The potential of a Singapore Signature Treatment Dissertation

The potential of a Singapore Signature Treatment - Dissertation Example The paper tells that the tourism industry is very huge in Asia especially in South East Asia where a lot of tourists flock the region to enjoy. As a result, these tourists need to be treated and afforded quality services. There are various forms of relaxation and some of these methods include swimming, sightseeing and personalized services. Over the years, the personalized services industry has grown tremendously to include more specialized services such as foot messages or even hair treatment. One of the industries where people look for personalized services is the Spa industry. Singapore is one of the countries whereby Spas are operated by professionals who are recognized globally. Several top notch beauty companies have set up operations in Singapore as part of their strategy in tapping the Singapore market. Several established companies such as Mintel oxygen have produced reports that have shown that one of the reasons that stop people from paying for spas is the lack of appeal a nd this concept applies both on visual effect and treatment menu. As a result it is necessary to develop special treatment which is recognized in the Singapore market and the globe. Several countries such as Thailand and India have developed signature treatments that have attracted a lot of consumers. Due to the high completion in the Spa industry it is prudent for a country or region to a unique selling point that will attract customers the attention of customers. Therefore, Singapore should be geared towards development of a unique Spa experience in tandem with companies such as Decleor. The use of natural ingredients without preservatives and essential oils has had the result of easy penetration to the skin and therefore acting as an effective way of curing heart conditions. The combination of the highly skilled tourism industry in

How employees react when facing organization change and what HR Literature review

How employees react when facing organization change and what HR manager should do - Literature review Example None of the mini computer companies could succeed in the business of personal computers Business schools and medical colleges are finding a hard tome to transform their curriculum according to the types of doctors and managers that are in demand in the market (Christensen & Overdorf, 2000, p.67). There are numerous other examples displaying the same challenge. It is seen that change efforts fail primarily because employers fail to handle the resistance towards change from employees. Managing change successfully means managing the fear of people. However, the peoples’ reactions to change efforts remain irrational and unsuccessful. Resistance towards the change originates from the fear of the unknown and apprehensions about a loss. HR managers play the crucial role of managing the reaction or response of employees towards the change process. The apparent reason to peoples’ fears is the way they perceive the change process, while the back end reaction to the change process is the extent to which they are equipped to deal with the change process. ... The project brings forth numerous critical reviews and suggestions of researchers and practitioners on the subject and delivers a critical analysis. It also puts forth their views regarding how changes can be managed effectively through effective people management procedures (Adair, 2007, p.124). Literature Review- How employees react when facing organization change and what HR manager should do Employee Resistance to Change- Critical Analysis The research begins with analysis of the greatest challenges of managing change initiatives in the organization. Managing organizational change is a difficult process as the conditions under which it is undertaken at the initial stage keeps changing. As situations keep shifting it becomes increasingly difficult for the top managers and agents to prepare for manage the change process in a way which satisfied both employers and employees. It is not surprising to understand that change resistance has attracted immense attention from practitioners and researchers. Immense attention has gone into the understanding of determinants and sources of change resistance. The general public and the media have gone into various forms of active resistances such as protests and strikes. Some of the other forms of organizational resistances are passive resistance, which is comparatively less observable, but has immensely attracted the concern of employers in organizations. Unsurprisingly, resistance towards change initiatives account for being one of the most crucial sources of organizational change failures (Conger & Kanungo, 1998, p.8). Meyer, (1982) and Nadler, (1998) have defined the concept of organizational change as the effort or the series of efforts which is designed in a manner to bring about change or transformation in

Marios Game and Video Masters Rentals Essay Example for Free

Marios Game and Video Masters Rentals Essay This project will aim to solve the information handling problems of Marios Game and Video Masters Rentals. Marios Game and Video Masters Rentals is a rental store that rents videos, games, and now DVDs (newly added) and is run by a man named Mario Anderson. To provide these services information is collected and stored about the items, and the members. Information about each member is written on a card, which is then put in to a card index box, which is sorted out by the member surname, then forename, then member number. Information about the items is put onto a card, which is then put in its case. After each day, a shop assistant writes loans list of all the items that have been rented out, along with the member number and video number, and name. What happens in Normal circumstances? When a member wants to rent out a copy, the customer must take it from an empty case from the shelf with the item card inside it. When he/she hands it into the counter, the shop assistant takes the card out and looks at the video number, and then takes the member number from the customer. If the member has lost their membership card, then they must pay a fee of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.00, and will receive a new card. The persons old card for the store is destroyed, and the new one is put in the box .The shop assistant then asks the customer how many days he or she will want to rent it for, and writes it on the item card. The shop assistant then hands the item over to the customer. When an item is returned, the shop assistant goes back to the loan list from the date of rental. He or she then crosses it off. Then, he or she puts the case back onto the shelf and the item behind the counter. At the end of everyday, the loan lists are searched to find out if there are any overdue items. Then, by hand they must write a letter to the corresponding people. What happens in Special circumstances? When a new member joins, he must pay a joining fee of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5.00. Their details are stored on the card and placed in the index box in order. The shop assistant then gives the new member a membership card. When a member leaves, hand in their membership card, and their card in the index box is taken out and destroyed. When an item is bought, an item details card is filled out and put in the case. The actual item is put behind the counter, and the case with the card inside is placed on the shelf. When an item is sold because it is not popular anymore, the video card is taken out and destroyed. What Problems do the current system cause? The current system causes the following problems: Members lose their membership cards. They must pay à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.00 for a new one. Sometimes the cards go missing, so then new ones must be written out, and that is quite time-consuming. Sometimes, when different shop assistants write out the video card, other assistants may not be able to read the others handwriting, which leads to huge error e.g. a 4 written could look like a 9. A members card or an item card could be misplaced and could take a lot of time to find It is very time consuming when a shop assistant must look through the loan lists and write the reminder letters. When customers ask the staff whether a particular title is available, the staff will not be able to know it unless they have a particularly good memory. How could Mr Anderson solve the information-handling problems? Mr Anderson could solve their information handling problems by using a filing cabinet to store their information about members and items using detail cards. The advantage of this system is that much more information can be stored using this system. But the disadvantages are that these could be misplaced, lost or damaged, just like the existing system. Unauthorised people can take some records. It would also be quite time consuming. Another way of solving the problems would be to use a computer to store information about members, rentals, and items. The advantages of this system are that it can store a lot of data in a small space, searches through it very quickly. But computers can be quite expensive. There are two ways a computer can be used. You could write a program to solve all the information-handling problems, but I do not know how to write programs on the computer and it is very expensive to pay a programmer and it would be time-consuming. Or, you could use an application package such as a database. This database could store and process all the information about members, items, and rentals What is the best way out of the solutions? The best way to solve the information handling problems of Mr Anderson will be to set up a new system using a computer. I have decided to use a computer because: * Computers can store large amounts of data in a small space. * The information can be searched very quickly * Lists and reports about the information in a computer can be produced very quickly and easily. * There is already a computer that can be used (Mr Anderson has two computers at home, one of which he does not use) I have decided to do this using an application package because: * I do not know how to write computer programs * There is a wide variety of application packages * Application packages can be changed and customised to suit the needs of the user * Have used different application packages I the past The most suitable type of application package will be a database because: * Database packages are specially designed to store and process information. * I have used database packages before, so I know a lot more about these as oppose to packages I have never used before What must the new system be able to do? The new system must be able to perform the following tasks: * Allow member details to be looked up, edited and stored quickly, easily and accurately * Allow item details to be looked up, edited and stored quickly, easily and accurately * Allow rental details to be looked up, edited and stored quickly, easily and accurately * Allow item details to be searched to answer customer enquiries quickly and easily * Produce a report listing member and video details for overdue items. * Produce reminder letters to members with overdue items. The following criteria will be used to evaluate the success of the new system: * The system must be able to store at least 10 member records * The system must be able to store at least 20 item records * The system must be able to store at least 10 rental records * It must take no longer than 30 seconds to find and display a rental, item or loan record. * It must take no longer than two minutes to answer customers enquiries by entering search criteria and finding matching item * It must take no more than one minute to find and delete a member, item or rental record * It must take no more than two minutes to find and edit a member, item or rental record * It must take no more than two minutes to create a new member, item or rental record * On-screen data entry forms must be clearly laid out to make data entry easy * On-screen data entry forms must use automatic data validation to reduce data error on input * It must take no longer than 5 minutes to search for members with overdue video and produce a summary report * Reminder letters to customers with overdue videos should be clearly laid out and include all the details of the videos that need to be returned.

The Emotional Impact of Infertility and Assisted Reproduction

The Emotional Impact of Infertility and Assisted Reproduction 1. Introduction It is assumed by the majority of young people that they will conceive later in life and have their own family. Unfortunately, a significant proportion will have difficulty in reproducing and will need to seek help. Infertility is the inability to conceive after regular unprotected intercourse for a minimum of 12 months (NICE guidelines) and affects approximately 80 million people worldwide (WHO 2002). It is estimated in the UK that one in seven couples will have difficulty conceiving (HFEA). The inability to conceive can be a very stressful situation, and can bare huge strain on individuals and their relationships. Infertility is not solely a physiological condition but also a psychological and social condition; of which is often overlooked. Having difficulty conceiving can have vast psychological consequences on the individual which may affect social relationships and cause a feeling of isolation and stress. It can have a negative influence on relationships provoking marital issues sometimes resulting in divorce. Many patients who are undergoing assisted reproduction treatment (ART) find it difficult to fit into social situation and struggle with the personal management of infertility. This report aims to review the literature available to discuss the emotional impact of infertility and ART by examining the social and cultural impact of infertility, including gender and marital issues, and stress and depression. It also aims to briefly assess the effects of stress on ART outcome. 2. Sociology Infertility affects all parts of an individuals life; it is a social situation. The value of fertility is often misunderstood and the role of parenting is natural and assumed. An integral part of adult development is the ability to reproduce (Leiblum and Greenfield 1997). Individuals who have fertility problems often find themselves challenging their identity and self-worth (Greil 1991). They may feel that their body has failed its natural function. Female patients, in particular, undergo severe emotional suffering and find they feel a loss of control. They may feel confused and angry and often isolated from the fertile world. It is common for women to blame themselves for the infertility the couple experience, particularly if caused by a female factor. They may feel guilt from previous relationships, indiscretions or abortions (Domar and Seibel 1997). Patients have reported a lack of empathy from friends and family who are unable to relate to their situation. A vast proportion of ART patients are anxious that they will not receive the support they require (Miall 1986). Interestingly, different people suffer more at different points in their treatment, for example some exhibit the highest levels of anxiety and stress whilst trying to conceive and others during or after treatment (Cousineau and Domar 2006). Confronting infertility can, in some people, be the most difficult part. Studies have shown that discussing infertility can reduce stress levels in men and women (Schmidt et al 2005), and that women are more likely to discuss their situation with friends, colleagues and professionals (Abbey et al 1991). The infertility becomes a focal point of life, disorganising their world. This focus can result in eliminating or postponing other important aspects such as careers, aspirations and social connections (McLaney et al 1995). The balance between managing infertility and its treatment and maintaining healthy relationships with family, friends and work is extremely difficult. Firstly, the patients must rearrange their lifestyle and schedule to undergo vigorous medication and examinations which will have a significant impact on their body and mind (Mahlstedt 1985). Secondly, patients have reported that social settings become increasingly difficult due to feelings of upset and anger towards people who are pregnant or those who have children (Domar and Seibel 1997). In addition, some women may chose to bury their distress, through feelings of embarrassment or self-consciousness, further increasing the difficulty in social situations. The psychological impact of infertility is certainly under -estimated. 2.1 Culture In many cultures procreation is encouraged and the importance of biological parenting is vast. For example, for Islamic women there is huge emphasis on fecundability, and marriage is highly associated with a subsequent family (Fido and Zahid 2004). Women are expected to continue the family name and reproduce as assurance that elderly relatives can be cared for. The majority of cultures are accepting of ART, however, in some religions some aspects are forbidden. For example in the Islamic community the donation of eggs or sperm is prohibited as it is classified as adultery (Serour and Dickens 2000). Irrespective of whether cause of infertility is a male or female factor, in many cultures, for example some Arab and Asian communities, the females are usually blamed (Fido and Zahid 2004). In these communities infertility is associated with an enormous amount of shame. By Western norms infertility has become very accepted, in particularly for the male to take responsibility for the cause of infertility in a significant proportion of couples. Unfortunately this is not the case with all cultures, in extreme situations women can be blamed and subsequently subjected to violence and exile, irrespective of whether they are the cause of the couples infertility as their status is now diminished (Rustein and Shah 2004). 2.1. Gender In the past infertility has always been associated with the female. However, over half of couples undergoing treatment are due to both male and female infertility (Johansson et al 2011) and half of these are solely male factor infertility (NICE guidelines 2004). Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has further increased the acceptance of male infertility and in many cases enabled the couple to overcome it. As previously discussed many cultures have not come to terms with male factor infertility and woman can be severely victimised against, suffering dramatic consequences (Rustein and Shah 2004). The literature demonstrates that women feel significantly more pressure on them to reproduce, they find infertility treatment considerably more stressful and they suffer more emotionally than their male partner (Jordan and Revenson 1999). Despite this, the psychological well-being of the male partner should not be ignored. Men are severely affected by infertility (Wright et al 1991, Carmeli And Birbaum-Carmelli 1994), however there is much less exposure of this. The males feelings are often overshadowed by the females and they may hide their emotions in order to support their partners. Male patients are reported to use different coping mechanisms (Peterson et al 2006) such as engaging in extra work and other activities (Jordan and Revenson 1999), which may give the impression they are less affected emotionally than the female. Men can feel a severe loss of masculinity, particularly if there is male factor infertility, and can become extremely embarrassed resulting in low self-esteem. Men may feel inadequate in fulfilling their role in the relationship being unable to provide their partner with a child. Additionally the stress of being unable to conceive and the subsequent treatment can lead to impotency and sexual dysfunction (Saleh et al 2003). Although the patients are treated as a couple, the female is normally the identified patient, irrespective of the cause of infertility. The emphasis on the psychological well-being of the female is understandable considering the female will undergo the immense and invasive treatment necessary for IVF/ICSI. It is the female that must inject herself daily and rearrange her schedule to have blood tests and scans for weeks before her eggs are even collected. Despite this, it is important to be aware that both the male and female will be under enormous amounts of psychological and emotional strain and neither should be ignored. 2.1. Marital There is varying information about the effect of infertility on relationships and marital status. Interview studies have shown that going through infertility and assisted reproduction can bring relationships closer together and often strengthen marriage in approximately one-third of couples seeking treatment (Schmidt 2009). Other studies have demonstrated marital problems as a result of their infertility, in particularly suffering from a lack of effective communication and often using active-avoid coping mechanisms. Evidence suggests there is increased marital stress between couples when they do not conceive in the first year compared to those couples who do (Benazon et al 1992). Additionally, couples have reported their physical relationship suffers whilst trying to conceive and whilst undergoing infertility treatment (Benazon et al 1992). Although not always recommended, many couples have intercourse at specific times in the females cycle, which can diminish intimacy and sexual fun ction, further enhancing relationship stress. 3. Stress and depression Stress is defined as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the stimulus which produces mental tensionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Cousineau and Domar 2006). The inability to conceive is undoubtedly a very stressful situation. It is extremely difficult to measure psychological stress as it can be subjective. Despite this, it is clear that mild to moderate stress and depressive symptoms are present in the majority of people undergoing ART treatment (Demyttenaere et al 1998). Studies demonstrate that depression and anxiety levels in women who are experiencing fertility problems are dramatically increased and are significantly higher than in fertile women (Domar et al 1992). These levels of depression and anxiety have been reported to be comparable to patients undergoing cancer treatment, myocardial infarction and HIV-positive patients (Domar et al 1993). Unsuccessful IVF attempts can result in severe depressive symptoms and it has been shown that over 10% of women experience passive suicidal ideations (Baram et al 1988). This highlights the importance of monitoring patients emotional state before, throughout and after treatment. 3.1. Affect on ART outcome There is conflicting evidence that suggests stress factors may influence IVF outcome. A prospective study carried out by Klonoff-Cohen et al (2001) demonstrated that baseline stress levels were significantly related to biological end-points. This included oocyte number, fertilisation rates, and pregnancy and live birth rate. These findings emphasise the importance of emotional and psychological support early on in treatment. In contrast, a recent meta-analysis, by Boivin et al 2011, collated 14 studies with a total of 3583 women and assessed the effect of emotional distress in infertile women undergoing fertility treatment on the outcome of their treatment. The conclusions were confident that stress does not compromise their ART outcome. Although the jury is still out with regards to stress affecting ART outcome, stress has an impact during pregnancy. High emotional stress levels can increase glucocorticoid levels which negatively affect foetal development and birth outcomes (Bolten et al 2011, Schulz et al 2011). Therefore patients stress levels should be monitored during assisted reproduction treatment, and importantly also after treatment, whether successful or not. 4. Conclusion In conclusion, this report has demonstrated that infertility patients undergo significant emotional distress. Infertility and its treatment can bare huge strains on all aspects of their lives particularly social interactions with friends and partners. Patients feel a loss of control and their infertility becomes the focus of their life often resulting in the neglect of other aspects. They may feel upset, anger and a lack of self-worth. This is heightened in some cultures which do not accept infertility and bare huge pressures on reproduction. In these cultures women, in particular, can be subjected to very severe treatment such as exile. Women appear to suffer more emotionally than their male counterpart; however this may be due to the male hiding his feelings to support his female partner. Males can experience a severe loss of masculinity and feel inadequate in fulfilling their role. Both members of the couple will be experiencing substantial distress and this can have positive and negative impacts on their relationship. Some marriages benefit from treatment by becoming emotionally closer, others do not. It is clear from this report that there is significant stress associated with infertility which can result in depression and anxiety. This can be particularly serious in those patients who have unsuccessful attempts at IVF. There is varying evidence to whether this stress and anxiety affects ART outcome. Whether or not it affects outcome it is fundamental that the psychological aspects of infertility and ART are not ignored. Counselling and emotional management should be offered to all patients before, during and after treatment. Stress and depression levels should also be monitored a various time points as the welfare of the patient is paramount.

International New Ventures Essay -- International Business

Introduction The article ‘A Theory of International New Ventures: A Decade of Research’ by Zahra (2005) is based on findings based on research sparked by the work of Oviatt and McDougall (1994) ‘Toward a Theory of International New Ventures’. In this article, Zahra (2005) builds on the authors’ research framework, highlighting aspects which expand on the original article and pointing out those which require re-examination in the light of accumulating empirical findings. The term ‘international entrepreneurship’ as developed by Oviatt and McDougall (1994) brings international business theory into an integrated model of International New Ventures (INVs) with an approach based on unique resources and network relationships facilitated by information and communication technology. Defined as a business organization formed for the purpose of deriving significant competitive advantage from the use of resources and sale of outputs in multiple countries, INVs p lay an integral role in today’s global economy as recent global conditions have made the INV form of organization competitive (Oviatt and McDougall, 1994). Literature Review The emergence of INVs is one of the defining features of modern global capitalism (Oviatt and McDougall, 1994). These INVs benefit from the globalized economy in various ways extending their technological learning by tapping into various sources of innovation and competitive advantages as found in the results of a study by Zahra, Ireland and Hitt (2000). Oviatt and McDougall (1994) identified four types of INVs using two dimensions: coordination of value chain activities and the number of countries involved namely- export/import start-ups, multinational trader, geographical focused start ups and global start-up... ....D. and Hitt, M.A (2000) ‘International Expansion by New Venture Firms: International Diversity, Mode of Market Entry, Technological Learning and Performance’, Academy of Management Journal, 43 (5) pp. 925-950. Business Source Premier (Online). Available at http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/ehost/ (Accessed: 8 April 2012). Zahra, S. & George, G. (2002) ‘International Entrepreneurship: The Current Status of the Field and Future Research Agenda’. In M. Hitt, D. Ireland, D. Sexton & M. Camp (Eds.). Strategic Entrepreneurship: Creating an Integrated Mindset. Oxford: Blackwell, 255-288. Zahra, S.A. (2005) ‘A Theory of International New Ventures: A Decade of Research’, Journal of International Business Studies, 36 (1) pp. 20–28. Business Source Premier (Online) Available at www.jstor.org.libproxy1.liv.ac.uk/stable/pdfplus/3875288.pdf (Accessed: 10 April 2012).

Expectations versus Reality in Stephen Cranes The Red Badge of Courage

Expectations versus Reality in Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage The notion that war is an exciting, romantic endeavor full of glory and heroism has existed for centuries.   Stephen Crane set out to demystify war through his novel The Red Badge of Courage, which traces the experiences of a young soldier in the American Civil War. Crane shows the true nature of war by contrasting Henry Fleming's romantic expectations with the reality that he encounters. This contrast between romantic vision and cold reality can be seen early in the novel, with Henry's departure from home. Driven to a "prolonged ecstasy of excitement" by the rejoicing crowd, Henry enlists in the army and says good-bye to his mother with a "light of excitement and expectancy in his eyes" (709). He anticipates a romantic, sentimental send-off reminiscent of Spartan times and even goes as far as preparing remarks in advance which he hopes to use "with touching effect" to create "a beautiful scene" (710). However, Crane presents a more realistic view. At the news of Henry's enlistment, his mother simply says "The Lord's will be done" and continues milking the cow, having previously urged Henry not to be "a fool" by enlisting (709). She then destroys his hopes by offering sensible,... ...es in anguish while his friend Jim suffers and dies. Today, many of the romantic myths about war have been destroyed through television and movies such as Born on the Fourth of July, which shows war with all its suffering, pain, and death. Yet it was Stephen Crane who, a century ago, deglorified war through the experiences of Henry Fleming. With his frequent contrasts between romantic vision and cold reality, Crane clearly portrays the true horrors of war. Work Cited Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Geroge McMichael, et al. 5th ed.Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan, 1993. 707-87.

Determining Ka by the half-titration of a weak acid Essay

To get the Ka of acetic acid, HC2H3O2 I will react it with sodium hydroxide. The point when our reaction is half-titrated can be used to determine the pKa. As I have added half as many moles of acetic , as NaOH, Thus, OH- will have reacted with only half of the acetic acid leaving a solution with equal moles of HC2H3O2 and C2H3O2-. Then I will use the Henderson-Hasselblach equation to get pKa. CH3COOH + NaOH H2O + NaCH3COO Results: Below is a table that summarizes our results for the reaction of 1M of acetic acid with 1Molar of NaOH which 50cm3 was used. The table shows the PH record at  ½ equivalence and at equivalence. We also recorded the observations we saw during the reaction. PH  ±0.1 Qualitative observations At  ½ equivalence 5.0 When I recorded this, as we slowly added NaOH to the acid, there was a change of color from colorless to a very slight pink as the Phenolphthalein indicator changed color. At equivalence 8.9 As I added the acetic acid to 250 cm3 of reaction mixture, there was no color change. Also as we measured the PH, the PH changed slowly but then changed very quickly at the solution approached equivalence. At this time, the indicator turned pink, when equivalence was reached Calculating the PKa To calculate PKa, we will use the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. Hence the calculations below show how using this we can calculate the PKa = PKa + But at the half equivalence, the concentration of acetic acid and its salt ion are the same. Thus, we get: = PKa + = PKa Now the PH was, so PKa= 5.0  ±0.1 = 5.0  ± 2% 5.0  ±2% = = 10-5  ±2% Titration curve: To get error we are going to sketch a titration curve, and from this measure the PH at half equivalence. To do this: PH of acetic acid (1M): Ka = = 10-4.76 = √(1Ãâ€"10-4.76) So PH of acetic acid= 2.38 Now PH of NaOH, (1M) Now concentration of NaOH, was 1M So = 1 = -log(1) = 0 ±0.2% So PH= 14 ±0.2% Thus with these results we can plot this: Volume of NaOH (0.2%) PH of solution ( ±0.2) 0 2.38 45 14 48 14 50 14 We know that at volume of NaOH of 45 and 48, the PH will still be 14 as it’s in excess by far, thus getting to the PH of NaOH as the PH measured The PH of the solution has uncertainty of  ±0.2, as this is the smallest division of our y-axis in our titration sketch. Now after plotting our titration results, we can see that the equivalence point the volume was at a volume was at 28cm3 as it has the steepest gradient. Thus, the half-equivalence is at half a volume, 14cm3. At this volume the PH is 4.8  ±0.2 Using this value, as = PKa + = PKa PKa= 4.8  ±0.2 4.8 ±4.2% = = 10-4.8  ±4.2% Conclusion: I have concluded that the of acetic acid is -5 ±2% just using the data recorded (method 1). However from using that data and calculating the pH of acetic acid and NaOH, and then plotting a titration curve (method 2), we got a of 4.8 ±0.2%. As I calculated both I can calculate the % error of both comparing it with the actual value, -4.76.[1] % error of method 1= = 100  ±5% % error of method 2= = 100  ±0.84% The data I have concluded and summarized above is backed up by the data produced in the experiment and trends seen. We conclude that method 2 is more accurate as the % error is less and that our oringal method had  ±5% error. This is clearly backed up in our %errors as 4.8 is much closer to the actual value 4.76. The data that supports our % errors is the graph. It clearly shows a trend that as the volume of NaOH increased the PH rose, and the higher gradient signaling the equivalence point was at 28 cm3. Thus the graph clearly showed a half-equivalence point of 4.8 PH. Also the graph bolster that the PH at half-equivalence had to be less than 6, thus supporting the PH obtained by method 1, and hence the PKa obtained. Finally as for method 1, we simply recorded two results; we know that the datum that determined our percentage error was 5.0, and hence this data is what supports our %error. Finally the confidence level for my conclusion is good. I got the results expected, as method 2 will always be more accurate than method 1 as the latter depends too much on qualitative and subjective recordings. Thus my confidence level for such conclusion is good. Also my confidence levels on the %error and PKa for method 1, is high as 5% error was small. Thus due to this low %error, my confidence level of the experiment done for method 1 is high. Even more the PKa obtained by method 2, has a higher confidence level as the % error was barely 0.84%. Thus method 2, has excellent confident level for its extremely low %error. However the first factor that affects my confidence level is uncertainties. From the %error of PH, we got the %uncertainty of the PKa for method 1. Thus, we know, that from the total % error of 5%, 2% was made by systematic errors i.e uncertainties in this case. Thus the other 3% was caused by random error. Similarly, for method 2, we got % uncertainties for the PH by the volume measure of NaOH. This %error was 4.2%, meaning 4.2% of the total error was caused by systematic error of the graph. Clearly this is bigger than the total %error of 0.84%. Thus this means that actually, even if our graph has on the y-axis an uncertainty of  ±0.4, this is an over-estimate. This is since, while we can read a value off with this uncertainty, it can still be very close to the actual half-equivalence PH. Thus this increases my confidence level, as it shows, that the systematic error of the graph y-axis uncertainty is very limited. Thus the biggest error is random error. This occurs when estimating the equivalence point from the titration graph, which is random error as it’s an estimate of the steepest point and hence has no uncertainty. Thus as we could underestimate or overestimate this value, it creates error, as we calculated the half equivalence from it. In this case, clearly we overestimated it as; the PKa from this method is higher than the actual one. Hence this error is directly reflected in our results limiting confidence levels. Thus now we know what caused the % error for our methods. Hence, now my confidence level will increase as I know what type of error must be targeted to reduce most error. The random errors and systematic errors that constitute these percentages will be explained below, in the evaluation. Evaluation: From the results it is clear error was limited for method 1, 5%. We calculated that uncertainties make up at least 2% of that error. Thus systematic error only makes 2% of the error while random error makes 3% of the error. Thus the significant error is random errors. This was due to the subjectiveness at seeing the half-titration points. As we relied on the fact that the phenolphatlein made the solution light pink, it was difficult to see such color change. Thus it was very easy to keep adding base, when there was already a color change. Hence our error was that we could overshoot the titration. As we added to much NaOH the color change seen was too much. So when we added the acetic acid, the PH at half-equivalence is higher so we overestimated the PKa. This was reflected directly on our results. Finally another less important random error was that pipettes leaked. Thus more NaOH was added. This while small also explains why we overestimated the PKa, as we overshooted the titration even more. Finally our less significant errors were systematic error. They only make 2% of our errors. They were mainly caused by inaccuracy of our apparatus. The main systematic error caused was by the PH probe. The PH probe, first of all has great inaccuracy recording PH with a  ±0.1 uncertainty. Thus as the PH recorded was small, the %uncertainty calculated is much bigger than it would be with a higher PH. The other uncertainty was caused by the inaccuracy of pipettes. When we measured the volume of the acetic acid, there was a systematic error as Burets have uncertainties of,  ±0.10 cm3. Thus at a volume we measured of acetic acid at 25cm3, we had 0.4% error caused. We can also analyze improvements for method 2. We used this method and generated it from data we had form method 1. However, the titration sketch clearly was much more accurate than method 1, as it yields 0.84% error of which 0.2% was caused by uncertainties. Thus as we got the results for the titration curve from method 1, the error that caused the systematic errors were the same. However the main cause of error is the random error. At calculating the equivalence point, we had to estimate the point with the maximum gradient. As this is subjective, there is human error. Hence, when we then halved that volume, we could overestimate or underestimate the error since we estimated the point with maximum gradient. Improvements: To reduce the random error firstly we must do more trials. Just by doing this, we will reduce the random error. Finally as the problem with the color change was that it was a qualitative observation. To improve this we can get a quantitative measurement. To do this we use a colorimeter. This is a device we will put behind the solution. This measures the exact absorbance or transmission of light. Thus as the light absorbance changes when there is a color change, when the colorimeter states such we know that the color change has occurred. Hence we know exactly the equivalence points. The significance of this improvement is that it would enable us to get qualitative results. Thus if the colorimeter very accurate we can decrease random error, as there is no human error. Also, as the colorimeter is accurate, systematic error will also be limited. Another way we can improve is in the systematic errors. The first problem was measuring accurately volumes. As the pipettes had big uncertainties, the volume recorded had high %uncertainties. If we however use micropipettes, which have  ±0.01 cm3 uncertainties, our volumes will be extremely accurate. Hence %uncertainties will be minimal. Also micropipettes allow much easier for drops of base to be dropped. Thus the significance of this improvement is that when we measure volumes, the equivalence point will occur, more exactly as we will be less likely to overshoot the solution. Finally to solve the inaccurate measurements of PH we can get a PH sensor and data logger. These do real-time measurements and will state the PH with less uncertainty. It will also provide an alternative method for calculating the half-point. As the data logger draws the graph of the titration done, it can calculate the point with the highest gradient. Thus this will be the equivalence point. Hence we can calculate the PH at half the equivalence point of the graph as this is half the volume of base at equivalence. Thus clearly calculating a very accurate PH from the curve. The significance of this will be that it is a major improvement on method 2 and 1 as it is not qualitative. Thus it does not allow for human error. Hence as the sensor is also very accurate systematic error will also be limited as well as random error. Thus this method will get a very accurate PKa with low systematic and random errors.