of the video memory, to keep system performance high as the video system tries to do more and more. Various memory technologies now being used on video cards are explained below. 9. 1 Standard (Fast Page Mode) DRAM The oldest technology used in video card memory, fast page mode (FPM) memory is now considered â€Å"standard† DRAM as it has the fewest performanceenhancing capabilities of the different types of memory on the market. FPM DRAM is a technology used primarily for main system memories (even there, it is now considered a poor performer) and is not really ell-suited for highperformance video applications. 11 FPM is the least expensive type of memory available for video, and is used today mostly on low-end or generic cards (as well as older cards of course). For many applications they can be quite satisfactory; however, they reach their limits quickly when trying to use high resolution modes, especially in true color. The limitations of standard DRAM are due to two primary effects: it is single ported (which means it can only do one access at a time) and it runs at a relatively low speed and access width. 9. 2 Extended Data Out (EDO) DRAMEDO DRAM is the same as standard FPM DRAM except for a slight modification in the access cycle that gives it a small performance boost. With EDO DRAM, one read to memory can begin before the last one has completely finished; this yields a raw speed improvement of between 5 and 20 percent, depending on whom you ask. Originally used only for main system memory, EDO DRAM is becoming more popular on video cards because it provides slightly improved performance over standard DRAM at the same cost. (At one time EDO was more expensive than FPM but due to supply and demand effects now, EDO is actually the same cost or lower).EDO is still, however, a low-cost and low-performance solution compared to other types of video memory, and is not used on high-end card s. 9. 3 Video RAM (VRAM) The traditional, standard DRAM used for video cards typically does not have enough bandwidth to handle the demands of running a card at high resolution and color depths, with acceptable refresh rates. The main reason why is the two competing access factors for the video memory: the processor writing new information to the memory, and the RAMDAC reading it many times per second in order to send video signals to the monitor.To address this fundamental limitation, a new type of memory was created called video RAM or VRAM. As the name implies, this memory is specifically tailored for use in video systems. The fundamental difference between VRAM and standard DRAM is that VRAM is dual-ported. This means that it has two access paths, and can be written to and read from simultaneously. The advantages of this are of course enormous given what the video card does: many times per second a new screen image is calculated and written to the memory, and many times per seco nd this memory is read and sent to the monitor.Dual- porting allows these operations to occur without bumping into each other. VRAM provides substantially more bandwidth than either standard DRAM or EDO DRAM; double in many cases. It is more suited for use in systems requiring high resolution and color depth displays. The only reason that it hasn’t replaced standard DRAM entirely is of course: cost. VRAM is more complex and requires more silicon per bit than standard DRAM, which makes it cost more. 12 9. 4Window RAM (WRAM)Window RAM or WRAM is a modification of regular VRAM that both improves performance and reduces cost on a bit-for-bit basis. Designed specifically for use in graphics cards, WRAM is also dual-ported but has about 25% more bandwidth than VRAM, and also incorporates additional features to allow for higher performance memory transfers for commonly used graphical operations such as text drawing and block fills. Furthermore, WRAM is less expensive than VRAM to ma nufacture (although still more expensive than DRAM). 9. 5 Synchronous Graphics RAM (SGRAM)A relatively newer RAM technology, Synchronous Graphics RAM or SGRAM tackles the poor performance of regular DRAM by increasing greatly the speed at which memory transfers take place. SGRAM also incorporates specific per- formance enhancing features designed to work with acceleration features built into video cards, to greatly improve overall video processing speed. SGRAM is still single-ported, unlike VRAM or WRAM, but offers performance that is much closer to VRAM than DRAM due to its advanced design. 10 Flash Memory DevicesFlash memory has been around for several years as a main or an auxiliary storage medium for notebook computers. However, the rise of devices such as digital cameras and MP3 players and the presence of USB ports on practically all recent systems have transformed this technology from a niche product into a mainstream must-have storage technology. Flash memory is a type of no nvolatile memory that is divided into blocks rather than bytes, as with normal RAM memory modules. Flash memory, which also is used in most recent computers for BIOS chips, is changed by a process known as Fowler-Nordheim tunneling.This process removes the charge from the floating gate associated with each memory cell. Flash memory then must be erased before it can be charged with new data. The speed, low reprogramming current requirements, and compact size of recent flash memory devices have made flash memory a perfect counterpart for portable devices such as notebook computers and digital cameras, which often refer to flash memory devices as so-called â€Å"digital film†. Unlike real film, digital film can be erased and reshot.Ultra-compact, USB-based keychain drives that use flash memory are replacing both traditional floppy drives and Zip/SuperDisk drives for transporting data between systems. Diiferent types of flash memory devices are expained below. 10. 1Compact Flash CompactFlash was developed by SanDisk Corporation in 1994 and uses ATA architecture to emulate a disk drive; a CompactFlash device attached to a com- 13 puter has a disk drive letter just like your other drives. Later types of flash memory also use ATA architecture, either implemented in the device itself or in its controller. 0. 2MultiMedia Card The MultiMediaCard (MMC) was codeveloped by SanDisk and Infineon Tech- nologies AG (formerly Siemens AG) in November 1997 for use with smart phones, MP3 players, digital cameras, and camcorders. The MMC uses a simple 7-pin serial interface to devices and contains low-voltage flash memory. 10. 3Secure Digital (SD) A SecureDigital (SD) storage device is about the same size as MMC , but it’s a more sophisticated product. SD, which was codeveloped by Toshiba, Matsushita Electric (Panasonic), and SanDisk in 1999, gets its name from two special features.The first is encrypted storage of data for additional security, meeting current and fut ure Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) standards for portable devices. The second is a mechanical write-protection switch. 10. 4Pen Drive As an alternative to floppy and Zip/SuperDisk-class removable-media drives, USB-based flash memory devices are rapidly becoming the preferred way to move data between systems. The first successful drive of this type – Trek’s ThumbDrivewas – introduced in 2000 and has spawned many imitators, in- cluding many that incorporate a keychain or pocket clip to emphasize their portability.Unlike other types of flash memory, USB keychain drives don’t require a separate card reader; they can be plugged in to any USB port or hub. Al- though a driver is usually required for Windows 98 and Windows 98SE, most USB keychain drives can be read immediately by newer versions of Windows, particularly Windows XP. As with other types of flash memory, USB keychain drives are assigned a drive letter when connected to the computer. Most have capacities ranging from 128MB to 1GB, with some capacities as high as 2GB or more.However, typical read/write performance of USB 1. 1-compatible drives is about 1MBps. Hi-Speed USB keychain drives are much faster, providing read speeds ranging from 5MBps to 15MBps and write speeds ranging from 5MBps to 13MBps. 11Advanced Memory Technologies 11. 1RDRAM RDRAM is a proprietary technology made by Rambus Inc. for use exclusively in certain Intel compatible motherboards 14 RDRAM stands for Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory. It can access data anywhere on the chip; It requires power to hold its data; and it transfers data twice per clock signal.However, it uses a smaller pathway, or â€Å"system bus,† to send information. The Rambus system bus is 16-bits wide. Rambus transfers data at 800 megahertz (MHz) and faster. Rambus is the more expensive type of memory since its proprietary, royalty costs that manufacturers must pay to produce it tend to result in higher retail prices. Add itionally, Rambus compatible motherboards require that all of their RAM slots be occupied. Traditionally, a computer may contain anywhere from one to four ram slots. If a slot is unoccupied, the system still operates.Rambus requires that either a Rambus memory module or a kind of place holder known as a continuity module be in place to complete the memory path to the bus. 11. 2 DDR SDRAM (DDR) Double data rate (DDR) SDRAM memory is a JEDEC-created standard that is an evolutionary upgrade of standard SDRAM in which data is transferred twice as quickly. Instead of doubling the actual clock rate, DDR memory achieves the doubling in performance by transferring twice per transfer cycle: once at the leading (falling) edge and once at the trailing (rising) edge of the cycle.This effectively doubles the transfer rate, even though the same overall clock and timing signals are used. Since its inception, manufacturers have release new and faster versions of DDR. These are based on the use of p refetch buffers that access not only the memory, or â€Å"dataword,† requested by the processor but also the datawords adjacent to it on the chip. Thus DDR2 â€Å"fetches† four datawords per memory access, double the amount of DDR. DDR3, a more recent update, obtains eight datawords per access. 15

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_______ / 29 Score ____________________Name ________Period ________Date Study Questions: Through the Tunnel COMPREHENSION (10 points; 1 point each) On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items. _______ 1. Jerry’s mother allows him to go to the beach by the wild bay because she— A would like some time to herself B does not realize how dangerous it is C wants him to make friends with the boys playing there D does not want to be overly protective _______ 2.Jerry is especially fascinated by the local boys at the wild bay because they — F speak a language Jerry doesn’t understand G are older and stronger than he is H dive from a rock and swim through an underwater tunnel J climb through a tunnel to reach a high rock from which they dive ______ 3. When Jerry masks his shame at not having found the tunnel because he was clowning around, the other boys — A laugh at his antics B frown like his mother C speak Englis h to him D smile and wave at him _______ 4.Which statement best describes Jerry’s attitude toward going through the tunnel? F He feels the tunnel is more than he can handle at his age. G He’s frightened but determined to go through it. H The tunnel has little meaning but poses some interest to him. J He has no fears about getting through the tunnel. ______ 5. As soon as the local boys leave the wild bay, Jerry doesn’t go through the tunnel mainly because — A his mother made him promise not to overdo anything B Jerry doesn’t know where the tunnel is locatedC Jerry can’t hold his breath long enough D without goggles, Jerry can’t see underwater ______ 6. The event that forces Jerry to decide that he will make his attempt to go through the tunnel occurs — F after he watches the local boys go through the tunnel for a second time G when his ability to hold his breath surpasses two minutes H when he buys a pair of goggles enabling him to see clearly underwater J after his mother tells him that they will be leaving the beach in four days ______ 7.The best description of Jerry’s approach to going through the tunnel is that he — A enters impulsively and swims around until he finds his way out B waits until one of the older boys dives first and then follows him to safety C decides to wait until the following summer when is older and stronger D carefully plans and practices for several days before trying ______ 8. In addition to overcoming the dangers of the water, Jerry has to contend with — F his mother’s reluctance G his own rigorous training H taunts from the other boys J weather problems ______ 9.In the end, while eating lunch, Jerry tells his mother — A absolutely nothing about his adventure underwater B every detail of what happened as he swam through the tunnel C that he can hold his breath for three minutes underwater D that he wants to go swimming again that day ______ 10. Which statement best expresses the theme of â€Å"Through the Tunnel†? F Friendship is life’s great prize. G Amother’s love conquers all. H Proving one’s worth is never easy. J Never judge a book by its cover. LITERARY FOCUS (4 points; 1 poins each) On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items. ______ 11.Areader finds the symbolic meaning in a story by — A outlining the events in the story’s plot B interpreting and making connections among all of the story’s symbols C discovering the reasons a character acts the way he or she does D determining who the narrator is and how he or she is connected to the story’s Characters ______ 12. Of the following details from â€Å"Through the Tunnel,† the most important symbol in the story is the — F pair of goggles G umbrella H tunnel J villa ______ 13. The wild bay is a symbol for — A Jerry’s entrance into a new phase in his life B the ways in which Jerry’s mother coddles himC life in a foreign country D vacations and other exciting adventures ______ 14. Which of the following descriptions from the story helps to create a mood of danger? F â€Å"There she was, a speck of yellow under an umbrella that looked like a slice of orange peel. † G â€Å"Soon the biggest of the boys poised himself, shot down into the water, and did not come up. † H â€Å"It was as if he had eyes of a different kind—fish eyes that showed everything clear and delicate and wavering in the bright water. † J â€Å"Rocks lay like discolored monsters under the surface. † VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT (5 points; 1 point each)Match the definition on the left with the Vocabulary word on the right. On the line provided, write the letter of the Vocabulary word. ______ 15. small; tiny a. contrition ______ 16. appeal; request b. supplication ______ 17. disbelieving; skeptical c. inquisitive ______ 18. regret or sense of guilt at having done wrong d. minute ______ 19. questioning; curious e. incredulous CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE (10 points) 20. On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph explaining what you think Jerry’s accomplishments are and how you think they change him. Support your ideas with at least two instances of symbols or figurative language from the story. Me Hjgkhjlkghjlk _______ / 29 Score ____________________Name ________Period ________Date Study Questions: Through the Tunnel COMPREHENSION (10 points; 1 point each) On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items. _______ 1. Jerry’s mother allows him to go to the beach by the wild bay because she— A would like some time to herself B does not realize how dangerous it is C wants him to make friends with the boys playing there D does not want to be overly protective _______ 2.Jerry is especially fascinated by the local boys at the wild bay because they — F speak a language Jerry doesn’t understand G are older and stronger than he is H dive from a rock and swim through an underwater tunnel J climb through a tunnel to reach a high rock from which they dive ______ 3. When Jerry masks his shame at not having found the tunnel because he was clowning around, the other boys — A laugh at his antics B frown like his mother C speak Englis h to him D smile and wave at him _______ 4.Which statement best describes Jerry’s attitude toward going through the tunnel? F He feels the tunnel is more than he can handle at his age. G He’s frightened but determined to go through it. H The tunnel has little meaning but poses some interest to him. J He has no fears about getting through the tunnel. ______ 5. As soon as the local boys leave the wild bay, Jerry doesn’t go through the tunnel mainly because — A his mother made him promise not to overdo anything B Jerry doesn’t know where the tunnel is locatedC Jerry can’t hold his breath long enough D without goggles, Jerry can’t see underwater ______ 6. The event that forces Jerry to decide that he will make his attempt to go through the tunnel occurs — F after he watches the local boys go through the tunnel for a second time G when his ability to hold his breath surpasses two minutes H when he buys a pair of goggles enabling him to see clearly underwater J after his mother tells him that they will be leaving the beach in four days ______ 7.The best description of Jerry’s approach to going through the tunnel is that he — A enters impulsively and swims around until he finds his way out B waits until one of the older boys dives first and then follows him to safety C decides to wait until the following summer when is older and stronger D carefully plans and practices for several days before trying ______ 8. In addition to overcoming the dangers of the water, Jerry has to contend with — F his mother’s reluctance G his own rigorous training H taunts from the other boys J weather problems ______ 9.In the end, while eating lunch, Jerry tells his mother — A absolutely nothing about his adventure underwater B every detail of what happened as he swam through the tunnel C that he can hold his breath for three minutes underwater D that he wants to go swimming again that day ______ 10. Which statement best expresses the theme of â€Å"Through the Tunnel†? F Friendship is life’s great prize. G Amother’s love conquers all. H Proving one’s worth is never easy. J Never judge a book by its cover. LITERARY FOCUS (4 points; 1 poins each) On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items. ______ 11.Areader finds the symbolic meaning in a story by — A outlining the events in the story’s plot B interpreting and making connections among all of the story’s symbols C discovering the reasons a character acts the way he or she does D determining who the narrator is and how he or she is connected to the story’s Characters ______ 12. Of the following details from â€Å"Through the Tunnel,† the most important symbol in the story is the — F pair of goggles G umbrella H tunnel J villa ______ 13. The wild bay is a symbol for — A Jerry’s entrance into a new phase in his life B the ways in which Jerry’s mother coddles himC life in a foreign country D vacations and other exciting adventures ______ 14. Which of the following descriptions from the story helps to create a mood of danger? F â€Å"There she was, a speck of yellow under an umbrella that looked like a slice of orange peel. † G â€Å"Soon the biggest of the boys poised himself, shot down into the water, and did not come up. † H â€Å"It was as if he had eyes of a different kind—fish eyes that showed everything clear and delicate and wavering in the bright water. † J â€Å"Rocks lay like discolored monsters under the surface. † VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT (5 points; 1 point each)Match the definition on the left with the Vocabulary word on the right. On the line provided, write the letter of the Vocabulary word. ______ 15. small; tiny a. contrition ______ 16. appeal; request b. supplication ______ 17. disbelieving; skeptical c. inquisitive ______ 18. regret or sense of guilt at having done wrong d. minute ______ 19. questioning; curious e. incredulous CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE (10 points) 20. On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph explaining what you think Jerry’s accomplishments are and how you think they change him. Support your ideas with at least two instances of symbols or figurative language from the story.

African American Culture Reflection Response Essay

African American Culture Reflection Response - Essay Example African American culture has been growing independently from the standard American culture given craving of African American to hone their traditions, and additionally the racial isolation determination in America. As a result, African American culture has turn out to be a critical piece of American society, though then, for a certain period, it will be an unmistakable culture, which can be separated from it. One of the examples that can be used to understand African American Culture is naming; how they use to name people. African American culture considers names to be regularly have some connection with the same dialect group as other mainstream names found in American culture. The act of embracing neo-African or Islamic names did not pick up prevalence in anticipation of the Civil Rights period. This wilk be the last period. Endeavors to recoup African legacy roused determination of names with more profound social importance. Preceding this, the use of African names, which for two reasons, it was not considered to be pragmatic. First, some African Americans were a few eras expelled from the final predecessor to posses an African name. Moreover, African American practiced naming, which originates before the invention of African names. While trying to come up with their particular names, African American parents’ growth (regarding numbers), beginning in the post-World War II period, started making new names given sounds they discovered satisfying, for example, Marquon, DaShawn, LaTasha, or Shandra.

(managing human capital) Traditional performance appraisal methods and Essay

(managing human capital) Traditional performance appraisal methods and why it leads dysfunctional behaviour - Essay Example Performance appraisals are undertaken to assess the individual, a team, or an organisational unit's progress as far as its function is concerned. They can be based on personal assessment of the ratee based on a prepared rating scale depending on the systems preferred by the management. In the general context, performance evaluation is a good tool to reward and recognise outstanding performances and correct or counsel employees with poor accomplishments (US Department of the Interior, n. d) Traditional methods of performance appraisal methods may differ in usability between private and public organisations. But they have similarities as far as the rating systems are concerned. Old systems use review processes in which the supervisor writes his ratings and opinions of the performance of a subordinate based on a form. In some organisations, the staff member is asked to fill out a self-review to share with the supervisor. In most cases, the appraisal reflects what the rater can remember and not a comprehensive evaluation. It is based on feelings and can be judgmental in nature (Dulewicz, 1989) Considering that humans have emotions, traditional assessment techniques and even some present methods are mostly ceremonial rather than a thorough assessment of the personnel's o

GPS And Its Use In Modern Surveying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

GPS And Its Use In Modern Surveying - Essay Example President Reagan opened access to the GPS for the civilian aircraft navigational purposes for the first time in 1983 (Leick 5). GPS has immense application in modern surveying. GPS enables the surveyors to measure the points or features of any location across the globe from space. Data collected with the help of GPS can be used to provide information for navigation systems or to monitor the infrastructure projects. Surveyors commonly use the GPS to derive elevation with the help of sophisticated satellite receivers as an alternative to the traditional precise leveling. However, the accuracy of the former is lesser as compared to the latter, but when the traditional leveling has to be carried out over a long distance, the accuracies of both methods become similar. GPS helps reduce the time consumed in surveying. â€Å"Project surveys scheduled to take become an often take just a few days or hours with GPS† (Transportation Research Board). Modern surveying has benefited a lot fr om the use of GPS.

The Challenges for Business Start-ups Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Challenges for Business Start-ups - Essay Example The essay includes discussion and analysis on different aspects of the topic such as financial resources, entrepreneur’s time, competition from existing firms, human resource management, establishment of customer base and intellectual property rights. Alone in United Kingdom, there are more than 4.8 million small businesses which employ less than five people. Furthermore, out of these 4.8 million businesses, 3.8 million are sole proprietors. According to a conservative estimate, almost 0.5 million people start their own business every year. Over 60 percent of the total workforce or almost 22.8 million people of the United Kingdom work with small and medium sized business. Surprisingly, 60 percent of the commercial innovations also come from these small businesses. However, there is another side of the picture, which tells that more than 80 percent of these small businesses fail within the first year of their operations. Therefore, the point here is that these new businesses of ten face a great deal of challenges during their initial days. As the old saying goes that â€Å"People don't plan to fail, they fail to plan†. Only those businesses survive, which have the planning, resources, determination, and focus to cope up with those challenges. This paper is also an attempt to present a brief overview of these challenges in light of various examples and theories. In conclusion, the researcher states that business startups without proper planning are similar to a ship, which is moving in circles without any direction.

How children learn the sounds of their language Coursework - 1

How children learn the sounds of their language - Coursework Example From the outset children learn to speak as the result of being part of a social and cultural fabric. Halliday (1980) proposes that we ‘learn language, learn through language and learn about language simultaneously as we use language’. Language cannot be learned in isolation from others. As soon as children are born they enter the world they find themselves to be part of adult conversations. For the most part ‘motherese’ (see vialle, Lysaght & Verenkina 2000, p.74), is an extremely small part of the language children hear. The overwhelming majority of the language forms in the children’s immediate culture and environment is framed in adult conventions without any attempt to simplify. As parents and others care for the daily needs of children they chatter to the child, asking questions (‘who’s a pretty baby? Did you have a big sleep?’), they share family stories (‘Grandma’s coming today and we are going shopping’) and they use language that they neither expect the child to understand or respond to at this stage. Families include children in their language acts as they gather around their new offspring. And all this time there is myriad background talk emanating from radios, televisions, computers and often other siblings. While this language may often seem to be a jumble of noise and sounds, there is always one constant in play: meaning is being developed through social interaction. This is the driving force that will operate throughout the initial years in each child’s language development and beyond (vialle, Lysaght & Verenikina 2000, p.66). Language learning is a mutual process -- Children are not passive passengers in the language that surrounds them. Young children can understand a great deal a long time before they can actually vocalize any recognizable words. As active participants in the everyday interactions of life, gradually children realize that

Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Value - Essay Example Secondly, highlighting the excellence of the product or its use or attribute that could be of use to the customer can increase the value of the specific product/service in customers’ perception. Thirdly, by providing the best quality product at reasonable price and by providing greater variety or product differentiation can attract more customers. Innovative products are of great value to marketing activity as they provide more opportunities for advertisement and sales. In relation to this, branding and advertising, marketing can enhance customers’ perceptions related to a specific products of a company and eventually increase their sales. The marketing function can play a central role in identifying customers’ needs and changing preferences; the marketing function can communicate these aspects to the research and development department. The R&D can then design products as per customers’ preferences and also increase variety of products thereby widening th e product lines. . The role of marketing in creating shareholder value is a strategic function and depends upon the operational efficiency of the firm which uses shareholders’ funds.

Fullers Principle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fullers Principle - Essay Example Therefore, if someone sees some people doing this activity, he/she should report the activity to the officials whatever the relationship he/she has with the people involved in the illegal activity. According to law, a police officer has the professional obligation to respond to the illegal activities instantly by taking appropriate action against the lawbreakers. If I would be the police officer, I would use both professional discretion and the law to handle the issue. First, I would call my friend to make him aware of the activities of his/her friends. I would give a chance to my friend to make his/her friends stop the activity immediately. However, in case of display of delaying tactics by my friend, I would call my law enforcement agency to take appropriate action. To me, professional and moral obligations come first. Therefore, I would not put my professional and moral obligations aside to allow an illegal activity even at my friend’s place. I do not think there is any moral problem related to this scenario. Anyone can present anything to the other person as a reward. Giving a free shopping card and a fruit basket to an officer as a reward for his/her services is not against any law. The only problem associated with the scenario is that if a police officer accepts a gift from a shopkeeper, it builds respect in the mind of the police officer regarding that shopkeeper. Although the element of respect between two people has no issues, but it can lead to discrimination if any of those persons has some form of authority. In the given scenario, after accepting the gift from the shopkeeper, the police officer may provide illegal support to that shopkeeper if, in future, a dispute occurs between that shopkeeper and some other person. Police officers take oath to perform their duties honestly (Pomper, 2012). Other than this concern, I do not think there is any

Management Accounting - bereaucracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Accounting - bereaucracy - Essay Example The same history acknowledges the fact that many businesses and organisation had been in bad postures in the early years of the 1970's. This, according to many business analysts, was mainly owing to improper performance analysis techniques which would reflect real business situation. Importantly, stakeholders, especially shareholders, were putting incessant pressure on management team to reach good end of year figures. If some theorists agree that this was mainly due to principle emphasis on external financial reporting and management accountant neglected the need for internal accounting and financial monitoring in management accounting basic functions; others argue that this effect was attributable to other contextual factors. Management accounting has always been seen as a vital activity which reflects the health of the business, and the efficient use of resources. This performance measuring technique is an important internally-based financial monitoring tool, which could guide corrective measures to be taken on many emerging departmental or process deviations. If many businesses have been part of the drastic changes involved in business process reengineering aiming at streamlining business processes at varied levels, the analysis and creation of management accounting data has also greatly evolved. The evolution of technology in the early years of the 1960's as well as changes in the mode of production have changed mindset to production-oriented management owing to the event of mass production. It has increasingly been recognised as from the second distinctive evolutionary stage of management accounting that, the need to appropriately use resources could influence the overall cost or production cost in many manufacturing companies, especially where machineries are concerned and that their fixed costs could influence greatly margins at year end. In this context, there have been drastic changes to scrutinise costs associated to each activity or process which is referred to as Activity-Based Costing. The main aim was to decrease the overall seemingly inaccurate overhead allocation based on standard American costing, especially cost of running machineries in period where large scale production and customisation was becoming popular as strategy. Management accounting at this particular stage inherently focus on data to facilitate control which was a vitally important function in conventional management approach. Line management laying emphasis on production had as main objective s to satisfy orders and the critical data required was to better control and monitor processes both in machineries and labour. The focus was to establish strategy mixes that support organisational objectives, and develop and maintain the organisational capabilities necessary for strategy realisation. Furthermore, enormous consideration on

Influence of Recreation Essay Example for Free

Influence of Recreation Essay A key objective of human resource management is to contribute towards the achievement of high level of employee and organization performance (Armstrong, 2005). Hutchinson, Kinnie, Purcell and Boxall (2003) contend that intangible assets such as culture, skill, competence, motivation and social interaction between people and teams are increasingly being seen as a source of strength in enhancing performance. This is evident in those firms which can combine people and processes together. Organizations therefore need to put in place actions which are aimed at ensuring employees maximize their potential at the work place. As stated by Boxall et al (2003), individual performance is a function of ability, motivation and opportunity (AMO); what they refer to as the fundamentals of employee’s productivity. As part of human resource development, organizations and individuals are slowly appreciating the concept of planning and managing employee recreation. American Council on Exercise (2000), contends that creating some leisure time in the course of the day allows employees to recharge themselves psychologically and emotionally and this can lead to improved job performance. There is increased involvement in leisure activities and wellness programmes by companies in a bid to promote employees’ physical and mental health. According to Taylor (2008), the demand for man made additional resources for recreation is greater now than before. Though there are many mushrooming of entertainment and sports clubs, many organizations have invested large sums of money to provide such facilities within the workplace. Kenya Utalii College is one such organization in Kenya that has invested heavily and provides recreation for its employees. Besides being inherently beneficial to employees, such initiatives can make a significant contribution to reducing absenteeism and raising productivity (Cohen, 1999). Physical work plays a major role in ones life. It is believed to be a life sustenance activity, which in turn poses threat to health due to activities involved. Wehmeier (2000) described work as something that involves physical or mental effort. There are three (3) classes of workers, mental workers and the physico-mental workers. The purely physical workers are generally â€Å"the hewers of wood and drawers of water†. The mental workers are those who achieve results with little or no manual labour, while physico-mental workers comprises of those who combine physical work with mental work for achieving the desire results. Talabi (1997) further explained that the mental workers include mangers, top executives and people at helm of affairs of the country and big establishments. Their work results in sedentary life, characterized the majority of top executives positions in Nigeria. This results in the mental and emotional stress far in excess of the physical stress, leading to the occurrences of different health problems. Industries are characterized by long working hours; often late at night and very early morning reporting. Much of the work requires employees to be constantly on their feet and customer interactions can be stressful, as employees may be verbally abused for service problems that are none of their doing and completely out of their control. In addition, many of them have problems maintaining a work-life balance. These factors individually or in combination lead to ill-health, low morale, conflicts and high levels of stress. In an effort to help employees cope with such issues, organizations have invested in workplace recreation. There is evidence that that workplace recreation has a positive effect on employee performance (WHO, 2003). Workplace physical activity and recreation programmes in USA have helped reduce short-term sick leave (by 32%), health care costs (by 20-55%) and increased productivity (by 52%). However, scanty empirical data is available of the situation in developing world (WHO, 2003). Reduction of such kinds of avoidable costs is potentially important, especially in the developing countries such as Nigeria as it would lead to higher employee performance. Some companies have established workplace recreation in a bid to provide leisure and meet employee welfare requirements. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The study of Tijani and Enyiorji (2006) revealed that staff of the First Bank of Nigeria Plc for instance, go to work early and close late, from Monday to Friday. Moreover, the weekend leisure has also been affected adversely, with the introduction of Saturday banking, leaving the worker with Sunday, which some of the workers use for worship. Worse still, is the monetization of the staff’s annual leave, which in general makes it difficult if not impossible for the staff to undertake leisure activities. Research efforts of Ajayi (2002) and Fadoju (2004) also revealed that stress appears to be a common phenomenon in every life’s endeavour and the antidote to this phenomenon is regular participation in exercise and recreational activities. In the light of this, it is however necessary to investigate the roles played by recreation on workers of Stanmark and Cocoa Company, because it has been observed that due to the nature of their job, they are subjected to stressful conditions, which eventually wreck a lot of havoc on their health. Therefore, this research project focuses on examining the perceived influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company Ile-Oluji. Research Questions 1)Will Job Satisfaction be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 2)Will quality of Service and customer satisfaction be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 3)Will improvement of healthy Life Style be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 4)Will strengthening of relationships among the workers be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 5)Will improvement of self esteem of the workers be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? Research Hypothesis 1)Job Satisfaction will not be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 2)Quality of Service and customer satisfaction will not be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 3)Improvement of healthy Life Style will not be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 4)Strengthening of relationships among the workers will not be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 5)Improvement of self esteem of the workers will not be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? Significance of the Study The result of this study will educate company administrators on how to use recreational programmes as vanguard for the promotion of productivity in their companies. It would also serve as an eye opener for the administrators, on the need to necessarily incorporate recreational programmes, into the programmes of the companies in order to further enhance productivity. The recommendation of this research project, when published, would enlighten the authorities of companies, on how to encourage their workers, to actively engage in recreational programmes for the purpose of bringing about productivity in their companies. The results of this study would serve as baseline data for other studies in this area. More so, the result of this research project would add more to the existing pool of knowledge and also reinforce companies’ authority in sorting plans and programmes through their sports committee in their distinctive efforts to mount recreational programmes that will promote productivity in their companies. Hence, the study will create awareness among company, industry, factory workers and general public of values derivable from recreation. Delimitations of the study This research project is delimited to the examination of the perceived influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company, Ile-Oluji. The study participants consist of workers in Stanmark and Cocoa Company, Ile-Oluji. Limitations to the study This research is limited to Stanmark and Cocoa Company, Ile-Oluji owning to time factor. Some respondents delayed the questionnaire while some did not even return the copies of the questionnaire. Also, some respondents responses to the questionnaire did not supply the high percentage of correct information which would have given the true picture of the impact of recreation on productivity. Definition of Terms The under listed terminologies were utilized in the course of the project and they constitute meanings peculiar to the context of the project. 1.Recreation : This is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The need to do something for recreation seems to be an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be fun. The term recreation implies participation to be healthy refreshing mind and body. 2.Productivity: This is the state in which a greater output is achieved in a short time without any decline or depreciation in the quality of work. On the other hand, it infers to a quality or state or being productive, increased efficiency and the rate at which goods and services are produced and the conditions of an increased output. This situation can be influenced by the extent and quality of its resources of land capital and labor. The consequences of low productivity among workers on their company in addition to the national economy of the USA (Pfeiffer, 1998), posed a major problem for company managers, who came to the conclusion that an increase in productivity cannot be achieved without the introduction of new incentives for their employees. One of the incentives was the establishment of sports and recreation programs, aimed at the increase in the employees’ effectiveness (Bates, McClusky, Bernard Gieske, 1998). The first companies offering sports and recreation activities to their employees appeared in the USA in late sixties (Shephard, 1986). Baun Baun (1984), report that more than 50,000 American companies offer sports and recreation activities to their employees and there are more than 3,000 consultants active in this field. The employers focus was to improve their employees’ state of health, which in turn would reduce expenses and the increase profit for their companies (Wanzel, 1994). The improvement of the employees’ health through the establishment of sports and recreation programs resulted in profits that were sometimes bigger than expected (Cardinal, Cardinal, Drabbs, Krause, Maddalozzo, Martin, Melville Singleton, 1998). The productivity of workers increased while, the expenses for medical care were reduced. In addition, the relationship between the employer and the employees improved. Consequently there were fewer strikes and accidents at work, faster recuperation of sick employees, and product and service improvement (Kaman, 1987). Although at the beginning these programs were only a privilege for high-ranking employees, the employers soon realized that the introduction of sports and recreation facilities for all workers would result in an increase of production and reduce expenses (Blair, Pirerchia, Wilbur Crowder, 1986). According to Bertera (1990a), in companies that have adopted sports and recreation programs, employees are up to 18% less frequently absent from work. According to Pfeiffer (1998), employees who participate in such programs are more favorable towards their employers and high-ranking employees. Shephard (1989) also claimed that participation in these programs improves the image of the companies, which made use of them, thus creating a greater demand for them by job seekers. Shephard (1986) also stresses the productivity of companies, which adopted sports programs increased by 7%. According to Danielson Danielson, (1982), and Shephard, (1986), every dollar spent on sports programs for the employees by their company, resulted in a profit of up to $5. The employees of those companies, too, profited by participating in the sports and recreation programs. More precisely, there were fewer cases of heart diseases, high and low blood pressure as well as obesity, and cholesterol problems were reduced (Bertera, 1991). There was also less tension and stress, compared to employees who did not participate in sports and recreation programs (Bertera, 1990b). Moreover, they tended to consume less alcohol and smoked less, while hypertension at work declined (Meyers Donham, 1982). Sports and recreation programs gave companies better results when they were included in a broader scheme, which focused on the benefits of employees (Kronenfeld, Jackson, Blair, Davis, Gimarc, Salisbury, Maysey McGee, 1987). In other words, it was shown that sports and recreation programs combined with seminars concerning health matters, smoking and healthy diets, can result in positive behavior changes and healthier lifestyle (Kronenfeld et al., 1987). Moreover, another very important consequence of the introduction of sports programs at work was that employees adopted healthier living habits, and adopted a â€Å"for-life† participation in similar activities, which they later passed on to their children and families (Blair, Tritsch Kutsch, 1987). The results were less spectacular in companies that forced their employees to participate in sports and recreation programs. This is mainly true of Japan, where participation is mandatory (Shephard, 1989). In developed western countries, the participation of employees in sports and recreation programs is voluntary, and they can decide for themselves whether they want to exercise either during their break (e.g. lunch-break) or after they have finished work (Rost, Connel, Schechtman, Barzilai Fisher, 1990). Nowadays, the number of employers introducing sports programs for their employees are rising (Blair et al., 1986). The governments of developed countries have shown their support for such programs by providing tax exemption for the companies that make use of them or by organizing campaigns pointing out the necessity of exercise for people of both sexes and all ages (Shephard, 1992). The American government believes that the participation of employees in sports programs at work can contribute to the reduction in the number of deaths due to heart attacks (Blair, Booth, Gyarfas, Iwane, Marti, Matsudo, Morrow, Noakes Shephard, 1996). The European Sports Committee have decided on a campaign, which would stress the benefits of exercising for health thus motivating companies to introduce sports programs for their employees (The Council of Europe’s Work on Sport, 1990). Nevertheless, such programs are either inadequate or non-existing in Greece, although there are laws dealing with health matters at work (Gougou, 1995). So It appears as a necessity that better organized sports programs at work be introduced In order to be more beneficial for workers. (Gougou, 1995).

Antibiotics for Treatment of Acute Otitis Media

Antibiotics for Treatment of Acute Otitis Media The role of Antibiotics for Treatment of Acute Otitis Media in Prevention of Subsequent Development of Acute Mastoiditis in Children Introduction Acute otitis media (AOM) is considered to be one of the most common infections in children. Most of the time it is self-limiting disease without need for antibiotic therapy; however, some children have individual potential for serious complications such as mastoiditis. Acute mastoiditis is still the most common complication of acute Otitis media and is defined as an acute inflammation of the mastoid air cells which are contiguous with the middle ear cleft and arising as a result of spread of infection from acute otitis media beyond the middle ear. The incidence of acute mastoiditis was signià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cantly reduced following the antibiotic era and the overall incidence of mastoiditis as a complication of acute otitis media dropped to less than 1%.1,3. But some recent literature indicated an increase of the disease incidence especially in countries with less antibiotic prescription [2], while others reported that no increased incidence despite the national restriction guidelines of antibiotics prescription [4]. Most recently published guidelines reported that acute otitis media should be treated initially with supportive therapy with discretionary clinical follow-up and antibiotic treatment is reserved for cases in children younger than 6 months, unresolving cases, or otherwise complicated cases. The aim of this study was to carry out a retrospective analysis of all children admitted with acute mastoiditis and to study the role of antibiotics prescribed for acute otitis media on development of acute mastoiditis. Patients and Methods The medical records of all children admitted, diagnosed and treated as acute mastoiditis in the Ear, Nose and Throat department in King Hussein Medical center, Amman- Jordan during the period 2002 to 2012 were studied retrospectively. Patients were divided into 2 groups: Group I: patients who received antibiotics for acute otitis media 2 weeks pre hospitalization. Group II: patients who did not receive antibiotics prior to hospitalization. The clinical criteria for the diagnosis of acute mastoiditis were based on the following: Clinical and Otomicroscopic evidence of acute otitis media on admission or recent episode of otitis media within 2 weeks before admission. Post-auricular inflammatory signs (swelling, erythema and tenderness). Anteroinferior displacement of the auricle. Exclusion criteria were: Patients with incomplete data or in which the diagnosis was not conclusive. Patients suspected to have cholesteatoma. Immune compromised patients. Patients with ventilation tubes in situ. Patients who had undergone prior ear surgeries. Data regarding the age, gender, and duration of pre hospitalization antibiotic therapy, the clinical and microbiological findings, treatment modality and the outcome of the disease were recorded. Results During the study period, a total number of 63 children were admitted with the diagnosis of acute mastoiditis (42 males and 21 females) aged from 7 months to 13 years with a mean age of 5.7 years. Out of 63 patients, 56 (88.9%) patients had post auricular inflammation only whereas the remainder 7 (11.1%) cases had a subperiosteal abscess. The preadmission history demonstrated that 52 (82.5%) patients had a history of antecedent acute otitis media within 2 weeks before admission. Before the development of acute mastoiditis, we recorded that 41(65.1%) children were taking oral antibiotics 2 weeks before admission prescribed for acute otitis media (Group I) with duration of therapy ranging between 1-13 days (mean duration 3.6 days). The most commonly prescribed antibiotic prior to hospitalization was amoxicillin–clavulanic acid (n=30) followed by amoxicillin (n = 6), and à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst or second-generation cephalosporin (n = 5). On other hand 11 patients did not use any type of antibiotics before admission which was confirmed by the Parents of patients (Group II). The duration of illness before admission of patient was ranging between 1-14 days (mean 3.5  ± 3.1 days). Acute otitis media in the left side was reported to be more common than the right side (25 cases vs. 20 cases, respectively), Whereas 7 children were reported to have bilateral acute otitis media. None of our patients reported to have bilateral mastoiditis. The Clinical features of children with acute mastoiditis on admission are shown in table I. Computerized tomography of the Temporal bone was performed on admission in all patients and cloudiness of the mastoid was demonstrated in all the patients. In 7 cases there was destruction of cortex with subperiosteal abscess. Data regarding microbiological culture findings was recorded in 48 patients, of whom 25 (52%) cultures were taken from middle ear aspirate during myringotomy; culture of pus from the external auditory canal was obtained in 11 patients (23%), from subperiosteal abscess in 7 patients (14.6%) and from the mastoid cavity during mastoidectomy in 5 patients (10.4%). The most commonly isolated organisms were Streptococcus pneumonia, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Proteus mirabilis and Haemophilus inà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uenzae. On admission, all of the patients were treated with intravenous antibiotics and the most commonly used antibiotics were ceftriaxone, cefuroxime, Ceftazidime and Metronidazole. In addition to Intravenous antibiotics, some patients were underwent tympanostomy tube insertion, abscess drainage and cortical mastoidectomy. All patients in our study were recovered uneventfully with these treatment modalities and none of them developed recurrences of mastoiditis within a period of at least one year of clinical follow up. Discussion Although, in the literature the incidence of acute mastoiditis decreased in the last decades, there is some evidence that in recent years, this entity is rising, as Papournas and Kudo [6,9] have reported. However, our series includes 63 cases of acute mastoiditis in 10 years period. The demographic data collected in this study with regard to gender and age was consistent with other series [3, 7, 1 2]. Acute mastoiditis has been reported to be more predominant in boys as has been noted previously [11—14]. The use of broad spectrum antibiotics as initial treatment for acute otitis media, a rather common practice in our country, might play a role in selecting resistant microorganisms. In our study, in which 65.1% children were taking oral antibiotics for otitis media before admission provides evidence for the assumption that widespread use of antimicrobials in treatment of acute otitis media does not provide complete protection against acute mastoiditis. Furthermore, the symptoms of acute mastoiditis may be abated, in consequence of the treatment, requiring a high degree of awareness by contemporary clinicians to watch for manifestations. Therefore, antimicrobials should be used judiciously in treatment of acute otitis media, avoiding the employment of broad-spectrum drugs as an initial regimen. Yet, complete abstention from use of antibiotics in treatment of suppurative otitis media is not advisable, as this seems to increase the risk of complications in general and of acute mastoiditi s in particular [15,16]. Recently, some authors observed that the number of children admitted to some hospitals with acute mastoiditis has risen [12-14]. However, Luntz et al [15] reported that the use of antibiotics is not a safe guard against acute mastoiditis and it may lead to a latent (masked) mastoiditis. Also, Kvaerner et al [4] In their registry based study on 399 Norwegian children proved that the incidence of acute mastoiditis has not been increased in Norway despite the national restricted use of antibiotics in primary care. Findings in children with acute mastoiditis are well described in clinical studies. In agreement with our à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ndings the children are young, and present with retroauricular oedema, protrusion of the ear and abnormal tympanic membranes in addition to various degrees of general discomfort [1,5 – 9]. The most frequent symptom in our study was abnormal tympanic membrane with retroauricular erythema. During the last decade several reports show a decreasing rate of cortical mastoidectomy as the treatment of choice for acute mastoiditis. The rate of surgery varies greatly from 12 – 98% in different studies [1,4 – 8]. This may be due to different criteria for the diagnosis and may also reà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ect the fact that an increasing portion of children are treated in pediatric wards. The increasing tendency for conservative treatment during the recent years may also reà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ect an increasing availability of CT or MR scans to exclude complications. Microbiological culture findings were recorded in 48 patients in this study and Streptococcus pneumonia was the most commonly isolated organism. Similar results have been reported by other authors [2,6,12,15,16]. Other identià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ed organisms were Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Proteus mirabilis and Haemophilus inà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uenzae. Our data do not support that general use of antibiotics in acute otitis media will prevent the subsequent development of acute mastoiditis. Neurological complications was reported in 5 – 20% in the literature [2,3,15], although recent publications show a lower rate of complications [6,12]. In our material none of the patients developed neurological complications. Conclusion References Table I Clinical features on admission of 63 children with Acute Mastoiditis

Impact of Contemporary Globalisation on Thailand

Impact of Contemporary Globalisation on Thailand Introduction Contemporary globalization is defined as the final wave of globalization, and is characterized by the acceleration and intensification of the technological, cultural, religious, economic and political integration (Gerle 2000). Although this has led to development and advancement in many countries around the world, it has raised issues in many parts of Asia facing religious and social concerns. This essay will argue that contemporary globalization will raise issues in the traditional social and religious visible in two Asian nations, Thailand and Malaysia. The values that will be discussed is in relation to the paper are the Buddhist and Collectivist values for the Thai, and Islamic values for the Malays. Thailand and Malaysia are countries that are similar in the fact that they have both dominant religions that are closely linked with their way of life. Both countries are multiethnic and multicultural but Malaysia has a higher percentage of 50% ethnic Malays and 60% of the country practicing the Islamic faith (Nations Online 2011). In Thailand, it has majority of Thai which is 75% and with 94.6% of the country practicing the Buddhist faith (CIA 2011). First this paper will discuss the conflict that occurs in the business culture of Thailand and Malaysia. Next, it will explain how contemporary globalization is intertwined with popular culture, or ‘pop culture, and has placed a significant Western influence upon the youth of Thailand and Malaysia, and has changed their social ideology compared to the traditional ideology. Finally, the paper will identify how globalization has led to conflict with the conservative religious values that exist in Thailand and Malaysia. Business culture in Thailand and Malaysia The global spread of Multinational companies (MNCs) has led to the popularity of conducting a business in a Western style, which has led to conflict in the traditional Thai and Malay business culture. In research conducted by Niffengger, Kulviwat and Engchancil (2006), traditional Thai business culture is strongly influenced by Buddhism.It explains that business is run in Thailand in a uniquely paternal style, and although the relationship between superior and subordinate is, â€Å"formal and authoritarian, the boss is expected to be benevolent and paternalistic† (Leppert 1996).   An example of how differently a local Thai business operates in comparison to a Western MNCs is visible in the example of the Siam Cement Group in 1998, when they â€Å"reported a loss of 52.5 billion Baht but did not lay off a single one of their 35,000 employees†, while on the other hand, â€Å"Kmart in 2003, laid off 57,000 of their staff to avoid bankruptcy and even closed one thirds of their stores† (Niffengger et al 2006 p. 409). It is just from the fundamental way of operating a business in the West that has come about from contemporary globalization which is very foreign to the Thai, and brings issues in the social and business aspect. For example, sexual equality was not common until the early 20th century due to Western influences upon Thailand and it is still seen as untraditional or unconventional in a traditional Thai business for a woman to be in a managerial level (Thaiways 2002). Through the influences of Western values which has come from contemporary globalization, traditional Thai business values face a dilemma on how to preserve their traditional business culture in the midst of the increasing MNCs. Malaysias business practice bias is visible through the Bumiputra policy, meaning â€Å"sons of the soil†, which is the preferential treatment of the native Malay people. The Bumiputra came about from the New Economy Policy (NEP) in 1971 with goals to alleviate poverty and social and economic imbalances through equity ownership, employment, and other fields. Stoever (1985) explains the fields that ownership of productive resources should be 30% in the Bumiputra hands, for public and private corporations the Bumiputra should be 30% of the employees. Finally, Malays are given other advantages in university admissions, bank loans and credit access. Although the Bumiputra policies are deeply imbedded into the Malaysian business culture, there are numerous ways that the Western practices of business have placed a significant amount of complication in the traditional Malay businesses. The traditional Islamic way of establishing the economy was from, â€Å"the desire to defend Islamic civilization against foreign cultural influences† (Kuran 1995 p.15). However, due to contemporary globalization the influence of the â€Å"Western secular system and capitalistic culture has been slowly adopted by a growing number of Malay business† (Mutalib 1993). The adoption and the continuation of coming into contact with the capitalist business culture of the West will endanger the survival of the Muslim culture, as argued by Al-Maududi (cited in Ahmad 2009), because it may result in complications to differentiate the Western and Muslim mindset and lifestyle. Although Malaysia has a strong protection for the ethnic Malays as seen wi th the Bumiputra policies, the gradual influences of the Western business culture is starting to endanger the security of the Malays and the way they conduct business. Popular Culture in Thailand and Malaysia Advancements in technology allows the Western media to be easily accessed by almost everyone in the nation, which will bring issues with the traditional lifestyle as the youth become more interested in what the Western media brings. Pop culture is commonly connected to cultural imperialism because it the Western film, television programmes, and music is known to impose bourgeois values and capitalist ideology (Berger 2008). There are many causes of the introduction of pop culture and the impact is has placed upon Thailand, like Tourism and Media. Tourism was one of the earliest forms of the introduction of pop culture in Thailand. Westerners make up a significant portion of the Thai tourism industry, and leave an imprint of their culture behind. Thailand has won many tourism awards and is the first in the world for having the Best Tourist country for five consecutive years (Asiativ 2011). However, that has led to a form of ‘neo-colonization in consumerism and tourism. What tourism can do in a political economy approach is that developed metropolitan cities often impose their values on developing countries; in addition, the recipient countries face environmental, social and economic problems (Chang and Raguraman 2001). Furthermore, in order to accommodate the influx of tourism, Bangkok, which is the capital city of Thailand, reformed itself so that it will have an ‘Old Bangkok, where the roya l palace and historic temples are located, and a ‘New Bangkok, where there are numerous shopping malls, hotels, and skyscrapers (Burke, Brash, and Bush 2010). Thailand is slowly losing its traditional characteristics within the cities. Besides tourism, Berger (2008) also added that Thailand was going through rapid modernization and was losing their Thai identity and becoming more ‘Americanized due to the western media. It is telling how from Rodcumdees (2002) research, the media is becoming the most common way for locals to learn more about the West; television being the first and the internet and Western music as the 4th most popular medium. Due to Thailand accommodating tourist needs and influence from Western culture and habits that the tourists leave behind, as well as the accessibility of the Western media, this culminates in the erosion of Thailands authentic and exotic traditional values. Malaysia is also at a similar situation where pop culture influences the youth of the nation, especially for the ethnic Malay population. The Malaysian former Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim delivered a speech   in The Straits Times (cited in ed. Souchou   2001) where he described his concern of media and technology because, â€Å"in recent years there have been an overwhelming, almost imperialistic diffusion of Western or Western-influenced cultural products.† The issue in Malaysia is that the youth are absorbed in wanting to be like their idols that they see on MTV or eating McDonalds or KFC instead of eating their local delicacies. It is further explained by (Jayne 2003) that it is also partially the state governments responsibility that the youth are being influenced by pop culture because of the lack of support for local pop culture that youths have no other choice but to search for their individuality or values in the western media which is e asily accessible and popular globally. The lack of support for the local pop culture and the accessibility of the Western pop culture through contemporary globalization have caused the Malay youths to wander away from the traditional social values and practices. Way of Life in Thailand and Malaysia Finally, through the discussion of the two different aspects of contemporary globalization, it is significant to discuss the most crucial aspect of how globalization comes into conflict with the traditional way of life of Malaysia and Thailand due to their daily life being intertwined with religion. In Thailand, there is a strong impact of contemporary globalization bringing issues to the traditional way of life for Thailand. The difference between the youth and the older generation as discussed in how pop culture is causing Thailand to lose its religious, cultural, and traditional way of life; moreover, it is leading to more dilemma. The forces of contemporary globalization did not stop at just imposing its Westernized culture, but also spread its influence to hybridizing the Buddhist religion of Thailand, which has caused an uprise and several issues in the nation. It is explained by Kitiarsa (2005) that this ‘hybridization has led to the rise of many public religious movements that are â€Å"responses to the wider, largely economic-impersonal forces of globalization that have profound ramifications for Thai social life.† It is discussed by Geert Hofstedes Cultural Theory that the West and Thailand have a significant difference as to how Buddhism is deeply interwo ven into the way of life for the Thai people (Niffengger et al. 2006). For example, the Thai people believed in the predestination of human life, and how it cannot be altered or changed. However, through Western influence of how an individual has the power to change his or her destiny, this belief is challenged (Thaiways 2002). These Western ways of thinking through contemporary globalization has influenced the traditional Thai values and is shifting the way of life to the people which endanger the preservation of the Thai values.   In Malaysia contemporary globalization is eroding the traditional social values and practices that have flourished in the nation for years. In Malaysia, many Muslims have started to adopt the ‘Hi/Hello culture, which contrasts with the Islamic greeting which is ‘Assalamu Alaikum (May peace be on you) because while the Western greeting does not carry any â€Å"emotional attachment or blessings to someone. The Islamic greeting not only expresses emotional attachment, but also conveys blessings of peace for the person being greeted† (Nurullah 2008 p. 6). Through this influence and visible change in the country, Malaysia is starting to feel a form of threat from this ‘Westernization and is further explored by Gerle (2009) that in Malaysia, the state attempts to â€Å"recreate a Muslim identity in order to protect oneself against the West, in terms of economic dominance as well as values.† However, it is uncertain whether this attempt will succeed or not du e to the wide influence that contemporary globalization already spread itself to. Conclusion The impact that contemporary globalization has on Thailand and Malaysia through the advancement of technology, introduction of foreign companies, and culture can be seen through this essay to be having a significant amount of challenges to the traditional religious and social values. Through the examination of the Buddhist Thai business culture and the Islamic Malay business culture, it is visible that the Western business culture is more individualistic, while the Thai and Malay business culture focuses on conformity, importance of religious practices, and taking care of the business as family. In addition, pop culture has caused the Thai and Malay youths identity to be more ‘Americanized due to the increase of western media and internet access. Finally, the cultural and social practices, and the way of life of the Thai and Malay people is changing due to contemporary globalization like way of speech, daily lifestyles, and changes in their traditional religious practices is starting to distance the people from their traditional way of living. There are attempts taken by the government and people who are passionate in keeping their traditional social and religious values. But from observations of the examples of the impact of contemporary globalization, this seems to be a challenging task indeed.