Krakauer’s life Essay

In April of 1992 a young man named Chris McCandless, from a prosperous and loving family, hitchhiked across the country to Alaska. He gave $25,000 of his savings to charity, left his car and nearly all of his possessions. He burned all the cash he had in his wallet, and created a new life. Four months later, his body was found in an abandoned bus. Jon Krakauer constructed a journalistic account of McCandless’s story. Bordering on obsession, Krakauer looks for the clues to the mystery that is Chris McCandless. What he finds is the intense pull of the wilderness on our imagination, the appeal of high-risk activities to young men. When McCandless’s mistakes turn out to be fatal he is dismissed for his naivetà ©. He was said by some to have a death wish, but wanting to die and wanting to see what one is capable of are too very different things. I began to ask myself if Chris really wasn’t as crazy as some people thought. Then I realized it was quite possible that the reason people thought he was crazy was because he had died trying to fulfill his dream. If he had walked away from his adventure like Krakauer, people would have praised him rather than ridicule. So I asked the question, â€Å"How does Krakauer’s life parallel Chris McCandlesses?† Chris and Jon’s life have many parallels and contrasts at the same time. Both gave up most of their possessions to go after a dream they had. Ones dream was to live off the land in the remote regions of Alaska, the other too climb the Devils Thumb, a mountain peak that had never been scaled by man. Each man was aware of the risks, but were they equally prepared when each began their own adventure? I feel that Chris McCandless was at a disadvantage when he first started off. Raised by a wealthy family and just graduating from Emory University I feel he wasn’t as prepared as he could have been. Fortunately his father had taken him on hiking trips so he was at least somewhat familiar with the wilderness but in no way was he prepared at all for the severity of the Alaskan wilderness. I think it would have been quite a feat just for Chris to have been able to live off the land in a local forest. To be fair to Chris I’m sure Krakauer didn’t start off by just one day deciding he would climb the Devils Thumb after he was inspired by making it up the climbing wall at the local county fair. Both men had to gradually work their way up to accomplishing their goals. Jon did this by  many other smaller climbs and Chris worked his way up by studying nature books and roaming across the U.S. So in this way Jon and Chris were alike even though their goals were different. Another way the two were similar was the fact that they both had family problems. Though his parents and sister loved him Chris secretly despised his parents for covering up the fact that his father had been raising two separate families. Just like Chris’s father Lewis Krakauer had already begun to prepare him for a career that he didn’t want to be any part of. I think both sons were consumed by a sort of blind rage when they found out that their fathers were less than perfect. This anger fueled them to rebel and go against their fathers wishes to make their own futures. The biggest (and most obvious) difference between Jon and Chris is that one died living out his dream and the other lived to walk away from it. Most people would say that Chris failed because his goal was to survive in the wilderness. Others would say that Jon succeeded because he made it too the top and lived to tell his tale. However were the incidents really that different? Chris lived in the Alaskan wilderness almost a hundred days before his fateful mistake that cost him his life. Jon also had a few fateful mistakes that could have cost him his life but didn’t, like the time he caught his tent on fire or when his supply plane couldn’t come because of bad weather. Most people wouldn’t even dream of doing either of these feats. When the risks are as high as either of these men faced, even the most simple of mistakes can prove fatal. I think that if Chris was seen as a failure then so should Jon. I think this because Jon’s original goal was to climb the unclimbed section of The Devils Thumb. When Jon could not accomplish this he backtracked and found an easier, already climbed path. However I think that both men were successful in their own ways. Chris survived for an extended period of time without the help of civilization but due to the poisonous potato seeds he ate he was too weak to hike back to civilization. Jon realized his limitations and knew he was forced to lower his goal or face death. If anyone was a failure it was Jon because he backed down from his initial goal. Ever since I was a small boy I have been an outdoorsman. I love to go camping and go on hikes. At summer camp I would climb the rock piles and go exploring. I can relate to both Jon and Chris’s need for adventure. Even here at college I continue to love the outdoors. I use the climbing tower at the ARC, go snowboarding on the sledding hill, and go running on ROTC trails (during warm weather). But even though I love the outdoors I still don’t have what it takes to do what either of these men tried to do. I know my limitations and wouldn’t want to risk my life foolishly. I know its possible that I could learn how to but unfortunately all my life I have been taught that someday I’ll go to college, get a good job, get married, have kids and live a happy, uneventful life. Which is why I admire Jon and Chris, both had the courage to go against the norm of society and just go do what they felt like. Don’t get me wrong I love my life but some days I wish I could do what they did, just throw away all my possessions and worries and just do what I really want to do. Bob Marshal put it best when he said â€Å"For me, and for thousands with similar inclinations, the most important passion of life is the overpowering desire to escape periodically from the clutches of a mechanistic civilization. To us the enjoyment of solitude, complete independence, and the beauty of undefiled panoramas is absolutely essential to happiness† (Outdoorclub). Ever since man began to explore we have had a desire to conquer and know the unknown. In the days of the Wild West young men would move their families westward in search of adventure and opportunity â€Å"the wild ones, the men of the wild frontier† (Wayne 1). This drive, this manifest destiny, â€Å"the great pressure of people moving always to new frontiers, in search of new lands, new power, the full freedom of a virgin world, has ruled our course and formed our polices lake a Fate,† (Weinberg 1) is what compelled Jon and Chris to go against the grain of society and follow their dreams. With fewer and fewer â€Å"New Frontiers† these two were forced to resort to one of the last unconquered regions of the world, Alaska. It was there that they faced their fears and overcame hardships to succeed. In conclusion I think that one of the reasons Krakauer decided to write about Chris McCandless is the fact that he found so many disturbing coincidences  about his own life that he felt obligated to tell Chris’s story. I think it is quite possible Jon feels guilty about having survived when Chris died. Either way, I think both men were success full even though they both had very different goals and outcomes. Works Cited Outdoorclub. 01 Mar. 2005 . Wayne, Bennett. Men of the Wild Frontier. Champaign: Garrard Publishing Company, 1968. Weinberg, Albert. manifest Destiny. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1935.

Innovative programs in special education Essay

Special education departments have introduced a variety of innovative programs for children with sensory impairment (deafness, hard of hearing, and blindness). There has been a good deal of success in opening access to regular school experiences to young people with sensory impairments and in educating their peers about the special concerns for children who are deaf and/or blind. There is a considerable body of evidence that innovative programs for teaching reading and spelling skills to children with disabilities should be both multi-sensory and phonic and that this type of teaching can benefit most children in any class at most stages. These are usually programs that are highly structured. They can be seen as essentially free-standing and can form a central element of the overall strategy for teaching children with disabilities. There are many such programs, often they have a slightly different focus, with different types of materials and strategies but they all include multi-sensory element and metacognitive aspects. The range of innovative programs for children with disabilities is impressive, and this work will provide some of the various types of programs and strategies that can be used in special education. Most innovative programs incorporate some or all of the following principles and approaches: multi-sensory; over-learning and automaticity; highly structured and usually phonically based; sequential and cumulative. Multi-sensory methods utilize all available senses simultaneously. This can be summed up in the phrase ‘hear it, say it, see it and write it’. These methods have been used for many years and have been further refined by Hornsby and Shear (1980) in phonic structured programs that incorporate multi-sensory techniques. Over-learning is deemed necessary for children with dyslexic difficulties. The short- and long-term memory difficulties experienced by dyslexic children mean that considerable reinforcement and repetition is necessary. The structured approaches evident in programs of work for children with disabilities usually provide a linear progression, thus enabling the learner to complete and master a particular skill in the reading or learning process before advancing to a subsequent skill. This implies that learning occurs in a linear developmental manner. Although there is evidence from learning theory to suggest this may be the case, there is still some doubt in the case of reading that mastery of the component subskills results in skilled reading. In reading, a number of cognitive skills such as memory and visual, auditory and oral skills interact. This interaction is the key feature; so, it is important that the skills are taught together and purposefully with the practice of reading as the focus. Sequential approaches are usually appropriate for children with dyslexia because it may be necessary for them to master subskills before moving to more advanced materials. Hence a sequential and cumulative approach may not only provide a structure to their learning but help to make learning more meaningful and effective as well. Programs based on the Orton-Gillingham approach have become a central focus for multi-sensory teaching (Hulme & Joshi 1998). The programs offer a structured, phonic-based approach that incorporates the total language experience and focuses on the letter sounds and the blending of these sounds into syllables and words. The approach rests heavily on the interaction of visual, auditory and kinesthetic aspects of language. Orton-Gillingham lessons always incorporate card drills, spelling and reading and usually include activities such as: card drills, word lists and phrases, oral reading selection, spelling of phonetic and non-phonetic words, handwriting, and composition. Once the child has mastered the letter name and sound, the program then advances to introduction of blending the letters and sounds. This begins with simple three-letter words and the child repeats the sounds until the word is spoken without pauses between the constituent sounds. The visual-kinesthetic and auditory-kinesthetic associations are formed by the pupil tracing, saying, copying and writing each word. Reading of text begins after the pupil has mastered the consonant-vowel-consonant words to a higher automatic level (i. e. , when the pupil can recognize and use these words). The initial reading material is taken from the program and contains words the pupil has learnt from the teacher’s manual. The program gives considerable attention to the learning of dictionary skills as well as development of written language from pictographs to ideographs and eventually to the alphabet. The program does appear to be more suited to a one-to-one situation, and it would be difficult to integrate the program within the school curriculum. As in many of the program derived from the Orton-Gillingham approach, the key principles of over-learning, automaticity and multi-sensory approaches are very apparent. In the USA, Morgan Dynamic Phonics have produced a series of phonic programs that focus on user-friendly approaches using the principles of Orton-Gillingham, which includes the use of humor and interaction (Hulme & Joshi 1998). The following programs are based on the Orton-Gillingham method: Alpha to Omega, The Bangor Dyslexia Teaching System, The Hickey Multisensory Language Course, Dyslexia: A Teaching Handbook, Units of Sound. Letterland, developed by Lyn Wendon, consists of many different elements. The materials are extremely useful for teaching reading, spelling and writing, and for developing and sustaining motivation. The programs are internationally renowned, as well over 50 per cent of all primary schools in England and Ireland rely on this program (Gersten, Schiller & Vaughn 2000). Letterland encompasses a number of teaching elements based on recognized and essential components of the teaching of reading. The major elements are: language, with an emphasis on listening, speaking and communicating; phonic skills; whole word recognition skills; sentence awareness; comprehension; reading and spelling connections; and preliminary skills in creative writing. The materials consist of teachers’ guides, wall-charts, code cards, flashcards, wordbooks, cassettes and song- books, photocopiable material, workbooks, games and resources, software, videos, and materials specifically designed for use at home. The program may also be seen as a preventative approach, since it is appropriate for early intervention and may also facilitate the reinforcement of important developmental concepts in learning, such as object constancy. The Letterland system essentially grew out of close observations of failing readers, and the materials reinforce the importance of a reading-for-meaning orientation to print (Gersten, Schiller & Vaughn 2000). Letterland focuses on letters and sounds, and by using pictograms encourages children to appreciate letter stages and sounds, thereby reinforcing both shape and sound of letters and words. Integrated within this, however, are the programs and exercises on whole-word recognition, reading for meaning, spelling and creative writing. Spelling is not presented as a series of rules, but instead through a story approach, focusing on the Letterland characters. Progress through the Letterland program is by a series of steps. These steps can provide the teacher with choice and flexibility, and the program can be implemented to the whole class, in small groups or individually. There are a number of aspects about Letterland that make it useful for some children with specific learning difficulties. These include the use of pictograms— which can be particularly beneficial to the learner with difficulties in phonological awareness and auditory skills. The use of the story approach to reading and spelling that encourages the processing of information using long-term memory is particularly beneficial to dyslexic children whose short-term memory is generally weak. The range of activities incorporating different approaches allows the learner to develop imagination and creativity in the use of letters and words. Other useful aspects include the focus on the context aspects of reading and the use of syntactic and semantic cues. Alpha to Omega is a phonetic, linguistic approach to the teaching of reading and can be used as a program or as resource material. It is highly structured and follows a logical pattern of steps that promote the acquisition of phonological and language skills. There is an emphasis on learning the 44 phonemes from which all English words are composed. These consist of the 17 vowel sounds and the 27 consonant sounds. There is also an emphasis on the acquisition of language structure, focusing on content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives) and finite words (prepositions and participles). There is, therefore, an emphasis on using words in the context of a sentence. The program provides a highly structured format for the teaching of sentences and for grammatical structure. There are also three accompanying and very useful activity packs designed for different stages. These packs provide appropriate back-up exercises to reinforce the teaching program. There is also an extremely useful program of learning games—before Alpha—that can be used with children under five. These games are in a series of structured stages, are multi-sensory and aim to foster language development and other pre-reading skills such as visual and auditory perception and discrimination, fine-motor control, spatial relationships and knowledge of color, number and directions (Gersten, Schiller & Vaughn 2000). The Hickey Multisensory Language Course recognizes the importance of the need to learn sequentially the letters of the alphabet. The third edition of The Hickey Multisensory Language Coursewas now incorporates aspects of the National Literacy strategy and the requirements of the Literacy Hour. The dyslexic child, however, will usually have some difficulty in learning and remembering the names and sequence of the alphabetic letters as well as understanding that the letters represent speech sounds that make up words. The program is based on multi-sensory principles and the alphabet is introduced using wooden or plastic letters; the child can look at the letter, pick it up, feel it with eyes open or closed and say its sound. Therefore, the visual, auditory and tactile-kinesthetic channels of learning are all being utilized with a common goal. These programs involve games and the use of dictionaries to help the child become familiar with the order of the letters and the direction to go (e. g. , he needs to know that T comes before ‘K’), the letters in the first half of the alphabet and those letters in the second half. The alphabet can be further divided into sections, thus making it easier for the child to remember the section of the alphabet in which a letter appears, for example: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z. The Hickey language course includes: activities related to sorting and matching the capital, lower case, printed and written forms of the letters; practicing sequencing skills with cut-out letters and shapes; and practicing positioning of each letter in the alphabet in relation to the other letters (this involves finding missing letters and going backwards and forwards in the alphabet). The course also indicates the importance of recognizing where the accent falls in a word, since this clearly affects the spelling and rhythm. Rhyming games can be developed to encourage the use of accent by placing it on different letters of the alphabet. This helps to train children’s hearing to recognize when a letter has an accent or is stressed in a word. The course includes reading and spelling packs that focus on securing a relationship between sounds and symbols. This process begins with single letters and progresses to consonant blends, vowel continuations and then to complex letter groupings. The reading packs consist of a set of cards; on one side, the lower case letter is displayed in bold with an upper case (capital) letter shown in the bottom right-hand corner in order to establish the link between the two letters. The reverse side of the card indicates a keyword that contains the sound of the letter with the actual sound combination in brackets. Rather than providing a visual image of the keyword, a space is left for the child to draw the image. This helps to make the image more meaningful to the child and also utilizes and reinforces visual and kinesthetic skills. The spelling pack is similar in structure to the reading pack. On the front of the card the sound made by the letter is displayed in brackets, while the back contains both the sound and the actual letter (s). Sounds for which there is a choice of spellings will in time show all the possible ways in which the sound can be made. Cue words are also given on the back as a prompt, in case the child forgets one of the choices. Spelling is seen as being of prime importance by the authors of the program since they view it as an ‘all round perceptual experience’. This process involves over-learning and multi-sensory strategies. The Bangor Dyslexia Teaching Systemis a structured, sequential teaching program developed for teachers and speech and language therapists involved in supporting children with dyslexia. A useful aspect of this program is the division between primary and secondary pupils. Although it is acknowledged that some secondary pupils are still ‘beginning’ readers and need to go through the same initial stages of acquiring literacy as ‘beginning readers’ in the primary school, the program makes some special provision and adaptations for secondary students. This helps to make the secondary material more age appropriate. The basic philosophy of the program is not unlike that of other structured, phonic programs. It focuses on phonological difficulties and the problems dyslexic children have in mastering the alphabetic code. The program attempts to provide children with some competence, at the earliest stage possible, in recognizing and categorizing speech sounds. It is not possible for children to benefit from ‘top down’ language experience approaches to reading if they have not mastered the basic principles of literacy. Some of these principles, which the program for primary aged children focuses on, include: the teaching of basic letter sounds and the structure of words, long vowels, common word patterns, irregular words, alphabet and dictionary skills, grammatical rules and silent letters. The program shares the same principles as that utilized by other similar programs for dyslexic children. It is highly structured and the teacher has to proceed systematically through the program. The aspect of over-learning is acknowledged to be important, and therefore revision of material already learnt occupies an important place in the implementation of the program. One of the difficulties inherent in following the principle of over-learning is the aspect of boredom, which may result from repetitive revision of material already learnt. This program acknowledges that pitfall and suggests ways of overcoming it through the use of games and other adapted materials. The multi-sensory teaching element is also crucial in this program. Some of the exercises attempt to engage all the available senses simultaneously, thus acknowledging the accepted view that dyslexic children benefit from multi-sensory learning. The program also utilizes the particular benefits of mnemonics for dyslexic children as well as the notion of reading and spelling as an integrated activity. Some emphasis is also placed on encouraging dyslexic children to use oral language to plan their work. It is felt that such verbalizations help children clarify their thoughts and planning before embarking on a course of action. The secondary component of the program provides useful advice on dealing with the problem of teaching basic literacy to older students. Some effort is made to ensure that the student is familiar with polysyllabic words in order that the potential for creative writing is not unduly restricted. At the secondary stage the aspect of reading for meaning is of great importance in order to ensure sustained motivation. The Bangor Dyslexia Teaching System acknowledges this and suggests a range of techniques that can help to support the student through the decoding difficulty in order that maximum meaning and pleasure can be derived from the text. Such suggestions include: supplying difficult words; introducing the story and the book’s background and characters; pointing out clues such as capital letters and titles; encouraging fluency by reading from one full stop to the next; omitting words that are difficult, thus encouraging the use of context to obtain meaning; practice; and reading rhymes and limericks that aid sound and syllable awareness. The key principles found in the majority of individualized programs for dyslexic children-multi-sensory techniques, automaticity and over-learning-are all found in the Alphabetic Phonics program. Additionally, the program recognizes the importance of discovery learning. Opportunities for discovery learning are found throughout this highly structured program. The program, which stems from the Orton-Gillingham multi-sensory approach, was developed in Dallas, TX, by Aylett Cox. Alphabetic Phonics provides training in the development of automaticity through the use of flash cards and over-learning through repetitive practice in reading and spelling until 95 per cent mastery is achieved. The program also incorporates opportunities to develop creativity in expression and in the sequencing of ideas. DISTAR (Direct Instruction System of Teaching Arithmetic and Reading) was originally designed for socially disadvantaged children in the USA as part of the Project Follow Through scheme launched by the US government in 1968 (Hulme & Joshi 1998). The program is orientated to achievement in basic attainments and tasks and skills to enhance effective learning. Some of the features of DISTAR include: the transfer of learning from specific examples to general concepts; continual, positive reinforcement to enhance motivation and success; and the monitoring of progress through the use of criterion referenced assessment. In addition to reading skills, the current DISTAR program covers language, spelling and arithmetic. Evaluation studies display impressive progress in attainments among students undertaking the DISTAR program – results that appear to continue through to secondary education. Some criticism, however, has been raised that the teacher’s manual is too prescriptive and places too much restriction on teachers. The focus of the program on transferring skills from the specific to the underlying general task concepts is, indeed, commendable and can make the DISTAR materials a useful resource. Three recent studies trained phonological awareness in children with reading disabilities using the Lindamood Auditory Discrimination in Depth program (ADD), a method that first encourages awareness of the articulation of speech sounds. Two studies used no control groups, but reported good progress for students who had made little progress with other programs. The third study used matched groups of children with severe reading disability at a private school. The control group received the school’s well-reputed program, which included auditory training and strategies for encoding and decoding written symbols. The trained group spent 6 weeks learning ADD before merging it with the regular program. All children improved substantially by the end of the year. The ADD group did not gain significantly more than controls on standardized tests of reading and spelling, although trends favored the ADD group. Compared to controls, ADD children did make significantly greater improvement in the phonetic quality of their errors in spelling and nonsense word reading. Besides being a well-structured phonemic-awareness program, the ADD approach holds theoretical interest because of its strong emphasis on developing concrete articulatory (speech-motor) representations to distinguish phonemic differences. The program includes associating articulatory labels, pictures, letters, and sounds, and using these articulatory concepts in phonological awareness work and manipulating letters and sounds in reading and spelling exercises. This work described some of the innovative programs that may be utilized in special education. The programs are logical and consist of small steps. They also incorporate elements of all the modalities—visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile. Teaching is not only about providing information, but about accessing useful and transferable skills as well—for example, phonological awareness skills can be later transferred and utilized in writing skills. Essentially, the approaches involve thinking about thinking and the learners with disabilities consider how a particular response was arrived at. Children with disabilities is a whole-school concern, and not just the responsibility of individual teachers. Innovative programs require an established and accessible policy framework for consultancy, whole-school screening and monitoring of children’s progress. It is important to consider the rationale for using particular programs and strategies. Within the areas described here of individualized learning, support approaches and strategies, assisted learning and whole-school approaches, there are many effective means of dealing with disability. Therefore, the criteria for selection—the context, the assessment, the curriculum and the learner—must be carefully considered. It is important to link programs and strategies together because, while there are a considerable number of well-evaluated and effective commercially produced programs in special education, it is very seldom that the program can be used by untrained teachers. Even if a program has clear instructions, there is some skill attached to implementing such programs. Therefore, the teacher needs to be aware of strategies that can be used to reinforce the program and to evaluate the effectiveness of the learning that can take place through the use of the program. One of the main challenges facing teachers is the need to find varied approaches to learning that will motivate children and will provide the key elements that the child requires as well. If the child does not respond to a structured program, the teaching program should then be reevaluated. This would help to decide whether it is the most appropriate program to use. It is also important to consider other factors as the child may not be responding because she or he may only need a longer period to achieve the objective of the program. References Gersten, R. , Schiller, Vaughn, S. (2000). Contemporary Special Education Research: Syntheses of the Knowledge Base on Critical Instructional Issues. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ. Hulme, C. , Joshi, M. (1998). Reading and Spelling: Development and Disorders. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ. Hornsby, Shear. (1980). Alpha to Omega. Heinemann Educational Books. London. Lindamood, P. , Bell, N. , & Lindamood, P. (1997). Achieving competence in language and literacy by training in phonemic awareness, concept imagery and comparator function. In C. Hulme & M. Snowling (Eds. ), Dyslexia: Biology, cognition and intervention (pp. 212–234). London: Whur.

Odyssey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Odyssey - Essay Example Penelope is an ideal woman in her times because is a generous Queen, she respects and follows the elders, influential men, and the gods, she is clever in keeping the suitors away and managing the household, and she remains virtuous as a wife. One of the greatest virtues of Penelope is her goodness as a Queen. When a beggar (who is actually Odysseus) brings her news about her husband, she treats him kindly and lavishly. She tells her maids to give him a good washing and a nice bed because tomorrow, â€Å"he can sit in the hall beside Telemachos and expect to dine there; and it will be the worse for any of those men who inflicts heart-wasting annoyance on him† (Homer 19.317-325). She is the kind of woman who dotes on a stranger, and a beggar at that. Her great love for her husband seems to spill over to other people too. Furthermore, during the arrow shooting context, his suitors make fun of the beggar. Penelope defends him and tells him to also try his hand in the contest (Homer 21). These actions manifest how good she is as a queen and as a person. She respects all people whatever their social status is. At the same time, she values the beggar enough to even let him participate in the contest. Her hand in marriage is the prize, but she gives equal chances to all. As a queen, Penelope is an ideal monarch with esteem for every person of every social class. Penelope is an ideal woman because she follows the counsel of the elderly and other men and fulfils her duties to the gods. After learning about Antinoà ¶s’ murderous plans against her son, Penelope weeps endlessly. Euryclea, an old nurse, advises her to pray to Athene who will protect Telemachos as she does for Odysseus: â€Å"Ascend your chamber with your ladies here,/And pray the seed of goat-nursd Jupiter,/Divine Athenia, to preserve your son,/And she will save him from confusion† (Homer 4.104-107). Penelope follows her advice and brings

To what extent can Chandlers model of large-scale, integrated Essay

To what extent can Chandlers model of large-scale, integrated managerial enterprise explain the long-term competitiveness of leading economies - Essay Example Expressing my opinion, this model has not been followed entirely by all the leading economies in the world. To be discussed in the essay is a brief explanation of Chandler’s theory of large scale managerial enterprise its applications and bottlenecks. I will provide justification of my opinion by using the enterprise system in Japan and China with a focus on the role externalities such as the availability of funds, role of the government as well as business networks and groups. With these, examples this paper will explain the theories of capitalism and entrepreneurship and how they have enabled those using the system gain competitive advantage. Chandler’s concept of the visible hand premises the origin of the firm and its growth prospects. He argues that the existence of the firm is fundamentally to achieve coordination in an effective manner than the market in order to enjoy productivity gains. When the gains are easily realized, economies of scale set in. The model has specific problems associated with it. First, a managerially controlled firm is non-maximiser and thus high profit rates are not as objective and thus cannot be used to measure competitive advantage. Second, the firm though being an efficient cost minimiser, the benefits are not observable since they are being absorbed by high executive salaries and managerial perquisites. According to Chandler (1997, p14) managerial enterprise is defined as the modern enterprise with numerous operating units carrying out specific functions of production and distribution. It can also be termed as governance structure where investment decisions for current and future activities are made following management hierarchy with expertise and knowledge. All the managers are charged with the responsibility of efficient management of the organizations and they are salaried managers answerable to the board of governors. The large scale

Simultaneous multiple sales channel increase the intention of Dissertation

Simultaneous multiple sales channel increase the intention of purchasing of luxury brand goods - Dissertation Example However, all this changed with economic downturn of 2009. The Luxury goods market growth was stunted by the recession. Post recession, the luxury goods industry, seems to have survived the onslaught. However, the industry the market for the so called accessible luxury goods has been subdued. The exclusivity that is so much a part of the luxury brand goods has been restored and now more focused, established and pure luxury brand goods are likely to succeed and sustain themselves in the market. This downside in the Luxury goods business is likely to prompt research into finding ways to increasing and sustain the sales of the luxury goods without really tarnishing the pure luxury image of such goods. As per current economic situation, the brand equity for luxury goods has regained a place of prime importance. This raises the question as to whether there are ways to enhance the purchase intentions for luxury brands while preserving the said equity (Euro Monitor 2010). Further, the sustai nability of the luxury brand goods has come into question and found fresh attention from business researchers. Taking a long term view of the marketing efforts, there is a need to investigate the means as to increase the purchase intentions of consumers for luxury brands at a very fundamental level. ... This is so, lest it dilutes the brand image. Thus there is a need to find out whether, the more accessible or economic versions of the other wise luxury brand will be sustainable and in line with overall brand value of the luxury goods. The existing sales channels for any given brand typically have their own strengths and weaknesses. Besides, the effectiveness of a channel varies with time. Thus it is important to find out a way to compensate for the effects of decline in sales through a channel. Another pertinent question that arises from the above discussion is whether new sales channels need to be developed to compensate for the downward trends in a given sales channel. Also, it needs to be found whether they can add any real value in terms of the customer experience. It remains to be seen whether any new channels will really be able to have any positive effect on the purchase intentions of the consumers. If yes then how the additional sales channels can be used to maximize the sa les by affecting the purchase intentions. Luxury goods businesses need to have a guiding tool to help them decide whether and how the specific brand they are selling will respond to opening of any new sales channels and whether they will really be beneficial for their given brand. In this context its important to note that certain brands resist opening new sales and distribution channels for their brands. For instance the Rolex brand owners are against internet as a means to sell their brand (Brand Channel 2012). At the same time other luxury brands are endorsing internet as a sales channel. This raises questions about the validity of sales channels’ effectiveness for luxury brands. These questions can be answered only with proper research into the topic. The procurement or

The Steps that Would Be Necessary To Gain Access to a Formal Essay

The Steps that Would Be Necessary To Gain Access to a Formal Organization For The Purpose Of Doing Field Research - Essay Example The researcher states that friends, contact persons or academics may play a crucial role in assisting a researcher to gain the support of someone within the organization who will act as the researcher’s champion. Although, a researcher may secure agreement with someone in the lower ranks of an organization, it is important to access the top management for clearance to carry out their investigations in the organization. Clearance to conduct the investigations from the top management can be achieved through a formal letter, outlining the study purpose, targeted informants and action request. This can also be secured through organized meetings in which the researcher briefs the management about the research intentions before seeking formal permission to conduct the investigations. The researcher should also offer something in return to either the organization or the participants as a way of gaining a sense of being trustworthy. Another important step is the need to provide clear explanations of research aims and suggestion of methods to deal with concerns that may arise from the study. Since it is almost impossible to gain full access, researchers should be flexible and ready to negotiate. It is also important to be reasonable about the amount of time the researcher intends to spend with the participants. Finally the researcher should offer an option for return to the organization after the research in the favor of the organization’s interests.

Sustainability and community Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sustainability and community - Research Paper Example This essay discusses that the development of sustainability has become a key priority for governments worldwide. The need for promoting sustainability seems to be mostly related to the severe effects of environmental pollution, as reflected in the worsening of climate worldwide. However, sustainability has been also found to result in the improvement of quality of life and the increase of effectiveness of communities’ infrastructure, as for example through the development of green areas across a city or the establishment of recreation areas for people of all ages. In accordance with a relevant report of the European Commission in 2009, the sustainable development is closely related to the economic development. This means that effective sustainable development plans within a particular community could help towards the improvement of social and economic life of all residents. Sustainability is of critical importance for communities worldwide. In fact, by supporting sustainabilit y communities can serve a series of critical needs: the improvement of infrastructure, meaning especially the transportation system available in each community, the limitation of pollution across the community as this fact would positively influence the lives of the local people, the limitation of energy use across the community and the development of projects for enhancing the local economic life, such as the increase of ecotourism and so on. The above targets can be achieved only through a carefully designed plan of action. At this point it would be important to take into consideration all aspects of such projects, meaning especially the capabilities of each community in terms of infrastructure, financing and human resources (Pierce and Dale 2000). Despite the challenges related to such initiatives it would be quite important for the people in each community to support the particular projects. At this point, it would be necessary to consider the significant effects of environmenta l pollution and of other environmental events on the life of residents. The excess pollution can limit the options of residents in terms of sports and other similar activities (Phillips and Pittman 2009). Also, the lack of appropriate infrastructure, based on the principles of sustainability, can result to the pollution of the community, an effect that can also negatively influence the local agricultural and fishery. Even if the importance of sustainability is significant, as described above, the promotion of sustainability in communities worldwide faces a series of obstacles. In accordance with Mazmanian and Kraft (2009) the reason for the delays in the development of sustainability across communities can be identified in the following fact: the requirements and the role of sustainability, as an element of a community’s strategy, is often not adequately explained. As a result, residents often think of sustainability as of a non-important issue, being regulated through approp riate legislative texts worldwide. On the other hand, not all communities have the resources required for promoting sustainable; reference is made not only to the technical and human resources available for the realization of the above project but rather to the managerial staff supervising these plans. Since sustainability plans can be quite complex it is necessary that appropriately educated and skilled staff participate in the relevant efforts (Mazmanian and Kraft

Language analysis Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Language analysis - Article Example Yves employs the emotive language all through the article, which arouses the readers’ emotions in every featured experience or event (Sanctuary Australia Foundation, 2011). For illustration, presently Yves contends of suffering from trauma and cries when he remembers the death of his family and refugees who still are in the Kakuma camp. This is also evident in his elaboration regarding how he managed to escape, and arrive in Kenya where on his way he used to pass over dead bodies. He claims that, he was seeing himself dead if it were not for God who helped him. The article does not have a particular format of narration, but utilizes the old mode of story telling design where each paragraph bears a certain experience (Sanctuary Australia Foundation, 2011). Besides, it does not have a primary source but is a personal narration featuring diverse experiences; though from the beginning to the end still maintains its thesis coupled with utilizing pictures in emphasizing the message. This article’s focus entails conveying to the readers dehumanizing experiences, which the refugees normally encounter while in their camps besides having lost their relatives and property. This is regardless of the hosting state claiming to have implemented the necessary security measures meant to ensure their safety, which is contrary (Sanctuary Australia Foundation, 2011). This is because the only people who attack them are the state’s police charged with the responsibility of guaranteeing them with safety. Therefore, compared to their war torn states, the condition do not have much difference except that the refugees are safe during the day. Emotive language in this narration coupled with pictures; mainly emphasize the severe experiences, which the narrator encountered while as a refugee. In each paragraph regarding a certain incidence, the narrator conveys the message in a manner to arouse emotions of the readers. This is via

The Black Holes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

The Black Holes - Research Paper Example In circumstances where the neutron star is extremely large, the 0forces of gravity outweigh the pressure gradient and this leads to a collapse. Such a neutron star collapses and shrinks until it finally turns out into a black hole. On such a scientific basis, this paper seeks to explain the properties, concepts, and space-time phenomena underpinning concept of the black hole formation. There are different types of black holes. The most common ones are; charged, rotating, supermassive, and static (Schwarzschild 150). Importantly, these four types of black holes are made up of the same fundamental elements; the singularity, the photon sphere, and the event horizon. However, the rotating black hole has an ergosphere which is a combination of two photon spheres. An interesting property about a black hole underlies the absorption of light and any other matter. Electromagnetic light once absorbed by a black hole cannot be reflected back. This originates from the most defi ning quality of a black hole which regards its emission of gravitational waves. A black hole emits strong gravitational waves that cause light to bend towards it (Schwarzschild 120). As suggested by Green (145), gravitational waves are disturbances in space-time curvature that are caused by the motion of matter. Being transmitted to a speed close to that of light, gravitational waves do not propagate through space-time. Even though gravitational waves travel straight through matter, the strength associated with them reduces as the distance from the initial source increases. As noted by Hengel (103), most black holes tend to be in a steady spinning motion as a consequence of the gravitational waves. It is this steady motion that absorbs matter and rotates it within the ring (the event zone) that is usually formed around the black hole. Such

Interagency disaster management Essay Example for Free

Interagency disaster management Essay Introduction: A disaster can be defined as a serious disruption of the functioning of a society, causing widespread human, material, or environmental losses which exceed the ability of affected society to copy using only its own resources. Disasters are often classified according to their speed of onset (sudden or slow), or according to their cause (natural or man-made). Recent disasters like Hurricane Katrina have exposed the vulnerability of the nation in times of disaster and this has lead to discussions on disaster management. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, ice storms, severe weather, and wildfires can strike any time. They can build over days or weeks, or strike suddenly without warning. Throughout history, people in various parts of the world have suffered due to the unpredictability of natural disasters. Some disasters can be predicted such as floods in valleys, droughts in areas of low rainfall and oil spills in shipping lanes. There can also be manmade unpredictable disasters such as bioterrorism that involves the use of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Disaster Management: Disasters are inevitable but the destructive impact of disasters can be substantially reduced by adequate preparation, early warning, and swift, decisive responses. Disaster Management encompasses all aspects of planning for and responding to disasters. It applies to management of both risks and consequences of disasters. However, disasters need to be declared to secure the release of government resources for intervention. Government through its various agencies plays a huge role in such prevention and mitigation. This is done through legislation, through resource allocation and through rational planning and sustainable development. State and local governments are closest to those affected by natural disasters, and have always been the lead in response and recovery. The federal government acts in a supporting role, providing assistance, logistical support, and certain supplies. Local government is responsible for providing for the safety and security of citizens in advance of a hurricane. That means they are in charge of developing emergency plans, determining evacuation routes, providing public transportation for those who can’t self-evacuate, and setting up and stocking local shelters with relief supplies. State government is responsible for mobilizing the National Guard, pre-positioning certain assets and supplies, and setting up the state’s emergency management functions. They are also in charge of requesting federal support though the formal disaster declaration process. Federal government is responsible for meeting those requests from the state – before, during and after the disaster. This includes providing logistical support for search and rescue, providing food, water and ice, establishing disaster centers and processing federal disaster claims, and participating in short and long-term public works projects, such as debris removal and infrastructure rebuilding. National Response Plan: The National Response Plan, published on May 25, 2006, by the DHS, provides an all-hazards approach to enhance the ability of the nation to manage domestic disasters. The plan includes best practices and procedures from incident management disciplines—homeland security, emergency management, law enforcement, firefighting, public works, public health, responder and recovery worker health and safety, emergency medical services, and the private sector and integrates them into a unified structure. It forms the basis of how the federal government coordinates with state, local, and tribal governments and the private sector during incidents. The National Response Plan aims to save lives and protect the health and safety of the public, responders, and recovery workers and thereby ensure security of the homeland. The National Response Plan establishes a comprehensive all-hazards approach to enhance the ability of the United States to manage domestic incidents. It forms the basis of how federal departments and agencies will work together and how the federal government will coordinate with state, local, and tribal governments and the private sector during incidents. It establishes protocols to help protect the nation from terrorist attacks and other natural and manmade hazards; save lives; protect public health, safety, property, and the environment; and reduces adverse psychological consequences and disruptions to civilian life. The Plan identifies police, fire, public health and medical, emergency management, and other personnel as responsible for incident management at the local level. The Plan enables incident response to be handled at the lowest possible organizational and jurisdictional level. The Plan ensures the seamless integration of the federal government when an incident exceeds local or state capabilities. There are some new Coordinating Features in the National Response Plan such as: †¢ Homeland Security Operations Center (HSOC): The HSOC serves as the primary national level multi-agency hub for domestic situational awareness and operational coordination. The HSOC also includes DHS components, such as the National Infrastructure Coordinating Center (NICC), which has primary responsibility for coordinating communications with the Nation’s critical infrastructure during an incident. †¢ National Response Coordination Center (NRCC): The NRCC, a functional component of the HSOC, is a multi-agency center that provides overall federal response coordination. †¢ Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC): At the regional level, the RRCC coordinates regional response efforts and implements local federal program support until a Joint Field Office is established. †¢ Interagency Incident Management Group (IIMG): A tailored group of senior federal interagency experts who provide strategic advice to the Secretary of Homeland Security during an actual or potential Incident of National Significance. †¢ Joint Field Office (JFO): A temporary federal facility established locally to provide a central point to coordinate resources in support of state, local, and tribal authorities. †¢ Principal Federal Official (PFO): A PFO may be designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security during a potential or actual Incident of National Significance. While individual federal officials retain their authorities pertaining to specific aspects of incident management, the PFO works in conjunction with these officials to coordinate overall federal incident management efforts. The Department of Homeland Security/Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in close coordination with the DHS Office of the Secretary, will maintain the National Response Plan. The Plan will be updated to incorporate new Presidential directives, legislative changes, and procedural changes based on lessons learned from exercises and actual events. The Department of Homeland Security: In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. The department is responsible for providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort. According to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 the mission of the Department of Homeland security is to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism; and minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that do occur within the United States. Biohazards: Biohazards are biological agents or substances that present or may present a hazard to the health or well-being of the worker or the community. Biological agents and substances include infectious and parasitic agents, noninfectious microorganisms, such as some fungi, yeast, algae, plants and plant products, and animals and animal products that cause occupational disease. Generally, biohazards are either infectious microorganisms, toxic biological substances, biological allergens or any combination of the above. Today, biohazards ar also used as weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorists – the use of anthrax virus to spread disease, death, fear and panic among the public is a case in point. As such, biohazards not only come under the purview of the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) but also under Department of Homeland Security.

Understanding the different leadership styles

Understanding the different leadership styles There are two separate views relating to leadership styles: one view holds that leaders are born. The qualities they embody are unlimited. Other concept is that in order to emerge as leaders, humans need to work hard and develop these qualities (Golden 2010, 66-75). The great man theory demonstrates the previous concept and explains that the leaders intrinsically possess personality traits. This concept assumes that a leader naturally possess the required skills that allows him to perform. While adapting this concept, scholars analyse specific problems or tasks and provide leadership styles for addressing them (Crosby 1991, 25-46). Many people have observed the behaviour of leaders, the affect of situation on leadership, the functions of leadership, as well as dynamic processes and contingencies. Both the economic model as well as behavioural perspective examines leadership as a role whose purpose is to help an organisation to be more adaptable. Leadership can help an organisation in pursuing towards adaptive change (Golden 2010, 66-75). Discussion Leadership is a term used to describe the act of transforming, inspiring, mentoring, coordinating, and managing people toward an individuals, a groups, an organizations, a communitys, or a nation-states vision, goals, and objectives. In organization studies, leadership is acknowledged as an important concept, but there is great debate about what leadership actually is and how it occurs and evolves (Golden 2010, 66-75). Typically leadership theory in organization studies is spread across a wide spread of perspectives. These perspectives offer differing views and underlying assumptions about leadership, including leadership as a genetic ability or trait that one is born with, leadership as a specific form of behaviour, leadership as process or a way of thinking that is socially acquired, and leadership as a contingent product of environment. Within these perspectives, there are debates about the very need or existence of leadership (Crosby 1991, 25-46). For example, dispersed leadershi p theory argues that leadership is a form of power that is everywhere and always present. Conversely some contingency-based notions of leadership argue that leadership can be substituted for and made obsolete or redundant. More important, leadership as a field of study is vast and can be a daunting domain of study for newcomers to the field. Part of the challenge for people studying and researching leadership is the high volume of leadership theories and perspectives available (Miller 2007, 56-98). The aim of this encyclopaedic entry, therefore, is to provide a general overview of leadership specific to organization studies for a reader. Conceptual and Practical Approaches to Leadership Few things are more important to human commotion than leadership. People, regardless of their occupation, education, political or religious convictions, or cultural orientation, usually identify that leadership is a vastly significant fact. Political individuals declare it, analysts talk about it and organisations depend on it (Haber 2010, 94-130). Effective leadership leads nations in times of threat, encourages effective team and group performance, creates successful organisations and helps in nurturing the next generation (Morrill 2010, 110-138). The Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II, Winston Churchill, was able to stimulate the resolution of his tormented people with these words: I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. The absence of leadership can be equally dramatic; organisations progress slowly, languish, and sometimes even lose their way. Bad leadership can disseminate despair on those who are focus of its realm (Komives et al 2010, 156-184). Vroom and Jago identified 3 different functions that situational factors play in the effectiveness of leadership, that is, effectiveness of an organisation is not usually the result of good leadership techniques (Morrill 2010, 110-138). Outcomes of any group effort can be affected by situational factors that may be beyond the control of a leader. However, leaders receive credit or blame for the actions of the people, success or failure is usually the consequence of external forces, that is, changing technologies, or environmental conditions etc. An analysis carried out by Strube and Garcia establishes that leaders who are task-oriented perform best in situations that are either favourable (clear tasks, firm position power, and good leader/member relations) or unfavourable (unclear tasks, feeble position power, and poor leader/member relations) (Haber 2010, 94-130). On the other hand, leaders who are people-oriented perform best in conditions that are only slightly favourable, which is usually based on the value of leader-member relations. Another approach that deals with the relation between the situation and leadership style is path-goal theory (Komives et al 2010, 156-184). According to this approach, path is referred to the leaders behaviours which may help the team to achieve a desired goal. Therefore, leaders must display different behaviours to achieve different goals, depending on the situation. Which style of leadership should be used depends on two types of situational factors, such as, subordinate characteristics, which includes ability, control, and authority; and environmental characteristics, which include the nature of the task, work group, and authority system (Pitsis 2007, 100-156). Studies of different organisations establishes that task-oriented approaches are effective in conditions with low task structure as they help employees deal with an uncertain situation, and ineffective in conditions with high task structure (Haber 2010, 94-130). The researchers found participatory leadership to be more effective if the employees were involved in non-repetitive, ego-involving tasks. However, achievement-oriented leadership has been more effective if the employees were involved in uncertain tasks. An obvious implication of this approach is that leaders must analyse the situation before adopting a particular style of leadership (Hicks 2004, 88-150). Globalisation and Leadership The gradual increase in the globalisation has influenced leadership in several ways. Globalisation has influenced leadership with international employee transfer rates, increase in opportunities, and competition (Komives et al 2010, 156-184). Effective leadership in one country may not result in good leadership in another country for many reasons. A good leader may be blessed with certain traits that are preferred in a country, and these traits or habits may not be accepted or held highly in another country. Nations have their own social standards and cultures, and this is vital while considering leadership. A leader with the vast knowledge of a countrys ethics, customs, and beliefs and basic leadership skills may prove to be a beneficial leader to a business in another country (Hicks 2004, 88-150). A leader can have several skills that may make them successful in the world. These skills are awareness, strong business knowledge and sensitivity to cultural differences and standards, commitment, courage, and integrity. A good leader may not necessarily be a good leader in any country until he has good work ethics, professional and personal integrity and determination. If the leader is understands the cultural standards of a country and shows respect for these standards, he may be effective and may be respected by the country he is trying to lead (Pitsis 2007, 100-156). Innovation and Leadership Traditionally, innovation has dangled in and out of fashion: accepted in good times and discarded in downturns. However, as globalisation reduces the geographic boundaries and barriers in the market that once held back businesses from achieving potential, a companys capability to innovate-to tap the fresh value-creating concepts of the employees and partners, suppliers, customers, and other parties away from its own boundaries-is anything but faddish. Innovation has become a hub of growth, performance, and valuation. Strategy and Leadership As a leader responsible for the competitive development of your organisation, as well as a desire to keep ahead of the game, you have a responsibility to ensure that you are fully aware of new strategies and developments that can impact upon your personal growth as a leader of others (Hicks 2004, 88-150). The basic task of strategic thinking is to relate the identity of an institution to the realities that shape and influence its context. In the complex process of relating these two poles, there is the need and the opportunity to use strategic thinking as a tool of leadership. The tasks of leadership and strategic thinking overlap and intertwine, as becomes evident in a variety of forms (Miller 2007, 56-98). Developing Originality in Leadership Capabilities A leader must be able to create an Inspiring Vision Lead by Example. A leader must develop an inspiring vision; establish shared values; give direction and set stretch goals. He must enable himself to manage change strategically, take risks, create change; lead change; manage resistance to change and lead by example; practice what you preach; set an example, and share risks or hardship, demonstrate confidence; win respect and trust without courting popularity (Hicks 2004, 88-150). Conclusion Irrespective of what leadership theory one might believe in, the fact remains that leadership is a large and complex domain within organization studies. The field is overburdened and growing with old and new models of leadership, and little attempt has been made to debate or critique the very existence and validity of so many leadership theories and models (Miller 2007, 56-98). Rather than understanding leadership as a position or an inherent trait, leadership is understood as an activity or process that involves the development of certain skills or capacities. While leadership differs in many ways from management, it is imperative that both functions exist and complement one another. Leadership is ultimately what will lead to innovation and positive change, and management assists in this process. To address the complex and adaptive challenges our society is facing today and will face in the future, we must find new ways to view leadership and engage in leadership in our organizations. A number of progressive leadership models and perspectives were presented, reflecting leadership as a process, highlighting the leader-follower relationship, recognizing the role of the larger system, stressing the importance of collaboration, emphasizing the role of ethics, and serving the ultimate goal of creating positive change. APPENDIX MY PERSONAL SWOT STRENGTHS Trustworthy- I always find myself committed towards my job or task Confident- because of my confidence I had taken many decisions at my work and volunteer work too. Proactive- I always tried to complete the tasks on time with full involvement Calm- I always try to work calmly especially when there is some work load Honest- I always consider my honesty beyond everything which is really important in the corporate world WEAKNESS Time management Major weakness that I consider in me is time management. Writing Skills- Average individual in writing formal work. Feedback from the tutors made me realise about this weakness. Lazy Try to postpone work for tomorrow and had suffered a lot because of my laziness in my academics. Speaking There are some grammatical mistakes with speaking OPPORTUNITIES Feedback- a really important opportunity that helps to make changes either in me or in the way I work. An immediate tool which helps in improving the weaknesses Group Discussions- It helps in listening others views about a particular situation and to take decisions accordingly Presentations Its an opportunity where I can improve my speaking skills and it is the best chance to make a good time management Projects/ Assignments Projects help in improving the writing skills and can be reviewed after the results are out. A deadline for the assignment helps to make time management and reduce laziness. Debates An opportunity where speaking skills can be improved because debate is a way to express our own views and helps in motivating ourselves THREATS Companions Students in the same field, colleagues at work place are sometime becomes threat when competition is high. But confidence and calm nature will help me in facing the problems caused by a threat Time pressure Sometimes the deadlines for a task is really close which effects psychologically and an individual becomes panic and start doing wrong things. Proactive and cool behaviour will help me in taking decisions according to the situation

AIDS Problem Essay -- Health, Diseases, AIDS, HIV

1. Introduction Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, also known as AIDS, is caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).HIV damages body’s immune system by destroying white blood cells which help us to destroy invaded pathogens. When HIV enters a white blood cell, it may remain dormant. However, once it is activated, it infects another cell to produce many new HIVS. After a certain period of time, the white blood cells are destroyed and leading to a loss of function of the immune system (Y.K. Ho,2004). People infected by HIV will turn out to have AIDS. Infected people are very weak to fight off other infectious disease and soon they will die. According to the data and statistics of WHO, global summary of the AIDS epidemic, 2009, the number of people living with HIV is around 33.3 million and AIDS death in 2009 is around 1.8 million. How about China situation? We couldn’t find much data about China situation. Therefore, we have to explore the situation from other sources. 2. Current Situation of AIDS in China According to the ministry of health of the people’s republic of China, the number of people living with AIDS is about 370 thousand and AIDS death is about 60 thousand. The figure is much different from the prediction of United Nations (UN), UN predicted that there will be 10 million people living with AIDS at the end of 2010. So, which figure is more reliable? I would suggest the UN one and the following is my reason. In the early 1990s, the Chinese leadership launched a blood drive and paid donors for their plasma (Alice Park,2004), this is so called the â€Å"plasma economy†. Especially in Henan province, many blood stations appeared in a short period of time. Farmers believed that they could earn a lot of money by d... ...n provide AIDS patients with counseling service which can help them to accept themselves and dispel prejudices. 6. Conclusion To conclude, the central pillars of public health can explain the AIDS problem in China. Public health is composed of multidisciplinary knowledge, prevention and social justice. We could not interpret AIDS problem by only exploring the scientific perspective. Economic and social perspective also play am important role. Moreover, prevention can be divided to 3 levels, primary prevention is crucial to the issue, which is also most effective way to get rid of the problem. Tertiary prevention is the last line of defense, reminding the Chinese government should do something before it is too late. Lastly, social justice should be upholding in Chinese, this is the most critical aspect to see whether the AIDS problem can alleviate or not.

Theatre and Popular Opinion In Eighteenth-Century Paris :: Arts Theatre France History Historical Essays

The eighteenth century is widely reputed to have been the Age of Theatre in France. A unique form of entertainment and mass communication, theatrical productions brought together representatives from all degrees of social and economic status in one building to share a common experience. Despite an attitude that emphasized the glorification of French culture, the government viewed the theatre primarily as a form of entertainment and sought to prevent any deviation from this main emphasis. Although plays were monitored through censorship of scripts, the agents of authority made little attempt to shape popular views on specific political issues through drama. In contrast, practitioners of bourgeois drama aimed at converting the theatre into a schoolhouse for moral values and virtue in social interaction. Parisian audiences, especially those standing in the open parterre area in front of the stage, often used the theatre as a forum for voicing their own opinions on political issues. Far from being mindlessly molded by any agenda of the French playwrights or royal patrons, the spectators claimed for themselves the capacity to pass judgment on the plays presented on the stage. The Crown's formal regulation, the playwrights' didactic intention, and the spectators' vocal reactions created an interaction of control, manipulation, and political articulation in eighteenth-century Parisian theatre. From the popularity of amateur productions among the moneyed and elite to the general trend of rising ticket sales at public theatres, drama played an important role in the social life of eighteenth-century France. According to registers of attendance at the Comà ©die-Franà §aise from the 1750 to 1774, that playhouse averaged approximately 168,000 spectators each year. Since the theatre offered an opportunity to impress people of every rank, the French government could not neglect this aspect of life. The Crown assumed that the productions called for regulation, that troupes required consistent personnel, and that theatre crowds needed supervision. In 1680, Louis XIV granted monopolies on stage production to the Acadà ©mie Royale de Musique for opera, and to the Comà ©die-Franà §aise and the Comà ©die-Italienne for French and Italian language drama, respectively. The avowed purpose for establishing these theatres was "to perfect the representation of the lyric and dramatic arts for the greater glory of the French state." This objective promoted plays that extolled the monarchy and perpetuated the powerful system of privilege. In 1706, the king charged the Paris police with maintaining control and order in these playhouses. The Crown supported the three royal theatres financially and governed their management until the end of the ancien rà ©gime.

COLD MOUNTAIN Essay -- essays research papers

COLD MOUNTAIN The story of "Cold Mountain" is a best selling novel and it is the first book written by Charles Frazier. It took years of research before he could write this novel. The plot of Cold Mountain is really and old idea, in fact it is an ancient one. The plot is the same as the one in an ancient book by Homer. The story I am referring to is "The Odyssey". The Odyssey is a book about a wounded soldier trying to find his way back home and his sweetheart, Penelope that is waiting for his return. Cold Mountain is the story of a wounded Confederate soldier that was wounded, deserts, and begins a journey back to his home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Cold Mountain. The plot of the book has two parallel stories. The first part of the plot is about a man named Inman. Inman is a Confederate soldier that is wounded in Virginia and spends several months in a hospital. After sneaking out of the hospital, he starts on his journey back home to his sweetheart, Ada. His odyssey is his long journey back to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. What makes is journey so interesting is the many people he comes in contact with along the way. Some of the people Inman comes in contact with are kind to him. They give him a place to stay and sometimes even a hot meal. Some of the other characters aren't so kind to him. The Civil War is still raging...

Ethical modifications on marketing relations Essay

In this paper I will analyze and assess legal and ethical modifications on marketing relations as it relates to both consumers and organizations. This research will analyze three to five ethical issues that relates to marketing and advertising, intellectual property, and regulation of product safety. The discussion of arguing for or against Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketing by drug companies will also be analyze. This paper will also determine who regulates compounding pharmacies under the current regulatory scheme, what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could/should have done in the PharmaCARE scenario and whether the FDA should be granted more power over compounding pharmacies. Throughout this paper the decision on whether PharmaCARE’s use of Colberian intellectual property would be ethical in accordance with: Utilitarianism, Deontology, Virtue ethics, Ethics of care, and my own moral / ethical compass will be discussed. There will be an analysis discussed on the way PharmaCARE uses U.S. law to protect its own intellectual property while co-opting intellectual property in Colberia. A discussion will be determined at least three ways the company could compensate the people and nation of Colberia for the use of its intellectual property and the damage to its environment. Compare PharmaCARE’s actions with those of at least one real-world company whose creativity in skirting legal technicalities led to ethical lapses and financial loss. Be able to determine the success PharmaCARE and WellCo shareholders would have in suits against the companies. Determine whether or not PharmaCARE lives up to its brand. Recommend at least three changes PharmaCARE can make to be more ethical going forward. Ethical Issues Ethical issues are situations or problems that calls for a person to choose between two alternatives. In marketing and advertising ethical issues can arise when advertising weakens or undermines personal autonomy. Also, it promotes consumption as way of life and it destroys credence in the written or spoken word (Ethics, 2013). In intellectual property it creates a monopoly for firms and enables them to charge prices for their innovations that are more than the marginal cost of the production. When valuable products are given intellectual property protection this creates an ethical issues (Sonderholm, 2010). In regulation of product safety everyone within  the company are expected to act and abide by the company’s Code of Ethics or conduct (McBain and Balassone, 2012). As a result, of the ethical theories being used throughout this paper, one can see how the drug companies are important and what they need to do in order to obtain and maintain their clientele. The different t heories applied throughout this paper have discussed how important the theories are and how they can interrelated to better understand how drug companies operate. Overall, the drug companies should use the distributive justice theory to provide and distribute health care evenly to all individuals. Direct-to-Consumer There have been several different theories used to either argue for or against Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketing by drug companies. The ever increasing cost of health will continue to present health care issues and ethical challenges that will result in a better understanding of how to use ethical tools when looking for the best drug companies for an individual. Therefore, ethical theories and principles will help to focus on the clearer direction one must take in order to make a decision about one’s future. Regulates Food and Drug Administration State boards of pharmacy typically regulate compounding by pharmacies, but federal legislation also plays a role. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could have force PharmaCARE to shutdown because of how they were operating. They were operating under extreme working conditions. The people in Colberia were being exploited (hazardous working environment) and taking advantage of (wages). This type of working environment is unethical. The FDA will continue to provide proactive and for-cause inspections of compounding pharmacies, and FDA plans to take aggressive action, including enforcement actions, as appropriate to protect the public health and the people of Colberia. The FDA should be granted more power over compounding pharmacies because FDA has been conducting inspections of compounding pharmacies for cause and proactively to identify pharmacies with deficient sterile compounding practices. There have been more problems identified at compounding pharmacies across the country and the FDA intends to continue its inspection and enforcement efforts to address these problems, using currently available resources (FDA, 2013). PharmaCARE and Colberian Ethical theories represent the grand ideas on which guiding principles are based. The theories that will be used throughout this paper will discuss how important ethical theory is and when implement in a company how effective they will be for the company. The use of utilitarian refers to all action should be directed toward achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. In other words, the utilitarian approach implies that insurance companies should insure some type of insurance to all people because this makes unhealthy people healthier sooner than without insurance due to the cost and high price of physicians. The stakeholder’s theory implies that business ethics discussions are based on the responsibilities of the decisions from managers and executives (Luxury, 2007). Deontology Virtue ethics Ethics of care Own moral and ethical compass In Kant’s categorical imperative, he refers to how everyone should be treated as a free person and should be equal to everyone else (Luxury, 2007). Therefore, drug companies should not choose to do the same thing for the same reason for all their patients. In using adverse selection, it refers to how different individuals that are on one side of the market have better information than the other individuals do on the other side of the market (Luxury, 2007). The drug companies will offer the wealthy a cheaper price over the poor and this type of behavior is unethical. Therefore, the poor will start doing things that makes it hard for them to obtain the products from the drug companies. Health care is necessary to meet everyone’s health needs and thus to promote equality of opportunity, which is such an important value in American political culture. According to Childress (2000), he states that Dan Brock’s interpretation of health care is, â€Å"While health careâ €™s impact on people’s well being is fundamental to why justice requires that it be available to all, it is possible to capture most of this impact of health care under the concept of opportunity. It is health care’s role in promoting equality of opportunity that makes ensuring access to health care for all a fundamental requirement of justice† (30). Analyze PharmaCARE PharmaCARE uses the U.S. law to protects its own intellectual property by ensuring that the patents, copyrights and trademarks are protected. This enables people and other organizations to earn recognition or financial benefits from what they create or produce. Although, these rights extends only to the U.S. anyone who desires to patent, copyright or trademark protection in other countries will have to apply for to patent, copyright or trademark in each country that they choice because each country has their own patent, copyright and trademark law (Intellectual, 2013). Compensate the people of Colberia PharmaCare can compensate the people and nation of Colberia by cleaning up the environment such as using safe and healthy products to eliminate the hardzarous chemical smell and spill. They can offer the employees better wages and health insurance. By offering better wages for the people this can help them continue pour in revenue for their country, helping the country to begin to prosper. The company can also make the working conditions in the building better so that the employees will be able to come to work in a healthier working environment. If all of these suggestions are completed then the people and nation of Colberia can start to live a better life. Real Word Company Hospira manages it task environment in accordance with setting goals and working to meet the goals of the organization (Thompson, 2007). When the pharmaceutical company sets a safety goal is regards to OSHA’s goal, then they work vigoursly towards maintaining this goal, so they will not be in violation. They believe that this is a unique opportunity for human resource to step in and take the lead in developing tools and capabilities. This will help to identify and strike down on barriers that keep employees from doing their very best. According to Sullivan (2006), the challenges that need to be address are how to increase the output volume that the organization faces on a daily basis; what would be an innovation for continuous improvement; and what would the employee recommend to the organization for improvement and change.The critical part for human resources is being able to align  their mission and priorities of the organization and engaging the minds of employees in thei r work (Pomeroy, 2006). The challenges that need to be addressed are in organizational design, hiring the most talented person and moving people around to different locations. Success PharmaCare and WellCo The shareholders of PharmaCARE would have a stockholder’s derivative action against them because of the improper management of the company. According to Hill and Hill (1985-2005) stockholder’s derivative action is a lawsuit governed by corporation’s shareholders to help protect the corporation and shareholder’s benefits against any wrongdoings and improper management from the corporation. The shareholders of WellCo. have a stockholder’s action against PharmaCARE for failure to provide due diligence before the transaction of purchase took place. The company failed to provide all the necessary information to WellCo. and in return WellCo. is now responsible for all of the assets and liabilities that PharmaCARE created before the purchase. PharmaCARE is now free from all of the debt and liability the company created therefore, PharmaCARE success depends on the company’s continued products that are delivered to their clients without the adverse re actions of the development and marketing product of AD23. PhamaCARE brand The following information will determine why PharmaCARE lives up to its brand. When talking about the rational system perspective, PharmaCARE portrays their ability in this way because they enforces a strong urge for growth and with their concise and clear goals set, they have proven this and is maintaining their status. They have become a great organization by ensuring their rules and regulations are enforced (Scott and Davis, 2007). In the natural system perspective, they have highly motivated individuals who are willing to work harder and smarter to obtain a clear since of pride (Scott and Davis, 2007). They focus on their mission and vision statement and they stand by it in order for them and the organization to be prosperous. In the open system perspective, PharmaCARE has maintained the change and have grown to an organization of pride and prestige. They still invest in the right product and ensure they spend their money on profitable means. Therefore, making it cheaper for cons umers to buy their products and for the organization to make a profit. The major challenges that PharmaCARE  will be facing in the next two to three years will be how they will withstand their financial responsibilities and keeping their clientele. These challenges are most important because as PharmaCARE continues to make products they will continue to be introduced to new clients and they must be able to meet the demands of the clients. Their financial responsibilities comes into play when they have to try to come up with new products and if they are already over budget then the new products will not be able to be completed. In addition, by PharmaCARE trying to keep up with other pharmaceutical companies and clientele, this leads to the employees working longer hours and are not compensated for their work. This situation can end up with some of PharmaCARE’s employees leaving to work for the competition. Therefore, PharmaCARE must ensure that their financial and client responsibilities are met in order for PharmaCARE to stay a successful organization and meets the needs of their employees. PharmaCARE has implemented a human resource department and they focus on continued success within the organization. Although, the human resource department is a department of its’ own, this department runs the organization because everything must go through this department for any changes. Therefore, the change in thi s human resource department for PharmaCARE would be in the best interest for this organization. Recommendation I recommend the following actions for change with PharmaCARE for strategic purposes. They are analyzing, forecasting, planning, implementing and evaluating. In analyzing the overall workforce, planning system should be well thought out, systematic and documented. The effectiveness of planning depends on the detail, accuracy and reliability of the information sources. It is important to identify all factors that could influence future demand for outputs service as well as competencies of the internal and external supply of labor (Scott and Davis, 2007). Information that is gathered during the analyzing phase must be reliable and accurate. In forecasting, PharmaCARE should consider the future needs of the organization. One of the most useful outcomes is the identification of potential problems or issues facing the organization. The data collected from the information sources should help develop a gap analysis and emergent strategies to manage the future. It involves the identification of any predicted changes and  developments that may result from a demand and supply chain (Thompson, 2007). In planning, strategies initiatives, programs and policies should be developed to address the gaps within PharmaCARE. This will ensure that the recruitment and development will be critical of a needed staff for a successful workforce plan. In implementing, it is critically important to put together an implementation plan to carry out the planned activities included in the workforce plan. According to Scott and Davis (2007), this will be the process for using all the information gathered and devising a plan to execute the new strategies. In evaluating, there should be an evaluation of the workforce plan because this is imperative in determining if the devised strategies are addressing the gaps specified. It is important to obtain feedback concerning the effectiveness of outcomes from the plan. PharmaCARE should design a plan that would be more effective in the managerial and business aspect of the organization. A logical implementation plan for a human resource program for PharmaCARE would be to offer a new set of curriculum and qualifications opportunities that is truly built around the needs and as pirations of each employee. By matching the best employees in the organization, PharmaCARE would allow all employees to have opportunities to learn in ways, which motivate and pushes them to work harder for a successful and well deserve future (Mathis and Jackson, 2006). PharmaCARE’s human resource program works in the area of development, such that managers are mentors to supervisors. This allows growth and knowledge within the organization. PharmaCARE prides itself in being a successful organization and will be served better with the right approach to the implementation initiative. Human resources will have more flexibility in hiring, supporting and managing their people. PharmaCARE should do the following in order to become a more successful organization. Increased flexibility will strengthen accountability based on transparency, fairness and respect. Human resource management relations will become more collaborative with both management and employees working together to foster a mature, healthy and productive workplace. The goal is to make it easier to attract, hire, support and retain the best people. This is a great opportunity if it is done right, PharmaCARE will be a better place for people to work and will provide better service to th eir employees and customers. References Childress, J.F. (2000). Summary and Synthesis of Papers and Discussion at Ethics in Oral Health Policy Seminar. Retrieved from http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/NR/rdonlyres/7E3F3CDF-B133-4503-B8C1-049793F869D9/0/Childress.pdf Ethics of Advertising (2013). Retrieved from http://www.carroll.edu/msmillie/busethics/ethadvertising.htm FDA Implementation of the Compounding Quality Act. (2013). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/PharmacyCompounding/ucm375804.htm Hill, G. & Hill, K. (1981-2005). Shareholder’s Derivative Action. The Free Dictionary. Retrieved from http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/shareholder’s+derivative+action Intellectual Property Law and Policy. (2013). The United States Patent and Trademark Office and Agency of the Department of Commerce. Retrieved from http://www.uspto.gov/ip/ Luxury primary care-market innovation or threat to a ccess? (2007). The New England Journal of Medicine. Massachusetts Medical Society, 346(15) 1165-1168. Retrieved from http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/extract/346/15/1165 Mathis, R. & Jackson, J. (2006). Human Resource Management. (11th Ed.). New York. Thomason-South-Western. McBain, J. & Balassone, J (2012). Product Safety Case Studies. Santa Clara University. Retrieved from http://www.scu.edu/ethics/dialogue/candc/cases/product-safety.html Pomeroy, Ann (2006). Society of Human Resource Management. HR Is Mission Critical at the FBI. Volume 51, No.6. Retrieved from SHRM Online http://www.shrm.org/hrmagazine/articles/0606/0606pomeroy.asp Scott, W.R., & Davis, G. (2007). Organizations and organizing: Rational, natural, and open system perspectives. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Sonderholm, J. (2010). Ethical Issues Surrounding Intellectual Property Rights. Wiley Online Library. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-9991.2010.00358.x/abstra ct Sullivan, John. (2006). Workforce Management. HR’s New Opportunity: Removing Barriers to Productivity. Retrieved from http://www.workforce.com/section/01/article/24/38/30.html

A place you would love to return to again

I would love to go back to Mumbai in India, if I ever get a chance. Mumbai is one of the metropolitan cities of India. It is famous for its warm people, moderate climate, Elephanta Caves and beaches like Chawpatti, Juhu and Marine drive.It is the capital of the state of Maharashtra. Seven islands whose names are Colaba, Mahim, Parel, Mazagaon, Old Woman's Island, Wadala, and Matunga-Sion join together to form Mumbai. It is a city which is close to the Arabian Sea. It is also called Bollywood city, where most of the actors and actresses of the Hindi film industry live. I would love to return to this place because I have spent a memorable childhood in this city.Mumbai is very close to my heart. I got an opportunity to visit this place when I was studying in school. The place looked very beautiful in the eyes of a 9 yr old girl. We lived far from the city centre. There were mountains at the backdrop and when it rained, I could see the waterfalls from the window of my house.There were co conut tree all around which also added to the beauty. There was also a playing ground nearby where I played with other kids of my age. The place looked attractive to me because it was totally different from the place where we lived before we came here. In Mumbai I loved the open space it provided and of course the mountains.I have lovely childhood memories of Mumbai. I spend my school days in this city. I think this is one of the reasons that I love this place so much. I made many friends in this place. My best was a girl from Mumbai.I knew her from my school days; she studied with me in the same school. We remained friends for many years, even after I returned to Kolkata, my native place. I met girls and boys of different culture and background and had the opportunity to enjoy many parties, picnics and trips together.I still remember some activities that my family and I did in Mumbai, which was never possible in Kolkata as my father became very busy with his work. On holidays and s ummer vacations, we visited many places like the zoo, the Gate of India, Ajanta Ellora caves and Elephanta Caves.We also visited a nearby hill station called Bahabaleshwar and Goa, an exquisite place near Mumbai. I remember that most of the days after dinner we use to go for a walk. On the way there were many ice-cream stalls and my father always bought ice-creams for us. I also enjoyed different Indian festivals like Diwali, Durga Puja, Holi and Ganesh Puja.As a Bengali, we were away from home but the place felt like home to us because there were Bengali associations and our main festival, Durga Puja was celebrated in a grand way. Puja brought joy for me because I got new clothes and sweets.My mother always insisted that I and my sister participate in cultural functions. It was a good experience. I doubt that I was a good performer but I always receive loads of applauses from the audience. I grew up and because of my studies; I did not have enough time to participate in such cultur al activities anymore after we returned to our native land.  I know that Mumbai has grown a lot as a city in the past few years but I remember the place as I have seen seventeen year ago. I can still visualize my house, the playground, the mountains and the bright springs.Sometimes I fear that if I ever return to the city, I won’t be able to recognize and accept the changes that have taken place. Moreover my friends and other people whom I have known, most of them have moved elsewhere or have changed with time. However I still wish to go back and visit the place where I have spend my childhood days. It would give me immense pleasure to re-live my childhood again.Work Citation:â€Å"Mumbai Travel Guide†. 8 November 2007. http://www.mumbai.org.uk/>   

Difficult Times Always Lead To Better Days

Every cloud has a silver lining means that you should never feel hopeless because difficult times always lead to better days. Difficult times are like dark clouds that pass overhead and block the sun but after some time the cloud shines much brighter than previous time. Life is full of challenges and the longer we live, the more we face new events or challenges in life. Some pass easily and others not.So there are two kinds of people in this world; one who works hard and overcome the situation and the other are those who gives up rapidly. The world we live in is not perfect, and we will never ever find a world which is perfect in itself. Every day there will be things that make us cry or feel sad about ourselves. People who will stand in front of the difficulties which they face, they will be able to improve themselves and let their dreams come true. They are known as brave people and the entire world respect them.In contrast, there are people who watch their steps carefully, they st udy their books and do what their bosses, parents, or teachers tell them to do. But if they, for example, could not solve a math problem they will close their books and stop studying. Furthermore, if there is a problem between a husband and a wife, and this husband or wife is one of those people who give up easily, they may get divorced from the first difficulty but if they stand against the problem and face that problem, it may possible that they will win the situation. Difficult Times Always Lead To Better Days Every cloud has a silver lining means that you should never feel hopeless because difficult times always lead to better days. Difficult times are like dark clouds that pass overhead and block the sun but after some time the cloud shines much brighter than previous time. Life is full of challenges and the longer we live, the more we face new events or challenges in life. Some pass easily and others not. So there are two kinds of people in this world; one who works hard and overcome the situation and the other are those who gives up rapidly.The world we live in is not perfect, and we will never ever find a world which is perfect in itself. Every day there will be things that make us cry or feel sad about ourselves. People who will stand in front of the difficulties which they face, they will be able to improve themselves and let their dreams come true. They are known as brave people and the entire world respect them. In contrast, there are people who watch their steps carefully, they s tudy their books and do what their bosses, parents, or teachers tell them to do.But if they, for example, could not solve a math problem they will close their books and stop studying. Furthermore, if there is a problem between a husband and a wife, and this husband or wife is one of those people who give up easily, they may get divorced from the first difficulty but if they stand against the problem and face that problem, it may possible that they will win the situation.