Analysis of Bandura’s Cognitive Theory and Beck’s Cognitive Theory

The study of human behavior or behaviorism focuses on attributes of humanity that are discernible, measurable and which can be manipulated. The emphasis of behaviorism is on experimental methods and avoids attributes that are subjective, internal or unavailable.The experimental method involves the manipulation of one variable and measurement of its effect on another variable. It is from the study of variable and effects that a Canadian psychologist, Albert Bandura found the cognitive theory (or social cognitive theory) (Bandura, 2006).Bandura for instance observed aggressive behavior in adolescents and opined that the aggressiveness is caused by the environment in which the adolescents grow. On the other hand, he also realized that behavior causes an environment as well.Thus, since behavior and environment are causes and effects of each other, Bandura referred to the concept as reciprocal determinism (Bandura1986). In short, Bandura’s theory was based on the fact that the worl d and a person’s character (behavior) affect each other (Bandura, 1986).While it would appear that the environment was the cause of behavior and personality, Bandura also realized that personality is an interaction of a person’s psychological responses in relation to the environment (Bandura, 2006).The psychological processes consist of the human being’s ability to entertain different images and languages. Thus, the cognitive theory is built on two essential principles. The first one is a framework for explaining how different personalities function, whereas the other one addresses the type of variables (that is the elements of analysis) on which the personality theory should be centred (Bandura, 2006).In analysis of the influence of reciprocal determinism, Bandura categorically uses the word â€Å"determinism† to imply the aspect in which effects are produced by events (Bandura, 2006). However, this opinion does not mean that a human being’s actio ns arise from straightforward and predictable chains of cause and consequence.Rather, it implies that events produce effects by chance. As a result, the probability or chance of an event producing an effect is emphasized in Bandura’s cognitive theory (Bandura, 2006). Perhaps the most significant aspect of Bandura’s theory is the way in which the theory treats behavior.Unlike many other theoretical frameworks, this theory has equal action on both the input of the personality and the output of personality (Bandura, 1986). In essence, Bandura’s opinion is that a person’s actions and the resultant effects shape the person’s aptitude, feelings and belief in one self (Bandura, 2006).For example, many behaviorist theories depict scant curiosity in self-process because the theorists assume that human functioning is caused by external stimulus rather than the internal stimulus which is only considered as transmitting rather than causing behavior (Bandura, 1 986).This paper critically evaluates the notable features of Bandura’s cognitive theory and discusses in detail the viewpoint of the Bandura at the time of formulation of the theory and the theory’s subsequent modification.The paper will also appraise the strengths and weaknesses of the theory based on the discussion. Analysis of the salient features of Bandura’s cognitive theory The most notable feature of Bandura’s social cognitive theory is the concept of reciprocal determinism (Bandura, 1986).Reciprocal determinism is a phenomenon that implies the causes and effects of different actions on behavior and environment and how they affect each other. Thus, Bandura’s theory was based on the point that personal factors in the form of cognition, biological events and affect, behavior and environmental factors create interfaces that result in a triadic reciprocality as illustrated in Figure 1. Bandura modified the label of his theory from the common per spective of social learning to social cognitive in order to distance it from the common social learning theories of his time (Bandura, 1986).He also wanted to lay emphasis on the idea that cognition plays a significant role in people’s capability to construct reality, regulate their personality, encode information and display other kinds of behavior. According to Bandura (1971), the reciprocal form of the determinants of individual human functioning in social cognitive theory enables services such as therapeutic and counseling efforts to be rendered with focus on personal environment or behavioral factors as illustrated in the diagram above.Based on this, strategies to improve a person’s well-being can be aimed at ameliorating the emotional, cognitive and motivational process of the human being (Bandura, 1986). The focus can also be on improving behavioral capabilities or changing the communal conditions under which people live and work.As an example, teachers in schoo ls have a role to not only improve their students’ academic learning and confidence, but also boost their (students’) self-beliefs and habits of thinking. Hence, teachers and students have to embrace all the components of Bandura’s triadic expression of cognitive theory.As earlier mentioned, Bandura’s social cognitive theory sets itself aside from other theories that overemphasize the role played by environmental factors in the development of human behavior (Bandura, 1986; Bandura, 2006).These theories are often dismissed since they have the redundant factor of cause and effect that is unworthy in the context of evaluating the psychological aspect of human beings. Thus according to Bandura, psychology per se without a clear self-examination cannot purport to explain the complexities of human intricacies of human functioning.Bandura (1986) further noted it is by evaluating their own conscious minds that people discern their own psychological processes. The refore, in order to predict how the human behavior is affected by environmental outcomes, it is imperative that the individual’s cognitive process and how he or she interprets the outcomes be understood.Personal determinants An important factor in addressing how a person interprets the outcomes is recognition of the personal determinants. This is affected by the choice of variables to be used in the evaluation process.Bandura’s choice for such variable depicts what may be the most distinctive aspect of human life, that is, people have abilities to adapt to different environments (Bandura, 1986). For instance, people are able to live in a variety of physical environments such as deserts, rainforests, Polar Regions and so on.They are also able to live and engage in a variety of social environments such as nomadic systems, diverse religious beliefs, different socio economic and socio cultural activities and so on. People also exhibit a variety of unique capabilities that cannot be attributed to the occurrence of evolution over time (Bandura, 1971).In fact, the list of human beings’ unique capabilities relative to animals cannot be exhausted in a single book. Hence, in order to perform an analysis of psychological functioning, one must specify the psychological mechanisms that facilitate the unique capabilities. Bandura’s (1986) theory has a focal point on the cognitive methods that enable people to learn about the world around them (environment) and also about themselves, and use the knowledge gained to control their behavior and mental experiences.In particular, Bandura (1986) enlisted five basic capabilities that facilitate the learning process, as described below. Symbolizing capability implies the ability of people to represent their knowledge symbolically. The most common symbolic representation or conveyance of messages is language (Bandura, 1971). The ability to use symbols in terms of language is perhaps the most fundamental ca pability in human beings as it serves as a leeway for the other capabilities.Vicarious capability is the ability to acquire skills, knowledge and other emotional tendencies through observation or a similar approach (Bandura, 1971). Bandura’s (2006) assiduous analysis of vicarious processes that are involved in acquiring skills makes the cognitive theory not only realistic but also unusually easy to comprehend and interpret. In addition, it clears most of the issues that are usually overlooked by psychological theories such how people acquire knowledge and skills that enable them to act efficiently.According to Bandura (1997), vicarious capability enables people to keep away from risky or costly undertakings that could lead to fatal outcomes. This is because the people ideally have a sense of experience by observing their own characters relative to the characters or behavior of others.Bandura (1986) referred to the ability to anticipate future contingencies as the forethought capability of human beings. Forethought capability is vital for both emotional and motivational perspectives of life.For instance, contrary to popular belief, psychological distress arises from peoples’ anticipated dreadful experiences and not the present or actual experiences. It is because of the ability to derive alternative approaches that one can foresee the consequences of an action without actually being involved in it.According to Bandura (1986), the fourth unique human capability is the self-regulatory capability. This is the capacity of an individual to set goals. In addition, this capability allows individuals to evaluate their performance in relation to their own (internal) standards of performance.Bandura (1986) further noted that the ability of people to evaluate their self-concept, esteem and values enables them have a sense of self-direction and ability to lead life without much reliance on others. Much similar to the above capability is the self-reflective ca pability.According to Bandura (1997), this is the capacity of human beings to have personal thoughts. In this context, personal reflections lay a course for action and formulation of ideas by individuals based on self-efficacy. The aforementioned capabilities do not work in isolation but in concert.In particular, according to Bandura (1997), the aspects of self-reflection, self-regulation and forethought act in synergy to form a self-system, which comprises the framework of personality. Furthermore, people are able to control their emotions and social lives by integrating the constituents of the self-system (Bandura, 1986).Self-reflection in particular is â€Å"distinctly human† and forms a prominent feature of the social cognitive theory. Through self-reflection, individuals derive sense from their experiences and embrace their cognitions and self-beliefs.Consequently, they are able to engage in self-evaluation and are able to shift their thinking and behavior accordingly (B andura, 1986). Self-efficacy When the capabilities so far described are integrated effectively, the self-system acquires a state of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997).Perceived self-efficacy refers to people’s ability to evaluate their own efficiencies in solving problems and attaining certain levels of performance (Bandura, 1997). The relevance of perceived self-efficacy to the social cognitive theory postulated by Bandura is that self-efficacy judgments have a pervasive role in human affairs.In the scope of both achievements and interpersonal relationships, people’s stances are calculated by how effectively (and wisely) they can make decisions and how efficiently they can act in fulfilling the decisions taken. From the above perspective, it is evident that evaluation between an individual’s skills and the requirements of the environment is pertinent in determining the courses of action that are viewed as being the determinants of one’s personality. Efficacy beliefs are vital in that not only do they act on overt behavior but they also address the internal psychological affairs of individuals.This is an important aspect of the social cognition theory with respect to the triadic scheme. This is because an individual’s personality is judged from acts that are done both overtly and covertly. In view of Bandura’s (1997) ideas, people with robust perceptions of their efficacy envisage more positive futures, experience less distressing emotions, and are capable of planning for their life programs more effectively. In addition, such people are able to deal with demanding tasks more efficiently than people who have lower opinion of their efficacy. How personal determinants relate with individual differences and dispositionsWith reference to Bandura (1999), the basic capacities of the social cognitive theory are dissimilar in three ways from the units of measurement employed in the character-related theories of personality. To begi n with, the capabilities are not single variable differences with reference to personality.For instance, Bandura (1999) accentuated that a single-difference analysis may hinder the realization of other vital capabilities possessed by an individual. Such an instance would occur if the ability in an individual is rare and is therefore not detected as an important factor in analysis (Bandura, 1999).As is common with many forms of analysis, there is usually an investigation for a small number of primary units of variation, or for capabilities that are common but possessed to uniformly high level by many individuals.The fact that almost everyone possesses a unique capability (for example the ability to use symbols of the ability to be self-reflective and self–conscious) does not necessarily make the capabilities less important in the context of the functioning of personality. These capabilities are still important in spite of the fact that they may not be identified as the primary dimensions of individual dissimilarity.The second difference in the context of the capabilities in the social cognitive theory is related to average tendencies. For instance, Bandura’s (1999) category of cognitive capabilities does not just mention the average tendencies.Rather, Bandura opines that self-reflection and self-regulation contribute to both constancy and variability of actions among individuals. Along this line, it is important to note that people’s goals, choices and cognitive abilities are displayed in the manner in which they act and handle different circumstances that they come across in their lives.This point is of importance in describing an individual’s personality (Bandura, 1999). It implies that dispositional characteristics per se cannot suffice the description of personality as they refer to the average tendencies in behavior and are devoid of reference to particular individuals (Bandura, 1999).In addition, a single individual’s so cial cognitive may not contribute significantly to the distinct patterns of behavior that are not in line with the contemporary descriptive characteristics that are used in the analysis of standard individual difference categories.The third point is that the social cognitive theory’s definition of personality and the role personality factors play in contribution to social behavior is significantly different from the dispositional approach. The social cognitive theory does not view dispositional tendencies as personality structures. Instead, the theory realizes personality structures as consisting of cognitive and affective systems, which contribute to the patterns of individuals’ behavior in a much informal way. These, according to Bandura (1999), are the dispositional tendencies.In this context therefore, dispositions are effects and not causes. Bandura opposed the proponents of personality description based on behavior as being mistaken since the aspects of behaviora l description â€Å"locate the personality structure in the wrong place† (Bandura, 1999, p 200).Therefore, the Bandura’s social cognitive theory views the standard dispositional units of personality description as being inadequate to fully describe an individual or to explain his or her personality functioning. Strengths and weaknesses of the theoryAs discussed, Bandura’s theory has many points of strength, notable of which being that it describes the relationship between behavior and the environment. In addition, the theory gives a clear picture of how behaviors are learned and developed.On the other hand, it is evident that the theory puts too much emphasis on what happens to people rather than what the people do. Along the same line, the theory does not address consistent differences among individuals as they go through different developmental stages. a

Report on Robi

[pic] Career Planning & Development in ROBI Table of Contents Acknowledgement04 Executive Summary04 Objective05 Primary Objective†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 05 Report Objective†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦05 Methodology05 Limitations05 Company Overview06 Mission †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 06 Vision†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦06 Theme†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 06 Major Milestones of Robi07 Statement of the Topic08 Training Programs in Robi†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 Importance of T&D Process In Robi†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦09 Training Process In Robi10 In-House Training†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 10 Foreign Training†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 Supervision of training by ROBI HR Department†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 11 Objectives of Training Programs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 12 Training Plan Trainee †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦12 Training Needs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 Training Time†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 12 Training Place†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13 Trainer †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 Trainee Evaluation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 14 Table of Contents Development Programs in Robi†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 15 Importance of Development Programs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 15 Development Process In Robi Way of Conducting Development Process†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 16 Job Rotation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 16 Junior Board†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 16 Problems of T&D Process in Robi†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 17 Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 8 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 19 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 20 Acknowledgement The term paper on is prepared for Dr. Zahed Husain Sikder, the course instructor of undergraduate program, School of Business at American International University of Bangladesh (AIUB). This report is the partial requirement of HR Planning and Forecasting (BBA-00986) course during the Summer-2011 and submitted at the same semester. Executive Summary Telecom industry is one of the significant industries of Bangladesh.There are some very strong participants in this sector, which has made this a very competitive market. Despite the high entry costs, new companie s are gradually coming into this industry. Currently there are 6 competitors in this telecom market in our country. AXIATA Group take over the ownership of AKTEL and very recently they have been reformed with new slogan, new motto and last but not the least, they have changed their brand name to ROBI from what it was earlier, AKTEL. Good quality with providing full customer satisfaction is the main mission of ROBI.As because AXIATA Group came with a new name and new mission, they have set their target customers primarily will be young generation and apart from that they will try to reach more of their existing customers with their new products and services and also they want to make huge contribution in the socio-economy of our country. So their focus is to provide refreshment to the customers in a comparatively cheaper call rates and other customer services. ROBI have some competitors for example: GrameenPhone Ltd, Bangla Link, Airtel Bangladesh, City Cell Ltd, and Tele Talk. ROBI wants to make huge impression in this industry and they ill try to capture more and more market shares, so they will inform all aged people by following advertising and other sales promotion. As it has changed their name, it is little bit difficult to capture the customer’s attraction and once the customers will familiar with the product, and then it will be very easy to launch our product in its selected areas. ROBI is always trying to focus improving its products and services based on customer demand, satisfaction and preferences. Objective Primary Objective: The primary objective of this project is to learn about the Training and Development process of the ROBI mobile company.Report objective: ? Detailed information about Training and development process of the company. ? To focus on different types of Training programmes, Supervisor of the programmes, Trainee, Trainer, Training time, Training place, Training needs, Trainee evaluation. ? To focus on different Development p rogrammes and different Development process. ? To know the problems of Training and Development process and recommendation for that problems. Methodology We used Secondary data to make this report. And that is why the data and information is taken from newspaper, business magazines, and catalogs and also from the internet.Limitations The major limitation factor for this report was primarily the reluctance and strict devotion to confidentiality maintenance attitude shown by the official website of ROBI mobile company. Moreover, some information was withheld to preserve privacy of the company. So, we couldn’t give the exact information always. Most of all we had very little time to finish this project. If we had some time more the project could have been better. But inspite of that we have tried our level best to make the report data more meaningful. Company Overview Robi is a dynamic and leading countrywide GSM communication solutions provider.It is a joint venture company bet ween Axiata and NTT DoCoMo, Japan. Robi was officially commenced its operations in 1997 among the pioneers GSM mobile telecommunications provider in Bangladesh. Covering all 64 districts of the country, Robi  has become the first mobile operator to connect Tetulia and Teknaf, the northern and southern most points of Bangladesh and the first to provide seamless coverage along the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. Robi  supports 2G voice, CAMEL phase 2 and GPRS/EDGE service with high speed internet connectivity. It has the widest International Roaming coverage in Bangladesh connecting 440 operators across 203 countries.Robi’s GSM service is based on a robust network architecture and cutting edge technology such as Intelligent Network (IN), which provides peace-of-mind solutions in terms of voice clarity, extensive nationwide network coverage, and multiple global partners for international roaming. Robi  customer centric solution includes value added services (VAS), quality custom er care, easy access call centers, digital network security, and flexible tariff rates. With its strengths and competencies developed over the years, Robi  aims to provide the best quality service experience in terms of coverage and connectivity to its customers all over Bangladesh.Vision: To be a leader as a Telecommunication Service Provider in Bangladesh. Mission: ROBI aims to be achieving its vision through being number â€Å"One† not only in terms of market share, but also by being an employer of choice with up-to date knowledge and products geared to address the ever changing needs of our budding nation. Theme: â€Å"Customer First† Major Milestones of ROBI ? First time introduced the ‘mobile Plus (PSTN Incoming Connectivity only) Product Services' in Bangladesh. ? First time introduced the Tele-Ramadan (Timing of Iftar and Sehri during Ramadan) under Tele-info Services in Bangladesh. First time introduced the Seamless Coverage throughout the Dhaka- Chitt agong Highway and named it as ‘Chittagong Dhaka Corridor (CDC)'. ? First time introduce the full fledged IVR based Customer Services (Call Center) in telecom market. ? First time introduced cellular services in the most northern part of Bangladesh by launching ROBI Service in Rangpur and Dinajpur in 2002. ? TMIB brought Twenty Six (26) Districts and the outskirts under ROBI network by the end of Year 2002 successfully. ? Introduced the automatic system generated bill amount and payment request for the Post-paid subscribers in 2002.The automatic unbarring facility, after necessary payment making by the subscribers, is also a part of this system. Today, ROBI is recognized as a leading brand in Bangladesh and this is driven by our persistent pursuit of quality and technology, putting it clearly ahead of the rest. The future with ROBI is promised to be exciting as we strive to employ the best resources and latest technology in offering many more innovative and exciting products an d services Statement of the Topic We have selected the topic of Determination of Training and Development needs in ROBI for our report. Training Programmes in ROBIThe training program is a vital link in the process of converting the recruit into productive representatives. The money, which is spent on recruiting and selecting people, may be wasted if their selection is not followed up with the proper training programs. Additionally, experienced reps may not improve or even maintain their productivity if they are not provided with an adequate amount of continual training. So the purpose of training is to relate and improve the specific performance related skills, attitudes, perception and behaviors require people’s success with the state of readiness of the force.As ROBI is the leading provider of telecom services, they always want to serve their best. That is why, they have very strong and effective training department to train the best training to their employees. At ROBI th e top-level management believes that their primary competitive advantage comes from their employees. In the ever-changing mobile industry, all of they must continuously upgrade their skills and knowledge in order to maintain this competitive advantage. Their training programs are based on the job natures and the performance of the employees.Their goal is to attract, retain and motivate the very best and to do that they support training, development, and business education. Importance of Training and Development Process in ROBI Training and Development is the field concerned with organizational activity aimed at bettering the performance of individuals and groups in organizational settings. In other words it means taking human inputs recruited or even existing employees and turning them into productive part of the company. ROBI believes that Training programs should be taken as a continual, ongoing process, which improve the scenario in different dimensions such as: ?Training process is conducted to provide the freshers the basic knowledge which is required to perform their specific job perfectly. ? Robi provides practice session for the new employees, to implement the basic knowledge. Because Robi believes on the more practice the more perfect empolyee. ? Training provides the people with better improved knowledge, working habits, working techniques which are essential part to achieve both employee and company satisfaction and thus retaining them in the long run. ? Training programs also help trainee to develop positive attitude about themselves and company as a whole.As a developing country, Bangladeshi people, in general, are not very aware about the technological changes that are taking place. Through Training and Development process ROBI wants to make the each and every employee that much capable so that they can prove themselves as one of the most vital weapons to achieve overall, long-run goals of the organization. And from these discussions we can reali ze that how important the Training and Development process is in ROBI. Training Process in ROBI ROBI uses different training technique depending on the training content, urpose of the training program, participants of the program as well as time required for the completion of the training. The training program of ROBI is conducted before sending the entry level employees to the workstation. The training need of each employee is analyzed through two processes: TNA: Training Need Analysis SGA: Skill Gap Analysis The results of these two Training Need Analysis processes measures how much training each employee needs There are two types of training process: 1. In-house training: This training is provided through the vendors.Employee supervisors or line managers provide a coaching for the new employees. In coaching, lectures are delivered to provide knowledge related to the specific jobs. A lecture is the best way to present a basic outline of a subject in a shorter time to a larger numb er of trainees than any of the other techniques. For example, when information about ROBI’S products, new services, and new findings in the research and company information, market condition is to be given to the trainees then the training department adopts lectures.With this technique, a trainer can handle a higher number of participants and give greater volume of information within a short time period 2. Foreign training: To implement new technology Robi have to train their new employees from foreign countries. They have arranged for international training for their employees according their performance . In this case the employee has to sign a Bond assuring the company that he will not leave company next few years. This duration varies based on the training. Employees are mainly sent to Malaysia for this higher training.The cost of relocations, the whole expense of food and housing are providing by ROBI Company as long as they are in the abroad for training. Job rotation: ROBI provide job rotation to the entry-level employees. In this process they don’t send their employee of one department to another department for training. What they do is that they just send employee of one branch to another or one region to another. Discussion: In ROBI, when any new system is launched or when there is any need for changing the technique or policies, discussion is used as a training method where both the trainer and the trainees can share their thoughts and opinions.During the leadership training, induction training as training on advanced selling skill; the training department usually prefers discussion. Sometimes, when cases are given to the trainees to solve the problem and suggest recommendation, group discussion also takes place among the trainees. Supervision of training by ROBI HR Department Though the training programs are provided by different departments, the overall supervision is upon the HR department. They look after the overall process and do some routine functions. They are as follows: ?Prepare, maintain and update training related database. ? Prepare career development plan ? Prepare induction training manual/modules ? Evaluate training program ? To Make agreement between ROBI and employees for overseas training ? To communicate with different local training institutions ? To communicate with trainers/instructors. Objectives of Training Programs in ROBI A primary objective of many training programs is to teach the force how to be more productive. Usually, a person’s productivity will increase with experience.But if training can substitute for some of the needed experience, higher productivity levels should be reached earlier. Training Plan Training gives new employees the skills required to perform their jobs perfectly. So make the training program perfect ROBI plans some steps, which are helpful for the fresher. ROBI follows the following steps to conduct training. ? Trainee: As newly hired person doesnâ€℠¢t have enough knowledge about the company and his job, training can help them in this regard. Although experienced people have knowledge about their job still they need training to cope with the changing world. Training needs: ROBI mainly follows ‘need based training’. That is, whenever the supervisor finds that his/her subordinates’ need sufficient training; they immediately take necessary steps and arrange training programs. They are as follows: ? Performance testing ? Job analysis ? Force survey ? Performance survey ? Observation ? Training times: Timing of the training has two basic attitudes. Some organizations prefer training first than go for the job, where as some organizations want training based on after job performance.ROBI, the Training programs are made as yearly basis for providing training on techniques and skills for all level of their employees including the ones from other departments because they believe that in a organization everybody needs to have skill. The marketing department, sales department and HR department altogether do the overall plan. This yearly plan for training is enhanced by the monthly meetings held in every spots where ROBI has subsidiaries. These meetings are referred to as Pre- cycle Briefing meeting. These meetings try to find out in which areas and for which employees training is needed.In the beginning of the training, expectations from each participant in the training program are assessed and according to that the managers design the content of the training. At every meeting, each department discuss and analysis the performance of the worker of their department in the past month and identifies whether they are performing accordingly or not. If someone fails to perform and cannot reach the objective then the need for training arises. Plan of every individual department also has significant impact on the training plan because only proper training can ensure the implementation of the plan.The yearl y plan for providing training makes sure that it can be helpful for the achievement of the objective of the plan. The training department plans the training before 2-3 months from the time intended to provide the training to the employees. The Training Manager is responsible for preparing the budgeting, plan on which training for whom in all department, planned actions, and also give guidelines to the Human Resource Department for recruitment and selection. However, Training Manager specifically works with the related training.According to the company’s perspective, everybody should have knowledge about their related job. So, the Training Manager plans what type of training is required for new recruits and the existing personnel and how the training is going to change the current performance and will help in achieving the desired level of performance. Both the managers analyze the performance of the trainee after attending the training program taken place in the last month an d set strategy for the next month’s training plan. ? Training place: Training can be provided in both centralized and decentralized manner.Centralized training occurs when all the people come to one central location (often home office) to have training. On the other hand decentralized training of people is usually held in field or regional offices. ROBI follows both centralized and decentralized training. General management training program for the top level executives are mainly held in the home office because centralized school normally has more formal facilities for training than are available in the field. As top-level executives need more advanced training, that’s why, it usually held in the head-office.On the other hand, those whose works are mainly field based, they often have to go with their senior people to the field, have to do on-the-job training, attend seminars, conferences etc to increase their outer knowledge. ? Trainer: A trainer is the person on whom the success or failure of the whole training program is dependent. There are three types’ trainers by, they are- I. Regular line executives II. Staff personnel and III. Outside specialists. Because each has certain advantages, it is not unusual to find organizations using all these three types as well as using one or two types.It basically depends on the size of the firm, the characteristics of the product line, the focus of the training where the sessions are held etc. ROBI has both line executive trainer and outside specialists. The HR manager and senior supervisor usually train their own force. In that way, the trainer can get better understanding about the laggings of their force and can take necessary steps according to that. On the other hand, force also get known environment because of their own supervisor as their trainer. Robi also bring outside specialists from abroad like Malaysia.In this way, they get the most advance and recent information from their competitors. ? Trainee Evaluation: In ROBI, The effectiveness of a training program is measured by evaluation of the trainees. This evaluation is necessary in terms of assessing the value of the training and in terms of improving the design of future programs. There are mainly four outcomes based on which the organization evaluates the success or failure of each training program. The four outcomes are- reaction, learning, behavior and results.After each training session, each must have to submit an ‘annual assessment’. In the annual assessment, each trainee is asked to do report regarding the training program and is asked to do presentations on the items they have learnt. During the training, quizzes and assignments are also given among the trainees. The effects of training on their performance are evaluated through the performance they have done after taking part in the training compared to the performance they used to do before the training and by this the organization measure th e effectiveness of that training program.The trainees who have gone abroad for attending the training program are required to submit a report regarding on the materials taught in the whole training program. This type of evaluation helps both the trainers as well as the trainees. The trainees can compare their own performance and try to improve according to that. The trainers can judge the effectiveness of training and can develop better strategy for the upcoming training program. Development Programmes in ROBI Management development is any attempt to managerial performance by imparting knowledge, changing attitudes, or increasing skills.For the past few years management developments focus has been shifting from preparing managers to fill higher level slots to preparing them to meet the challenges of managing in past paced environment. Increasingly, therefore, the emphasis is on developing a manager’s ability to learn and make decisions under conditions of rapid change. The ma nagement development program may be aimed at filling a specific position, such as CEO, perhaps with one of two potential candidates. When it is an executive position to be filled, the process is usually called succession planning.Succession planning refers to the process through which senior level openings are planned for and eventually filled. Importance of Development Programmes in ROBI When ROBI selects their own employees to fill the vacant higher positions they look for the employee who are ready to get the higher position. As they do not follow the personnel replacement chart or position replacement card they have to make those employees ready to acquire the higher position ROBI conducts development program for them. It helps those employees to have the ability to take decisions those are required in the higher-level position.Those who deserve the higher position receive a development process conducted by ROBI but it’s true that their development programs are not well o rganized though they take some necessary steps for developing their employees who are working inside the organization. Development Process in ROBI ? Way of Conducting Development Process: Before starting a development program they analyze the employees to what extent they need the development to be fit for the higher position. To analyze this they go through SGA (skill gap analysis). On the basis of the SGA every employee has to have a yearly 40 hours development process.It depends on the current skill of those employees. Every employee of ROBI (from manager to managing director) goes through a career succession planning. Through this career succession planning employees develops their skills to deserve the vacant higher position. ? The Development Process: To conduct a development process ROBI follows the following on the jobs techniques: 1. Job rotation: ROBI provide job rotation to the managerial employees also. But the idea of ROBI’s job rotation policy is limited only to the department. That means they don’t send their employees of one department to another department.What they do is that they just send employee of one branch to another or one region to another. For example, for job rotation they send Marketing manager of Chittagong branch to the Marketing department of Dhaka branch as a manager which position is vacant, but they don’t send a marketing manager to the sells department or HR department or any other branches. 2. Junior Board: It is used for operational decisions in most cases. But sometimes it is used to take very few strategic decisions (example: to design training program). To attend junior board all employees should already receive the initial coaching.In junior board top level managers have a sit with the sub-ordinates and encourage them to provide possible suggestions regarding a decision. The sub-ordinates try to give suggestions through brainstorming using the knowledge provided in the initial coaching. Problems o f Training and Development Programs in Robi Though ROBI follows most of the rules and regulations of standard training programs but still they have some problems with their existing training and development programs. Some of the problems are listed below- ? They don’t have action-learning program.As a result employees don’t get scope to increase their project skill and to know about the problems of another department. ? They don’t concentrate on off the job training. We know, off the job training is sometimes more important to know about the job. ? Review system is not strong enough. As a result it becomes quite difficult to understand how effective the training was. ? Lack of motivation in the training side. ROBI don’t motivate that much while employees took training. They took training just like they are doing their regular jobs. Less scope of developing for the senior employees. Senior employee especially the aged employees don’t have sufficient idea about the changing environment of technology. Recommendation and Ways of Implement of Training and Development Programs in Robi In order to solve the problems with the existing training and development system, we recommend the following suggestion. The ways of implementing those recommendations is also discussed. 1. From the problem part, we become able to know that ROBI don’t follow action learning training and off the job training.We would not recommend implementing action learning training. But ROBI should provide off the job training. Because, for some sectors or jobs off the job training is more valuable than on the job training. In order to implement off the job training in the company they can follow those steps: – ? Select the sectors and employee for this training ? A time horizon for the training. It will be selected by the discussion with the employees. ? Then the trainer would be selected. They don’t need to hire new trainer for this, they can provide off the job training ith their existing trainer. ? Sufficient training materials should be provided to the employees. 2. They should motivate employee to give more concentration on their training. The reason is that motivations don’t cost enough money, but it helps to the employees to learn rapidly. If they are motivated and learn the job then not only they will be benefited, at the same time they will serve the company with their best effort. In order to motivate them, ROBI can provide them various incentives, like- informing them about the benefit of the training, how it will help them, etc. 3.Senior employees should also be developed always. We already mentioned that in ROBI senior employees do not get enough facilities and time to develop themselves. As a result they always have lack of idea about the technological change. In order to provide training for the senior employees ROBI may need to provide different sessions like action learning, case study method, mana gement games. So, it may cost ROBI. But in the long run, they will be benefited. Conclusion ROBI is trying to cope up with the changing market situation and that is why they have come with a new name, new slogan and new mission.To be very frank, the telecom sector of our country is totally dominated by GrameenPhone Ltd, with its extreme superior network coverage and customer services. Also in last year, Bharti Airtel made its entrance in our country by capturing the ownership of WARID telecom. So this telecom industry will be in a fluctuating situation within a very short time. Technologically ROBI is lagging behind far more than GP. So to make progress and capture the more market share it needs drastic steps to make improvement.ROBI has a very passionate and hard working marketing department, very dedicating customer service team who are trying their level best to take ROBI one step ahead because previously its slogan was ONE STEP AHEAD. Although its slogan has been changed but its vision should be like this to cement its place into this industry. We hope ROBI will be successful with its new brand name and its products and services. Bibliography Name of Websites Are- http://www. robi. com. bd/ www. google. com www. en. wikipedia. org www. gsmworld. com www. btrc. gov. bd www. aktel-users-group. blogspot. com ———————– 2

A Narrative of My Goals in My Bucket List

A Narrative of My Goals in My Bucket List Having bucket list that we want to accomplish before we die, is basically showing that we have goals that might seem impossible to accomplish. These goals show how much we appreciate what we see around us. Theres a movie called The Bucket List in which the actors decided that their bucket list items were so important that they needed to find people to help them achieve their goals. Items such as climbing Mount Everest, going skydiving. I am pretty sure that we all have thought of or made a bucket list at some point in our lives, these items could also be described as goals that we want to achieve in our personal lives. For example mine are to travel around the world, perform a kind deed without expecting anything in return, and to become a criminal profiler. My goals go anywhere from economical pleasure, career of choice, and even an opportunity to become a better human. I believe that bucket list items dont necessarily have to be activities that we want to complete before we die, bu t also, life improvements that are necessary but at the moment are difficult to obtain. First, Traveling all around the world has always been my goal since I was little. I grew up in a tiny town I had a difficult time envisioning much else outside my comfortable country bubble. When you travel to other countries and see the amazing beauty of sunsets over seas, rain forests, waterfalls, you realize the world is full of more beauty that you are capable of seeing in a lifetime. But, you still have the intense passion to try. Not seeing this when I was younger, I would of have less desire to venture out when I’m older and have job and family constraints in play. I would have less of a desire to put the effort into taking the time to travel. Secondly, Performing a kind deed without expecting anything in return, has always touched my heart. Since I was in Puerto Rico I used to see people at the traffic lights asking for money, food, coats anything they could ask for. Seeing people in those conditions have made me go and give food or at least five dollars. Its hard to see them struggling and not do anything for them. When you do a good deed you helping someone. The homeless person now has food to eat, thanks to the kindness of these generous people. The person who is the receiver of a good deed or random act of kindness has gotten some help. However, he received more than just a meal or two. In addition to getting food, he also received the message that he is important and worth helping. This good deed warms his heart as well as fills his stomach. Third, Becoming a Criminal Profiler has always been my dream. Since I started to watch Lie to me that show has inspired me to become someone who can help other find justice for our world. Lie to me it is based on a scientist whose expertise is detecting and interpreting micro expressions, involuntary facial expressions that last just a moment. A useful skill if you want to figure out whether someones lying, and why. Dr.Lightman runs a consulting firm from which he and three supporting characters traverse the Washington, D.C., area solving mysteries for the police, FBI and pretty much any other client who needs a lie detector. Criminal Profiler has Law Enforcement agencies rely to help them identify suspects in an investigation. Profilers use the details of a crime, including evidence and witness testimony, to determine a behavior pattern as well as develop a psychological portrait of the suspect. This allows law enforcement officials to focus their search on suspects who fit this p rofile. Individuals who work as profilers typically have a degree in criminal justice, psychology or behavioral science. Finally, Accomplishing these three things before I die would make me feel good about myself, because I got to where I wanted to be. I really liked the movie because to me it was about dealing with what life gives you and dealing with it the best you can and with the best attitude you can have. I like that even though they were old and dying that they still had goals that they wanted to do and they still got out there and did it even though they may not have felt great all the time. It tells you that you should live life to the fullest everyday and to always have a goal to keep yourself going and looking forward. It gives you something to look forward to.

Agency,innkeepers doctrine,and liquor licensing law Case Study

Agency,innkeepers doctrine,and liquor licensing law - Case Study Example (a) Worf (the "third party") cannot enforce the contract against Picard (the "principal") because Riker (the "agent") acted outside its actual authority and against the instructions of the principal. In the given problem, the named principal instructed the agent to negotiate for the wine collection with a limit of $200,000 but the agent contracted, in violation of the named principal's instructions, with the third party in an amount of not less than $220,000 for the wine. If a principal is disclosed and named, and the agent acts out outside its actual or apparent authority, then only the agent is liable to the third party. Hence, Worf cannot enforce the contract against Picard.(b) No, the answer would still be the same even if the agent had not informed the third party of the name of the principal because the agent acted outside its actual authority and against the instructions of the unnamed principal. In the given problem, the unnamed principal instructed the agent to negotiate for the wine collection with a limit of $200,000 but the agent contracted, in violation of the unnamed principal's instructions, with the third party in an amount of not less than $220,000 for the wine. If a principal exists but the name of the principal is not disclosed, and the agent acts out outside its actual or apparent authority, then only the agent is liable to the third party. Hence, Worf cannot enforce the contract against Picard.(c)... In the given problem, the principal instructed the agent to negotiate for the wine collection with a limit of $200,000 but the agent contracted, in violation of the named principal's instructions, with the third party in an amount of not less than $220,000 for the wine. Specifically, the principal in the given problem has the following causes of action: (1) for rescission of the agency agreement, (2) refusal to pay the agent commission or the flat fee for the agent's services, (3) a claim for damages, (4) a cause of action for the recovery of secret commission (the 'gift' of four cases of rare vintage wine accepted by the agent), and (5) criminal charges for accepting a secret commission in the form of a 'gift' of four cases of rare vintage wine. Picard, therefore, has several causes of action against Riker. (e) Should the principal in the given problem voluntarily chose to accept the agreement concluded by his agent and the third party, Picard will be deemed to have ratified the acts of his agent. Under the legal principle of ratification, where an agent enters into a contract without any authority, the principal can ratify the action; or where an agent enters into a contract for an existing principal and in so doing exceeds its authority, the principal can ratify the action. The principal's ratification of the agents acts, however, are subject to the following conditions for a valid ratification: (1) when contracting, the agent must be clearly acting as an agent, not personally, and the third party must be aware that they are acting as an agent; (2) the principal must exist when the agent contracts; (3) the principal must have the capacity to contract for the object of the

University of Pennsylvania and its renowned undergraduate programs Personal Statement

University of Pennsylvania and its renowned undergraduate programs - Personal Statement Example They say that the only thing constant is change. It may come to our lives that something or some circumstances changes the way we view ourselves and our surroundings. Being an active participant of the S.A. Model of the United Nations for two consecutive years and my numerous Humanitarian Works both here and abroad like in Mali and Caracas, helped me to realize how fortunate I was from somebody out there. Having a good quality education in preparation for my future career as a professional is one of the highlight of my life so that I could do my very best to become a valuable member of society. The University of Southern California being a world class university will be able to help me realize my full potentials as an individual hoping to make a world a better place to live in for me, my family and for every body. The University of Southern California, being world-renowned in the fields of communication and multimedia technologies, in the same way it has received national acclaim in the US for its ground-breaking community outreach programs, these consequently leads it to one of the US leading research university. And as such, USC will be able to help me fulfill my goals and aspirations. Poverty is one significant concern to me. This is because poverty, lessen numerous opportunities to other people in terms of health, education, employment and housing among others. No matter how industrialized the society you live in, you cannot disregard the fact of poverty in other parts of the globe. And I humbly believe that through education, poverty can be alleviated, if not eradicated. It made me realize how fortunate I am from my contemporaries in other parts of the globe, for I have better opportunities. And since I have these wide array of opportunities, I feel that to be able to become a valuable member of society, it is but necessary to extend a helping out and touch their lives and eventually make a difference. Letter to your first-year roommate at Babson Dear Room mate, Hi there! How are you I do hope your doing perfectly well. I am (state your name), from (state the city where you are currently living). I am a sports minded person and enjoys being with my friends over a hearty meal and lovely conversation. I am into humanitarian work with children among others. I have heard that Babson's pioneering undergraduate curriculum has acquired a leadership award from The Pew Charitable Trusts for taking "bold steps to reshape undergraduate programs. These together with its innovative curriculum and competent academic staff made me choose to enroll as an Economic major in the College. I am so much excited of being a part of this dynamic college. I am looking forward to the wonderful scenery of Wellesley, Massachusetts and I do hope you could help me to interesting places on my first week. Do take care and I will see you soon. Regards, Person number 1. On Boston University Boston University is a private urban research university

Organizational Change Theory Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organizational Change Theory - Research Paper Example In this paper, we will explore some key issues related to the theory of organizational change. Importance of Organizational Change Theory By understanding organizational change theory, managers can explore various external and internal forces of change. Two main external factors of change include competitive environment and technological development. Competitive environment is such a factor that forces an organization to ensure development of high quality products to increase customer base, as well as to improve customer satisfaction. Technological development, on the other hand, refers to the use of latest technology to remain competitive in the market. If we talk about the importance of organizational change theory with respect to internal forces of change, we can say that this theory helps managers understand changes in the working atmosphere, changes in employment rules and regulations, and required changes in employee retention strategies. As Rasing (2010) states, â€Å"the key to organizational change and development lies in the understanding of people's requirements and work towards it† (p. 1). ... 49). From employers’ perspective, the readiness to adapt to ongoing internal and external changes is the biggest thing that organizational change theory demands from employers. Moreover, managers also need to show willingness for organizational changes, as well as for developing strategies for implementing those changes. A higher level of organizational readiness for changes results in more effective implementation of required changes. The reason is that when the level of readiness is high, employers take quick actions to initiate the process of change, as well as display a highly cooperative behavior with all members of the organization. Organizational members need to be committed to towards implementing essential changes to organizational policies and functions in order to maximize the levels of productivity and efficiency. Employers also need to assess the key determinants of change implementation, which include situational factors, task demands, and availability of require d resources. These three determinants play a vital role in determining whether an organization is ready to implement required changes or not. Based on assessment, employers develop suitable strategies to put required changes into action. Demands of Organizational Change: From Employees’ Perspective If we talk about the requirements of organizational change from employees’ perspective, we can say that willingness to work according to modified policies and eagerness to get trained accordingly are the biggest requirements. Employees always play a critical role in bringing positive organizational changes. As Avey, Wernsing, and Luthans (2008) states, â€Å"one of the

FOREIGN MARKET ENTRY AND DIVERSIFICATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

FOREIGN MARKET ENTRY AND DIVERSIFICATION - Essay Example eting strategy that was ‘local skilled distributors’ oriented and focused advertisement to promote among specific segments of consumers such as attractive women consumers of beer yielded impressive results. In the present market condition when most of western economies are under recession the best business strategy is to expand to Asian markets such as India not ridden by recession and where there is large scope of beer business. Quick entry into North 45 percent of the global beer market is controlled by North America and Europe. Both the countries are facing acute recession that dragged the beer market share to a lower level. West European market has been declining since 2006 and has no hope to lift up in 2010 also. East European market which was growth oriented till last year is on the verge of declination. The emerging markets in Asia and Latin America are the only hope to enable the beer industry to provide scope of growth in future. Asia, which has the prospect to command one third of the global market sale is likely to have 5% growth rate on account of the aggressive use of beer by Chinese people. If Latin American consumption of beer is added to that of Asia’s the growth rate in sale of beer is likely to lift up to 8.3%. Sales volumes increased 3 per cent in 2008 and likely growth of 4 per cent increase in Brazil will support this rise. This is the strongest growing market today. For last five years the beer market has been growing differently in different regions World: 5.7%, Asia: 8.3%, East Europe: 7.8%, Central & South America: 6.3%, Africa 6%. Global beer market is gradually growing and alcohol market is falling The share of beer market which was about 44% in 2002 has increased to about 55% by 2009. Over the past five years, the beer industry has made a trend towards consuming expensive beers. In markets such as North America and Western Europe, premium beer’s share of total sales is already well above the global average In emerging markets,

Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon 1952 Essay - 1

Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon 1952 - Essay Example This fight has taken time, and it may take more time before the racial prejudice is eradicated entirely from society (Noble 48). In Black Skin, White Masks, the author wanted to bring the attention of the reader to the racial injustice that many of the people suffered. This paper will address some of the statements in the book, and what they might have meant as they had an impact on society. Fanon Frantz was a published author who championed the fight against racial discrimination through literature. His fight for the Algerian people against colonization from the French was deeply appreciated. His analysis on the manner in which individuals were passionate about their rights against colonization was brought out in many of his works. In Black Skin, White Masks, he brings about the issue of hybridity among the African people, and the role they played in bringing about anti-colonial cultures. The acceptance of ‘hybrids’ into the French system was seen as a means to oppose colonial practices, and a means of accepting cultures across borders. By neither applying his works to either assimilation or white supremacist regimes, his works received a lot of attention (Fanon 56). In one of his famous statements, Fanon describes the manner in which Africans are racialized and forced to live. He insists that black people must put on a facade for them to get by in the white community. This is so as to allow them to have the right access to some of the elementary provisions of life. What Fanon implies in that statement is the manner in which race has deformed the manner in which people live, whether black or white. When the whites want to dominate the African continent, they have to rely on their skin colour to express their dominance and superiority. They are enslaved in their thinking that being white is the reason why they should be feared. The manner in which Africans are racialized is to

DO WE NEED AND, IF SO, WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES FOR A CURRICULUM AND Essay

DO WE NEED AND, IF SO, WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES FOR A CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY FOR LIFELONG LEARNING - Essay Example ive advantage over their competitors, just as it means that national economies must spur lifelong learning if they are to become, or remain, competitive; as regards the sociological front, greater social diversity and changing demographics, as in increasingly older and more ethnically and racially diverse populations, has determined the imperatives of lifelong learning as a strategy for older adults to acquire the knowledge deemed requisite for working and competing within the said environment. In other words, the importance of lifelong learning emanates from both the aforementioned changes and the mercurial, ever-changing, nature of global and national economies. There is no doubt that lifelong learning, due to the reasons mentioned in the preceding, is a critical imperative. The question is whether this means that the development of a curriculum for lifelong learning is necessary. As this research will argue, traditional curricular models cannot be applied to lifelong learning as these only embrace formal learning which usually unfolds within a classroom setting. In direct comparison, lifelong learning embraces all of formal and informal types of learning and may be defined as a continuous process of learning, autonomous and directed, formal and informal, theoretical and practical. Following a review of the implications of lifelong learning and a clarification of the meaning and structure of curriculum, this research will argue that while lifelong learning does not need a curriculum, it does need a model. As broadly defined by Knowles (1980, p.25), adult education is â€Å"a set of organized activities carried on by a wide variety of institutions for the accomplishment of specific educational objectives,† and Rachal (as cited in Merriam & Brockett, 1997) described the workplace as â€Å"a major force in the changing nature of adult education† (p. 151). Darkenwald and Merriam (1982, p. 9) defined adult education as â€Å"systematic and sustained learning

Cultural competence Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural competence - Assignment Example knows what question to ask.’’ Nurses are more likely to attain culturally competent cross cultural care when the multifaceted combination of cultural knowledge, consciousness, attitudes and skill are used enthusiastically for cultural evaluation of patient’s health beliefs and practices, and for negotiating culturally harmonizing health interventions through expertise cross cultural communication. Health care providers can employ a number of strategies of cultural competence in their practice so as to deliver effectively; for instance, cultural accommodations can have a big payoff for patient’s emotional well-being because it supports and facilitates the use of cultural practices that have not been proven harmful, a good case study is placing a metal object such as coin or key on the umbilicus of a new-born child, which is understood to promote healing according to some societies (Srivastava,2007). However, for accommodation of culture to work, it is upon the nurse to have the prior knowledge of the culture from other sources, direct assessment and conversations. Implementing this strategy I quite involving because it requires the health provider to go extra mile in acquiring the relevant information related to a particular culture. Cultural preservation support clients in maintaining those aspects of their culture that promotes healthy behaviors. The health provider will support the use of systematically sound practices such as acupuncture for managing pain in a patient as well as interventions from biomedical health care systems such as using lower doses of opioid analgesics. However, this might be a challenge due to stereotype, other health care givers will ascribe to certain beliefs and behaviors to their patients without really understanding the individual differences within the groups (Ivanov & Blue, 2007). Cultural repatterning involves working with the patient health promoting behaviors. A health provider will work with the patient in order to

Psychological perspectives Essay Example for Free

Psychological perspectives Essay The brain is a super computer with a complicated network of neurones subserving many of the activities of our daily life. Many of us are unaware of the various interconnected processes that work in unison to let us lead a simple uncomplicated life. Only when someone is ill or not normal do we feel the messing up of a great system. Cognitive function is the intellectual process by which a person becomes aware of, perceives or comprehends ideas. Recognition, conception, sensing, thinking, reasoning, remembering and imagining all come under cognitive functions ( Parayannis, 2000) Behaviour, being emotional or angry are other features of cognitive functions of the brain. They are all related to specific centers or regions of the brain. Injury in the form of trauma or illnesses leads to various cognitive impairments. Summarizing I would deign to declare that each of us is what our brains would want us to be. The combinations and permutations of the neurones decide our personality, skills, talents, feelings, behavior and responses. However we are aware of the fact only in the case of damage to one or more areas of the brain. The theme I shall discuss in my paper is â€Å" Psychological perspectives†. I have selected four chapters from this course which I believe should carry the message of the enigma that is the brain and the emotions that are attached for a social set up. They are Memory System (Chapter 8), Cerebral Cortex and the Lobes of the brain( Chapter 2), Aggression and Prosocial Behaviour (Chapter 16 ) and Social Development (Chapter 3). Memory Memory is of three kinds: sensory, short-term and long-term. Sensory memory depends on auditory, visual and visuo spatial functions . Both cerebral hemispheres are involved in analyzing sensory data, performing memory functions, learning new information, forming thoughts and making decisions (Parayannis, 2000). The left takes care of the sequential analysis. New information is systematically and logically interpreted. Symbolic information like language, mathematics, abstraction and memory is also dealt with. Memory is stored in a language format. The right hemisphere deals with the interpretation of multiple sensory inputs and here memory is stored as auditory, visual and spatial functions. One’s environment is understood. The interpretation of dancing and gymnastics are possible through the right hemisphere functions. Short term memory holds small amounts of information. Selective attention is involved. Everything that we see or hear is not stored. Short term memory is sensitive to interruption or interference. combined with other mental processes, short term memory forms an area of working memory which we use to do our thinking with. This behaves like a scratchpad. When we tackle arithmetic, do a puzzle, prepare a meal or read something, we are using our working memory. Information that has to be stored for long is possible due to long term memory which is also a function of the brain. The area which holds infinite amounts of information can never run out of ‘space’. A person’s educational caliber is supported by this long term memory which is encoded in terms of meaning and importance. Our daily activities are enabled by dual memory comprising of short term and long term memory. When we have an information which we used (short-term) but is not required for the time being, we store it in our long term memory and retrieve it when necessary. Memory loss, a feature of cognitive impairment, is the delay or failure to recall recent or distant events. Amnesia is an extreme form of memory loss when caused by a more severe injury to the brain, probably in a road accident, bomb explosion or shooting incident. Involvement due to injury or aging can produce loss of memory of varying levels. Loss can be a mild dysfunction (MCI ) or severe and named as dementia. Old people of 55-80 years of age could have cognitive impairment without having any illness. Memory loss is seen in degenerative disorders or dementias like Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain injuries, following ECT or in Korsakoff’s psychosis. Damage to the limbic system causes a loss of recent memory. This is seen in Korsakoff’s Disease. Recent events are forgotten due to a direct effect of alcohol or due to the associated nutritional deficiencies. . The ability to store and retrieve from short term memory is affected in natural aging too. The foremost problem is the loss of recent memory in Alzheimer’s Disease. The care-taker needs to be extremely patient as all her time would be spent for looking after the patient ( Ballenger, 2006). Traumatic Amnesia usually occurs as a transient phenomenon following a head injury. ECT induced amnesia follows episodes of ECT in a psychiatric illness. The amnesia is transient and may last a year. Patients with implicit memory (not dependent on the part of the brain) remember to do some things (Dorf et al, 1994). Extensive damage to the left cerebral cortex can affect long term memory. Damage to the right cerebral cortex produces a disturbance in the visual and auditory perceptions and visuo-spatial deficit. Memories of seen articles or heard songs or even regularly visited places would not be remembered. The Cerebral Cortex and the Lobes of the Brain The brain is composed of the cerebrum, cerebellum and the brain stem. The cerebrum forms the greatest part and is divided into lobes named by the overlying bone (April, 1990). The left and right cerebral hemispheres consist of the cerebral cortex, white matter and basal ganglia. The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of the brain composed of grey matter. It has 1015 individual neurons connected in specific patterns. The white matter holds the tracts which connect the neurons. The surface is folded into gyri separated by sulci or grooves. Each half of the cerebral hemispheres has the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, the limbic lobe and the central lobe. Motor and sensory cortex are found. Sensory cortex is again sub-divided into primary, secondary and association cortices. Primary is where the stimulus reaches first. Secondary is the area which is connected to the primary and helps in the processing. Association cortices have a 2 stimuli input. There are 3 identified associative cortices. They are the basis of thought and perception with practically no influence on behavior. They are the parieto-temporal-occipital cortex, pre-frontal area and the limbic association area. The first receives somatosensory, auditory and visual projections. These associative areas integrate the information from the sensory modalities for language. Injury affecting this area causes a faulty language. The prefrontal area if affected produces problems in several cognitive behaviours. Difficulty arises in control of motor planning. The ability to concentrate and attend, elaboration of thought, personality and emotional traits are determined here. The frontal lobe subserves cognition and memory. Broadman’s area in the left frontal lobe is involved with voluntary motor activities( April,1990). Damage to this area causes contralateral hemiplegia associated with a motor aphasia (involvement of the prefrontal cortex or Broca’s area). The parietal lobe processes sensory inputs and discrimination, body orientation and ability to write. Damage would produce an inability to recognize parts of the body, space and an inability to write. The occipital lobe is involved with primary visual function and visual interpretation. Damage would cause cortical blindness even when the eyes are perfectly normal. The temporal lobe which has the Wernicke’s area subserves the auditory function, expressed behaviour, receptive language and memory. Damage would result in hearing deficits, childish behaviour and receptive aphasia. Lateralisation is evident in the right and left handedness of people. However this is no indication of the dominance of any hemisphere. 95% of people have left hemisphere language function, 18. 8% have right hemisphere language function. 19. 8 % have bilateral language functions. Linear reasoning, speech and vocabulary are lateralised to the left hemisphere. Dyscalculia is caused by damage to the left temporo-parietal region. This leads to difficulty in doing mathematics. Some language functions like intonation and accentuation are with the right hemisphere. Musical and visual stimuli, spatial manipulation, facial perception and artistic ability are functions of the right too. Logical reasoning is with the left but intuitive reasoning is with the right. Cerebral asymmetry is the feature of the normal human brain. The left is the dominant hemisphere with language functions while the right is involved more with visuo-spatial functions. An acquired language deficit accompanying right-sided stroke (left hemisphere involvement) is the best indication that the left hemisphere is dominant for language. The right hemisphere stroke does not involve speech problems. The corpus callosum connects the 2 hemispheres and coordinates the functions of both. Any injury to this area causes ‘Split brain’ where the coordination between the 2 hemispheres is lost. A ‘split brain’ patient does not speak of emotions or feelings. The right hemisphere and the left behave independently. The patient appears to have 2 minds. It was revealed in studies by Robert Sperry, a psychobiologist, who conducted studies in patients in whom commissurectomy (severing the corpus callosum from each hemisphere ) was done as a treatment for intractable epilepsy. He found that the two halves of the brain had specific functions and each side acted independently, whereas in the normal brain, the two halves act in coordination. This is the theory of hemispheric independence (Zaire et al, 1990) After the operation, the right half showed predominance when it came to spatial tasks like arrangement of blocks. The limbic area is the area of the brain that affects the emotions, rage, fear and sex. Integration of recent memory and biological rhythms are decided here. If this area is affected, an angry but frightened personality without emotional control would be the result. Recent memory would be lost. Aggression and Prosocial Behavior Prosocial Behaviour is helpful behavior intended to help another. It is different from altruism in that it is not voluntary helping behaviour that is costly to the giver (Psychology:An International Perspective, 2004). Another definition states that this refers to the â€Å"voluntary actions intended to help another† ( Eisenberg and Mussen, 1989). Prosocial behaviour refers to the consequences of a doer’s actions rather than the motivations behind them. They include sharing, comforting, rescuing and helping, understanding the needs of the recipient (Knickerbocker, Learning to give). Traditional theories of helping include sociobiology, social learning , empathy and arousal. Physical aggression is a major health problem. Childhood aggression is a precursor to physical and mental health problems that occur in later life. Aggressive children are also liable to higher risk of substance abuse , alcoholism, accidents, violent crimes, depression, suicide attempts, spouse abuse, neglectful and abusive parenting (Tremblay et al, 2004) It is unusual for the aggressive students to really harm their targets. However in studies of physical aggression in infancy, it was shown that by 17 months, a large majority of children are already aggressive towards their siblings, parents and peers (Tremblay et al, 2004). A study by Tremblay et al attempted to identify the trajectories of physical aggressions during early childhood and also o identify antecedents of high levels of physical aggression early in life. 572 families with a 5- month old baby were selected and followed up till 42 months. 3 trajectories were identified. The first group of 28% had children who displayed little or no aggression. 58% showed a rising trajectory of modest aggression. 14 % showed a high level of physical aggression (Tremblay et al, 2004). Best predictors before the birth of the child were, having other siblings, confidence interveal, mothers with early( before end of high school ) and high antisocial behaviour , young mothers, families with low income and mothers who smoked. The conclusion indicated was that physical aggression started in early infancy. All the predictors before birth were reasons for the child not learning how to preventive interventions. In order to change or reduce the long term impacts preventive intervention programmes must be chalked out effectively (Tremblay et al, 2004) In a model identifying 5 factors that prompt voluntarism (Clary and Snyder, 1990), they found that a combination of factors ultimately motivates volunteers. One factor is altruism but all the other four are self serving: motivation by socially adjustable conditions, ego defensive considerations, the desire to acquire knowledge or skills for personal or professional education and helping understanding the needs. Aggression is caused in 3 ways in a child: instinct, rewards and observation. Obviously these 3 factors rule the manner in which the aggression is to be overcome or prevented. Catharsis may be tried to vent the child’s anger in other ways. Rewarding non aggressive behaviour works. Cognitive training is also effective. Promoting prosocial behaviour should be tried. Rewarding good behaviour may not be so effective. A better way is to try modelling. The parent should ‘model’ good behaviour as the child always has a tendency to imitate its parents. The parent appeals to the childs pride and desire to be agrown-up (Aggressive and Prosocial Behaviour, Psychology campus. com). Social development Like all humans , babies are also social creatures. It was found from studies that babies recognise themselves at the age of 15 months. Prior to that, they would treat their mirror image as another like them and would even coax them to come out to play. At about 15 months of age, the baby starts showing interest in others and developing a social awareness. It starts showing the emotions of shame, guilt, embarassment and pride. These babies glance at the facial expressions of others to decide how to react just like adults. In one study babies placed at the side of a high cliff kept watching their mothers’ faces. If they were encouraging, the babies would cross. When the mothers exhibited fear, the babies did not move. This is identified as social referencing. It. demonstrated the emotional bond or attachment of the babies with their mothers or caregivers. For most infants emotional bonding appears around 8 to 12 months of age. Psychologist Mary Ainsworth (1913 -1999) spoke about 3 kinds of attachments. The securely attached infants would be upset by the mother’s absence. An insecure avoidant child is anxious about the mother’s absence but turns away when she returns. An insecure ambivalent child also has an emotional bond but has mixed feelings . It wants to be with the mother but is angry at her and does not want contact. Attachments do play a role in the life of the child and its future behaviour. The securely attached ones would be the most confident. Attachment failures could be damaging. The mother has a strong role in promoting attachment in an infant, hoping to improve its mental status and bringing up a resilient child. Attachments to fathers provides one more reason to have a closely knit family with well behaved children. When a seond child arrives, attachment security drops. Commercial child care centers if of good quality does provide additional security. Children tend to have better relationships with their mothers and lesser problems.

All the Pretty Horses novel Essay Example for Free

All the Pretty Horses novel Essay The main character, John Grady Cole, faces plenty of hardships throughout his journey from his home in Texas to Mexico. On the other hand, McCarthy writes this award-winning book in a positive way, demonstrating the balance between optimism and pessimism in our world. He shows how John Grady Cole has matured and grown substantially because of this negativity he faces. The reader can clearly see the negativity not only in the first page of the novel, but also in the first paragraph. McCarthy begins the book with, â€Å"†¦ he looked at the face so caved and drawn among the folds of funeral cloth, the yellowed moustache, the eyelids paper thin. That was not sleeping†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (3). The funeral described in the first page is John Grady’s grandpa’s funeral. Starting a book off in this way (with a dead body) obviously points the reader towards the opinion that this book is a long, dreadful ride with much death and destruction. The image of the coffin, the yellowing moustache, and the deceased person clearly shows the negativity that fills this book. Throughout the book, John Grady Cole faces many challenges and much adversity and learns to live with it. After leaving their home in Texas, John Grady and his best friend Rawlins travel hundreds of miles deep into the heart of Mexico on horseback until they reach a ranch offering work called La Purisima. Both of these boys are skilled at working with horses and spend most of their time at the ranch taming and taking care of the many horses there. While working at La Purisima, John meets the ranch owner’s daughter, a beautiful girl named Alejandra, and falls in love. Alejandra’s father absolutely does not appreciate this; in fact, he orders for John Grady and Rawlins to be arrested because of John’s interactions with Alejandra. The hardships that these boys face are relentless, however, John Grady refuses to hang his head and give up. On their way to the jail, John Grady says to Rawlins, â€Å"I can’t back up and start over. But I don’t see the point in slobberin over it† (155). At this point, McCarthy reveals how John Grady has matured and has learned to live with the sorrows he faces. With this new found maturity, and as John Grady Cole overcomes this terrible journey of negativity, he has learned to live with the pessimism and has found out how the negatives go side by side with the positives. Nearing the end of the book John Grady Cole realizes that â€Å"the world’s pain and its beauty moved in a relationship of diverging equity† (282). John Grady has learned the skill of searching for the light in a dark room, constantly refusing to dwell on the negative aspects of his many horrible situations. He has a new wisdom of the world and has learned how it works. In conclusion, McCarthy writes All The Pretty Horses with much negativity and at the same time he delivers a lesson of how positivity is hidden in every situation, journey, and life. McCarthy demonstrates how John Grady Cole learns maturity the hard way: through hardships, sorrow and death. This book leaves the reader with a tear in their eye and a smile on their face, for they know that sorrow is sitting on the doorstep of happiness.

Biomedical instrumentation and measurement

Biomedical instrumentation and measurement INTRODUCTION: SA node controls the rate of hearts muscular contractions which enables the heart to circulate the blood throughout the body according to the need. Small variations in the heart beat are not harmful but in some cases due to malfunctioning of the hearts electrical system, the heart rate varies drastically resulting in different types of arrhythmias. These cardiac arrhythmias are serious disorders which should be treated immediately. Arrhythmias like bradycardia (low heart rate) can be treated using Pacemakers. Pacemakers can be implanted in the patients heart for permanently stimulating the heart. It is used for patients for whom the SA node is no longer functioning properly. External Pacemakers are also available which is used to treat temporary heart rate variations. It is used for a short period of time before the implanting the Internal Pacemakers in the heart. In order to understand the requirement of pacemakers, it is necessary to understand the functioning of the heart and its electrical system. HEART ITS ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: Heart is a pumping device which is used to circulate the blood throughout the body. It has four chambers namely Right Atrium, Left Atrium, Right Ventricle and Left Ventricle. The right atrium receives the deoxygenated blood from the entire body through the superior vena cava and inferior vena cava. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs through the pulmonary veins. When the atrium contracts the blood flows to the corresponding ventricle. This is due to atrial depolarization. When the left ventricle contracts, the oxygenated blood is supplied to all tissues in the body through the aorta. This is due to ventricular depolarization. Similarly, the deoxygenated blood is pumped to the lungs for oxygenation through the pulmonary artery during the contraction of right ventricle. This is due to ventricular repolarization. The Electrical conduction system of the heart consists of SA node, AV node, Bundle of His, Purkinje Fibers. The chambers of the heart should be stimulated electrically for contraction. The stimulations are provided by the SA node (Natural Pacemaker of the heart) which is located in the right atrium of the heart near the entrance of the superior vena cava. Although all the heart cells have the ability to produce electrical pulses which can stimulate the heart, SA node triggers the heart. The fact that SA node produces pulses at a higher rate when compared to other potential cells which can stimulate contraction, contributes to this phenomena. The contraction of various chambers of the heart is characterized in a very specific manner. As the electric pulses pass through each chamber of the heart, they are stimulated to contract. The SA node first triggers the right and left atrium to contract. Then the impulses travel to the AV node which is located between the atria and the ventricles . From AV node ,the pulses travel to the bundle of his. The pulses travel to the individual ventricles through the right and left bundle branch and reach the Purkinje fibers. If the SA node fails, then the AV node acts as the primary pacemaker. If the AV node fails, then the Purkinje fibers takes the responsibility. The SA node receives blood supply from right and left coronary arteries. Under ischaemic conditions, the death of the affected cells will stop the SA node from triggering the heart beat. There is a period of time following the stimulation of heart muscle during which no other action potential can trigger the heart muscles. This period is known as Absolute or Effective Refractory Period (ERP) of heart. It is normally around 0.4 sec. ERP is maintained as high as possible in order to maintain tachycardia and to coordinate the muscle contraction. The anti-arrhythmic drugs taken by the patients usually prolongs the ERP. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM OF HEART ECG ITS SIGNIFICANCE: The electrical activity of the heart muscles is recorded as Electrocardiogram (ECG). It can be acquired non-invasively from the surface of the body by following specific lead configurations. The electrical current generated in the heart due to depolarization and repolarization is spread not only within the heart but also throughout the body. So, ECG can be easily acquired from the surface of the body through electrodes. ECG has four basic components namely, P wave, QRS complex, T wave and U wave. P wave occurs during atrial contraction due to atrial depolarization. The duration of the P wave ranges from 0.08- 0.1 sec. During the atrial depolarization, the impulse from the SA node spreads throughout the atrium. The time period between the onset of the P wave and the beginning of the QRS complex is about 0.12- 0.2 sec. During the zero potential period between the P wave and QRS complex, the impulse travels within the AV node and the Bundle of His.QRS complex occurs during ventricular c ontraction due to ventricular depolarization. The duration of the QRS complex ranges from 0.06-0.1 sec. T wave occurs during ventricular relaxation due to ventricular repolarization. Sometimes, a small positive U wave occurs following the T wave due to the last remnants of the ventricular repolarization. ELECTROCARDIOGAM NORMAL AND ABNORMAL ECG WAVES: Normal ECG: NORMAL ECG Heart rateis nothing but the number ofheartbeatsper unit oftimewhich is expressed as beats per minute (bpm) which can vary as the bodys need for oxygen changes, such as duringexercise or sleep. The measurement of heart rate is used bymedical professionalsto assist in thediagnosisand tracking of medical conditions. It is also used by individuals, such asathletes, who are interested in monitoring their heart rate to gain maximum efficiency from their training. TheR waveto R wave interval(RR interval) is the inverse of the heart rate ,that is one divided by RR interval gives the heart rate. Typical healthy resting heart rate in adults is 60-80 bpm which is referred to be normal heart rate,with rates below 60 bpm referred to asbradycardia and rates above 100 bpm referred to astachycardia. Missed ECG: MISSED ECG This can be detected when the R-R interval is twice the actual R-R interval (for normal subjects).Heart pulses misses at some intervals and does not follow the premature heart beat. Bradychardia: BRADYCARDIA This is a critical reduction of heart rate and characterized by normally directed abnormally wide P waves and normal PR interval. Whenever the R-R interval exceeds 1 sec the heart rate goes below 60 and the condition is referred to as Bradychardia. There are three types of Bradychardia conditions based on the characteristics of the ECG wave, they are Sinus bradychardia, Atrio-ventricular nodal bradychardia and ventricular bradychardia respectively. They are discussed below. Sinus bradycardia: SINUS BRADYCARDIA Sinus bradycardias are also called as Atrial bradychardias. This bradychardia condition is usually found in young and healthy adults. The symptoms represent with the individualsrespirations. Theabnormalpattern of eachinhalationcorresponds with the heart rate decreasing.Expirationcauses an increase in the hearts rate of contraction. This is thought to be caused by changes in the vagal tone duringrespiration. Sinus bradycardia is a sinus rhythm of less than 60 bpm. It is a common condition found in both healthy individuals and those who are considered wellconditioned athletes. The reason for this is that their heart muscle has become conditioned to have a higher stroke volume and therefore requires fewer contractions to circulate the same volume of blood. Sick sinus syndromecovers conditions that include severe sinus bradycardia, sinoatrial block, sinus arrest, and bradycardi-tachycardia syndrome (atrial fibrillation, flutter, and paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia). Atrio ventricular nodal bradycardia: ATRIO VENTRICULAR NODAL BRADYCARDIA An atrio ventricular nodal bradycardia or AV junction rhythm is usually caused by the absence of the electrical impulse from thesinus node. This usually appear on anEKGwith a normal QRS complexaccompanied with an inverted P wave either before, during, or after the QRS complex. An AV junctional escape is a delayed heartbeat originating from anectopicfocus somewhere in theAV junction. It occurs when the rate ofdepolarizationof the SA node falls below the rate of the AV node.This dysrhythmia also may occur when the electrical impulses from the SA node fail to reach the AV node because of SA or AV block.This is a protective mechanism for the heart, to compensate for a SA node that is no longer handling the pace making activity, and is one of a series of backup sites that can take over pacemaker function when the SA node fails to do so. This would present with a longerPR interval. A junctional escape complex is a normal response that may result from excessive vagal tone on the SA node. Pathological causes include sinus bradycardia, sinus arrest, sinus exit block, or AV block. Ventricular bradycardia: VENTRICULAR BRADYCARDIA This picture shows an ECG of a person with an abnormal rhythm (arrhythmia) called an atrioventricular (AV) block. P waves show that the top of the heart received electrical activity. Each P wave is usually followed by the tall (QRS) waves. QRS waves reflect the electrical activity that causes the heart to contract. When a P wave is present and not followed by a QRS wave (and heart contraction), there is an atrioventricular block, and a very slow pulse (bradycardia). PACEMAKER AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE: More than 60% people fall victim to heart attacks in most of the countries around the globe every year and thousands more are critically injured in accidents. Taking care of these patients in special care units involves the usage of specialized equipments like pacemakers along the other important ones. In the past few years electronic pacemaker systems have become the important one in saving lives of cardiac patients whose normal pacing functions have been impaired. Depending on the exact nature of a cardiac dysfunction, a patient may require temporary artificial pacing during the course of treatment or permanent pacing in order to lead an active, productive life after treatment. A device capable of generating artificial pacing impulses and delivering them to the heart is known as a pacemaker system (commonly called a pacemaker) and consists of a pulse generator and appropriate electrodes. Pacemakers are available in a variety of forms. They are mainly divided into two types External pacemakers and Internal pacemakers respectively. EXTERNAL PACEMAKER: External pacemakers are used on the patients with temporary heart irregularities, such as those encountered in the coronary patient, including heart blocks. They are also used for temporary management of certain arrhythmias that occur in the patients during critical postoperative periods and in the patients during cardiac surgery, especially if the surgery involves the values or septum. An external pacemaker usually consists of an externally worn pulse generator connected to electrodes located on or within the myocardium. External pacemakers, which include all types of pulse generators located outside the body, are normally connected through wires introduced into the right ventricle via a catheter catheter. The pulse generator may be strapped to the lower arm of a patient who is confined to bed, or worn at the midsection of an ambulatory patient. We have made the pacemaker which can be divided into two general categories namely Asynchronous pacemaker Synchronous pacemaker ASYNCHRONOUS PACEMAKER: This type of pacemaker is intended for patients having permanent heart blocks. The rate is preset. It can be varied externally within the range of 60 PPM to 180 PPM. Since this pacemaker functions regardless of the patients natural heart rhythm it poses a potential danger because of competition between the patients rhythm and that of the pacemaker. PACING PULSES FROM ASYNCHRONOUS PACEMAKER SYNCHRONOUS PACEMAKER: In patients who have normal heart function most of the time, asynchronous pacing can be extremely dangerous, working against their own physiological pacemaker with the danger of stimulating in the vulnerable period of the T wave, a condition that can result in fibrillation. The demand pacemaker consists of an ECG amplifier and a conventional pacemaker output pulse circuit that has been modified to allow output from the ECG amplifier to inhibit the pulse generator. This pacemaker senses R-waves and its timing and logic circuits count out an elapsed time interval following an R-wave or previously induced pulse. If the intrinsic R-wave does not appear before the elapsed time interval, the ventricle is stimulated. If an R-wave is received, the counter is reset again. This type of pacemaker is used for patients with bradycardia, and it ensures a heartbeat no slower than its set rate. PACING PULSES FROM SYNCHRONOUS PACEMAKER INTERNAL PACEMAKER: Internal pacemaker are implanted within the pulse generator placed in a surgically formed pocket below the right or left clavicle, in the left subcostal area, or in women, beneath the left or right major pectoralis muscle. Internal leads connect to electrodes that directly contact the inside of the right ventricle or the surface of the myocardium. The exact location of the pulse generator depends primarily on the type of the electrode used, he nature of the cardiac dysfunction, and the method (mode) of pacing that may be prescribed .Since there are no external connections for applying power, the pulse generator must be completely self contained, with a power source capable of continuously operating the unit for a period of years. BIO POTENTIAL ELECTRODES: A wide variety of electrodes can be used to measure bio electric events but nearly all can be classified as belonging to one of three basic types; Micro electrodes Skin surface electrodes Needle electrodes All three types of bio potential electrodes have the metal-electrolyte interface. In each case, an electrode potential is developed across the interface, proportional to the exchange of ions to the metal and the electrolytes of the body. MICROELECTRODES: They are used to measure bio electric potentials near or within a single cell.Microelectrodes are electrodes with tips sufficiently small to penetrate a single cell in order to obtain readings from within the cell. The tip must be small enough to permit penetration without damaging the cell. This action is usually complicated by the difficulty of accurately positioning an electrode with respect to a cell. Because of their small surface area, they have impedances well up into the megohms. For this reason, amplifiers with extremely high impedances are required to avoid loading the circuit and to minimize the effects of small changes in interface impedance. SKIN SURFACE ELECTRODES: Skin surface electrodes are used to obtain bio electric potentials from the surface of the body. They are available in various size. Although any type of surface electrode can be used to sense ECG, EMG, EEG potentials, the larger electrodes are usually associated with ECG, since localization of the measurement is not important. Smaller electrodes are used in EEG and EMG measurements. Various types of disposable electrodes have been introduced in recent years to eliminate the requirement for cleaning and care after each use. In general, disposable electrodes are of the floating type with simple snap connectors by which the leads, which are reusable, are attached. Although, some disposable electrodes can be reused several times, their cost is usually low enough that cleaning for reuse is not warranted. They come pre gelled, ready for immediate use. NEEDLE ELECTRODES: To reduce interface impedance and, consequently, movement artifacts, some electroencephalographers use small subdermal needles to penetrate the scalp for EEG measurements. They are also used to measure EMG potentials from a specific group of muscles. They are less susceptible to movement artifacts when compared with surface electrodes as they create an interface beneath the surface of the skin. By making direct contact with the subdermal tissue or the intercellular fluids, these electrodes also seem to have lower impedances than surface electrodes of comparable interface area. Even though needle electrodes have less motion artifacts ,surface electrodes are used to acquire ECG because surface electrodes are more convenient for the patient .Most of the surface electrodes are cheap and reusable. ACQUISITION OF ECG USING 3 LEAD SYSTEM LEAD I CONFIGURATION: ECG sensors measure the time-varying magnitude of electric fields emanating from the heart. ECG values are measured by placing non-invasive electrodes at the surface of the patients skin. For a 3-lead ECG sensor, the electrodes need to be placed in a triangle (Einthoven Triangle) on the patients chest as shown in the figure 11. Each corner of the triangle corresponds to one of the limbs: right hand, left hand, left foot. With the bipolar system, one limb is connected to the positive terminal of the amplifier and another limb to its negative terminal. Three limbs (right arm-RA, left arm-LA and left leg/foot-LL) are used. The right leg was used as earth, to minimize interference. ECG AMPLIFIER: Bioelectric signals have very high input impedance. To stop the signal attenuation, we use Instrumentation Amplifier (AD 624) which also has high input impedance. It should have high gain and low output impedance .In order to remove the common mode signals ,it should have a high Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR of about 90 dB).The potential at the surface of the body ranges from 0 10 mV so the amplifier should have high gain (1000). We use a differential amplifier to amplify the bioelectric signals that occur as a potential difference between two electrodes, the bioelectric signals are applied between the inverting and non-inverting inputs of the amplifier. The signal is therefore amplified by the differential gain of the amplifier. For the interference signal, however, both inputs appear as though they were connected together to a common input source. Thus, the common mode interference signal is amplified only by the much smaller common mode gain. The electrode impedances form a v oltage divider with the input impedance of the differential amplifier. If the electrode impedances are not identical, the interference signals at the inverting and non-inverting inputs of the differential amplifier may be different, and the desired degree of cancellation does not take place. Because, the electrode impedances can never be made exactly equal, the high common mode rejection ratio of a differential amplifier can only be realized if the amplifier has an input impedance much higher than the impedance of the electrodes to which it is connected. There are different lead configurations such as 3-Lead, 5-Lead, 12-Lead for acquiring ECG Signal. We have used 3-Lead system Lead I Configuration. 12-CIRCUIT FOR ECG AMPLIFIER AMPLIFIER OUTPUT SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION USING LABVIEW: LabVIEW (short for Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench) is a platform and development environment for Visual Programming Language from National Instruments. LabVIEW is a graphical programming environment used by millions of engineers and scientists to develop sophisticated measurement, test, and control systems using intuitive graphical icons and wires that resemble a flowchart. LabVIEW offers unrivaled integration with thousands of hardware devices and provides hundreds of built-in libraries for advanced analysis and data visualization. The LabVIEW platform is scalable across multiple targets and operating systems. LABVIEW is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) which can be used for processing of signals, images and other forms of data. One of the most powerful features LabVIEW offers engineers and scientists is its graphical programming environment. With LabVIEW, one can design custom virtual instruments by creating a graphical user interface on the computer screen through which one can: Operate the instrumentation program Control selected hardware Analyze acquired data Display results One can customize front panels with knobs, buttons, dials, and graphs to emulate control panels of traditional instruments, create custom test panels, or visually represent the control and operation of processes. The similarity between standard flow charts and graphical programs shortens the learning curve associated with traditional, text-based languages. The behavior of the virtual instruments can be determined by connecting icons together to create block diagrams, which are natural design notations for scientists and engineers. With graphical programming, one can develop systems more rapidly than with conventional programming languages, while retaining the power and flexibility needed to create a variety of applications. We have used Lab view to acquire the signal, filtering and do other processing of the ECG signal. The real time signal is given into as input to ELVIS I which acts as the DAQ (data acquisition system).The block diagram of the Lab view implementation is as shown in figure 14. STEPS INVOLVED IN LABVIEW IMPLEMENTATION: The ECG signal from the amplifier (using AD 624) is given as input to DAQ for acquiring the signal in Lab view software. FFT of the ECG signal is obtained and viewed. We can see the frequency content of the ECG signal from the FFT obtained. WE can also see the presence of 50 Hz power line interference in the FFT of raw ECG. A Smoothing filter with following specifications Moving average, Rectangular filter with a half width of 20 is constructed. The Smoothened ECG is viewed. Smoothing Filter is used to remove noise and 50 Hz power line interference. The Smoothened signal is given as input to the Butterworth Band Pass Filter of order 2 and a low cutoff frequency of 5Hz and high cut off frequency of 15Hz.Band Pass Filter is used to separate the QRS complex from the ECG Signal. The output of the Band Pass Filter is differentiated and squared inorder to enhance the QRS complex from the remaining portion of the waveform. The heart rate is calculated using timing and tone measurement block. The block gives the frequency of repetition of the QRS complex. The frequency value is converted into time value by taking inverse of it. Heart rate is calculated as follows. Heart Rate = 60/R-R Interval Example: R-R Interval = 760ms Heart Rate = 60/760ms = 78.94 Beats /Minute If the calculated heart rate is below the normal value, then pacing pulses are produced .This is done by using a case structure. The case structure turns on only when the case is true (Heart Rate is below normal value).Inside the case structure we have a square wave generator. The output of the square wave generator is differentiated and squared. We get a pulse as a result of these operations. The rate and amplitude at which the pulses are produced can be modified easily at run time using controls. Whenever the heart rate is normal, False condition is selected . For false condition, we set the amplitude and frequency of the square wave as zero so that the pacemaker is switched off. The Pacing Pulses generated can also be taken out as an analog voltage from the ELVIS and can be viewed in a DSO. Only voltages in the range +10 volts to -10 volts can be taken out from LABVIEW through ELVIS. PACEMAKER FINAL BLOCK DIAGARM. FRONT PANEL IN LABVIEW ENTIRE SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATTION We have implemented the case structure and other blocks by studying the general tutorials given in LV BASICS 1 MANUAL and LABVIEWBASICSII_85_ENG CLAD. HARDWARE IMPLEMENTATION: BLOCK DIAGRAM FOR HARDWARE IMPLEMENTATTION BAND PASS FILTER: The amplifier which is used in software implementation (AD 624) is also used here. It is followed by a filter. The amplifier output is around 550 mV. A Filter is a circuit that is defined to pass a specified band of frequencies while attenuating all signals outside this band. Filter networks may be either active or passive. Passive filter networks contain only resistors, inductors and capacitors. Active filters employ transistors or op amps plus resistors, inductors and capacitors. Inductors are often used in active filters, because they are bulky and costly and may have large internal resistive components. Band Pass Filters pass only a band of frequencies while attenuating all frequencies outside the band. A simple high pass filter followed by a low pass filter will form a band pass filter. We have used a band pass filter (0.5Hz 40 Hz) to remove high frequency signals like EMG and low frequency components like Base Line Wandering and motion artifacts. We have used a second order Bu tterworth Filter with -40 db/decade roll-off. For Low Pass Filter, we used 0.5 Hz as the cut off frequency.C1 is chosen as a convenient value between 100 pF and 0.1Â µF.For High Pass Filter, we used 40 Hz as the cut off frequency. We have implemented a Band Pass Filter according to the design given in OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIERS AND LINEAR INTEGRATIONAL CIRCUITS. CIRCUIT AND DESIGN FOR BAND PASS FILTER NOTCH FILTER: A Notch Filter transmits frequencies in the pass band and rejects undesired frequencies in the stop band. In applications where low level signals must be amplified, there may be present one or more of an assortment of unwanted noise signals. Examples are 50, 60 0r 400 Hz frequencies from power lines, 120 Hz ripple from full wave rectifiers, or even higher frequencies from regulated switching type power supplies or clock oscillators. If both signals and signal frequency noise component are passed through a notch filter, only the desired signals will exit from the filter. The noise frequency is notched out. We have designed a active notch filter (using LM 324) to remove 50 Hz Power Line Interference. The amplitude of the acquired ECG signal is around 1 2 V. We got noise free ECG for real time signal acquisition as shown below. CIRCUITAND DESIGN FOR NOTCH FILTER REAL TIME ECG ACQUISITION QRS DETECTOR: In order to extract the QRS Complex from the ECG signal obtained, we use a band pass filter with center frequency of 17 Hz and band width of 6 Hz. The QRS signal obtained from the band pass filter is rectified for comparing with the threshold voltage generated by the detection circuit. The filtered and rectified ECG is stored on a capacitor. This filtered and rectified ECG is compared with the fraction of this voltage. Whenever a threshold voltage is exceeded, the QRS pulse is detected. After the detection of every QRS pulse, the capacitor recharges to a new threshold value after every pulse. CIRCUIT FOR QRS DETECTION MONOSTABLE MULTIVIBRATOR: Monostable Multivibrator generates a single output pulse in response to an input signal. It is also known as One Shot Multivibrator. The time period of the output pulse depends only on the external components (resistors and capacitors) connected to the op-amp. The duration of the input triggering pulse can be longer or shorter than the expected pulse. The duration of the output pulse is represented by the T. Since T can be changed only by changing the resistors and capacitors ,the one shot multivibrators can be considered as a pulse stretcher. This is because the width of the pulse can be longer than the input pulse. In a stable or standby state, the output of the multivibrator is zero or low-level logic. The output of the multivibrator is forced to go high (ËÅ"Vcc) when an external trigger is given. The output stays zero until the next triggering pulse is given. Then the cycle repeats. The monostable multivibrator has only one stable state. Hence, the name monostable. The QRS detector gives a pulse for QRS detected which is given as an input trigger for a monostable multivibrator. This monostable multivibrator is used to produce a positive pulse (amplitude 5V) of desired pulse width for every input triggering (negative edge triggering) from the QRS detector. We had used 555 Timer as a monostable multivibrator. MULTIVIBRATOR OUTPUT Thus, the analog section of the project gets over with multivibrator. The output of the multivibrator is processed using PIC18F 4550 Microcontroller. It marks the beginning of the controller section. MICROCONTROLLER: PIC is a family of Harvard architecture microcontrollers made by Microchip Technology, derived from the PIC1640 originally developed by General Instruments Microelectronics Division. The name PIC initially referred to Programmable Interface Controller, but shortly thereafter was renamed Programmable Intelligent Computer. PICs are popular with developers and hobbyists alike due to their low cost, wide availability, large user base, extensive collection of application notes, availability of low cost or free development tools, and serial programming (and re-programming with flash memory) capability. Like all Microchip PIC18 devices, PIC18F4550 family are available as both standard and low-voltage devices. Standard devices with Enhanced Flash memory, designated with an F in the part number (such as PIC18F4550),accommodate an operating VDD range of 4.2V to 5.5V.Low-voltage parts, designated by LF (such as PIC18LF4550), function over an extended VDD range of 2.0V to 5.5V. Our project uses a standard PIC 18F4550.Hence this microcontroller uses a flash program memory of 24K bytes .It is a 8-bit microcontroller and so they handle data as 8-bit chunks. PICs have a set of registers that function as general purpose ram. Special purpose control registers for on-chip hardware resources are also mapped into the data space. The addressability of memory varies depending on device series and in PIC 18F4550 external code memory is directly addressable which is an exceptional feature compared to baseline and mid line core devices. PICs have a hardware call stack, which is used to save return addresses. The hardware stack is not software accessible on earlier devices, but this changed with the 18F4550 device. Hardware support for a general purpose parameter stack was lacking in early series, but this greatly improved in the 18F4550, making the this device architecture more friendly to high level language compilers. Core features All of the devices in thePIC18F 455 series family incorporate a range of features that can significantly reduce power consumption during operation. Key items include: Alternate Run Modes: By clocking the controller from the Timer1 source or the internal oscillator block, power consumption during code execution can be reduced by as much as 90%. Multiple Idle Modes: The controller can also run with its CPU core disabled but the peripherals still active. In these states, power consumption can be reduced even further, to as little as 4% of normal operation requirements. On-the-Fly Mode Switching: The power managed modes are invoked by user code during o