Saturday, October 5, 2019

Human Resource Management Discussions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Resource Management Discussions - Essay Example The ability to resolve conflicts effectively is an important attribute of successful business leaders and human resource functions (Fleishman, 2009). In all conflict resolution approaches, dialogue has often been described as the best approach to reconcile warring parties, just as in the case of the writers guild of the United States and media owners. During discussions between the WGA and the producers, the former were said not to be bargaining in good faith, this meant that they were not being open in their communication. In addition, failing to bargain in good faith meant that they were not being reasonable and serious on meeting reasonable grounds. In support of this claim, the producers pointed to a time when the WGA members had left the negotiating room after only an hour of its commencement. In addition, they had failed to honor dialogue meetings that had been set to discuss major issues. The claims made by the producers were enough to support their claim since the directors of WGA finally solved the stalemate after further interventions. After failing to reach viable solution, the WGA did eventually strike, in fighting back, the producers would have decided to make away with the work of the WGA and did their business independently or other willing business partners. This would have been a good retaliatory step; however, the results would not have been in the best business interests for both parties. In the approach, the WGA decided to remain silent in the negotiating forums; to this effect, the producers claimed that the WGA had decided to play silence. This is the reason why in all the six meetings that were held, the producers had failed to reach any meaningful agreements. This conflict, like that of the Autoworkers or Teamsters unions against auto and trucking companies is different, this is because, the producers and the WGA are people depending on each other directly. The failure of one party to reach a meaningful agreement is

Friday, October 4, 2019

Giving a Critique of the Usefulness of Spreadsheet Modelling in Essay

Giving a Critique of the Usefulness of Spreadsheet Modelling in Financial Accounting and Reporting - Essay Example Computer spreadsheets are very much beneficial in manipulating large volume of data very easily and in quickly (Moutinho, et al., 1994, p.26-27). Spreadsheets are very much useful in modelling situations in financial accounting and helps in various decision making processes. Uses of Spreadsheets Spreadsheets are argued to be most frequently used by most of the organisations all over the world. There are many tailor-made tools available in spreadsheets which perform specific business processes (Baker, et al., n.d.). There is an increased popularity in the use of spreadsheets in business concerns. It is so because of spreadsheets being an end user computing platform. The information systems department takes long time to complete the analysis and reporting. Moreover, spreadsheets are easy to use powerful software to do business analysis (Fisher, n.d.). Spreadsheets are used by many companies to assist in the management of information related to critical business procedures. It is done t o comply with the rules and regulations of financial accounting and reporting. With the advent of International Financial reporting Standards (IFRS), there is a need for the modifications in the existing system of financial accounting procedures in the organisations. Spreadsheets have thus become an interim option for the organisations before these changes are fully introduced in the accounting applications. Once the spreadsheets are in use in the organisation, the executives feel that the spreadsheets will be replaced by a fully designed new accounting system, very shortly. But in reality, those spreadsheets may be in use in the organisations for a much longer term. Hence it becomes difficult for managers to manage the increasing number of spreadsheets. Moreover, replacing the spreadsheets with the new accounting system can be costly option for the organisations (Baxter, 2006). In the corporate world, spreadsheets are used either for modelling purpose or for operational purpose. Mo delling spreadsheets are mainly used for a particular purpose or activity and are used as complex calculators. Spreadsheets meant for operational use acts as a core programme in business by assisting in daily transactions in business. Operational spreadsheets use all types of data, both static and dynamic and also calculations involving those data. Modelling spreadsheets become redundant once the particular task is done with it. Whereas, operational spreadsheets become an integral part of organisational processes and are in use for long term (Baxter, 2006). Five Categories of Spreadsheet Analysis Base-Case Analysis Most of the spreadsheet analyses are done for measuring the results or outcomes relative to certain base case of comparison. A base case can be either the current policy in use or the scenario which is most likely to occur or the best case or the worst case (Powell & Baker, 2010, p.120). This type of analysis can help in answering questions like what would be the expected profit next year if the current polic

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Wealth over Health Essay Example for Free

Wealth over Health Essay People tend to look for wealth forgetting about their health and mostly after they have gained their wealth cannot save their health. Pictures tend to convince as to do the unimaginable just because hey mostly encourage as to what we think we are not capable of doing. The picture above clearly implies that we should help save a life but has a deeper meaning of speaking to people who spend all their time working to earn money and then think they have it all in life. Here I believe the image achieves it’s purpose because it stirs up a feeling to help donate blood because it makes you empathize with individuals who are in the same situation and the inscription on the image makes anyone think beyond what the image portrays so here we see that though we are being emotionally convinced we are being provoked to think about wealth and health and not just donating blood. Pictures appeal to pathos, logos and ethos which tend to one way or the other speak to everyone. As individuals of a technological age most of our decisions are influenced by the images we see around us because what we see tends to draw our attention and speaks to us in different ways. I believe images have the ability to change our mood, how we feel and how we think. The image above can be classified in having the ability of changing a persons mood from happy to sad or sad to happy. A person earning a lot of money who hasn’t thought about their health might be sad and a healthy person earning an average amount will be very excited to help save a life. Most of the time we create meaning through stories images project in our mind and they also tend to remind us of sad or happy moments we have experienced. Pictures, videos and all forms of visual imagery carry power which is able to convince us more than what we read or hear on radio. With the picture above we see blood and it make anyone alarmed to see what follows because as human beings blood is one of the most important things we need in our bodies since it helps  regulates the functions of all our organs. Here, the blood could have filled the container to create an image of shortage of blood in our mind which is a form of persuasion to help you save someone who is loosing blood. On the inscription on the poster it says, â€Å"save 3 lives without spending a cent† comparing three human lives to a cent just to show that money cannot help in all cases but as a human being you should know you are more important than money and so don’t spend all your time trying to get it but just spend a little of your time donating to someone who needs a little of your blood. I believe the red cross on the poster can also be speaking to Christians who believe Christ died on cross and shed His blood for healing. We are easily influenced by images because they tend to illustrate the unimaginable and give us confidence. In the image above we see ourselves as life savers due to the power the image creates in our mind and we now forget the pain of the needle being passed through our skin to get the blood out. We easily feel good because images persuade us to do the impossible and see the invisible. Most phrases we hear on our TV ads are â€Å"Look, it’s easyâ⠂¬  or â€Å"Microwave for 10 minutes and you just made the best meal’’. We feel impressed and have a sense of accomplishments when we see such words speaking to us in the form of images. The main purpose of images is to make us want to think we can do something which we don’t believe is possible and persuades us further that we can do it. In the second image it speaks clearly without the help of words. If you don’t take good care of your health whiles you have money you spend all your wealth on different kinds of medicines. This can also be a mild way of communicating to a particular audience that money is not everything because you can be purchasing medicines either to prevent a disease or cure a disease but you cannot be guaranteed an assurance on better health. In the article Health is Wealth and Wealth is Health – perceptions of health and ill health among female workers in Savannahkat Laos , â€Å"Health was defined as a condition that is needed to be able to work and collect money.† I think this definition was used because the sex workers need to get money to take care of their health. The amazing thing about images is that they are able to relate to each and everyone just like the pictures above. Most images are successful because they tend to persuade, inform and advertise to a large group of people. We make decisions based on what we see and though some images have a deeper meaning they are able to speak and achieve their aim of persuasion. We see through both images that we don’t only have to focus on our wealth and exclude our health but focusing on both will make you happy and will also make society a great place to be. Our health and wealth are very important and without both the journey of life is a tough one. Visual images find themselves in different contexts relating to different people but to make your point clear one needs to make an image have a connection with every individual and carry power to change the mood ,thought or action of a peron.

A history of drumming

A history of drumming Drumming is a great way to express emotions in a musical form. Over the years drumming has changed a lot, from using just a log to using a full drum set full of different types. Many forms have come into style over the years from jazz drumming to metal-core drumming. Drumming has changed over the years from its equipment to the styles people now use. Drumming is one of the most primitive ways to create music and it has been around for eons ever since man could hold a stick he has been hitting it against some other object. The Africans have been using drumming for a long and they still use today just for about everything, it is used for ceremonies and some even use for finding food. Back in the revolutionary war drums where used to help the soldiers walk in time for when they where marching it was also used in combat to help them over come the fear these where know as war drums. Eventually man started to use drums with other instruments to come up with more types of music such as Jazz, Swing and some of the more modern rock and blues all use drums. Over the years there have been many famous people in the drumming industry from all types of music. Some great examples are Danny Carey, Jimmy Cobb, Blake Richardson and one of these drummer are well know for there bands there in and the styles they have developed over the years of play ing drums. Now Danny Carey is from the band called Tool and is know for is very off the wall random timing drumming which is very hard for other drummers to follow when they listen to his music. His style is so hard to follow because he doesnt have a set timing he goes by he just throws his sounds in where he thinks they would sound the best and that is what makes him and his band so unique from other bands. Jimmy Cobb is from the thirties and he is known for being one of the most famous jazz drummers he is mainly a self taught drummer and in know for one of the most famous jazz songs called Kind of Blue. He has played at many famous places but the one that he played in the made his so famous was Carnegie Hall. Now North Carolina is know for a lot of things but with todays music one of the more famous drummers to come out of these hill is Blake Richardson who plays with the band Between the Buried and Me. Blake and his band are known for the more progressive style of music and Blake style is all of his own in 2008 he was voted the worlds third best drummer. (History of Drumming) A style that has become more noticeable is metal-core drumming. Metal drumming is a very misunderstood style of drumming. Some think that it is comprised of just random beats that are just thrown together; but it is actually a pretty technical form of drumming. It contains some very complex rolls and fills that require the player to be focused at all times. Metal drumming originated from both the swing and jazz style of drumming, which are some of the earliest forms of drumming. Most, if not all, metal drummers train in some version of jazz and swing style when taking lessons. Metal has always incorporated jazz and swing to help them become great drummers. Jazz helps by adding more fluidity to drumming, while swing helps with speed, precision, and foot speed. (Healthy Drumming) Metal drumming has proven to be one of the more difficult forms of drumming, because of the speed required. In addition, this style of drumming has some of the more complicated beats. Some famous drummers in the metal world is Blake Richardson from the band Between the Buried and Me, Danny Carey from Tool, and Matt Greiner from August Burns Red. Each of these drummers all have their own unique playing styles, which they have developed over many years of playing the drums. Blake Richardson took many drum lessons which included jazz and swing he says Jazz and Swing are vital to any drummer if they want to become a great drummer, it helps you in many ways it helps improve your stamina do to the constant playing at a fast tempo. (Healthy Drumming) Swing drumming is a very important drum style mainly because the music is quite fast, and the beats are complex. Swing goes by many names: swing jazz, swing music, and just swing. It has been around since the 1930s it was a new upbeat version of jazz that was created so that the music could keep up with the new faster moving dances and around 1935, it had made come into its own distinctive style. Swing drumming used a lot of a technique called double bass, which helps drummers pick up the pace of a song more quickly. The double bass is where the bass drum has to kick pedals connected together so that both feet can kick the bass drum and make it sound like the drummer is playing faster. Once swing drummers incorporated double bass, the sound to make their music have more of brutal of a sound. (Healthy Drumming) The equipment for drumming has evolved greatly since its inception millions of years ago. When man first started drumming, the set up consisted of a hollow log and a medium sized stick; in contrast, todays drum set is more sophisticated. For example, cymbals made a great improvement in the sound of music with its ability to help a drummer to keep the timing of a song. When drummers buy cymbals, they have to take in how much splash or crash they want. Splash cymbals vary in sizes from six to twelve inches. The splash is often a syncopated accent to the drum. These cymbals are often hit very hard so they had to make them a little thicker. However, this thickness can cut down on the richness of the sound that they produce. Splash is a nice little cymbal to add to a drum kit because the sound it produces can add to any genre of music, not just metal or jazz. Then there are crash cymbals which are used of occasional accents and they usually add a sharp sound to the song. The term crash wa s first used by the company Zildjian who has making cymbals for over 40 years. Crash Cymbals can be mounted on a stand and played with a stick or they can be played with mallets to give them a slower sound and a more swelling crash. (Rhythmic Power) Bass drums are another crucial part to drumming, because it adds a backbone to the song itself. In other words, it gives the beat a deeper sound. Swing utilizes the bass drum very well. Originally the bass drum was help keep timing so the drummer would not kick all that quickly they kept it to a 4/4 beat a 4/4 beat is a technique that all musicians use to mark the tempo of the song. But in Swing there was the creation of the double bass pedal which allowed drummers to create an even faster beat and let them use the bass drum in different ways from keeping time to rolling on it to add the sound. There are a majority of different types of pedals, ranging from titanium pedals and aluminum pedals, to coil pedals and chain pedals. Iron Cobra is one of the more common of the pedal distributors and there latest pedal The Iron Cobra power glide double pedal uses a coil under the pedal itself to add to the power of the pedal and it also cuts down on how much energy the player uses. (Rhythmic Power) Snare drums play an even larger role in drumming than any of there other pieces I just listed mainly because it is one the first pieces ever made. The Snare drum was created originally for combat for soldiers to use on there way to battler back during the revolutionary war. Now the snare is used for all kinds of music related things it is used a lot in drum line it is the focus piece in drum line. In drum line there is usually three snare drum players that lead the rest of the line and if they get off beat even for a moment then they through the rest of the line off rhythm. Snares are usually one type of sound but some come with a dampener on them which release the springs that are attached to the bottom of the snare and when they are released it give the drum amore bass sound. There are assortment stands that can come with the snare some are made for standing up and some made for knee height when the player is sitting down. There is also the synthesized snare drum which is a pad tha t is connected to a small computer that has a large number of sounds built into its database. This snare is used as a side snare so that the drummer can use a normal snare and then this snare to give there sound a more distinct sound from other drummers. (Rhythmic Power) In conclusion drumming has been around for many years and it has been changed about every year it has been around. The equipment has changed in many different ways over the years they have been made more modern from there original forms. Forms of drumming has changed just as much as the equipment changing from just beats people put together to more distinct styles such as jazz, swing and metal. And the history for drumming is very vast since it is one of the precursors of music. Work Cited The Recorded History of Jazz Drumming. Public domain. Web. 29 Oct. 2009. . Of, Editors, and Adam Budofsky. The Drummer 100 Years of Rhythmic Power and Invention. Minneapolis: Modern Drummer Publications, 2006. Print. Nichols, Geoff. The Drum Book The History of the Rock Drum Kit. New York: Backbeat Books, 1997. Print. History of Drums. Free Articles Directory | Submit Articles ArticlesBase.com. Web. 29 Oct. 2009. . Healthy Drumming ÂÂ » Drumming Styles and Facilitator. Healthy Drumming ÂÂ » Home. Web. 29 Oct. 2009. .

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Lipoplasty (liposuction) :: Medical Weight Loss

Lipoplasty (liposuction) In today’s society you would think it was becoming a crime to be large or overweight, it is not so much of being overweight it is the way society makes people feel about weight. The world today programs us to believe we should and always be thin and our body to look a certain way. Women more so than men want to portray this certain look, by surgery with lipo or other cosmetic surgery. Anymore it is very typical as going out to eat as having these type of procedures done. For most including myself I would have to give this a considerable amount of thought cause this is a scary thing surgery, but yet so many are willing to try. As to say 30 or 40 years ago something like this was unheard of, now it is very common. With the advanced technology we have in the world today all of these procedures seem for the most part safe but like anything else there are always gonna be risks involved. The American society of plastic surgeons was established in 1931,and They do so many different Cosmetic procedures only to name a few breast augmentation, breast lift, browlift, camouflage cosmetics, chemical peel, ear surgery, face lifts, facial implants, spider veins, tummy tuck, and they are so many more. You can virtually get anything on your body fixed. They are some things you need to think about before determining if liposuction is for you, is this really worth all the risks involved. Liposuction is the removing of fat pockets or rolls I call them, they normally stay right with you even if you are dieting, But exercising can do a lot of toning , but exercise can only do so much. There are so many other risks involved especially greater in people with ongoing medical problems. Such as heart disease any kind of respiration problems only to name a few. In preparing for the surgery you will have several blood tests run and also a complete physical. Surgery will be done at either the doctor’s office or hospital depending on the individual person. In choosing an anesthesia they are several different ones to choose from depending on you and the doctor would decide which is best for you. For the length of surgery it would depend on the area or how much lipo is being done would be how long the surgery would take.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens Essay -- Essays Papers

Samuel Langhorne Clemens Samuel Langhorne Clemens or commonly known as Mark Twain was an American writer and humorist. Twain’s writing is also known for realism of place and language, memorable characters, and hatred of bad faith and oppression. Clemens was born in Florida and then later on moved to Hannibal, Missouri, a Mississippi river port, when he was four years old. There he received a public school education. After his father died in 1847, Clemens was assisted to two Hannibal printers, and in 1851 he began contributing sketches to his brother Orion’s Hannibal Journal. Before long he was a master printer in Keokuk, Iowa; New York City; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and other cities. Later, Clemens was a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River until the American Civil War brought an end to travel on the river. In 1861 Clemens served briefly as a volunteer soldier in an irregular company of Confederate cavalry. Later that year he accompanied his brother to the newly created Nevada Territory, where he tried silver and gold mining. In 1862 he became a reporter on the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City, Nevada, and in 1863 he began signing his articles with the assumed name â€Å"Mark Twain,† a Mississippi River phrase meaning â€Å"two fathoms† deep-safe water for a steamboat. After moving to San Francisco in 1864, Twain met the American writers Artemus Ward and Bret Harte, who encouraged him in his work. In 1865 Twain modified a tale he had heard in the California gold fields; within months the author and the story , â€Å"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,† had become national sensations. In 1867 Twain gave a piece of his mind in New York City, and in the same year he visited Europe and the Holy Land. He wrote of these travels in The Innocents Abroad (1869), a book burlesquing those aspects of Old World culture that impress American tourists. In 1870 he married Olivia Langdon. After living briefly in Buffalo, New York, they moved to Hartford, Connecticut. Much of Twain’s best work was written in the 1870s and 1880s in Hartford or during the summers at Quarry Farm, near Elmira, New York. Roughing It (1872) recounts his early adventures as a miner and journalist; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) celebrates boyhood in a town on the Mississippi River; A Tramp Abroad (1880) describes a walking trip through the Black Forest of Germany ... ... not disappear after Emancipation, but instead were reenacted or reaffirmed, with even more rigorous definitions of whiteness, during the nineties when anti-black repression took multiple forms, legal and extralegal" (87-88). Twain's novel hints at both the racism of slavery as well as the racism of the world contemporary to his writing. In Latin America and the British West Indies, specific names were given to specific levels of miscegenation. Mulatto, or 1/2 white; sambo, or 1/4 white; quadroon, 3/4 white; mestizo, 7/8 white. Twain plays with these ridiculous levels of "whiteness" by making Roxy 1/16 black or 15/16ths white. Daring to be different Twain did not stop at mocking the racism of the world surrounding him but also attacked the false pride and self-importance that he saw in humanity. Never bowing before anyone Twain stepped up to the plate and wrote Bibliography: Clemens, Susy. â€Å"Papa, An Intimate Biography of Mark Twain.† 1985. Eaton, Jeanette. â€Å"America’s Own Mark Twain.† 1958. Hargrove, Jim. â€Å"Mark Twain, The Story of Samuel Clemens.†1959. Twain, Mark, ed. Charles Neider. â€Å"The Autobiography of Mark Twain.† First copyright 1917, this edition 1959.

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Quantitative Critique

The title is specific and concise, it is representative of the research report. From the title the focus of the study is understood including what was studied, who was studied, and where the study took place. It is also accurate and unambiguous. The title also described the study design, therefore the reader was not mislead on the data presented. Researcher credibility Each of the three researchers credentials and affiliations are disclosed on the first page of the article. All of the researchers have credentials in nursing research, however none of them disclosed any information on their expertise in the area of depression, interventions to decrease depressive symptoms, or working with incarcerated women. According to Coughlan, Cronin, & Ryan (2007) â€Å"an authors qualifications and job title can be a useful indicator into the researchers knowledge of the area under investigation and ability to ask the appropriate questions. The first author held a clinical position in the institution, this was not disclosed until further into the article, I feel that this information could have been disclosed sooner in the article. This could possibly hold a conflict of interest, especially if the incarcerated women were familiar with the first author. The first authors clinical position in the prison enhances the study findings as he has worked with the population. However, this could be conflict of interest since he is an employee of the institution. Abstract The abstract is concise and summarizes the whole study. Also read this  Critique of Stuff Is Not Salvation It is divided into subsections of background, objectives, methods, results, discussion, and key words. The objective is clearly stated, which is to determine the feasibility of providing a gender-responsive exercise intervention within a correctional facility and observe the effects of the exercise program in respect to levels of depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and perceived stress among incarcerated women. The methods are listed and clearly stated which include 3 self-administered instruments which were completed before treatment and during treatment. This section allowed the reader to fully understand how the authors conducted the study. The results section highlighted the findings from the study and makes the reader want to continue reading the article. Even though the sample size was very small. The discussion section reviewed the findings. Introduction/ background and literature review â€Å"The introduction communicates the research problem and its context† (Polit & Beck, p. 63). In this article, a good background description of what the problem is (incarcerated women and mental illness) with supporting evidence is presented. The article provides a thorough description on why this research is important, one reason states is that most treatment modalities are often based on male treatment models or models that have shown success in community-based populations rather than incarcerated populations (Harner, et. al. , p. 390) The review begins with stating evidence on depression, anxiety, and stress within the prison system, especially among women. It also provides a detailed description of Iyengar yoga and health. The section is well organized with good transitions. Several sources were reviewed by the authors in order to establish a need for the study. The literature reviewed by the authors dates from 1996 to 2009, with mainly primary sources and all were relevant to the topic of mental illness, incarcerated women, or Iyengar yoga. The articles reviewed that were not recent gave statistical data and may have been more relevant if the statistics were more recent. All the articles were relevant to the problem and stressed the degree of mental illness in incarcerated women. The article also noted that most research available has examined the effect of yoga and yoga-based exercises on mental health outcomes using a variety of different yoga styles, thus making it difficult to determine what aspect was most beneficial (Harner, et. al. , p. 390). Thus this research study being done fills a gap to the existing knowledge and will hopefully provide better treatment options for incarcerated women with mental illness. The use of direct quotes was minimal throughout the article. The research problem has significance to nursing, however this was not made very clear in the article. Purpose/ Research Question/ Hypothesis The purpose of the study was explicitly stated, â€Å"testing the feasibility of implementing a group format exercise intervention, specifically a 12-week Iyengar yoga intervention, in a woman’s correctional facility† (Harner, et. al. , p. 389). The phenomenon of interest was clearly defined, as was the study population. The articles reviewed showed key evidence to support yoga and decreased levels of depression. The authors clearly described the limitations of the literature review to the reader, there was no published studies that reviewed Iyengar yoga and incarcerated individuals. Theoretical framework. The theoretical framework is based on the gender-responsive framework. It is unclear whether this is a nursing or non-nursing framework as it is not clearly defined. The gender-responsive framework is not clearly explained, thus making it difficult to determine its appropriateness for the study. This is one limitation of the stud y and could be addressed by clearly explaining the gender-responsive framework. Sampling The study population (incarcerated women) using non-probability purposive sampling was clearly stated and defined. The article discussed that this study was part of a larger study and a small sample size was expected. Exclusion criteria was clearly stated. Due to security issues the Department of Corrections generated and approved the list of potential participates before being contacted by the research team. This non-random sample or convenience sample generated 60 women, in which 21 agreed to participate in the intervention. Retention of the sample population was clearly defined in the article with only 6 women completing the 12-week intervention. Due to the security concerns this method of sampling was the best approach. All factors were discussed in regards to the sample size with demographics clearly defined. The sample size is important in quantitative research as a small sample is at risk of being overly representative of small subgroups within the target population (Coughlan, et. al. , 2007). The issue of power was addressed in the limitations section and was noted to be limited for detecting linear trends over time. Ethics Ethical issues were discussed in this article. The authors state that informed consent was obtained in each case, although the method in which consent was obtained was changed prior to the first inmates appointment. The issue of incentive gifts was also addressed and were not used. The inmate did receive a certificate of completion at the end of the 12-week intervention. The research protocol for this study was approved by all institutional review boards including the DOC. The site for the interviews and site for the intervention were described. Privacy of the intervention was not discussed, however for approximately 2 weeks the intervention was relocated to a different location within the institution. The treatment of Iyengar yoga is ethically and politically acceptable. The risks to the inmates were participated in the study were minimized and the benefits maximized. Design. The design was a feasibility study or pilot study. It is based on a experimental method, where there is a manipulated intervention. According to Polit & Beck (2012) â€Å"a pilot study is a small scale version or trial run designed to test the methods to be used in a larger, more rigorous study†. This was an effective design choice to answer the research question and to determine the need for a larger study. This design allowed the authors a chance to remove all the potential flaws before the larger study. There was no random assignment in this study as there was no control group, all participants were included in the yoga intervention. There was a consultant used in the study, but she had experience with medical research and has also conducted yoga-related intervention research with women. This consultants prior experience made her a trained member of the research team. The number of data collection points was appropriate. The participants were assessed on mental health measures of depression using 3 instruments to measure they were recorded at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Interviewer bias was removed removed with the use of the 3 self-administered instruments, however the first author was present during the time. The use of open-ended questions was also used and supplemented the quantitative data. This was helpful as participants were able to put their thoughts into words. The intervention of yoga was properly described through various journal articles and was properly implemented. However, one part of the yoga intervention that could have been better implemented was the use of a space that was quite and free of outside interference. The article did address these issues, but didn’t address what could have been done differently. This study analyzed attrition biases by comparing data to subjects who dropped out of the study. Another factor affecting internal validity is that of maturation, the participants mental health factor could have increased or decreased over time. Blinding was not used as all participants knew they were going to participate in the intervention of yoga. Data collection All experimental research must included a method for evaluating the effects of the independent variable on the dependent variable. This study used three instruments that were identified and each was discussed in full detail. The open-ended questions were also described and examples of questions were provided. The instruments used were appropriate for the study as each targeted a different dimension of depression, anxiety, and stress. Each of the previously designed instruments were the most appropriate. The one concern on the data collection method is that the instruments were self-administered at the end of yoga class (weeks 4, 8, and 12). It was stated that some participants felt particularly anxious about the yoga session ending late, which would result in disciplinary action. By making the data collection at the end of the yoga intervention did some participants rush, making their data less accurate. The reliability and validity of each of the 3 instruments used in the study were discussed and each showed consistency in measuring the specific outcomes. The operational definition is congruent for the variables being studied (depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and perceived stress at baseline). There is no concern for subjectivity as each participant individually fills out the 3 instruments that are being used in the study. Data analysis When percentages were reported in the study, the overall numbers (n) was also reported. The research question was appropriately analyzed and broken down into the 3 instruments used to measure mental health. The varying sample sizes are noted through the tables and were clearly defined in the article as participants dropped out of the study. There was no room for type I and II errors, as the data analysis was straight-forward. There was no chance for different interpretations on the part of the researcher. A p-value was used as one statistical methods used and it represented an overall linear decrease over time, however the article suggests that a nonlinear model may be more appropriate. The p-value was an appropriate test to run, however it doesn’t tell weather the findings are important or applicable. The regression analysis was an appropriate test in answering the research question. This was appropriate because in simple regression one dependent variable (depression, anxiety, and stress) can be compared to the independent variable (weeks when instruments administered). However, there were not a lot of statistical tests run on the data, this could be due to the fact that there was no control group to compare the data with. The least square means method and the mixed model parameters were used to treat the data. The article also charted out the descriptive statistics for mental health measures over time. This was a helpful chart as it laid out the data collected in an easy to read format. All data collected due to the small sample size and limited power, comparisons were made and hypothesis were generated to be tested in the larger study (Harner, et. al. , p. 392). A one-sided Fisher’s exact test was used and p-values were less than . 20 for associations between drop-out and race, education, and current musculoskeletal problems (Harner, et. l. , p. 395). This was the correct test to be used because it tested the significance of differences in proportions (Polit, & Beck, p. 421). Results The results were cohesively presented and well organized using many tables and graphs that clearly outlined the findings of the study. The purpose of the study was referenced at the beginning of the results sectio n making it clear was was being presented. The research questions were answered and statistical evidence was provided to show outcomes measures. Statistical significance was found for depression, but not for anxiety or stress. Statistical significance assists the researcher in ruling out one important threat to validity, which is that the result could be due to chance rather than to real difference in the population (Coughlan, et. al. , p. 662). The small sample size could have been a factor in this findings. Descriptive statistics were presented, then inferential statistics were discussed including a discussion on participant dropout. A figure was created to show the assessment of dropout according to baseline mental health status, this figure was a little busy and quite difficult to read. A bar chart may have been more useful to depict this data. A post hoc power analysis was also performed. This was done so the researchers could determine whether the yoga intervention was significantly more effective than no intervention. While reading the results section of the article the descriptive results were presented last. I feel as though another header could have been added to include the logistics of the study and then proceed into the reults. Discussion In the discussion section, all of the findings from the study are discussed within the original framework. The discussion section was broken down into three sections feasibility, efficacy, and limitations. The section extended beyond the results section and addressed some unanticipated events that came up during the study and how the intervention was able to continue despite these events. The problem of retention of participants was brought up and with suggestions on how to minimize these dropouts in further studies. Researchers referred back to literature cited in the literature review. The limitations are addressed concisely and are appropriate for this feasibility study. The researches addressed the fact that a control group was not used due to security reasons, I feel that this could have been addressed earlier in the paper to assist the reader in fully understanding the statistical data. Implications/ recommendations Specific recommendations for research are discussed at the conclusion of the article. The researchers defined numerous areas of improvement for future studies. Barriers to the study were also addressed. The researchers addressed that this was the first attempt in addressing a gender-responsive Iyengar yoga program to improve confidence and reduce the stress of incarcerated women (Harner, et. l. , p. 398). Recommendations were made for future studies and ways in which to improve future interventions to benefit health outcomes of incarcerated populations. Overall evaluation It was quite interesting to see how the yoga intervention affected the incarcerated women in regards to depression, anxiety, and stress. The researchers selected an i mportant problem and one that could have strong effects in our state or federal prison system for women. Critical thinking and reflection were evident in that the researchers at one time had to change the study location due to extenuating circumstances. The research study expanded knowledge on the effects of the Iyengar yoga intervention on incarcerated women and opened the door for future studies to be performed. The limitations were unavoidable and expected as this was a feasibility study to determine the need for a larger study. The results leave a small amount of confidence that the yoga intervention decreased the level of depression, anxiety, and stress among incarcerated women. However, a larger study involving numerous women’s correctional institutions that included both a control and experimental group may yield more confidence. This study inspired the need for further research. This article is worthy of publication as it lays a ground work for future research. I would be proud to have my name on this research as it is groundbreaking and hopefully will create a better tool to treat mental illness in our correctional facilities than psychotropic medications alone. The finding are relevant and accessible to practicing nurses in correctional facilities. This may pave a way for nurses in these types of facilities to create interventions that help with a wide array of health problems.