Paraphrase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Paraphrase - Essay Example Determining whether this was an appropriate sample or whether the study was conducted in accordance with experimental testing standards is not possible given the provided information, which detracts somewhat from the study’s reliability. Open kinetic chain and active knee positioning was selected as the means of testing knee position sense because JPS, or the ability to reproduce joint angles, is considered an important component of joint perception and JPS is commonly measured through active ipsilateral matching. It has been suggested that JPS is more sensitive to fatigue than kinesthesia (Skinner et al, 1986) while studies such as Paillard and Brouchon (1974) have suggested that active use of the joint contributes to a clear sense of knee positioning. Because of this more precise conception of the knee’s position, it was hypothesized that this method would provide a more accurate measurement of muscle receptors in the extensor and flexor structures. As part of the published study, the researcher did provide a brief explanation of the data collection method, but further analysis proves the study’s method is insufficient for accurate results. In addition to the problem already mentioned regarding the selection of the study sample, the participants engaged in the data collection process during a single morning session, providing little comparison data and no control group. According to Ribeiro et al (2007), measurements were taken once before applying fatigue protocol and once afterwards. This fatigue protocol is described as 30 repetitions at maximum range of motion on an isokinetic dynamometer, essentially a computerized leg lift machine with additional gauges used to measure various muscle groups within the leg. The rate of activity was set at an angular velocity of 120 s (Ribeiro et al, 2007). To ensure the relevant muscles were properly warmed up before this activity, participants were asked to participate in five minu tes of

Enron Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Enron - Essay Example Within about 5 years of the emergence of the Internet and the Web, electricity consumption linked to this new phenomenon had surged to 8 percent of total consumption. Naturally enough, this caught the eye of the prosperous energy trader down in Houston. How could Enron play in this exciting new game (Jorion 2003, p. 6) In order for a firm to have a reasonable chance of success in the realm of the Internet, it needed to be able to control its risks. Well, this was something that Enron was in a very good position to do. In fact, very few companies in the 1990s were as well positioned as Enron to play in this game (or so it seemed). "What Enron has been about for a long time," said Jeff Skilling, then Enron's chief operating officer, "has been making and restructuring markets. If you look at the present phenomenon, the Internet, it also comes into existing markets and dramatically overhauls them. That's something we started doing in the mid-1980s. The Internet just gives us the juice to extend more products across more markets more quickly (Jorion 2003, p. 6)." In particular, Enron got interested in the exotic-sounding world of broadband, which is a catch-all term for high-speed access to the Internet through the use of fiber-optic cable. Broadband is little more than a data pipeline of great bandwidth, or carrying capacity. (Or more precisely, bandwidth "determines the speed at which data can flow through computer and communications systems without interference (Jorion 2003, p. 6)." Even at the time-even amid all the Internet hype and hoopla-people knew that the nascent broadband/ bandwidth industry was a dicey proposition. "The market will not be for the faint of heart or the ill-prepared," one observer commented. "Success will require careful consideration of the appropriate market entry strategy. Organizations must ask the tough questions, such as 'what's my appetite for risk' (Jorion 2003, p. 6)" Well, in Enron's case, the answer was "big appetite." In the spring of 1999, Enron created a company called Enron Communications, Inc., that soon changed its name to Enron Broadband Services (EBS). It began selling a standardized bandwidth product, effectively turning the elusive concept of bandwidth into a commodity (Jorion 2003, p. 6). WHAT WENT WRONG For a while, and especially from a particular perspective, it worked. That perspective, of course, was the price of a share of Enron stock. People loved the idea of Enron and the Internet converging. Within 9 months-that is, the period between year-end 1999 and September 2000- Enron's stock price soared. In fact, it more than doubled-from $44 to $90 (Jorion 2003, p. 6-7). For a group of ambitious and self-impressed executives-especially those with heavy stock options-stock-price fever is something like heroin addiction. It goes from being a nice-to-have to the be-all and end-all. And over time, you need more and more of the stuff to get those good feelings. (In fact, when you do not get the stuff, you start feeling bad.) Management got accustomed to a high and rising stock price-and so, by the way, did Wall Street (Jorion 2003, p. 7). When stock-price fever sets in, lots of other temptations begin