Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Israeli and Palestinian Conflict

Every place in this world is being owned just by luck of those people who are living in it. They are the only ones who have stayed there and who have fought for it. However, they are fortunate that they have had it. The same situation will also be sure to happen to the never-ending fight between Jews and Arabs for Palestine. Like the situations in other fights for a certain land, both parties claim that Palestine is their motherland. Jews try to point out that Palestine is a Jewish homeland and that they should create an independent Jewish life on that land in order to unite them to combat Jewish meaninglessness.They want to form a strong nation that will showcase its Jewish culture that will also be passed on to their children. They only want to be the masters of their own fate without being dictated by anyone. On the other hand, they said they do not conquer fellowmen and seek for friendship instead (Meir, 1948). However, according to the Arabs, who are also telling that the Palest ine is theirs by birthright historically, Jews are illegally alienating them. They are against the aggression being done by the Jews in trying to segregate them from their claimed land.They are not given freedom and rights on the land where there are restricted areas for them. They also assert that the justice is bias in favour of the Jews because of several hearings that support the other side (Husseini, 1947). Both parties have strong points. Both have already invested so much blood for the sake of what they are fighting for. That is why it will appear unfair for whoever will lose the battle. As all of them sacrificed, the only solution is to give them all the right to have the land with equal treatment and without any segregation.This is not only bias to the Arabs who are only wanting to be given rights to their land but also to Jews who want to build their own culture in their own land since it will be a land of freedom and all of them are free to have their own culture in spite of differences that abound. That is what is already happening to lands with different but powerful culture. In this case, the fight will be over and at the same time both are expected to benefit from the cooperation that is going to exist.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Reaction Paper 1

Kaily Purtle 09-10-2012 Study of the Family Reaction Paper 1 In class we discussed Reading #4. This reading was about the â€Å"Super Mom†. We discussed our personally experiences along with readings. We talked about how stay at home mothers and working mothers get looked at by society and by their husbands. I will be writing my reaction paper on this topic because it is very interesting to me. The â€Å"Super Mom† is described in the White and Klein text as a â€Å"stroller in one hand, brief case in the other. † This means that the mother is doing all she can to provide for her family while still catering to her children.On the other end of the spectrum, a â€Å"Stay at Home Mom† is just a mother that stays home with the children. She takes care of every need that the children have while taking care of the home at the same time. The husbands of a â€Å"Stay at Home Mom† believe that it is easy. In the reading, the author says that mothers are face d with intensive mothering where they need to be mothers first before anything. To society, this â€Å"Stay at Home Mom† needs to justify whey she is unable to work outside of the home. There are single moms out there that work everyday so, they need to justify why they live at home.I personally believe that whether or no the mother stays at home just depends on the family situation. The children may needs extra attention that the mother needs to attend to or maybe the husband believes that his wife should stay at home and he makes enough money to take care of his family alone. It just depends I think. We also discussed what mothers should do if they work early till late. We all discussed our own experiences but mine was that my grandfather helped us out. He still does. My father works everyday almost and my mother is a teacher so they are not available during the day.My grandmother works and my grandfather is retired, so it is very easy for us to get ahold of him if we need anything especially since he lives across the street from me. I think we were just blessed to have my family so close to us that way we can help each other out. They are always there for us. Like I said, every family is different. They need to be able tot have someone there for their children when they need to be taken care of no matter if that contains extended family, a brother or sister and maybe the parents if they are available.

Organizational Management and Operations Essay

Organizational Management and Operations The subject to describe is policing organizations at various levels. The author will identify, compare, and contrast the policing function at the local, state, and federal organizational levels (CJA/484 – Criminal Justice Administration Capstone). The author will analyze how the organizational, management, administration, and operational functions at the local, state, and federal levels are similar or different and why (CJA/484 – Criminal Justice Administration Capstone). The leadership characteristics and responsibilities pertaining to each organizational level will be identified (CJA – Criminal Justice Administration Capstone). According to Walker & Katz (2008) â€Å"American policing is a highly fragmented organization. Law enforcement in the United States is a large and extremely complex enterprise. Almost 18,000 federal, state, and local agencies exist along with a private security industry that employs over a million additional people. Currently there is no formal centralized system that exists for coordinating or regulating all the different agencies at the local, state, and federal levels.† The government agencies at the local level of law enforcement include the Municipal police, County police, and County sheriffs. The state levels of law enforcement include the state police, and the Bureau of criminal investigations. The federal levels of law enforcement include federal law enforcement agencies and the Military law enforcement, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. These two departments have several branches, such as the Bureau of Customs and Border Protec tion, Drug Enforcement Agency, Bureau of Immigration, and Customs Enforcements, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Transportation Security Administration, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Secret Service, the United States Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and  Explosives, which fall under the respected departments. Included under law enforcement agencies are also special district police, which includes public schools, transit police, college, university police, and private security firms (Walker & Katz, 2008). The municipal police departments are also referred to as city police. City police departments play a major role within the community. Municipal police department’s police officers are sworn in and have the heaviest responsibilities when dealing with serious crimes and the citizens in the neighborhoods in which the officers patrol. Municipal police officers are responsible for various maintenance problems and emergency services such as responding to minor disturbances, noncriminal events, public disturbances, traffic enforcement, routine patrol, and other miscellaneous calls (Walker& Katz, 2008). County police departments have police officers who serve as municipal police officers but they operate on a countywide basis; however, these officers do not have the non-law enforcement roles of the county sheriff. County sheriffs are elected in office except for in two states Rhode Island and Hawaii. County sheriffs have a unique role because they serve the three components of the criminal justice system: courts, law enforcement, and corrections. County sheriff department personnel roles and responsibilities include routine patrol, crime investigation, enforcement of traffic laws, process serving, court security, jail operations, and search and rescue (Walker & Katz, 2008). According to Walker & Katz (2008) â€Å"Special district police agencies such as some university campus and college police officers serve government agencies however the special district police agencies have their own police force. Most of the officers who are part of the special district agency are state certified law enforcement agents. Officers of the special district police agencies are sworn officers that are certified by the state, have the right to make general arrest, and participate in the Federal Bureau of Investigations Uniform Crime Report Systems. Many universities and college campuses opt out of government agency officers and choose to have private  security of their choice.† Private security firms include private agencies security personnel, which is privately employed by the firm as part or full-time employees. The roles and responsibilities of these officers are patrolling and providing protection at public and private housing complexes, office complexes, ma lls, gaming officers and investigators, loss prevention specialists, patrol services, and armored patrol services. Different from police agencies the private security agencies focus on more than crime they deal with property, consumer satisfaction, and personal assets. The private police organizations can ban people from establishments, fire employees, and pursue prosecution in criminal courts. Also included in private security is the red light and speed enforced cameras designed to ticket people caught speeding and running red lights Walker & Katz, (2008). State law enforcement agencies consist of three categories: state investigative agencies, highway patrols, and state police. State police have statewide police powers for criminal investigations and traffic regulation. Highway patrol officers have the right to arrest non-traffic violators within their jurisdiction and enforce traffic regulations statewide. State law enforcement agencies have the primary responsibility for enforcing traffic laws throughout the state on the highways; however, the state law enforcement agencies patrol concurrently with local police. The responsibilities of state law enforcement agencies vary in different states; some state law enforcement agencies have the responsi bility of training recruits and operating training academies Walker & Katz, (2008). The federal law enforcement agency is more complex and smaller than the local level agencies and differs in the roles and responsibilities of the personnel. The employees at the federal law enforcement level do not respond to 911 calls or local disturbances. The Customs and Border Protections are responsible for ensuring that cargo entering the United States is legal. It works to prevent weapons of mass destruction, illegal immigrants, diseased plants, and animals, and the smuggling of drugs across the border. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is responsible for enforcing custom and immigration laws, along with protecting federal buildings, Marines, and air enforcement (Walker & Katz, (2008). The Federal Emergency Management Agency shares the responsibility of coordinating with private, government, and nonprofit organizations to manage emergency preparedness. The Transportation  Security Administration has the responsibility for protecting the nation’s transportation systems. The United States Coast Guard is responsible for security missions that may be related to security. Some roles responsible by the Coast Guard are the waterways, ports, and coastal security. The United States Secret Service is responsible for providing protection for the former and current presidents, vice presidents, and their immediate family members. The Secret Service also deals with money laundering and computer fraud (Walker & Katz, (2008). Under the Department of Justice the Drug Enforcement Administration sector is responsible for enforcing federal regulations and laws concerning controlled substances. The Federal Bureau of Investigations focuses on preventing terrorist attacks. The United States Marshall Office is responsible for housing federal detainees, providing security to federal courts, and conducting fugitive investigations and placing eligib le people in the witness protection program. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are responsible for investigating firearm trafficking, enforcing federal firearm laws, preventing criminals and terrorists from possessing explosives, ensuring that individuals who possess explosives are properly licensed, and enforcing federal laws in the collection of federal taxes on alcohol and tobacco products (Walker & Katz, (2008). The author has identified, compared, and contrasted policing functions at the local, state, and federal organizational levels. The organizational, management, administration, and operational functions at the local, state, and federal levels have been analyzed to find the similarities and differences in the three organizational levels. The leadership characteristics of any criminal justice professional should References Grant, H. B., & Terry, K. J. (2008). Law Enforcement in the 21st Century (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Walker, S., & Katz, C. M. (2008). The Police in America (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Integrative Project Assignment 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Integrative Project 3 - Assignment Example The primary strength of the company is its strong presence in the market. The brand utilizing the shelter of HP has a high global presence which helps it market the brand effectively. The Palm from HP is a device combining a mobile phone, (a separate product from HP) including touch controls, and a device enabled to communicate through internet (HP Annual Report , 2010). The Palm is based on HP’s Multi-touch user interface giving facilities of fast email, web browsing and many other features at a world class format. The device is compatible with both windows based PCs as well as Macintosh PCs. It also has a searching and maps feature used to give directions by connecting through internet. Palm compared to its competitors has more variety of smartphones compared to that of Apple and HP under its brand name. Recently the company had launched a new operating system named Palm series for smartphones which distinguishes it from the other brands in the same category along with givin g a disntingushed yet powerful experience to its users. Majority of the company’s phones that are launched or had been launched in the market are equipped with multimedia capabilities, having music, high resolution camera, HD playback, high resolution gaming and access to applications with the help of HP App world. The range of smartphones by HP is certainly higher as compared to that of HP’s Palm. Also within every series of HP, there are 2-3 models for the customers to choose from. Strong distribution channel is also one of the characteristic features of the HP. The synchronization of HP is considered to be far better than that of Palm. The best example for this is calendar synchronization. The HP automatically adjusts any changes in time and date whenever such changes are made in the desktop that is connected to the phones whereas synchronizing contact and calendar information in Palm is not an easy process. The primary feature that Palm has a upper hand is its acce ssibility through the use of touch screen which gives the user a real time experience with the picture quality of more than 25K pixels per inch of the smarphone. This can be regarded as the best in the industry. However, HP with faster operating systems and innovative technologies is constantly trying to match with that. The most attractive part of technology is often the much more rapid speed by which it can communicate what its manual counterparts cannot. From their tablet computers, from all over the world, a person can contact clients, business partners, family, and friends. Additionally, it allows for instant updates during communication. While a phone call may require waiting until someone is available on the phone or mailing a letter through the post office, technology allows the interaction and the update to be instant. The speed also enhances the decision-making process. Communication may involve important decisions that need to be made quickly, especially in a business con text. Before, a person may have had to go back to senior executives before finalizing a decision. Now, technology allows instant communication no matter where they are, including scanning and sending relevant documents such as contracts and instant transcription of the conversation if needed. Communication can become faster with the advent of technology. The technologies offer numerous opportunities to save money and increase productivity, thereby increasing the efficiency. The

Sunday, July 28, 2019

The Fall of The Roman Empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Fall of The Roman Empire - Essay Example However the major reasons for the Roman Empire could be stated as: antagonist behavior among Emperor and senate, derogatory moral and ethical principles, political corruption, the Empire’s vast expansion, the barbarian nature of Roman military and their heavy spending and natural disasters. One of the major cause o f declines of Roman Empire was the Agnostic style of rule by Roman rulers as they had legal power in military, civil and religious areas of Rome. The decisions of life and death were in hands of Roman rulers. The Roman rulers who were rich and immoral, practiced law in a wrongful manner led to their downfall. As per (Heather 102) â€Å"Roman public life was stripped of its moral fiber with the destruction of Carthage, its major rival, in 146 BC†. Decline in moral and ethical values was a prime reason for the destabilizing of the Roman Empire. The reckless behavior of wealthy upper class Romans had an adverse impact on Roman citizens. The malpractices like promiscuous sexual activates forgery, adultery and arrogance led to their fall gradually. The widespread emergence of brothels, gambling activities and excessive consumption of alcohol led Romans to a failure as rulers. Another main reason for the downfall of Roman Empire was the prevalence of political corruption among soldiers .The political corruption was practiced mainly by the elite soldiers who were Emperor’s body guards. They gained such a power because they could solely decide whether to retain the emperor or overthrew him from the position. The Praetorian guards even held the authority to auction the royal position to the person who bid the highest. According to (Grisham) â€Å"Political corruption was rife in Roman society. Even choosing a new Emperor was difficult and uncertain. The army and Praetorian Guard (the Emperors elite bodyguards) fought over succession†. The speed of expansion of the geographical area of the Roman Empire also resulted in its loss of power. The Roman rulers

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Cost Management of Engineering Works in Construction Essay

Cost Management of Engineering Works in Construction - Essay Example Since maintenance work is a short term work â€Å"Term Contracts† are preferable over â€Å"Lump sum contracts†. The contract again can be sourced on a â€Å"work order† basis because the items and duration of work are not known accurately, beforehand. The preferred contractor shall carry out the maintenance work for a set period of two years as mentioned in the contract. (The University of Reading, Facilities management directorate academic building maintenance strategy 2005–2007 ) The contracted work includes maintenance of Concrete Work, Brickwork and Block work, Scaffolding and Staging, Carpentry and Joinery, Ironmongery, Steel and Metal Work, Plasterwork and other Floor, Wall and Ceiling Finishes, Glazing, Painting, Demolitions, Electrical Installation as detailed in the SOR. (Feilden, 1990) These works are done piecemeal. The maintenance is done over the entire stretch of large campus thus some sites become quite far-flung increasing the time and expenditure for completion of the work. To cater to the maintenance a large workforce is required. Now that an efficient and effective model for minimum cost maintenance work of the campus has been developed it is hoped that the model will be emulated every next time the buildings need to be refurbished. As per CDO norms the future maintenance works have been adopted on term basis. The maintenance of the campus has been allocated to outside contractors and the ways of reducing the maintenance costs are sought for at every stage. Two different price bases are being considered, This brief report summarizes and enumerates the various steps taken at each level of selection, sorting and implementation of tenders submitted by the contractors. (Information Management in a Contractor: A Model of the Flow of Project Data, Norman Fisher, Li Yin Shen, p.318). The tenderers are required to submit their tenders with the tendered trade

Friday, July 26, 2019

Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Abortion - Essay Example This topic lies within the â€Å"gray areas† of human rights and impedes on religious moralities. Abortion was practiced way back in Ancient times. It was always considered as an option when the child would endanger the life of the mother. It was only in 1869 that the Catholic church considered abortion as† a sin punishable by excommunication† ( Trupin, 2009). Other than this law, abortion was not considered illegal until the 19th century, not because of its moral implications but because there were no laws that existed contradicting abortion. It was then normal for a woman to seek even medical help whenever she wanted to terminate her pregnancy. There were no abortion laws before the 19th century. In 1829, laws restricting abortions began to spread across the United States. In 1965, there were over 250 deaths caused by women who tried to abort their babies Illegally ( civilliberty,about.com) .In the United States during the 1960s and 1970s, bans on abortion were deemed as unconstitutional and were lifted. The lift on bans brought negative tension towards the government. However, things changed drastically after the 1973 US Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion. In addition to this the highly controversial case, the Supreme Court decision on Roe vs. Wade left a deep imprint in the legal history of abortion in the United States. Nevertheless, the incidence of abortion has declined as reported by the study made by Sedgh ( 2007 )which revealed that the† incidence of abortion in the United States decreased by 8% from 1996 to 2003†. Such decline can be attributed to greater access to contraceptives ( pills, condoms) and better orientation on family planning even to grade-school children. There are two types of abortion; surgical and medical. The different forms of abortion differentiate, reliant on the amount of time that has passed since

Thursday, July 25, 2019

DHS Homeland Security Advisory System and DoD FPCON Research Paper

DHS Homeland Security Advisory System and DoD FPCON - Research Paper Example In order to protect military and civilian targets, the Department of Defense (DoD) devised two separate terrorist response systems. FPCON is devised to protect military personnel and facilities while the Homeland Security Advisory System is implemented by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Alert levels in these systems could last for weeks or months depending on the perceived situation by authorities. Aside from the laws implemented to deter, detect, and punish terrorists after 9/11, the federal government has devised warning systems to guide civilians and military personnel on how to respond to terrorist threats. HSAS was implemented on March 11, 2002, to make the dissemination of threats faster and more efficient. To avoid confusion with its military counterpart, the existing THREATCON was renamed to FPCON by the military (U.S. Defense Attachà ©, 2009). The advisory system is primarily designed to inform government agencies and department (federal, state, and local) public and private sectors, and citizens in general of an imminent or perceived terrorist threat in the country. Established on March 11, 2002, the Advisory System is organized into five color codes, each code of which corresponds to descriptions of a terrorist threat level. The lowest risk of terrorist threat is coded green. This warning signals minimum threat but it calls for the refinement of preplanned preventive measures to deter an attack. It further calls for the assessment of vulnerabilities and to take measures that these vulnerabilities are safeguarded and secured against terrorists. The next threat level is coded blue, with â€Å"guarded† as its corresponding descriptor. In code blue, there is a general risk of terrorist attacks and emergency response communications and systems are assessed.  

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Muslim Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Muslim Culture - Essay Example From this, Muslims believed that Abraham was the first Muslim. Mecca had grown into a huge city by the time prophet Muhammad was born in the 6th century. Although the exact date of birth of Prophet Muhammad is not known, it is believed that he was born in A.D 570. Muhammad worked as a caravan trader and later worked for a wealthy widow as her business agent. He managed to alleviate the divisions in Mecca that had been caused by large influx of foreigners. Muhammad set to subjugate Mecca. Under the leadership of Muhammad, Islamized Arabs conquered many parts of Arab. The fact that Muhammad was God’s prophet on earth made it hard for anyone to succeed him. Some Muslims proposed that Islamic leadership should be passed within Muhammad’s family. However, most Muslims were opposed to this opting for tribal traditions where inheritance was based on prestige and power of one’s family as well as its position in the tribal system. Abu Bakr, believed to be the first convert to Islam outside Muhammad’s family, became the first caliph. His successor as caliph was Umar bin Al-Khattab. Muslims regard Umar as the second founder of Islam. He was later succeeded by Uthman bin Affan. Islam: Empire of Faith is a documentary film produced by Robert Gardner for PBS. There are several similarities as well as differences between the information from the above discussed text and the film; While the film does not provide much information on the birthplace of Islam, it acknowledges that Islam could have originated from Mecca. According to the film, the city enjoyed great economic success as a centre for trade. This impacted heavily on the origin and growth of Islam. The film, however, does not indicate whether Abraham was the first Islam. The film differs from the information provided in the text by claiming that Prophet Muhammad was born in the 7th century (Islam: Empire of Faith). It, however, asserts that Muhammad conquered Mecca and its neighboring. The film shows

The European sovereign debt crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The European sovereign debt crisis - Essay Example It was found that from 2009 onwards, some countries in the EMU like Spain, Portugal and other countries in the similar zone, were not able to refinance the debts incurred by the government. This crisis in some of the countries in the EMU had a spill-over effect and had generated an economic scarcity in most of the contemporary economies in the world. The essay in this context desires to throw light on how the crises in some of the economies in the EMU were responsible for the massive and deadly financial crisis in the financial markets of the whole European Union (Ross, 1979). Crisis in a Small Economies Triggered a Large Impact The economies in the contemporary world have become highly integrated in nature after the emergence of globalization and liberalization. The debt crisis that was initially faced by the public authorities in a few small economies in the Euro zone like Spain, Greece etc were responsible for the occurrence of the Sovereign Debt Crisis for the whole European Cont inent. The Property Bubble that occurred in Spain long back in 2007 was largely responsible for the occurrence for the recession in the European economy at the latter stage. It was found that after a long term sustainable growth, the Spanish economy had become highly unproductive in nature. The entrepreneurs started to invest more in the real estate sector. However, it was found that the prices of the properties constantly increased in the economy because real estate trading was used for speculative purposes in the Spanish economy. Ultimately, this caused a fall in the disposable income of the individuals who had to purchase houses at very high prices. The number of the failed projects in the economy started to increase. All the other economic indicators like the government debt, exchange rates, velocity of money circulation, derivative trading etc became worse in the economy at this point of time. As the countries used to follow the regime of fixed policies, the recession in one pa rticular economy had largely triggered the same in other economies in the Euro zone. Greece was one of the poorest nations that had remained in the Euro Area. The government of the country took large amount of loans from the ECB for mitigating the requirements if the expansionary fiscal policies. However it was a matter of concern that the government of the country could not pay back the loans to the ECB. This was the reason for the huge fiscal deficit in the country. Fiscal deficit in the nation contagiously affected the supply of money in the economy. Thus during 2005 and 2009, some countries which were indeed small economies like Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal etc. had to face severe financial crisis for reasons like property bubble, high fiscal debt or lack of productivity. Since all the nations in the Euro zone were integrated together in terms of the monetary policies taken for them, the crisis in some of the economies soon triggered the same in other economies in the European Continent and generated the severe Sovereign Debt Crisis in the country (Klann, 2007). Impact in the financial Market The financial market in the Euro zone was distressed after the occurrence of the Sovereign Debt Crisis. The severity of the recession caused in the economy has not been completely recovered from even at this juncture of time. Derivatives Market During the Sovereign Debt Crisis, the European economy faced severe financial crisis. The number of failed out financial projects were excessive. The overall productivity of the economy had fallen to a

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Investigation on how the language used in comedy affects the public's Essay

Investigation on how the language used in comedy affects the public's opinion of the comedian (comedians being investigated are Frankie Boyle and Kevin Bridges) - Essay Example Another important point to note is that comedy, in most cases, utilizes the attributes of the actors allegorically to represent the physical world (Robinson, 2008 p7). Comedians Kelvin Bridge and Frankie Boyle both leading comedians but each unique in their own style will be analyzed to show on how language used in comedy affects the public opinion of the comedian. Frankie Boyle is a Scottish comedian commonly known for his pessimistic and controversial sense of humor. On the other hand, Kelvin Bridge uses more culturally correct humor. In October 2008, Frankie Boyle made a joke about the Queen about her age and part of her body, which led to the Conservative MP David Davies, saying that the joke was â€Å"disgracefully foul comment.† Frankie Boyle was on it again in his 2010 tour when he made a joke about people with Down syndrome offending a member of the audience whose daughter had Down syndrome. Frankie Boyle refused to apologize and his comments were considered downright bullying. Frankie Boyle made a joke about Prices heavily disabled son Harvey during Frankie Boyle’s Tramadol Nights. Boyle made a joke that was sexual and derogatory, leading both Katie Price and Peter Andre condemning Frankie Boyle’s line of jokes. Frankie Boyle also made a joke on Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington that was considered offensive. In the joke, Boyle says that Rebecca Adlington looks like someone who is looking at herself in the back of a spoon. In addition, made sexual comments about the gold medalists’ love life, saying Adlington’s boyfriend looked like a male model continuing to say that from he had deduced is that Adlington is very dirty. On April 2010, the BBC was forced to apologize for a joke made by Boyle on a Radio 4 panel show. The made jokes on the Israeli-Palestine conflict. He likened Palestine to a cake being

Monday, July 22, 2019

Liberty and the Pursuit of the Tuth Essay Example for Free

Liberty and the Pursuit of the Tuth Essay Liberty and the Pursuit of the Truth In my essay I’ll direct my efforts to write about the thing that holds the American society together which is their values. Values are very important because all our actions based on them. I’ll address the importance of liberty and the pursuit of the truth. Liberty is defined as equality, state of being free or having freedom of choice. Sometimes our freedom can be limited because of the government policies. We shouldn’t just follow whatever the government addresses without thinking deeply about our options because sometimes they can lead us to a dead-end road. We should follow our instincts, and essence. Government responsibility to provide our needs and protect our right but sometimes that is not the case, they might direct us to the wrong way â€Å"They think that, if that they should resist, the remedy would be worse than the evil. But it’s the fault of the government itself that the remedy is worse than evil† Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience. Liberty gives us the freedom to say no that what make it very important. Around 1962 our society suffered from a dysfunction because of the unequal rights caused by the segregation between black and white and the lack of liberation. Martin Luther King Jr. peaceful stood up for liberty and equal civil rights. He had a dream that blacks and whites could sit on the table of the brotherhood and that will give all of us a quality life â€Å"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed† Martin Luther King Jr. , I have a dream. Because of liberty now our society rose up and gave everyone equal rights. The fidelity meaning is based on fact or reality as you can experiences the same result constantly. Scientists did a lot of discoveries that were true because they stood for all of the challenges but they still didn’t accomplished the complete truth, as Adler Mortimer mentioned in the Pursuit of the Truth about scientist and mathematician experiments that these are matters of a taste rather than of the truth. Life is evolving and people looking for the complete truth and if we found the complete truth there is no point of life. We don’t have a reason to get up every morning to go to work, read, and explore. We will never reach the complete truth so life can evolves. Life will continue because we all have a goal to know the complete truth, and we will not accomplish that â€Å"the complete realization of the ideal that is the goal –the whole truth and nothing but the truth—will never be achieved in any stretch of time† Adler Mortimer, Pursuit of the Truth. The pursuit of truth give us a motivation to survive. The pursuit of the truth leads us to a realization of the differences between the native home and being immigrant or slave. People realized the true meaning of their homes. Even though you might be poor but at least you will not be segregated â€Å"The Scotch and the Irish might have lived in their own country perhaps as poor, but enjoying more civil advantages† Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur What is an American. Liberty and the pursuit of the truth brought our society to a great position of equality and motivation to keep looking for more in life. They are very important in order for us to live a fair life and have a functioning society for now and the next generations.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Case study of continuing professional development

Case study of continuing professional development Within this assignment I will critically reflect on my clinical knowledge to date and consider my future development needs with a focus on my final management placement and future career as a registered nurse, and using the Gibbs model (appendix 1) as a framework will reflect upon my own learning experiences and achievements to date and write an annotated reflection highlighting my development needs from which I will formulate a Personal Development Plan. This undertaking demonstrates my commitment to the need for continuing professional development in order to enhance my knowledge, skills values and attitude needed for effective nursing practice (NMC Proficiency 4.1) and will address deficits in my knowledge and skills and identify any shortcomings within my own or others practice and help me cope with practice related issues experienced within my previous placements. I have chosen Gibbs reflective model as a basis for reflection as I feel it is easily understood and encourages a cl ear description of the situation, analysis of feelings, evaluation of the experience, conclusion and reflection upon the experience to consider a solution if the situation arose again (Brooker Nicol 2003). Gibbs model is useful for less experienced staff or students as it directs you and offers an easy framework to use, which supports the introduction of reflection and the transition from student to practitioner (Pearce, 2003). It has been advocated that reflective practices are a method of bridging the gap between nursing theory and practice, and as a tool to develop knowledge embedded in practice (Chong 2009). Furthermore in reflecting on the way we deliver care we can identify weaknesses, build on strengths and develop best practice (Johns 1996). However, there are those who are sceptical of the practice and the idea of reflection in nursing is ambiguous and confused and not based on discipline related evidence based research (Gustafsson et al 2007). Some studies however, have s hown a positive response from practitioners who have attributed reflective practice to changes in their practice (Paget 2000). In consideration of these views my approach to reflection as a means of recognizing strengths and weaknesses in my learning and practice to enable me to make positive changes to my future practice will be unbiased. Therefore my reflective account will include an open and honest description of what I have gained from the experience In conclusion, my main aim is to enhance my professional development by reflecting upon past education and clinical experience using the Nursing and Midwifery proficiencies as a benchmark. Furthermore by utilizing the reflective model I will not only identify my strengths and weaknesses but also recognize potential opportunities or threats which will enable me to prepare for my future development and alert me to any threats allowing me to overcome any difficulties I may encounter. Teekman (2000), states that throughout the literature it is well emphasized that reflective practice is an effective tool to reduce or eliminate the perceived theory-practice gap. I will therefore endeavour to utilize this exercise to transform my theoretical learning into evidence based practice. By doing this I can substantiate my claim to having knowledge of evidence based care to ensure safe practice (NMC Proficiency 2.5). Reflective Self-Assessment Gibbs (1988) model begins with asking the question What happened? and asks What were you feeling. This allows me to give an account of the events that occurred, and in order to add significance to the narrative I will relay my feelings about the event directly after explanation about the incident. During the course of my placement whilst working in an acute psychiatric in-patient ward I was delegated some responsibility for particular patients by senior members of staff. In addition I was often allowed to facilitate both group and one-to-one sessions supervised by a trained member of staff. However, due to other demands within the ward environment staff were often unable to run the groups and one-to-one sessions with the patients could often be time limited. However, on one particular day I was approached by a patient for whose care I was given responsibility He appeared very agitated and complained that over the previous few days he had become frustrated by the lack of attention he was been receiving from nursing care staff the lack of information he was being given in respect of his care. He also complained that he had been informed that he would have regular access to therapeutic groups and this was not happening. This patient had show a keenness to participate fully in his care to facilitate a quick recovery and discharge from the ward I was aware that staff had been busy but felt uneasy at his distress and afraid to tell him that staff had been too busy therefore unable to run the groups. In addition I did not feel confident enough to explain his treatment plan. I was quite annoyed though that he had not been consulted or involved in this previously, therefore I consulted with his named nurse voicing my concerns and asked if she could alleviate his concerns. (NMC Proficiency 2.6) was achieved by my articulating my own emotional and psychological responses to situations with colleagues in a professional manner. By also being aware of my own limitations at the time I achieved (NMC proficiency 1.1) by expressing my concerns for this particular patient. The nurse took him into a quiet room and in my presence explained the situation to him apologising for the apparent lack of attention he had received. She assured him that the therapeutic group would be commencing later that day and allowed him to vent his feelings and concerns about his care and anxieties about his illness. She reviewed his plan of care with him taking account of his wishes and desired outcomes. On listening to how she handled the session, I felt quite inadequate afterwards thinking I should have been able to deal with the situation as I was competent at formulating care plans. Following the session I decided to approach my mentor to ask to discuss the situation and we agreed that I would take the time to read through the Integrated Care Pathway of each patient under my care and become familiar with their use by suggested I attend and participate in multi-disciplinary meetings. By recognising this I was adhering to the code of professional conduct (NMC) 2008, to consult with a colleague when appropriate and work within the limits of my competence. Moreover, I achieved (NMC Proficiency 4.1) by demonstrating a commitment to the need for continuing professional development and personal supervision activities. In addition a multi-disciplinary meeting was arranged for the patient and his father and my mentor allowed me to co-ordinate this and provide feedback on his progress in order that I gain experience in multidisciplinary working. Prior to the meeting I scrutinized his ICP to familiarise myself with his situation and plan of care to enable me to identify his needs and achieved (NMC Proficiency 2.2) by providing relevant and current health information to the patient during the meeting. Rees et al, (2004) informs us that ICPs are tools which map out the pathway of clinical events and activities for all professionals involved in a specific patient group. The ICP helped clarify my roles and responsibilities as well as improve team working and communication. This enabled me to become more informed and also provide the patient with information on his plan of care which would be carried out throughout his journey from admission to discharge In attendance at the meeting were the Consultant Psychiatrist, Named Nurse, Pharmacist, Community Psychiatric Nurse, Occupational Therapist and myself. I provided feedback on the patients progress to the Consultant Psychiatrist and other team members, and highlighted the patients concerns about his treatment demonstrating (NMC proficiency 3.2) by working collaboratively with multi-disciplinary team members to enable the delivery of effective patient care, prior to the patient and his father attending. This provided the Consultant Psychiatrist with an overview of the patients mental health and progress to date. The patient and his father were then invited to attend the meeting the patient was given the opportunity to tell the Consultant Psychiatrist how he was feeling and discuss any issues he may have. He was also given the opportunity to talk about his prescribed medication and ask questions which were answered both by the doctor and pharmacist. The pharmacist also gave some advice about his present dose of prescribed medication making suggestions to the doctor about possible changes due to a complaint by the patient that he was experiencing stiffness in his legs. Despite being aware that I had the necessary information about the patients care, on occasion during feedback to the team I looked to my mentor to reassure me that the information I was imparting was accurate. The patient was allowed to discuss his involvement in therapeutic groups he had attended and their benefits. The patients father was also given the opportunity to ask any questions and voice any concerns he may have. Discussion between me, the consultant and patient provided clearer picture of the situation I and felt more at ease having further clarified the process of his care would be while on the ward. I felt more confident and satisfied that the patient was now more at ease and satisfied with his present care and was able to meet (NMC proficiency 2.4) by updating the patients plan of care following the meeting. The next stage Evaluation Gibbs model making sense of the situation and asks What was good or bad. I was pleased to see a positive outcome which was due to inclusion of the patient in his plan of care and collaboration within the multidisciplinary team meeting which alleviate the patients concerns. I was not happy at my own lack of confidence to initially deal with the clients concerns and the fact that the patient had to complain before being fully involved in his care. Having this awareness of my own emotions and of weaknesses in my practice and consulting with the patients named nurse assures me that I am managing myself, my practice and that recognizing my own abilities and limitations (NMC Proficiency 1.1) and resolving this by taking action to improve in this area of practice. In conclusion, stage five of the Gibbs (1988) model, I feel the more experience I gain in the ward environment and more I learn about ICPs I can improve patients quality of care and collaborating with other members of the multidisciplinary team I will gain knowledge and confidence to enable me to take that step from being a student to becoming a confident registered nurse and deal complex situations such as described above. In the final stage of Gibbs reflective model the question is asked If the situation arose what would I do? I will continue to utilize reflective practice to improve on my knowledge and skills and develop my Personal Development Plan to highlight gaps in my knowledge. I will use my personal development plan within my final placement to address my weakness and build on my strengths whilst seeking opportunities for further development taking account of any threats. Personal Development Plan I have chosen two areas which I feel are relevant to my future development needs namely Quality Assurance and Multidisciplinary/Agency team working. I will now take each area of developmental need and produce a personal development plan for each. What is it? NES (2007) explains that a personal development plan is another name for a plan of action which allows you to set personal goals and identify the best way to achieve them. I feel having a plan of action plan will keep me focussed on my learning objectives and allow me to keep track of my development as I progress in my career as a mental health nurse. In doing this I will continue to meet (NMC proficiency 4.2) by being a good role model, sharing my knowledge and experience with my colleagues to enhance their professional development. How is it important? One the recent requirements by the NHS is that all staff working in the NHS should have a professional development plan to ensure that staff continue their professional development and update their knowledge and skills (Kenworthy e al, 2001). In adhering to this I will be accomplishing (NMC proficiency 4.2). Department of Health (2004) state that it should prepare the individual to meet the requirements of their post, including the future interests of both the organization and the individual maintaining a balance between them to enable progression. This will be important when I am a registered nurse and there will be commitment to meet the requirements of my role. What are my objectives? Although both long and short term goals will be reviewed as your life moves forward, they guide you in making day-to-day more effectively (Ellis Hartlet, 2004). Furthermore, it is important to keep goals flexible and be willing to consider alternative goals and a variety of pathways to one goal. Short-Term Goals By setting my short-term goals in two development areas I will enhance my knowledge of both Integrated Care Pathways and Multidisciplinary/Agency working and be more proactive in taking responsibility for specific leadership roles within the multidisciplinary team, as well as initiating individual Integrated Care Pathways. Consequently, in taking a leadership role, I will have accomplished (NMC proficiency 3.3) by delegating duties within the level of my responsibilities and taking responsibility for managing patient Integrated Care Pathways. More specifically I will identify my short-term objectives within the 2 areas: Integrated Care Pathways -By the end of my management placement I will have a better understanding of Integrated Care Pathways. I will have completed an ICP document for a specific patient, which will enable me to guide the patient through the nursing process from assessment to discharge competently and confidently. Lastly, I will have learned the concept of variances used to measure the quality of patient care. Multidisciplinary/Agency working within my management placement, I will have acquired good knowledge of multidisciplinary/Agency working and be able to competently participate in multi-disciplinary meetings. I will be competent in facilitating multidisciplinary team meetings and have the ability to effectively communicate with members of the multi-disciplinary team. Finally I will have knowledge of any barriers to multi-disciplinary working. Medium and Long-term Goals I will meet both Medium Term and Long Term Goals by procuring employment within a nursing profession (preferably with the National Health Service), and once accomplished my aims will be to develop my practice from a novice practitioner and become an accomplished expert knowledgeable practitioner fulfilling the requirements of my job profile within the Knowledge and Skills Framework. By participating in continuous professional development, achieved by setting objectives within my Personal Development Plan I will have met all (NMC proficiencies) as I will have attained my NMC registration. How am I going to meet my objectives and why? Objectives are short-term, direct and rapidly testable (Kerry, 2002). In practice, objectives must be specific and often state the new ability that the learner is seeking to acquire for instance, new knowledge, a practical skill or an attitude. My short-term objectives are to address my weaknesses within both my development areas and this can be achieved by setting these as a priority and focussing on these within my next practice placement. In order for me to meet my objectives within my personal development plan I will arrange regular review with my mentor to gain feedback from supervision and to review my learning contract to see how I am progressing. Integrated Care Pathways Through self-directed study and utilising all resources within the ward I hope to enhance my knowledge on integrated care pathways and how it is implemented within the ward setting to improve quality of care for patients. Scottish Executive (2003) highlights that under the new mental health act any treatment given to patients should include meaningful involvement by the patient and carers. Furthermore by being involved in all aspects of the nursing process from assessment to discharge I aim to be more involved in the patients journey through the integrated care pathway and empower the patient to participate throughout their journey on the ward. A well as this, by having responsibility for my own case load I will be able to improve my confidence and be more assertive in making clinical judgements and my decision making skills. I will continue to ensure that my practice is evidence based by continually updated my theoretical knowledge by self-study utilizing relevant academic literatur e. Multi-disciplinary/Agency Working My aim is to improve my collaborative working skills by interacting with other members of the team and identifying what skills each member brings to the team to meet the patients needs. Beer, et al (2008) states that multi-disciplinary teams can be effective if there is good communication between themselves and other teams and shared goals. I aim to participate in multi-disciplinary team meetings and give feedback on my patients progress to enable me improve my communication skills, and also participate in joint working with all members of the team on the ward on a daily basis to enable me to become more assertive and a productive team member. It will be important to ensure that the patient is also involved in decisions that affect them. In addition to joint consultation between the multidisciplinary team I am aware of the importance in involvement of the patient in their care for example, by involving them in the process of single shared assessment and care planning. Claire Cox (20 03) highlight the importance of those providing services to explore the experiences, preferences and opinions of service users when assessing their health and social care needs. Finally, Regular consultation with my mentor will assist me in identifying my strengths and areas which he/she may feel I need to develop in with regards to collaborative working. My Future Development Needs Area of development for Integrated Care Pathways The purpose of Integrated Care Pathways has been defined in various ways within the literature. Quality Improvement Scotland (2007) highlights the quality assurance aspect indicating that ICP standards will support service improvements in relation to the process of care and outcomes for individuals. It also specifies the patients anticipated clinical care pathway and co-ordinates necessary tasks in management of patient care (Chew et al 2007). No matter how it is defined, the outcome for the patient is to improve their quality care through managing the process of care appropriately. The purpose of Integrated Care Pathways has been defined in different ways within the literature. Caring for patients is an essential part of the nurses work, and the quality of the care can be dependent on how far the nurse has come, in his/her professional development (Gustafsson, 2004). My experience of Integrated Care Pathways during my training has been limited; therefore I require improving my knowledge and skills in undertaking and documenting a comprehensive, systematic and accurate nursing assessment of physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of patients. This will entail further enhancing my knowledge within the requirements of (NMC proficiency 2.3) as part of my development needs. ICPs have not been implemented within any of my placements in the community or long term ward settings. However, an Integrated Pathway for admission and discharge has been employed within an acute ward setting where I was placed. This has been implemented to standardize practice acros s every psychiatric admission ward within Lanarkshire (Kent Chalmers 2006), and to facilitate better co-ordination of discharge planning and facilitate continuity of treatment in the community (NHS Lanarkshire 2007). Quality Improvement Scotland (2007) highlights the quality assurance aspect indicating that ICP standards will support service improvements in relation to the process or care and outcomes for individuals. Area of development for Multi-Disciplinary Working Multidisciplinary working is the cornerstone of caring for patients within both a community and hospital setting. I have observed multi-professional collaboration and this seemed a very effective way of providing the best treatment available for patients. Cook et al (2001) identified from several studies that team working enhanced communication channels between different professionals resulting in better co-ordination of care, more timely access to services, and the provision of a more holistic approach to care. This was my experience when I was involved in the Multi-disciplinary meeting within the acute admission ward. Decision making within the team was enhanced by involvement of the nursing, medical, pharmacist, client and carer which resulted in a more holistic approach to the patients care thus improving the quality of care provided. This enabled me to accomplish (NMC proficiency 2.8) by demonstrating that by effective collaboration with the multidisciplinary team I was able to adapt the patients nursing care plan to meet his individual need. However, I am aware that I have had limited experience of working autonomously within the multidisciplinary team and intend to take the opportunity as a management student with delegated responsibility to enhance my knowledge and experience of joint working. In particular I will ensure that I take a lead role in multidisciplinary review meetings as a named nurse. However, I will ensure that I have adequate supervision from my mentor and other senior nursing staff to enable me to perform the role to the level of my responsibilities. Evaluation Weaver (2008) states that SWOT is an effective tool for reflection of a persons values, interests, priorities and effectiveness of their practice by means of self-evaluation. It has also been identified as an effective way of recognizing an individuals strengths and weaknesses, and examining the opportunities and threats that a person encounters (Pearce 2007). This therefore is an effective tool to evaluate a Personal Development Plan. Makinson (2001) highlights that by preparing a personal SWOT it helps to identify and analyse the current situation, the relevant features, circumstances and resources applicable to a personal development plan Amar (2003) suggests that the outcomes of learning and the process of learning can be evaluated by identifying learning needs using questionnaires, clinical audit, and patient satisfaction questionnaires. Rucker (2003) stresses the importance of timely feedback as a requisite for effective professional development. For both development areas namely Integrated Care Pathways and Multidisciplinary working I will utilize feedback from my mentor within the ward. However (Mumford 1998) highlights that although a mentor can enhance the acquisition of knowledge this will be dependent on their own level of knowledge. I will therefore supplement this by utilizing the knowledge base of other members of staff I encounter within my next placement area achieving (NMC proficiency 4.1 and 4.2) by sharing my knowledge and experience and identifying any deficiencies in my practice and seeking guidance on this. This would be achieved by ensuring that my NMC learning objectives were achieved and by ensu ring that my mentor was aware of the Personal Developed Plan in (Appendix 3). I will also utilize verbal feedback from the patient as I would be limited in respect of using questionnaires due my student status, time limitations and possible ethical issues. However, in the long term I would hope to utilize this method as a qualified practitioner to ensure that I was achieving my objectives with regard to the quality of patient care. I will also continue to utilize self-reflection as a means of improving my practice ensuring that I continue to set continuous achievable goals using the SMART framework. Annotation List 4.1 By the development of a personal development plan I identified weaknesses in my practice and demonstrated a commitment to the need for continuing professional development. 2.5 By linking theory to practice and reflecting on my own practice has enabled me develop my skills and evidence base to ensure I carry out safe practice with my patients. 2.6 Consulting with the patients named nurse about my concerns demonstrated that I identified and articulated my own emotional and psychological responses to situations with colleagues in a professional manner. Recognising my own abilities and limitations by carrying out practice in accordance with the code of professional conduct and consulting with a registered nurse when I felt the patient was not receiving the best quality of care. 2.2 By scrutinizing the patients ICP I was able to promote his health and well being throughout the meeting. 2.4 By updating the patients plan of care accordingly I had established priorities of care in partnership with the patient within the framework of informed consent. 3.2 demonstrated knowledge of effective inter-professional working by participation in the multi-disciplinary meeting presenting feedback on the patients health status. 4.2 By sharing my knowledge and skills with my colleagues and utilising my personal development plan to contribute to a climate conducive to learning. 3.3 By taking on a leadership role within my management placement, having responsibility for my own case load, I will be able to delegate duties to others, as appropriate, ensuring they are supervised and monitored. 2.3 By utilising the ICPs within the acute setting I was placed I was able to identify the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the patient, document clinical data and take appropriate action. 2.8 By participating in the multi-disciplinary meeting I demonstrated sound clinical judgement and was able to adapt nursing care to meet the patients individual needs.

Developing leadership after change in management

Developing leadership after change in management Explain in detail what you believe are the possible consequences of Sir Terry Learys Resignation from Tesco. Mr. Leahy stands out from other great CEOs in Europe because he has taken a business that was stalling and made it consistently outperform the entire sector. Hes done that while never being a celebrity. Hes always kept his feet on the ground.- George Cox, Former CEO and Chairman, Unisys Corporation (UK). The first thing you notice is that Terry has a completely different character to anyone else you know. That tells you that people who are successful dont have the same makeup as everybody else. In Terrys case, his approach is low key. He is sharp and much focused: he is very close to his people and he doesnt spread himself too thin. Above all else hes a very good leader.- Allen Leighton, Chairman of the Royal Mail Group. Introduction Background Sir Terry Leahy was born on the 28th of February 1956, in Liverpool. He grew up in the Belle Vale district in Liverpool where he studied at St. Edwards College and earned a management science degree (an Upper Second Class honours in Management Sciences) at the University of Manchesters Institute of Science and Technology in 1977. In his early life, Leahy briefly worked stacking shelves and washing floors in the London branch of Tesco during his school holidays, which could have played an important part in his decision to join Tesco after his graduation. Having lost to another candidate in his first application in Tesco, Leahy applied again and became a marketing executive in 1979. From the time when he joined Tesco, Leahy was identified as a capable and prospective employee who if developed could benefit the organisation. He was promoted 1981 as a marketing manager and from 1984 to 1986 held the position of marketing director for Tesco Stores Limited. He was later appointed as the commercial director of fresh foods in 1986; in 1992 Leahy was appointed to the board and finally became chief executive (CEO) in 1997 on the retirement of his mentor Lord MacLaurin (then CEO) who sought after appointing a successor to lead Tesco into the international market and increased its market share. Tesco was a follower of Marks Spencer and Sainsbury in terms of strategic market decisions but that changed when Leahy decided it is time to stop playing catch-up and start leading the UK grocery market through market knowledge and devising effective strategic plans. This change in focus led to the birth the Tesco Clubcard (loyalty program) and the Tesco Value lines both of which was a successful strategic plan and has been a key to the success of Tesco in the UK. During his era, Tesco has tightened its lead as the UKs largest retailer and has grown considerably locally and internationally with opening of stores in USA and China. In April 2005, Tesco announced a pre tax profit of  £2 billion with over  £37 billion in revenue. This proved that Tesco under his administration was too successful and growing too fast. Following his appointment to the Tesco board, Leahy has been awarded and recognised locally and internationally. In 2003, he was award Britains Business Leader of the Year and the Fortune European Businessman of the Year for 2004. In 2005, Management Today recognised him as Britains most admired business leader and was finally honoured with a Doctor of Science from Cranfield University on the 7th June 2007. Despite the fact that Tescos financial performance under Leahys administration had been exceptional, he was criticised on numerous counts, especially for the companys Human resource policies. The average wages paid by Tesco were among the lowest compared to others (Sainsbury and Marks Spencer) in the retailing industry in the UK. In addition, the wages were paid on an hourly basis and the time taken off for tea breaks was not included while calculating the total working hours. The company was also criticised for its radical policy on sick leaves, for examples, it refused sick pay to workers on their first three days absent from work. Regardless of the criticism, Tesco claimed that their worker were in support of such scheme because most were tired of covering for those who called sick. Furthermore, the company claims to have already seen a reduction in the amount of days taken off sick in the stores using the schemes, which were first introduced in Ireland. Another radical scheme is to offer more holiday allowance to workers but reduce it every time a worker takes a day off sick. Tesco believes that such scheme would discourage workers from taking more sick leaves, hence improve their performance and contribution to the company. However, many workers union association condemned these schemes, claiming that it does not motivate or improve employee morale. The company was also criticised for its planned movement into the organic food market. Many organic food watchdogs question whether the supermarkets policy of sourcing their organic products from large industrial-style farms, who are only attracted to organics because of higher profit margins rather than ethics, as well as importing from poor countries in Africa who can barely feed themselves such as Zimbabwe, is really true to the original social and environmental aims of the organic movement. Very few of Tescos organic products are locally sourced from local farmers. Tescos stance on competition in the UK retail industry is less favourable to its rivals; the company already has 32% of the retail market share and is gunning for more. Many of its competitors have complained that the company does not play fair but instead is aiming to totally get rid of them. The entry of Tesco into the pharmacy and health products markets has severely affected stores like boots and other pharmacy outlets with analyst claiming that some of these stores would have to close down due to fierce competition and jobs would be lost. The company was also accused of practising predatory pricing, many off-licence and small grocery shops claimed Tesco intentionally reduces some of its products below the production cost and increase others so as to lure more customers. Presently, Tesco has 2482 stores in the UK, approximately five times the number it had 13 years ago. This has led to complaints by small retailers about its impact on local shops and the creation of Tesco towns w here shoppers have little choice in deciding where to go shopping. Furthermore, there are also accusations that as the leading grocery company, it has too much power over the supply chain and influence prices by driving down prices for the likes of farmers. Effects After the exit of Sir Terry Leahy in March 2011 he will be only 55. Philip Clarke who currently is in-charge of Tescos international operations in Asia and Europe and oversees group information technology will be taking over. Shares, Market share and profits The first effect of Leahy exit was felt few weeks after he announced his resignation with Tescos shares falling 9.7p or 2.4% to 397.4p, its lowest close value since October. Many of Tescos investors have developed full believe in Leahy during his era and have trusted his strategic plans due to their successful outcomes. This I believe will change after he retires. There is now uncertainties on how Philip Clarke would perform or if he is the best man for the job. According to David McCarthy, an analyst of Evolution Securities, said: We are not surprised by Phils appointment or the restructure, but we are surprised Terry is going early, we had expected an announcement saying he would step down in 2013, not 2011. This confirms that the news of his early resignation from Tesco came to most as a shock and unexpectedly. He went further saying that: In losing Terry, Tesco is losing its best player and therefore the team is weakened. The competition will be happy. This I believe is true beca use his track record as Tescos CEO has been exceptional. For example, when Leahy took over from his mentor, Tescos UK market share was just 14.5% but 10 years later the company is well above its rivals (Asda, 16.8%) with 30.6% market share. If Tescos share prices continue to fall, some investors might be forced to sell off their shares which would not be favourable to the company. The possibility of this happening cannot be ruled out because since Leahy took over as CEO, many investors have invested in Tesco because they believe in his strategic plans which have been successful and now that he is leaving scepticism would arise if Philip Clarke is able to deliver as he did. After Leahys exit, Tesco financial performance would be affected in terms of revenue and profits. During his term, Leahy achieved revenue income of over  £30 billion and profits of over  £1 billion, which most believe was only possible due to his early strategic plans and continuous development. When he leaves, the realisation of such abnormal profits would take time to achieve. Hence, a more realistic revenue and profits target would be set which most believe would be far less than what Leahy achieved during his tenure. Sir Terry Leahy has done most of the job, as some market analyst would say; therefore, Philip Clarke should have an easy take ahead of him. However, this might be totally wrong because the management of Leahys success might be more difficult than him achieving his own. Every new chairman would always want to leave their mark or boast of their accomplishment and if care is not taken, focus might be lost. Philip Clarke is presently less popular and well known by Tescos investors, but given his already long career at Tesco and success in developing the international business, many market analysts consider his appointment as the new CEO to take-over from Leahy to be a good one. Furthermore, many analysts believe his strategic approach as the new CEO would be evolutionary but would not make any radical departures from the current organisational strategy executed by Leahy. Market analyst forecast that UK like-for-like sales growth is likely to remain downcast in the medium term due to low level of food price inflation rather than due to the leadership change. According to market analysts, Trading in international markets is expected to gradually improve as economic recovery slowly comes through. Long-term earnings growth prospects remain good, with international and Tesco Bank likely to be key drivers. Given our expectation that the group will deliver at least low double-digit growth in underlying earnings per share and dividends in each of the next three years, we consider the valuation attractive. The recommendation remains accumulate. (Guardian, 2010) In summary, regardless of the fall in share prices, no severe effect is expected when Leahy resigns as Tescos CEO. Organisational Culture According to Pettinger, 2007, the culture of an organisation is the basis for its management style, and individual and collective attitudes, values, behaviours and beliefs. It is therefore essential that the ways in which things are required to be done are clearly established, understood, and accepted by all concerned. During Leahys regime, he introduced a culture that focussed on raising standards and providing value to its customers. The change of such culture might be disastrous to the business operations of Tesco. Organisational culture could posses both strong and weak attributes on the organisation itself and these could determine its working relationships with employees or stakeholders, conditions and productivity. For instance, Strong culture is said to exist where staff respond to stimulus because of their alignment to organisational values. In such environments, strong cultures help firms operate like well-oiled machines, cruising along with outstanding execution and perhaps minor tweaking of existing procedures here and there. Conversely, there is weak culture where there is little alignment with organizational values and control must be exercised through extensive procedures and bureaucracy. Leahy emphasises the importance of vision, value and culture in his 10 business commandment. In his words, Visions, values and culture are critical to the success of Tesco. According to Leahy, Tescos vision is to create an environment where customers could benefit in order to earn their lifetime loyalty. This is the vision that gave birth to Tesco Clubcard which has proven to be an effective customer loyalty or retention scheme. The continuation of this vision by the future CEO is important and any attempt to quickly introduce a new one might have negative effects on the company. It is particularly important that culture is designed, shaped and reinforced by those in top and senior positions, Pettinger, 2007. In order to do this, standards of attitudes, values, behaviours and performance much be set by those in charge in an organisation and employees must be required to follow these standards. (Pettinger, 2007, p.342), went further to argue that, if organisation culture is allowed to emerge, the result is that people or employees think, believe, behave and act according to their own priorities and the process of their peers; and this leads to the tendency to pursue their own agenda. Evidently, according to Pettingers argument, Leahy resignation will trigger a change in the organisational culture of Tesco. The new CEO (Philip Clarke) might attempt to introduce his own working culture but it is vital that he understands the existing culture at first before any attempt to change it. This process might be costly and lead to waste of resources because he would prefer to bring in his own team or hire new one rather than working with the old players in the executive level. Also, those who are loyal to Sir Terry Leahy might end up resigning, seek employment elsewhere or go with him, which means that talent would be lost during and after his resignation. A major re-organisation at the top level will see half the board members change their responsibilities to reflect the companys increasingly international nature. However, some market analysts are worried that this will cause disruption further down the organisation which is not favourable to the whole change process. Organisational culture is a powerful and effective way of life that organisations adopt in order to run their business, however, according to Pettinger, 2007; culture should be changed and developed. The continuous changes in technology, markets and customers needs means that organisations must be prepared to develop new working culture to meet this. Some leaders or managers who were successful in one organisation might fail in another because of their organisational culture. Therefore, it is very important for new leaders to learn, change or accept an existing culture in the organisation. However, culture change can be long and costly, especially where people resist, Pettinger, 2007, p.359. In any case, it is vital that any culture an organisation adopts must create a strong and positive relationship with its employees because this encourages positive view of the organisation and its works. Leadership In the present business environment, the term leadership becomes increasingly important to the organisational development and success of organisations (Eisenbach et al. 1999). This is due to the uncertainty of the business environment of all industries which are globally connected. For this reason, many organisations now depend on the skills, knowledge and experiences of their leaders in order to be successful and competitive. The aptitudes of leadership and management are clearly the most important factors to consider when the organisations are experiencing market downfall (Graetz 2000). In such a situation, the skills and experience of the leader and management would be put to test in devising the best strategy that could be adopted to overcome the troubled times. Besides, where faith exists in the abilities and capabilities of leaders, employees or workers would have high expectations from the leaders and management. Employees will expect to see an effective and reasonable strategy, as well as good communication skills from the leaders during the critical period of the organisation.   According to Adair, 2004, a leader must demonstrate certain attributes in order to effectively exercise his or her leadership functions. These characteristics are: Group Influence a leader must be able to generate the willingness to achieve a desired goal or objective. Command a leader must be able to make quick and effective decisions whenever a situation demands it and must be able to stand by this decisions Coolness a leader must always remain composed under criticism. Judgment a leader must possess the ability to utilise available resources and information in a logical and reasonable way to produce effective results. Responsibility a leader must exhibit continued effort combined with a degree of reliability in order to complete a task or achieve an objective (Kermally 2005).   Even though leadership trait theories are popular, it is viewed by many academics as a very one-dimensional hypothesis. Some academics argue that theories attribute the success of leadership solely to his or her personality and physical traits or characteristics without regard to the situational context. Hence, the trait approach is considered too simplistic as a justification of the complex leadership phenomenon. During Leahys era, he has exhibited the above attributes and proven to be a true leader. His resignation would mean that his successor must also be able to portray such attributes which some think would bring about unnecessary pressure. In addition, some analyst argue that for Philip Clarke to be successful, he has to prove Leahy is second best and he can do a better job which most believe is a tough job to do. Leahy exit signifies a leadership change and organisational re-structure, his 13 years tenure as CEO would have created a rigid leadership style which most is used to hence might be difficult for existing team to adapt to the new CEOs (Philip Clarke) leadership style. Tesco is considered as the most successful retail business in the United Kingdom with a market share of over 30%. The success of Tesco was fast-tracked by the appointment of Terry Leahy as the companys Chief Executive Officer. Leahy is considered by many as a visionary leader who led the company into a series of organisational changes that aimed for the company to become more customer-focused and to develop the companys workforce. Leahy believes that the success of a leader depends upon maintaining a happy workforce and earning the support of the workforce. According to him, there are four things that a leader must be able provide his workers and followers in order to satisfy and motivate them. These are: A job that is interesting to do A chance to get on in life To be treated with respect A boss who helps and cares After Leahys exit, his successors principles might be contrary to his, hence a clear organisational vision would not be sent out to the entire Tesco workforce. The fear of the Unknown might de-motivate Tescos employees and make them less engaged, although, few of these employees are aware of how the new CEOs leadership style might affect them. Impacts of Leadership Styles on the Organization According to Rosen (1989), leadership style refers to the trait pattern exhibited by a leader on the process of decision-making and exercising authority. There are different types of leadership styles, for example, there are autocratic and participative leaderships. Under an autocratic leadership style, the group or organisation is managed under an authoritarian leader who leads by force or with fear. A participative leader in contrast, possesses the same power as the autocratic one; however, he chooses to exercise his power differently during the decision, policy-making and work-role assignment. He is more diplomatic and engaging when making decisions. Leahy adapted a participative style of leadership in which the employees are given voice in the decision-making process. The CEO also gives emphasis on the importance of appointing many leaders to handle organisational process. The organisational structure therefore became more flat where the roles and responsibilities of everyone are clearly stated. Leahy delegates leadership roles to individuals in the organization in order to ensure that the company, with more than 300,000 employees, operates effectively. The leadership style that is manifested by Terry Leahy and is imitated by the leaders in the company has changed the structure of the company. The company has adapted an organic form of organization. An organic system is characterized by low to moderate use of formal rules and regulations, decentralized and shared decision making, broadly defined job responsibilities, and a flexible authority structure with fewer levels in the hierarchy. An organic structure is more appropriate t o those organizations where there is a need to be innovative. The pressure of innovation suggests a structure that can respond to environmental variations rapidly so it is necessarily loosely defined and flexible. The organization tends not to be formalized nor are roles too closely structured (Salaman 2001, p.106). Organic organizations are stratified primarily in terms of expertise, and leadership accrues to those who are the best informed and capable. There is much more commitment to the organization, with the result that formal and informal systems become indistinguishable. A framework of values and beliefs, much like those characterizing a profession, develops that becomes an effective substitute for formal hierarchy (Miner 2002, p. 449). The company has adapted a simpler and flatter organizational structure. Recommendations In order to remain successful in todays highly competitive business environment, many organizations are coming up with strategies to tap the full potential of their human resources. A companys people can be a source of competitive advantage. This is philosophy behind employee empowerment and participative management. Employees are now seen as partners. Because of this, organizations are giving more power and responsibilities to their people. Employee empowerment and participative management will increase productivity, give rise to better decisions, improve employee morale and job satisfaction, elicit greater commitment among employees, encourage flexibility, make employees adapt to changes faster, improve communication and increase employee trust.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the current requirements of leadership in Tesco is the development of participative management skills in leaders. The leaders at Tesco need to possess the necessary skills in order for them to practice participative leadership properly. The skills that the leaders must possess are: 1. Interest and concern 2. Communication 3. Conflict resolution 4. Negotiation 5. Compromise 6. Synergy 7. Flexibility   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Participative leadership is a leadership style which involves members of a group, sub-unit or organization identifying essential goals and developing procedures or strategies to reach those goals. Implementing participative management will also help the company to develop people in the organization to become leaders. Through participative management, people in the organization are encouraged to take part in decision-making, express their ideas and to showcase their talents and skills. The discovery of hidden talents and skills will not only help the group, sub-unit or organization reach their goals it will also alert the organization to people within the organization who have the potential to become leaders. Future Requirements   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One famous contemporary writer on leadership is Warren Bennis (1994). He believes that a leader must have a direction, he must earn the trust of his followers, he must kindle hope and optimism, and he must be results-driven. On the other hand, James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner (1987) believes that a leader must   seek to challenge and improve the process, inspire a share vision, enable other to act, act as s role-model, and encourage the heart of the followers. The future leader must not only focus of achieving the task. He must also learn to develop his people. He needs to learn the value of motivation. The future leader must know how to motivate using monetary rewards and he must also use psychological and emotional rewards to motivate his people. The future leader must find the balance between task-orientation and relationship-orientation. On the one hand, he needs to lead his people in achieving their shared goals and objectives an d on the other hand, he must be able to build strong relationships with the people around him. The importance of emotions must also be recognized.   Proposals for the Development of Leadership 1. On-the-Job Learning   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company must recognize that the primary place for leaders to learn is on the job and on the line. In order to the company to help leaders learn within the organization, educational facilities must be established inside the organization. The company needs to appoint educators that will educate and develop leaders in various countries and places where Tesco is operating. The organization must institute a Corporate Education department that will be under the HRM department. Within the Corporate Education, a Business Leadership Development (BLD) must be established. This group will focus on executive development and overall leadership development, and it will also be responsible for all training specific to leadership. Business Leadership Development should be used to come up with systematic ways to build the capabilities of Tescos business leaders. The emphasis of the BLD process must be to provide development opportunities at key transit ion points in individuals careers. To accomplish this goal, a curriculum must be designed and must be operate under the following principles: Based on real problems and strategic initiatives Linked to business objectives and company values Segmented by customer needs Sponsored by CEO and senior executives Comprised of global content and delivered worldwide Based on validated competencies for success 2. Leader Sponsorship   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another strategy to effectively develop leaders is through sponsorship. Through sponsorship, senior executives in Tesco will sponsor and will actively participate in leadership development. Example of leader sponsorship activities are involvement of senior executives in management conferences and facilitating dialogue sessions after a leadership development program. Senior executives can also facilitate panel discussions. Through sponsorship, Tescos successful leaders will be able to share and to instil the characteristics, skills and attributes of effective leaders to the future generation of leaders. 3. Leadership Development and Review   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to identify, evaluate, and develop future leaders, Tesco needs to come up with a list of competencies that is needed to become an effective Tesco leader. These competencies can be used as criteria in leadership development. These criteria will also be helpful in providing content for the leadership and management assessment processes, through activities like self-assessment, multi-score feedback, and assessment simulations. They will help identify and qualify external executive development resources. 4. Corporate Universities   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important for Tesco to realize that their most important assets are human capital and the know-how that reside in the minds of the employees. With this realization, the company needs to establish a corporate university. A corporate university links employee learning to overall company strategy, and as a result a corporate university will become a connective tissue for the organization. 5. Developing Emotional Intelligence among Leaders   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One important development area which must be focused on is emotional intelligence. Future successful leaders need to recognize and learn to influence the emotions of the people around them. An effective leader must have a high level of Emotional Intelligence. Dubrin et al (2006) identifies five factors of emotional intelligence. These are: 1. Self-awareness the leader of the future must be able to understand his or her emotions and how these affect other people. 2. Self-regulation the leader of the future must be able control his emotions and react with appropriate emotion in every given situation. 3. Motivation money or status is not the only motivating factor for a successful leader in the future. He finds fulfilment and satisfaction in performing his tasks. 4. Empathy the leader of the future responds to the unspoken feelings of others. 5. Social skills having effective social skills is important. The leader of the future must build relationships and networks of support. He must build positive relationships with the people around him or her. In summary organisations should consider adopting leadership styles that best fit their aim and objectives, and organisational culture. No best leadership style can be easily devised; hence what works best in one organisation might be disastrous in another. Management Role Beardwell and Claydon (2007) argued that the roles of management include the following: Planning: The managers have to set objectives and target, make predictions and in general make plans. It is important for managers to set objective and what they expect in order to know what sort of outcome they are looking to get from employees and what they have to do to achieve such objectives. Organising: The managers have to decide what activities employee department or workers should undertake and organise their activities. This can involve delegating authority, co-ordinating the work of others, and establishing communication channels and authority (Beardwell Claydon, 2007). Leading: Managers must ensure they provide the required leadership and guidance for their employees by setting good examples (Using themselves as the examples). Controlling: It is essential for the managers to control employee activities. This can be done by comparing daily or weekly employee performance with the planned or expected outcomes. Motivating: Motivation is an important factor managers could employ in order to increase employee performance, morale and influence them to put their best effort toward work.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Abortion Around the World :: Informative Essay

Procedure of abortion is known since ancient times. The word abortion is came the Latin abortus where â€Å"ab† means â€Å"amiss† and â€Å"oriri† means â€Å"likely to be born, arise†.(1) Along with infanticide it has existed in many societies, both primitive and advanced. The earliest records of an abortive technique go back about 4,600 years to an ancient Chinese work, purportedly the work of Emperor Shen Nung which prescribes the use of mercury to induce an abortion. (3) In ancient ages pessaries or vaginal suppositories were used as an abortifacients.(1) They are generally more effective than oral drugs and included substances such as juice of the wild fig, a â€Å"dairy liquid† ,which caused irritation, soapwort, myrrh, myrtle, lupine, cedar-oil mixed with water, wine, or hot oil.(1) Ancient doctors also suggested smearing on the uterine opening goose fat, mashed leek and celery, rose oils, pine resin, copper scum, boiled honey, sodium carbon ate, and even mouse dung.(1) The Egyptian Kahun Papyrus, which dates to 1850 B.C., recommend crocodile feces either for preventing conception or as an abortifacient.(2) The Ebers Papyrus, which dates to 1550 B.C., contains several recipes that â€Å"cause a woman to stop pregnancy in the first, second, or third period.† (2) One recipe for a vaginal suppository includes mixed the unripe fruit of Acacia, colocynth, dates, and 6/7 pints of honey and pouring the mixture onto a moistened plant fiber. (2) Modern Arabic women still take colocynth as an abortifacient, though one woman who took 120 grains in a powder died 50 hours later. (2) In Arabic medicine, elephant feces were frequently recommended. (2) Aristotle suggests that the conceptus had a â€Å"soul† after 40 days from conception if a male and 90 if female. (2) In addition there are similar differentiations in the Bible. (2) Later, Aristotle says that the foetus develops gradually and that it is impossible to mak e a fine judgment. Famous doctors such as Pliny the Elder, Dioscorides, and Pseudo-Galen mention more â€Å"superstitious† abortifacients, like passage over the root of a cyclamen, the egg of a crow, a snake, or a stone which was bitten by a dog. Ancient physicians also used pessaries, or vaginal suppositories, as abortifacients. They were usually more potent than oral drugs and included substances like the juice of the wild fig, a â€Å"milky liquid† which caused irritation, soapwort, myrrh, myrtle, lupine, cedar-oil mixed with water, wine, or hot oil. Physicians also recommend smearing on the uterine opening goose fat, mashed leek and celery, rose oils, pine resin, copper scum, boiled honey, sodium carbonate, and even mouse dung.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Six Sigma: Breaking the Quality Hype :: essays research papers

SIX SIGMA: BREAKING THROUGH THE QUALITY HYPE PARTIAL FULMILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR OPERATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT BUSN 6110 Title:Six Sigma: Breaking through the Quality Hyp Degree: Master of Business Administration Motorola's Robert Galvin came up with it and breathed life back into the company, snagging a Baldrige Award in the process. Larry Bossidy rebooted AlliedSignal with it and then sold General Electric's Jack Welch on it. GE then made Six Sigma front-page news. Notwithstanding its 15-year history and the usual hype that comes with any concept promising organizations huge bottom-line benefits, the number of companies actually using Six Sigma appears to be quite small. Moreover, the perceptions within the quality industry of Six Sigma methodology vary greatly.   So what's the story behind the hype? Is there really some muscle in the methodology, or is Six Sigma simply, as many believe, PR-enhanced total quality management? TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ii Chapter I INTRODUCTION 1 II TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES 3 III BENEFITS MULTIPLY 8 IV SUMMARY 10 REFERENCES 11 AUTOBIOGRAPHY 12 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The year is 1976. The USA was celebrating its 200th birthday. According to the Juran Institute, there was an emerging interest in this country for training in quality matters. Manufacturing companies were eager to implement quality improvement within their organizations. They were motivated by a very real competitive threat from overseas. Japanese industries had swallowed up a number of our companies and were threatening others. It turned out that quality was dramatically changing the way many organizations were conducting business. There was a new buzzword being used by managers: "Total Quality Management", or "TQM" (Blackiston, 1996, p. 1). What emerged as some of the key motivators...the drivers? The Juran Institute believes at first sheer terror motivated many American businesses. These companies realized that quality was a matter of life and death. Indeed, many American manufacturers of consumer electronics died before they could react (Blackiston, 1996, p. 1). The Juran Institute states: †¦another important motivator for quality initiatives was the concept of "the costs of poor quality". This relates to all of those costs that would disappear in an organization, if everything were done correctly right from the start. We saw early on that most companies were simply throwing away about 25% of their sales revenues on scrap, repairs, warranties and other costs of quality (Blackiston, 1996, p. 1). As the years went by, the reasons for implementing TQM piled up; however, the Juran Institute figured that 80% of the companies that tackled TQM in the 1980s failed (Blackiston, 1996, p.1). Although quality improved, TQM seemed to be mired in â€Å"find and fix† the problem and not worry about the cost.