8 Bad Habits Bosses Hate the Most

8 Bad Habits Bosses Hate the Most It’s easy to get into bad patterns. But the good news is, it’s possible to break out of them! Whether you’re new to the workforce or you just want to make sure you’ve got your ducks in a row, it never hurts to think through the habits bosses find most annoying or repellent and make sure you’re not guilty of any of these professional faux pas. 1. Too Much/Too Little InitiativeIt’s important to show initiative. You should never be sitting around at your desk idly waiting for someone to tell you what to do. Show you love your job by finding productive and helpful things to do! But, on the other hand, don’t overdue it. There’s going the extra mile and then there’s going overboard. Aim for enthusiastic and thorough, not inefficient and excessive.2. Making ExcusesFirst of all, try not to do anything that would require an excuse in the first place. Get your work done. Get to work on time. And if you can’t get there in the time you have, don’t try to pawn off the responsibility. Just fix it. Stay honest and take responsibility for your part in everything. Okay, so maybe you did have a flat tire. Resist the temptation to embellish or to elicit sympathy. Just get back to work.3. WhiningThis includes moaning, moping, and complaining. In today’s economic climate, you’re lucky to have a job. Everybody hates staying late and having to sacrifice family time for work functions- even your boss. You’re all in it together. So save the grumbling and try to find ways to make it work instead.4. Asking Too Many QuestionsIt’s okay- good even- to ask questions when you need something clarified. It’s another thing entirely to ask redundant questions, or questions you could have found answers to on your own. If you can’t keep up intellectually, your boss will notice. Don’t hassle your boss or waste her time.5. Sloppy EmailsJust because some of your coworkers are e xtremely casual in their emailing habits doesn’t mean you should be too. Make sure to use complete sentences and to proofread. And for the love of all things holy, don’t reply all every time. Save that move for when it’s absolutely necessary.6. Taking AdvantageYour boss gives you a little leeway about clock-in times or coffee breaks- don’t take advantage of this and abuse the privilege. Your boss is super informal- don’t take advantage of this and become disrespectful. If your boss gives you an inch, be grateful. Don’t try to squeak out a foot, or worse, a mile.7. NegativityEspecially if your negativity means you badmouth the company- a fireable offense! But the same goes for being super rigid about what your job parameters are. Or being the one who’s always contrary and always saying no and shooting down others’ ideas.8. PolitickingTry not to get caught up in the politics and drama of office controversies. And definitely absta in from gossip. Nobody likes a coworker who is constantly pushing for better position and maneuvering behind their colleagues’ backs.

Content Creation Process How To Build Yours In 5 Steps

Content Creation Process How To Build Yours In 5 Steps Anyone can create mediocre content.  Creating content that has been published, republished, reworked, and repurposed a million times is easy. But creating valuable, relevant, quality content is hard. It takes time, effort, energy, resources, and knowledge. Most of this- in small businesses- is  wrapped up in the expert owners who are also tasked with running the business, serving the clients, and managing the marketing and outreach. Plus, lets face it. Just the thought of content creation can make many business owners cringe in horror, and theyd rather make that extra cocktail. Writing and  content creation, especially if youre out of practice, is not fun. Then when you add on the pressure of making it something your audience will drool over and share on social media- it can be incredibly intimidating.How To Build A #Content Creation Process That Will Boost Your #SmallBusiness via @jenniferbournIf You're Not Using Content Marketing As A Primary Strategy To Reach Your Audience,  You're Already Behind Take a look at these stats: Website conversion rate is nearly 6x higher for content marketing adopters than non-adopters (2.9% vs 0.5%). 73% of B2B content marketers are producing more content than they did one year ago. 95% of B2B enterprise marketers use content marketing. 86% of B2C marketers use content marketing. 60% of marketers create at least one piece of content each week. Your audience and prospects are using social media, they click links, read blogs, watch videos, listen to podcasts, subscribe to newsletters- and they share the high-quality, high-value content with their friends. Consumers buy when they're ready to buy, not when you're ready for them to buy. If you're not there, top of mind, when your prospects are ready to buy, know that your competitors will be. People  buy when they're ready to buy, not when you're ready for them to buy.The Problem Most Small Businesses Face Isn't Creating Amazing Content It's creating amazing content consistently and sustaining it over time. The most common complaints and excuses I hear from business owners avoiding content marketing are: I have no time left in my schedule for one more task. I have other internal items that I need to create and focus on before I create extra marketing content. I need to shore up my business systems and processes before I invest even more in my marketing. I don't know what to even write about or what people would care about. How do you overcome these beliefs? How do you create valuable content and do everything else you have to do, let alone sustain it over time? Here's the bad news: If you want a quick, easy solution- and you don't want to do any work- you aren't going to like anything I have to say. Here's the good news: Creating a sustainable content creation process will elevate your business and build your expert status- and it's easier than you think. There are systems and tactics you can employ to drastically increase the results gained from your investment in content creation. It just takes some planning... Step 1: Assess Where Content Creation Could Improve Experiences, Value, Profitability, And Systems Before you start creating content, you need to know why you are creating content. This is where we do a deep dive with clients into the inner-workings of their business, identifying all areas that could benefit from content creation. The most common areas needing content creation include: Customer education Client onboarding Client training List building offers Income stream diversification (information products and courses) Marketing and blogging efforts Speaking/presentations Creating systems and processes Employee training When looking at this list, most business owners realize they are severely lacking in the content department. They see that they don't have any client educational materials or they have no processes for their services, and they start to feel very overwhelmed. If this is you right now, it's okay. Hang in there with me and I promise I'm going to make this seem much easier and much more doable. Step 2: Brainstorm Types Of Content And Topics For Each Category Identified In Step 1 Once you have list of each category or area in your business that could benefit from content creation, brainstorm every bit of content that could be created to reach your goals. Let's use list building offers and client onboarding as examples. Here are several ideas for new list building opt-in offers: Checklist or tips sheet (for general interest and expert positioning) Whitepaper on what prospects should do before hiring you (to create more qualified prospects and expert positioning) Industry-targeted done-for-you tool or resource (for expert positioning) A special report teaching people about what you do (to create more qualified prospects and expert positioning) Other educational materials Here are several different pieces of content that could be created to improve your client onboarding process: Welcome email/message/video What to expect email/message Overview of your process Tips for getting the most out of their investment with you and having success Things you need from your client/things you need them to do New client questionnaire with instructions and an overview of why you're asking these questions Overview of what will happen next Glossary of industry terms or guidebook Educational materials like e-books, whitepapers, or simple checklists that will help them work with you and communicate more clearly Step 3: Identify Content Overlap Between Categories And Content That You Can Repurpose Now here's where the magic starts to happen. Now we examine the list building offers list, which contains mostly marketing-related content, and the client onboarding list, which contains mostly business building, internal content. It's easy to see that focusing on the client onboarding content will positively impact your business, improve client experience, and streamline your process (say hello to automation). It's doable. But when you add the content that needs to created for marketing and list-building purposes, things start to feel overwhelming and definitely not doable. Here's the thing. It only feels overwhelming because you're looking at them as two separate areas of content- when they really are the same. Yes! You can create the content needed to run your business and  the content you need to market your business at the same time! For example: You could turn your list of tips for getting the most out of their investment with you and having success that you create for your onboarding process into a list-building tips sheet or checklist. You could repurpose your list of things you need from your client/things you need them to do before you get started into a whitepaper on what people should do before investing in the service you provide. You could turn your new client questionnaire into a done-for-you industry resource that others in your industry would opt-in for (making you a leader). You could turn the overview of your process that you give to new clients into a special report teaching people about the service you provide, how it works, and what they should expect. The glossary of terms or any other educational resource that will help your clients will also help your audience, so publish that content on your blog, too. In each of these scenarios, you're moving your business forward, adding value for your clients, providing helpful resources to your audience, and positioning yourself as an expert in your industry. Create #content to add value, help your audience, and position yourself as an expert.I know you're thinking that clients won't see the value in paying you for content that already exists for free on your blog or in an opt-in offer. But you're wrong. The magic comes when you put your content in front of your audience or clients at the right time- exactly when they need it. A new client who needs to know more about topic XYZ will be frustrated if they have to search through your blog archives for each individual blog post on the topic. But if you combined the blog posts into one special report and provided it to them at the exact time they need that information, your content immediately becomes more valuable. Step 4: Map Out Your Content Creation Plan Many business owners have great intentions. They want to blog once a week or twice a week, they start out strong, then slowly fade away. Or they start tons of content pre-scheduled and when it runs out, they completely disappear. A content creation plan is the key to ensuring your efforts are sustainable and not a "blitz and disappear" act. Content marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. Success requires focus, resources, and commitment for the long haul. The idea is to base it on the core content you need to improve your business and then repurpose the content so you get the biggest returns on your efforts. A #content creation plan will ensure sustainable creation and not a 'blitz and disappear' act.Here's what you need to do: Identify what content is your top priority (make it one that will help improve your business, like creating your onboarding process) Write down how much time you'll need to create, proof, and design each piece of content needed Decide how you will repurpose the content you're creating (like turning the overview of your process into a special report teaching people about the service you provide, how it works, and what they should expect) Write down how much time you'll need to create, proof, and design the new items Write down any other ways you can repurpose the same content (like turning it into a blog post) Get a blank month-at-a-glance calendar Review all of the content you want to create and how long each piece will take. Give yourself deadlines and write them in your calendar. Some tips to make this process easier: Don't bit off more than you can chew! Be realistic with your deadlines and timelines. Don't base your milestones on the requirement that you work nights and weekends to get it done, because chance are you won't. Trying to do everything at once will cause stress, frustration, and burnout. Make quality the priority! It's better to produce content less frequently and ensure it's awesome, than publish mediocre content often Consider the order in which you create content. For example, instead of creating all of the content for a new on boarding sequence first then repurposing it, create once piece of the process, repurpose it into a list building offer, then publish a portion of it as a blog post that promotes the list building offer. Consider tackling one "chunk" of content each month, so one piece of the onboarding process, one list building offer, and one blog post gets done each month. It's better to produce #content less frequently and ensure it's awesome. #contentmarketingStep 5:  Include Supplemental Marketing Content In Your Creation Process With your marketing calendar and content creation plan in hand, it's time to add some supplemental content. After all, publishing one blog post a month isn't going to get you very far if your competitors are posting two, three, four, or more times every month. The supplemental content could be articles, videos, or audios. It could be commentary of current events or another article you read, or a recap or review of a tool or resource you found. First, choose two pieces of supplemental content to add to your marketing calendar for each month. Consider choosing one quick easy post type and one more involved, like an article and a review, or an article and a commentary piece. Second, reach out to podcast hosts, radio shows, event hosts, and entrepreneurs who host teleclasses and webinars about being a guest. Set a goal to do one interview or speaking engagement per month, then write a blog post promoting it. Wrap Up: You've Got A Sustainable Content Creation Process Once you complete these exercises, you'll have a marketing calendar with a sustainable content creation plan in place- one that guarantees each month you'll have: One piece of content to move your business forward One free resource or list building free offer Three blog posts (one repurposed from the content above, one article, and one short-form post) One interview recap, positioning you as an expert Plus, numerous social media posts can be created from the content, too That's one blog post each week! Considering business-to-business companies that blog generate 67% more leads per month than those who don't blog, the argument for content marketing is pretty much a no-brainer. Stay Focused,  Stay Committed, And Stay Consistent It's true that the more content you publish, the more traffic you'll enjoy and the more leads you'll receive. But don't get swept up in the need to blog every day. Unless blogging is  your business, daily blogging isn't a must. And don't get sucked in by the claims that quantity is better than quality. Publishing something awesome once a week will trump publishing lots of mediocre crap.

Fromm's Human Needs Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fromm's Human Needs Theory - Essay Example The article shows how Fromm’s ideas could be beneficial today. Brennen article â€Å"The Sane Society’: Erich Fromm’s Contributions to Social Theory† evaluates Fromm’s book The Sane Society. In The Sane Society, Fromm attacks Western capitalism and promotes a communitarian socialism. Fromm believed that without specific purposes like productivity and self actualization, humans are alienated and unhappy. Basing the foundation of his theory on Freud and Marx, he asserts that a communitarian socialism is the answers to the capitalism causing mental illness. Despite expanding on Freudian and Marxist thoughts, Fromm had criticism of both men’s ideas. In the end, this article suggests that Fromm’s views might have validity. This article explains Fromm’s theory on human based needs. Fromm had written a book called Escape from Freedom. In this book Fromm explains the evil of totalitarian regimes. The reason Fromm gives for individuals following a leader in a totalitarian regime is free of freedom and security about one’s role in society. He goes on to explain the totalitarian regimes are evil due to the obliteration of individual rights. On the other hand, Brennen’s article suggests Fromm believes democratic nations give too much freedom. This theory was laid out in Fromm’s The Sane Society. According to Fromm to be mentally healthy means working at a meaningful task, socializing during work, self actualization, and society working on specific issues together. Psychological issues should be considered of higher value than ownership or monetary concerns (Brennen 2006:8). This vision involves a communist type of government. Communitarian socialism is a government where all citizens contribute according to skills for the good of the community. This allows meaningful tasks can be completed, which in turn allows every citizen to

To what extent do politics of the WTO, limit (or increase) developing Assignment

To what extent do politics of the WTO, limit (or increase) developing countries' ability to realize the gains from specializat - Assignment Example Using postulates from the theory, it is clear that the best combination of trade at the international front should be guided by profitability analysis. The Theory of Comparative Advantage The theory of comparative advantage states that a party enjoys a margin of superiority in producing services or goods. This means that the party enjoys comparative over another country due the opportunity cost that exists due to lower production cost Chang (2008). Better said, two parties can each enjoy from trade if they produce the same goods or services at relative costs that are not equal. This theory also applies even if one party happens to have absolute advantage over another country as it enjoys the capacity to gain when it trades with another that is less efficient provided that the relative efficiencies are unequal. The law of comparative advantage is based on a number of vital assumptions. One of the main assumptions is that the parties involved incur no transportation costs in their deal ings. It is further assumed that costs do not vary and no party enjoys economies of scale. Furthermore, it is taken for granted that no trade barriers and tariffs apply to the parties in their engagement in trade. The assumption that factors of production are perfectly mobile also applies for comparative advantage to apply. Yet another assumption is that the goods or services being traded are identical or homogeneous. The final assumption is that the parties involved in trade have perfect knowledge of the goods being traded and therefore buyers and sellers are able to tell where the cheapest products exist. The theory of comparative advantage normally applies in international trade, countries being the parties involved. In its perfect sense, the theory elements responsible for the realization of the theory is very difficult to achieve since international trade often involves transportation, tariffs and trade barriers, the immobility of production factors and imperfect knowledge. Acc ording to classical theories related to international trade, countries are bound to gain mutual benefits when they specialize in making goods or producing services with lower opportunity costs. The theory of comparative advantage advocates for free trade and specialization in production rather that pursuit for self sufficiency. The World trade organization has played an important role in the liberation of trade especially beyond national borders Chang (2008). Three major features of the World Trade Organization negotiating environment are the abidance to the most favored nation (MFN) principle, the occurrence of negotiations among few countries, and the extent in times of time of the negotiations with economically significant nations joining the equation on a continuous basis (Bagwell and Staiger, 2001). Under the MFN negotiating environment, there are two major hindrances to multilateral efficiency that come into effect according to Bagwell and Staiger (2001). For one, every market access concession that a country makes to another country automatically is enjoyed by partners who enter the negotiation later. In order to reduce the free-riding potential a nation may end up offering a little to early negotiator so as to maintain bargaining power in latter times. The second hindrance to

Marialyn Essay Example for Free

Marialyn Essay My First week in bank of Makati makes me so tired but still I am grateful because we got the opportunity to have an on-the-job-training with a prestigious kind of bank. I was assigned near the teller’s area. In my first tasked Ma’am Noreen the branch operations head, assigned me to encode the account name and account number of clients exclusive only for the past two years. I was also assigned to stamp the liquidated receipt paid by the bank as their expenses and etc. I also had a time to socialize with some employee. In the following days, my tasked are still the same. I continued to encode the remaining sets of accounts then I stamp customer information forms. I was also assigned by Ma’am Dianne the marketing sales associate to paste the invitation cards and cut designs for the candle holder which will be used for the opening of the new building that the bank of Makati will be moved. Those invitation cards will be given to their selected clients. I was also assigned to arrange receipts according to its serial number. An hour before the duty end the manager treat us a snack for us to relieve our stress. In the second week of our on the job training, during its first day we already moved to the new and better building of Bank of Makati which is located at Quimpo Boulevard, Ecoland Matina Davao City. We have a little celebration together with the manager, employees, visitors and other officers from the main office. When we went back to our work, one of the employee who is assigned in loan operation department told me together with my co-trainees to count the documents by hundred. As I get back to the department where I truly assign, Ma’am Noreen instructed me to arrange the files sealed in the long enveloped and cleaned it. The next day I encode another set of account name and number of clients. After that I was task to arrange again the files sealed in the enveloped the same routine that I made the other day since the branch operation head told the utility man to transfer the drawer’s placed then I take off the envelop and I arrange it back to its original placed. I was also tasked to stamp letters which will be given to the clients and then I make sorting for the serial number of sealed enveloped, it seems that it is confidential I cannot saw what’s inside of it. I also helped my co-trainee to cut the slips in check accounts that will be used by the teller. In the following days, I was tasked to cut small pieces of labeled papers which has a content of bank’s name and its new address, it will be used as label to those envelop that will be delivered to the clients. After that I paste those pieces of papers that I cut and I inserted the letters inside of it and then I sealed. I also cut another pieces of papers which has the content for requirements purposes and I arrange it to the small box. At afternoon, I was tasked to put check marks in the customer information forms, specimen signature cards, payroll debit authorization amp; etc. so that it would be easy for the clients to know the things that they only needed to fill up. I also arrange bundles of transmittal form according to its places. It was quit tiring and confusing because after separating the transmittal form according to its places, we’re going to arrange it also by dates in descending order. In my third week, during its first day I continued sorting the transmittal forms which I started last week. I was also instructed to cut pieces of labeled papers that will be used by the teller in wrapping cash such as 500 and 1,000 bills, and then I continue doing it after lunch. I was also tasked by one of the employee assigned in loan operation department to look the certificate of registration of selected clients. After that I was assigned by Ma’am Dianne to fold letters for the clients and sealed it to envelop. The next task was looking for those selected names in a two bundles of sheets. I was also instructed by Ma’am Noreen to her by e-mail the things that I encoded last week. For the following days I was tasked to crash out the wrong information regarding the terms and conditions in time deposit/special savings account in the customer information forms, I think that were about hundred of forms. I was also assigned to stamp bundles of envelop and then I also answered telephone calls and I make sketch lines in log book for clients information purposes. In the next day my tasked are still the same as yesterday which is the crashed out thing in the customer information form but the difference was this time I crashed out the already filled up forms by the clients while yesterday it was the unfilled up ones. The next tasked that was assigned to me was to fold letters and sealed it to an enveloped. After that I continued my tasked which is the crashed out thing again and that was my assigned work for the whole afternoon and a whole day in the next day. In the last of my duty for this week, Ma’am Dianne let me joined with their official business travel or what they called OBT. We went to nearby places in Davao City in which our target market was the regular employees, encouraging them to avail the newly created loan system of the bank of Makati. It was quit tiring but enjoy because I get the chance to observe them the actual way on how to market a loan. For this week, my first tasked was to sort and alphabetized the signature cards, that was my assigned work for the whole day. On the second day, I helped my co-trainees in their assigned department to sort and arranged bundles of files. Then the next day I was tasked to check and arranged the documents in customer information form and after that I go back with my co-trainees and helped them to continued their assigned work since the other day. At afternoon, one of the employees in loan operation department asked me to get inside the vault and look for the registration card of those listed names that she gave to me. Since I was absent last Friday I have to comply it in Saturday and in that day I was tasked to stamp, sort and arranged the signature cards, arranged other files, sorting and arranging receipts. In this week my tasked was to arranged files, I inserted those customer information forms inside the enveloped in alphabetical order. I was also told to make corrections for those unwanted information in customer information forms. In Tuesday I was asked to encode receipts and sort it after. I also cut withdrawal slips that will be used by the teller. In Wednesday, I continued to cut withdrawal slips and that was my work for the entire day. In Thursday I was assigned to cut another sets of slips, after that I was tasked to pull-out certificate of registration’s (CR’s). In the last day of the week I helped my co-trainee in their assigned department in segregating documents namely the Dacion en Pago or Deed of Sale. For this week, I was with my co-trainee in their assigned department. We arranged documents and I was also assigned to pull-out certificate of registrations. The next day I together with my co-trainee was instructed to look for the document of a specific customer. In Thursday, after one amp; a half day of looking for the document in almost a hundred of bundled sheets at last we found it. The next thing we did was to insert those sealed envelops to its original placed. In the last day of ojt for this week I was assigned in the vault’s area, I arranged and sort files. I was also assigned in loan operation department; I was tasked there to look for the documents listed in a 3 sheets of bond paper. Mission Statement We value our role in economic development We exist to help more people: I. Answer the following questions on a separate sheet. A. Has the practicum/fieldwork experience helped you prepare for a job in the business field? Why or why not? Yes, the practicum experienced helped me prepare for a job in the business field because it gives me learning about the real scenario of how to work in a bank, in which they taught me those duties and responsibilities that I will be used in preparing for a job someday. With that, I could I could say that those learning’s from where I had my practicum motivates me to be ready in the actual world of workplace. B. Which of the courses you have taken were of the most value during the Practicum? Of all the courses that I have taken the most valuable during the practicum was the Total Quality Management (TQM), which talks about on how to manage things in a proper way because in the work that I have undergo I was assigned in encoding, stamping, filing, arranging documents and from those worked that I have encountered I have learned to see to it that everything must be in the proper way. It should be organized and orderly done. C. What could your company/job supervisor have done to improve your practicum/fieldwork experience? My supervisor helped me to become a good listener, alert, and patience in every tasked that she gave to me. She made me become a good listener in the sense that I should see to it that in every words that she says, I must directly and clearly understand it. To be alert that in every assigned work I should have the enthusiasm or willingness to do and lastly she made me become patience, that whatever loaded work that will be given to me I shouldn’t be get mad or be high tempered. D. What could you have done to improve your practicum/fieldwork experience? The thing that I have done to improve my practicum experienced is to gain willingness in every tasked that will be given, because if there’s a willing power of a person there’s a big possibility to make the worked done properly E. What skills/competencies were you required to use in your fieldwork that: . 1. You felt prepared to do: The skills that I have required to used in my fieldwork that I felt prepared to do, are my skills in encoding, sorting, arranging bundles of documents even the ability to make conversations with clients and faced their concerns. 2. You felt unprepared to do: The skill that I felt unprepared to do was to market loans and making business transactions. Because I think I am not yet ready for that, I need to undergo an experienced for me to be ready. F. What other courses or learning experiences would have helped in the Practicum? The other learning experiences that have helped in the practicum was our subject in Marketing Management which tackled about on how to market products or services, reminds me in the official business travel that I have joined together with the selected employees from the bank where I did my on-the-job-training. From which I saw the actual scene on how to market loans. The other subject that helped me in the practicum was our Management 3 which talks about the ethical behavior, helped me to behave in a descent way and treat one another fairly even if a person is lower than your position G. What suggestions can you make to help improve the Practicum Program? I suggests that if

Natural Indicators :: essays research papers

Natural Indicators Each year millions of tourists travel to the woods of New England, upstate New York, Wisconsin, and Canada to witness the appearance of brilliant autumn colors. Sugar maples, red oaks, sumac, birch and other trees and shrubs turn from green to bright red, orange, and yellow. The short, cool days of autumn bring an end to the production of chlorophyll (the green light-gathering pigment). As chlorophyll gradually breaks down, the colors of the more stable carotenoid (yellow/orange) and anthocyanin (red/blue/purple) pigments become visible. Some years the leaves of a particular species are bright yellow, while other years they may appear redder or even purple. Although no one can accurately predict the timing or coloration of each year's show, we do know that there is a chemical basis for it. Anthocyanins (Figure I) are responsible not only for the red and purplish colors of autumn, but also for similar colors in various summer leaves (red cabbage, red lettuce, red plum tree), flowers (roses, hydrangeas, geraniums, bachelor buttons, dark pansies), fruit (cherries, red apples, grapes, tomato, blackberry, blueberry, plum), roots (beets, radishes), bulbs (red onions), and petioles (rhubarb). Anthocyanins are water-soluble and are dissolved in the cell sap rather than bound to the membranes as chlorophyll is. If cell sap in a leaf is very acidic, then anthocyanins make the leaves a bright red color, but if it is less acidic the color may appear purple. The color of anthocyanin depends on acidity, and thus it may serve as a pH (acid/base) indicator (Figure II). pH is a quantitative measure of the acidity or basicity of solutions. Numerically, the pH of a solution is defined as the negative logarithm (base 10) of the hydronium ion (H3O+) concentration. If the pH is less than 7 the solution is acidic, if it is greater than 7 the solution is basic, and if it is 7 the solution is neutral. The higher the pH, the more basic the solution, and the lower the pH, the more acidic the solution. Figure II illustrates the relationship between color and pH for anthocyanin pigments extracted from red cabbage or other sources. Since anthocyanins are found in all of the above named organic materials, they are all very useful natural indicators. Natural indicators are better for detecting acids and bases than man made indicators. This experiment utilizes red cabbage juice, red onion juice, blueberry juice, phenolphthalein, bromythol blue, and universal indicator for the indicators and for the acids and bases, uses .

Bright Light Therapy

Bright Light Therapy, also known as light therapy or phototherapy, is a relatively new treatment method that is still being researched to define its usage and effectiveness. Light therapy is the treatment of certain psychological disorders via exposure to bright fluorescent lights for up to four hours a day or as little as fifteen minutes a day. Light exposure is thought to regulate melatonin levels in the blood and, as such, has been most effective in treating seasonally affective disorder or SAD (Columbia 2).However, the method has been researched to treat other common disorders as well. Sleep insomnia, dementia and some forms of skin cancer are a few of the examples. Just like with any other alternative medical treatment to pharmacological methods, light therapy has come under strong critical review and its implementation has been low compared to drug therapies. History Historically, humans were not thought to be affected by seasonal changes in day length (Rohan et al 491).Because of this, currently accepted seasonal disorders such as SAD were not known in the medical field. It was not until doctors researched specific causes of depression that were known to become onset in late fall and remitted in the spring, was a connection made between time of sun exposure and depression (SLBTR. org). A new disorder, SAD had been defined and continues to be hotly debated today. Although light treatment can be dated all the way back to Aristotle, who suggested treatment for certain diseases by lying in the sun, modern methods began in the 1950’s (slbtr.org) Originally, light was used as a device for the removal of skin acne until research on the subject of light therapy was conducted by Dr Lewy in the 1980’s, the founder of the Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms (slbtr. org). The first documented treatment of a person with SAD was an engineer complaining of depression that came at the same times each year. Two hours of artificial sunlight in both the morning and in the evening were administered at the first onset of depression.The treatment was deemed successful, and since then over 2,500 people have been treated for SAD as well as numerous other conditions with light therapy. Implementation and Use Light therapy is mostly thought to affect the levels of the light-sensitive hormone melatonin in the blood (Columbia. edu). It is this hormone that is responsible for day-night cycles of the body. When subjected to high levels of light the body is stimulated negatively to produce less melatonin or to â€Å"skip ahead† in its cycle. Thus, the effects of depression caused by SAD are avoided.Some of the long term effects of increased melatonin levels have also been studied with mixed results coming from treatment with light therapy. The exact implementation of the treatment varies greatly for different people. Some research has shown the most effective time of treatment to be in the waking hours or just before waking wh ile still others believe the best time to be in the evening hours just before bed. The length of time patients are exposed to the light also changes depending on how much the patient is affected or the severity of the issue.Still again, the intensity of the light can be changed according to personal comfort or need (Skjerve et al 518). The number of variables in the method of light therapy has prevented the successful study of the treatment in many instances. It is difficult to determine the correct level of treatment for conditions that in themselves have not yet been thoroughly documented. While potentially negative side effects in the use of light therapy are minimal they do still exist. Some patients experience nausea, headaches, or eyestrain/irritation. These are generally mild, though, and dissipate after just a few days (Columbia).Another, much more infrequent, effect of light therapy is a state of hyperactivity, called mania. This is typically observed in the late spring or summer months (Cancer. org). It is most easily prevented through constant supervision from the physician and proper light therapy usage. Retinal discomfort has also been reported among some patients. This can be solved through the use of special glare-reducing glasses made exclusively for the purpose of light therapy, but often times those with retinal pathologies, such as glaucoma or cataracts are excluded from studies and are therefore usually excluded from treatment as well (Columbia).Otherwise, with proper medically accepted light therapy devices the side effects are minimal. The acceptance of light therapy has been met with strong opposition. Several factors have affected the widespread use of light therapy as a method for controlling any number of disorders. The cultural stigma attached with any alternative to Western medicine has prevented many people from accepting the treatment as opposed to conventional medicine.Evidence directly linking the method to treating certain cond itions has also been spotty due to the difficulty of finding patients to research and building an experiment that would irrefutably confirm light therapy as a treatment for whatever illness was tested. Finally, the actual treatment itself has kept many people from following through with the recommended dosages. Numerous patients have been reported as quitting treatment because of the length of time commitment necessary or discomfort reported by sitting in front of a bright box for hours on end (Rohan et al, 492).Newer light therapy technologies have been developed that reduce the time required to approximately 15 minutes a day and that have various light spectra that don’t produce glare for the user, but until proper research has been conducted on all of these new methods acceptance of the treatment will remain relatively when compared to modern pharmacological medicines. Applications Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the efficacy of light therapy in treating different disorders. Dementia is a condition that has received the attention of many researchers attempting to discover its root cause and resulting treatment.The irregular sleep patterns observed among patients with dementia has been hypothesized to be corrected with bright light therapy. As explained before, the exact dosage and type of light are yet to be determined but a study by Ancoli-Israel et al measured continuous sleep activity in elderly patients in nursing homes before and after treatments of morning, evening and both morning and evening bright light therapies. A significant change in sleep patterns was exhibited by the morning/evening treatments with no statistically significant changes shown by the singular morning or evening treatments.It was suggested by the authors to increase the ambient levels of light in common areas of the nursing home in order to easily treat the symptoms of sleep disturbance exhibited in patients with mild to severe dementia. Insomnia has also been shown to be treatable with light therapy. It has been documented in treating several types of sleep disorders in patients not afflicted with dementia including delayed sleep phase type patients, advanced sleep phase syndrome and nonentrained sleep and wake disorders (Atwood 53-55).Trials have been more effective in studying the effectiveness of light therapy in patients not suffering from other psychological disorders but the same problems that exist in other studies also exist when studying general sleep disorders. The evidence presented by Ancoli-Israel et al is promising, however a meta-analysis conducted by Skjerve et al has pointed out many of the flaws in the light therapy treated dementia studies and by association many of the other studies conducted by researchers concerning light therapy. First, few of the trials were controlled, inasmuch they can be controlled according to generally accepted standards.All of the studies suffered from a small number of patients in whi ch to research and because of that experienced problems with numerous external variables affecting the results. Practicability of the treatment was not studied in any of the trials. The implementation of light therapy depends largely on the ease of use of the product and a solid body of knowledge associated with it. Proper research, with the exception of the Arconi-Israel et al trial has yet to be conducted on a large scale. Thusly, no conclusive treatment methods can be developed.Before treating for seasonal affective depression and other psychological conditions, light therapy was thought to be effective in treating skin conditions such as psoriasis or skin acne. The treatment is still used to treat patients with psoriasis with limited success but is not as widely used for patients with skin acne. The feasibility of asking people to sit in front of a light box for several hours at a time for a relatively benign issue as skin acne is pointed to as the biggest cause of the ineffecti veness of the treatment. Light therapy is, however, an accepted from of treatment for psoriasis (Psoriasis. org).The type of light in this case involves the use of ultraviolet B rays which can cause skin irritation. Treatment has to be more closely monitored than during light therapy used for SAD. Despite this, UVB rays have been shown to penetrate the skin and affect underlying skin cells, thereby slowing their growth and slowing the process of psoriasis. Light therapy is used more often for the treatment of seasonal affective depression, by far. Research for this type of use far exceeds any other method of treatment. The Society for Light Treatment and Biological Systems advocates the use of light therapy as an effective treatment for the disorder.People suffering from SAD report greatly increased amounts of daily sleep, general state of chronic depression and avoidance of social situations. While many people experience â€Å"the winter blues†, reported to be as much as thr ee times as many people as those with clinical SAD, actual SAD is an extreme level of depression that affects the daily life of those suffering from it (slbtr. org). With the first use of light therapy to treat an engineer suffering from chronic depression on an annual basis to today, light therapy has been used as a significant treatment of the psychological disorder.Unfortunately, despite the use of light therapy for the widespread treatment of SAD, concrete evidence linking it to the effective treatment of the disorder is rare. The same problems afflicting the dementia studies exist in the SAD studies. Development of an acceptable experiment, acquiring suitable patients and the relative difficulty of recording immediate results have all held back the proliferation of the treatment for treating SAD. Conclusion Light therapy, just like most other alternative medical treatments, has had difficulty in developing a solid body of evidence in support of the hypotheses that have been att ached to it.Effective treatment of SAD, some skin disorders and several types of sleep disorders have been shown to be treatable by light therapy. Dementia, other forms of depression and even cancer have been shown to be inconclusively treatable by light therapy. That does not mean, however, that light therapy is not effective in solving issues with anything other than seasonal affective disorder or sleep disorders. Problems of proper experimental method, small amounts of people tested and efficacy of the treatment have impeded light therapy clinical trials.Unfortunately, cultural roadblocks lie in the way of the widespread use of light therapy. Further research of light therapy is necessary in several fields of the subject. First, conclusive evidence of the link between light therapy and its leading treatable syndrome, SAD, is necessary. A proper, supervised and controlled clinical trial must be developed that can be accepted by the peers of those experimenting. Once that is create d, a large number of subjects must be tested in order to prevent external variables from affecting the statistical outcomes of the experiment.Once conclusive evidence is determined on the efficacy of treating SAD with light therapy, further research can be conducted in other treatments such as certain types of skin cancers. As difficult as this may seem by itself, funding is limited for most alternative medical treatments. Funding of the treatment must be acquired in order for light therapy to be proven as a compelling method of treatment. In the meantime, light therapy will continue to be used as a method of treating seasonal affective depression and several types of sleep disorders. References â€Å"ACS :: Light Therapy.† American Cancer Society :: Information and Resources for Cancer: Breast, Colon, Prostate, Lung and Other Forms. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 May 2010. . Ancoli-Israel S, Gehrman P, Martin JL, et al. 2003a. Increased light exposure consolidated sleep and strengthe ns circadian rhythms in sever Alzheimer’s disease patients. Behav. Sleep Med 1. 22-36. â€Å"Light therapy – MayoClinic. com. † Mayo Clinic medical information and tools for healthy living – MayoClinic. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 May 2010. .â€Å"National Psoriasis Foundation – Phototherapy. † National Psoriasis Foundation – National Psoriasis Foundation: Dedicated to finding a cure. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 May 2010. . Physicians, American College of Chest. ACCP Sleep Medicine Board Review 2008:Course Syllabus. 1 ed. Basel: S. Karger Publishing, 2008. Print. â€Å"Q&A on Bright Light Therapy. † Columbia University in the City of New York. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 May 2010. . Rohan, Kelly J. , Kathryn A. Roecklein, Kathryn Tierney Lindsey, Leigh G. Johnson, Robert D.Lippy, Timothy J. Lacy, and Franca B. Barton. â€Å"A Randomized Control Trial of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Light Therapy and Their Combination for Seasonal Affectiv e Disorder. † Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 75. 3 (2007): 489-500. Print. Skjerve , Arvid , Bjorn Bjorvatn, and Fred Holsten. â€Å"Light Therapy for Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of of Dementia. † International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 19 (2004): 516-522. Print. â€Å"Society for Light Treatment & Biological Rhythms. † Society for Light Treatment & Biological Rhythms. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 May 2010. .