Erp Project Oracle vs Asap

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Project Students name: Registration number: Course: Date: Table of Contents ABSTRACT3 INTRODUCTION5 VENDOR OVERVIEW8 INTRODUCTION8 SAP8 ORACLE9 BUSINESS FUNCTIONS13 Production14 Sales14 Support services15 External services15 BUSINESS FUNCTIONS SUPPORTED BY ORACLE AND SAP16 TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM FROM SAP AND ORACLE19 COST COMPARISON BETWEEN SAP AND ORACLE20 EASE OF USE22 ERP MODULES23 Oracle’s Financial Management Analytics23 Oracle database 11g enterprise edition24 VENDOR SELECTION27 ERP DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE28 SCOPE AND COMMITMENT STAGE28 ANALYSIS AND DESIGN29 ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT STAGE30IMPLEMENTATION STAGE30 OPERATIONAL STAGE30 Bibliography31 ABSTRACT Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a system that integrates all the internal and external functional units of an organization, the functional units may be manufacturing, finance, storage, management, transport, customer satisfaction etc. in order to integrate all the organizationâ₠¬â„¢s functional unit into a flawless and harmonious system, computer software have been developed by different vendors, these software may be custom made for a particular organization or they may be general for use by any organization (Jerferson, 2010).ERP systems are put in place to improve on the efficiency of information management of the organization, all the data from the different units of the organization are managed by the software and is usually stored in a central location called a server, the server may be physically located in the organization or it may be a virtual one on the internet, the virtual serve uses a technology called cloud computing.The ERP system normally contains modules that are specialized sub-systems that are task-oriented, these modules include human resource, production planning, financial planning, quality management, materials management, sales and distribution, maintenance, controlling, asset management, project management and industry solutions. T he ERP software are developed and sold by vendors under different levels, the highest level is the large Enterprise ERP tier I which include vendors such as SAP, Oracle and Microsoft, this level is for larger enterprises with complex communication protocols between so many functional units.The second level is the midmarket ERP tier II which include vendors such as Infor, QAD, Lawson, sage and IFS, these ERP software are suitable for medium companies that have average complexity in terms of information management. The last level is the small business ERP tier III, vendors of these ERP systems include Exact Globe, Syspro, NetSuite and Visibility, ERP software in this are suitable for small businesses with simple information management systems (Jerferson, 2010).In this project, a detailed analysis of a hypothetical university’s information management system is made, and then an ERP software will be selected from one of the two vendors, SAP or Oracle. The selection will be based on the steps of the ERP development life cycle, the cycle will involve all the standard phases of an ERP development life cycle. The major activities of the university include provision of education, research activities and community service. The functional units of the university include the academics affairs, inance department, staff administration, medical services, marketing and public relations, central store, catering, students welfare and quality assurance. The project will analyze the software modules that are provided by Oracle and SAP, a detailed investigation on the suitability of the two will also be made, and then one of them will be selected for use as the university’s ERP system. This selection will be based on facts and will be as systematic as the ERP development cycle.INTRODUCTION There are several ERP vendors in the global market, each is fighting to be the dominant brand, and as a result, stiff competition between the vendors is taking place. Each vendor i s engineering better ERP software to attract the customer’s attention and fulfill their needs, some of the vendors are SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Lawson, sage and IFS. In this project, the two most dominant vendors in the market will be analyzed, these are SAP and Oracle.The two vendors had a total market share of 55% between the year 2005 and 2009, and they have developed a wide range of products that are tailored to suit several organizations, be it military, government or industrial (Jerferson, 2010). SAP and Oracle are both in the large enterprise tier I category and they have mainly designed products to suit this segment of the market, however, nowadays they are developing ERP software for midmarket tier II. The project will take a hypothetical university as a case study, the university offers a variety of courses and has a number of campuses distributed all over the country.As part of the management policy, the university is divided into several departments that represent the business functions of a generalized organization, the departments are:- 1. Academics affairs This department deals with the core business of the university, which is provision of education, the department organizes the timetables, assigns lecturers to the different units, manages the curriculum, manages the student’s results, ensures that all the university policies are adhered to and organizes the tests and exams. 2. Central storeIn this department, they receive anything that is supplied by the suppliers. The central store also makes requisitions for general materials such as stationery, staff uniforms, sanitary consumables etc. but they don’t make orders for special materials that are specific to a certain department only such as machinery, computers, furniture etc. 3. Finance This department deals with the management and controlling of the university’s budgets, it also deals with monitoring and management of the school fees as well as the staff salaries a nd allowances.The department relies heavily on computer software to carry out its daily activities, all data is stored in a central server. 4. Students welfare The student’s wellbeing is taken care by this department, activities such as sports, festivals, parties, concerts are organized, monitored and financed by this department. 5. Human resource The recruitment of new members of staff, promotions and disciplinary procedure for misconduct of staff are all carried out by this department. The department also carries out training programs for members of staff. . Catering This department manages the catering services at the students and staff cafeterias, the department also makes orders for all the ingredients they need for preparing the food on the menu for the different days. The sales from the cafeteria are not managed by the catering department, they are managed by the finance department. 7. Medical services The student’s and health needs are meet by this department, the staff in this department include doctors, nurses and pharmacists.They treat any sick student or staff for free, but they use software to keep their data such as medical records, inventory and lab results. 8. Public relations This department deals with uplifting the university’s image, maintaining good relations with other stakeholders and promoting the university at different levels of the socioeconomic setup. 9. Other department Other smaller departments include quality assurance office, advertising department and repairs and maintenance, transport and research institute. VENDOR OVERVIEW INTRODUCTION SAPSAP AG is a software company based in Germany that makes enterprise software, the company was founded in June 1972 and was started by former IBM engineers, the company was initially called Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung (â€Å"System Analysis and Program Development†) but the name was later changed to Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung (â€Å"System Anal ysis and Program Development†), in 2005, the name was officially changed to SAP AG, SAP AG was included in the German stock index DAX in 1995 and was included in the Dow Jones STOXX 50 in 2003 (Leakey, 2013).Currently, SAP is the world leader in the sale of business and database software with a market share of 32%. Some of the main products of SAP are:- CATEGORY| PACKAGE NAME| Business| Analytics| | Advanced Planner And Optimizer| | Business Information Warehouse| | Portal| | Enterprise Central Component| | Governance, Risk And Compliance| | Human Resource Management Systems| | Knowledge Warehouse| | Internet Transaction Server| | Catalog Content Management| | Hana| | Supply Chain Performance Management| | Training And Event Management| | Manufacturing | | Master Data Management| | Service And Asset Management|Industry| Oil And Gas| | Healthcare| | Telecommunication| | Public Sector| | Utilities| | Retail| Small and midsize enterprises| Business One| | Business ByDesign| Other | CCMS| | Sapgui| | eCATT| | Central Process Scheduling| | Solution Manager| ORACLE Oracle is an American database and business management software company that was founded in 1977, its first name was Software Development Laboratories, in 1979 the name was changed to Relational Software Incorporation, the name was changed again in 1982 to Oracle Systems Corporation and lastly it was renamed Oracle Corporation in 1995 (Wikipedia, 2013).Oracle is ranked as the world’s third largest software maker after Microsoft and IBM by revenue, however, it is ranked second in as an ERP software maker by market share after SAP. Oracle had a market share of 23% in ERP software between 2005 and 2009 while SAP had a staggering 32% market share. Some of Oracle’s products are listed below CATEGORY| PACKAGE NAME| Applications| Oracle E-Business Suite| | Enterprise performance management| | Financial management| | Oracle fusion applications| | Oracle CRM on demand| | Customer relation manage ment| Hyperion| | JD Edwards world| | JD Edwards enterprise one| | Human capital management| | Master data management| | Primavera| | Web commerce| | Sustainability| | Procurement| | Project management| | Siebel| | Supply chain management| Database| Oracle database 11g enterprise edition| | Oracle database 11g standard edition| | Oracle database 11g standard edition one| | Active data guard| | Advanced security| | Airline data model| | Database security| | Express edition| | Label security| | MySQL| | OLAP| | Oracle database appliance| | Database vault| NoSQL database| | Secure backup| | Secure enterprise search| Engineered systems| Oracle big data appliance| | Oracle database appliance| | Oracle exadata database machine| | Oracle exalogic elastic cloud| | SPARC superCluster T4-4| | Sun ZFS storage appliance| Enterprise management| Application management| | Application performance management| | Application quality management| | Cloud management| | Database management| | Hardware man agement| | Lifecycle management| | Middleware management| | Oracle enterprise manager 12c| Java| javaFX| | Oracle JDeveloper| Java platform Micro edition| | Java platform standard edition| | Oracle java SE suite| | Netbeans IDE| | Oracle java SE support| Middleware| Application grid| | Application server| | Collaboration| | Portal| | Linux| | Developer tools| | Weblogic| | Webcenter| | SOA| | Identity management| Others| Solaris| | Servers (hardware)| | Integrated management| | Sun ray clients| | Virtual desktop infrastructure| From the list, it can be seen that Oracle makes more products than SAP, this may explain why their revenue is higher. BUSINESS FUNCTIONSBusiness functions are the routine tasks performed in order to achieve the goal of an organization. The figure below shows the business functions (LLC, 2002). These functions are similar for almost all types of organization, but in some organization some functions are totally omitted based on the products or services offered. The figure below shows the most common business functions of any organization. A brief description of the business functions is given below Production Research and development: in this level, the organization develops new products and new designs for existing products.Tests, experiments and survey are the characteristic activities of this phase, data collected from tests and experiments is stored, managed and utilized by the organization’s decision makers Production and quality: this is a major function and usually represents the biggest part of the organization in terms of human resource, at this level, the production is managed, scheduled and planned. Effective machine and staff utilization is a very important aspect in this function, the quality and production rates are controlled based on the data received from the sales and design team.Distribution and Logistics: this function deals with the supply chain, it manages the raw materials and the final products. The activiti es that fall under this function include the coordination of storage of raw and finished products, management of transport and staff who directly deal with the supply chain. Sales Sales: under this function, the relationship between the organization and its customer comes in, the sales team presents the products to the customers in a convenient and persuasive manner, the team also makes tenders, proposals, invoices etc. o the customers. The team also gives feedback to the research, development and marketing teams on the status of customer satisfaction. Marketing: the marketing department deals with promoting the products of the organization, marketing will involve managing the packaging, advertising, forecasting, budgeting, pricing and planning. Carrying out market research and survey is also a key role played under this function Support services Finance: this is a key function in any organization, even for non-profitable organizations.Management of funds and budgeting are the key a ctivities in this function, the finance department records the incomes and expenditures of the organization and carries out future planning in terms of increasing the income and reducing the expenditure. Computing: the use of computers has become almost mandatory for any business, therefore, having computing support services is very important. In this category, the organization’s database, network and software are effectively managed.Human resource: it deals with recruitment of new members of staff, promotion of staff, formulation of contracts and job descriptions for the staff, training of the staff and carrying out disciplinary tasks concerning the staff. Materials: under this category, the requirements of the organization are identified and then the potential suppliers are contacted, the prices are negotiated and the purchase orders are prepared. The staffs working in this area have to closely work with the production team as well as other teams in order to ensure that all teams in the organization have the necessary materials.External services Chartered accountants: the accountants carry out audits to validate the company’s accounts, they also give advice on matters relating to tax and other issues related to the finances of the organization. Management consultants: the consultants carry out surveys on the organization’s policies, procedures, methods, governance and administration. Then they use the data from the surveys to recommend changes to the areas that have any flaws or require improvements.Recruitment agency: they carry out job interviews for recruitment purposes, they look for the necessary skills required by the organization and recommend to the human resource department a list of candidates who can best fit in the job. Advertising: in most organizations, advertising is done by the marketing team, but in large organization, a separate external body is charged with advertising the organization’s products and services. T he advertisers will propose to the management the best approach to get an edge over the competitors.Market research: this can also be done by the marketing department or by an external agency, surveys, data analysis, drawing conclusions from the analysis and formulating recommendations are the main tasks in market research. Public relations: this has recently become a very important business function for almost all organization, the public relations department uplifts and maintains the image of the organization, they answer to any inquiries made, carry out exhibitions, attend and organize conferences and also prepare press releases, brochures and newsletters.BUSINESS FUNCTIONS SUPPORTED BY ORACLE AND SAP From the list of business functions and the list of packages of the two vendors, it is easy to see that the two vendors have packages for almost all the business functions, packages such as procurement, Human capital, JD Edwards world, Master data management, Database security, Data base management etc. from oracle cover almost all the business functions. SAP also has packages that support business functions these packages included Supply Chain Performance Management, Human Resource Management Systems, Manufacturing, Business One, Central Process Scheduling etc. the table below compares the two vendors in their ability to support business functions, BUSINESS FUNCTION SUPPORTED| SAP| ORACLE|Research and development| * Master Data Management * Central Process Scheduling * Analytics * Solution Manager| * Project management * Master data management, Advanced security * Active data guard * Application management * Database management * Collaboration * Identity management| Production and quality| * CCMS * Business One * Utilities * Manufacturing * Advanced Planner And Optimizer| * Integrated management * Hardware management * Lifecycle management * Application performance management * Oracle exalogic elastic cloud * Database security * Siebel| Distribution and Logist ics| * Central Process Scheduling * Service And Asset Management * Supply Chain Performance * Management * Catalog Content Management| * Central Process Scheduling * Service And Asset Management * Supply Chain Performance * Management * Catalog Content Management| Sales| * Business ByDesign * Retail * Master Data Management * Portal * Internet Transaction Server| * Business ByDesign * Retail * Master Data Management * Portal * Internet Transaction Server| Marketing| * Training And Event Management * Analytics| * Application quality management * Project management * Enterprise performance management| Finance| * Enterprise Central Component * Internet Transaction Server * Master Data Management * Service And Asset Management * Business One * Business ByDesign| * JD Edwards world * Financial management * Oracle E-Business Suite * Web commerce * MySQL * Oracle database appliance * Database vault * Database management| Human resource| * Human Resource Management Systems * Training And Ev ent Management| * Human capital management| TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM FROM SAP AND ORACLE Technology platform refers to the ability to create or edit a software on an existing or future system, different ERP vendors have platforms that support their range of products and even their rivals products, this helps in allowing the customer to purchase a mixture of products from the same vendor or from two or more vendors. The table below shows the technology platforms of the two vendors SAP| Oracle| Sapgui * NetWeaver * Enterprise Workspaces * Cloud * SAP StreamWork * Mobility * Sybase Unwired Platform * Sybase Afaria * Project Gateway * Duet Enterprise * In-Memory Computing | * Virtual desktop infrastructure * Developer tools * Linux * Portal * Application grid * Oracle java SE support * Netbeans IDE * Java platform standard edition * Java platform Micro edition * Oracle JDeveloper * javaFX * Application server * Collaboration| The table below shows the technology platform of the two In terms of the operating systems they support and other platforms. SAP| ORACLE| * Windows * Open Source * Web Based * Linux| WindowsLinuxUnix| COST COMPARISON BETWEEN SAP AND ORACLEThe total cost of implementing an ERP project is the total amount paid to put the system in place, it involve the purchase of the system, the cost of implementing the changes required for the system to work and the salaries and wages of the personnel who work in the system. In term of the initial cost, SAP has a higher price than Oracle, SAP has maintained their high billing rates because their focus is mainly on larger enterprises, so the price seems unreasonable for small and medium enterprises, and therefore, most customer rank SAP as the most expensive (Jerferson, 2010). However, SAP has the lowest average cost overrun at about 8% over budget but Oracle had the highest cost overrun at about 15%, which is almost double that of SAP.The payback period for SAP is 13 months while that of Oracle stands at 11 months (Jerferson, 2010). According to a research conducted by Panorama consulting group, the project cost for the two vendors were as depicted on the graph below It can be seen that the two normally go beyond the anticipated budget (at 53. 6% SAP, 52. 6% Oracle) suggesting that the budgeted cost for ERP projects are likely to be less than the actual budget by an average of 53. 1% (Jerferson, 2010). The tables below were extracted from Nucleus Research and they were comparing the costs of SAP and Oracle (Jerferson, 2010). EASE OF USE The ease of use of an ERP system can be compared by looking at the customer’s satisfaction after purchasing the software. 2% of SAP’s customers were satisfied while 74% of Oracle’s customer were satisfied, this indicates that Oracle’s software are easier to use than SAP’s software but the margin between the two was very close (Jerferson, 2010). ERP MODULES The two modules were selected from Oracle, and they are Oracleâ€℠¢s Financial Management Analytics This module provides the top financial management team with a good insight into the status of the financial department and the financial results, it offers a unified solution that can be deployed quickly and contains packaged dashboards and analytics tools that help give a quick insight into the status of the financial system.This module supports the financial business function, finance involves a lot of staff and workload, and the staffs carry out routine tasks that can be repeated daily, weekly, semi-annually or annually. These records are often kept in files and this poses a huge challenge when the top management needs a quick insight or review into the results. Oracle’s Financial Management Analytics automates this system and maintains the records in a database system so that they can be accessed easily. The working principle of Analytics is depicted in the figure below (Oracle, 2012). The key features of Analytics are shown in the table below FEATURE| DESCRIPTION| Executive View| Gross Profit By Region, Income By Region, Net Cash Flow| Process Management| Metrics, Trend Analysis, Overall/Entity Status|Financial Close Schedule Summary| Summary, Graphs, Milestones, Compensation| Performance Indicators| Ratios Year On Year Comparison Table, Ratio Components, Ratio Trend Analysis| Profit And Loss| Summary Income Statement, Variance Analysis, Trend Profit And Loss| Gross Profit| Variance Analysis, Gross Profit By Product, Trend Gross Profit| Balance Sheet| Consolidating Balance Sheet, Metrics, Variance Analysis, Trend Balance Sheet| Cash Flow| Cash Flow Summary, Consolidation, Variance Analysis| Current Analysis| Variance Analysis| This module supports the finance business function, this is a key function in any organization, even for non-profitable organizations.Management of funds and budgeting are the key activities in this function, the finance department records the incomes and expenditures of the organization and carries out future planning in terms of increasing the income and reducing the expenditure. Oracle database 11g enterprise edition Oracle’s database 11g enterprise edition is a database management software that is suitable for small and medium sized enterprises, this module manages all the data in the organization and enables all the business applications to benefit from the performance, reliability, security and scalability of Oracle’s database 11g enterprise edition (Wikipedia, 2013). Oracle’s database 11g enterprise edition supports all standard data types such as XML, Text, Documents, Images, Audio, Video and Location data.Access to data is via standard interfaces such as SQL, JDBC, SQLJ, ODBC . NET, OLE . NET and ODP . NET, SQL/XML and Xquery, and WebDAV. It also has some analytical tools for modeling in SQL-based systems (Wikipedia, 2013). The figure below shows the working principle of Oracle’s database 11g enterprise edition. DATA STORE PROCESS DA TA STORE USER USER PROCESS DATA STORE PROCESS DATA STORE PROCESS DATA STORE USER USER PROCESS DATA STORE PROCESS This module support several business functions, for example it supports the sales, finance, logistics, human resource management, production etc. by keeping all the relevant data in a secure and organized manner for easy access and retrieval when needed.The two selected modules can perfectly fit in the university’s operation. The university has a finance department which deals with the management and controlling of the university’s budgets, it also deals with monitoring and management of the school fees as well as the staff salaries and allowances. The department relies heavily on computer software to carry out its daily activities. Oracle’s Financial Management Analytics can be used to manage the finance department of the university. Oracle’s database 11g enterprise edition can be used to manage all the university data including the studentâ⠂¬â„¢s results, past and present exams, e-books, financial records, hospital records, timetables etc. VENDOR SELECTIONThe preferred vendor is Oracle, this is because, they are cheaper compared to SAP, the payback period is shorter than that of SAP and their customers enjoy higher rates of satisfaction. In addition, Oracle has better customer services than SAP and has a wider range of products to choose from than SAP. The domain of the organization under study did affect the choice, the university is a service provider and not a manufacturing organization, hence, some of the modules needed in the manufacturing domain may not be needed by the service providing university. The size also affected the choice of the vendor, the university can be considered as a big enterprise with branches (campuses) in different regions, thus a powerful tier I ERP system would be required to manage the university. A customized version ofERP will be the most appropriate for use in the university, this is because, the university is a unique enterprise with unique types of data management protocols, some data can be accessed by a few authorized users while other types of data should be available for every user, the levels of authority in the university are different from those in other service providing enterprises. Therefore, a great deal of customization will be required if a successful ERP system is to be implemented, this is nevertheless, an expensive option since customized ERP system cost more and take longer to implement. ERP DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE The ERP development life cycle can be summarized in a flowchart below (Motiwalla, 2010).SCOPE AND COMMITMENT STAGE This is the first stage of the cycle and it entails carrying out a feasibility study to determine whether the ERP system will actually work and if it works (Motiwalla, 2010), will it benefit the university. In addition to this, the university will develop the scope of the implementation based on the resources and time re quirements. Then the characteristics of the ERP implementation are defined to determine what features should be included in the ERP and the customization it may need, the top management’s commitment becomes very important at this stage and the short and long term vision for the new ERP system are formulated.Once this has been done, the suitable vendor is selected based on criterions such as price, reliability, payback period, customer support etc. The scope and commitments required at this stage include: * Gap analysis: an evaluation of the functions provided by the proposed ERP system is made and a comparison between the functions it can perform and the required functions is also made * Physical scope: the number of users who will use the system, the location where the system will be implemented and the sites that will be addressed are considered at this point * BPR scope: at this level, the users, department and sites affected are identified, the current processes are looke d at to see if any changes will e required to implement the system * Technical scope: evaluate the ERP system to establish if there are any modifications to be done on the system * Resource scope: the time and money allocated to the project are determined at this point * Implementation scope: the actual implementation is considered to determine which modules will be implemented and the link with the existing system ANALYSIS AND DESIGN At this stage, the ERP system is designed by the appointed teams, the user requirements are established, and the differences between the current business process and the ERP are identified and accommodated in the design (Motiwalla, 2010).Conversion of the data and the system is done at this point so that the new system is linked with the old one, a change in the management plan is also formulated to ensure successful implementation of the ERP system. Training of the staff on how to use the new system is also done at this stage. ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPM ENT STAGE The software is purchased from the vendor and the license is paid for as well, tasks identified in the gap analysis are executed at this stage, the changes in the management are also implemented to allow for the proper functionality of the new ERP, the old data is transferred to the new system and finally the security of the new system is configured. IMPLEMENTATION STAGE The purchased software is installed and implemented, the approach used in implementation can be one of the following * Phased * Pilot * Parallel * Big bangEach of these approaches has its pros and cons, but for our case, the best approach would either be phased or parallel because these two would give the staff and the students enough time to adapt to the new system. OPERATIONAL STAGE This is the final stage of the cycle, the project team officially hands over the system to the university, the university will own the system and shall be responsible for managing new releases, installation of the patches and upgrades and renewal of contracts and licenses with the vendor. Bibliography Jerferson, D. (2010). Battle of the Titans: SAP vs ORACLE. Denver: Panorama Consulting Group. Leakey, J. (2013, February 21). SAP AG. Retrieved February 22, 2013, from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/SAP_AG LLC, A. P. (2002). Business Etiquette. London: ILT. Mereddy, R. (2011).SAP basis Administration Handbook. New Dehli: McGraw-Hill. Motiwalla, L. F. (2010). Enterprise System for Management. New Jersey: Pearson Education Incorporation. Oracle. (2012). Oracle Financial Management Analytics Data Sheet. California: Oracle Press. Research, N. (2010). TCO CASE STUDY: SAP VERSUS ORACLE JD EDWARDS. Alabama: Nucleus REsearch Incorporation. SAP. (2013, February 19). SAP Home Page. Retrieved February 22, 2013, from SAP: http://www. sap. com/index. epx Wang, J. (2011). Oracle Database 11g. New York: Oracle Press. Wikipedia. (2013, February 22). Oracle corporation. Retrieved February 22, 2013, from Wikipedi a: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Oracle_Corporation

Employee Retention and Interviewing Essay

When Southwest Airlines wants to hire employees, they tend to have 142,000 applicants. They obviously want to choose the person who will suit their organizational culture the best. To achieve this objective they need to ask the right questions when interviewing the applicants. These questions should be such that they provide a clear picture as to which applicant will be best for the job and the organization as a whole. You can use behavioral-based job interview questions to help you select superior candidates. Ask interview questions that help you identify whether the candidate has the behaviors, skills, and experience needed for the job you are filling. (Top job interview questions to help you select the Best, Susan M. Heathfield) Before starting the interview the interviewer should describe the essential functions of the job and ask the interviewee if he can perform those functions with or without accommodations. (http://www. alllaw. com/articles/employment/article13. asp) The first competency question should be related to the ability to recruit and interview applicants, ‘how often during your last job did you need to interview applicants and describe a situation in which the first impression of the applicant could have altered your judgment. ’ Through this question the interviewer may get an idea of the prejudices the person might or might not hold. Southwest Airlines need to make sure that their employees do not discriminate against certain races and are able to handle all sorts of situations hands on. The second question is related to the employee’s ability to perform reference checks on potential employees. ‘When a former employer was not willing to provide information about a potential employee, how did you handle the situation and perform the necessary reference check? ’ this question will help the Airlines figure out if the employee is responsible enough to go through the necessary procedure or would overlook some things and carry on. The third question is about the employee’s ability to plan and conduct regularly scheduled organizational orientation programs. Tell me about an incidence where last minute changes were made in the orientation plan, these changes were not known to you. How did you cope with these lat minute changes? ’ this question will help identify the employee’s capabilities in a chaotic situation. For airlines these situations are quite common and such a characteristic will be beneficial for the organization. The fourth question is connected with the employee’s ability to prepare and explain HR policies and procedures. ‘Tell me about a situation where there was a revision in the company policy and the employees did not take the change well. What did you do? This will help the employer or interviewer for Southwest Airlines find out the opinion of the employee about some policies and procedures that may be adopted by the company or already exist within the company. The fifth question is about the employee’s ability to develop and maintain up-to-date job descriptions. ‘How many job descriptions have you developed in your time as an employee here at Southwest and what were some of the major difficulties you faced while carrying out your work? ’ this question will help understand if the employee will be able to assess the applicant’s capabilities and send him to the department that suits him best. The sixth question for the employee should be based on his ability to administer a compensation program and monitor salary increase recommendations to ensure compliance with merit increase guidelines. The question here will be, ‘what is your view on performance appraisals, are they necessary or not, do they motivate employees to do better on the job? ’ This question will help understand what the employee’s are expecting and what benefits they want for the jobs they perform on a weekly or daily basis. By asking these questions from the existing employees, the top management at Southwest Airlines will know the sort of employees who will be screened out from the 142,000 applicants. The number of employees they actually need is 4000, thus the company needs to be careful as to who they hire and retain. By interviewing the interviewers beforehand the organization is making sure they hire the right people. Also, when your interview questions ask the applicant to tell you about behaviors and actions she has actually demonstrated in the past, your selection process will improve.

Shopaholism

Summery of Literature 1: This paper was starting with the shopping experience of Marie LaTortue who is shopaholics. She shops crazyly. However, the author did not be scared and wrote that† Marie scares me a little. Not because what she's saying sounds alien to me, but because I can see a bit of myself in her. † Moreover, the author was introduced shopaholism as a â€Å"sickness†, as she wrote Marie told her that. Then, she thinks that compulsive shopping is a disorder of classic american. Psychologist Emil Kraepelin is the first one to define excessive shopping as an illness, which is oniomania.Sociologist Ronald Faber also thinks that shopaholism is much like alcoholism. The same as Chicago psychoanalyst Robert Galatzer-Levy metioned compulsice shopping is a case of the ordinary pleasures. Nevertheless, University of Cincinnati psychiatry professor Susan McElroy, implys shopaholism as â€Å"irresistible, intrusive and/or senseless. † With the saying of Laur en Land, â€Å"There's no feeling that compares with the feeling I get when I hand over my credit card,†, The author mentioned the credit cards as one of the crimes led people to be shopaholics.In the part called â€Å" plastic fantastic†, it was talking about how do credit cards cost trobles and how much does it tend to make us spend more. The power is called â€Å"unreality principle†, and it â€Å" ‘decouple' the pain of paying for things from the pleasure of buying them†. People feel free when buy things. Later, the author told us that promise is a medicine, the â€Å"antidepressant Celexa† may help shoppers. Getting away of crdit cards and checkbook is a way of quit shopping.The last part â€Å" under mouse arrest† was talking about the online shopping, even if we do not go to shops on the streets, but still we could not stop shopping online. This paper is the one that introduced me what is shopaholism. reference of literature 2 P andey, K. K. & Pandey, M. & Kerwar, M. & Khare, A. & Singh, D. (2011). Is shopping addiction or overspending a real addiction? People’s Journal of Management, 71. Summery of Literature 2: In the paper, the author discussed about whether shopping is addiction?He regards shopping addiction as â€Å"Impulse Control Disorder†. For specifically, overspending is excessive, impulsive behaviors. Moreover,in his opinion, spending a lot of time or money on shopping is not shopping addiction. Later, he discussed the therapy of shopping addiction, such as doing therapy individually, cognitive-behavioral therapy as a group, counseling with your lovers, your husband or wife , counseling about your personal credit and management of your debt.Medication is also a way to help when someone behaves as disorder bipolarity, self- depression, which happens for half of the addicts. As an example, he talked about retail therapy. It is an elementary intention of improve shoppers' emotion. Addi tionally, even if shopaholics have not been defined as disorder patients, but still it may exist as mental patients. The difference between compulsive shopping and impulsive shopping is why they shop a lot. When shopaholics shop, they often shop unexpectedly, they feel anxious from the inside.In author's discussion, he thinks compulsive could also suffer more than impulsive shoppers from some bad results like monetary problems, disagreement of families, and hysterical astonishment. As a result, the author finds out that all addictions are used to get away from the problems the shoppers come across now. However, it is a way of getting more serial of problems. The reason why people become shopaholics is they did not get enough attention from their parents during the childhood , they did not feel confident, so they use shopping as emotional defend.In conclusion, he believes shopping addiction of overspending is an addiction, because the symptoms and the motivations of those shoppers us ually act as addictions. Summary of literature 3: In this paper, the author talks about how different shopaholics get away from crazy shopping. The person, Keisha is a worker at a mall, she goes to stores everyday during the lunchtime. She thinks simply that she is single with no kid, so she could afford herself to buy anything she wants. For the shopaholics like her always shop a lot and suffer a lot, then finally realize the problem and want to get away from shopping.

Soap Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Soap - Essay Example A particular symptom of GERD is heartburn. Other indications involve regurgitation, epigastric pain, hoarseness, wheezing, and coughing. *taken from Chandrasoma & DeMeester, 2006 Pathophysiology of HTN As indicated by pathophysiology of hypertension (HTN) research, high blood pressure could be categorized as either essential or secondary. The former, essential hypertension is a pressure increase because of unidentified clinical causes. While, secondary hypertension is a pressure increase because of some other primary health illnesses such as kidney problems, tumors, diabetes, etc. Chronic hypertension can lead to stroke, heart failure, heart diseases, heart attack, and other illnesses. *taken from Izzo, Sica & Black, 2007 Pathophysiology of DM The pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus is connected to insulin, which is a hormone produced by the pancreas’s beta cells. This hormone is in charge of sustaining glucose amount in the blood. It enables the cells to utilize glucose as t he primary source of energy. Yet, in a person suffering from diabetes, because of anomalous insulin metabolism, the body tissues and cells do not utilize glucose from the blood, leading to an increased glucose level in the blood or also called ‘hyperglycemia’. ... If a person has a low BMD, s/he has osteopenia. Developing osteopenia implies there is a higher risk that, over time, a person could have BMD that is quite lower than normal, referred to as ‘osteoporosis’. *taken from McIlwain, Cruse, Bruce, & McIlwain, 2004 Application of Advanced Nursing Practice Framework Three distinct methods of abdominal pain assessment may be determined from the evaluation, which are (1) the appearance of the patient (dependence on observation), (2) the gestures and statements of the patient (dependence on the expressions of the patient), and (3) the normal condition (dependence on typology). In evaluating the postoperative pain of the patient, the nurse should depend on one of these three methods to get attain the level and quality of the abdominal pain of the patient during assessment. When the nurse depends on ‘the appearance of the patient’ or observation, s/he will make use of information gathered concerning objective facts such as posture or movements, skin color, vital signs to get to abdominal pain assessment. In contrast, when the nurse depends on ‘the gestures and statements of the patient’ or expressions, the nurse will have to regard the patient’s statement and gesture as the appropriate information for the type and level of abdominal pain the patient is experiencing. The nurse depending on ‘the normal condition’ or typology should pay attention to the conditions and characteristics of diagnostic or special tests, the time since examination, or the characteristics of the patient like sex, age, etc. in identifying the kind of pain felt by the patient. *taken from Whyte, 1997 Application of Family Stress Theory Family stress theory offers a

Performance and Interpretation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Performance and Interpretation - Essay Example An art master great Rokem's Introduction cautiously delimits the range of his question to productions concerning the Shoah and the French Revolution two main turning points in history that Rokem declare "have formed our modern consciousness, in exacting our intelligence of the historical past as a series of disastrous failures of basic human values". Working from this underlying assumption, Rokem endeavors to explore "the restorative potentials of the theatre in trying to counteract the destructive forces of history", to examine how these two "failures of history" have been represented on stage, and to address "the ways in which these performances have communicated in different national and ideological contexts"(Theater Journal, 323-347). Great Rokem's exploration of these issues proceeds primarily through his detailed, insightful analyses of live or recorded performances, but also makes productive use of published production reviews, programs, interviews, artists' memoirs, and production-related archival documents. Performance Production And Reception The Introduction establishes the centrality of the actor in works that perform history, arguing that an actor performing a historical figure on stage "in a sense becomes a witness of the historical event". The actor is, in Rokem's conception, a "hyper-historian" who serves "as a connecting link between the historical past and the 'fictional' performed here and now of the theatrical event". Rather than attempting to elide the differences in time between the historical event and its theatrical performance as happens in many traditional historical and documentary dramas Rokem's "notion of performing history is based on strengthening or reinforcing the dialectics between" those times(K. K. Seet, 2000. 305). The first three chapters of Performing History provide theatrical case studies allowing Rokem to articulate the concepts of performing history and the actor/witness as "hyper-historian" in greater, more concrete detail. This section devotes less attention to the national or ideological context of performances as it considers productions acting, performance and interception which examined in this research relate to the French Revolution, the plays form a less unified grouping than found in history of the plays deal with the Marquis de Sade, the other does not; two are considered experimental works of collaborative creation, the other is not; two feature metatheatrical elements, the other does not; two depict "public events from the French Revolution which had very obviously distinct effects on the public sphere", the other does not. As a result, it is difficult to draw broader typological conclusions regarding these works; one of the plays generally stands as an exception to the principle under investigation. The consistency

Fallacy Burden of Proof Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fallacy Burden of Proof - Essay Example Time and again the expression 'fallacy' is applied to assign some mistake whatever it is, but is maltreatment. Logic is occasionally mentioned as the capacity to rationalize accurately, but it is more appropriately described as the appraisal of the connections between declarations that are frequently given with the purpose of proposing a line of reasoning. Regulations of conjecture characterize appropriate derivability, that is, they assign the kinds of reports that may be derived from particular given kinds of statements. Usually the concluding statement is named as the conclusion, and the others are called premises. To state an argument or reach a conclusion that appears, on superficial examination, to follow these rules of inference but that actually breaks them is to commit a fallacy. 'Argumentum ad ignorantiam' denotes "Reasoning as of unawareness". This type of fallacy takes place there has been reasoning about truthfulness of something only on the ground that no one could evidence it as wrong. On the other hand, if an argument is made about falseness of something simply because it could not be confirmed as correct. For instance, accepting any holy book as true only on the ground you cannot prove it other way. Moreover if somebody says that there is no existence of telepathy as nobody has provided evidence. Within systematic examina... n an occurrence is recognized to turn out a particular proof of its incidence so the lack of that particular proof may dependably be utilized for concluding the non occurrence of that event. (Methew, 1997) Shifting the Burden of Proof The 'shifting of Burden of Proof' is a specific instance under 'Argumentum ad ignorantiam' and is usually over the individual making a statement. In other words we can say that it is a type of fallacy where the burden of proof is put on the individual who contradicts or interrogates about that statement. This type of fallacy is based on the postulation that any statement is regarded as true if there is no evidence to prove it wrong. (Methew, 1997) As stated by Bailenson and Rips (1999) while making arguments intimates put forward declarations and endeavor to support them with established confirmations. The legal structure in USA entails regulations administering 'the burden of proof' with potential conclusions based on proofs. Such as, that a person being not in attendance for around eight consecutive years and not being informed throughout this period can be accepted as deceased. In this case the burden of proof lies on group making effort to confirm that individual as living. Even though, law provides more than one denotations for the burden of proof, related regulations usually resolve the default result if there is no more proof for the concerned issue is expected. An associated example of burden of proof is frequent in political an educational field where the party having the burden of proof has to be defeated by default except additional confirmation comes out in its backing. Thus in terms of law, the burden of proof is apt to shift during an argument. On one occasion if a party completed its burden through providing persuasive

A Case Study on Ethics Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A on Ethics - Case Study Example In this case study which was based on a real time incident of New Orleans the major ethical issue was that the police officers did not take the right action and was carried away in emotion for their fellow officer. As per morality the most appropriate approach in this situation would have been to ensure proper treatment for Archie and then execute the judgment made by legal bodies. However this form of action was highly ignored by police officials and they preferred to brutally beat Archie for the crime he had committed. Often in such criminal cases it is observed that homicide or rather encounter is considered to be the best solution but ethically it can be stated as the harshest judgment towards an individual. The form of shootout which had taken place in New Orleans is common in that region and there are many cases as that of Archie where criminals are brutally killed by police officers so as to ensure that there is proper elimination of crime from the region (Turvey & Crowder 104 ). The major factual issue which has been identified in the case was Archie had committed wrong and he was being penalized for that, but it raises ethical issues because officers in order to do justice for their team member did not give the necessary medication to Archie which he required. In this particular scenario there is couple of actions which could have been taken by police officials so as to avoid any such violation of ethics. The first action could have been taking Archie to the nearest hospital so that he can survive.

Deepening Understanding Of A Topic Through Research Essay

Deepening Understanding Of A Topic Through Research - Essay Example This learning outcome provided insights in preparing a thesis statement, annotated bibliography, classical argument and reference list. These activities effectively helped in understanding plagiarism and styles of referencing. The activities helped in writing an appealing thesis statement, and an introductory paragraph. The activity on plagiarism, referencing annotated bibliography and classical arguments helped in attaining the goals of the outcome. All the assignment provided basics for understanding the learning outcome. The activity on annotated bibliography was surprising because it is done differently from other writing. In addition, activities on in-text citation and referencing provided insights on how they are done. In preparing a classical argument, for instance, I learned how to analyze and break down the argument, and how to state the argument in the essay. Application of group arguments could effectively be used to enhance the outcomes of this learning activity.This lear ning outcome effectively helped in writing a summary and strong response and preparing a situation paper. It also played a role in understanding how to write a progress report in light of ethical and contemporary issues. This activity helped in forming a creative or direct title and in clarifying the subject of the paper in the introduction. For this learning outcome, activities such as a summary and strong response, exploratory research and progress report, and classical argument were helpful in achieving the outcome.

Tear the Curtain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tear the Curtain - Essay Example Alex is a Vancouver theater critic and is very passionate about his work. He firmly believes he found the legendary theater director Stanley Lee who directed the famous (or infamous) ‘The Empty Space’. Alex is strong in his conviction that Stanley Lee is the person who can destroy audience complacency, as he is not satisfied with the way the theater business is progressing. But what Alex is trying to do is not easy. He strives to prove something through Stanley Lee but himself gets caught up between two mob families and the Empty Space Society. The breakdown of Alex has a buildup revolving around Stanley Theatre. The two rival gangs are trying to take control of this theater and Alex gets caught up in the crossfire (Kaplan, 2012). Anagnorisis occurs in the play when Alex creates confusion among the audience about reality and truth. For a moment the audience gets puzzled if they are watching a play or is it happening in real life, or probably they too are the part of a play. This strange sense of existence or the question of existence seeds catharsis in the audience. Although the plot of the play doesn’t revolve around Rene Decarte’s philosophy of existence yet there are aspects in the play that leave a deep impact on the audience, the make them question their own existence. This conflict leads them to a catharsis, where they ask quick question to their own ‘self’ to confirm if they really exist in the audience or are they on s stage. But this form of questioning is overshadowed by the strong premise that they bought the tickets to the play and that can’t be a part of the play. They have their lives back at home, their own sense of existence. How can that be true that Alex is reading the script and the script itself reads he is reading it? It is there and then the audiences get wrinkles on their foreheads, some start scratching their chins, while some would look away from the stage to

Feasibility Analysis Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Feasibility Analysis - Research Paper Example This paper includes critical and impartial look of the Good Addict venture through feasibility analysis study. Product/ Service Feasibility Analysis Product/ service feasibility analysis involves an assessment of the general appeal of the product or service that is proposed. It is necessary to ensure that a product offered actually satisfies the customer’s wants and that it serves as what the customers want. Product/ service desirability as well as product/ service demand. Green Addict services make a lot of sense and are very reasonable. Currently there have been a number of diseases and disorders that can be attributed to the food people eat. Most would want to maintain a healthy body and this does not come easily (â€Å"Report Linker† Web). Many restaurants do not pay attention to the need for organic food thus limiting options for retailers of choosing green organic food while relaxing in an environmentally friendly place. A number of people would definitely desire to enjoy life longevity and minimize their medical expenses. Green Addict offers exactly what the customers want. Their product and services are unique and appealing to a large number of people who are health conscious. It is apparent that the consumers will get excited when they are served organic food in a cool and environment friendly restaurant (Nusra Web). Green Addict takes advantage of an environmental trend of global warming and the publicity of environmental issues. Most people are aware of the dangers of genetically modified food and the carbon production. It is apparent that even small children are aware of the going green concern because of media publicity (â€Å"University of Minnesota† Web). Green Addict idea of using recycled materials is vital in the eye of the public who are already trying in their own level to reduce carbon emission. Green Addict therefore feels the environmental gap that is currently experienced in the market place. The introduction of serv ices by Green Addict is timely because it comes at a time when almost everyone around the world is worried about global warming. Green Addict will be offering services that many consumers would want to buy because of the consciousness of saving environment and staying healthy. Everyone asked about the importance of organic food will definitely give a positive response. Offering organic meals and a completely healthy environmentally friendly experience will therefore lead to a competitive edge in the market thus increasing the chances of the business idea to be successful. Customers that are health and environmental conservation conscious will even be willing to pay higher because of their understanding of the quality of services offered (Nusra Web). The product design and services offered at Green Addict may have a challenge of obtaining raw material as well as other organic supplies because they are very limited and extremely expensive. Offering organic foodstuffs is very costly an d the customers may not be willing to pay the higher cost of services. It is also likely that Green Addict may incorporate a few ingredients, which are not organic such as cheaper cooking oil that may contain food additive and chemicals that may turn away the consumers. Maintaining a purely green and organic product may therefore not easy to maintain unless the customers targeted are willing and able to pay for the higher costs associated with the product and services. Industry/ Target Market Feasibility Analysis It

The Underestimation of Violent Sexual Offender Recidivism Essay Example for Free

The Underestimation of Violent Sexual Offender Recidivism Essay The sex offender varies in types of crimes.   Some have committed violent sexual assaults on strangers, have had inappropriate sexual contact with family members, molested children, and others have engaged in a wide range of other inappropriate and criminal sexual behaviors.   A homogenous category of â€Å"sex offenders,† in terms of distinguishing factors linked to recidivism will be hidden and unreliable results will be obtained from studies of recidivism patterns.   Therefore, how can we predict specific violent sex offender reoffense, with an aim to integrate these results logically within existing databases? The common sources of data are from NCVS (National Crime Victim Surveys), survey of State Prison Inmates, and FBI files.    These reports list the overall characteristics of victims and offenders such as background, education, psychological profiles etcand are collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.   In addition, the reporting of sexual offenses is very hard on the part of victims due to shame, guilt and trauma, altering the accuracy of the data. This is particular true in the case of children and teenagers victims.   Prediction of reoffense along with an offender’s profile may help prevent the failure of rehabilitation.   Prediction must be based on an acceptable and standard method of determination in order to be included within these existing databases.   In addition, the integration of the recidivism data into these databases must be based on the consideration of certain factors: Understanding general crime recidivism as opposed to sex offense reoffense Historical characteristics as static factors Characteristics, circumstances, and attitudes that can change throughout one’s life or dynamic factors The overall recidivism rate of a certain group of sex offenders Reconciliation of observed data contradictions For a variety of reasons, sexual assault is a vastly underreported crime. The National Crime Victimization Surveys (Bureau of Justice Statistics) conducted in 1994, 1995, and 1998 indicate that only 32 percent (one out of three) of sexual assaults against persons 12 or older are reported to law enforcement.   (Kilpatrick, Edmunds,, 1992) A review of studies showed that the recidivism rate for specific types of offenders varied.   Research suggests that many offenders have histories of assaulting across genders and age groups, rather than against only one specific victim population. (Marshall Barbaree, 1990): Incest offenders ranged between 4 and 10 percent Rapists ranged between 7 and 35 percent Child molesters with female victims ranged between 10 and 29 percent Child molesters with male victims ranged between 13 and 40 percent In their summary of the research on the recidivism of rapists, Quinsey, Lalumiere, Rice, and Harris noted that the significant variation in recidivism across studies of rapists is likely due to differences in the types of offenders involved (institutionalized offenders, mentally disordered offenders, or probationers). (Quinsey, Lalumiere, Rice, Harris, 1995) Studies on sex offender recidivism vary broadly in the quality and rigor of the research design, the sample of sex offenders and behaviors included in the study, the length of follow-up, and the criteria for success or failure.   Finally, since base rate differences have been identified across types of sex offenses, it makes sense to study recidivism of sex offenders by offense type. To overcome these consistency problems, meta-analysis reviews of research studies can be very useful in summarizing the scope of certain types of offenses collated with the offenders themselves and their types of victims. (Hanson Bussiere, 1998) In sum, because meta-analysis findings can be generalized across studies and samples, they offer the most reliable estimation of factors associated with the recidivism of sex offenders. References Hanson, R. K., Bussiere, M. (1998). Predicting relapse: A meta-analysis of sexual offender recidivism studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66(2), 348-362. Quinsey, V. L., Lalumiere, M. L., Rice, M. E., Harris, G. T. (1995). Predicting sexual offenses (J.C. Campbell, Ed.). Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage. Marshall, W. L., Barbaree, H. E. (1990). Outcomes of comprehensive cognitive-behavioral treatment programs. New York: Plenum. Kilpatrick, D. G., Edmunds, C. N., Seymour, A. (1992). Rape in America: A report to the nation (Victims of Crime and Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center). Washington DC, DC: National Center for Victims of Crime and Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center.

Lord of the Flies & To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Example for Free

Lord of the Flies To Kill a Mockingbird Essay John Quincy Adams once said â€Å"Always stand on your principle, even if you stand alone†. The two novels To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Lord of the Flies by William Golding, can greatly relate to this quote. The characters that are portrayed in both novels can really relate to one another in terms of the theme in the quote. Also the books themselves share similar themes and moral lessons. Atticus Finch from to kill a mocking bird is a character that plays a father; he is a strong role model and leader. Atticus is a wise man; he learns and teaches moral lessons to his children. Even though the odds are against his favor he still stands by his principle. Someone who can relate to Atticus Finch is Ralph from Lord of the flies. Ralph is a character in Lord of the flies that shows a great deal of leadership just like Atticus he stands by his principle and does whatever is right. Scout from to kill a mocking bird, is the daughter of Atticus Finch, she has very many opportunities to stand but her principle but she is rarely heard. But even though she is not really heard she takes initiative as much as possible. Piggy from Lord of the flies can relate to Scout, Piggy has so much potential to do more than he is capable of. Although Piggy always seems to find a way to get his ideas heard and recognized. Another comparison between the two novels is Miss Maudie and Simon because they are such honest people and that is one of their principles. Ralph and Atticus Finch both portray their characters as role models and leaders; Ralph in particular is a leader that does everything and stays with his accusations to prove that he is doing the right thing. The lord of the flies takes place on a deserted island after a dramatic plane crash and the only survivors are a bunch of little boys. Their first decision is to vote on a leader, the boys all chose Ralph as their leader. At the beginning of the novel, Ralph was leader, but when his followers decided to abandon him he stayed with his beliefs. He can relate to this quote because Ralph was standing on his principle even though he was alone. His friends chose to become savage beast and hunt, while Ralph stayed pure and civilized he showed that he knew his moral and stands up for what he believes in. Ralph comes across trouble thought when hes friends doubt his ideas and suggestions. When his friends turned his back on him, he still decided to stick to his ideas and his plan to be rescued and in the end it was worth it because they were saved. Another person that could relate to Ralph would be Atticus finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Like Ralph, Atticus is another strong leader and independent leader, but in the novel To kill a mockingbird. Atticus relates to John Quincy Adams quote because Atticus fights for what he believes in, which is exactly what John Quincy Adams is meant by standing by your own principle. Atticus Finch plays a Father in working as a lawyer in the novel, but he lives in a time of discrimination and prejudice. A part of the story is when Atticus is appointed to defend Tom Robinson; a black man that was accused of raping a white woman. Atticus knows that the jury will be prejudice and that there is a slim chance that Tom Robinson will win the case. Even though he knows this information he still does everything in his power to defend Tom. Atticus says that he has nothing but pity for the jury and that he is disappointed that there society is like this (Lee 213). Atticus is a character that truly does stand by his principle and shows respect and leadership. Ralph and Atticus can relate to each other because they have similar characteristics and stand by their principles. Piggy is a character from Lord of the Flies that is discouraged. Piggy plays a huge role in the novel; he is wise and has the potential and the right to be heard. Piggy in the novel was the reason that the boy had fire, he was picked on and his ideas were ignored because of the way he looked. Piggy was wise he had ideas such as making sundials and hats. Ideas like these could have really helped the boys in being successful in being rescued. Piggy was wise and the boys failed to recognize this. When Ralph was abandoned by the boys that wanted to join Jacks hunting tripe it was only Piggy, Simon, Samneric and a few littleuns. With such little people, Ralph and Piggy talked and Piggy was hears and finally recognized for his ideas and wisdom. Piggy has a lot of smart ideas that could be implemented. He can relate to the quote by John Quincy Adams because he doesn’t give up, even though he is alone, he finds a way to be heard. Scout Finch and Piggy are character that can relate to each other, and to the quote said by John Quincy Adams. Scout is a character that plays Atticus’ daughter. Scout is very smart for her age, and has many bright ideas. Although this is true her ideas are not as recognized as they should just because of her age, she is much wiser than she appears to but is not recognized for it. â€Å"We don’t write in the first grade, we print. You won’t learn to write until you’re in the third grade. (Lee 23). This shows that Scout truly does stand by her principles but she is not recognized for it. Scout respects her father very much, but even though this is true she still denies his judgments, if she believes it is the right thing to do. An example if this would be when the Sarum group visited Atticus Finch and threatened him, Scout, Jem and dill all came to protect him. Even though Atticus told his children to return home they stayed there, this ended up helping Atticus bypass the sarum group after all. Simon is a character in Lord of the Flies that portrays a mature and wise. Simon is very honest. When Simon is told that there is a â€Å"beastie† loose on the island he adventures off on his own. He comes across a hanging parachute and realized that, the parachute was the beastie all along. When Simon knew that there could not be such thing as a beastie, he searched for the truth. Simon shows that he stayed with his principles and was determined to find the truth. He does not keep this new found information to himself or only to Ralphs tribe but he tells both Ralph and Jacks tribe. He was honest and wants to make life on the island a lot easier for the boys. He was generous enough to tell the tribes, but it was too late because Jacks tribe was so paranoid about the beastie and that he accidentally killed Simon. Although Simon had died trying to help he kept his principles in mind Simon showed how determined he was to be honest and set his friends straight. The quote by John Quincy Adams can have a lot of themes to express one of those themes that I could tell is honesty. Miss Maudie is a character in To Kill a Mockingbird that plays an honest woman. When Scout asks Miss Maudie about Arthur Radley and if all the rumors about him are true, Miss Maudie sets her straight and gives her full and honest opinion about Arthur Radley (Lee 48). This shows that Miss Maudie shows her moral conscience by admitting to Scout her honest opinion. She is also standing by her principle and passing on her wisdom to Scout. She tells Scout to find the truth and not create rumors and gossip about something that is not for certain. Miss Maudie shows a great deal of respect to the people around her. She stood by her principle as John Quincy Adams said. The quote represents honesty and Miss Maudie is a good example of honesty. There are many relations between the two novels and the quote. The quote by John Quincy Adams â€Å"Always stand on your principle, even if you stand alone† has themes that do relate to the themes and character in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies. Atticus Finch and Ralph both show there leader ship and determination, when times are tough they persevere and try their hardest to make things right. This shows how determined they are to stand by their principle. Also Piggy and Scout, there are two completely different characters that play the same role. They both have such great potential to be a more recognized character; even though they seem ignored they both stand by their principles and become recognized. Simon and Miss Maudie two completely different people yet so similar in the sense that they are honest to one another. Overall there are many comparisons between these two novels and that they both have themes and characters that relate to standing by your principle.

Physiological Demands Of The Marathon

Physiological Demands Of The Marathon Mark Speedie is a national level runner, aged 25. Historically his training has involved continuous running training but he understands that interval training and/or resistance training may further enhance his performance. The aim of the marathon is to maintain a high power output over the official 42.195km distance, a feat which requires substantial physical and psychological preparedness (John A. Hawley Fiona J. Spargo, 2007; McLaughlin, Howley, Bassett, Thompson, Fitzhugh, 2010). Success in the event depends upon a number of physiological, psychological and environmental factors. National level marathon running demands a high aerobic capacity and the ability to perform at a high fraction of it for a sustained period of time. A complex interplay of cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, pulmonary, and metabolic systems is necessary to achieve this. The purpose of this summary is to outline the physiological demands of the marathon, the mechanisms of performance resultant of the aforementioned characteristics and to introduce training methods documented in recent literature to enhance attributes and performance (time) of the marathon at national level. A.V Hill (1926) reports a high VO2Max to be the key determinant underpinning endurance performance. Astrand and Rodahl (1986) describe VO2Max as the highest rate at which the body can uptake and utilise oxygen (O2) during severe exercise at sea level; it sets the ceiling of ATP production through oxidative phosphorylation and is a key determinant of marathon performance. VO2max is traditionally increased as a result of performing high volume, low intensity (60% VO2Max) long slow distance (LSD) running. The volume of oxygen consumed (VO2) (Berger, Campbell, Wilkerson, Jones) at a given work rate, is more commonly termed running economy (RE) or described as the metabolic cost of running (Cr). McLaughlin et al., (2010) report a strong correlation between RE and 16km time (r =0.812), Billet et al. (2001) suggest a strong correlation between VO2Peak and Cr (r=0.65, P= 0.04), and Midgley et al. (2006) detail highly correlated (r=0.62) improvements in RE with LSD training (Midgley, McNaughton, Wilkinson, 2006; McLaughlin, et al., 2010), similarly resistance training has been reported to derive similar improvements in RE ( Bonacci, Chapman, Blanch, Vicenzino, 2009; Storen, Helgerud, Stoa, Hoff, 2008a). Research on lactate threshold (LT) suggest it is a sound predictor of marathon race velocity (Coyle, 2007). Once considered largely a waste product of glycolysis lactate (La-) is now considered an important metabolic fuel (Gladden, 2004). La- increases are indicative of work rates exceeding possible levels of fat oxidation required to sustain ATP production, therefore intracellular signalling stimulates glycogenolysis and glycolysis to meet ATP demands (Joyner Coyle, 2008; Spriet, 2007). The efficacy of alternative training protocols said to enhance physiological traits of marathon performance are emerging. Improvements of up to 7% in RE are been reported following resistance training protocols (Berryman, Maurel, Bosquet, 2010; Paavolainen, Hakkinen, Hamalainen, Nummela, Rusko, 1999; Saunders, et al., 2006; Spurrs, Murphy, Watsford, 2003), primarily due to superior stretch shortening cycle (SSC) function in consequence of increased musculotendinous stiffness (A. N. M. C. Turner Jeffreys, 2010). Similarly, SIT is purported to improve endurance performance through possible mechanisms including muscle La- buffering capacity (Laursen, 2010), enhanced enzymatic functioning, skeletal muscle remodelling (Burgomaster, et al., 2008) and metabolic adaptations such as mitochondrial biogenesis (Hawley, et al., 2007). Moreover hypothesis surrounding muscle fibre type transitions and hybrid myosin isoforms, suggest SIT and high intensity interval training (HIIT) may elicit str uctural changes resulting in a greater oxidative capacity of muscle and improved endurance performance (Kubukeli, Noakes, Dennis, 2002). The following article will discuss these mechanisms in further and include recommendations of various training protocols, reported to improve performance. . Word count: 574 Athlete Profile Mark Speedie National athlete, Mark Speedie, has traditionally employed continuous training protocols for race preparation, 71% of total training volume comprising of low intensity training ( Table 1. Athlete Profile: Mark Speedie, sub-elite marathon runner NZ Ranking 4th Current career goals 2016 Olympic podium contender Age (years) 25 Weight (kg) 60 Height (cm) 172 PRM (hr:min:ss) 2:22:00 vMarathon (km.hr-1) 17.8 VO2Peak (mL.kg-1.min-1) 70 LT (%VO2Peak) Unknown Cr: (mL.kg-1.km-1) Unknown MHR (BPM) 195 Cr = Metabolic cost of running (aka running economy), LT = Lactate Threshold, MHR = Maximum heart rate, PRM = personal record for the marathon, vMarathon = velocity for marathon distance In addition to the efficient, integrated nature of body systems required to produce elite performance, body mass and composition, as described by Pollock et.al.,(1977) reported elite marathoners ideally weigh between 59.6 and 66.2 kg with a body fat percentage of approximately 5  ± 2%. A lean stature has been reported to more economical during endurance events for movement efficiency, aerobic economy and heat dissipation (Billat, et al., 2001; Pollock, et al., 1977). Assessments Before recommending new training protocols, it is important to determine the current physiological status of Mark using appropriate, valid and reliable assessment strategies. Laboratory Assessment Intermittent or continuous treadmill protocols performed in the laboratory are used to obtain information pertaining to aerobic function, including VO2Max, RER and metabolic cost of exercise (Cr, RE). Intermittent treadmill protocol is widely used, and has the advantage of 30s recovery periods in which blood samples can be taken to measure substrate levels such as lactate (BLa-). A minimum 3 minute increment is recommended by ACSM (ACSM Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 2010, p79) increasing velocity and/or inclination each increment until one of the following occurs; VO2 reaches a plateau despite increasing velocity or inclination; RER à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ 1.15; (Esteve-Lanao, et al., 2005) peak HR >95% age-predicted max or RPE of >19 (ACSM p83) after which VO2Max is determined. Similarly, volitional exhaustion may end the test, the highest steady state VO2 is recorded as VO2Peak. Midgley et al. (2006) report significant differences in vVO2Max (km.hr-1) following three tr eadmill protocols, which demonstrates the importance of considering the methodological variations of test protocols and training intensities based upon them when prescribing exercise intensity. It should be mentioned that some articles cited within this report, use the Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT) to determine anaerobic and aerobic function in cyclists, however in a recent study, WAnT was not significantly associated with and therefore not a valid tool, for assessing aerobic function in endurance runners (Legaz-Arrese, Munguà ­a-Izquierdo, Carranza-Garcà ­a, Torres-Dà ¡vila, 2011). BLa- is measured during intermittent treadmill test recovery stages using the Lactate Pro blood lactate analyser, a minimally invasive, fast, accurate and valid test (Pyne, Boston, Martin, Logan, 2000) where blood (5ÃŽÂ ¼l) is taken from either the ear lobe or tip of the second digit after appropriate sterilisation of the area. It is important when re-testing that the same sample point is used as the ear and finger may reflect varying measures of BLa-. Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and heart rate (HR), as recommended by ACSM (p83) is monitored during incremental treadmill testing, a numerical scale (RPE) and heart rate monitoring device (Polar, Finland) are used during testing, respectively. ECG is used where possible to measure HR as a more accurate and intricate measure. Training intensities can then be quantified and prescribed relative to VO2Max, RER, vVO2Max and BLa-, using HR and RPE, to improve program efficacy. Muscle Performance Prior to recommending resistance training protocols it is essential to obtain baseline measures so as to accurately prescribed loads, and progress. Typically the leg press is recommended to assess lower body strength (ACSM p 90 92), however given the different kinematic variables between leg press movements and running gait; a 1RM squat test will be used as kinematics closer represent gait. The athlete must be familiarised with the movement; test protocols must be standardized using appropriate warm up, trial numbers and progressive load increments; and standardisation of squat depth, stance and bar placement are crucial. The use of a linear position transducer during the squat test provides a fast, efficient and reliable means of measuring useful information such as force, power and velocity, beneficial to program prescription and efficacy (Garcà ­a-Pallarà ©s, Sà ¡nchez-Medina, Carrasco, Dà ­az, Izquierdo, 2009; Harris, Cronin, Hopkins, Hansen, 2008). The modified reactive strength index (RSI) is a reliable and valid scientific tool for measuring SSC efficiency. Recall that improvements in RE are documented to be due to an increase in SSC function. The modified RSI replaces depth jump with the counter movement jump (CMJ), swapping ground contact time with takeoff time to calculate SSC efficiency. CMJ involves eccentric (load), amortization and concentric (unload) phases of the SSC mechanisms (Ebben Petushek, 2010; Flanagan, Ebben, Jensen, 2008). Additional to baseline measures, it is important to track ongoing training status to avoid potential overtraining, and to ensure appropriate training stimulus is being prescribed. Research is currently assessing the reliability and validity of heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate recovery time (HRRT), as assessment tools, used to indicate the readiness of the athletes next training bout or race. Manzi et a. (2009) suggest the HRV may indicate a high level of performance or exercise readiness (Manzi, et al., 2009), suggesting HRV to be a useful tool to determine training progression. Furthermore, Buchheit et al (2009) report HRRà Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ to be a useful non-invasive means of measuring the athletes physiological status (Buchheit, et al., 2008; Manzi, et al., 2009). Further research is required to assess the reliability of HRR and HRV in elite and sub-elite athletes undertaking a combined endurance and strength training regime however may be useful for testing readiness followin g aerobic and anaerobic training sessions. Field Test In addition to laboratory based testing, it is important to assess performance measures using activities which simulate race conditions. For Mark, a 10km track run is performed to determine performance time (10PT). Coyle et al. (2007) report marathon race velocity to be à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‹â€ 10% slower when compared with 10PT and to be an appropriate test to measure physiological improvements in marathon athletes. Training Models Training adaptations require appropriate stimulus and prescription of mode, duration, frequency, loads and intensities, while balancing accompanied stress responses to elicit performance improvements. While the dose-response relationship is gaining more ground in scientific research a previously mentioned, training models and intensities are well documented. Training Zones have been widely used in association with data points determined during gas and blood analysis to mark training intensity. These include percentage of, or HR at, VO2Max, LT or vVO2Max. A number of associated training models are discussed in the literature with respect to endurance running, additional to traditional training methods. The Polarized Training Model, whereby athletes perform a high percentage (75%) of training volume in Zone 1( The Threshold Training Model, more commonly used with untrained and moderately trained individuals, involves the athlete performing a large portion of their training in Zone 2 (60 75% VO2Max)(Esteve-Lanao et al, 2007), at or around the ventilatory threshold or maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) (Laursen, 2010). It has been documented that LT, is closely related to marathon velocity (Coyle, 2007; Roecker, S., Niess, H., Dickhuth., 1998). Prolonged training at this higher intensity, however, is shown to down-regulate the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), subsequently, due to a decrease in catecholamine secretion and sensitivity, reducing Q and blood distribution resulting in reduced performance (Esteve-Lanao, et al., 2007; Lehmann, et al., 1992). HIT is effective however, when prescribed over short duration, concomitant to reduced volume and monitoring. Acevedo and Goldfarb (1989) report improvements in 10PT of 3%, despite no change in VO2Max or ventilatory threshold, after HIT bouts in well-trained long-distance runners (Acevedo Goldfarb, 1989). In a study on highly trained middle and long distance runners Denadai et al., (2006) report 1.2 4.2% improvements in vVO2max, RE (2.6-6.3%) and 1500m performance (0.8-1.9%) following four weeks HIT, twice per week, performed at 95% to 100% vVO2Max for 60% of the time that subjects were able to remain at that velocity during assessment (Denadai, de Mello, Greco, Ortiz, 2006). More recently, sprint interval training (SIT) performed at all out maximal efforts has been shown to elicit similar metabolic responses in well trained endurance cyclists (Burgomaster, Heigenhauser, Gibala, 2004; Lindsay, et al., 1996; Talanian, Macklin, Peiffer, Parker, Quintana, 2003) and distance runners (Macpherson, Hazell, Olver, Paterson, Lemon, 2011; Mujika, 2010), with concomitant improvements in endurance performance, metabolic control, RE (5.7 7.6 %) (Iaia, et al., 2009) and skeletal muscle adaptations. Alterations in aerobic power and peripheral mechanisms as documented in a study by Macpherson et.al (2011), report significant improvements in VO2Max (P = 0.001) of 11.5% (46.8  ± 1.6 to 52.2  ± 2.0 mL.kg.-1.min-1) and a(VO2)difference (7.1%) without changes in SV or Q, suggesting aerobic improvements after SIT are as a result of peripheral alterations. Moreover SIT has been shown to induce alterations in skeletal muscle mitochondrial enzymes; citrate synthase CS, 3- hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase ß-HAD, suggestive of increased lipid oxidation; pyruvate dehydrogenase PDH, indicating decrease in skeletal muscle CHO oxidation, muscle glycogenolysis and PCr utilisation similar to that reported after endurance training (Burgomaster, et al., 2008). ß-HAD stimulation following SIT, is potentially the result of a rapid decrease in muscle PCr availability in conjunction with continued high work rates required to generate maximal power (Spriet, 2007). In a study by Hazell et al. (2011) authors suggest that the coupling of PCr hydrolysis and oxidative phosphorylation provide an acute challenge to the mitochondria resulting in adaptation and that insufficient recoveries between exercise bouts force skeletal muscle to regenerate ATP as anaerobic contribution decreases, may contribute to improved aerobic power following SIT (Hazell, MacPherson, Gravelle, Lemon, 2010). Furthermore, increases in skeletal muscle buffering capacity (ßm) (à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‹â€  200 240 ÃŽÂ ¼atom H+ /g dry wt/pH unit), content of MCT 1 (monocarboxylate 1), found predominantly in type I fibres and required for La- transportation into muscle fibres for ATP production; and MCT 4, found in type II fibres, required for La- transport out of muscle fibres of 70% and 30% respectively (Kubukeli, et al., 2002) has been documented relative to improved anaerobic performance (Gibala, et al., 2006) following SIT. Additionally, Gibala et.al. (2009), report increases in AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and calcium signalling mechanisms all of which are purported to be involved in the regulation of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1ÃŽÂ ±), which coordinates mitochondrial biogenesis. The oxidative enzyme expression regulation in skeletal muscle, suggests potential skeletal muscle remodelling (Gibala, et al., 2006) following SIT. Skeletal muscle plasticity is inconclusive however a recent publication by McCarthy (2011) indicates the coordination of fibre-type transitions through non-coding RNA (MiRNA) suggest coordination of fibre-type changes in response to altered training stimulus supporting the theory of skeletal muscle remodelling (McCarthy, 2011). Evidence suggests that various resistance training protocols can improve long distance running performance, by enhancing biomechanical structures to reduce fatigue and injury as a result of inefficient movement. Further, resistance training has been well documented to improve RE and endurance performance (Mikkola, Rusko, Nummela, Pollari, Hakkinen, 2007; Paavolainen, et al., 1999; Storen, et al., 2008a). Performance improvements are indicative of neuromuscular stretch shortening cycle (SSC) adaptations (Saunders, et al., 2006) and reportedly due to an increase in ÃŽÂ ±-motor neuron potentiation and subsequent increase in motor unit (MU) innervation; greater contractile force; improved neural connections at spinal level; increase MU synchronisation, and consequent rate of force development (RFD) (Wilmore, 2008 pp206; Drinkwater et al. 2009); and alterations to neural inhibitory mechanisms decreasing co-activation of antagonist muscles (Hoff Helgerud, 2004; Millet, Jaouen, Borrani, Candau, 2002). Hoff et.al., (2004) suggest RFD increases (52.3%) in soccer players improve overall economy; moreover, reported a positive correlation between arterial flow transit time and a(VO2) difference potentially increasing time to fatigue at submaximal velocities (Hoff Helgerud, 2004; Storen, Helgerud, Stoa, Hoff, 2008b). Furthermore, Turner et. al. (2010) suggest that plyometric training induc es increased musculotendinous stiffness (MTS), positively correlated with improved power, force and velocity (Bosjen-Moller et. al., 2005), shorter ground contact times (Kuitunen et. al., 2002) and enhanced propulsive forces during toe off (A. M. Turner, Owings, Schwane, 2003; A. N. M. C. Turner Jeffreys, 2010) contribute to improved SSC function. Exercise Prescription Recommendations The progressive implementation of resistance training protocols for a marathon athlete such as Mark, is required to produce adaptations safely and effectively. He is advised to employ a two to three day per week model initially, graduating intensity, complexity, frequency and/or duration accordingly as performance indicators improve and tolerance levels adjust. General, functional full body exercises (low weight, high repetition) aimed at improving muscular endurance; musculoskeletal condition and motor coordination are recommended in accordance to Esteve-Lanao (2007). The athletes psychological state is important when altering training parameters, circuit training protocols which elicit a HR response, include eight to 10 exercises, followed by short running intervals (400m) may be beneficial to the athletes transition to resistance training. Following the initial conditioning phase, a heavy strength cycle of four to eight weeks, performed two to three days per week, with low (one to five) repetitions of heavy loads as derived from strength assessments is recommended. Improvements of approximately 5% demonstrated during four to 10 week interventions (Kelly et. al., 2008, Storen et.al., 2008, Millet et.al., 2002) are detailed in Table 2. Exercises should remain functional multi-joint movements (squats, deadlifts, lunges) and aim to develop neural alterations to musculature highly involved in running gait at SSC movements. Explosive and eccentric training protocols, including power exercises (jump squats, hang clean), gait development (single leg squat), and eccentric load (Nordic curls) should follow in the late stages of the conditioning phase. These methods have been shown to improve RFD and muscle power factors. Research suggests one to two days of explosive training, over a four to eight week period is adequate for obtaining desired power adaptations, and maintaining strength. Some low volume, low intensity plyometric training may be included during this phase also (Berryman et. al., 2010, Paavolanien et.al., 1999) aimed at condition SSC mechanisms. Plyometric training (jumping, hopping, bounding and skipping) has been reported to produce improvements in RE and endurance performance of up to 7% and 4.8% respectively, in highly trained endurance runners when performed at high intensities, in as little as one to three sessions per week over a six to eight week period (Berryman et. al., 2010). High intensity plyometric training can be implemented leading up to competition phase and is specifically designed to improve SSC function. Functional resistance run training, including running with vests, sleds, chutes, hills, sand or mud, during this phase is recommended. Estevo-Lanao (2007) suggests this should be performed at specific competition velocity and should be coordinated with a reduced running volume leading into the late competition phase. Mark is advised to continue with one maintenance strength session per week, at low load and intensity with adequate recovery intervals so as not to cause any muscle damage leading into his main races, allowing approximately one to two weeks taper, whereby no resistance training should be performed. Re-testing of performance and strength parameters prior to commencing a new training phase is recommended to assess and make changes accordingly for the subsequent training cycles. During the base phase of training, HIT and SIT may be used supplementary to LSD training. Reports have shown that replacing 25% to 90% (Burgomaster, et al., 2008) of LSD volume with HIT/SIT has not changed performance times, however has produceed similar metabolic responses when compared to LSD. As the literature fails to report performance improvements, it is advised that these extreme volumes of LSD are not removed from Marks schedule; however a reduction a volume is recommended when implementing SIT. It is adequate to say that responses from HIT and SIT occur substantially and quickly, requiring no more than four to six weeks at high volumes (J. Esteve-Lanao, et al., 2007; Gibala, et al., 2006; Hazell, et al., 2010). Typically, SIT protocols include four to six 30-s all out bouts of running, separated by two to four minutes of recovery (Burgomaster, et al., 2008; Gibala, et al., 2006). Training progression should also be applied to SIT, increasing the number of all out bouts from four to six repetitions over the recommended four to six week duration, after which, ATP is reduced significantly and no further metabolic or skeletal changes evident. With this in mind, HIT and SIT protocols should be introduced at approximately six weeks out from the first main priority race in the competition phase, after appropriate re-testing signifying required adaptations (Gibala, et al., 2006). Cardiovascular, metabolic and neural alterations and also muscular improvements contribute to race performance by 2% to 8% in distance runners in a recent study by Lunden (2010). Conversely, single fibre power of MHC IIa muscle fibres appear to be a prevalent adaptation, and likely contributor to the 3% improvement in running performance reported by Luden et al. (2010) as such a taper period of one to two weeks with a load decrease of 50% in week one and a further 25% in week two, is recommended, in order to yield the physiological alterations of training (Luden, et al., 2010). To summarise, metabolic adaptations, similar to those seen after continuous training protocols, have been reported after four to six week interventions of SIT at a substantially lower training volumes than LSD, making this an effective method of training to maintain metabolic condition while reducing training volume. MHC isoform transitions, resulting in more oxidative IIa fibres, although requiring further research, indicates that SIT/HIT be beneficial for enhancing neuromuscular parameters and also peripheral factors (O2 utilisation) associated with endurance performance at the elite level. Potentially, a greater population of IIa fibres, in conjunction with metabolic alterations resulting in more efficient lipid oxidation and CHO sparing, may contribute to greater power output from higher order fibres, with maximum metabolic efficiency, particularly in the final stages of the marathon, where lower order fibres and fuel sources are depleted. Future research is required to determine cardio-respiratory factors which may be affected as a result of reducing training volume in order to prescribe optimal volume reductions, without implicating performance. HRV and HRRT may provide useful assessment tools for this research to determine adequate training stimuli and recovery. Moreover, resistance training has been shown to improve RE and performance by up to 7%, while reducing the risk of injury and biomechanical fatigue, although some reports conflict this, there is outstanding evidence in the literature that resistance training is beneficial at the elite level. In conclusion, it is recommended that after appropriate assessment, SIT and resistance training protocols are gradually introduced to Marks training regime. It is important to reduce total training volume during high intensity cycles of training, however suitable progression and test-re-test monitoring to track performance alterations is suggested in order to track any decline in cardio-respiratory or musculoskeletal condition. Additionally a one to four yearly plan is recommended in order to develop Mark safely and effectively towards his 2016 Olympic goals. Word count: 3340 Table 2. Resistance training, alterations to running economy and endurance performance Study Subjects (total number, caliber, gender) Training Method Frequency and Duration Volume Control RE (%) RP km %/sec Turner et al., 2003 18 Moderately trained Mixed Plyometric Training 3d/w x 6 wks 1 set 5 25 reps Regular Endurance Running à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ2.3* Spurrs et al., 2003 8 Moderately trained Males Plyometric Training 2-3d/w x 6 wk 2 3 sets x 8-15 reps Regular Endurance Running à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ5.7* à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ 3km 2.7% 16.6 sec Saunders et al., 2006 15 Highly trained Plyometric Training 3d/w x 9 wk 30 mins 107  ± 43 km of running per week à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ 4.1* Berryman et al., 2010 35 Highly trained Males Plyometric 1 d/w x 8 weeks 3 6 sets x 8 repetitions Endurance Running 3 x per week à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ7* à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ 3km 4.8% 36 sec Paavolanien et al. 1999 10 Moderately trained Males Sport Specific Explosive Strength Training 2d/w x 9 wks 15 90 mins Endurance running, circuit training à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ8.1* à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ 5k 3.1% Mikkola et al., 2007 25 Moderately trained Mixed Explosive Strength Training 3d/w x 8 wks 2 3 set x 6 -10 repetitions Endurance Running à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬  à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬  Guglielmo et al. 2009 16 Highly trained Explosive Strength 2d/w x 4 wks 3,4,5 x 12 RM Endurance training (60 80km.wk-1) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬  Berryman et al., 2010 35 Highly trained Males Explosive Training 1 d/w x 8 weeks 3 6 sets x 8 repetitions Endurance Running 3 x per week à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ 4% à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ 3km 4% 31 sec Millet et al., 2002 15 Highly trained Males (triathletes) Strength Training 2d/w x 14 wk 3-5 sets, 3 5 RM Endurance Training (Swim, Bike, Run) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ 5.6 7 Storen et al., 2008 17 Moderately trained Mixed Strength Training 8 wk 4sets x 4RM Regular Endurance Running à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ5 Kelly et al., 2008 16 Recreational Females Strength Training 3d/w x 10 week 3 x 3 5 RM Regular Endurance running à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ5.4 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ 3km 106 ±91 sec APA Style References ACSM Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 8th Edition, 2010. pp79, 83, 90 -92 Acevedo, E. O., Goldfarb, A. H. (1989). Increased training intensity effects on plasma lactate, ventilatory threshold, and endurance. Medicine Science in Sports Exercise October, 21(5), 563-568. Berger, N. J. A., Campbell, I. T., Wilkerson, D. P., Jones, A. M. (2006). Influence of acute plasma volume expansion on VO2 kinetics, VO2peak, and performance during high-intensity cycle exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 101(3), 707-714. Berryman, N., Maurel, D., Bosquet, L. (2010). Effect of Plyometric vs. Dynamic Weight Training on the Energy Cost of Running. The Journal of Strength Conditioning Research, 24(7), 1818-1825 1810. Billat, V. L., Demarle, A., Slawinski, J., Paiva, M., Koralsztein, J.-P. (2001). Physical and training characteristics of top-class marathon runners. Medicine