ECOM20001 Information System Management (information system of master) Essay

ECOM20001 Information System Management (information system of master) - Essay Example They are very mandatory and essential for the business development as it helps in the components of wise business decision making as well as prudent. It also helps in providing transparent information flow of business policies, guidelines, practices, standards, and certain procedures for reasonable business operations. Information Management System is used by the management in different managerial corporate levels. Safe and sound Information Management System also assists the company in attaining proper and well planned internal controls, audit coverage, safeguards, and operating procedures. There are four groups of Information Management System in which the entire system is divided; these groups are related to Human Resources, Financial Department, Accounting, and Marketing (Allen & Hamilton & Baker 14). This assessment research assignment is correlated with the Information System Management Course and is designed in such a way through which the stimulated thinking of the classroom students would be analyzed and evaluated with the help of a case study. The company chosen for case study assessment is the Information Technology giant company Dell Corporation. In this case study, Dell's customer-centric business model will be analyzed. Apart from that, an overall analysis and evaluation will be carried out regarding Dell's customer-centric business scope, which would help in knowing that how Dell Corporation makes use of its Information System in order to develop and organize a demand-pull value chain, and how does it affect the relationship of Dell Corporation with its suppliers and customers. Section #2 (Covey & Merrill 103) The modern world of today is all about modernization and innovations in the technology field which is growing and grabbing a competitive edge in the global marketplace. Every technology oriented organization is trying their best to make their unique and strong position among their competitors in the technology sector so that they could flourish and market their products with unique and different features which cannot be overcome by any other competitor. For this objective, many multinational organizations and well known reputable companies are developing their research and development department, so that they could stand differently from others. Dell Inc. is one of the most leading and successful multinational technology oriented organization which has accomplish and conquer a very reputable position in the technology world market. Dell Inc. is basically involved in the designing, development, manufacturing, marketing, technical supporting and selling of personal computers and several other computer related products. The main headquarters of Dell Inc. is situated Round Rock, Texas and engages more than 88,000 employees around the globe. This technology oriented organization started grabbing the business growth since during 1980s and 1990s and since then, Dell Inc. has attained the position of being one of the largest technology corporations in the world. Originally, Dell Inc. was founded in the year 1984 by named Michael Dell who was the

War is Ethically Wrong Essay Example for Free

War is Ethically Wrong Essay My thesis is that war is ethically wrong. My main argument goes as follows: Any action that kills an innocent person without their direct consent is ethically wrong; war kills innocent people without their direct consent. Therefore war is ethically wrong. The first premise of my main argument states that any action that kills an innocent person without their direct consent is ethically wrong. On average, many people would agree with this statement. To kill an innocent person for whatever reason would hold up as murder in a court of law. Yet, one might object to the part of the premise that states, direct consent. This leaves room to debate the questionable subject of euthanasia. By one giving direct consent to someone else to terminate their life, would, according to the premise be acceptable. Though euthanasia is not the subject of this paper it is important to understand that direct consent of the individual is essential to establish the unethical grounds of war. If direct consent to die was given by all innocent people in times of war then there would be no moral issue to discuss. Accordingly, imposing ones will, though the intentions may be good, is second-rate to the right of the individual to give direct consent in matters concerning their life. My second premise states that war kills innocent people without their direct consent. History has been a great teacher in proving to us that innocent people die in times of war. Yet, one could even argue that the soldiers in the war are considered innocent people and do not necessarily give their direct consent to be killed. This may sound ludicrous since often times a soldier goes into the military on his or her own free will. Yet, when the soldier signs up he or she never sends a letter or calls the enemy and states that the enemy has their direct consent to kill them. This is absolute nonsense. It is only indirectly that death comes about. It is never by choice or desire. When a soldier enlists he or she signs up to fight for the cause of there country, they did not sign up to be voluntarily slaughtered. This is also helpful to show the innocent nature of a soldier. On average most soldiers join the military because they believe that the cause they are defending is right. This is important to understand seeing that war is hardly ever one sided. Upon examining one can see that when nations are battling rarely does one side feel that they are the big, bad evil enemy. Both sides feel justified in their cause and are willing to fight for their beliefs. Even during World War II, Nazi Germany felt justified to rise from their poverty state and lash out against the nations that had oppressed them. This helps set the stage to understand why war is ethically wrong. If both sides feel that they are right in their cause then it is also easy to state that both sides are wrong. One might give the objection, What if a country invades my homeland, dont I have the right to protect myself by killing them? The answer to this question is an unwavering no. Great men such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. have proven that one can throw off the shackles of tyranny without the shedding of blood. If you were to oppose your enemy by taking the life of an innocent person then you would be as guilty as your attacker. My first sub-premise is that everyone has the right to life. Simply by breathing you exercise your right to exist on the earth. From the beginning of civilizations there has always been rules or laws established to protect this right. Whether it has been the simple Mosaic law of thou shall not murder to the complex laws that we have today, the right to life has always been recognized as a universal principle for all people. My second sub-premise for my main argument is that killing an innocent person without their direct consent violates the right to life. A drunken husband comes home and savagely beats and kills his wife. With this example it is easy to see how the wifes right to life is being violated. Did the wife give her husband direct consent to beat and kill her, most likely not. Did the husband rationally think to ask his wife if he could brutally beat and kill her, again probably not. The act of killing an innocent person without their direct consent infringes on the right to life because the intrinsic  value of choice has been stolen away form the individual. This understanding leads to the finally sub-premise that it is ethically wrong to violate ones right to life. According to Dictionary of Religion and Philosophy the term ethical comes from the Greek word ethos, which means custom or usage. Plato used this term to mean a custom or usage to designate the right way of behaving. To violate ones right to life very easily falls under the wrong custom or usage of the right way of behaving or more simply put, it would be unethical. Whether a man beats and kills his innocent wife or nations war against each other there is no difference when it comes to the right to life. Without direct consent it is ethical wrong to violate ones right to life. Throughout this paper I have proven my thesis that war is ethically wrong by stating two main arguments, they were: Any action that kills an innocent person without their direct consent is ethically wrong; war kills innocent people without their direct consent. It is through these premises that one can see that the conclusion that war is ethically wrong, is valid and sound reasoning.

Amado V Hernandez Works

Amado V Hernandez Works Amado V. Hernandez lived in a nationalist milieu that witnessed a range of Filipinos that were determined to prove to colonizers that they were capable of governing themselves. Hernandez was born on September 13, 1903, Ka Amado as he is called, together with the nationalist leaders and intellectuals in government, the academe, and among the Filipino masses perceived in the postwar agrarian problems in Central Luzon the powerful roots of social alienation that would lead to discriminating pressures.  [1]  He was married to zarzuela actress and queen of kundiman Honorata Atang dela Rama and began his writing career as a journalist, and later, editor of several pre-World War II Tagalog news papers.  [2]   Moreover, Ka Amado was known for his active participation in the socio-political realm through his literature and his political involvement. During WWII, he served as intelligence officer for the resistance.  [3]  The discussion of his involvement and participation pre, during and post war will be traced through an account of his life and works, his writings, the Congress of Labor Organization, his wife Atang dela Rama, and the essence of Philippine and Hernandezs literature. Life and Works From 1926 to 1932, Amado V. Hernandez wrote Sariling Hardin a column in verse which was a calendar of happenings and observations on human weaknesses and social background. Meanwhile in 1928, he had a running balagtasan in his column Pagkakaisa against Jose Corazon de Jesus, Huseng Batute in Taliba. Ka Amado defended independence movement and Huseng Batute called him the poet of the administration and was included by Julian Cruz Balmaseda among the poets of the heart.  [4]   Instead of serving under the Japanese administration, Hernandez chose to leave for the hills. He was a major when the American forces returned in October 1944. He was appointed by President Osmeà ±a as councilor of the City of Manila and in 1947, he ran for councilor in the first post-war local elections and won in all four districts of the city. At this time, he was popular for being a pre-war poet laureate and journalist as well as an organizer of the Philippine Newspaper Guild of which he became vice-president. He also helped organize and later on became acting national chairman of the progressive Congress of Labor Organizations or CLO which he said the objective was to help the worker achieve economic security and to help in his cultural uplift.  [5]   In 1955, Hernandez wrote prison and detention center poems when he was transferred to Muntinlupa from Camp Murphy while waiting for the final ruling of the Supreme Court in his pursuit of the Lower Court decision of lifetime imprisonment due to rebellion complexed with other crimes. His appeal lasted for thirteen years before he was totally acquitted.  [6]  Even before he was acquitted, Ka Amado was already writing for the vernacular magazines, particularly Liwayway. He wrote Bayang Malaya which is a historical poem that he started and finished inside the little detention room in jail which is commonly called bartolina. It is a historical account of defending the nation and the ordinary citizens against the dominance of the Imperial Japanese Army. When the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) was overpowered in Bataan and Corregidor and were compelled to surrender, guerrillas emerged from the country and continued the strife and defense (Hernandez). USAFFE broke into several minor commands and waged guerrilla war against the invaders.  [7]  The main characters of this poem although not real personas, were symbols of real constructs of the war that created a history in its time.  [8]   Ka Amado was imprisoned for five years and six months in Muntinlupa and five other military camps namely: Camp Murphy, Camp Crame, Fort McKinley, Panopio Compound and another camp which he did not know due to a forcible arrest at midnight while he was blindfolded with shackled hands. He has several reasons as to his in-jail poetry and literature. One, he writes to exclaim the greatness of the Filipino guerrillas which were the glory of World War II (MSB) for he believes that if this splendor would soon be long forgotten by the contemporary heroes, history wont. Another reason that he posited as to why he pursued his literature is that he wanted to prove that the real essence of a poet cannot be incarcerated. Hernandez has a body of literature that stretches nearly three generations of Philippine literature  [9]  . He wrote in the introduction Isang Dipang Langit that he was able to write over 170 poems in different periods and in different situations. Some he wrote before 1930, others during his life as a journalist and some he wrote after the war where he was in the middle of different movements in politics and labor. Writing about Hernandez in 1947, journalist Jose A. Lansang, observed that Hernandez had fine speaking styles in Tagalog which developed during his pre-war poet laureate days which goes over with working class audiences. Lansang notes that Hernandez had aptness in anecdote and fire of delivery which shows Hernandezs being well-read in the English language especially in progressive literature and had developed knowledge of the labor mobilizations in various nations through intensive reading. The novel Mga Ibong Mandaragit which was first written by Hernandez while in prison is the first socio-political novel that, like Jose Rizals Noli Me Tangere, exposes the grave social cancer achieved in society post-war to the early open conflicts in Central Luzon in the 1950s.  [10]   The Congress of Labor Organization Amado V. Hernandez sponsored ordinances aimed at promoting workers rights and freedom. As he immersed himself in the labor movement in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Hernandezs compassion for the working class grew into a strong empathy for their struggle for social justice and liberation. He represented the Newspaper Guild of the Philippines in the countrys largest and most militant labor federation, the Congress of Labor Organizations (CLO) and in 1947, he was elected president of CLO.  [11]   In 1948, Labor Day witnessed one of its largest rallies of workers under CLO, the Peoples United Peasant and Labor Organizations held at Plaza Sta. Cruz. The mobilization was said to have been attended by 15,000 workers. Conversely, a rally that was held on the same day was attended by only 10,000 government workers in Rizal Stadium addressed by President Quirino.  [12]   CLO kept organizing workers in the years that followed and at the same time, opened up health clinics and nurseries in Manila as a social action project. As councilor, Hernandez retained the regard for him by the workers but at the same time, as the acting national chairman of the CLO, he gained the distrust and doubt of the political authorities faced with the problems of insurgency in Central Luzon.  [13]   The CLO headquarters was raided by the military authorities on the 20th of January 1951 and Ka Amado was held incommunicado in Camp Murphy on charges of rebellion complicated by several other charges such as arson, robbery and murder.  [14]   The Literature There have been a good number of discussions about Filipino poetry and literature, it has made for itself a good reputation but have received as well criticisms. Hernandez writes about literature always as a rising up or revolt from a generation put behind except for fanatic conformist.  [15]   Julian Cruz Balmaseda, poet, researcher and editor of the Surian ng Wikang Pambansa who considered Hernandez as among the poets of the heart divided the Tagalog poetry into three: Panahon ng Dalit, Panahon ng mga Pagbabago and Panahon ng Pagpapalaganap. He used not just the ages and personalities of poets in these divisions but as well as the kind, topic and outline of their poems.  [16]   Balmaseda acknowledged that there was a significant development of the Filipino poetry during the third period. This was caused by the manner by which Filipinos were more or less capable of mention and we will not be embarrassed to say that our poems could be at par with other remarkable poems in different languages.  [17]   During the period of conquest (1942-1945) up to this particular moment, poetry has been accessed by the paralysis caused by its weakening. Amado V. Hernandez is questioning why is it that when we now have reached the fulfillment of a lifelong objective which is to have our language, the Filipino poetry started declining?  [18]   One of the major problems that Philippine literature has according to Hernandez (especially poetry) is sentimentalism and he recognizes that not even the famous Balagtas was able to avoid it. He quotes and agrees with a critic who said that [sentimentalism] is the greatest fault of art. The straightforwardness of expressing ones feelings is not just a bygone phenomenon but is also vulgar and rough as it is.  [19]   Meanwhile, the historian Teodoro A. Agoncillo described the prison (where Hernandezs poetry flourished) as crucible of the new Filipino poetry. He was imprisoned for five years and six months and he was able to write 40 poems, one long narrative poem Bayang Malaya and the draft of the novel Mga Ibong Mandaragit within that period.  [20]  All of these have contributed to the social consciousness that Amado V. Hernandez was pushing for through his works as noted by Agoncillo himself: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ngunit gayon may dapat tanggapin na mabibilang sa daliri ng isang kamay ang mga manunulat na may budhing talusaling o nag-aangkin ng tinatawag na social consciousness (we should accept that the number of authors who own what we call social consciousness can only be counted by the fingers of one hand).  [21]   Agoncillo remarks the war that made the world succumb and set long-standing stagnant minds in motion werent even sufficient for our authors to be moved even after the 1941-1945 tragedy. Even after this, they remained complacent and trusting in their own hopeful motherlands. This land for Agoncillo is a sterile land and Hernandezs literature particularly his Bayang Malaya is likened by the former as a surprising growth and emergence of a strong-willed kind of literature with sturdy branches that sprouted out of these barren soils.  [22]   Amado V. Hernandezs literature, whether poem or prose, in a few ways deliberately presents themes that are socio-political in nature or that which are capable of raising social consciousness. Some of the titles of his poems that clearly represents this are as follows: Sariling Hardin (My Own Garden), Isang Dipang Langit (A Stretch of Sky), Panata sa Kalayaan (Oath to Freedom), Bartolina (Solitary Confinement), Ang Dalaw (The Visit), Kung Tuyo Na ang Luha Mo Aking Bayan (When Your Tears Dry Up, My Country). His Short Stories include: Wala ng Lunas (No More Remedy), Kulang sa Dilig (Needs Watering), Langaw sa Isang Basing Gatas (Fly in a Glass of Milk), Dalawang Metro sa Lupang Di-Malipad ng Uwak (Two Meters in Land That Stretches Forever), Ipinanganak ang Isang Kaaway sa Sosyedad (An Enemy of the Society is Born), Isang Ulo ng Litson (Head of a Roast Pig), Kislap ng Utak,Pawis ng Noo (Sparkle of Brain, Sweat on the Forehead).  [23]   His experiences as a guerrilla, labor leader, and a political detainee were shaped into the novels Mga Ibong Mandaraggit (Birds of Prey), 1969, and Luha ng Buwaya (Crocodiles Tears), 1972 Bayang Malaya One of the major works of Amado V. Hernandez was the epic Bayang Malaya and he wrote the said piece while he was behind bars. It is a historical poem which, according to the historian Teodoro A. Agoncillo, is a strong piece of art that sprouted out of the barren soils that is our literature and it opened the blinds that were blocking the beauty of the East. Ka Amado was painting a picture not just of a single town but of the Philippines.  [24]   The main characters of this piece although as mentioned are not real personas, they were symbols of real constructs of the war that created history. Some of the main characters were Tala and Magtanggol among others. It narrated the news about the emerging World War and the Japan-U.S. conflict that was surfacing as well as the start of the war itself when Japanese forces started entering Manila which caused the entire nation to be enveloped in fear. A concept like the Co-Prosperity Sphere was tackled in Bayang Malaya although those engaging were mere fictional characters. The epic also tackled the different oppression mechanisms being employed by the Japanese as well as the punishments that one receives in the event of revolting.  [25]   Issues like the emergence of guerrillas were also described in Bayang Malaya. Attempted rapture of Tala for example led to her taking of the hills and joining of guerrilla groups.  [26]  Amado V. Hernandez was indeed changed by his imprisonment and in Agoncillos words, the poet of hopes in Hernandez died in prison but the same prison gave birth to the critical poet and author who was just and was for workers rights.  [27]   Atang dela Rama The wife of Ka Amado; this queen of Kundiman and zarzuela in the same way as her husband, used her craft in promoting nationalism through the art that was performing. Honorata Atang dela Rama did not perform only for a living or for the good pay she received for her talent. She held a strong belief that the zarzuela and the kundiman expressed the Filipino identity and she did her best to popularize these among her fellow Filipinos.  [28]   She believed that kundiman contained the heart and soul of the Filipino especially if she gets to introduce the art to foreign audiences. Atangs enduring faith in the Filipino heritage and the sariling atin was intensified and deepened when Amado V. Hernandez became part of her life. The columnist and poet who was to become a labor leader in the future, pursued the actress for three years. They were married in 1932 and the actress was integrated into a whole new world with Ka Amado.  [29]   Because of Ka Amados involvement in the guerrilla movement during the Japanese occupation, his generous support of the labor movements in his writings and organizing of activities, and his unjust detention for five years and six months for the alleged rebellion complex, Atang developed a social consciousness that opened her eyes to the reality of the oppression in society.  [30]   Later on in her life, she remained to show that her real purpose is not yet over. She hoped that young artists and intellectuals will wake up and realize the necessity of having a culture that is genuinely Filipino which colonial regimes had made us abandon. Furthermore, she gave lectures to young actors and groups that wish to study the past in order to shape Filipino drama that would mean more in the contemporary period. She has also been invited many times by militant organizations of youth, women, writers and workers to speak and help promote the nationalist cause and strife that not even Ka Amados death in 1970 could put into an end.  [31]   Conclusion Amado V. Hernandez is an important figure in the Philippine literature. He wasnt just simply a writer but also, he was a work leader and a freedom fighter. He used the literary art as a means to fight for social consciousness and liberation. His master pieces are encircled in the different socio-political beliefs which were considered to be due to brought about by his experiences as an intelligence officer during the Japanese regime in the Philippines.  [32]   He was not just a guerrilla who chose to take it to the hills, but he was as well a labor leader who exerted his energies towards the betterment of the Philippine work force after the war. He was a significant icon who fought for freedom and social equality and a poet and a writer who used his craft in increasing awareness and social involvement in the country.  [33]  He wrote based on prison experiences and just like how his wife emulated his principles, in these works, he uncovered what he perceived to be the neocolonial nature of Philippine Society and pushed for nationalist and progressive agenda to end the long history of the workers and peoples oppression.  [34]  He was able to expose the social cancer that was taking over the Philippines during his time and both his and his wifes craft helped transform literature and performing arts respectively. Sources: Abinales, Patricio N. and Donna J. Amoroso. State and Society in the Philippines. Anvil Publishing, 2005. Amado V. Hernandez: A National Artist, http://www.shvoong.com/humanities/1762958-amado-hernandez-national-artist/ (accessed 15 February 2010) Amado V. Hernandez, Bayang Malaya: Tulang Kasaysayan/ Paunang Salita ni Teodoro Agoncillo (Ateneo de Manila University, 1969) Amado V. Hernandez, Isang Dipang Langit (Tamaraw Pub., 1961) Commemorative folio on national artist : Fernando Amorsolo, Francisca Reyes Aquino, Carlos V. Francisco, Amado V. Hernandez, Antonio J. Molina, Juan F. Nakpil, Guillermo E. Tolentino, Jose Garcia Villa and internatioal artist Van Cliburn Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila, 1974 Nicanor G. Tiongson, Atang dela Rama: Unat Huling Bituin (Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1987) The National Artists for Literature. http://nationalartists.panitikan.com.ph/avhernandez.htm/ (accessed 15 February 2010)

Imaging Techniques and Cognitive Function Essay examples -- Medicine

Neuroimaging is a multidiscipline science and experts from the field of psychology, statistics, physics and physiology all contribute to its further development (Poldrack et al., 2007). In the last 20 years the imaging techniques developed from single proton emission tomography (SPET) to positron emission tomography (PET) and finally to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) (Page, 2006). Their applications are numerous in experimental and cognitive psychology. However, at one level they can constitute another dependent variable (brain activity) as a response to an independent variable (stimulus manipulation) and at the other level, understanding the structure and processes of the brain can shed light on ‘normal’ cognitive functioning (Kaye, 2010). Therefore, this essay will argue that imaging techniques not only tell us about the brain structure but also try to explain its cognitive functions. Two non-invasive imaging techniques will be put forward, namely, electr oencephalogram (EEG) that measures electrical activity and gives excellent temporal resolution and fMRI that is based on changes in blood supply and provides excellent spatial resolution. The claim will be evaluated in the light of their basic assumptions, methodology and contribution to examining the brain function. Relevant evidence of studies with healthy adults will be provided. Finally, technologies that can only show the brain structure will be introduced. First, let us look at the electroencephalogram (EEG), which is based on recordings of electrical brain activity with millisecond temporal resolution and it provides â€Å"the most direct measure correlate of ongoing brain processing that can be obtained non-invasively (Johnsrude and Hauk, 2010, p. 28). The ba... ...12 from http://web.ebscohost.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=1b047404-ffff-413f-b018-a4213e391053%40sessionmgr115&vid=2&hid=110 Page, M. A. (2006). What can't functional neuroimaging tell the cognitive psychologist?. Cortex: A Journal Devoted To The Study Of The Nervous System And Behavior, 42(3), 428-443. Retrieved May 5, 2012 from http://www.sciencedirect.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S0010945208703757 Poldrack, R.A., Fletcher, P.C., Henson, R.N., Worsley, K.J., Brett, M. and Nichols, T.E. (2007). Guidelines for reporting an fMRI study. NeuroImage, 40 (2), 409-414. Retrieved May 5, 2012 from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811907011020 Whatson, T. (2006) Studying the brain: Techniques and technology. In Exploring the Brain (2nd ed.), 11-41, The Open University, Milton Keynes.

The Ethics of Enron

Reading Enron's code of ethics, on first impression, you would expect nothing but excellence from a respectable company. Their code of ethics relied heavily on effective communication, a high level of integrity, and nothing but excellence. Through this code they portrayed a business that was capable of exceeding greatness to the highest standard. This soon to be eluded fact jaded by the deception with Enron's unethical actions, which would ultimately lead to its untimely demise. Enron, at one point, was the seventh largest company within the Fortune 500. Careful accounting strategies allowed it to be listed as the seventh largest company in America, and it was expected to dominate the trading it had virtually invented in communications, power and weather securities. Instead it became the biggest corporate failure in history. Enron was formed in 1985, by Kenneth Lay, CEO. Lay graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in economics. He then went on to get his Ph.D. from the University of Houston. With his extensive background in economics, Lay began to work for Exxon Mobil, and thus began his life in the energy business. He soon began to get involved in the natural gas market, which led him to propose the idea of the deregulating energy. Lay merged his company, Houston Natural Gas, with Omaha, Nebraska's InterNorth to form Enron (Briefing 2012). In addition to traditional sales and transportation of natural gas, Enron, under Lay's direction, invested into, what at the time was, future markets. From around 1983-1987, oil prices fell drastically. Buyers of natural gas switched to newly cheap alternatives such as fuel oil. Gas producers, led by Enron, lobbied vigorously for deregulation (Briefing 2012). Once-stable gas prices began to fluctuate, spooking buyers. That's when Enron started marketing futures contracts guaranteeing a price for delivery of gas sometime in the future (Briefing 2012). The government, again lobbied by Enron and others, deregulated electricity markets over the next several years, creating a similar opportunity for Enron to trade futures in electric power. With this, Enron began to grow at a rapid pace, having their assets grow by $50 billion in the matter of a short fifteen years. Being seen as a powerful company was undermining motive that lead to Enron's one main goal that they continuously strove to achieve. Who would not enjoy having a superior image for as long as this company did. Enron, before its collapse, was one of the worlds leading electrical, natural gas, and communication companies (NPR 2012). The company, with profit of $101 billion in 2000, markets electricity and natural gas, delivers physical commodities and financial and risk management services around the world, and has developed an intelligent network platform online business (NPR 2012). However, all so called good things for Enron came to an end. Despite Enron's perceptual display of ethical standards in its transactions, social conduct, environmental and financial reports, evidence of unethical behaviors such as engaging in massive corporate fraud, misleading its investors and employees about its financial status bloated out when it collapsed in 2001. By excluding its partnerships with Chewco and Joint Energy Development Investments (JEDI) from its financial statements, Enron was able to hide its $600 million debt from the balance sheet. For about eight years, Enron used complex and unethical accounting schemes to reduce its tax payments, overstate income and profits, inflate stock price and credit rating, hide losses, transfer the company's money to themselves, and fraudulently misrepresent its financial condition in public reports. Enron Senior Management did perform a job well done until it fell apart when Enron's share price started to drop in 2000. Before Enron filed for bankruptcy protection, the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) already found out these accounting irregularities where Enron clearly misled its shareholders, analysts and creditors. By the end of 2001, it left thousands of employees who have invested their savings and pensions in the company and small shareholders maintaining their investments; while members of Enron management sold their shares knowing the falling performance of the company. Enron was not protecting the interest of its stakeholders at all. Thousands of employees lost their jobs and significant amount of retirement savings, while investors were left with worthless stocks. These further affected their families and their community as a whole. Enron's scandal damaged public trust on corporate leaders. The behavior of Enron's leaders were far from the good leadership behavior we know of, where leaders should demonstrate integrity. What's worse was that, the Auditors of Enron who should have been the one to report their accounting malpractices long time before, accepted the accounting practices and remained silent. This was most probably because of the conflict of interest because these auditors earned high revenues from audit and non-audit works with Enron. In the most basic sense, lack of management integrity and the resulting impact on corporate culture was the root cause of Enron's downfall and the fundamental ethical issue. Enron's management chose ego gratification, power maximization, stakeholder deception and short-term financial gains for themselves, while destroying their personal and business reputations and hurting literally tens of thousands of stakeholders. Enron's scandal called for the need of significant change in accounting and corporate governance in the U.S. This is why the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002 was introduced. It was officially signed into law july 30th, 2002 to protect investors by imporoving the reliability and accuracy of disclosures made pursuant to securities laws. Sarbanes-Oxley developed the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a private, nonprofit corporation, to ensure that financial statements are audited according to independent standards. The legislation also mandates that companies listed on stock exchanges have completely independent audit committees to oversee the relationship between the companies and their auditors. Sarbanes-Oxley further banned most personal loans to any executive officer or director, accelerated reporting of trades by insiders, and stiffened penalties for violations of securities laws. SOX is generally applicable to all companies, regardless of size, who require to file reports with the SEC. SOX established the creation of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to oversee the audit of public companies that are subject to the securities laws. The PCAOB establishes auditing, quality control, ethics, independence and other standards relating to the preparation of audit reports. They are also responsible for conducting inspections of registered public accounting firms, as well as conducting investigations and disciplinary proceedings, where, justified, concerning registered public accounting firms. The Enron case will forever stand as the ultimate reflection of an era of near madness in finance, a time in the late 1990's when self-certitude and spin became a substitute for financial analysis and coherent business models. Controls broke down and management deteriorated as arrogance overrode careful judgment, allowing senior executives to blithely push aside their critics. Indeed, it could be argued that the most significant lesson from the trial had nothing to do with whether the defendants, both former Enron chief executives, committed the crimes charged in their indictments. Instead, the testimony and the documents admitted during the case painted a broad and disturbing portrait of a corporate culture poisoned by hubris, leading ultimately to a recklessness that placed the business's survival at risk. The ethical lesson that can be learned front the Enron scandal is that, no success is important enough to be achieved at the price of dishonesty and illegal activities. Not only did the scandal tarnish the reputation of Enron but it ruined the lives of the people who belonged to the name, People who have invested time and money into the company. It goes without saying, corporate values is far more important than unethically scheming in order to make profits.

A Dolls House - 1973 Production with Claire Bloom

A Doll's House - 1973 Production with Claire Bloom The Bottom Line This treatment of Henrik Ibsens play, A Dolls  House, by director Patrick Garland and actors Claire Bloom and Anthony Hopkins, is especially strong. Garland manages to transcend the plot contrivances which I found, on reading Henrik Ibsens play, to make the story almost unbelievable, and instead, create characters and a story that seem real. A surprisingly hopeful film to enjoy for itself, this would also make an interesting film to use in high school, college, or adult classes to explore issues of gender roles and expectations. Pros both Claire Bloom and Anthony Hopkins create sympathetic charactersdepicts woman on a pedestal in its positives and negativesemotional depth of Noras transformation and her husbands reaction ring truefictionalized and historical settings may make discussion of feminist issues feel safer to somemakes a somewhat-contrived plot seem believable Cons some plot coincidences a bit too contrivedhistorical and fictional settings may, for some, make the feminist issue easy to dismissfor some women, that this is written by a man might be a negative Description Henrik Ibsens depiction of 19th century men and women in marriage and friendshipDepicts Nora Helmars attempt to find her identity, beyond the constricting pedestalAlso depicts her husband Torvald Helmers attempt to salvage his own identity at work and home1973 production directed by Patrick Garland, screenwriter Christopher HamptonClaire Bloom and Anthony Hopkins star as Nora and Torvald HelmerDenholm Elliott, Ralph Richardson, Edith Evans,and Helen Blatch play supporting roles Review - A Dolls House The basic plot is this: a woman of the 19th century, pampered first by her father and then by her husband, acts out of caring and that act then subjects her and her husband to blackmail, threatening their security and future. How Nora, her husband, and Noras friends attempt to deal with the threat depict different kinds of love. Some loves transform people and bring out their best and the best in their loved ones others make the lover and loved one smaller. I remember the first time I read Henrik Ibsens play, A Dolls House, in the late 1960s, just when the feminist movement was rediscovering past literary treatments of gender roles. Betty Friedans more straightforward treatment of the ultimately-unsatisfying constrictions of womens traditional role seemed to ring more true. In reading A Dolls House then, I was disturbed by what I read as contrived characters Nora always seemed quite the silly doll, even after her transformation. And her husband! What a shallow man! He didnt evoke the least bit of sympathy in me. But Claire Bloom and Anthony Hopkins, in director Patrick Garlands 1973 treatment, show how good acting and direction can add to a play what a dry reading cannot.

George Calvert essays

George Calvert essays George Calvert was the first Lord of Baltimore. His oldest son, Cecil Calvert, was the second Lord Baltimore. George Calvert, after a visit to Virginia, petitioned King Charles I of England to grant him permission to colonize the land north of the Potomac. He died in 1632, at age 52, just 66 days before the colony's official charter was issued, but his son Cecil Calvert carried out his father's dream. Cecil Calvert had the difficult task of planning and carrying out the colonization of Maryland. He recruited settlers and arranged for the Ark and the Dove to take them to Maryland. Cecil Calvert spent a great deal of money on that first voyage. The two ships arrived at Maryland in early March 1634. Cecil Calvert supported his father's idea of making Maryland a haven for all types of Christians. He was responsible for the Act Concerning Religion, a law that tried to eliminate religious prejudice among Christian Marylanders. Because England's monarchs could not be trusted to leave the American colonies alone, Cecil Calvert spent the remaining years of his life in England protecting his ownership of Maryland. Despite a couple of interruptions, Maryland remained a Calvert possession for well over a century. Maryland's Cecil County was named for him, and Anne Arundel County was named for his wife. When Europeans arrived in the 1600's about 3,000 Indian people lived on the land that is now called Maryland. No one is certain when they met the Europeans for the first time. Some historians think that french traders ben to buy furs from the Indians that lived along Chesapeake Bay in the early 1500s. During the 1660s many land disputes arose because of settlers farming land which was close to other state=s borders. Consequently, disputes came about as to border lines. These disputes involved the states of Virginia and Pennsylvania. Over the next 100 years Maryland lost many thousand acres of land to these states. The F...

Basic Vocabulary Youll Need to Go Shopping in France

Basic Vocabulary You'll Need to Go Shopping in France If you are shopping in France, youll need to know the lingo. You could just stick with one shop or market, go in, pay and get out. But most of us do more than that in our search for the right product and the best bargain. You need to be able to read signs so that youre choosing the right shop, getting the best quality, ferreting out authentic bargains and speak intelligently with salespeople. Keep in mind that France (and most of Europe) may have megastores, but most people still shop at their local small shops in order to find the freshest, highest-quality products. So dont discount the words for specialty stores; you will need to know them. Shopping Vocabulary une à ©picerie  Ã‚  small grocery storele marchà ©Ã‚  Ã‚  farmers marketle supermarchà ©Ã‚  Ã‚  supermarketun hypermarchà ©Ã‚  Ã‚  superstore, giant supermarketla boucherie  Ã‚  butcher shopla boulangerie  Ã‚  bakeryla charcuterie  Ã‚  pork butchers shop and delicatessenla confiserie  Ã‚  candy storela crà ©merie, la laiterie  Ã‚  dairy  shopla fromagerie  Ã‚  cheese shople magasin de fruits et là ©gumes  Ã‚  greengrocerle marchand de vins  Ã‚  wine shopla pà ¢tisserie  Ã‚  pastry shopla poissonnerie  Ã‚  fish storela banque  Ã‚  bankla blanchisserie  Ã‚  laundryla  laverie automatique   laundromatla droguerie  Ã‚  drugstore / hardware storele grand magasin  Ã‚  department storele kiosque  Ã‚  newsstandle magasin de confection  femme/homme/enfants clothing store  for women, men, children;  magasin de và ªtements  Ã‚  clothing store in generalla pharmacie  Ã‚  pharmacyla poste  Ã‚  post officele pressing  Ã‚  dry cleanerla q uincaillerie  Ã‚  hardware storele tabac  Ã‚  tobacco shopfaire les courses  Ã‚  to do the  shopping [for essentials];  aller faire les courses to go shoppingfaire du shopping  Ã‚  to go shopping, to shop [for specific items such as shoes];  partir faire les magasins to go on a shopping trip/expedition les soldes the sales; faire les soldes to shop the salesclient /  personne qui faire ses courses shopperà ªtre accro au shopping   to be a shopaholiccher  (chà ¨re) expensive; coà »ter cher   to be expensive  a bargain une affaire; a good bargain une bonne affaire;  bargain prices prix avantageuxmarchander to bargain, to haggle;  negocier, traiter avec quelquun to bargain with someoneheures  douverture business / shop hours  Ã‚  Ã‚   Expressions Related to Shopping Bon marchà ©:  can be translated as either inexpensive or cheap. Bon marchà ©Ã‚  can be both positive, indicating a reasonable price, and negative, insulting the products quality. Bon rapport qualità ©-prix:  The French expression  un bon rapport qualità ©-prix, sometimes written  un bon rapport qualità © / prix, indicates that the price of some product or service (a bottle of wine, car, restaurant, hotel) is more than fair. Youll often see it or a variation in reviews and promotional materials.  To talk about a better value, you can make the comparative or superlative form of bon, as in: un meilleur rapport qualità ©-prix   better valuele meilleur rapport qualità ©-prix  Ã‚  best value To say that something is not a good value, you can either negate the sentence or use an antonym: Ce nest pas un bon rapport qualità ©-prix. /  Ã‚  Il na pas un bon rapport qualità ©-prix.   Its not a good valueun mauvais rapport qualità ©-prix   poor valuele pire rapport qualità ©-prix   worst value While less common, its also possible to use a different adjective altogether, such as un rapport qualità ©-prix incroyable   amazing valueun rapport qualità ©-prix intà ©ressant   good valueun faible rapport qualità ©-prix   poor value Cest cadeau: is a casual, informal expression meaning  Its free. Its inexpensive. The underlying meaning is that  youre getting something extra that you werent expecting, like a freebie. It can be from a store, a boutique or a friend doing you a favor. It doesnt necessarily involve money. Note that Cest un cadeau with the article is a simple non-idiomatic, declarative sentence that means It is a gift. Noà «l malin: The informal French expression  Noà «l malin  refers to Christmas.  Malin means  something thats  shrewd or cunning. But this expression isn’t describing Christmas or the sales, but rather the consumer- the cunning consumer who is far too smart to pass up these amazing bargains. At least that’s the idea. When a store says  Noà «l malin, what they’re really saying is  Noà «l (pour le) malin (Christmas for the clever.) For example, Offres Noà «l malin Christmas offers [for the savvy shopper]   TTC: is an acronym that appears on receipts and it refers to the grand total that you owe for a given purchase. The initials TTC stand for  toutes taxes comprises  (all taxes included). TTC lets you know what you will actually be paying for a product or service. Most prices are quoted as TTC, but not all, so its essential to pay attention to the fine print. The opposite of  TTC  is  HT, which stands for  hors taxe; this is  the base price before the addition of the European Union-mandated  TVA  (value-added tax), which stands at 20 percent in France for most goods and services.

LAND LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

LAND LAW - Essay Example The most common form is when a neighbor builds an establishment that crosses onto another person’s land although most severe scenarios the neighbor treats someone else land as if it were their own. In our case, Thomas built the garage before Edward bought the land but even then, Thomas was still encroaching on the council’s land even though they did not feel like taking any action against him. When Edward bought the property and he wants his fence to go through the right boundary, Thomas has no grounds to refuse him. The Land Registry Act public guide 19 states that in the interest of good relations between neighbors, "It is best to record the agreement formally. You can do this ... by setting your agreement down in a formal document" and they are referring to the case of boundary agreements. Thomas has the knowledge on where the boundary lies due to the formal agreement under existence since they bought the land from the previous owner. However, if the council land was unregistered, the law legislation LA 1980 s. 17, states that as far as the current squatter has been on the land for a long period of time (up to 12 years) and the land has been under good use, then he or she is supposed to request for a registration through the law. In Powell v McFarlane, Slade J it was alluded that the issue of land ownership could have been through a concept known as factual possession. Under such circumstances, the owner has a near exclusive control over the given parcel of land. The ownership at such times includes physical control. In terms of intrusion into a piece of land, it is apparent that the ownership cannot be claimed by two parties concurrently. Consequently, it ought to be acknowledged that the real control in terms of physical use lies in the terms that suit the prevailing circumstances. The considerations in such situations entail having an evaluation of what the parcel of land is used for in terms of commercial exploitation. In the case of Thomas and Edward, Edward was aware of Thomas’s long possession of the land under which he built the garage. Encroachment has numerous forms but only two countermeasures, legal hearing or ejectment. The decision that this case will take, is dependent on the two affected neighbors. In case they decide to go to court, each of them has a right to the land as the next if the land was unregistered and it is under proof beyond reasonable doubt. However, if the land belonged legally to the council and proper documents produced then Edward has the right to own the land. The twist comes in if Thomas decides he wants the land as well under the limitation act. If Thomas decides to pursue the land’s interest under claim of adverse possession, then he is liable to get it according to the law. Section 15(1) of the limitation acts(LA 1980) if a person encroaches on another person’s land and the latter is notified, the right to claim any legal action expires after 12 years since the owner got the information pertaining to this encroachment. Edward notified the council on Thomas’ encroachment but they did nothing and the countdown began in 1996 when Edward reported. However, in Buckinghamshire County Council v Moran, Slade LJ explained the concept of ‘adverse’ in reference to the possession of any parcel of land. This must bear relevance to the act that was passed in the 1980s. This is better explained through the quote "If, therefore, a person occupies or uses land by

Close reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Close reading - Essay Example The imagery of the ocean is perfect for this passage because that is a place of calm and peace, and perhaps Andy is subtly mentioning that her mother was like that for her. Andy never explicitly says that she misses her mother, but they way she describes it makes it like she does truly miss her. The passage above shows how vulnerable Andy is because she is in an environment that is foreign to her and this causes her to struggle over her decision to change her gender. There are many adjectives used in this passage to describe what the experience of the ocean was like for Andy. She was not really witnessing the ocean because it says only that it sounded like the ocean, but she does reminisce about a time when she traveled to the ocean with her family. The fear in Andys description of the sea could be construed as an allusion to her fear of listening to her inner voice and choosing to remain a woman. For her, the ocean is something to be afraid of because she may just enjoy herself even though she is feeling scared. Andys mother even encourages her to go into the water but she is too afraid to do so. Words like musky and rank give a description of what they ocean means to Andy, which is something to dislike. This passage is crucial as part of the story because Andy is going through a time of reflection. The wind was blowing strongly and to Andy "it sounded like the ocean, and once Andy thought she could smell salt air" (343). She did make a decision to become a man, and even change her name, but the experiences that she has gone through are perhaps making her reconsider her decision. Andy reminisces about her past life when she has the following thought: "She and her parents had gone last summer to stay for a week at a motel on the New Jersey shore" (343). For so long Andy has attempted to hide her feminine side, yet she describes her mothers feminine side in much detail when she says "that her mothers swimsuit top had come off, so that her breasts

URBAN GEOGRAPHY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

URBAN GEOGRAPHY - Essay Example This study takes a look at the concept of segregation and its implication in the city of Detroit. By taking a look at the history of segregation in Detroit, the study also tries to understand the segregation patterns and the current day scenario of segregation in the city. As mentioned earlier, geographic segregation or more appropriately, residential segregation is the level or extend to which particular groups reside separately from one another, in a particular geographic area such as a city or state (Low, 2004). Segregation, in itself, is a complex phenomenon, where the groups are segregated in a number of ways. For example, people from a minority community reside in such a way that they are often overrepresented in some particular areas and underrepresented in some others (Yinger, 2001). In addition, the same community may be residing in such a manner that their exposure to the other groups is minimized (Yinger, 2001). Similarly, particular groups may be either concentrated or centralized in a certain limited space or clustered in one particular section (Yinger, 2001). There are also particular reasons because of which segregation takes place. For example, South Africa saw legal separation because of Apartheid. Similarly, in many other countries, segregation happens because of the social status in the society or the ethnicity of the people (Johnston and Poulson, 2005). Voluntary segregation is where immigrants prefer to live in a segregated set up so that they could mutually benefit from one another (Johnston and Poulson, 2005). Segregation is measured using Index of Dissimilarity (calculates the way in which particular groups are distributed across particular locations) based on that data that emerges through census. It is often called the index of inequality also (Reardon and O Sullivan, 2004). In the United States, periodic

Communication Competency Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communication Competency - Case Study Example The researcher states that role conflict is an emergent issue in this case. The fact that Chris has a role to deliver goods to the customer, something that he has failed to achieve, brings to the surface the conflict in role execution. The interpersonal conflict is taken out of control as the manager seems not to be keen on hearing what Chris had to say on the issue at hand. Chris has a role to deliver goods to customers within a specified time. Chris is also charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the supplied services or goods meet client needs. Chris is thus in a conflict as it arose in this case. Chris made an attempt to meet client demands within the specified time. In this process, Chris compromised on the quality of services. Role ambiguity is captured by the fact that Chris is supposed to beat both the dateline and the quality mark. Equally, the manager has a role to ensure that all clients receive quality services and all his members of staff execute their duties as expected. Chris was also reliant on other people’s actions as there was group work. Lee seems to be quite personal as he refuses to listen to the kind of explanation that Chris offers. This is a pointer to personal issues that may be underlying their relationship. Chris employs the use of interpersonal compromising conflict style to strike an understanding with the manager. Lee comes up as an ineffective manager in this case. As a manager, he is supposed to provide good leadership. He wants to super-impose his views on his members of staff. He also pays little attention to details. This may be the primary reason why Chris hurriedly shudders and decides to take the manager’s side. By rubbishing important suggestions, it is clear that the manager is not up to the task.

California history Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

California history - Research Paper Example In addition, this region records the largest number of wild fires as compared to the other states in America. The climate of this region is mainly cool with rainy winters and hot summers. Moreover, it was the home of a great n umber of America’s natives and the indigenes communities. It had unique cultural and linguistic traits due to the inter existence of almost seventy different groups of Native Americans. In this regard, this essay will delve on the political organization of the Native Americans. The political organization of the Native Americans had unique attributes due the lifestyle of these people1. For instance, political organization of a society is the collective provision of guidance to a community or society in either a formal or an in formal way. The natives were mostly hunter-gatherers hence settled down in groupings that matched their way of life. Their political organizations were diverse in that they had further divisions according to tribe, chiefdoms, bands, and states. In essence, the band political form of the organization was a small group of closely related relatives from the household in a particular region who came together on different occasions but did not answer to any superior authority. Ideally, this form of governance was not complex since the number of those under the ruler ship was a manageable number. This system did not have a central political structure hence making this form of governance to be informal. Moreover, communities under the band2 form of had autonomous extended family groupings that formed the political set up. Bands were unable to compete for community resources since they were not complex in the execution of leadership. They had two clusters, one being the simple bands and complex bands. Simple bands were the smallest groupings, which were narrow to the level of the extended families. Ion the other hand, composite bands had larger families totaling to hundreds in numbers. Sequentially, this political for m was easier due to the constant moving of the families in these communities because of their hunter-gatherer state. On the contrary, this leadership was definitive in that it had Leaders who acquired positions of leadership by virtue of portraying leadership abilities. In addition, they became leaders through their ability to influence their societies to act in certain ways. They stayed in the position of leadership until the community no longer had confidence in them. In essence, the leaders in charge of bands were the peace chiefs. They had wisdom, kindness, and abilities in leading the community in to successful battles3. This oldest form of political organization4 was essential in the solving of community problems because the leader knew the ones in the dispute quite well. Therefore, the delivery of judgment was fair according to the community. Other forms of political organization came about due to intermarriages between communities. Secondly, the Native Americans had tribes, which were groups of independent people that occupied a specific region and shared a common language. In addition, the tribes had common cultural practices applied by certain unifying factors. Additionally, a tribe composed of different people from bands and villages integrated in to lineages and clans. This form of the organization was a temporal and formal because of the frequent attacks by other bordering communities. Remarkably, there was no central authority hence making it an inform way of ruler ship5.

Ecology and Society Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ecology and Society - Assignment Example For this, they mainly evaluate the mechanisms of compensation and reward for environmental services (CRES) very closely. In this article, the authors debate whether or not the CRES mechanisms will more effectively contribute to environmental sustainability when compared to conventional mechanisms. While deeply analyzing the article, it seems that the authors greatly support CRES mechanisms in order to promote environmental sustainability. The writers hold the view that financial incentives are the best way to motivate people as this method adds value to the quality of people’s daily life. Compensations and rewards would not only greatly influence people but also significantly contribute to better human-environment interactions. The conventional institutional arrangements developed to manage ecosystems include ‘individual behaviour regulations, preservation of particular resources or ecosystems, and enhancement of collective investment in infrastructure’ (United Nations). However, the article writers indicate that those conventional mechanisms often fail to accomplish desired outcomes. They present CRES mechanisms as a better alternative to conventional environmental sustainability practices. Referring to the findings of Swallow, some writers argue that CRE S addresses â€Å"voluntary and traditional agreements that are negotiated among ecosystem stewards, beneficiaries of environmental services, and intermediaries† (Swallow, Leimona, Yatich and Valerde). Whereas the traditional techniques give emphasis to regulative policies, the CRES mechanisms positively influence people to regulate their actions themselves. In order to identify the conditions under which CRES mechanisms are more likely to be effective and functional, the authors apply theories of institutional change and policy diffusion (deductive approach). In addition, they also analyze a number of case studies as part of the

Communication Competency Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communication Competency - Case Study Example The researcher states that role conflict is an emergent issue in this case. The fact that Chris has a role to deliver goods to the customer, something that he has failed to achieve, brings to the surface the conflict in role execution. The interpersonal conflict is taken out of control as the manager seems not to be keen on hearing what Chris had to say on the issue at hand. Chris has a role to deliver goods to customers within a specified time. Chris is also charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the supplied services or goods meet client needs. Chris is thus in a conflict as it arose in this case. Chris made an attempt to meet client demands within the specified time. In this process, Chris compromised on the quality of services. Role ambiguity is captured by the fact that Chris is supposed to beat both the dateline and the quality mark. Equally, the manager has a role to ensure that all clients receive quality services and all his members of staff execute their duties as expected. Chris was also reliant on other people’s actions as there was group work. Lee seems to be quite personal as he refuses to listen to the kind of explanation that Chris offers. This is a pointer to personal issues that may be underlying their relationship. Chris employs the use of interpersonal compromising conflict style to strike an understanding with the manager. Lee comes up as an ineffective manager in this case. As a manager, he is supposed to provide good leadership. He wants to super-impose his views on his members of staff. He also pays little attention to details. This may be the primary reason why Chris hurriedly shudders and decides to take the manager’s side. By rubbishing important suggestions, it is clear that the manager is not up to the task.

Ecology and Society Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ecology and Society - Assignment Example For this, they mainly evaluate the mechanisms of compensation and reward for environmental services (CRES) very closely. In this article, the authors debate whether or not the CRES mechanisms will more effectively contribute to environmental sustainability when compared to conventional mechanisms. While deeply analyzing the article, it seems that the authors greatly support CRES mechanisms in order to promote environmental sustainability. The writers hold the view that financial incentives are the best way to motivate people as this method adds value to the quality of people’s daily life. Compensations and rewards would not only greatly influence people but also significantly contribute to better human-environment interactions. The conventional institutional arrangements developed to manage ecosystems include ‘individual behaviour regulations, preservation of particular resources or ecosystems, and enhancement of collective investment in infrastructure’ (United Nations). However, the article writers indicate that those conventional mechanisms often fail to accomplish desired outcomes. They present CRES mechanisms as a better alternative to conventional environmental sustainability practices. Referring to the findings of Swallow, some writers argue that CRE S addresses â€Å"voluntary and traditional agreements that are negotiated among ecosystem stewards, beneficiaries of environmental services, and intermediaries† (Swallow, Leimona, Yatich and Valerde). Whereas the traditional techniques give emphasis to regulative policies, the CRES mechanisms positively influence people to regulate their actions themselves. In order to identify the conditions under which CRES mechanisms are more likely to be effective and functional, the authors apply theories of institutional change and policy diffusion (deductive approach). In addition, they also analyze a number of case studies as part of the

Communication and Language Needs Wishes Essay Example for Free

Communication and Language Needs Wishes Essay Show how to find out an individual communication and language needs wishes and preferences Finding out the way an individual prefers to communicate can be done in two ways: direct or indirect. The talk of these individuals is very slow and intentional. They do not like loud, fast, and excessively aggressive talk. In addition, they concentrate more on the facts and figures, rather than just assumptions. If you are in conversation with an indirect communicator, you need to understand that you should have proof for backing up your suggestions, answers, and views. Individuals who are direct talk more clamorously and rapidly than indirect communicators. They take risks easily, are aggressively self-assured, and are related to type A personalities. If you are in conversation with a direct communicator, just ensure that you get to the point straightaway, be confident about what you say, provide solid instances of your achievements, and be alert when you talk. The direct method is by speaking to the services users on face to face or asking questions, observing what they say and how they say The Indirect method: is by reading through the services users record and their care plan or by speaking their relatives and also inquiring from their colleagues. . 2.2 demonstrate communication methods that meet an individual communication need wishes and preferences. Written communications, lip reading and body language method for these individual that cannot hear. And also verbal and non verbal communication to an individual who can hear or see. Verbal and touch for Braille individual who is blind but not deaf. 2.3 Show how and when to seek advice about communication Seek advise by speaking to the line manager or professional bodies like nurse, doctors and colleagues if you do not understand what your service user saying or in looking unwell. If you cannot find or understand the records of your services users already provided to them seek advice from the team manager or colleagues. 3.1idenfiy barriers to affective communication There are reasons that can hinder affective communication. For example Poor health and mental health the main barrier to affective communication is being ill makes it difficult for people to effectively express them and and confidences and self esteem. Background: Clients with chronic and terminal disease frequently do not talk to their physicians about end-of-life care. Interventions to improve this communication have generally been unsuccessful, suggesting that important barriers to this communication must exist Culture and family affects the way people use the method of communication for example eye contact may not be as common in some culture as in others may be interpreted differently. Aggression: being aggressive while communicating makes diffuclt to express your point and to be listened and it applies to both the clients and the carer. Emtonalil diffuclties:when people experience a break up in long term relationship or receive news about death of loved ones they may become confused or uncontrollably upset and this

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED)

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) Crime Prevention through Environmental Design is a method of deterring unlawful conduct through deliberately engineering the setting in which crime is likely to be perpetrated. In this regard, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design is a multidisciplinary approach to prevent criminal behavior through environmental design (Atlas, 2008). CPTED tactics and strategies depend on the ability to manipulate the criminals choices that precede the crime. Importantly, to achieve deterrence effects of criminal behavior, CPTED strategies have been designed on the basis that they can influence offenders decision in regard to committing crime which precedes criminal acts. The essence of CPTED approach is underlined by Angel (1968) suggestion that crime settings can be influenced by: the creation or elimination of boundaries, decreasing or increasing accessibility, delineating territories and through enhancing surveillance by the police and citizenry. Therefore, CPTED can be seen as an approac h to problem solving that takes into account the environmental conditions and the opportunities they offer for criminal behavior occurrence (Cornish and Clarke 1986). Thereafter, it utilizes those perceived opportunities responsible for causing crimes to control access, provide opportunity to see and to be seen and defines ownership while encouraging territory maintenance (Luedtke et al, 1970) CPTED uses a multiplicity of disciplines to foresee the offenders mindset and hence create an environment that deters criminal behavior. Crowe (2000) reports that the central tenet used to arrive at the strategies is the analysis of crime and the environment where it occur using an analytic question â€Å"why here†. Furthermore, such analyses have proved that: crimes are specific and situational; crime distribution correlates to land use and transport network; and offenders are usually optimistic and commits crime in place they know well (Atlas, 2008). Moreover, these analyses reveal that opportunities for crime arise out of daily activities and crime places that are often without observer. The strategies that are employed to achieve CPTED objectives are through the use of target hardening, natural surveillance, alarm and warning systems installation and access control. Despite the science being originally formulated by Ray Jeffery (1977), CPTED is studied within the works and findings of Oscar Newman and Tim Crowe. R Jefferys model is now viewed as a multidisciplinary approach to crime prevention which strays from the parameters of security science by incorporating psychology, human anatomy, biology and ergonomics (Crowe, 2000). Newman (1972) ascertained the two basic components of a defensible space. First, this space must enable people to see other people and to be seen themselves. This greatly reduces the inhabitants fears because they are confident that a criminal can be viewed, recognized and detained. Second, residents should be willing to get involved in fighting crime, this involves nurturing a sense of control among the inhabitants; this will enable them to adopt an empowered attitude which facilitates the combat of crime especially within residential areas. Following its inception, CPTED has advanced at a great pace. Some of the noteworthy advancements include: the broken windows theory by James Wilson and Kelling George which studies the impact that visible neglect, wear and tear in neighborhoods have on behavior, the environmental criminology paper by Patricia and Paul Brantingham which looks at crime through four elements: rule, a wrongdoer, a target and an opportune location with environmental criminology being the study of the last of the four elements (Goldstein, 1990; Cornish and Clarke, 1986). British academicians Ronald and Patricia Mayhew also advance the discipline by formulating their Situational Crime Prevention Approach which addresses the reduction of the chance to offend by enhancing the design and administration of the environment in question. Theory supporting CPTED in residential burglaries There are number of criminology theories that justify and align to CPTED approach in relation to residential burglaries. Theories that support CPTED in residential burglaries tend to deviate long due reliance on the sociological and biological perspective to understand crime, and instead emphasis on the crime prevention incentives that reduce environmental opportunities for crime and criminal. The most appropriate theory is the defensive space theory. The Defensive Space Theory This is a terminology used to describe an environment whose physical attributes building plan, location and function allows the occupants themselves to become key agents in safeguarding them. In other words defensive space is both a social and physical (sociophysical) phenomenon (Oscar Newman, 1972), which means that a housing unit is only secure if its inhabitants intend to take on the role of safeguarding it. The theory emphasizes that a location is safer when its individuals possess a sense of responsibility for it; Newman puts it as â€Å"the criminal is isolated because his turf is removed†. This means that if each space is owned and catered for by a conscientious caretaker then a burglar will feel more vulnerable perpetrating his crime. (Newman, 1972) In the defensive space theory there are four factors that constitute a defensible space: the concept of territoriality which is a sense of possession and control for a particular property, natural surveillance, which is the connection between a locations physical attributes and the inhabitants ability to monitor what is happening, the physical spaces Image or ability to convey a sense of security and Milieu which are other characteristics that may have an effect on security like nearness to a busy road. According to the theory, housing projects that stir up territorial sentiments are usually effective in combating crime and defacement. Newman (1972) put it that through good design people should not only feel comfortable in questioning what is happening in their surroundings, they should feel compelled to do so. Any criminal should be able to perceive a watchful community monitoring his actions. In the book Design Outlines for Creating Defensible spaces Oscar Newman outlined five basic principles of designing a defensible space. These basic principles are: the allocation to different groups the specific environment they are able to use and control, for instance the basketball court is best assigned to male teenagers. Second principle entails demarcation of space in housing developments to exhibit the zone under the control of specific inhabitants. Third, invokes the strategic juxtaposition. Fourth, incorporation of the streets within the direct influence of an inhabited setting and the embracing of building styles which eludes the stigma of irregularity that normally allows others to make out the susceptibility. And fifth, involves seclusion of a specific group of residents (Newman, 1972) Approaches in Initiating CPTED projects Research conducted in CPTED has revealed that the decision to indulge in criminal behavior or not to is more likely to be influenced by the criminals perception of the risks of being caught than his evaluations on the reward or the effort necessary in conducting the crime. In line with the findings of this research, defensible space is then designed to reduce crime and the fear of crime while improving the quality of life. In Crime Prevention through Environmental Design the four most widespread CPTED approaches are: natural surveillance or close watch, natural territorial reinforcement or fortification, natural access control or admission management and target hardening (Wood, 1961). Natural surveillance (Kruger and Liebermann, 2001) in CPTED is achieved by increasing awareness by placement of facilities, activities and individuals in a way visibility is optimized and human interaction is fostered. Criminals in such a space feel scrutinized and self aware, this diminishes the chance of them engaging in unlawful acts in such a space. This strategy takes effect by cutting down the opportunities for engaging in unlawful behavior. In such a design streets are made intentionally wide so as to accommodate as many pedestrians as possible. In natural surveillance designs: Unnecessary walls are usually eliminated this is because they block the residents line of vision, windows are positioned overlooking opportunistic points of entry and by closed circuit television (CCTV) is used to monitor suspicious individuals. In access control, only authorized individuals are allowed access to areas which might be targeted by criminals. This can be achieved through: keeping private areas behind lock and key, strategically situating security personnel to scrutinize individuals before they are given access to private space, use of tall fences to restrict access, doing away with design elements that might provide access to private areas, for instance poorly situated balconies and by barricading ground level windows which can be easily broken into by criminals (Cohen and Felson, 1979). In natural territorial reinforcements, personal space is distinctly demarcated and unauthorized movement is eliminated by demonstrating greater proprietary concern. This can be achieved by assigning areas to specific users, this makes trespassers prominent and hence easy to make out. The natural territorial reinforcement strategy of crime prevention can be attained through the implementation of: Prominently displaying alert and security signage, scheduling activities in common spaces, restricting unplanned activities and by preserving a well groomed a premise that conveys an active presence (Atlas, 2008). Target Hardening as a Strategy in Crime Deterrence Target hardening is a security term that refers to the fortification of a building in order to minimize the threat of attack or theft (Clarke, 1992). A straight forward method of crime prevention, target hardening usually deters or delays an attack. It includes ensuring that all windows, doors and other possible entrances are properly locked, removing any natural vegetation that could harbor criminals or be used by criminals to access higher properties. Practical Examples on the Successful Application of CPTED In the book Design Outlines for Creating Defensible Spaces written by Oscar Newman in 1972, he outlines a research conducted in the City of New York that revealed that high-rise apartment buildings had crime rates higher than in lower housing projects. He attributed this to the fact that in high rise buildings residents felt that they had no obligation to secure an area that is occupied by so many people. In 1985 George L. Kelling the originator of the broken window theory was hired as a consultant for New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) (Clarke, 1992). In this period David Gunn a researcher put in place robust measures to test the Broken Windows Theory specifically targeting vandalism and graffiti. From 1984 to 1990 the subway system was meticulously cleaned and service in line with the broken window theory (Crowe, 2000). In 1990 due to the runaway successes of George Kellings policies concerning graffiti and vandalism control, the implementation of the Broken Windows Theory was further intensified by his successor William J. Braton who became the chief officer of the New York City Police. Braton implemented zero-tolerance policies relating to fare dodging, easier arrestee processing methods and background checks on all offenders (Crowe, 2000). Celebrated Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his police commissioner Howard Safir also implemented the strategy on a wider scale in New York City. In his period at the helm Rudy Giuliani had the police strictly enforce the laws against subway fare evasion, public drinking, public urinators and men who wiped the windshields of stopped cars and demanded payment. This led to the crime rates of both serous and petty crime falling drastically for the next ten years (Clarke, 1992; Crowe, 2000). In the late 1990s in Albuquerque New Mexico an initiative called the Safe Streets program was launched (Clarke, 1992). In this scheme it was reasoned that lawlessness on roadways had a similar domino effect in facilitating crime as graffiti vandalism in New York. Punitive measures were initiated to discourage the antisocial behaviors experienced there; this was followed by a steep decline in crime as reviewed by NHTSA and published in a case study. An example that captures the definition o f a defensible space is a United States Department of Justice experiment in Hartford Connecticut (Clarke, 1992). In this experiment streets were closed and police were assigned to each neighborhood in the city. These measures were implemented alongside new public housing plans that were designed to restrict access to the city. Surprisingly Hartford did not show any significant drop in crime. This is despite the private areas of St Louis having a much lower crime rate than the public areas; the underlying reason is speculated to have been in private areas in St Louis people had the capacity and the incentives to protect their defensible spaces (Luedtke et al., 1970; Clarke, 1992). Checklists for Investigating a Premises Compliance with CPTED Template Questions to Evaluate a Premises Compliance with Natural Surveillance This checklist aims at evaluating how well natural surveillance strategies have been implemented within the building: Has the premises installed CCTV cameras to monitor human activities? Where is the lighting situated along passage ways? What is the height at which the lighting is placed? Can peoples faces be adequately made out with the current level of lighting? What is the level of glare from windows, smooth furniture surfaces or oil painted walls? Is it sufficient to cause a blind spot in peoples vision? Have the windows been shielded from glare by shielded or cut-off luminaires? What is the type of vestibules used in the construction of the buildings entry? Is it transparent or is it opaque in nature? Does it allow sufficient light to ensure good visibility? Is there a fence in the compound? What is the type of fence used (can it allow light through i.e. a chain link fence) or is it impervious to light? What is the proximity of the location to road? How busy is the traffic along that road? How to the residents of the premises leave their window shades? Open or closed? How are the windows positioned on the premises? Do they overlook areas that are a high risk of having a security breach? How is the landscape design in regards to facilitating surveillance over opportunistic points of entry? Template Questions to Evaluate a Premises Compliance with Natural Access Control Has fencing been used to restrict access to the premises? Is the fence high enough to prevent trespassers from jumping over it? Is there a gate separating the front yard from the back yard? Can it be locked? Is it usually locked? Were there any design features in the original plan of the premises that could provide unauthorized access to upper levels of the building? Are they still there? If they are still there, what steps have been taken avoid them being used to breach into the building? What steps have been used to secure ground level windows against breach? How many points of entry does the building have? Is it clearly identifiable? Template Questions to Evaluate a Premises Compliance with Natural Territorial Reinforcement Are the activities within the premises spontaneous or are they planned? Are private activities restricted to defined areas? Where are the amenities i.e. seating and food situated in the building? Are they distributed over a wide area or are they placed in a central location? Are there any security signage displayed in the building? How prominent do the security signages appear? How well has the premises and the landscape around it been maintained? Does it communicate an active presence? References Angel, S. (1968). City Planning and Discouraging Crime: University of California press, Berkeley Atlas, R. (2008). 21st Century Security and CPTED: Boston, CRC Press. Crowe, T. (2000), Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design: Boston, Heinemann. Cornish, D. Clarke, R.V. (1986): The Reasoning Criminal: Rational Choice Perspectives on Offending. New York: Springer Verlag. Clarke, R.V. (1992). Situational Crime Prevention: Successful Case Studies: New York, Harrow and Hesston. Cohen, L. Felson, M. (1979), â€Å"Crime Rate Trends and Social Change: A Routine Activity Approach.† American Sociological Review 44(4):589-600. Goldstein, H. (1990). Problem-Oriented Policing: New York: McGraw Hill. Jeffery, C. R. (1977). CPTED: Beverly Hills, Sage Publications. Kruger, T K L. Liebermann, S. (2001). Designing Safer Places: A Manual for Crime Prevention Through Planning and Design: Pretoria, South Africa: CSIR. Luedtke, G et al. (1970). The Physical City and Crime: Design Techniques for Crime Reduction for Neighborhood. Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice. Newman, O. (1972). Crime Prevention Through Urban Design: Defensible Space. New York: Macmillan Wood, E. (1961) Housing Design: A Social Theory

Should Adopted Children Be Allowed To Locate Their Biological Parents? :: essays research papers

Should Adopted Children Be Allowed To Locate Their Biological Parents?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A touchy topic these days is whether or not the option should be open for adopted children to be able to locate their biological parents. There are some many circumstances for each different case that it is hard to know where exactly I stand on this topic. Over all, I do not think that you should locate your biological parents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many reasons for this. For one thing, learning information on the person who gave you up is a long drawn out process. It can be very emotionally painful, as well. For whatever reason you were given up for adoption; death, financial problems, to young, etc it ¹s private information and should remain that way. The decision was made a long time ago because it was the best one at that time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Think about the birth parents involved. What happens after you spend a few months or more of your life trying to locate these people only to have a door shut in your face? How would you feel if that were to happen? The chances of this happening are pretty good. Yes, there are happy reunions on talk shows that turn out for the better, but that is not always the reality. These people gave up their birth rights many years ago and should not go back on that. They have moved on with their lives and might not want to be reminded what could have been. So many hurt feelings and feelings of guilt could come flying back and then put more of a burden on both of your lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is another factor to think about in this situation. How is your family suppose to react to this and how are they supposed to feel? This is the loving family that took you in as there own for all these years, are they

Dances With Wolves Essay -- Movie Film Native Americans Papers

Dances With Wolves Dances with Wolves offers a cinematic portrayal of Native Americans that is quite contrary to the stereotypical norm. In this film, John Dunbar, goes out to the west where he meets and becomes friends with the Sioux Indians. He is drawn more and more into their community and eventually chooses to side with the humane Indians over his fellow cruel white Americans. In an attempt to change stereotypical views, director Kevin Costner through Dunbar, presents to the audience a different perspective of Indian removal. The film allows viewers to identify and sympathize with the Indians and thus causes a shift of perception towards the Indian problem. Movie critic Ariztlan, in a review of the film, states that Dances with Wolves "showed the Indians as human beings with a culture and way of life that had the full breadth of human dignity, humor, spirituality and family values (http://www.ariztlan.org/mov/wolves)." The stereotypical view of Indians as savage inhumane beings is strategically dw indled in this movie. This film was set around the time of the Civil War which took place from 1861-1865. It was during this time that acts of Indian removal were common. The prevalent attitude of Americans at the time was that of expansion into the west. The primitive Indian inhabitants of the western territory proposed a problem for the Americans. To settle into the west, they had to remove the Indians to other places. In a lecture on the place of the west in American history, Dr. April Summitt addressed the historical framework of Indian removal. The first major Indian removal took place in 1830. They were further removed to smaller reservations in the 1870's and 1880's. With this knowledge of the historical setting, we c... ...m. Dunbar was named Dances with Wolves because he was literally caught prancing around with a wolf. Beyond this literal interpretation is the symbolic one of Dunbar's dance with the Indians. The gist of the film is encapsulated in this one metaphorical story line. The film, Dances with Wolves, is masterfully produced to change the stereotypical view of Native Americans as brutal savages to a fixed view of them as normal human beings. Shift in perception is achieved by first grabbing the audience attention with an initial matched stereotype of cruel Indians. The audience is carried to a new frame of thought through the trustworthy character of Dunbar and his developing relationship with the Indians. In the end, Dunbar's dance with the wolves becomes a great learning experience for him in his life, as well as an eye-opening tool for the humbled American audience.

Discuss Theories of Communication

P2: Discuss theories of communication. Part A The communication cycle is a commonly used theory of communication. It was first developed by Charles Berner in 1965; it was then modified by Michael Argyle, who was a social psychologist, in 1972. The concept of a ‘communication cycle’ makes it clear that, in order to have effective communication, it must be a two way process. As well as transferring messages to others in a definite, clear way, health care professionals must be able to respond to the verbal feedback as well as the non-verbal feedback.So, effective communication has to involve effort from both participators (both the sender as well as the receiver) in the communication. The communication cycle has six stages. Stage one is when ideas occur, this makes us think and assess the situation that we are in before we start to communicate. We need to think about what we are trying to say, and how to say this in a clear, effective way. Stage two is when the message is c oded and here we have to be aware of the different methods that we can use to send our message.We should try and consider the most effective communication method depending on the situation and the person with whom we will be communicating. Stage three is when the message gets sent. We need to make sure that we have chosen the most effective method of communication, and that we have used this communication method in the most correct way. We should not try and rush the message being sent because that could cause misunderstanding between the two people who are communicating. Stage four is whenever the message gets perceived by the receiver.The service user has to make sense of the message given to them. As health care professionals, we should be aware of the potential difficulties and be aware of how to take steps in order to lessen these difficulties. Stage five is when the message gets decoded. The service user tries to make meaning of what you have just communicated to them. Here, w e have to clarify and check out how much of the information is being understood. This clarification should be carried out on a continual basis, not just at the end of the conversation.Finally, stage six is whenever the message gets understood, and then the receiver of the message then becomes the sender of the new message in the form of feedback. You must allow plenty of time for feedback, remembering that it will be both verbal and nonverbal; this involves listening with your eyes, ears and body language. Part B Mrs Hedges is a resident in a nursing home. Recently, her hearing has declined and she now relies on a hearing aid to enable communication. Three weeks ago, Mrs Hedge’s granddaughter was involved in an accident and since been in hospital.Her family have been reluctant to tell Mrs Hedges of her granddaughter’s condition as they do not want to upset her. Mrs Hedges was used to seeing her granddaughter on a regular basis; she often popped in on her own to spend t ime with her granny. Mrs Hedges has started to worry about her granddaughter and the family have asked that you help them break the news. . â€Å"A relationship without communication will definitely fail. If you attempt to have a relationship without communication, both people involved in the relationship will have different goals and objectives. ANGEL, G, 2010. Title [The importance of the communication cycle]. [16. 10. 12]. Available from World Wide Web : <http://www. helium. com/items/1746915-communication-cycle> The importance of the communication cycle cannot and should not be underestimated. Below, I am going to discuss why I think it is important to follow the communication cycle and why it is important for effective communication. The sender should be aware that the person with whom they will be communicating is hard of hearing, and are wearing a hearing aid.The dispatcher of the communication should be able to select the most effective form of communication in order to communicate the message at hand. The sender must think about how to communicate the message in a sensitive way that the receiver will understand. The communicator should be on the same level as the receiver of the communication; this allows the receiver (Mrs Hedges) to read facial expression and, if possible, lip read. Being on the same level as the receiver of the communication, also allows them to focus and listen more efficiently.The speaker must thoroughly think through what he or she is going to say, and the method in which they want to say it. They must evaluate and decide whether to use verbal or nonverbal communication, or a mix of the two. If they have chosen verbal communication, they must figure out a way to communicate in a non-patronising way that will still be as effective. If nonverbal communication is chosen, the correct method of nonverbal communication should be chosen. Effective communication must happen in order to meet Mrs Hedges’ needs, to help her fe el re assured, safe and secure.In this particular case, I think that a mixture of both verbal and nonverbal communication is requisite. Using speech along with caring and reassuring touch will be effective in making Mrs Hedges feel cared for and safe. The communicator should speak in a normal fashion that Mrs Hedges will not find condescending, but that you speak in a slightly slower pace than usual; this makes your speech clearer. Communicate the message to Mrs Hedges at a time when she is least likely to be tired, as when you are tired, your hearing is decreased anyway.Verbal communication is so important, especially when delivering such a delicate message, so make sure to use simple, short sentences, and make sure that MRs Hedges has understood, you could do this by asking questions such as ‘are you following me? ’ or ‘Do you have any questions, Mrs Hedges? ’. If she hasn’t understood the message, refrain from repeating the same sentence over agai n, instead the sender of the message should try re-phrasing the sentence. Nonverbally, facial expression and hand movements, body language and touch are vital.If Mrs Hedges gets upset, it is important that the communicator re assures her by caring gestures, such as gentle, friendly touch, the carer could put their hand on Mrs Hedge’s shoulder, to comfort her. The carer must be able to communicate effectively to Mrs Hedges so that Mrs Hedges fully understands the message. This is also important as it is useful to know how to effectively communicate so that Mrs Hedges’ needs are met and that she feels safe, secure and re-assured. This will also help her feel valued, and her self-esteem will be boosted by default as the communication is 100% effective.Part C Another theory of communication is Tuckman’s theory of group development. First developed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, it is one of the more well-known group/team development theories and has been the basis of man y other ideas since its birth. Tuckman’s theory focuses on the way that a team tackles a task from the initial formation of the team right the way through to the completion of the given project. Tuckman’s theory is relevant in particular to team building challenges as each individual phase can affect the completion of the task at hand.Basically, Tuckman's model explains that, as the team develops maturity and ability, the relationships within the team get more established, and the leader changes his or her leadership style, according to the developmental stage of the group. In this group development cycle, there are four main stages although later on, Tuckman added a fifth stage to the cycle (although this is not used by everybody). The first stage, forming, is the stage where the group is put together for the first time, and where all the group members meet one another for the first time, so naturally, this is the most awkward stage of the developmental cycle.The grou p is thought to be at the â€Å"honeymoon stage†- the group members are all naturally shy, and are all aware of their feelings and the feelings of others. In this stage, there is a high dependence on the leader by most of the team members, for guidance and direction. There is little agreement between team members on the aims and purposes of the team, other than what is given by the team leader. Individual roles and responsibilities of team members are somewhat unclear.The leader should be prepared as the team members will have a lot of questions to ask, and the leader will have to be confident so that the team members can feel confident too, and also they will have a sense of security. The second stage, storming, is the stage where the most conflict occurs. The team will begin to gain comfort with one another, and so the team will start to address the task suggesting possible ideas, and different ideas may compete for the favour of the group, and if this is badly managed, it can result in being very destructive for the team.This phase is described as the ‘make or break’ moments for the team, as in the team relationships will either me made or broken. In this stage, it is essential that the team has a strong facilitative leadership in this phase. There is a stronger clarity of purpose, but plenty of uncertainties persist. Cliques and factions form and there might be power struggles within the group. The third stage, Norming, is where the team begins to ‘find their feet’ a bit more.The norming phase is a gradual move towards harmonious team-working. The team becomes more united and begins to agree on rules, purposes, values and aims on which they all agree to operate. In an ideal world, teams will begin to trust themselves more and each member will begin to value the contribution of other team members. In this phase, you will find that the team leader is able to take a step back as individual members become more comfortable with each other and so take on greater responsibility.A potential risk during the norming stage is that the team will become complacent and will lose their creative edge or the motivation that brought them to the team in the first place. The group on a whole is able to make larger decisions, and smaller decisions get delegated to individual team members, adding to the harmony of the group. Outside of the ‘team environment’ the team members may engage in social activities together. The fourth stage, performing, is when the team members are working at their optimum level as a united body.The group can be described as being in ‘flow’ – all of the team members are contributing equally to the team and as a result of this; the team is making excellent progress. When I think of a good team working together as one, I think of the metaphor of a human body; every part of the human body is required for the body to work properly and at optimum level, and this is the same as a team working together. In this stage of group development, each group member can help the other members out by giving them advice, instruction and constructive criticism where necessary.Teams that are performing at optimum level are identified by high independence levels and motivation is evident as well as each team member being highly competent and knowledgeable in the aims they want to achieve, and the main ideas of their team project. Decision making within the team is done as one entity and each team member has a high level of respect for each individual team member. †¦PART D†¦ (TO BE DONE NEXT WEEK) http://www. teambuilding. co. uk/Forming_Storming_Norming_Performing. html http://www. businessballs. com/tuckmanformingstormingnormingperforming. htm Discuss Theories of Communication P2: Discuss theories of communication. Part A The communication cycle is a commonly used theory of communication. It was first developed by Charles Berner in 1965; it was then modified by Michael Argyle, who was a social psychologist, in 1972. The concept of a ‘communication cycle’ makes it clear that, in order to have effective communication, it must be a two way process. As well as transferring messages to others in a definite, clear way, health care professionals must be able to respond to the verbal feedback as well as the non-verbal feedback.So, effective communication has to involve effort from both participators (both the sender as well as the receiver) in the communication. The communication cycle has six stages. Stage one is when ideas occur, this makes us think and assess the situation that we are in before we start to communicate. We need to think about what we are trying to say, and how to say this in a clear, effective way. Stage two is when the message is c oded and here we have to be aware of the different methods that we can use to send our message.We should try and consider the most effective communication method depending on the situation and the person with whom we will be communicating. Stage three is when the message gets sent. We need to make sure that we have chosen the most effective method of communication, and that we have used this communication method in the most correct way. We should not try and rush the message being sent because that could cause misunderstanding between the two people who are communicating. Stage four is whenever the message gets perceived by the receiver.The service user has to make sense of the message given to them. As health care professionals, we should be aware of the potential difficulties and be aware of how to take steps in order to lessen these difficulties. Stage five is when the message gets decoded. The service user tries to make meaning of what you have just communicated to them. Here, w e have to clarify and check out how much of the information is being understood. This clarification should be carried out on a continual basis, not just at the end of the conversation.Finally, stage six is whenever the message gets understood, and then the receiver of the message then becomes the sender of the new message in the form of feedback. You must allow plenty of time for feedback, remembering that it will be both verbal and nonverbal; this involves listening with your eyes, ears and body language. Part B Mrs Hedges is a resident in a nursing home. Recently, her hearing has declined and she now relies on a hearing aid to enable communication. Three weeks ago, Mrs Hedge’s granddaughter was involved in an accident and since been in hospital.Her family have been reluctant to tell Mrs Hedges of her granddaughter’s condition as they do not want to upset her. Mrs Hedges was used to seeing her granddaughter on a regular basis; she often popped in on her own to spend t ime with her granny. Mrs Hedges has started to worry about her granddaughter and the family have asked that you help them break the news. . â€Å"A relationship without communication will definitely fail. If you attempt to have a relationship without communication, both people involved in the relationship will have different goals and objectives. ANGEL, G, 2010. Title [The importance of the communication cycle]. [16. 10. 12]. Available from World Wide Web : <http://www. helium. com/items/1746915-communication-cycle> The importance of the communication cycle cannot and should not be underestimated. Below, I am going to discuss why I think it is important to follow the communication cycle and why it is important for effective communication. The sender should be aware that the person with whom they will be communicating is hard of hearing, and are wearing a hearing aid.The dispatcher of the communication should be able to select the most effective form of communication in order to communicate the message at hand. The sender must think about how to communicate the message in a sensitive way that the receiver will understand. The communicator should be on the same level as the receiver of the communication; this allows the receiver (Mrs Hedges) to read facial expression and, if possible, lip read. Being on the same level as the receiver of the communication, also allows them to focus and listen more efficiently.The speaker must thoroughly think through what he or she is going to say, and the method in which they want to say it. They must evaluate and decide whether to use verbal or nonverbal communication, or a mix of the two. If they have chosen verbal communication, they must figure out a way to communicate in a non-patronising way that will still be as effective. If nonverbal communication is chosen, the correct method of nonverbal communication should be chosen. Effective communication must happen in order to meet Mrs Hedges’ needs, to help her fe el re assured, safe and secure.In this particular case, I think that a mixture of both verbal and nonverbal communication is requisite. Using speech along with caring and reassuring touch will be effective in making Mrs Hedges feel cared for and safe. The communicator should speak in a normal fashion that Mrs Hedges will not find condescending, but that you speak in a slightly slower pace than usual; this makes your speech clearer. Communicate the message to Mrs Hedges at a time when she is least likely to be tired, as when you are tired, your hearing is decreased anyway.Verbal communication is so important, especially when delivering such a delicate message, so make sure to use simple, short sentences, and make sure that MRs Hedges has understood, you could do this by asking questions such as ‘are you following me? ’ or ‘Do you have any questions, Mrs Hedges? ’. If she hasn’t understood the message, refrain from repeating the same sentence over agai n, instead the sender of the message should try re-phrasing the sentence. Nonverbally, facial expression and hand movements, body language and touch are vital.If Mrs Hedges gets upset, it is important that the communicator re assures her by caring gestures, such as gentle, friendly touch, the carer could put their hand on Mrs Hedge’s shoulder, to comfort her. The carer must be able to communicate effectively to Mrs Hedges so that Mrs Hedges fully understands the message. This is also important as it is useful to know how to effectively communicate so that Mrs Hedges’ needs are met and that she feels safe, secure and re-assured. This will also help her feel valued, and her self-esteem will be boosted by default as the communication is 100% effective.Part C Another theory of communication is Tuckman’s theory of group development. First developed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, it is one of the more well-known group/team development theories and has been the basis of man y other ideas since its birth. Tuckman’s theory focuses on the way that a team tackles a task from the initial formation of the team right the way through to the completion of the given project. Tuckman’s theory is relevant in particular to team building challenges as each individual phase can affect the completion of the task at hand.Basically, Tuckman's model explains that, as the team develops maturity and ability, the relationships within the team get more established, and the leader changes his or her leadership style, according to the developmental stage of the group. In this group development cycle, there are four main stages although later on, Tuckman added a fifth stage to the cycle (although this is not used by everybody). The first stage, forming, is the stage where the group is put together for the first time, and where all the group members meet one another for the first time, so naturally, this is the most awkward stage of the developmental cycle.The grou p is thought to be at the â€Å"honeymoon stage†- the group members are all naturally shy, and are all aware of their feelings and the feelings of others. In this stage, there is a high dependence on the leader by most of the team members, for guidance and direction. There is little agreement between team members on the aims and purposes of the team, other than what is given by the team leader. Individual roles and responsibilities of team members are somewhat unclear.The leader should be prepared as the team members will have a lot of questions to ask, and the leader will have to be confident so that the team members can feel confident too, and also they will have a sense of security. The second stage, storming, is the stage where the most conflict occurs. The team will begin to gain comfort with one another, and so the team will start to address the task suggesting possible ideas, and different ideas may compete for the favour of the group, and if this is badly managed, it can result in being very destructive for the team.This phase is described as the ‘make or break’ moments for the team, as in the team relationships will either me made or broken. In this stage, it is essential that the team has a strong facilitative leadership in this phase. There is a stronger clarity of purpose, but plenty of uncertainties persist. Cliques and factions form and there might be power struggles within the group. The third stage, Norming, is where the team begins to ‘find their feet’ a bit more.The norming phase is a gradual move towards harmonious team-working. The team becomes more united and begins to agree on rules, purposes, values and aims on which they all agree to operate. In an ideal world, teams will begin to trust themselves more and each member will begin to value the contribution of other team members. In this phase, you will find that the team leader is able to take a step back as individual members become more comfortable with each other and so take on greater responsibility.A potential risk during the norming stage is that the team will become complacent and will lose their creative edge or the motivation that brought them to the team in the first place. The group on a whole is able to make larger decisions, and smaller decisions get delegated to individual team members, adding to the harmony of the group. Outside of the ‘team environment’ the team members may engage in social activities together. The fourth stage, performing, is when the team members are working at their optimum level as a united body.The group can be described as being in ‘flow’ – all of the team members are contributing equally to the team and as a result of this; the team is making excellent progress. When I think of a good team working together as one, I think of the metaphor of a human body; every part of the human body is required for the body to work properly and at optimum level, and this is the same as a team working together. In this stage of group development, each group member can help the other members out by giving them advice, instruction and constructive criticism where necessary.Teams that are performing at optimum level are identified by high independence levels and motivation is evident as well as each team member being highly competent and knowledgeable in the aims they want to achieve, and the main ideas of their team project. Decision making within the team is done as one entity and each team member has a high level of respect for each individual team member. †¦PART D†¦ (TO BE DONE NEXT WEEK) http://www. teambuilding. co. uk/Forming_Storming_Norming_Performing. html http://www. businessballs. com/tuckmanformingstormingnormingperforming. htm