Midterm Essay Essay

Briefly identify and explain the key differences and similarities regarding the UCR, NIBRS, and NCVS programs. The Uniformed Crime Reporting (UCR) Program displays crime data for the United States, as well as for states, cities, counties and colleges. This allows for a comparison among neighboring jurisdictions and among those with similar populations and other common characteristics. The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) collects information on the frequency and of crimes such as rape, sexual assault, aggravated and simple assault, household burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft. Both systems report different types of information and different details. The UCR program displays statistics for law enforcement administration, operation, and management. The UCR program utilizes what is called the hierarchy rule. If more than one crime was committed by the same person and the time separating the crimes was minor, then the crime highest in the hierarchy is the only crime reported. This seems like a very inaccurate method of recording data, one would assume that all records of offenses were taken into consideration for reporting purposes. The NCVS program collects information on crimes by individuals and households while also providing information on victims such as age, sex, race, marital status. The difference in the two programs is that each serves a different purpose in reporting. The UCR reports information for law enforcement, operations and management. The NCVS provides information about each crime, its victims and the offenders. Summarize the evolution of the criminal justice system in America. Identify and discuss at least three (3) key U.S Supreme Court cases that have had a significant impact on the issue of individual rights versus public order, with respect to arrest, search, and seizure. In modern day America, the public’s view on the typical criminal has shifted from seeing him or her as a victim of social and personal unfortunate circumstances to seeing him  or her as a dangerous predator who takes advantage of the rights and privileges of citizens (Schmalleger, 2014). An example of a Supreme Court case that had an impact on the issue of individual rights versus public order is McCullen v. Coakley. Individuals claimed that a â€Å"buffer zone† around an abortion clinic infringed upon their First Amendment rights to free speech by communication with patients less effective (Takeway). This relates to the possibility of an arrest if the protestors are blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic or physically harassing a patient. In 1995, the Supreme Court ruled that officers must knock and announce their identity before entering a dwelling even if they hold a search warrant (Schmalleger, 2014). In January 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that the FBI needed a warrant to attach a GPS device to s suspected drug dealer’s car. This ties into the search and seizure topics and preserves the individual rights of the suspected drug dealer. After all, the individual is just suspected of being a dealer, there is no hard evidence. In general, outline the police mission, operational strategies, styles and the legal and ethical aspects of policing today. The police officer mission consists of five components, enforcing the law, apprehending offenders, preventing crime, preserving the peace, and providing the community with needed enforcement related services. Law enforcement has a chain of command just like the military with three policing styles that vary by department and region. The watchman style attempts to achieve â€Å"order maintenance†. The legalistic style attempts to enforce the letter of the law. The service style attempts to meet the needs of the community and serve its members. In general, police officers are mandated to stay within the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendments. All law enforcement officials regardless of status or rank should be held accountable for their actions however, this is not always the case. There are three methods that guide American policing. Strategic policing retains the goal of professional crime fighting but enlarges the target to include serial offenders, gangs and criminal associations. It makes use of technology, intelligence operations and undercover stings (Schmalleger, 2014). Problem solving policing assumes that crimes are caused by social conditions within the community and that they can be controlled by addressing social problems (Schmalleger, 2014).  Lastly, community policing supports the use of partnerships and problem solving techniques to address the issues that cause crime. (Schmalleger, 2014). Ethical issues that plague law enforcement vary. Racially biased policing in which police officers are viewed as biased for example, taking that a predominately African American neighborhood is full of criminals. The use of excessive and deadly force is another issue in which police officers either use too much force in the apprehension of a suspect or cause death or great bodily harm (Schmalleger, 2014). What is the dual-court system? Identify and explain the three levels of characteristic of the federal judiciary. The dual court system is the result of general agreement among the founding fathers about the need for individual states to retain significant legislative authority and judicial autonomy separate from federal control (Schmalleger, 2014). The three levels of characteristics of the federal judiciary are the district courts, the courts of appeal and the Supreme Court. The district courts are composed of 94 judicial districts . Federal district courts have jurisdiction over all cases involved alleged violations of federal statutes. The 94 judicial districts are organized into 12 regional circuits each with a court of appeals. The court of appeals hears appeals from district courts within its circuit (Schmalleger, 2014). These courts are also known as circuit courts. The U.S. Supreme Court is the top federal court system in the U.S. It is comprised of nine justices with eight being associates and the ninth being the chief justice (Schmalleger, 2014). The Supreme Courts’ decisions affect the United States by deciding what laws and lower court decisions are in line with the Constitution. Identify and describe the various pre-trial stages of criminal trial. There are various pre-trial stages in a criminal trial. It begins with an arrest when the person is taken into custody. The first appearance is when the defendant appears before a judge. The legality of his or her arrest is contemplated and the defendant is told what he or she is being charged with. The accused will either be kept incarcerated without bail or with bail, the latter being money paid by the arrested in exchange for release. The next stage is the pretrial release in which the accused person is released from custody before or during prosecution. However, there is a condition; the  accused person is required to appear in court when told to do so. Plea bargains are also negotiated. The defendant can agree to plea guilty to a lesser charge than the one he or she is being accused with. A lesser punishment may be in order if they are being accused with multiple offenses. A plea bargain is a debate or negotiation between the defense counsel, defendant and the prosecution. Normally criminal cases end at this stage in order to reduce time and money. References Schmalleger, F. (2014). Criminal Justice: a brief introduction, (10th ed) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Takeaways From Supreme Court Rulings On Buffer Zones, Recess Picks. (2014). National Public Radio.

Profile And Indicators In Pakistan Health And Social Care Essay

Bettering the quality of life is a cardinal end for developing states. To carry through this, it is necessary to better wellness of kids, through achieving enhanced endurance results in the first topographic point. Developing states today, with increasing populations, need to concentrate on this more than of all time. One of the greatest jobs faced is that of utmost poorness – people populating below the poorness line who struggle for survival every twenty-four hours. This paper focuses on analyzing the comparative importance of socio-economic factors that play independent functions on endurance chance for babies, which should supply constructive information to authoritiess in order to assign resources expeditiously and make the development ends. An analysis is carried out on the impact of different variables on infant mortality, and the consequences are collected utilizing informations from over the past two decennaries, from 1990 to 2009.An overview of Health profile and Indexs in Pakistanâ€Å" The wellness profile of Pakistan is characterized by high population growing rate, high baby and child mortality rate, high maternal mortality ratio, and a double load of catching and non-communicable diseases. Malnutrition, diarrhea, acute respiratory unwellness, other catching and vaccine preventable diseases are chiefly responsible for a high load of baby and antenatal mortality, while high maternal mortality is largely attributed to a high birthrate rate, low skilled birth attending rate, illiteracy, malnutrition and deficient entree to exigency obstetric attention services. † ( Health System Profile Pakistan, 2007 ) For case, it is noted that merely 40 % of births are attended by skilled birth attenders. Additionally, malnutrition is widespread in the state, with 30-40 % of the kids being stunted due the deficiency of equal diet. Malnutrition really accounts for about half child deceases every twelvemonth ( Health System Profile Pakistan, 2007 ) . Therefore, investings in wellness sector are considered as an built-in portion of Pakistan authorities ‘s poorness relief attempts. Harmonizing to the Economic Survey of Pakistan ( 2009-2010 ) , there has been a conspicuous betterment in some wellness indexs over the old ages, but Pakistan still ranks ill among others. The National Health Policy of Pakistan ( 2009 ) aims to better the wellness indexs of the state, by presenting basic wellness services, garnering accurate wellness information to direct plan effectivity, and doing tactical usage of the lifting engineering ( Economic Survey, 2009-2010 ) . A figure of plans are in advancement to heighten the overall wellness position by bettering wellness attention and increasing the coverage of wellness attention to assist accomplish the MDGs. Particular attending is being given to the preparation of nurses and several preparation centres are already in operation. This is being done with the end of supplying basic wellness attention services to those who have ne'er had entree to any signifiers of primary wellness attention. The reported figure of registered nurses in Pakistan amounted to 69, 313 in the twelvemonth 2009. ( Economic Survey, 2009-2010 ) . Yet, when placed to international comparing, the position of betterment in wellness in Pakistan is assorted. Compared to Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, for case, Pakistan ‘s infant mortality rate is higher. Similarly, other indexs show that much more advancement would hold to be made compellingly for farther betterment ( Economic Survey, 2009-2010 ) . Although there have been betterments in Pakistan, they are non on par with other developing states.Child wellness, Nutrition, Health hazard factors and MortalityThe Ministry of Health manages the wellness attention system in Pakistan. Child wellness is dependent on assorted factors, such as instruction of parents, income, beginning of clean H2O and improved sanitation installations, figure of child wellness attention Centres and the extent of preparation among wellness workers. The features specifically act uponing baby and child mortality can be classified into single, family and community features ( Islam-Ud-Din, 6 ) . Individual features could be the parents ‘ age at matrimony, age at first birth, income, business and instruction. Household features include H2O and lavatory installations, electricity supply and sewerage connexions, nature of cooking fuels and type of house. Community factors would be prevalence of wellness attention and proper electricity and disposal installations. The deficiency of instruction among parents disables them from deriving an apprehension on gestation issues, every bit good as maternal and wellness attention concerns. Furthermore, the deficiency of nutrient handiness and scarceness consequences in lack of nutrition among female parents and kids, which is an of import factor to see when speaking about kid wellness. The past few old ages have shown high degrees of malnutrition among both, female parents and kids. This has been due to miss of political devotedness to turn to malnutrition, minimum investings made in nutrition sector and deficiency of a clear and focused scheme that has consecutively supplemented child mortality. Breastfeeding is of punctilious concern every bit good since harmonizing to figures gathered from WDI, it amount to merely 36 % of babes under 6-months of age being breastfed. Therefore, nutrient scarceness and deficiency of handiness of equal wellness attention and sanitation installations are the major wellness hazard factors correlated to mortality. Besides, families with lower incomes are unable to afford seeking medical advice from decently skilled physicians, and the figure of locally registered accoucheuses has besides been seen to lift by 74.7 % from 1990 to 26,225 in 2009 ( PSH Survey Data, 2009 ) .1.3 Rural-urban prejudices in Health public presentation and Indexs in PakistanThe populations populating in rural countries and those with lower incomes face troubles in availing clean H2O and sanitation installations and are exposed to environmental pollution and amendss. Better sanitation, H2O and wellness attention installations are observed to an extent in urban countries of Pakistan, but rural countries still lag behind, and face more serious diseases among kids. They face higher hazard of respiratory diseases, hence, raising infant mortality. As a affair of fact, the really contaminated life environments even undermine the consequence of instruction as it significantly affects the wellness and good being of babies and kid s. Although, even less than 30 % of population lives in urban countries of Pakistan, more wellness installations are available as a per centum of population compared to wellness installations in rural countries. ( WDI, 2009 ) The wellness sector has fundamentally grown, but merely in response to demands of the preponderantly urban categories. However, a big ground behind this is the growing in private wellness attention, which has little incentive to turn in rural countries due to widespread poorness afflicting such topographic points. Factors responsible for urban prejudice include medical instruction and the function of authorities in Pakistan. This has been due to the fact that the authorities has centred most medical instruction in urban countries and besides invested to a great extent in urban-centred wellness attention installations, taking to increased urban-rural prejudice. The deficiency of medical instruction besides affects people on the single degree. Families should besides be intelligent about public wellness instruments such as improved aeration in houses, acceptance of hygienic patterns in day-to-day operations, healthful disposal of wastes after cleansing of the cloacas, clean storage and boiling of H2O, and domicile-administration of diarrhea. The deficiency of basic medical instruction prevents this. This would be much effectual in cut downing infant mortality over clip, as people would be able to forestall common wellness jobs. One of the biggest factors making this disparity is that policies are made by the opinion categories and the under-distribution of resources in rural countries is due to entirely the distinguishable category construction in Pakistan. There is a immense disparity between the wellness attention installations provided to more privileged categories.1.4 Millennium Development Goals on Health: Performance spreads and slowdownsThe MDGs screen broad aims, including halving universe poorness and hungriness, every bit good as making cosmopolitan primary instruction, cut downing under-5 and maternal mortality by two-thirds, and halving the figure of people who without entree to safe imbibing H2O by the twelvemonth 2015. ( MDG Report, 2010 ) . Looking at the recent history of the state, accomplishing the mark MDGs for Pakistan by 2015 seems unluckily, dubious. The last decennary has seen mounting insecurity every bit good as incompatibility during General Pervez Musharraf ‘s epoch. Corruptness and offense rates have exceeded past degrees and so has poorness. Besides, there have been issues associating to freedom of media and judiciary. Budget on wellness and instruction is less than two-percent, which is non a ample sum comparing it to the abysmal rates of illiteracy and deficiency of wellness installations and trained physicians in the state. ( -via electronic beginnings ) In order to make the MDG Goal 4, the instance presented in this paper, Pakistan has the mark to cut down it to 77 by 2015, whereas the infant mortality rate is to be reduced to 40 by 2015. The 2009 rate of 70.5 for infant mortality nevertheless, reflects that there is non much likeliness of it being achieved. The proportion of kids of age less than one twelvemonth immunized against rubeolas has to increase to more than 90 % but this mark is still stuck at 80 % . However, it is a alleviation to cognize that coverage of Lady Health workers, which is to be universal by 2015, has increased to 80 % and is on the trail to be attained. ( WDI, 2009 ) However, still in some instances the complete information is non be available, the ground being that most developing states do non bring forth dependable and accurate figures on most indexs, such as on baby and kid mortality, H2O entree and poorness. Many states that are well hapless and more vulnerable, such as Pakistan, do non describe any informations on most MDGs. Even when it is available, there are compatibility issues and significant clip slowdowns are involved. Hence, bettering on informations garnering techniques and quality should be the cardinal focal point. These are indispensable non merely to accomplish MDGs but besides for single states in order to pull off their development schemes ( Bourguignon et al. , 2008 ) .1.5 Health policies in Pakistan and Initiatives for Child wellnessReforms in wellness sector of Pakistan took the signifier of five year-plans ab initio in the 1990s. The first national wellness policy was announced in 1997, with the purpose to better the well ness position of the state by supplying cosmopolitan coverage of quality wellness attention through an incorporate Primary Health Care ( PHC ) attack. The 2010 vision for the wellness sector development provides for a wide-ranging and better-quality wellness attention for all sections of society ( -via electronic beginnings ) . Priority wellness programmes include the National EPI Programme, the Prime Minister ‘s Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care, Maternal and Child wellness, Reproductive wellness, the National ARI and Diarrheal Disease Control Programme, Malaria Control Programme, National Tuberculosis Control Programme, National AIDS Control Programme, Nutrition, Mental wellness, Oral and Dental wellness, Health Promotion and Health Education, School Health Programme, Food Quality Control System, Food Support Programme and Food Security Programme. These last three come under the nutritionary plans for wellness. ( Economic Survey, 2009-2010 ) The main purpose of the plans is to cut down Under-five mortality to 52 per 1000 unrecorded births, infant mortality rate to 40 per 1000 unrecorded births, and maternal mortality ratio to 140 by the twelvemonth 2015, through utilizing intercession schemes. Besides, the proportion of annual old kids immunized against rubeolas is targeted to be increased to 85 % , and proportion of births attended by skilled wellness staff is to be increased to 90 % by 2015. Schemes to battle TB, Malaria, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and other catching diseases have besides been planned ( Economic Survey, 2009-2010 ) . Over the past several old ages, the Government of Pakistan has started a figure of undertakings and plans that aim at recuperating wellness results related to female parent, newborn and child wellness. These have been initiated with both with public sector money, and planetary development associates. The undertakings comprise of the Women Health Project ( WHP ) , Pakistan Initiative of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health ( PAIMAN ) , Pakistan Health Systems Strengthening Project ( GAVI-HSS ) and National Program for Family Planning and Primary Health Care PHC/FP ( LHW Program ) . The National Program for PHC/FP is aspired to supply MNCH services at easy entree of the community and works in the way of ducting the spread amid communities and wellness installations, as a consequence, recovering the easiness towards indispensable wellness attention services through the LHWs. This has demonstrated to be successful enterprise in supplying basic wellness services at the territory degree thou gh its impact on the Maternal and Child Mortality is non really momentous ( -via electronic beginnings ) . Furthermore, to strengthen the resource spreads in the bing service rescue for seting wellness of Mother, Newborn and Child Health on the route to recovery, and to recognize MDG Goals 4 and 5, the Government of Pakistan has instigated the National Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Programme ( NMNCH ) in 2006 as good. ( National Program For Maternal Newborn and Child Health, 2006-2012 )1.6 Keywords and DefinitionsEysenck personality inventory: Expanded Program for Immunization Infant Mortality Rate ( IMR ) : The per centum of kids deceasing under one twelvemonth of age per 1000 unrecorded births. LHWs: Lady Health Workers MDGs: Millennium Development Goals ; a planetary committedness of puting up and following the mark ends towards eliminating utmost degrees of poorness. Millennium Development Goal 4: A set mark to cut down the mortality rate among kids under five by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. PSH: Pakistan Statistical Handbook WDI: World Development Indexs1.7 Study AimsThe survey will try to explicate the factors act uponing infant mortality rate It will exemplify the bing steps, every bit good as the steps that would be helpful to follow in future. It will place the hazards associated increasing infant mortality rates, as a developing state compared to the planetary universe It would place indexs which would enable take downing the IMR in Pakistan. Performance of demographic and socio-economic indexs would be assessed in order to analyze their impact and come out for policy schemes to be adopted in Pakistan to assist stabilise and lower these rates, and lead Pakistan to accomplish MDG Goal 4.Chapter 2 – Literature Reappraisal2.1 An overview of Child wellness in Developing and Developed Countries

Rise and Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Rise and Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte - Essay Example Probably, it led to overestimation of his abilities and eventually led to his defeat. Napoleon – Early Years Napoleon Bonaparte was born in a wealthy family in Ajaccio, on the Mediterranean Island of Corsica on 15th August 1769. His father, Carol Bonaparte, was a lawyer and a political opportunist. At that time, Corsica had just been sold to France by Genoa. So, Napoleon was not of French origin. According to Marsh, there were both luck and personal factors which favored Napoleon in his rise to power (5). As his father climbed the political ladder and as his mother had connections with Corsica’s French military governor, Napoleon had the chance to enter the military academy at Brienne in the year 1779. As Landau points out, it was this entry into military that acted as the very basis of his rise to power. With extraordinary talent in areas like mathematics, the workaholic genius graduated as a second lieutenant in the artillery in the year 1785 (18). Though Napoleon was posted on the French mainland, he was able to engage actively in the Corsican politics. Though he supported Corsican rebel Pasquale Paoli in the beginning, there were differences in opinion later on, and the Bonaparte had to flee to France. The French Revolution during the latter half of the 18th century was a fertile soil for individuals with talent to come to the fore. Fremont-Barnes reflects that the people agitated throughout France in a protest against the atrocities committed by the wealthy and the church (58). Soon, King Louis was imprisoned and executed. Following this, the revolutionary government declared France a republic. However, there was total chaos as the nation was ruled by various fractions; and most notable of them was the Jacobin group led by Maximilien Robespierre. This revolutionary government in France shocked monarchies throughout Europe. Empires like Austria, Prussia, Russia, and Great Britain wanted to suppress the revolution and bring monarchy back to pow er in France. Soon, in 1972, the empires declared war on France. However, France was not fit to face them as the revolution had eliminated its military officers. Many of them had been killed and many had already fled the place. The Toulon Siege and the Path Ahead Thus, in the year 1793, Napoleon was commissioned as a captain in the artillery and was assigned to the units which were engaged in the task of eliminating British Garrison from the southern port of Toulon as it was found to be helping Royalist uprising. There, sheer luck came into play as he was made the commander of the siege on 16th September 1793. He was offered the position because the existing commander of the artillery was wounded (â€Å"Napoleon Bonaparte†). In the new position, Napoleon exhibited skill and mastery by capturing two important forts and eliminating the British fleet from the port. Though it was not a major victory, he managed to present it as a great achievement. As the entire French army was m arred by untrained people and lack of leadership, his performance, though minor, was noticed by a number of powerful men in Paris. This was followed by his ascend to the rank of Brigadier General. After this, Napoleon joined the campaign in Italy as the commandant of the artillery. However, by this time, the political atmosphere in Paris was rather bad as people were feeling highly insecure under the Directory, and, as a result, Robespierre was executed and

Abraham Lincoln, Slavery and the Civil War Essay - 1

Abraham Lincoln, Slavery and the Civil War - Essay Example During the war in November 1863, President Lincoln gave the famous Gettysburg Address speech at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The main point in his speech was about segregation of the blacks â€Å"our country was founded on freedom and equality† (Johnson 144). By the time the war came to an end, both African Americans and the white Americans had participated to save the union and stop slavery, and both losing a great number in the war. However, there has been a question of whether there was a connection between the recruitment of African Americans to fight in the Union Army and the overall message of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address or whether the two developments were completely separate. When the war began in 1861, black units were not used in combat as extensively as they might have been due to prejudice against them. There was fear that the blacks were not as competent enough as the white soldiers and their first recruitment came in 1862 (James 118). It was found necessary to have the blacks also join the war due to the declining number of white volunteers, and the increasingly pressing personnel needs of the Union Army which pushed the Government to reconsider the ban. The African American soldiers were referred to as the United States colored troops. Concerns over the response of white soldiers and officers, as well as the effectiveness of a colored fighting force were raised (James165). Another major fear of recruiting the Blacks in the army was the fear of response of the Border States Border States withdrawing membership from the states, â€Å"The Lincoln administration wrestled with the idea of authorizing the recruitment of black troops† (Johnson 120) . Since the government had called out people to volunteer in the army, they were afraid that should the blacks be introduced in to the army, the officers who had volunteered would withdraw and this would be a setback in the war. Even after recruitment of the blacks to the army in 1863, they were discriminated against with lower payments as compared to their counterparts. Lincoln’s speech at Gettysburg rose the declaration of Independence, mentioned its principles of liberty and equality, and he talked of "a new birth of freedom" for the country (Johnson 46). In his brief address, he went ahead to reshape the aims of the war for the American people transforming it from a war for Union to that for freedom. Having advocated for freedom from slavery, winning the war meant an end to the vice thereby freedom. It is important to note that the black troops faced greater peril than white troops when captured by the Confederate Army. In 1863 the Confederate Congress threatened to punis h severely officers of black troops and to enslave black soldiers. As a result, President Lincoln issued General Order 233, threatening retaliation on Confederate prisoners of war (POWs) for any mistreatment of black troops. The South feared Lincoln’s reign which also contributed to the war when he took power. With these facts put down, we can conclude that Lincoln had sincerely advocated for equality. According to the revised official data by James, â€Å"African American soldiers comprised 10% of the entire Union Army (James 42). Of the approximately 180,000 United States Colored troops, and over 36,000 died, or 20.5% (James 32). In other words, the mortality rate amongst the United States Colored Troops in the Civil War was thirty-five percent greater than that among other troops† (James 72). These figures support Lincolns administration against

Human Resource Development in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Resource Development in UK - Essay Example It is necessary for the professional stage to have skilled people with the required talent. It can be made possible to obtain such skill by buying them from outside the organization; that is, recruitment. However, it is also possible to achieve this by training and developing the present employees. Human Resource Development (HRD) is a planned approach that is used in order to invest in human capital. The reason that HRD is important is that one of the most essential factors for the development of a successful industry in the UK happens to the investment is skills. It draws on other human resource processes, for example resourcing and performance evaluation, so that the real and probable talent can be recognized. HRD presents a structure for self-development, training courses and career progression so that an organization's future skill requirements can be met with. In order to respond to restriction against the job market, there should be human capital development in the form of education and skills training. It is possible that some skills are scarce even when there is high employment. Newswire Today reports that in 2007 a report was issued by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) entitled "UK Skills: Making the Grade". This report was based on a survey of over 300 employers. According to this report, 55% of the employers who were evaluated are finding it more difficult to employ skilled workers now as compared to five years ago. In order to deal with this problem, in the same year the UK Government announced a major expansion in skills investment for England of over 11 billion for each of the next three years. Total spending on learning and skills is likely to increase to 12.3 billion a year by 2010/11. This compares with the 6.5 billion spent in 2001/02 (Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills, n.d.). A lot of disparity is present education and training levels of different countries. For example, in Germany they consider technology and production as high status activities. For them to succeed in such areas they have to have a high level of technical training. Thus, German businesses feel greater importance to technical advantage than, say, those in the UK. In the UK not only technology is important but other areas as well, even the ones unconnected to the engineering and technical side. One example can be the Film Industry. It is only recently that the Film Industry has been credited but nonetheless, it is fact that the UK has tried to make it successful. For this, the Film Industry Training Board has been set up. The aim of the board is to improve skills development in the UK film industry. This is only the first industrial training board that has been set up in around 20 years. Industry Training Boards are constitutional organizations that were set up

Organizational behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Organizational behaviour - Essay Example Team-based working is not same as group-working; the latter usually refers to two or more individuals that come together to achieve a common goal or share similar interests whereas the former entails and instills synergy through collective working and striving towards achievement of a common goal and usually results in enhanced performance. Katzenbach and Smith (1993; qtd in DeCarlo, 2010) define a team as, â€Å"a small number of people with complementary subject matter expertise who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals, and a common approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.† Teams can be of various types such as cross-functional teams, self-managed teams, virtual teams and problem solving or project teams. Accenture uses all these structures of teams to achieve its varied goals in diversified businesses across multiple locations. From a sociological and evolutionary perspective, it is true that ‘man’ is a social being a nd cannot live in isolation for longer time and achieve his desired goals. The same holds true in terms of his/her actions and performance. On another note, as pointed out by West and Markiewicz (2004; p.2), â€Å"To live, work, and play in human society is to cooperate with others.† These reasons are sufficient to advocate team-based working in highly competitive business environment. In an ideal state, team-based working is meant to bring together different people with diverse skills, attitudes, and experiences to come together and work towards a common goal. Such working is seen as an advantage by business leaders as it fosters innovative ideas, reduces erroneous activities/work, improves emotional statuses of employees and reduces individual stress. At Accenture, complex and... This paper says that team-based working involves grouping individuals that share common goals and interests; however, at an organisational level, these groups are formed on the basis of individuals’ abilities, skill-set, and job for which they are hired or job responsibilities. To sum up, the paper approves that on one hand team-based working facilitates better outcomes in less stressful manner and helps in establishing better relationships with other employees and customers and with employees across different functions. This structure improves communication process and helps in obtaining better understanding of expectations and goals, procedures and processes, and individuals’ abilities and weaknesses. On the whole, the team’s value and assets, in terms of people, knowledge, and resources, increases greatly compared to average value of individuals of the team put together. On the other side, team-based working comes with numerous challenges such as high potential for dysfunctioning of the team in the absence of right team members, effective leadership, appropriate resources and objectives, and the right approach to teamwork. Effective coordination and communication and appropriate cooperation among team members is essential to maintain harmon y among team members and in turn achieve desired objectives. Challenges surface in terms of differences at various levels such as profession, culture, personality, attitudes, roles, self-interests, and respective functional or organisational expectations.

Unit 6 assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Unit 6 assignment 2 - Essay Example Organizations that introduce the study in back pain in relation to organization processes enhances their processes and performance as back pain is a major factor leading to disability and absence at work that in turn, affects work productivity. Indeed, back pain affects employees ability to perform effectively thus affecting the overall productivity of the organization. This study is particularly relevant in addressing how back pain can lead to absenteeism and inability to do some operations hence deriving adverse effects on the productivity of the organization. More so, subject to the increasing number of individuals that complain of back pain, this study will significantly establish the correlation between back pain and work productivity. Indeed, about 70-85% of adults will have low back pain at some point in their lives (Rooney, 2008). This makes back pain a dominant compliant among the workers. As such, its effects on the productivity of an organization range from absenteeism, de lays in deadlines and deliverables, high operation costs, and low productivity. Hence, the study on finding solutions to back pain is quite significant as it will increase workplace productivity, and reduce sick-leave absence. The researcher predicted the results of this doctoral study to influence positive social change by improving employee productivity, lowering cases of absenteeism, and increasing effectiveness in the organization. Indeed, back pain has a direct relationship with the worker’s ability and availability to participate effectively in operations of an organization. As such, by raising awareness on the probable way of preventing and controlling back pain in an organization, it would encourage workers to adopt the yoga exercises to curb back pain. Ultimately, this will increase the worker’s participation and working years in the organization that results to a better retirement benefits. Moreover, the resultant increased productivity would guarantee

Perspective on Conflict, Conflict Interests and Goals, and Coursework

Perspective on Conflict, Conflict Interests and Goals, and Interpersonal Negotiation - Coursework Example Parties enter into conflicts because their objectives are not being met and they want to achieve their goals in all cases. Entering into conflicts is in the interest of no party. It only tends to weaken the integrity of the organization because the overall morale declines. Conflicts should be resolved as soon as possible either at personal level or through the use of mediation strategies. If conflicts remain unresolved, this affects the productivity and job dissatisfaction continues to increase which is harmful for everybody in the long run. It is very crucial that interpersonal negotiation is conducted among the conflicting parties so that they are brought together on a communicative platform where they can work out a solution that acceptable to all parties involved. Interpersonal negotiation requires the mediator to have such skills with which he is able to bring all parties together at equal level so that they can discuss their problems with each other and work toward resolving the

Collaboration and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Collaboration and Ethics - Essay Example Effective strategies should be learned as well in addressing possible conflicts, which they may encounter in each stage of the process. It is necessary for conflicts to be acknowledged and addressed instead of denying their existence. Failure to address the onset of conflicts may discourage educators from voicing out their standpoint towards an issue, which is the vital initial step in resolving conflicts, so as to establish lasting objectives and tactics that will settle issues and concerns in teaching and management of educational institutions. As a future licensed teacher, collaboration is a very essential tool in my personal and professional development. Although working generally on my own develops independence and mental creativity, working together with other educators could make me think more outside the box, promote social interaction, and give me ample opportunities to contribute my skills and ideas. Learning the concept of collaboration has provided me a concrete guide in conducting classes, creating projects, and evaluating students, to name a few. It has also improved my strategies in lesson planning and my approach on students from different levels and areas of study. Gaining knowledge about collaboration in teaching will certainly help my future students veer away from traditional or even obsolete methods which would in turn make them more equipped, advanced, and competitive. (Learning Forward,

Writing With Description Essay Example for Free

Writing With Description Essay Before you begin your paragraph, you have to be sure to pick something that is worth describing. If you want to describe a character, make sure the person is interesting in some way. If you want to describe an object, make sure it has some deeper meaning beyond itself so you have enough to write about. If you pick a place, make sure you can describe it in a unique way that can capture a readers attention. For example, in the opening pages of _The Catcher in the Rye,_ Holden Caulfield describes a baseball mitt. The mitt itself is not that remarkable, but he describes it in a way that fills it with meaning because it used to belong to his deceased brother. Though not every object you describe needs an elaborate backstory, if it has some meaning behind it, this can help the description carry weight. If you want to pick a place, dont just pick any old spot at a beach, but one that is meaningful to you or, if youre writing fiction, to one of your characters in some way. This can add a layer of depth to the place in question. INTRODUCE THE PERSON, PLACE, OR THING YOU ARE DESCRIBING. If you want to get the readers attention, then you should let him or her know what youre describing as soon as possible instead of leaving them guessing. Here is an example of some opening lines in a descriptive paragraph: _Natashas basement was our sanctuary. I return to it in my best dreams and wake up feeling like I could die happy._ These opening sentences introduce the subject that is being described, the basement of the narrators friend. They make it clear that this place is very important to the narrator. ENGAGE YOUR READERS SENSE OF SIGHT. You can start with what the reader can see and appeal to his or her sense of sight to help introduce the object. Since sight is the most helpful sense, any good descriptive paragraph must  first discuss what the writer wants the reader to visualize. Using strong adjectives to illustrate your scene, moment, experience or item to the reader will help provide a visual picture in your readers mind. Keep in mind that, while adjectives can help convey a sense of the subject, overusing them can lead to boring, overwrought writing. Heres an example of the opening of a descriptive paragraph: _Even today I could paint a perfect picture of it, right up to the last piece of neglected pizza crust festering under the ping-pong table._ Immediately, the reader is given a visual description of some things in the basement: old pizza crust and a ping-pong table. The reader is given a sense of a messy, chaotic place.

Applications of Natural Science to Social Science

Applications of Natural Science to Social Science What can social science learn from natural science? Like all social sciences, the field of international relations attempts to provide both theoretical and practical insights into human behavior through the application of scientific principles. The inherent difficulty in social sciences, however, is just that – the attempt to provide insight into human behavior, which is notoriously resistant to attempts at predicting it through the means of logic. The personal relationship between the social scientist and the subject matter s/he studies, vs. and the natural scientist and the matter being studied tends to differ by virtue of both ideology and subjectivity; the natural scientist is bound, ethically, to conform his or her beliefs to the evidence gleaned from scientific method. Often, however, the ethical boundaries in the social sciences are less clear and more subject to the personal biases of the person doing the studying; the beliefs or theories are often used to tailor the evidence. The studied objectivity expected of the nat ural scientist is well-suited to the abstract or the impersonal elements of study; objectivity becomes more difficult to sustain when the inherently subjective matters of human behavior come into play in such social sciences as international relations. Given the often national or global human consequences of the application of theories of international relations, is it possible to remain neutral? Natural scientists believe that their work is ethically neutral. To be sure, their work can be put to good and bad uses, but this presumably reflects on the users rather than on the content of the science itself. The relationship between social science and the values of the social scientist seems far more immediate and direct than this, and this alleged contrast has been the subject for continuing discussion and debate†¦ Our observations of the social world seem even more coloured by the theory we employ than is the case in the natural sciences. (Ruben, 1998) Within the field of international relations, the aforementioned debate manifests itself in the competition between positivist and post-positivist theories. Positivist theories operate under the conviction that the principles of study as applied in the natural sciences, i.e. scientific method, and the analysis of quantifiable, measurable, and repeatable evidence, are applicable, valid, and valuable in the field of international relations. Positivist theories hold that the behavior of nation-states and the individuals who influence the policies of nation-states can be observed, studied, predicted, and reliably understood through the application of those theories. Examples of positivist international relations theories include liberalism, realism, neo-liberalism, and neo-realism (which we shall discuss in a moment). Post-positivist theories, such as social constructivism or international society theories, reject the notion that social systems, such as those in international relations, c an be studied in an objective manner that is free of value judgments. Scientific method, to adherents of post-positivist theories, is of little use in the field of international relations and those of this school of thought believe that ethics and other normative value concepts must be always be an inherent component of international relations studies. What exactly are the tenets of the scientific method, and how can they be usefully applied to social sciences such as international relations? In brief, the scientific method relies on the developing and testing of hypotheses designed to explain phenomena, in this case human phenomena, the behavior of nation-states. The studies are designed to test the hypotheses in a variety of different situations, tested by controlled experiments, the variables of which are carefully controlled and monitored by experts trained and qualified in the field of study. The evidence gathered by the studies is freely shared with other scientists for use in their own work, and theories that fail to hold up under rigorous examination must be discarded, modified, and/or updated without regard to personal attachment or subjective opinions. What is most difficult about the application of scientific method to the social sciences is the difficulty in maintaining consistency and reliability within controlled experiment situations. The ideal location for controlled experiments is, of course, a laboratory where scientists can carefully control any and all variables which might affect the outcome of the study and hence undermine or support the theory or hypothesis being tested. Human behavior is rarely confined to laboratory settings, however, and what is true about human behavior in this regard is even more true when it comes to collective human behavior, i.e., the behavior of nation-states. Further compounding the difficulty in maintaining controlled experiment environments with respect to international relations is that on the macrocosmic level of the world stage, the variables affecting the behavior of nation-states are not only numerous but their causal relationships are not always clear, linear, or even logical to an ob server, even if trained. There is little room for sentimental attachment to theories that fail to predict or solve international relations problems such as war or genocide, and to the extent that difficulty in adherence to scientific method leaves room for the dangerous influence of personal subjectivity, creative ways to maximize rigid application of scientific theory to international relations is key to the usefulness of positivist theories. One of the fundamental scientific theories underpinning most positivist international relations theories is a concept known as rational choice theory. (Rational choice theory is not unique or native to international relations; indeed, it is widely used in other social sciences such as economics and sociology.) Rational choice theory holds, on a basic level, that human beings generally use reason and rational processes to achieve a desired end or ends that they may seek at any given point in time – instrumental reason, in other words. Individuals, whether they be literal single human beings, or nation-states, who operate within the paradigm of rational choice theory are known as rational actors. Noted political theorists Shapiro and Green (1994) offered their analysis of how rational choice theory manifests itself in the context of international relations by identifying four elemental characteristics: 1) Rational actors employ the concept of utility maximization, which means th at where there are a variety of options for a rational actor to achieve its goals, it will choose the option calculated to have the maximum potential to improve its welfare; 2) The rational actor possesses the ability to evaluate the possible consequences of selecting any one of its various options to improve its welfare and prioritize the appeal of said options; 3) rational choice theory is at its core a theory of individual behavior, and though international relations is largely the study of groups of individuals who comprise the rational actors which populate the world stage, rational choice theory assumes and depends on the pre-eminence of the individual; and 4) rational choice theory is universally applicable. Rational choice theory in international relations is also closely related to rational choice theory in economics, insofar as economics describes the competition for allocation of finite resources,and in international relations, the competition between rational actors for those resources as they seek to improve their welfare and achieve their various goals. The two chief positivist manifestations of rational choice theory in international relations, then, are liberalism and realism, the former holding that nation-states are inherently predisposed to cooperate because of the self-evident futility of war, and the latter holding the opposite, that cooperation between nation-states is merely an incidental function of states seeking maximize their respective welfares and that the behavior of nation-states must always be seen through a prism which presupposes a primacy of self-interest among rational actors. The realist school of thought has largely predominated in the field of international relations for several decades, though it has been heavily criticized by those who believe realism is devoid of necessary ethical and moral compasses required to identify times when rational actors may not behave quite so rationally, thereby incurring human suffering. Realist international relations are heavily dependent upon multinational, multilateral go verning bodies such as NATO, the United Nations, etc., and individual nation-states’ adherence to the norms proscribed by membership in these types of institutions. Clearly, however, common sense provides us with numerous examples where both rational choice theory and realism have failed to accurately predict irrational behavior by nation-states and/or their leaders, and thus failed to predict and alleviate human suffering. Critiques of rational choice theory and realism point to the Holocaust, genocide in Sudan, Saddam Hussein’s attack on Kuwait, etc., as recent and painful examples of the failure of an over-dependency on theoretical models to predict complex human behavior. Realist international relations paradigms successfully guided the world through the Cold War without an additional conflict along the scale of World Wars I and II, however, so they cannot be held to be meritless. The application of scientific method to international relations is in part a function of necessity rather than any proof that the interactions of nation-states are easily describable by unassailably accurate theories; in short, attempts to analyze human behavior on a global scale, however imperfect, is a far preferable modus operandi than simply guessing as to why nation-states behave as they do. The stakes are simply too high – human lives, human welfare, for example for ad hoc guesswork to be the de facto methodology of international relations. An acknowledgement of the limitations of scientific method as applied in the social sciences is as important as its very application. BIBLIOGRAPHY Ruben, David-Hillel. (1998). â€Å"Social science, philosophy of,† In E. Craig (Ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. London: Routledge. Available from:  http://www.rep.routledge.com/article/R047 Coleman, J. S. and Ferrero, M. (1992) Rational Choice Theory: Advocacy and  Critique. London: Sage Green, D.P. and Shapiro, I. (1994) Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory: A Critique of Applications in Political Science. New Haven: Yale University Press. Shepsle, K. A. and Bonchek, M. S. (1997) Analyzing Politics. London: Norton.

The Wind in the Willows: Kenneth Grahame and Neopaganism Essay

The Wind in the Willows: Kenneth Grahame and Neopaganism  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   The beauty of the English countryside--cultivated or wild, pastoral or primeval, it was an endless source of inspiration for eighteenth-century Romantic poets. Such notables as Wordsworth, Keats, and Shelley envisioned ancient and exotic Hellenic gods in familiar, typically British settings. Douglas Bush says of Keats, "For him the common sights of Hampstead Heath could suggest how poets had first conceived of fauns and dryads, of Psyche and Pan and Narcissus and Endymion" ( Pagan Myth 46). Later writers, clearly influenced by the Romantic world view, would describe idealized pastoral scenes in terms of "the rich meadow-grass . . . of a freshness and a greenness unsurpassable . . . . the roses so vivid, the willow-herb so riotous . . ." (Grahame, Wind 911). This was the haunt of Nature personified: Then suddenly the Mole felt a great Awe fall upon him, an awe that turned his muscles to water, bowed his head, and rooted his feet to the ground. It was no panic terror-- indeed he felt wonderfully at peace and happy . . . he looked in the very eyes of the Friend and Helper; saw the backward sweep of the curved horns, gleaming in the growing daylight; saw the stern, hooked nose between the kindly eyes that were looking down on them humorously, while the bearded mouth broke into a half-smile at the corners; saw the rippling muscles on the arm that lay across the broad chest, the long supple hand still holding the pan-pipes only just fallen away from the parted lips; saw the splendid curves of the shaggy limbs disposed in majestic ease on the sward . . . . (912] Pan's appearance in "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" constitutes my most vivid impressio... ...dence in the Victorian Fin de Siecle . Princeton: Princeton UP, 1986. Grahame, Kenneth. Pagan Papers . 5th ed. 1898. London: Lane, 1914. ---. The Wind in the Willows . 1908. Classics of Children's Literature . Ed. John W. Griffith and Charles H. Frey. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice, 1996. 865-957. "Grahame, Kenneth." Yesterday's Authors of Books for Children . Ed. Anne Commire. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1977. 144-153. Green, Peter. Kenneth Grahame: A Biography . Cleveland: World, 1959. "Kenneth Grahame." Children's Literature Review . Ed. Gerard J. Senick. Vol. 5. Detroit: Gale, 1983. 109-136. Sale, Roger. "Kenneth Grahame." Fairy Tales and After . Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1978. 165-193. Wullschlager, Jackie. "Kenneth Grahame: Et in Arcadia Ego." Inventing Wonderland . New York: Free P, 1995. 143-174.   

Switching Places Mark Twains The Prince and the Pauper :: Essays Papers

Switching Places Mark Twains The Prince and the Pauper The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain was a fun book to read, but it didn’t match the normal profile of a Mark Twain novel. Everything that I have read by him was set in the Mississippi River Valley before the Civil War. The Prince and the Pauper was set in sixteenth century England. The story revolves around a Prince and a Pauper if you can imagine that. Both Prince Edward Tudor and Tom Canty were born on the same day. Edward was welcome by the whole country as an heir to the throne, but Tom’s family didn’t want him because they were too poor as it was. The book mentions this and then keeps to the boys teenage years. Tom grew up in Offal Court. He had a very tough life. His dad made him go out on the streets and beg all day and if he didn’t get enough money his father and grandmother would beat him . If he thought he raised enough money for a day, he would go to Father Andrew’s church and learn to read and speak Latin. Tom’s biggest wish was to see a real prince dressed like royalty. He got this wish one day when he was walking by the king’s palace and saw a boy his own age. He got closer to the fence and a guard grabbed him and pushed him away. The prince saw all of this and told the guard to let Tom in the palace. Prince Edward fed Tom and the started talking about each other’s lives and switched clothes. Then, Edward noticed the bruise on Tom’s hand and went to punish the guard. Dressed in Tom’s old clothes, the prince was thrown out of the palace by the guard. Tom was suddenly Edward, Prince of Wales and Edward, Tom Canty of Offal Court. Tom was not refined enough to be a prince. While at state dinners, he had no clue what to do and just began to stress out King Henry. Tom’s father found Edward and took him home and beat him because he hadn’t collected enough money from begging. He kept proclaiming that he was the Prince of Wales, but no one believed him. That night, Tom’s father found out he was wanted for murder and began to run. Switching Places Mark Twains The Prince and the Pauper :: Essays Papers Switching Places Mark Twains The Prince and the Pauper The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain was a fun book to read, but it didn’t match the normal profile of a Mark Twain novel. Everything that I have read by him was set in the Mississippi River Valley before the Civil War. The Prince and the Pauper was set in sixteenth century England. The story revolves around a Prince and a Pauper if you can imagine that. Both Prince Edward Tudor and Tom Canty were born on the same day. Edward was welcome by the whole country as an heir to the throne, but Tom’s family didn’t want him because they were too poor as it was. The book mentions this and then keeps to the boys teenage years. Tom grew up in Offal Court. He had a very tough life. His dad made him go out on the streets and beg all day and if he didn’t get enough money his father and grandmother would beat him . If he thought he raised enough money for a day, he would go to Father Andrew’s church and learn to read and speak Latin. Tom’s biggest wish was to see a real prince dressed like royalty. He got this wish one day when he was walking by the king’s palace and saw a boy his own age. He got closer to the fence and a guard grabbed him and pushed him away. The prince saw all of this and told the guard to let Tom in the palace. Prince Edward fed Tom and the started talking about each other’s lives and switched clothes. Then, Edward noticed the bruise on Tom’s hand and went to punish the guard. Dressed in Tom’s old clothes, the prince was thrown out of the palace by the guard. Tom was suddenly Edward, Prince of Wales and Edward, Tom Canty of Offal Court. Tom was not refined enough to be a prince. While at state dinners, he had no clue what to do and just began to stress out King Henry. Tom’s father found Edward and took him home and beat him because he hadn’t collected enough money from begging. He kept proclaiming that he was the Prince of Wales, but no one believed him. That night, Tom’s father found out he was wanted for murder and began to run.

Comparing Southwest and Continental Airlines Essay -- Business, Compar

Introduction In order for companies to maximize profits and productivity, it is important that they implement managerial economics on both a day-to-day and strategic basis. This paper will compare and contrast Southwest and Continental Airlines from a managerial economic perspective. The goal of the paper is to critically analyze both companies on their use of managerial economic practices. The Airline industry is a capitally intensive industry, and because of this companies within the Airline industry focus greatly upon cost, as well as revenue generation. If costs increase beyond control, profitability will soon decrease. Southwest were quick to learn that if they were going to run their company in a profitable manner they had to first establish their market, and then make every effort to keep costs low. In the early 1970’s soon after their inception, Southwest established the ten-minute turn. This was the ability to unload and reload passengers, refill the plane with gasoline, and make all the necessary checks, all within a ten-minute window. They had to keep their planes in the air as much as possible, because of their low price, high frequency market niche. â€Å"Part of the great strength they’ve had, is that they have consistently followed a pattern of keeping costs low in every place they have gone.† (Freiberg, 1996, p35) Continental also looked to keep costs low. In 1994, Continental was renowned as a cost cutting airline. â€Å"We were stuck in our mold of being a cost cutting airline, and if you weren’t talking about cutting costs, nobody at the top wanted to hear you† (Bethune, 1998, p10) The problem Continental experienced were that they cut costs to such an extent that it became the culture of the company. When Gordon ... ... in the right direction. Southwest, built on a solid foundation, have developed into a well-managed company that continues to move forward into the future. My main criticism of the Southwest book, was that is was written from an extremely optimistic viewpoint, the authors obviously being big fans of Southwest. The book was not shy in retelling the many successful ventures of Southwest, but held back on the many problems they have encountered in their history. From Worst to First on the other hand gave information from a negative and positive perspective, although as Gordon Bethune wrote the book, we also might assume some level of bias. Both books were an extremely useful learning tool, a refreshing change from many dry textbooks. They demonstrate that there is no one-way to run a company, even within the same industry, Southwest and Continental being examples.

Sex and Gender in Sally Potter’s Orlando

Critically assess Judith Butler’s notion that gender is not a primary category, but an attribute, a set of secondary narrative effects. Your answer should make reference to Sally Potter’s film Orlando. Though Judith Butler asserts that gender is not of any importance, her writings on this notion, understandably, must put a lot of emphasis on the subject of sex. How else could she prove her theory, if not through a discussion of the unimportance of gender? In any case, her hypothesis is one that practically defines Sally Potter’s Orlando. Based on the novelette of the same name by Virginia Woolf, the film depicts an androgynous young man’s curiously long and forever-youthful life, and his slow transformation from man to woman. It is surely a tale that represents Butler’s concern of the eventual unimportance of gender throughout history. Orlando opens with the assertion by the narrator (voiced by the eponymous character) that â€Å"there can be no doubt about his sex, despite the feminine appearance that every young man of the time aspires to. The young nobleman Orlando acts as messenger for Queen Elizabeth, who, captivated by the young man’s beauty, offers him a castle, land and an inheritance for him and his heirs. These possessions will only be his on the condition that he does not â€Å"fade†, â€Å"wither† or â€Å"grow old†. We see the young Orlando fall deeply in love with a young woman, Princess Sasha, whom he loses to another man. Heartbroken, he decides to travel the world throughout the early stages of his long life. Orlando, having experienced war, violence and other such male endeavours, becomes disenchanted with the way men think and behave. He returns home to his estate as a woman. Here, she is told that as the estate belongs to Lord Orlando, or to his heirs, she must leave, as neither title applies to her. Rejected by society, Orlando finds acceptance and solace in the arms of the handsome Captain Shelmardine, the first man with whom she is sexually intimate. It is Shelmardine who makes Orlando realise what identity she truly wants – that of a mother. After all, she â€Å"came into this world searching for companionship. † Centuries later, we see Orlando, still a woman â€Å"for there can be no doubt about her sex†¦ even] with the slightly androgynous appearance that many females of the time aspire to†. She is visiting her old home with a happy young girl – her daughter. Orlando has finally found an identity she is comfortable with. In further commentary on the nature of gender as a secondary narrative, Butler once claimed that â€Å"gender is in no way a stable identity†. This, for all intents and purposes, could be the tagline for Orlando. The titular character is an androgynous being, with no strong convictions about which sex they would rather be. On her transformation into a woman, Orlando commented mildly; â€Å"Same person. No difference at all. Just a different sex†. Butler also commented that sex is an identity obtained, not through physical attributes, but through a performance. A perception of gender is imitated, â€Å"instituted through bodily styles†. However, the critic does not mention appearance; she is merely referring to the understanding of each gender being conveyed through certain physical gestures, movements or actions. Therefore, one’s gender is only as real as our performance of it. The same is true of Orlando, behaves in a comically awkward manner while getting used to her first dress. Being unfamiliar with the heavy frame and netting of her skirt, she walks down her hallway, bumping into furniture and awkwardly swinging her dress to the left to side-step a maid who passes by. In her first social situation, she stomps self-consciously into the drawing room, and then plonks herself down on a couch, rather ungracefully. She hasn’t taken on the grace of a woman, so she still seems to be a man, masquerading as a woman. Butler goes on to describe the gender performance as â€Å"one with clearly punitive consequences†. In short, failing at sufficiently portraying your gender through â€Å"bodily styles† will result in punishment, which is often in the form of alienation. The Lady Orlando confuses her society with her transformation. In a way, her failure to be Lord Orlando, a man, sees her cast out of her rightful home, and, in turn, alienated by society. In Orlando’s climatic scene, the Lady Orlando and her lover, Shelmardine, discuss the common perception regarding gender. â€Å"If I were a man,† Muses the newly-female Orlando, â€Å"might choose not to risk my life for an uncertain cause. I might think that freedom won by death is not worth having. † Shelmardine argues that, in the eyes of society, this would be to â€Å"choose not to be a real man at all†. He, in turn, mocks the stereotype observations regarding women; â€Å"Say if I were a woman; I might choose not to sacrifice my life caring for my children. Or my children’s children. Or to drown anonymously in the milk of female kindness. But instead choose to go abroad. Would I then be –†, (here Orlando interrupts him), â€Å"A real woman? † Yet it is this conversation, the embodiment of Butler’s theories on gender performance, which bring Orlando to the ealisation that she longs for a child. Not to earn back her home through her heir, and not to better portray the behaviour of a woman, but simply to have the companionship and love she always longed for. Orlando’s eponymous character is a human, if fictional, personification of Judith Butler’s many the ses regarding gender. Orlando’s gender does not change her character in any way, she is the â€Å"same person. No difference at all. † She does not understand that, to be accepted, she must perform the role of ‘woman’ to avoid confusing her peers. This is something she simply can’t do; she is who she is. Yet she is punished for her failure to be a man, or to behave like a woman. In the end, she ceases to care or worry about her gender identity. She is a mother, happy with the companion she always craved. Her identity is simply: Orlando. Bibliography * Butler, J. (1988) Performative Acts and Gender Constitutions. In Rivkin, J & Ryan, M ‘Literary Theory: An Anthology, Second Edition’ (pp. 900 – 911). United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing. * Butler, J. (2004) Undoing Gender. United States: Routledge. * Potter, S. (Director). 1992. Orlando. [Motion Picture]. United Kingdom.

“Gaston” by William Saroyan Essay

The short story â€Å"Gaston† by William Saroyan is a creative story that portrays the better parts of life of a torn family. The father and the daughter in the story are spending quality bonding time during the frame of the story. What began as just the simple act of a meal of peaches turned into a thoughtful insight of there lives. Throughout the story the concepts of fear love and loss of both the father and his daughter are portrayed through Gaston. The imaginative father plays an important role in the story. He created a life for the bug within the peach that held so much meaning and importance to backbone of the story. Preparing the day with his daughter as she naps he purchases seven peaches for an afternoon snack. While eating the â€Å"bad† peach he comes across a bug that has made his home within the seed of the peach. He gives the critter the name â€Å"Gaston† and refuses to squash him. I feel that we can relate this situation of the bug to the relationship between the father and his daughter. The fathers fear of losing his daughter and or making her unhappy is very strong. Just in the way he jumps at the fact she wants a bad peach. And finding something good within the bad peach is like finding something good coming out of the divorce situation. The fathers love for his daughter is prominence, we can assume how much he cares for her when he tells her â€Å"the important thing is what you want, not what I want† (63). His love for her helps overcome the loss of his family and home. I believe that when he states â€Å"the poor fellow hasn’t got a home, and there he is with all that pure design and handsome form, and nowhere to go† (62), he talks about his self. The daughters concept of love grown within the story. Her first reaction to the bug was â€Å"ugh† and wanting to squash it. She formed a bond with the critter when her father was ar ound and explained to her how special the bug is.

Early year’s child care Essay

Being able to motivate members of staff is a progression towards this. As Mayo found with his workforce, if the staff felt valued, they were more willing to work harder and longer for their manager. Motivating the staff is by no means a simple task, as it means utilising a balance of both people and interpersonal skills. These skills can be grouped into various management styles and each member of staff will require the manager to adapt the style according to their own personality. The setting, which is the subject of this work, provides a good example of the various styles of management needed in order to supervise the workforce. One member of staff is very carefree and relaxed in her work and therefore needs an autocratic, or coercive management style. She is, however, always willing to do as she is told and thrives on carrying out instructions as they are given. Were the manager to employ a laissez-faire approach here, the jobs allocated to this member of staff would not get done. To examine this in more detail, just one of the manager’s duties is to ensure that craft supplies are adequately stocked. As with many of the manager’s tasks, this is one that can be delegated to another member of staff. This particular worker is given this task to do and due it being given to her as a direct instruction, she is happy to proceed with enthusiasm and little procrastination. If, however a more laissez-faire approach were used, she could feel that the task was not important and may leave it until such a time as she chose to do it. These skills and qualities of the manager are familiar with Herzberg’s (1968) two factor theory of motivation. He recognised that offering staff the opportunity of achievement, recognition, involvement, responsibility and empowerment, is the path to true motivation (Dale, 1992). This is the opinion of Ridderstrale and Nordstrom. In early years leadership it is particularly important. The manager constantly has to implement change, often following government legislation. It is the role of the manager, as the leader to ensure all staff members can adjust to these new implementations, instead of clinging on to methods previously followed. The manager of the chosen nursery has an effective method of executing change. If the change has occurred at nursery level, the chances are it has arisen and been discussed during a staff meeting. If the changes come from elsewhere, for example, a government paper, the manager would first address the urgency of the change, before deciding on a course of action. The agenda for meetings is always displayed onto a notice board for all the staff to view. If the change is one that does not require immediate action, it will be added to the board, next to the agenda. However, should it be necessary to act immediately, then a meeting will be called, either with all the staff, or with individual members accordingly.

My Beautiful Place

I think we all have a beautiful place in our mind. I have a wonderful place that made me happy when I was a little girl. But sometimes I think that I am the only person who likes this place and I'm asking myself if this place will be as beautiful as I thought when I will go back to visit it again. Perhaps I made it beautiful in my mind. Located on Ireland’s dramatic coastline that has been carved out by the huge Atlantic waves, lonely lakes and lofty mountains that separate communities.Follow the coast round into the north and you’ll discover the famous stones of the Giant’s Causeway – a magical combination of myths, legends and mystical coastal scenery. My family grew up in Ireland as I wish i had, sadly I went to visit when I was still learning my ABCs. I can’t remember much, but the one place that I’d never forgotten was the Giants causeway. It’s on the battered shore and smells like a public toilet, but the astonishing beauty just takes your breath away.The crashing tides try grab your toes while standing on the edge, and the jelly bean coloured grass waved under that miserable sun. All is left now is crumbled rocks and magical crevices. The myth is that two enemy giants, Benandonner, who lived in Scotland, and Finn MacCool in Ireland. the two giants would shout across the sea to each other challenging a fight of strength. Finn MacCool decided to build a rocky path across the too, but exhausted by the work, he fell asleep on the causeway and was found by his giant wife Oonagh. Suddenly she saw Benandonner approaching, who was a huge giant.Knowing that Finn would be no match for the huge giant, she placed a coat on top of Finn Benandonner demanded to know where Finn was. Oonagh replied, â€Å"Be quiet or you will wake my child. † Seeing this, Benandonner had second thoughts. If that was the size of their child, how big would Finn be? He ran back to Scotland, smashing the causeway in his trail. This plac e is far, far-away in time and space, part of my childhood It means a lot to me because it is beautiful and natural, is a clean and quiet place in a world of noise and dirty air.

The Relative Advantages And Disadvantages of Pull-out vs Research Paper

The Relative Advantages And Disadvantages of Pull-out vs Classroom-based Communication Intervention - Research Paper Example o do so the following objectives were pursued during the course of the study: What are the research based evidences favoring either of the classroom or pull out interventions? Evaluation of the evidences available Critical analysis of the evidences to answer the fundamental question of which of the two interventions, i.e. of classroom based and pull out interventions, are more effective. B. Overview The process of inclusion forming the basis of classroom-based interventions can be traced back to 1950s when parents of children with disabilities started a movement leading to implementation of The Education All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (PL 94-142), rendering mandatory free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment for all children, regardless of disability. Consequently, resource rooms and self-contained classrooms for children with disabilities were included in schools. PL 94-142 was further updated in 1991 by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Schooling et al., 2010). Despite the legislations and provision favoring inclusion, the consensus in favor of either of the intervention strategies is lacking. Proponents of classroom based intervention argue that inclusion simulates and therefore prepares the child for the real world, lack of seclusion and discrimination leads to enhancement of self esteem, it enhances social interaction and hence mutual bonding among regular and special needs children, and can also take advantage of peer based instructional programmes (DuPaul, 1998). Contrary to this, several concerns have been voiced for the efficacy of classroom based interventions. The lack of individualized instructions and adaptations by teachers for special children in regular classrooms as advised in PL94-142 has been the... The basic research strategy includes selection of topic, a research design appropriate for data collection, data collection and analysis, and finding answer to the research question on the basis of data. Nature of research designs that can be considered for providing evidences can be classified into two basic categories: descriptive and experimental. While descriptive research is appropriate for description of a process; experimental design is suitable for investigation of cause effect relationship. Thus the research strategy that are most rigorous with reference to their design and hence are considered to provide most important evidences are those that involve an experimental, quasi experimental or regression discontinuity design. This report makes a conclusion that classrooms and pull-out; both interventions have been and should be discussed in context to the special needs child; giving primary consideration to the goal of education â€Å"to promote learning and life skills for young people and adults†. Putting a child in either of these settings is as advantageous as it is disadvantageous. A collaborative learning model, where the child can be benefitted from both of these and protected from the shortcomings of both of these settings would be an appropriate and practical approach for education of special needs child, which is being practiced in form of mainstreaming. Mainstreaming requires the student to be taken out of a general education classroom to receive special education services for topic areas that they need additional support.

Philosophy of Science and Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Philosophy of Science and Religion - Essay Example Hume has presented three characters that he has given different positions to represent on the issue. The three characters are in a conversational dialogue. Demea is given the responsibility to argue for religious Orthodoxy. He reasons that there is no way an individual can come to understand God’s nature through reason. He vehemently believes that no one can ever know God’s nature at all cost since God’s nature is characteristically beyond the comprehension of human beings. Philo, a philosophical skeptic concurs with Demea in his reasoning that God cannot be comprehended by human beings. However, he goes ahead to give convincing opinions for his position. Cleanthes on the other hand argue according to empirical theism- the notion that individuals can understand about God through reasoning from all the evidence that has been presented by nature (Hume 80). He argues against Demea and Philo. His empirical theism belief is based on the design argument which states th at the beauty and complexity of the universe can be explained only by speculating the existence of one intelligent designer, who in this case is God. In part XII of the dialogues, Philo and Cleanthes are alone. Philo makes use of this opportunity to make a revelation of what he truly thinks, regarding the entire discussion. Surprisingly, he confesses that he believes in the existence of the design argument. He argues that it is not possible to disregard the fact that all creatures in nature have a purpose they are to serve, nothing was created in vain and that everything is being done in the best and comprehensible manner possible (Hume 82). He implies that all the above tenets guide everyone’s scientific reasoning, and they point out to the conclusion that an author of the order exists. He also argues that theists believe that both God and human beings both have brains; however, God’s mind

Capacity and Forecasting at Green Valley Bakers Research Paper - 1

Capacity and Forecasting at Green Valley Bakers - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that the concepts of capacity utilization and forecasting techniques are very important for any business venture. Indeed, an entrepreneur or businessman will only venture to invest his capital in a business if he knows and understands that it will give him a good return on the capital invested. It takes a lot of time, effort and skills to plan out the start of operations, from where the inventory will come, how and when sales will be made and at what margins, so that some profit is left over to compensate the businessman and other stakeholders of the business, if there are any, after the costs and expenses of the bakery have been paid out. Forecasting must also take into account the current and future environment as regards legal, technological, social and other phenomena such as changes in Government policy regarding taxation on bakeries, prices of inventory items, changing tastes of consumers and improvements in baking technology. The researcher will consider all these as he evolves a strategy for capacity utilization and demand and sales forecasting at Green Valley Bakers. Capacity utilization has been one of the main concerns of entrepreneurs and industrialists right from the very beginning of organized business enterprise. In fact, the start of the Industrial Revolution saw much of the population of villages move to the cities, lured by the prospects of gainful employment and higher and more consistent wages, thereby leading to a better lifestyle and social progress. Imagine their predicament when they were forced to move into often cramped and squalid living quarters, eating meager rations and toiling long hours in factories and mills that sought only to gain the most advantage from this situation. It was only after the refusal of workers in Chicago to continue to work under these appalling conditions that the world has moved towards respecting the rights of the workers. Even the economists of old regarded Labor as but a factor of p roduction. As regards capacity, J.B Say remarked that Supply would create its own demand. And the production concept in marketing so popular in the 1950s enunciated that if one built a better mousetrap (meaning product), people would flock to your door to buy it. Even today there is a debate among economists as to whether Full Employment or Partial Unemployment is better for the economy.

Introduction to Marketing and Communications Essay

Introduction to Marketing and Communications - Essay Example segments and what it takes to define those market segments properly and adequately; tweaking various elements of the marketing mix to position products for individual target markets. The intent is to provide a template that Mega Bastard Corporation can use to explore the marketing of all kinds of products from a good grasp of marketing management fundamentals and basic models and processes contained therein (Bray; Sarvary; Oxford Learning Lab). The marketing environment consists of those external factors to a firm that impact the ability of the firm to undertake marketing activities. These are external circumstances, conditions, and realities that firms must face up to, and must take as givens, in crafting marketing strategies, and in coming up with viable product and business ideas. The fundamental component of a survey of the marketing environment for Mega Bastard Corporation are the micro environment and the macro environment. As the names suggest, the macro environment relates to the big picture factors that impact firm activities, and a good model for capturing the macro environment is the PESTLE analysis, which is a shorthand for the political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, legal and environmental factors that impact business and marketing strategies. The micro environment factors on the other hand relate to more immediate factors that impact firm activities, relationships, and operations, and a good model that captures the relevant micro environmental factors are the Five Forces Framework or Model of Porter. These Five Forces model looks at the level of competition, the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitutes, and the threat of new entrants into an industry. In the context of Mega Bastard Corporation’s foray into bionic limbs, the Five Forces analysis and the PESTLE analysis would be able to determine the nature of the marketing environment within which any marketing plan must prove its mettle

Research Proposal Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research Proposal Letter - Essay Example However, the number of local curbside recycling programs has also increased from 8,875 in 2002 to over 9,000 today, which has led to a 8 million ton reduction in MSW. This indicates that recycling schemes are effective in reducing disposal rates. However, in 2009 only 82 million tons of this total waste was composted or recycled (33.8%). Baksi and Long (2009) therefore claim that effective waste management strategies are crucial if the US government is to: reduce the amount of household waste being disposed of in land fill sites promote the conservation of natural resources though reducing use of virgin materials increase the amount of household waste being recycled maintain public support decrease the levels of environmental damage caused by landfill sites I therefore believe that recycling issues need to gain serious priority on the government’s agenda and I recommend introducing disposal fees such as ‘unit based pricing systems’ for financing residential trash collection. This is because at the moment many households have zero economic incentive to recycle because they pay for their waste collection and disposal services through general taxation and a fixed rate, thereby undervaluing the price of waste disposal.

Reflective journal on management skills Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Reflective journal on management skills - Article Example They were possibly held by unavoidable situations elsewhere. Secondly, I also thought that at least having made an effort to make it to class, they should have been allowed to go over the whole session before seeing the lecturer in camera to explain themselves. Nowadays as a manager I have come to understand that everything happens for a reason and that man is prone to error. What is important in whatever situation as a manager is to have a listening ear. It is important to allow subordinates to express themselves every time there is a crisis. This helps one to first have a grasp of the reasons behind whatever action has been taken by employees. Listening is a human virtue. It is central to managerial principles and has thus been central to my managerial style too. As per Hamilton (2010: Pg. 12 ) allowing two-way communication in organisation also helps forestall potential fallouts in future as one is able to come up with preventive mechanisms One thing I know for sure is that listening works miracles even in situations that seem so bad. Dialogue is the key for survival in the current competitive world. It is what all the business moguls have used across all ages. Dale Carnegie has advocated for it so have Henry ford and Andrew Carnegie among many others. So as manager I know I have discovered my tool and I can attest to the enormous impact this has had on my operations. I now shun highhandedness and value dialogue and respect for my subordinates. The commonwealth bank Australia is one of the largest and most versatile financial institutions in Australia. It has been in operation since 1912. It currently boosts of over 1000 branches plus an equally large distribution of ATMs. The bank offers a number of customer-tailored services and solutions key among tem being a number of affordable mortgage options and foreign funds transfer services. In of the programs aimed at encouraging diversity, the Commonwealth Bank Australia has set up a special intranet site

International Sales of Goods by Sea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

International Sales of Goods by Sea - Essay Example This is to ensure that no material losses occur to the goods during transit. The liability of the seller under CIF is larger than under FOB, in that, the responsibility of the goods, vests with the seller until it is loaded onboard the ship. In other words, the liability is not restricted until it is entrusted to the carrier, but remains intact until the shipments are aboard the ship. Any losses that occur during the intervening period would fall upon the seller, and not anybody else. Thus, the Academy could initiate action against Llodd’s in respect of the books having missing pages. Under Section 14 (2) (a) of Sale of Goods Act, it is seen that â€Å"where a seller sells goods in the course of a business, there is an implied term that the goods supplied under the contract are of satisfactory quality. It provides that goods are of satisfactory quality if they meet the standard that a reasonable person would regard as satisfactory, taking account of any description of the goods, the price (if relevant) and all the other relevant circumstances. Again, under Section 13 of the Sale of Goods Act, sale of goods by description, it is incumbent on the part of the seller to ensure that the goods match the description; otherwise the buyer is at liberty to repudiate the treaty, and /or claim damages for compensatory damages. (Sale of Goods Act 1979). Again under the provisions of Section 11 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979, it is seen that when a contract of sale is incumbent upon certain conditionality to be fulfilled by the seller, especially in a CIF contract, the buyer has the options either to excuse the conditions or may elect to treat the breach of condition, as a breach of warranty, which may not be cause for action of cancelling the contract. There may be certain aspects surrounding the case that could suggest whether the requirement could be treated as a condition precedent, in which case the buyer could elect to cancel the contract or, in cases,

Alvin Ailey Contextualisation Essay Example for Free

Alvin Ailey Contextualisation Essay Ailey used his culture and many childhood memories to base his choreography on. Church and worship played a huge role in the lives of black Americans and was the center of Ailey’s community. â€Å"The exuberance and poignancy of the black experience are well served in Aileys splendid. â€Å"The church was always very important, very theatrical, very intense. The life that went on there and the music made a great impression on me. † (A. P Bailey 1997 pg. 8) He grew up in Texas in the 1930s with both racial segregation and the economy being big problems of the time. â€Å"Black lives were as peaceful and secure as racism and poverty would allow. (Dunning, 1996) â€Å"In those days black people were forced into certain sections of the town†¦you couldn’t buy a house in other sections of the town, so you had to go to schools that were essentially segregated’’. In spite of the miserable living conditions   Ailey’s community and others alike were joyful in church and the drew drop inn which was where all the adults used to go on Saturday nights to dance to the blaring juke box. The dew drop inn was a rough place to be. My mother was in there, and everybody was doing what they considered to be the nasty dances†¦many of the same people who went to dew drop inn on a Saturday night went to church on a Sunday morning. In dance I deal with these two very different worlds: Blues suite and revelations. † (A. P Bailey 1997 pg23) At the age of 12 Ailey joined his mother in Los Angeles where she was to work as cleaner for a wealthy white family â€Å"I remember very well seeing my mother on her knees scrubbing these white folks’ rooms and halls. That image is in my ballet cry† (A. P Bailey 1997pg32) Here he experienced the theatre and heard the music of Duke Ellington for the first time, who’s music he later came to create a total of 14 dances to. Including The River’ â€Å"The River is a legendary collaboration between Ailey and Ellington was Ellingtons first symphonic score written specifically for dance†¦The legendary and highly acclaimed collaboration mirrors together the art forms beautifully. (http://www. exploredance. com/article. htm? id=1635) Creations of Two Masterful Artists, Alvin Ailey and Duke Ellington by Amber Henrie December 28, 2006. It was not until the 1940s that Ailey took a serious interest in dance, seeing the Dunham Company perform excited him in a way that nothing ever had before. Proving it to be a transcendent experience for him, he felt a connection with her and her dancers and was ‘lifted into another realm. I couldn’t believe there were black people on a legitimate stage†¦before largely white audiences†¦doing afro-Caribbean. Lester Horton not only inspired Ailey with his stylized technique and incredibly expressive movement but also in the way he offered his students a ‘complete education’ teaching them how to participate in all aspects of production from lighting and reading music to choosing the correct fabric for performances â€Å"He knew every fabric in the world and was extremely knowledgeable about color, design, dyeing and tailoring†¦I am still guided by Lester’s insistence that costumes must be made from extraordinary fabric† (A.P Bailey 1997 pg. 63) The Horton Technique focus’ on movements that lengthen the spine and the hamstring muscles with flat backs, lateral stretches, descending and ascending from the floor into horizontal positions, release swings, leg swings and deep lunges all of which appear in Ailey’s works regularly. Lester Horton has proved to be Ailey’s biggest influence; the similarities between the 2 choreographers are due to Ailey’s awe of Horton, his works and his attitude. As he just as Martha Graham had, had a mixed racial company â€Å"He realized that you have to use the best dancers regardless of color† (A. P Bailey 1997 Pg. 60) All of the above stylistic features are seen in works of Ailey’s such as Revelations, Cry and Witness to name a few. Each using deep plies and stunning lines to create interesting and meaningful viewing, using a combination of modern dance with jazz and classical ballet. Each with a meaning and a message to its audiences worldwide. Ailey (cited by De Frantz) said From his roots as a slave, the American Negro – sometimes sorrowing, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful – has created a legacy†¦ which have touched, illuminated and influenced the most remote preserves of world civilisation We bring you the exuberance of jazz, the ecstasy of his spirituals and the dark rapture of his blues. † Yet while Ailey drew lots of his choreography from his ‘blood memories’ he did create plot less works too, making more use of ballet technique which can be seen in Streams. After Lester Horton’s death, Ailey founded his own company and had great success that still lives to this day; he and his company toured worldwide and were awarded with numerous honours before settling In New York. Yet Thomas F DeFrantz (2004) said the unasked question, implicit in dozens of feature articles and reviews, seemed to be: how could a gay black man from dirt-poor. Rural, depression-era Texas, with limited dance training and no college degree found and run the most successful modern dance company in the idiom’s history?

The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People Essay Example for Free

The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People Essay Some people call The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey, one of the most important self-help books written in the past twenty years. Others say it is one of the best business books written recent history. Regardless of whether it is called a self-help book or a business book, it has been a wildly popular and profitable publication. Seven Habits has sold over fifteen million copies and has been on various bestseller lists almost continuously since its publication in 1989. Indeed, Coveys blockbuster book spent five consecutive years, 1991-1995, as Americas top nonfiction bestseller. Covey has deeply held religious beliefs. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormons, which is reflected in his writings. There is a strong Judeo-Christian work ethic espoused and the concept of an individual taking personal responsibility for his or her own personal development, and the seven habits he refers to in this book bear a strong connection to the Mormon Churchs thirteen fundamental beliefs. Covey believes these seven habits of highly effective people can be learned and, conversely, old habits that promote ineffectiveness can be unlearned. A major issue in learning and adopting the seven habits of highly effective people, Covey opines in Seven Habits, is one of paradigm shifting. A paradigm is defined as a basic mental framework that strongly influences a persons ideas, beliefs and, therefore, actions. A person has paradigms about everything in life: what makes a good marriage, what is a good college, what is acceptable social behavior, and on infinitum. Until a person can shift from one way of looking at a problem, or situation, to another, he or she will be locked into old paradigms that can restrict new understandings and growth. Moving the United States Coast Guard from the Department of Transportation to the newly formed Department of Homeland Security will require certain federal authorities to perform a paradigm shift from how they previously viewed the role and function of the USCG to a new way of thinking. Habitual ways of looking at paradigms create inflexibility in attempts at problem solving, management, an d leadership. Covey divides his seven habits of highly effective people into three interrelated categories; the first are habits of character, the second are habits of outward expression that lead to interdependence with others, and the last habit focusing on sustaining the growth process. This division becomes clear when he lists his habits. Habits of Independence: * Habit #1. Be proactive. Covey writes it is up to the individual to seize the initiative to use his or her resources to work toward goals. He speaks of a circle of influence and a circle of concern and postulates that worrying about things beyond your circle of influence is not productive, but working within your circle of influence is the best way to maximize your effectiveness. * Habit #2. Begin With The End In Mind. Covey illustrates this habit with a rather chilling question: What do you want people to say about you at your funeral? He then adds that you can aid your progress toward achieving your goals if you practice visualization, so when you finally attempt a task, you will have already done it countless times in your imagination. This is a method coaches have taught free throw shooters to practice for decades; visualize your stance, your pre-shot rituals and finally visualize the ball going cleanly through the net. Covey writes, We may be very busy, we may be very efficient, but we will also be truly effective when we begin with the end in mind. * Habit #3. Put First Things First. This is a time management habit and Covey summarizes what he means by writing, Organize and execute around priorities. He develops a matrix where he divides all activities in four categories: In Quadrant I are things that are important and urgent. In Quadrant II are things that are important, but not urgent. In Quadrant III are items that are urgent, but not important. And finally, In Quadrant IV are things that at not important and not urgent. Habit #3, including Coveys matrix about time management, is the Golden Nugget of this book. Covey states that successful people keep most of their activities in Quadrant II because they can plan and prepare for future activities. Those people who constantly find their activities in Quadrant I will eventually burn out with excessive stress and strain because they are in a continuous crisis mode. Those individuals who find most of their activities in Quadrants III and IV are often out of control and dependant on others or institutions to help them live their lives. Covey believes that the term time management is actually a misnomer; that is, the challenge is not how to manage time, but rather how to manage ourselves. One of the central themes of the book is finding the correct P/PC balance. If we cannot manage ourselves, and our time, we will never be able to maintain proper Production. The P refers to production and the PC refers to production capability. He illustrates this P/PC dichotomy by using a machine as an illustration. If you ruin a machine twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year you will get great production initially, but eventually that machine will break down and be ruined or need repair. If, however, you run the machine on a regularly scheduled maintenance basis, you may not achieve the same production numbers as a machine being continuously used, but it will not suffer major breakdowns and over the long run the production will be greater. Habits of Interdependence. * Habit #4. Think Win-Win. This is a habit that encourages you to seek solutions of mutual benefit to all parties concerned, as opposed to win-lose situations where one person wins and the other person loses. Covey illustrates this habit by asserting that a powerful programming agent early in life is athletic competition where students develop a basic paradigm that life is a zero sum game; that is, if someone wins, someone must lose. To be truly successful, Covey writes, a person needs to know how to leverage the strengths of others and that is done not by creating win/lose situations, but rather seeking to create win/win situations. Indeed, he feels no deal is better than a non-win-win deal. * Habit #5. Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood. This is a communication habit that focuses on empathic listening skills. He asks how can you create win/win situations if you do not listen to the other person? Physicians diagnose before they prescribe. Top salespeople discover the clients needs before they offer a solution. Likewise, individuals need to exercise empathy; they must seek to first understand the other persons point of view before offering their own solutions * Habit #6. Synergize. Covey defines synergy as meaning the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. He believes we need to value the differences between people and how they view the world and realize their paradigms might not be our paradigms, but they are equally valid for them. Once a person accepts the validity of seeking win-win solution, the habit of synergize or seeking cooperative teamwork becomes apparent. Synergy results from valuing differences and by bringing those differences together in the spirit of mutual respect. * Habit #7. Sharpen The Saw. In self-renewal, Covey cites four areas of our life that require constant attention: physical, mental, emotional-social and spiritual. He wrote that people get too busy producing or sawing and rarely take the time to stop and sharpen their saw or those four aspects of their lives. If they would take the time to stop and sharpen, the time they lost sharpening would be more than compensated by increased production. The example cited to illustrate this point is one of machinery. If a machine runs full throttle 24 hours a day for seven days a week, fifty two weeks a year, without time being set aside for maintenance, it will soon break under the stress and strain. If however, that same machine has a regular maintenance schedule, it could work indefinitely. Covey distinguishes something he calls the Character Ethic from the Personality Ethic. He believes Americans have moved away from embracing character ethics, or broad enduring permanent values such as honesty, loyalty and even the Ten Commandments, and turned towards Personality Ethics, where the emphasis is now on such items as how to dress for success, one-minute solutions and quick fixes. He feels the newer emphasis on personality focuses attention on short-term solutions whereas the attribute associated with the Character Ethic promotes healthier moral long-term solutions. This was my favorite part of the book because America truly has moved away from a Kantian moral absolutism thought process and has fostered more of a moral relativism approach. Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People is a book that cannot be read one time and be fully understood. Each habit contains so much information and wisdom that it is virtually impossible to internalize what Covey is saying without reading and rereading each section. It is impossible to cite one item as the most important as related to leadership because they are inter-related. The one concept explained in this book that had the greatest impact on my life, to date, was Coveys discussion of time management. In high school, when my father first introduced me to this book, I was rather disorganized and somewhat chaotic in ordering my priorities. Although I had never read it, my father explained parts of the book well enough so that I could benefit from some of its knowledge. I distinctly remember filling out the time matrix chart introduced in Habit 3 and discovering most of my activities fell into Quadrant I. It was obvious I was not planning my activities, but rather reacting to events as they occurred to me. Subsequently, I have tried to keep my activities in Quadrant II, with varying degrees of success. As I move from the Academy into the non-academic world I believe Coveys admonition in Habit 5 to seek first to understand and then be understood will gain greater importance in my life. Realizing that my paradigms may not be someone elses paradigms, or my paradigms might have been right at one time, but the passage of time requires me to re-examine the conclusions I have reached, will be a prime requisite to effective leadership. I believe that Seven Habits of Highly Effective Leaders will be one of those books that will stay on my bookshelf for years to come and I will revisit it countless times to reread selected passages, not just to reinforce what I remember Covey saying, but to apply his timeless wisdom to new situations I encounter in whatever career I choose.