Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Research on Elizade Nigeria Limited - 1686 Words

A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY ON THE ENTERPRENEUR Chief (Dr.) Michael Ade Ojo was born on June 14, 1934 at Ilara-Mokin in Ondo State, South West of Nigeria. He studied Business Administration at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and graduated in June, 1965. He has worked with some multinational companies including C.F.A.O., the then British Petroleum (BP) now African Petroleum Plc. Today he is the proud owner of ELIZADE NIGERIA LIMITED with several subsidiaries including Toyota Nigeria Limited, Oodua Creations Limited, Crown and Gold Shipping Company Limited among others. He is the Chairman of various Companies including Moorhouse Sofitel Limited, Imperial Telecommunications Limited, Custodian and Allied Insurance Company Limited. He setup†¦show more content†¦As a marketer in BP, he was disappointed when a man he outclassed was promoted to become his direct boss. This he considered very unfair especially because he had just then helped boost the company’s sales by about 25% with the winning over of a new contract. He left the job to serve himself at a time when it was considered stupid to leave the certainty of a colonial job for the uncertainty of private enterprise. The result was the establishment of a small family business (with his wife) now known as ELIZADE NIGERIA LIMITED. HOW THE BUSINESS WAS ESTABLIHED His Start up – funding: Chief Michael Ade Ojo did not make it that easily; he started with the little money he was able to save at the time he was working combined with the help from his wife. Registration of the business: In 1968, he registered a business name Known as Elizade Trading Stores handling general textile sales including underwear under the 1968 Companies Decree (now known as Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990 as amended), but later started business as an automobile marketing company named Elizade Independent Agencies formed in 1971. By 1973 Elizade Trading Stores and Elizade Independent Agencies were merged and Elizade Nigeria Limited was incorporated and in 1976 the company secured Federal Government License which was dealing in Toyota vehicles and spare parts in Nigeria. Procuring

Monday, December 23, 2019

Problem Solving and Decision Making Techniques - 615 Words

Problem solving and decision making. Ask anyone in the workplace if these activities are part of their day and theyd certainly answer Yes! But how many of us have had training in problem solving? We know its a critical element of our work but do we know how to do it effectively? There are two reasons why we tend to see a problem as a problem: it has to be solved and were not sure how to find the best solution, and there will probably be conflicts about what the best solution is. Most of us tend to be conflict-averse. We dont feel comfortable dealing with conflict and we tend to have the feeling that something bad is going to happen. The goal of a good problem-solving process is to make us and our organization more conflict-friendly and conflict-competent. There are two important things to remember about problems and conflicts: they happen all the time and they are opportunities to improve the system and the relationships. They are actually providing us with information that we can use to fix what needs fixing and do a better job. Looked at in this way, we can almost begin to welcome problems! (Well, almost.) Because people are born problem solvers, the biggest challenge is to overcome the tendency to immediately come up with a solution. Let me say that again. The most common mistake in problem solving is trying to find a solution right away. Thats a mistake because it tries to put the solution at the beginning of the process, when what we need is a solution atShow MoreRelatedEssay on Improving Our Ability to Make Decisions1716 Words   |  7 PagesDecision-Making Process: Improving Our Ability to Make Decision Facing a situation, you have to decide. For example, the fire surrounds you: What do you do? Jump through the windows and risk to kill yourself or to wait the firemen and risk to be burned to death if they come to late? Every decision that we make or don’t make shapes our future. Everyone tries to make good decisions. However, it is easy to overlook an important factor, miss a desirable option, or base the decision on unreliableRead MoreEssay about The Army Problem Solving Model783 Words   |  4 PagesMilitary leaders make decisions and solve problems every day. Some need a decision quickly while others can take time. The US Army has several decision-making methods to assist leaders. The Army Problem Solving Model (Process) is a systematic approach to identifying the best possible solution to an issue or problem and a deliberate method of decision-making. (FM 6-0, 2009) Leaders use it to solve a problem when time is not critical and they can put some thought into differe nt solutions. TheRead MoreProblem Solving Techniques Essay examples778 Words   |  4 PagesProblem Solving Techniques PSY/430 Problem Solving Techniques Problem solving techniques used when making group decisions. Identify the sources of conflict in learning team: competition, differences in objectives; values, attitudes, and perceptions: disagreements about member’s role requirements: work activities; and individual approaches: and breakdowns in communication. Analyze the conflict situation by answering the following questions: Who is inRead MoreDesicion Making and Problem Solving1114 Words   |  5 Pagesgovernmental organizations--is largely work of making decisions and solving problems. It is work of choosing issues that require attention, setting goals, finding or designing suitable courses of action, and evaluating and choosing among alternative actions. The first three of these activities--fixing agendas, setting goals, and designing actions--are usually called problem solving; the last, evaluating and choosing, is usually called decision making. Nothing is more important for the well-being ofRead MoreD eficiencies Of Supervisory Skills At Public Library1154 Words   |  5 Pageschanges to staffing and operational procedures in the department, provide recommendations on how the process can be improved to avoid similar challenges in the future, as well as provide information and guidance to current and future supervisors. Problems were identified when significant modifications were made by the supervisor to the loans section of the library over a short period. The changes included reorganisation of the part-time roster and work areas, revision of the flexible working hoursRead MoreProblem-Solving and Decision-Making Essay508 Words   |  3 Pagesprivileged to be able to go to college. I believe making good Decisions course modules and activities are impacted on my education career. The problem solving and decision-making are vital skills for college and life. The problem-solving frequently includes decision-making and decision-making is absolutely significant for managing and guidance. There are methods and techniques to advance decision-making and the quality of decisions. The decision-making is more ordinary to confident characters, so theseRead MoreDecision Making For A Successful Business1663 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract Problem solving and decision-making are important skills for running a successful business. Management often utilizes problem-solving which often involves decision-making. These processes and techniques improve decision-making and the quality of decisions. Decision-making might come natural to some leaders, however, others should focus more on improving the quality of their decisions. Effective and successful decisions produce profitable businesses and unsuccessful businesses suffer lossesRead MoreThe Importance Of A Group Setting At A Hospital1332 Words   |  6 Pagessinks or not. What are the strengths and skills that have brought to this group setting? How have they benefitted the group? The strengths and skills that I bring to this group setting are that I am organized, communicate effectively, and can solve problems. It is important to be organized and keep a clean area in an environment that can get very disorderly. Chaos can ensue quickly where critically ill people are placed to our care. This is why it is so very important to be organized and ready forRead MoreBusn312 Hw1A963 Words   |  4 PagesHomework 1a Multiple Choice Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. B 1. The essence of decision analysis is: |a. |breaking down complex situations into manageable elements. | |b. |choosing the best course of action among alternatives. | |c. |finding the root cause of why something has gone wrong. Read MoreThe Army Problem Solving Model and The Rapid Decision Making and Synchronization Process1114 Words   |  5 PagesContrast the Army Problem Solving Model (Process) with the Rapid Decision Making and Synchronization Process. (C100) Military leaders make decisions and solve problems every day. Some need a decision quickly while others can take time. The US Army has several decision-making methods to assist leaders. The Army Problem Solving Model (Process) (PSM) is a systematic approach to identifying the best possible solution to an issue or problem and a deliberate method of decision-making (FM 6-0, 2009)

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Modernism in “A passage to India” Free Essays

Modernism refers to a classification of literature that was written between 1914 and 1965.   E. M. We will write a custom essay sample on Modernism in â€Å"A passage to India† or any similar topic only for you Order Now Forster’s A Passage to India was published in 1924, placing it in the early years of the Modernist Period as well as within the Georgian Age (Harmon 597).   In art and literature, Modernism paralleled the rise of industrial technology and advances in science. In music, atonalism – that is, music which deliberately avoids key centers and is often dissonant – was produced by composers such as Arnold Schoenberg. Visual art found expression in cubism. Theories by Sigmund Freud also had a powerful influence on this movement. In literature, the Modernistic writing style is characterized by breaking with tradition.   It is inner-self oriented, and that inner-self is often explored using a stream of consciousness manner.   Modernism rejects traditional values and assumptions.   The individual takes pride of place while the social and outward are cast aside.   Some scholars see Modernism as a reaction to the practical and systematic sensibilities of Realism and Naturalism (Harmon 326). Not surprisingly, the Modern Era was also when Existentialism came into prominence – a related philosophy in which human beings are expected to create their own meaning for existence.   Forster’s â€Å"Oriental-leaning† characters in this novel provide examples of a Modernistic mindset contrasting with the traditional English Imperialist mindset provided by other characters. Forster uses the symbol of water to represent the idea of renewal in the â€Å"Temple† chapter. There is an event in which the Hindus are â€Å"preparing to throw God away† (Forster 308), and part of the ceremony involves a replica of the village of Gokul that is placed on a tray and is to perish.   Meanwhile, the British and others are in boats out in the water, observing the festivities, and the boats collide, expelling the passengers.   The symbolic village perishes so that it can be renewed, and is representative of the renewal of mindsets of some of the passengers in the boats. Aziz in particular in the latter portion of the â€Å"Temple† section, exhibits several examples of stream of consciousness thinking.   In one instance Fielding asks Aziz to meet with Stella and Ralph, and Aziz does not reply.   Instead, the reader is allowed into his thoughts, which are not linear but circular, and is one example of how a human mind jumps around from topic to feeling to emotion and back (Forster 314). Because Forster is examining traditional values through a Modernistic lens in this novel, material detail is much less important than what the characters are thinking.   The action in this story is in each character’s mind, and how they grapple with new ideas concerning culture, religion, and morality. Professor Godbole and Mrs. Moore express their inner character and the workings of their minds in an â€Å"Oriental† manner, embodied in the Hindu sensibility.   Mrs. Moore, although a Christian, is accepted into Oriental culture, and she clashes with Heaslop prior to Aziz’s trial.   Heaslop does not understand his mother because he does not recognize her spirituality, and he sides with the English Imperialist mindset against Aziz, the Oriental.   Mrs. Moore will have no part in helping her son succeed to the detriment of an Oriental.   She ultimately leaves India and the trial (Forster 201). In A Passage to India, Forster uses Modernism to explore the inclusive attitude of the â€Å"Oriental† and how diverse people make their passages in coming to terms with this sensibility.   Forster makes use of a Modernistic approach to help him tell a story with great depth, complexity and surprise. Works Cited Forster, E. M.   A Passage to India.   New York:   Harcourt, 1924. Harmon, William and C. High Holman.   A Handbook to Literature. 7th ed.   Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:   Prentice Hall, 1996.    How to cite Modernism in â€Å"A passage to India†, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Human Factors And Its Influence On A Health Care Setting - Samples

Question: Discuss about the Human Factors And Its Influence On A Health Care Setting. Answer: Introduction The current assignment focuses on the concept of human factors and its influence on a health care setting. The human factors could be described as a comprehensive view of the design of systems which could be used by the humans for their own benefits and welfare. The human factors take into consideration most aspect of human capacity which is taken into consideration for the designing of the effective strategies and systems. The current assignment takes into consideration the different human attributes such as cognition, workflow efficiency, consistency, ergonomics, interruptions and distractions. Some of these factors might contribute to inadvertent errors within a health care system and process and may duly affect the patient health. The current assignment focuses on the concept of leadership for quality effectiveness and safety management in health care. The study has been broken down into two main components such as identification of human factors related to work performance. It has been further evaluated with the help of measurement of the human factors on the performance of the staff and patient safety. Similarly, relationships between human factors and quality and safety management in health care have also been evaluated over here. Thesis statement Understanding the influence of human factors on work performed within a hospital setting and its influence on patient health and safety. Aim The aim of the assignment is to comprehend the relationship between human factors and its adverse effect on the work performance which directly or indirectly affects patient health and safety. Body: Identification of human factors related to work performance The human factors consist of a multidisciplinary field with contributions from a number of a number of areas such as psychology, engineering, anthropology, statistics, industrial design and operations research. It covers the social environment within which the human operates and the effect of the social determinants on further governing the actions of the humans. The human factors could be divided into separate classes as per the working ergonomics. In this respect, some of the governing human factors are cognitive abilities possessed by a person along with the interpersonal skills possessed by an individual. Thus, the potential of decisions making under time pressure and along with team coordination and organizational culture are some of the determining factors. Influence of human factors on staff performance for patient safety In this respect, the human factors could be related to the ergonomics which dictates the process of workflow and work efficiency within a health care setup. In the present context, a number of human factors and their plausible effects on the collective work performance need to be discussed. The two contributing factors which have been chosen over here are the surrounding environment and the collective forces including the ergonomics which impacts upon individual performance. The other factor is the interpersonal skills possessed by an individual which affects the success of the overall workforce. The factors could be further fragmented down to evaluate individual effects on the collective work process. As commented by Carayon et al. (2014), a positive and supportive work culture helps in enhancing individual performance within a group. This further helps in improvement of the services and standards by maintaining a steady organization culture. The different components of the workplace environment are provision of sufficient information and collective feedback to the employees. As commented by Holden et al. (2013), the propagation of standardized and required information to the employees help in the avoiding human errors. The information should be complete and true to the best of knowledge and belief based on which further care planning and decision making are done within a healthcare setup. There is a need for sufficient engagement and support from the management in the form of provision of constant feedbacks to the employees which would help in enhancing the performance of the staff. The feedbacks also help in the identification of the loopholes within the care services and processes. Additionally, the systems processes, workload policies and the cultural resources further affect the working potential of the staff. In this respect, the policies and procedures of the work environment further affect the professional well being and the performance of the staffs. As argued by Wilson (2014), long working hours, lack of comfortable and flexible timings often impact upon the staff performance within a healthcare environment. Thus, the nurses looking after the patients have to work longer hours and perform night shifts which leave them with little time to rest. Therefore, they need to be provided with better working ergonomics such as well ventilated resting areas, 24*7 clean drinking water, proper changing areas. As mentioned by Weaver et al. (2014), overtired and exhausted nurses have often been seen to administer wrong doses of medication to the patients. Case study In this context, a relevant case study can be highlighted such as the human factors leading to the death of a child in a hospital bed. The child JP was admitted to the hospital for management of the symptoms of gastroenteritis. JP was diagnosed at birth with epilepsy and spastic quadriplegia and was dependent on his mother for most of his needs. The child was admitted to the hospital for the control of the potentially infectious condition. The nurses reported that the child was provided with intravenous fluids and bed bumpers. However, later it was reported that these were not placed correctly which could have aggravated the condition of the patient towards the worst. Additionally, there was a shift change two hours before the death of the child where a nurse was just finishing her 12 hours shift and was replaced by another nurse. This was followed by a hurried and scanty exchange on information between the staffs which resulted in the misinterpretation of information. Additionally, provision of awards and incentives can act as motivating factors in improving the quality of patient care and in achieving better dedication from the nursing professionals (Karsh et al. 2014). Patient safety and quality of healthcare The patient safety and quality management in health care are pivotal to maintaining the overall organizational culture and balance. The safety of the patients is further dependent upon a number of factors such as maintenance of standardized health treatments and protocol. In order to ensure the patient safety, a number of factors need to be taken into consideration such as skills, knowledge and attitudes possessed by the person, the internal and external motives possessed by the care professional. The patient safety is further dependent upon the organizational culture which is a complex mix of different elements. These further influences the way things are performed within an organizational setup. It takes into consideration a number of factors such as symbols, rituals and languages within an organization. As commented by Onnasch et al. (2014), culture is affected by attitudes beliefs and values possessed by an individual. The culture practised within an organization forms an effecti ve lens through which an organization is viewed and analysed (Kennedy et al. 2014). In this context, the rituals performed within an organization further govern the rate of success achieved within the organization. Therefore practising effective cultural norms such as ward rounds patient handovers record keeping and drug administration rounds are some of the effective measures which could prevent the rate of mishaps or accidents within an organizational setup. As commented by Zohar (2014) engagement in the rituals by the health care professional helps in maintaining safety and quality. Additionally, good record keeping and appropriate communication practices are essential in assuring safety culture within the organization. Moreover, values professed by the workforce are crucial in determining the safety of the patients within a care set up. Relationship between human factors and quality and safety in healthcare The human factors and their impact on health care could be described further with the help of safety and risk management protocols. As commented by Liden et al. (2014), a human is prone to commit errors or mistakes which can further affect the patient quality and safety within a hospital setup. In this context, unsafe or less efficient devices along with stressful work environment can lead to errors within the normal processes of health delivery. Thus, on the poor matching of the systems factors with sensory, behavioural and cognitive characteristics of the health care providers disruption of the safety culture and practices of the organization are often noted. Additionally, work fatigue, inefficiency in the handling and management of machinery, poor record keeping has often affected the quality of safety management in health care (Sacks et al. 2015). As mentioned by Cafazzo St-Cyr (2012), standardization of the care processes reduces the chances of errors and provides sufficient ti me to the care providers to cater to the needs of individual patients. The human factors play a crucial role in maintaining the quality of patient safety in care and hospital setups. In this regard, constant efforts need to be taken by the hospital staff for improvement of the patient health in an acute hospital setting. Some of the efforts include the provision of health-related information on an open public platform. This helps in educating the community as a whole regarding the accepted standards of health behaviour. Impact of safety and risk management culture on health care The Australia's National Health Performance Framework (NHPF) potentially describes safety as reducing the levels of potential harm to the patient within an acute hospital set up or making the environment more patient-friendly. In this respect, the guidelines provided by the Australian community on safety and quality can be described over here such as: Provision of suitable strategies or advises to health ministers for improving the standards and practices in an acute health setup Development and supporting national clinical care standards Development of quality related indicators for maintaining health safety care standards Establishment of common practice methods and reducing variations Coordination of national actions for addressing incidents of infections and antimicrobial resistance The National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) provide the statement highlighting the level of care patients can expect from the health care services. As commented by Gurses et al.(2012), most of the public and private hospitals in Australia need to be accredited against these standards through an accreditation scheme employed by the commission. The commission is responsible for the implementation of the standards for maintaining the patient safety and quality risk management within a hospital set up. The NHSQS standards mention that regular reports on safety quality indicators and quality performance data are monitored by important healthcare organisation leaders. Understanding and improving organizations system and processes For the process of improvement of the organization's systems and processes, a number of model health care intervention strategies could be implemented such as the systems engineering initiative for patient safety (SEIPS). The same is based upon the macro ergonomic work system model developed by Smith and Carayon. The model emphasizes upon the structure-process-outcome for achieving sufficient quality in health care. The model helps in the description of the work system and its various interacting elements. It also accommodates the patient outcomes and organizational outcomes which are taken into consideration for further quality improvement. Conclusion The current study takes into consideration quality effectiveness and safety in health care. The assignment focuses on the presence of human errors and its impact upon patient safety and health quality maintenance within an acute hospital set up. In this respect, the errors may be attributed to both human factors and the working ergonomics of the healthcare set up. Thus, some of the factors such as fatigue, dissatisfaction from work and lack of sufficient training or knowledge can affect the process of care delivery within an acute care set up. Therefore, implementation of some of the policies such as NHPF and NHSQS can also help in improvement of the working standards and ergonomics. Additionally, the SEIPS model helps in achieving the technical skills required by the health care providers which help in maintaining the efficient flow of the work process. References Cafazzo, J.A., St-Cyr, O. (2012). From discovery to design: The evolution of human factors in health care. Healthcare Quarterly, 15(Special Issue), 24-29. Carayon, P., Wetterneck, T. B., Rivera-Rodriguez, A. J., Hundt, A. S., Hoonakker, P., Holden, R., Gurses, A. P. (2014). Human factors systems approach to healthcare quality and patient safety.Applied ergonomics,45(1), 14-25. Carayon, P., Xie, A., Kianfar, S. (2014). Human factors and ergonomics as a patient safety practice.BMJ Qual Saf,23(3), 196-205. Caruso, C. C. (2014). Negative impacts of shiftwork and long work hours.Rehabilitation Nursing,39(1), 16-25. Fryer, L. A. (2013). Human factors in nursing: The time is now. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing (Online), 30(2), 56-65 Gurses, A. P., Ozok, A. A., Pronovost, P. J. (2012). Time to accelerate integration of human factors and ergonomics in patient safety. BMJ Quality Safety, 21(4), 347 Hignett, S., Carayon, P., Buckle, P., Catchpole, K. (2013). State of science: human factors and ergonomics in healthcare.Ergonomics,56(10), 1491-1503. Holden, R. J., Carayon, P., Gurses, A. P., Hoonakker, P., Hundt, A. S., Ozok, A. A., Rivera-Rodriguez, A. J. (2013). SEIPS 2.0: a human factors framework for studying and improving the work of healthcare professionals and patients.Ergonomics,56(11), 1669-1686. Karsh, B. T., Waterson, P., Holden, R. J. (2014). Crossing levels in systems ergonomics: a framework to support mesoergonomicinquiry.Applied ergonomics,45(1), 45-54. Kennedy, G. D., Tevis, S. E., Kent, K. C. (2014). Is there a relationship between patient satisfaction and favorable outcomes?.Annals of surgery,260(4), 592. Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., Liao, C., Meuser, J. D. (2014). Servant leadership and serving culture: Influence on individual and unit performance.Academy of Management Journal,57(5), 1434-1452. Onnasch, L., Wickens, C. D., Li, H., Manzey, D. (2014). Human performance consequences of stages and levels of automation: An integrated meta-analysis.Human Factors,56(3), 476-488. Sacks, G. D., Shannon, E. M., Dawes, A. J., Rollo, J. C., Nguyen, D. K., Russell, M. M., ... Maggard-Gibbons, M. A. (2015). Teamwork, communication and safety climate: a systematic review of interventions to improve surgical culture.BMJ Qual Saf,24(7), 458-467. Weaver, S. J., Dy, S. M., Rosen, M. A. (2014). Team-training in healthcare: a narrative synthesis of the literature.BMJ Qual Saf,23(5), 359-372. Wilson, J. R. (2014). Fundamentals of systems ergonomics/human factors.Applied ergonomics,45(1), 5-13. Zohar, D. (2014). Safety climate: Conceptualization, measurement, and improvement.The Oxford handbook of organizational climate and culture, 317-334.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Transcendentalism and Romanticism free essay sample

Throughout time there have been many literary movements, many of which become forgotten over time. However they should not be forgotten because they have shaped American literature into what it is today. Two of the more important literary movements of the late 18th century to the early 19th century are transcendentalism and romanticism. Transcendentalism was a literary movement in the first half of the 19th century. Transcendentalists were influenced by romanticism, especially such aspects of self examination, the celebration of individualism, and the exploring the beauties of nature and of humankind. According to them, fulfilling the search for knowledge came when one gained an awareness of beauty and truth, and communicated with nature to find union with the ? Over-Soul? , a term used by Emerson in place of God. When this occurred, one was cleansed of materialistic goals, and was left with a sense of self-reliance and purity. Leaders of this movement include Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Theodore Parker, Bronson Alcott, William Ellery Channing, and Henry David Thoreau. We will write a custom essay sample on Transcendentalism and Romanticism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These people were all transcendentalists. Transcendentalists can be seen as a generation of well educated people who lived in the decades before the American Civil War. (Lewis, ? What is Transcendentalism ) Transcendentalists deliberately went about creating literature, essays, novels, philosophy, poetry, and other writing that was clearly different from anything from England, France, Germany, or any other European Nation. The concept of transcendentalism is clearly expressed in the essay Nature, by Ralph Waldo Emerson. His essay Nature tells of how one can gain insight and spiritual cleansing simply from experiencing nature. Emerson tells of how in the woods is perpetual youth and in the woods we return to reason and faith. These lines show the whole concept of transcendentalism. In the following lines, Emerson remarks: Standing on the bare ground- my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space- all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball: I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or parcel of God. (Emerson, ? Nature? ) These lines display the transcendentalist elief that purity and knowledge can be obtained from a union with and understanding of nature. Emerson also relates the concept of transcendentalism to human life in his essay, Self-Reliance. In this essay, Emerson talks about another part of transcendentalism, the issue of self-reliance. He sees mankind as somewhat of a coward and that people never express their true selves. Emerson claims that humans are afraid to fail and no matter what success may come to them, they will never be happy, they always want more. He expresses transcendentalist ideals by saying that a true person would be a non-conformist. Emerson puts this belief into words in the following lines: There is a time in every man? s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil. These words pretty much sum up the idea of transcendentalism, that one must celebrate the individual in order to find himself one with the universe. Another significant contribution to the idea of transcendentalism was by the author Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau lived in the same home as Emerson. His most honored and enjoyed work was the story, Walden. In Walden, Thoreau explains why he chose the woods: I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. Thoreau chose to live in seclusion because he believed solitude was the best companion in order to know one? s true self. In the essay, he felt that mankind was too caught up in material possessions. Thoreau gave transcendentalism three key ideas, individualism, knowledge of nature, and the disposal of material belongings. Transcendentalism was one of the most important movements of the 19th century. This movement allowed for one to understand the importance of learning more about oneself. If a person could connect their individual soul ith the universe, they could fulfill their potential in life. Romanticism is an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in the late 18th century and stressed strong emotion, imagination, freedom from classical correctness in art forms, and rebellion against social conventions. Romanticism also is an attitude or intellectual orientation that characterized many works of literature, painting, music, architecture, criticism, and historiography in Western civilization over a period from the late 18th to the mid 19th century. Romanticism can be seen as a rejection of the precepts of order, calm, harmony, balance, idealization, and late 18th century Neoclassicism. (WebMuseum: Romanticism) It was also to some extent a reaction against the Enlightenment and against 18th century rationalism and physical materialism. Romanticism emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental. Among the characteristic attitudes of Romanticism were the following: a deepened appreciation of the beauties of nature; a general exaltation of emotion over reason and of the senses over intellect; a turning in upon the self and a heightened examination of human personality and its moods and mental potentialities; a preoccupation with the genius, the hero, and the exceptional figure in general, and a focus on his passions and inner struggles; a new view of the artist as a supremely individual creator, whose creative spirit is more important than strict adherence to formal rules and traditional procedures; an emphasis upon imagination as a gateway to transcendent experience and spiritual truth; an obsessive interest in folk culture, national and ethnic cultural origins, and the medieval era; and a predilection for the exotic, the remote, the mysterious, the weird, the occult, the monstrous, the diseased, and even the satanic. (WebMuseum: Romanticism) Some of the authors of this movement include Jean Jacques Rousseau, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann Gottfried von Herder, and Justus Moser. Rousseau established the idea of the individual and championed the freedom of the human spirit. One of his most famous quotes were ? I felt before I thought?. Goethe, Herder, and Moser worked together on a group of essays entitled Von deutscher Art und Kunst. In this work the authors celebrated the romantic spirit as manifested in German Folk songs, Gothic architecture, and the plays of William Shakespeare. Goethe wanted to imitate Shakespeare? free style in hit Gotz von Berlichingen, a historical drama about a 16th century robber night. This play justified revolt against political authority. One of the great influential documents of romanticism was Goethe? s Sorrows of Young Werther. This work praises sentiment, even to the extent of justifying committing suicide as a result of love. These were just some of the many works that characterized the ideals of Romanticism. Without the transcendental and romanticism movements American literature would not be what it is today. These movements have shaped the way today? s authors approach writing. Also these movements have allowed for one to expand his or her mind to new ideas and new ways of approaching life.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Idiom

Idiom Idiom Idiom By Maeve Maddox Because I’m in the habit of blithely flinging the word idiom about as if everyone should know what I mean by it, this comment from a reader brought me up short: I guess I dont know what an idiom is. The word idiom derives from a Greek word meaning â€Å"appropriate to oneself.† In the context of language, an idiom is a usage peculiar to a particular language. When I use the word idiom, I usually mean one of two things: 1. A construction or usage peculiar to English For example, in English, we state our age with the verb to be: â€Å"I am twenty-one years old.† Speakers of French and Spanish, on the other hand, use their verbs for to have (avoir and tener): â€Å"J’ai vingt-et-un ans.† â€Å"Tengo vientiuno†- literally, â€Å"I have twenty-one years.† These distinctive ways of stating age in different languages are idioms. 2. An expression that means something other than what is expressed by the individual words in it For example, consider the words kick and bucket. The meaning of to kick is â€Å"to thrust out the foot or feet with force.† The meaning of bucket is â€Å"a vessel for catching, holding, or carrying liquids or solids.† Kick and bucket may be used with their denoted meanings: The girl overturned the bucket when she kicked it. The frustrated farmer kicked the bucket down the hill. But the idiom â€Å"to kick the bucket,† conveys a meaning that has nothing obvious to do with kicking or buckets: I don’t want to kick the bucket until I’ve seen Rome. The idiom â€Å"to kick the bucket† means â€Å"to die.† The adjective for idiom is idiomatic. When I say that a particular usage as idiomatic, I mean that it â€Å"sounds right† in English. For example, here are two examples of unidiomatic English from sales letters: UNIDIOMATIC ENGLISH: I have a huge interest in making business with you. IDIOMATIC ENGLISH: I’m very interested in doing business with you. UNIDIOMATIC ENGLISH: On getting an opportunity, I can add value to your content writing solution. IDIOMATIC ENGLISH: Given the opportunity, I can add value to your site content. The word idiom is also used with these meanings: 3. The kind of language and grammar used by a particular people at a particular time or place. So, too, in the expressive language  of Wall Street  do we find illumination of all that has taken place. For in its  idiom  is crystallized the wisdom of a hundred years. 4. The style of writing, music, art, etc. that is typical of a particular time or place. Coplands music was infused with the folk and jazz idioms of America. Related post: Idiomatic English Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Creative Writing 10144 Resume Writing TipsTrooper or Trouper?

Friday, November 22, 2019

Emily Dickinsons Poems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Emily Dickinsons Poems - Essay Example In her scheme of things "poets" head the list of what is important in life-they come before "summer" or even "the Heaven of God" Perhaps, there really isn't really any need for a list. Just "poets" are enough, because "poets" comprehend (include) the whole", whether it is the summer sun or Heaven itself. If Genesis were to be re-written, we may presume that according to Dickinson, it would be a simple statement-'God created Poetry'. Poetry is a form of art with which she is hopelessly in love with. It is far superior to prose, because the poet dwells in the realm of "possibility", and not in a prosaic (note, the origin of the word 'prosaic'!) house of mere facts. The poet's house has more windows, and superior doors. This refers to the openness of the poet to ideas, a greater openness than that possessed by the prose writer. And, finally, in "I died for Beauty", Dickinson equates Beauty and Truth-in an echoing of the sentiments of another great poet who wrote, " Beauty is truth, truth beauty" (Keats) Beauty, which is Truth, is simply something worth dying for. Dickinson's poems express the universal truth so often experienced by creative people, that the human impulse to create is powerful, and transcends all. It does not look for reward or recognition, and even scoffs at death. It is an urge, which is an end in itself, and the artist (poet) is a vehicle of the Muse to this end of creation. Works Cited Primary Sources Dickinson, Emily Verse- Emily Dickinson- Complete Poems, retrieved 11th August 2007"I died for beauty" "I dwell in possibility" American Poems "Ireckon when I count it all." Keats, John The Oxford Book of English Verse, Ode on A Grecian Urn, retrieved 11th August2007 What connections have you made between literature and everyday life Margaret Atwood's Happy Endings is an interesting essay on how literature is a reflection of real life, and how to produce a 'good' story. She does not overtly give any rules for writing; she conveys through six scenarios (A to F) how to produce an interesting work. As protagonists in our own (real) life, the scenario that we would all love to live is Scenario A-a simple uncomplicated life. Who likes problems anyway We are forced to cope with problems because they come unbidden. But while a simple and uncomplicated life makes us happy, it hardly goes to make an interesting story. Even historians' chronicles give more importance to wars and famine and revolution. A peaceful period is often dismissed with the words, 'The reign of Queen

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Introduction to Tourism and Leisure Analysis Essay

Introduction to Tourism and Leisure Analysis - Essay Example During the course of this investigation, the goal of the research will be to gather information that will be relevant to the council. This information will be necessary for the council to determine the tourism factors and reasons for the growth in Victoria. In order to do this information regarding socio-demographic characteristics, in addition to what places people visit, and the main aims of visitation. Tourism has emerged as one of the most remarkable economic and social drivers of the 20th century. (Tourismvic.com 2006) In order to meet the intended objectives the council must first ask what tourism is. The answer to that question is "Tourism is a very difficult term to define. Several scholars have attempted to answer what tourism is; however, there is not a widely accepted definition." (Ballarat, 2006) Actually, some researchers have argued that such a definition is impossible to formula (Krzysztof, 1999 p 9) positively, since tourism is studied by different disciplines according to each of its facets, many authors have provided a partial rather than a holistic approach Ibid. page 11 It is important to take economic growth when evaluating the growth of tourism in Victoria. When evaluating economic growth in Victoria and how vital of a role each has on the other some important factors need to be in clouded in the study so that the council can get an accurate idea of rhe significance of the existing tourism in Victoria and what to expect in the future. The majority of the literature on industry clusters is focused on the actual definition of a cluster. In order to do this the council should cluster tourism in the present economy of Victoria. The very basic definition of an industry cluster is "geographical concentrations of industries that gain performance advantages through co-location (Doeringer and Terkla 1995, pg.225)." Porter (1997) has proposed incorporating industry cluster policy into city economic development and tourism will be included in these city-planning projects. If this is done, it will enable city planners and councils to gain a competitive advantage from the location. Porter suggests that economic developers should

Monday, November 18, 2019

Ambition, Commitment and Enthusiasm in My Education Essay

Ambition, Commitment and Enthusiasm in My Education - Essay Example Despite my commitment to education in my childhood education, I always liked being close to my parents. Rodriquez explains that sometimes he would be detached from his parents due to his ambitious reading (Bartholomae & Petrosky, 2005). In my case, reading and education never threatened my relationship with parents and siblings. Whenever my parents were hasty to go somewhere or do something, I would go with them, bringing my book along with me. I learned to balance between family and education life since I was young. My parents always encouraged me, giving me the motivation to improve my study skills and perform better in school. I was not confident in my education when I was young, just like Rodriguez. However, my parents always reminded me that I had the ability to achieve my dreams. I built my confidence slowly, and by High School I was confident. Before making any significant decisions regarding my education, I consulted my parents who would always give me pieces of advice that c hanged my approaches positively. Rodriguez also changed his attitude from the third year, showing the similarity between his education and mine.   From a middle-class family, my adjustment to the classroom was also difficult, but my desire to improve academically led me to adjust easily. I was used to the home’s plentiful love, support, food, and play with my siblings and parents.   It was not easy for me to adapt to this system, but I always reminded myself of the achievements I targeted in education.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Hard and Soft System Methodology

Hard and Soft System Methodology Introduction There are two systems thinking namely hard and soft which are used to solve the problems. Peter Checkland (1981) suggested that Hard system thinking which is identified in system engineering and system analysis has the starting point in structured problems and assumes that the objectives of the system are clear and stable. This system thinking has a formulated way to solve the real world problems. On the other hand, Soft system thinking which attempts to structure a debate about actions in problem solving has the start point in unstructured problems within social activity systems.      Ã‚   Fixitup Toys limited is a manufacturer of toys which produces outdoor and indoor games, self-assembly models and toy soldiers. There has been some concern about their rising cost of manufacture and consideration has been given to the outsourcing of some or part of the production. The vision of the Fixitup senior management team is to optimize manufacture processing to produce the highest quality and most advanced products by using E-business conforming to the lean manufacturing principles and integrating into their established QAD Application. In order to achieve these goals, we need to apply the principles of lean manufacturing. There are several key lean manufacturing principles including: Understand value in the eyes of the customer. Achieve perfect first-time quality. Continue improvement. Respect for humanity. Create pull. (Asefeso, 2011) After Gathering information from all aspects of the company the following steps will be taken: As can be seen, the Rich Picture is an unstructured way of capturing information flows, communication and human activity to represent complex problems and identify possible routes through to their solution (Berg, 2013). Avison and Fitzgerald (2003) stated that the Rich Picture is helpful since: 1. Lack of space on the paper forces decisions on what is really important. 2. It helps people to visualize and discuss their own role in the organization. 3. It helps defining the aspects of the organization which are intended to be covered by the information system. 4. It helps showing up the worries of individuals, potential conflicts, and political issues. (Avison Fitzgerald, 2003) With reference to the Rich Picture, there are following problems in Fixitup. Since about 74% of customers saw the service and quality as moderate or worse, the issue of quality of products must be considered. Further, a powerful information system helps different level managements for planning, decision making, target setting and their implementations (Stephanou, 1982).Therefore, quality control system and information management system are important and they will be discussed. Resource Resource Investment Requirement: Comments: VOC was not heard because there was no effective communication between the company and its customers. Remarks: By establishing a design department and integrating this department with the marketing department the customer feedback can be incorporated into the design. Comments: Lack of checklists caused the absence of the systematic process of QC hence, the chances of defects being ignored is considerably high. Actions: The design department and the quality team will be integrated to prepare checklists according to the quality required. Comments: Since there was no analysis of the defective products, the defects were being ignored therefore they were persistent. Actions: Train a quality control team who will be responsible for doing analysis, recording data and providing feedback. Comments: There was no coherence between the departments to respond to the quality issues. Actions: Develop communication channels between the supervisors and the technical, procurement and design departments in order to create coherence towards quality improvement. Comments: There was no system for controlling and monitoring the Quality Control Process. Actions: Train the factory manager on the QC process and how he should intervene in terms of analysing quality data and controlling the system. He will seek technical advice from technical, procurement and design department for a better monitoring of the system. Comments: Monitoring and evaluation of the information system are missing. Actions: Helen who is responsible for Internal Affairs and George can be trained for the information system and perform monitoring the system. Conclusion There are different problems in Fixitup which resulted in dissatisfaction of the customers. Due to having permanently relevance and also being expected to map on to an organizational boundary, the transformation from inefficient manufacturing to efficient manufacturing which has marketable products is assumed as the primary task process (Wilson and Van Haperen, 2015). Although discrimination between primary task- based and issue-based is often debatable, it seems quality control and information management systems are issue-based which help the primary task to be carried out (Waring, 1996). The current strategy of Fixitup is to optimize manufacture processing to produce the highest quality and most advanced products by using E-business conforming to the lean manufacturing principles and integrating into their established QAD Application. After drawing the rich picture the main problems of the organization were revealed. The strategic construct which was used was classification schemes of issues which helped to identify the differentiating characteristics necessary to improve quality control and information management systems (Verma and Boyer, 2000). Further, the system construct used for quality control was input and output; modelling of such system involves modelling of each process separately considering the connection between them (Apolloni, Howlett and Jain, 2007). In addition, the system construct used for information management system was integrated elements; in which different elements including communication, information and resources were integrated for the suc cess of the system (Khan and Burn, 2013). Otley and Berry (1980) argued that four conditions must be satisfied before any process can be said to be controlled. In the existing situation there was no one responsible for monitoring the systems and consequently, there was no capacity to take corrective actions (Emmanuel, Otley and Merchant, 2013).However, in the proposed systems, George and Helen were nominated to monitor the systems. To sum up, the details of the two systems will be discussed in the following tables. System name and type Quality Control Process; The input and output system construct. Role of information Due to lack of information about the requirements of customers and standard criteria set by the management, the products were just inspected for the appearance by the operators. Therefore, the application of information which was vital to improve the quality of products was missing and consequently the reputation of the factory was being worsening. Information needed to develop In order to use the information to improve the quality of products we need to know: Quality Criteria: After hearing the voice of customers and considering the strategy of the company the criteria for quality of products such as weight, shape and material should be prepared in a simple format. Training of Workers: There was no information about the training of operators and even management in terms of quality control. Historic quality data: The historic quality data including survey reports, the number of different products produced, the number of return items should be available for better assessment of the quality of products. Coherence between QC and departments: There was no information as any department is dealing with quality matters. Further, there was no information about communication between operators and departments, if any, in terms of quality of products. More information is needed to evaluate the possibility of automating the QC department. Intervention In order to solve the problem of quality of products the following actions are suggested: Develop a design department and integrate this department with the marketing department so that the customer feedback can be incorporated into the design. The design department and the quality team should be integrated to prepare a checklist according to the quality required. The quality control team will be responsible for doing analysis, record data and providing feedback. Develop a communication channel between the supervisor and the relevant technical departments in order to create coherence towards quality improvement. Factory manager should intervene in terms of analysing quality data and control the system. Risks Even after the intervention, the following risk associated with quality of products exist: Even after the successful QC audit, there is a chance that the toys will break while transferring/ packing. The Technical and procurement departments might not react to the QC feedback. There might be a friction between the Factory manager and the design team in terms of accepting innovative designs. There might be dissatisfaction of factory workers due to job enrichment without a pay increase. Cost Benefit Analysis In order to assign a monetary value to the benefits, we need more information to predict the revenue accurately as well as intangible benefits (Mindtools.com, 2016). Having good quality products will result in increasing the loyalty of existing customers and acquisition of new customers and consequently, it will increase the revenue. In contrast, the firm may incur some costs to apply the changes. In this case, we do not have enough information about the existing departments and the expertise of employees. Assuming that none of the employees

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Characters of Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights :: Wuthering Heights Essays

The Characters of Wuthering Heights At first glance, Wuthering Height shows us conflict between a landlord, Heathcliff, and Mr. Lockwood. Heathcliff, one of the novel's main characters, is portrayed as an uncompromising, sadistic bully, and produces a desire in Lockwood's character to find out more about his past. Bronte uses Lockwood's character to pull in her main narrator, Nelly Dean. Nelly was a first-hand witness to Heathcliff's story and so proceeds to relate the history, as she remembers it, to Lockwood. It appears very soon, after the start of the story, that Nelly Dean is the protagonist. She appears more than happy to stir the conflict, which goes a long way in keeping the story interesting and moving right along. Wuthering Heights is set in the "remote moors of Yorkshire" (680), on that "bleak hill-top" where "the earth was hard with a black frost" (686). Almost all the characters in this story have a very frosty, antagonistic side to them and Nelly introduces us to Catherine and Hindley, when they were children, on the eve of Heathcliff's entry into the family. Nelly appears to make this story-telling as straightforward as possible, but her feelings for Heathcliff are not disguisable.When she made the step from playmate to the children's nursemaid during the measles episode, her feelings toward Hindley and Catherine hardened and she softened so much toward Heathcliff that "Hindley lost his last ally." Heathcliff "was the quietest child that ever nurse watched over. The difference between him and the others forced me to be less partial. Cathy and her brother harassed me terribly, he was a uncomplaining as a lamb..." (702). Nelly developed alternate feelings for Catherine: "she put us all past our patience fifty times and oftener in a day." "She was much too fond of Heathcliff." "In play she liked, exceedingly to act the little mistress...but I would not bear slapping and ordering; and so I let her know" (704). The class distinction, after the measles, became a clear, hard line: Nelly, on the servant side with Joseph, and Catherine and Hindley on the side of the owners of servants. This further hastened Nelly's spiteful feelings toward Catherine when Mr. Earnshaw died. Hindley came home with a new bride, and Nelly was physically installed in the servants' quarters and Heathcliff was installed with the animals in the stables. In her story up to now Nelly has portrayed herself as a concerned member of the family that has finally been relegated to where she knew she would end up anyway, a servant.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Computer Storage Devices Essay

Computer Storage Devices Storage devices are used in order to store various items such as programs, data and instructions. Storage was used as early as 1804 by hole punching paper cards in order to control machinery. Without storage, the computer programs and files that exist now would not be possible. There are many different devices used for storage today such as hard drives, floppy drives and CD-Rom drives. Hard drives come in all computers and are the main storage device. An average hard drive usually stores from four to fifty gigabytes, but there are hard drives with much greater capacities available. A hard drive works by using multiple platters which are made of glass, aluminum or ceramic which has been coated with a magnetic material. The data is recorded by arranging the magnetic particles in order to form bytes on the disk. Floppy drives are another type of storage unit in which the information is stored on a separate removable disk. There are two different types of floppy drives: a 3.5 inch and a 5.25 inch. The number refers to the size of the disk that is used in that particular drive. A 3.5 inch floppy drive can store 1.44 megabytes and a 5.25 floppy can store 1.2 megabytes. Imation has developed a superdisk drive which has a capacity of 120 or 200 megabytes which is backwards compatible with the 3.5 inch floppy. The third type of storage that I am going to talk about is a CD-Rom (Compact Disk) drive which also uses a removable disk in order to store data. A CD-Rom works by using a laser lens in order to burn pits into the surface of the CD. The surface of the disk, called land, reflects light back to the lens which is read as 1. The pits in the CD absorb the light and reads to be 0. A CD can store up to 700 megabytes of data. In addition to a CD-Rom, there is also a DVD (digital video disk) Rom which can store up to seventeen gigabytes of information. A DVD is different from a CD because the disk is denser due to the fact that the pits are packed closer to each other. Also, A DVD uses two layers of pits and can be double sided. Another method of storage is the Zip drive which uses a 3.5 inch zip disk and was created by Iomega. The disk can hold the equivalent of seventy floppy disks or 250 megabytes. The Jazz drive, which was also made by Iomega, can store up to two gigabytes. The drive with the largest capacity is the Tape drive which can store several terabytes. The only problem with this drive is that the information is only read/wrote in one direction which means that it takes an extensive period of time to retrieve data. Due to this inconvenience, this drive is primarily used for back up purposes. This paper describes the many different storage units that exist today due to the new advances in technology. There are even more drives that are available which were not listed because they are not as widely used today such as the Orb drive. A few decades ago people would only dream for a device that was capable of storing terabytes of information, but now that dream has become a reality. With the amount of new discoveries that are made every day, the future may possibly bring a device capable of storing exabytes of information.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Teaching Multicultural Education

Teaching Multicultural Education Free Online Research Papers Teaching in an urban environment is a unique experience, especially in a city like New York where individuals emanate from many backgrounds and cultures. Teaching in a multicultural setting has both its rewards and challenges. Having students from various parts of the world creates a classroom of diversity and global awareness. However, if not properly trained to adapt and teach to a style that is effective and relatable to the entire array of students, the task can prove to be challenging for future teachers and damaging to their students. From its introduction into the United States school system in the 1960’s, a time of substantial political and racial instability, the premise of multicultural education was that minorities should adapt to the values and behaviors of the dominant culture in every way. As time progressed, there has been a shift in view and philosophy. Today, the approach to multicultural education does not mean that minorities should surrender their distinct cultural traits to a homogenous ‘melting pot’ of America. Rather, minorities are to maintain their cultural identities and still be a part of American culture much like a tossed salad (Banks, 2001). To accomplish this objective, the school system needs to accommodate each culture to the benefit of all. For pre-service multicultural educators this means preparing future teachers ‘to be reflective, critical thinkers’ (Gay Fox, 241) who will promote social fairness in their classrooms towards the greater goal of a à ¢â‚¬Ëœcollective empowerment’ (Lipman, 52) of minorities in their communities. This standard in teaching and training is vital to realize this objective. Paulo Freire’s fifth letter in Teachers As Cultural Workers discusses the fear and insecurities teachers face on the first day of school. In regards to multicultural classrooms, is this a result of not being properly prepared? The question at hand is, are teachers are being properly prepared to teach in a multicultural classroom? Freire continues to comment that students should be able to think creatively; identify and solve complex problems; know their passions, strengths, and challenges; communicate and work well with others; lead healthy lives; and be ethical and caring citizens of a diverse world. However, this is only possible if the teacher creates the environment to do so. Future teachers being properly prepared to teach in a multicultural classroom is an issue that needs further examining, and research shows it is a worthy issue. Minorities make up an increasing percentage of the United States population. By the year 2020, predictions speculate the school population to be 46% non-White (Neito, 2000). Therefore, it is imperative the growing minority workforce be educated. Unfortunately, this is not happening. In a study conducted by the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education, from 1980 to 2020, the white population working force is declining as the minority population work force is increasing (see figure 1 and 2). To address the lack of education that minorities are receiving I suggest examining the way educators are taught to teach minorities. Are future teachers not being properly prepared and trained to handle multicultural classrooms? Should teaching programs nationally require multicultural pre-service education? Investigating both serious questions is necessary. The consensus of both scholars and teachers suggest that future teachers are not receiving the necessary training to prepare pre-service teachers to handle multicultural classrooms. However, the means to solving the issue properly is debatable. One suggestion is a push for national program requiring future teachers to take more classes to prepare them for multicultural classrooms. The opposing side argues that future teachers cannot be properly prepared to handle multicultural classrooms from a course of study but rather fieldwork experience is the solution. Education courses provide future teachers with skills in order to prepare them for the role of full-time teacher. Suggesting required classes to train future teachers to handle multicultural classrooms is argued for this reason. It is debated that no amount of cultural awareness can make up for good teaching skills (Frisby Tucker, 151; Marshall, 374). Future teachers are to learn proper classroom management and instruction techniques (Sheets, 165) and as related to issues of cultural diversity. Multicultural education for future teachers involves effective teaching skills with sensitivity toward cultural diversity. Unarguably, it takes special skills to manage and make the classroom a safe place to accommodate feelings and perceptions as well as language and of students from different backgrounds, but those skills cannot teach you or prepare you for all scenarios. While relating lesson-content to students’ cultural experiences, for example, can produce student engagement, ev ery teaching experience is different. In fact, no class from year to year, school to school, grade to grade, or even room to room is the same. The counter argument is that classes on teaching multicultural classrooms serve only to make future teachers aware of the situation, but does little to no job in preparing them in effectively handling the situation. Research in 2003 by Charles Howard Candler Professor of Urban Education in the Division of Educational Studies at Emory University, Jacqueline Jordan found that pre-service teachers have negative beliefs and low expectations of success for [non White] students even after some course work in multicultural education (Irvine, 11); she called this cultural discontinuity. This cultural discontinuity produces negative interactions between teachers and students, thus reinforcing stereotypes and prejudices on both sides. Irvine argues that cultural discontinuity can cause teachers to ignore their students ethnic identities and their unique cultural beliefs, perceptions, values and worldviews (Irvine, 12). Therefore, simply taking classes on multicultural students can cause futu re teachers to have pre-notions which in-turn can affect teachers attitudes and expectations, thus impacting students academic performance (Delpit, 1996; Howard del Rosario, 129). According to authors Thomas G. Carroll and Geneva Gay, future teachers need to be taught to become changing agents with skills for the following: (1) critical self-analysis, (2) self-reflection and (3) understanding culture. In addition, the authors believe that teachers must develop strategies for teaching both minority and mainstream students. To do this, teachers have to immerse themselves in other cultures (Follo, Hoerr Vorheis-Sargent, 2). Fieldwork experience, an example of immersion, provides future teachers with the opportunity to communicate and learn from multicultural students while working. ESL teacher Marilyn Bean Barrett pointed out that field experiences needed also to include opportunities for reflection on critical incidents (Barrett, 23). Fieldwork experience facilitates future teachers’ observational and analytical skills about the norms, values and attitudes of multicultural students. Learning from hands on experience is a distinctive skill that you do not receive from a textbook or instructor. To understand the entire spectrum of multicultural education, future teachers must close their textbooks and step into the classroom. To learn the skills of teaching multicultural students effectively, he or she needs to experience doing so. The lack of meaningful multicultural preparation and the fact that most teachers come from isolated ethnic groups, and possess professional preparation that usually excludes direct meaningful interaction with various cultures create problems for proper multicultural understanding (Russo Talbert-Johnson, 1997). In order to achieve meaningful interactions, ample experience with students of other ethnic backgrounds is required. Through these experiences, future teachers will acquire an understanding of cultural differences and commonalties between themselves and their multicultural students, which as a result will properly train them t o handle multicultural classrooms. Having this knowledge of other worldviews, family life, and customs can aid in valuable communication between teachers and students of other cultures, which might lead to healthy relationships, student satisfaction, and positive learning environments for both teachers and students. References Banks, J. A. (2001). Cultural Diversity and Education: Foundations, Curriculum, and Teaching. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Barrett, M.B. (1993). Preparation for cultural diversity: Experiential strategies for educators. Equity and Excellence in Education, 26: 19-26. Carroll, T.G. (1990). Who owns culture? Education and Urban Society, 22: 346-355. Delpit, L, (1996), Other peoples children. Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: New Press, Follo, E., Hoerr, B. Vorheis-Sargent, A. (2002). Where will urban high school teachers for the 21st century come from? American Secondary Education, 30: 2-8. Frisby, C. L. Tucker, C.M. (1993). Black students self-perception of self: Implications for educators. Educational Forum, 57: 146-156. Gay G. (1993). Building cultural bridges: A bold proposal for teacher education. Education and Urban Society, 25: 285-299. Gay, G. Fox, W. (1995). The cultural ethos of the academy: Potentials and perils for multicultural education reform. Pp. 239-255 in Beyond Comfort Zones in Multiculturalism: Confronting the Politics of Privilege, Sandra Jackson Jose Solis (Eds.). Connecticut: Bergin Garvey. Howard, T, C, Del Rosario, C, D, (2000), Talking race in teacher education: The need for racial dialogue in teacher education. Action in Teacher Education, 21, 127-137, Irvine, J. J, (2003), Educating teachers for diversity: Seeing with a cultural eye. New York: Teachers College Press, Lipman, P. (1996). The missing voice of culturally relevant teachers in school restructuring. The Urban Review, 28: 41-62. Marshall, P. (1996). Multicultural teaching concerns: New dimensions in the area of teacher concerns’ research? Journal of Educational Research, 89: 371-379. Nieto, S. (2000) Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education, (3rd ed.). New York: AddisonWesley. Sheets, R.H. (1996). Urban classroom conflict: Student-teacher perception: Ethnic integrity, solidarity, and resistance. The Urban Review, 8: 165 Research Papers on Teaching Multicultural EducationStandardized TestingInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesPETSTEL analysis of IndiaQuebec and CanadaHip-Hop is ArtResearch Process Part OneRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XEffects of Television Violence on Children

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Case Study Analysis Essay Example

Case Study Analysis Essay Example Case Study Analysis Essay Case Study Analysis Essay There was question as to whether these two organizations would have the ability to mind beneficial success with the acquisition and ensuing strategy. II. Summary of the Facts In September 1995 the world?was largest global management consulting firm, A. T. Carney was acquired by Electronic Data Systems (DES), an information technology firm. The merging of the two organizations raised a lot of questions and issues. ?C How will both strategic consulting and information solutions be provided to clients ? Is It beneficial to sell the services between the two firms ?C Will the two firms share their current clientele Will the two firms work together to acquire new clientele Will a completely ewe compensation program be introduced a?C What Is the strategy to prevent overlapping or overstepping of specific products/ services or projects Once the president of A. T. Carney (Canada) has addressed the issues in his upcoming meeting, the issue of sales management can be addressed. It is necessary to for sales management decisions to be a direct result of the marketing strategy. Ill. Analysis A. T. Carney is a global management consulting firm using strategic insight. The firm uses customization In order to ensure that they are assisting their clients to achieve sustainable results while working with them In collaboration. A. T. Carney has a long reputable history of trust which Is why some of the world?was leading organizations, covering many different Industries use their consulting services (AT Carney, 2012). DES is a leader in the management of information technology: designing, installing and operating data processing systems for clients within the automobile, communications, government, financial and other industries. DES is an innovator in facilities management and actually was the founder of long term, fixed rising contracts within the industry (Electronic data systems, n. D. ). In deciding how to provide the services that each of the firms has to offer to existing and potential customers; the purchase of A. T. Carney by DES and subsequent merge with Management Consulting Services (MASC.) was considered a favorable match. Case Study Analysis 1. The section on the principles of screening and testing deals with the issue of ethics in the testing and identification of disease as this may have a social and economic effect on the process itself. Screening programs introduced without the reflection upon its opportunity cost can result in false results from these tests (Chadwick, 2001). Testing is defined as correct when it follows principles of impartiality, consistency and validity. Ethics should also be applied in screening as screening can help identify patients at risk for disease and illness at a stage where prompt intervention could increase chances of survival for a patient. 2. By far, the most fundamental aspect of a test is that it is precise. This is achieved by first determining the most specific and responsive test in relation to the malady being sought. There needs to be a balance between these two criteria. A highly specific test can only state that a person has a high probability of having the disease, which leads to the possibility of a false negative while a highly specific test will only detect one who has symptoms for that particular disease and this could lead to a false positive. Both outcomes are highly unfavorable, as false negative results would then cause delays in patients’ diagnosis while false positive results could end up creating diagnosis where there is none (Chadwick, 2001). After a test is conducted there needs to be an precise interpretation of the results, and since this is done in connection with other issues specific to the patient such as their medical history, the goal is to interpret the results with as small a margin for error as possible. Further, given the method of testing for a given disease, some risk is bound to attach with some procedures and thus the goal is to first start with the safest and noninvasive procedures before moving on to radical alternatives. The patient’s safety and comfort must be weighed against the necessity of the test. The case study deals with the ethical issues that come with insensitive tests that may lead to false positive results. False positive results create diagnosis, and this is shown when the test shows positive results for marijuana in one who has taken ibuprofen. Tina comes across test results she believes should show the opposite and ends up faking results, this negates the point to the test as the testing should be done impartially meaning that the tester should not favor the test no matter what the outcome (Chadwick, 2001). Tina was obligated to go with the test results she had without bending to emotion based on her personal relationship with the tested party. Tina also should push her boyfriend for a more accurate test as she is aware of the unreliable nature of the testing method. Thus, when in doubt, she should recommend further testing of a more specific nature to cases that would require further examination. As to whether Tina is justified in working for a company that lets people lose their jobs for no sufficient reason, the blame should be accorded to the testing methods and not to the tester. It is well clear that a more specific test would also be more expensive than a standard the standard one conducted by Tina and it would be impractical in terms of cost to subject everyone to this mode of testing. Reference Top of Form

Monday, November 4, 2019

The Contribution of Academic Research to Accounting and Financial Essay

The Contribution of Academic Research to Accounting and Financial Regulation - Essay Example 1). Despite the contribution of academic research in advancing theory, however, Coetsee (2010, p. 1) pointed out that no comprehensive theory in accounting has emerged. I have used only accounting journals except one which is a journal in management. I believe that the definitions of â€Å"accounting† and â€Å"financial regulation† in the journals have the same standard and the definitions are basically common in the profession. There can significant variations, however, in the area of financial regulation as the definitions can reflect theories on how financial regulation can best be implemented. In any case, the specific definition of accounting and financial regulation follows what the author or authors have used in their works. Some of the authors do not even have a definition of â€Å"accounting† and â€Å"financial regulation†, perhaps as a tacit assumption that there is a usual definition of the concepts in the accounting journals anyway. ... 273). Academic research is usually associated with research that is undertaken for its own sake, something done for the advancement of knowledge. It is different from the other kind of research which is usually described as policy-oriented. Academic research is usually found in journals while policy institutes, government, financial regulators, and consultancy groups usually undertake policy research. Although academic research is usually described as theory-oriented, in accounting it seems difficult to separate the theory part and the parts that are relevant for corporate governance. Baker and Barbu credited the academic community for improving rigor and theoretical underpinning in their research and the said factors contributed a lot in the major step in the harmonization of accounting standards in Europe (Baker and Barbu 2007, p. 273). Between 1965 to 2004, the academic community had an increasing output of academic research related to the international harmonization of financial standards (Baker and Barbu 2007, p. 276). However, the idea of creating a conceptual framework to facilitate accounting harmonization was introduced much earlier or in the 1940s (Baker and Barbu 2007, p. 280). In the 1980s, an important role played by accounting academic research is that the research pointed out that cultural and economic factors play important roles in shaping differences in accounting practices by countries (Baker and Barbu 2007, p. 280-281). Another sub-theme that had been prominent during the 1980s is the role played by history in shaping the accounting practices adopted by countries (Baker and Barbu 2007, p. 281). During the mid-1990s, the arguments towards accounting uniformity played an

Saturday, November 2, 2019

German Foreign Policy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

German Foreign Policy - Research Paper Example World development agenda depend on foreign policies adopted by member countries. It is important to note that foreign policies usually influence the economic prowess of a country. Bilateral trade usually depends on foreign policies adopted by the country. Some countries are not able to buy products from Germany due to the poor relationship between these countries. Some policies adopted by the United Nations influence the relationship between Germany and partner countries. Policies that influence trade and politics in various countries are very crucial because many countries depend on each other for economic development. Some foreign policies influence German contribution to the development of the developing countries (Robinson 14). The purpose of this paper is to describe, explain, and perhaps predict the foreign policy of Germany. The relationship between Germany and members of European Union hang on sound foreign policies adopted by Germany. European Union policies influence commer cial relationship among various member countries. Research indicates the one of notable steps made by the European Union is the development of a single currency that would be acceptable across Europe. This move intended to lift barriers to trade among the member countries. German traditional practices are contrary to the new move it has taken in handling foreign issues. Research reveals that Germany has adopted new foreign policies, which intend to enhance its relationship with other members of European Union. German foreign policy on international responsibility is very crucial for the economy of the country. Economist argue that Foreign policies of various countries including Germany are important than Domestic policies. Globalization is the major factor behind the revelation of various foreign policies that affect Germany. The international responsibility policy defines the role of German in promoting peace, security, trade, and politics in the world (Germany's foreign policy 1). Germany respects human rights, democracy, and approaches that promote dialogue among cultures. For instance, participation of German soldiers in world peace keeping is a show of international responsibility that Germany has. World peace is very crucial because peace influence trade, human rights, politics, and social lifestyle among others. The need to promote peace is one of the pillars United Nation. German influences many decisions that United Nations makes because it is a member of the Security Council. Studies indicate that globalization has influenced the stand that Germany takes when voting in the Security Council. The German vote influences the move that members of the council would take when handling issues of international concern. The effects of international responsibility policies include the move made by the Germany to send his soldier to fight against terrorism (Germany's foreign policy 4). The fight against terrorism calls for a collective approach that countries ta ke towards stumping the vice. Research indicates that the war does not belong to one country or the members of the Security Council, but to the world. This would call for a collective participation of various countries. The relationship between Germany and many countries depend on the international responsibility policy. Foreign department of various countries evaluate the role that bilateral relationship would play. The relational should benefit the countries

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Hate crimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Hate crimes - Essay Example Other standard investigations by the FBI include religious bias in the form of religious structure vandalism or damage and election crimes in the form of prohibiting one from voting due to religious, race, color, or disability (FBI â€Å"Overview†). The FBI has developed the Cold Case initiative that looks into and identifies unsolved cases that they act on to find answers and impart justice on behalf of the victims and their families. The FBI task force has also partnered with civil society, community groups, non-governmental organizations, and the local, state and county statute enforcement agencies to implement the task of investigating and execution effectively. The partnerships set the ground for training workshops and dialogue for awareness creation on hate crime. Such a platform is key to confidence building so that individuals can learn to report cases of hate crime to the FBI. The FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR) compiles hate crime data submitted voluntarily by about 17000 law enforcement agencies across the United States. Their personnel is properly trained to ensure authenticity if they collect and send to the FBI. Statistics shows a decrease in hate crime related offenses from 7722 in 2006 to 6624 in 2007. In 2007, out of the 6624, only three were multiple-bias incidents while the remaining 6621 being single-bias incidents. These included 50.8% racial bias, 18% religious bias, 17% sexual oriented bias and 13.2% ethnic or racial bias (FBI â€Å"Overview†). From statistics, intimidation was the leading type of hate crime with 47% followed by simple assaults and aggravated assaults with 31% and 26.9 respectively. About 81% of hate crimes against property involved destruction, damage or vandalism as followed by 18.6% involving burglary thefts, bribery and counterfeiting. Hate incidents could be single or multiple biases.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Intrest throughout the three stories Essay Example for Free

Intrest throughout the three stories Essay Sherlock Holmes is the main character in the story, as in all the Sherlock Holmes stories. He is a very proper and intelligent man with an extraordinary gift. He is Observant and analytical person and can obtain a large amount of information from a small amount of clues, which most others would overlook. From early on in the story Holmes does not hesitate to show off his detective skills when he meats Helen Stoner: You have come in by train this morning, I see. I observe the second half of a return ticket in the palm of marks are perfectly fresh. There is no vehicle save a dog-cart which throws up mud in that way, and then only when you sit on the left-hand side of the driver. This shows that Holmes considers these observations to be trivial, and that they do not stretch his talent whatsoever. Doctor Watson is Holmes assistant. He is a fully qualified doctor and so a clever man, but next to Holmes he often comes across as a clumsy, less intelligent person. This contrast makes Holmes and Watson an interesting duo to read about. Watson is used for occasional humour during the story. It is very apparent that Watson admires Holmes: I had no keener pleasure than in following Holmes in his professional investigations and admiring his rapid deductions. Finally, Conan-Doyle uses Watson to put forward questions and opinions, which the reader may be thinking of. Holmes never openly rejects these opinions, but nor does he accept them or answer Watsons questions clearly. This creates red herrings, which ensure that the outcome of the story remains a mystery to the reader. Helen Stoner, the lady that has come to Holmes for help, is portrayed in this story as the damsel in distress. She is in desperate need of assistance and has no one else to turn to. Whilst Helen is trying to explain her predicament to Holmes, He is very calm and collective and does not let her tell the story in full immediately; he frequently asks for details or interrupts Helen. This keeps the reader interested because he or she is eager to learn the story. Holmes attitude towards Helen reflects the time the story was written in. Holmes is very sympathetic and gentlemanly towards Helen: you must not fear, said he soothingly, bending forward and patting her forearm. We shall soon set matters right, I have no doubt'. Holmes is not being sexist in his assumption that Helen is helpless and afraid, he is merely showing the attitude towards women that was shared by most men at that time. Holmes knows that Helen needs help from someone who is reassuring and confident. Roylott is Helens stepfather. Roylott is an aggressive, violent character who threatens Holmes by bending his poker. Roylott is the prime suspect in the story for the reader, because the death of his stepdaughters would mean he would receive their inheritance. Throughout the story, Conan-Doyle gives several clues as to the outcome of the mystery. Firstly, when Helen is telling her story from the beginning, the reader learns that Roylott, who would inherit an amount of money in the case of the two sisters deaths, is a short-tempered, dangerous man who has a history of violence: There was a series of disgraceful quarrels and brawls with anyone giving him the least offence. These clues make Roylott the prime suspect for the death of Julia Stoner. Secondly, although it leaves many questions unanswered, Helen reveals that Julias last words were: Helen! It was the band! The Speckled band! . It turns out that she was describing the snake that bit her. Finally, there are several important clues given in Helens bedroom, next to Roylotts room, before the plot is unfolded. Above Helens bed, which is fixed to the floor, is a bell rope that does not work, and a ventilator. The ventilator is in a very strange place: the dividing wall between the two rooms. It turns out that these features were to allow the snake to get to Helen. Such clues were intended to intrigue the reader and hint to the reader, giving them a chance to work the mystery out for themselves. These clues are typical of the mystery genre. There are also several red herrings in the story, for example, the gypsies living in the grounds: It must have been those wretched gypsies in the plantation. These points are irrelevant but raise questions in the mind of the reader, making them want to read on. Conan-Doyle also uses tension to keep the reader interested. When Holmes and Watson are waiting for the snake to arrive in Helens room, they are in darkness and speak in whispers. Holmes makes it clear to Watson that they are in considerable danger and must not get caught. Conan-Doyle also uses language techniques such as shorter sentences to achieve this tension. At the end of the story, as was common in stories of this genre, Holmes gives an explanation of the crime for the benefit of the reader. The Devils Foot is similar to The Speckled Band in that from the start there is a character that we have reason to suspect: Mortimer. At first, Mortimer does not seem to be as vicious an enemy as Roylott, as was common in the time the story was written, but several clues unearthed by Holmes point the finger at him. The murder in this case is also similar to the murder in The Speckled Band. It is a very horrific and mysterious murder that some in the story believe to be of a supernatural nature. Murders like this were often present in stories of this time and genre and were designed to fascinate and shock the reader. Holmes, however, says: if it is beyond this world then it is certainly beyond me. This makes the reader believe that there must be a logical or scientific explanation. The crime is again solved by Holmes, who solves the mystery by noticing small clues and gathering information, in this case, noticing the link of combustible powder between the two rooms in which the murders took place. To support his idea of this powder being the cause of the deaths, Holmes puts his life on the line and tries it on himself. This eccentricity and willingness to go so far to solve a crime makes Holmes all the more interesting and unusual to the reader.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Foreign Policy: National Interests and Values

Foreign Policy: National Interests and Values Foreign Policy linking the protection of national interests and promotion of national values. Great Britain has lost an empire and has not yet found a role. Implicit in the introductory quotation by American politician Dean Acheson (Hutchinson Encyclopedia, 2003) is the principle that a nation has various choices in setting foreign policy. A precursor to setting effective foreign policy is the need to have a foreign policy vision, or a fundamental view of what the nation would like to accomplish in the world arena. Two considerations in setting a foreign policy vision involve deciding if the nation should focus on promoting its values internationally or if it should focus on protecting its national interests. This essay will show that foreign policy should not require a choice between protecting national interests and promoting national values; rather, it will demonstrate that a nation can protect its national interests and, at the same time, promote its values in the world arena. Beginning with separate discussions on protecting national interests and on promoting values, the essay continues with an exploration of the linkages between promoting a nations values and protecting its national interests. Finally, conclusions will be presented. Before embarking on an exploration of national interests and values in setting foreign policy, a working definition for the term foreign policy will be established to help in framing the discussion. The Republic of Ireland (1996), in observing that there is no universally agreed definition of foreign policy, furnishes this succinct definition for the term: the pursuit by a state of its interests, concerns, and values in the external environment. Foreign Policy magazine (undated, cited in Labor Law Talk, undated) offers a somewhat fuller, yet essentially supportive, definition: A foreign policy is a set of political goals that seeks to outline how a particular country will interact with the other countries of the world. Foreign policies generally are designed to help protect a countrys national interests, national security, ideological goals, and economic prosperity. This can occur as a result of peaceful cooperation with other nations, or through aggression, war, and exploitation. Creating foreign policy is usually the job of the head of government and the foreign minister (or equivalent). The definition proposed by Foreign Policy magazine is accepted as the working definition in this context as it provides a more complete description, although the Irish definition will also be referenced. Protecting National Interests The working definition for foreign policy states, in part, that foreign policy is designed to help protect a countrys national interests; the Irish definition states, again in part, that foreign policy is the pursuit by a state of its interests. Each sovereign country can be expected to have different national interests and thus a different foreign policy focus because external policy reflects interests or concerns internal to the country pursuing them, according to the Republic of Irelands White Paper on Foreign Policy (1996). Logically, then, the protection of national interests through foreign policy is the protection of internal interests. Comparing the national interests of Canada and the United States, two closely-allied neighboring countries which are similar in many ways, provides insight into the extent to which national interests differ. Canadian foreign policy focuses on economic growth, social justice, quality of life, sovereignty and independence, peace and security, and harmonious national environment with the first three being the most important (Franks, 1997). Canadas neighbor to the south, the United States, sets foreign policy at three levels. Vital interests, which represent the highest level, include the physical security of American territory, the safety of American citizens, the economic well-being of American society, the protection of critical infrastructures from paralyzing attacks. Military troops may be used unilaterally and decisively to protect these vital interests. The second level includes those interests that do not affect national survival but do influence national well-being (e.g. protect ion of the global environment and commitment to allies). Finally, humanitarian and other interests, including responses to national disasters and promotion of human rights among others, are positioned at the third and lowest level (Gladkyy, 2003, citing White House, 1999). After the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the United States placed added emphasis on national security interests: The Government of the United States has no more important mission than (1) fighting terrorism overseas and (2) securing the homeland from future terrorist attacks. (Gladkyy, 2003, citing Bush, 2001). The contrast between national interests expressed by Canada and the United States is a stark one indeed. The expressed national interests of the United States are more reactive and could be considered to be more negative in tone than those of Canada which seem more proactive and uplifting. Interestingly, and perhaps demonstrating Canadas internal cultural attributes, three of the countrys six areas of national interest are focused on human bettermentsocial justice and quality of life, which are two of the three high priority interests, and a harmonious national environment. In contrast, humanitarian and other interests are relegated to the lowest priority national interests in the United States. Promoting National Values The working definition for foreign policy states that foreign policy, in addition to protecting national interests as mentioned earlier, is designed to protect a countrysideological goals; the Irish definition states that foreign policy, in addition to pursuing national interests, is the pursuit by a state of itsvalues in the external environment. According to Latham (2002), the term values refers to subjective views of individuals about what is worthy or important. He continues that in politics, [values] are views about the ends that social institutions ought to advance, and the virtues they ought to embody. As government is a social institution, values are the views governments should advance and virtues they should embody. Some examples of national values include freedom, democracy, free economies, and human dignity (The Hutchinson Encyclopedia, 2003). In addition, some national values can be discerned from the articulation of national interests. For instance, referring to Canadas national interests, one might conclude that Canadas values include human rights, peace, and environmental harmony. National values can be promoted by various means ranging along a continuum from active to passive. As an example, the United States, in promoting democracy, has used military actionthe most active meansand has modeled democratic behaviorsthe most passive means. In between these two extremes, the United States has used other approaches including diplomacy, foreign aid, international broadcasting, and even covert political manipulations. (Parapan, 2005). Linking the Promotion of National Values to the Protection of National Interests The thesis for this essay is that foreign policy does not have to involve a choice on the part of a nation between protecting its national interests and promoting its values in the world. A nation can do both and, conceivably, doing both effectively can enhance each one individually. A review of the literature revealed the following representative selections addressing the foreign policy linkage between protecting national interests and promoting national values: Haass (2003) claims that in the 21st century, the principal aim of American foreign policy is to integrate other countries and organizations into arrangements that will sustain a world consistent with U.S. interests and values for the purpose of promoting peace, prosperity, and justice as widely as possible. Abrams (2000) states a foreign policy of dominance will not only advancenational interests but will preserve peace and promote the cause of democracy and human rights. Mead (1994) states that foreign policy is based on a combination of interests and values, calling attention to the struggles associated with defining the national interest and national values and relating the two concepts in an overall foreign policy strategy. Using the term progressive internationalism, Falk (2004) summarizes a foreign policy based on four organizing ideas[that] embody a convergence of national values and interests: national strength, liberal democracy, free enterprise, and world leadership. And, finally, Edel (2005) quotes U.S. President George W. Bushs second inaugural address in January 2005: Americas vitalinterests and our deepest beliefs are now one. Seiple (2003) cautions the United States to be uncompromising over their national values when promoting their national interests, contrasting the differences between expressed values of fair play, the use of the Golden Rule, and the cherished freedoms of religion, association, and press and American interests [revolving] largely around economic access and a military that, by and large, is positioned around the world to protect that access. One factor that may complicate the alignment of national interests and national values in forming foreign policy is what might be considered to be an inherent conflict between the realism of national interests and the idealism of national values. Talbott (2000) expresses a contradiction between championing national interests and national values. He writes about the persistent effort to combine realism and idealism in the role [the United States] plays in the world, continuing by stating that the American people have made clear that they demand some thing nobler and more altruistic from their government and armed forces than the coldblooded calculus of raison detat or realpolitik in which European statecraft has often taken pride. McCraw (2003), in claiming that realism sees foreign policy as about national interests rather than promoting values, writes that this conflict explains why national governments have not been particularly identified with promoting human rights, a position that might be considered to be part of an idealistic foreign policy. The range of approaches nations can use in promoting national values as described earlier could also be applied in protecting their national interestsmodeling behaviors, diplomacy, providing foreign aid, broadcasting their messages, conducting covert political manipulations, and taking military action. For instance, a country that demonstrates democratic behavior may cause people in countries with totalitarian governments to push for democratic reforms. This to a large extent happened as formerly Communist countries of Eastern Europe established democratic forms of government modeled after those in countries of Western Europe and the United States in the latter part of the twentieth century. At the other extreme, the military incursion by the United Kingdom, the United States, and others into Iraq to purportedly establish a democratic government could be viewed as an example of forcing democratic values on a sovereign nation. The case of Iraq presents an interesting twist on the national values promotionnational interest protection issue, one that shows how the two are intertwined in foreign policy. In 2003, when the coalition of the willing invaded Iraq, the case for the incursion was based on the certainty that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction that could be used against other nations. This case reflected the desire to protect national interests, in this instance the safety of citizens. But, the invasion revealed that [t]here were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraqno unmanned aerial vehicles, no terrorist training camps, no outlawed Scud missiles, no nuclear weapons program (The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 2004). When no such weapons were found, the rationale for the invasion changed to a desire to install a democratic government. The case changed from one of protecting national interests to promoting values, this time by military force. If the rationalewas truly altruisticto install a democratic form of government in Iraqand the installation of such a government would help promote the stability of the region thereby ensuring the continued worldwide flow of oil (a strategic interest), then the invasion would represent an example of how the promotion of national values can be used as part of foreign policy to protect national interests. Whether the motive of installing a democratic government is true or simply a cover for the failure to find weapons of mass destruction is not a topic for this discussion; however, the efficacy of forcibly installing a democratic government is appropriate. Parapan (2005) asks a probing question: After all, what is it that terrorists hate? The American values and culture, or the American insistence on imposing those on others? Parapan suggests that reform must come from within. Only time will tell whether the new, more democratic government in Iraq will be accepted or replaced by another dictatorship or, even worse, by anarchy. Future historians will be able to compare and contrast the long-term outcomes of the popularly-installed democratic governments in Eastern Europe with the forcibly-installed democratic government in Iraq to assess which approach was more effective. Conclusions This essay set out to show that foreign policy should not require a choice between protecting national interests and promoting national values; rather, that a nation can protect its national interests and, at the same time, promote its values in the world. This thesis was proven with the caveat that the road to achieving this type of foreign policy can be difficult. With a working definition of foreign policy in hand, examples of national interests of Canada and the United States were compared and contrasted and examples of national values were presented and accompanied by a description of the continuum of methods countries can use in promoting their values. The definitions and discussions formed the foundation for establishing the linkage between promoting national values and protecting national interests. At the most basic level, the two definitions cited for foreign policy link the protection of national interests and promotion of national values as purposes of foreign policy. Five extracts resulting from a literature search established the linkage between national interests and national values in foreign policy development (Abrams, 2000; Edel, 2005; Falk, 2004; Haass, 2003; Mead, 1994). Difficulties in linking interests and values in foreign policy were characterized as a conflict between realism and idealism (Seiple, 2003; Talbott, 2000). The approaches available to nations as they establish foreign policy that protects national interests were shown to be largely the same as those available to promote values. Examples from initiatives to establish democracies in Eastern Europe and in Iraq were compared and contrasted in the context of promoting national interests and promoting national values. In summary, nations can simultaneously protect their national interests and promote their national values through their foreign policy. Perhaps the proper promotion of national values, one that models the desired values and empowers the citizens of the receiving nation to make their own choices, can actually enhance the protection of national interests in the country implementing its foreign policy through its stabilizing effects in other parts of the world. Bibliography Abrams, Elliott (2000). American powerfor what? Commentary, January 1, 2000 (The) Atlanta Journal and Constitution (2004) Strategy: Make facts fitTime confirms the fabrications and exaggerations of the Bush administrations case for invading Iraq. June 23, 2004. Bush, George W. (2001) Securing the homeland: Strengthening the nation, 2001. Cited in Gladkyy, Oleksandr (2003), American foreign policy and U.S. relations with Russia and China after 11 September. World Affairs, June 22, 2003. Edel, Charles (2005), Picking our fights carefully. The Cincinnati Post, March 3, 2005. Falk, Richard (2004) Toward the revival of principled politics in America. American Tikkun, September 1, 2004. Foreign Policy (undated) Foreign policy. Cited in Labor Law Talk (undated), Foreign policy. Available from: , undated [Accessed: April 14, 2005]. Franks, C. E. S. (1997) White paper on foreign policy, The 1998 Canadian Encyclopedia, September 6, 1997. Gladkyy, Oleksandr (2003), American foreign policy and U.S. relations with Russia and China after 11 September. World Affairs, June 22, 2003. Haass, Richard N. (2003) Defining U.S. foreign policy in a post-post-Cold War world. DISAM Journal, January 1, 2003. (The) Hutchinson Encyclopedia (2003) Dean Acheson. From speech at the United States Military Academy at West Point, December 5, 1962. April 22, 2003. (The) Hutchinson Encyclopedia (2003) US foreign policy in a changing world. September 22, 2003. Labor Law Talk (undated), Foreign policy. Available from: , undated [Accessed: April 14, 2005]. Latham, Stephen R. (2002) National values, institutions, and health policies: what do they imply for [Canadian] Medicare reform? Canadian-American Public Policy, November 1, 2002. McCraw, David (2003) Analysing New Zealands foreign policy: David McCraw replies to criticism advanced by Michael Bassett of his depiction of New Zealands approach to foreign affairs. New Zealand International Review, November 1, 2003. Mead, Walter Russell (1994) Lucid stars: The American foreign policy tradition. World Policy Journal, December 22, 1994. Parapan, Manuela (2005) Why Arabs are anti-U.S. World and I, January 1, 2005. (The) Republic of Ireland (1996) The white paper on foreign policy: Background to Irish foreign policy. Available from: [Accessed: April 14, 2005]. Seiple, Robert A. (2003) The privilege of power: The US is right to oust Hussein but it must better balance national values with national interests. The Christian Science Monitor, March 10, 2003. Talbott, Strobe (2000) Self-determination in an interdependent world. Foreign Policy, March 22, 2000. The White House (1999) A national security strategy for a new century. Defense Strategy Review Page, December 1999, 1-2. Cited in Gladkyy, Oleksandr (2003), American foreign policy and U.S. relations with Russia and China after 11 September. World Affairs, June 22, 2003. Stiff: The Curious Lives Of Human Cadavers Stiff: The Curious Lives Of Human Cadavers After reading the book Stiff I have gained a better understanding of what donating your body to science really means. Through my research and by reading the book, I have decided that a person should most definitely donate his or her body to science. I believe that once a person has died, there is nothing more that the person can do with his or her body. Why not give yourself to science and continue to help people even after you have passed away? I personally would like to die knowing that I could potentially save the lives of millions. The first option for donating your body to science mentioned in the book is for the practice of cosmetic procedures. In the first chapter of the book, Mary Roach attends a seminar where plastic surgeons perform different cosmetic procedures on cadaver heads. The surgeons are able to practice new procedures on nonliving patients before performing them on live patients. The cosmetic surgeons gain a better knowledge of human anatomy and how to perform specific procedures. Practicing on these patients is much easier, since the patients do not have blood that would block their view of a humans basic anatomy and facial structure. The surgeons can see everything that is going on in the surgery clearly which will help them to better perform these surgeries later on. In addition to cosmetic procedures, I have learned through my research that universities often provide cadavers for medical students to use as a way to advance their knowledge of the human body. In an article I read, it stated th at before first-year medical students are allowed to lay their hands on the living, they must first learn the anatomy of the dead. Students are required to take apart their given body and look at each section of a humans internal anatomy. Although it is possible to learn this information through high-tech simulators and body models, nothing can replace being able to see and touch a real body. This is why donating your body to science is important; so that medical students will have the chance to learn from dead bodies, before operating on live ones. The third chapter of the book is set at a body farm. A body farm is a research facility where human decomposition can be studied in many different settings. At the body farm, Mary Roach sees a variety of dead bodies that are being used to study human decomposition. Each body is at a different stage of decay. Studying these bodies can help determine the time in which a person has died. In reality, this can help investigators determine the time of death of a corpse. Knowing the time of death can help solve crimes and murder investigations, an important component of forensic science. In the book, Roach mentions fly larvae as an important way to determine when a person has died. Forensic scientists can conclude how old the larvae on a cadaver are, and therefore decide how long the person has been dead for. Other methods of determining this can be used, such as looking at the potassium level in a persons eyelids or studying the stage of their decay. Not only are the donated bodies at diff erent phases of decomposition, they are also put into different scenarios. Every time a person dies, they are not going to be in the same setting. This is why researchers at the body farm have to put cadavers in different situations. The first body Mary Roach sees at the farm is wearing sweatpants, so that examiners can study the effects of decay on bodies that are wearing clothing. During my research, I have learned that some of the other scenarios bodies have been put in include being buried, left outside, and even submerged in water. People die in all different settings, which is why it is important to know how a body reacts in these different environments. By donating your body to science, forensic scientists can learn the rate at which bodies decay, and therefore solve investigations later on. The fourth chapter involves the use of cadavers as crash test dummies. When a person donates his or her body to science, it is possible that he or she will be sent to a research facility where researchers study the effects of impact on the body. When car companies make new car models, it is necessary for them to test if a car provides safety to a human in the event of a crash. However, researchers cannot use nonhuman crash test dummies for these studies. Crash test dummies can tell you how much force a crash has unleashed on a body, but not how this force affects the body. Scientists need to know how much force a real body part can handle. For these test, researchers need subjects that will provide accurate results without causing harm or pain to them. In the past, dedicated researchers have donated themselves as dummies. However, this is neither safe and causes pain to the living researchers. Cadavers are better candidates, since they are not only human, but they also feel no pain a nd cannot sustain injury. During this section of the book, Mary Roach visits a facility where a simulated car accident is taking place on cadaver UM 006. The results from the car accident will help the car company know if the particular model will keep a person safe if a crash were to occur. Then, they can adjust the car to provide better safety. So someday, when a live human survives an accident, he or she has UM 006 to thank. In chapter six, Mary Roach discusses cadavers who are used to understand how bullets and bombs work, and how they affect the human body. Quite often, the bodies of people who choose to donate themselves to science are sent to facilities where the main goal of research is to figure out how to better protect those who are often exposed to danger. As with most tests, researchers need subjects who give results that are realistic and accurate, and that do not feel pain. Cadavers fill these needs when it comes to testing items such as bulletproof vests, army-strength footwear, and other protective wear. To ensure that our soldiers and police officers are safe, it is essential to guarantee that their equipment is safe and will withstand whatever circumstances they may endure. To do so, experiments are conducted to test these different items. Through these tests, researchers can tell if bulletproof vests will withstand the force of a shot, if boots will withstand the effects of a roadside bo mb, and if miscellaneous protective wear can handle under pressure. All of these tests are important in protecting those who give their life to protect us. In chapter seven, Mary Roach discusses a controversial experiment that many people choose to donate themselves to. These trials have become known as the crucifixion experiments. Throughout history, a number of scientists have been engrossed by the idea of recreating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Through trial and error, these scientists have each created their own theory about how Jesus was positioned on the cross and each event that took place during this time. Not only do some people choose to have their cadavers donated to this experimental process, but some actually volunteer themselves while they are still living. Although most people dont choose to take this path when donating their body, it is always another option that could be considered. Throughout the book, Mary Roach touches a couple of times on the subject of organ donation. I believe that organ donation is one of the most beneficial and practical means of donating yourself to science. In all other cases of donating yourself to science, your body is not used to provide direct help to others. In these cases, your body is used for studies and research that could one day hopefully help someone else. When you choose to donate your organs, you are directly giving yourself to someone else. The second you are considered dead (whether your heart has stopped beating or you have been considered brain dead) your organs are give to another person who is in need. In a sense, you are able to live on through another person, or at least a piece of you is. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, every eleven minutes a person is added to the waiting list to receive an organ. Seventy-five people receive an organ transplant each day. However, twenty people die every day waiting for an organ, because of the shortage of donated organs. When one person alone decides to become an organ donor, he or she could possibly save up to eight lives. So if you dont want to join the body farm, be used as a surgical patient, or become a human crash test dummy, I believe that deciding to become an organ donor is the easiest way to save lives. The book Stiff gave me a much better understanding of what it means to donate your body to science. Making the choice to give yourself to scientific research could help an endless amount of people. After all, what are you planning to do with your body when you die? Why not give yourself to something rewarding and beneficial? If you dont want your dead body to be shot for scientific study or to receive a facelift once you have passed away, choose to become an organ donor. You could save up to eight lives, and die knowing youre going to continue to help others. One day, I will certainly choose to donate my body to science, and potentially make life better for those who are still on earth. Personal Review I have always enjoyed reading, and throughout the years I have read all kinds of different stories. However, I have never a book quite like Stiff. In Stiff, Mary Roach talked about a topic that most people would find repulsive and somewhat hard to even think about. Cadavers arent a usual subject when it comes to writing books. Yet, I absolutely loved it. Roach found a way to write about death in a humorous way without ever being disrespectful. Who knew reading about dead bodies could be so funny? The book was filled with interesting facts and never had a dull moment. Most of the time, I had trouble putting the book down. I could also see all the hard work and research Mary Roach put into it. She knew what she was talking about inside and out. She traveled to different countries, researched a countless number of events in history, and interviewed numerous people who were somehow related to the topic. She also mentioned every little detail about what was going on, which made it that mu ch better. Roach never sugar coated anything. She always told everything like it was. Yet she always respected the cadavers and treated them like they were still alive. After reading this book, I feel much better informed about what it means to donate your body to science. I never understood all the possibilities of what could happen to you if you made the choice to donate your cadaver. Mary Roach wrote everything on a level that I could understand without getting confused. I now feel much better prepared about deciding whether to donate my body or not. I have decided that I definitely would like to donate my body to science and make my contribution to society. I would like to be able to help others even after I have passed away. Without this book, I dont think I ever really would have considered donating my body as an option. I didnt understand what it meant or what would happen. Mary Roach convinced me to donate my body to science, and I believe others would feel the same.