Health Care Case Discussion Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Health Care Case Discussion - Term Paper Example gh the doctor may ne incapacitated to save the life of some patients, such patients expect the medical practitioners to employ their professional aptitude wholly in their endeavor to safeguard the wellbeing of patients. As such, it is in the interest of the physician to settle on resolving the challenges of the patient. Legal and professional code of conduct mandates the physician to settle on medication to administer to his or patients. Additionally, it is upon such physicians to administer the medication to patients, in their ultimate endeavor to alleviate the sufferings of such patients (Cohen, 2013). However, the professional and the legal codes of conducts allows for the patient’s autonomy. Patients have an entitlement to decide on their treatment modes and communicate with the physician, based on their physical and mental soundness. This ought to be in line with the health practitioners’ professional mode of treatment administration while following the preset professional and legal aspects of such treatments. This should be in response to the best interests of the patients. As such, the physicians ought to investigate carefully the health challenges that the patient may be going through, and endeavor to alleviate the patients’ challenges. Ethical and professional misconduct in the medical field has serious devastating impacts to the subsistence of the patients, as well as the professional development of such physicians (Cohen, 2013). The physicians may also be compelled to undergo through numerous unwarranted legal challenges. In the case involving Dr. Contadina and Joe, the physician appeared to have neglected the professional objectives by failing to examine carefully the health predicament that Joe was going through. It was evident that Joe had his total reliance on the doctor, and could not envisage any malice from Dr. Contadina. As such, Joe followed the instructions of the physician fully without questioning her procedure. In this case,

Jack the Rippers identity Essay Example for Free

Jack the Rippers identity Essay INTRODUCTION In August 1888 a killer who became known as Jack the Ripper committed the first of a series of murders. To this day the identity of the killer remains a mystery. Five women were brutally killed in the East End of London, by a maniac who appeared to kill without warning and with no remorse. Why was the Ripper able to get away with his murders? Why were the police powerless to stop him? These are some of the questions that still puzzle Ripperologists who search for Jack the Rippers identity till this day, looking in old archives and books. ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES Research and gain knowledge on: The development of the police forces in Britain in the nineteenth century. Law and order in London in the late nineteenth century. Whitechapel in the nineteenth century. With this knowledge you should be able to answer the following questions: 1. Describe law and order in London in the late nineteenth century. (15 Marks) 2. Why did the Whitechapel murders attract so much attention in 1888 (15 Marks) 3. Why were police unable to catch Jack the Ripper? (20 Marks) QUESTIONS QUESTION 1 DESCRIBE LAW AND ORDER IN LONDON IN THE NINETEENTH CENTRY. (15 Marks) Law and order in London in the late nineteenth century was at a developing level, with new acts introduced this century, the way law and order was dealt with changed as the century was coming to an end. During the early and mid nineteenth century, watchmen patrolled the streets of London and special constables- this was ineffective as the number of civilians living in London outnumbered those watchmen and constables to a great level. However, the introduction of the new Metropolitan Police Force in 1829 was set up to change the situation. The new police force put in place by Robert Peel, was first constructed of 3200 men, 17 divisions, 4 inspectors and 144 constables. As with any major introduction of something, there were many early problems for the police force. However, as the years past on, the Metropolitan Police force gained more experience, and was able to deal more effectively with defections of law and order. To gain the peoples popularity, the Police Force carefully chose the uniform for its constables. The force was given a blue uniform, with a tailcoat and a helmet, which replaced the tall hat in 1870. The blue colour of the uniform was chosen because Londoners disliked seeing the redcoats of the army, as this was associated with violence. Blue was the colour of the navy, which was given hero status because of their contribution to the British war effort. This, I believe was a good first step for the Met as it made the people appreciate and favour them. During the 1880s, the training of new police officers was unsatisfactory, much of the training was on the job and constables could often start their duty the following day. Ill training meant some police officers were inexperienced and couldnt deal efficiently with crime. This led to many incidents as the police disobeyed instructions. Ill policing also led to the serious incident named Bloody Sunday on the 13th November 1887. Above all, towards the end of the century, the police were seen as discriminating against Londoners of the lower classes and favouring people in the middle and upper class- this damaged their reputation. Detective work was also improved as the nineteenth century progressed. At first, there were only two inspectors and six sergeants. It was feared that detectives would sympathize and become too lenient with criminals and as a result of this- become corrupt. The late nineteenth century bought radical changes to detective work. In 1869, the National Criminal Record was set up and dealt with infamous criminals, thereby reducing the number of crimes. The Detective Department in London was revised in the late nineteenth century- this led to the creation of a Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in 1877. In a space of 5 years, the number of detectives increased by 78, as did the number of arrests made. Increasing the number of detectives alone was not enough, as this didnt increase the efficiency of their work. The detectives had to change the methods which they used in the early and mid nineteenth century in dealing with disreputable crimes. The detective methods did however change in 1879 in dealing with murder cases. Now, the body of a victim was not removed from its murder site, or anything else to do with it. These changes in the detective department showed that law and order was being enforced more efficiently and more criminals were being put to justice than before. Another aspect that increased the competence of detective work in the late nineteenth century was the introduction of forensics, finger printing and the Alphonse Bertillon method of identification. With these methods, detectives were able to examine primary or secondary sources got to with a murderer or victim in order to gather up evidence and find out who the murderer is. This was an important change because murderers could be identified not only by an obvious clue lying in the murder site- this consequently meant that murderers became more intimidated and frightened to carry out a killing. Overall, the development of the police force in London in the late nineteenth century can be described as improving but unsatisfactory. I believe that the improvements made to restore law and order was still insufficient. With the population of London at that time being 5,255,069- I think having only 1383 police officers on duty was ineffective. Regular patrols could not stop a determined criminal. The police force would need to increase its size by many times so as to provide resistance and intimidate criminals. Being in its infant years, I think only time will solve this matter; because as time passes, there will be improvements in technology, the police will gain more experience and improve their methods of dealing with crime. With the Jack the Ripper murders round the corner, a crime like this will be enough to show the police force what they are lacking, how they are lacking and what things need to be taken into consideration. QUESTION 2 WHY DID THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS ATTRACT SO MUCH ATTENTION IN 1888? (15 Marks) In the space of two months or so, the residents of Whitechapel were horrified at the five murders that occurred in their area by a somewhat unremorseful sexual serial murderer that was unknown and could not be found. The mysterious murderer, who came to name himself Jack the Ripper became the focus of the press and media in late 1888, and attracted so much attention as he committed his rather graphic killings to prostitutes who lived on a day-to-day basis. In each of the five murders that the Ripper carried out; he brutally mutilated the prostitutes, taking out what ever organs out of their bodies using his debatable anatomical skill. In my opinion, I believe the Ripper did possess anatomical/surgical skill, as he was able to take out certain organs like the kidneys out of his victims bodies without causing meaningless cuts. He also used a long bladed knife similar to those used by surgeons while carrying out amputations. The Ripper used this skill while mutilating the bodies of Annie Chapman who had her small intestines withdrawn of her abdomen. Mary Kelly also had her internal organs removed because the Ripper had a lot of time to commit the mutilations as he was alone in a room and could have his privacy; away from public sight. I believe it was because of this reason- the ghastly mutilations on the prostitutes- that attracted the most attention to the people and police force as it showed what a determined murderer was capable of doing. Another aspect of the Jack the Ripper case that attracted so much attention in 1888 was Jack the Ripper himself. People were eager to know who the Ripper was, his identity, his background, and simply; why he targeted prostitutes and slashed, sliced and severed them the way he did. The letters that he sent to the police caused people and the police themselves to grow even more suspicious about the Ripper. For example, the Dear Boss letter made people think that he was American. He portrayed himself as a psychopath through this letter; informing the police of what he will do in the future, I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled. All these queries were supposed to be answered by the Metropolitan Police Force; however, they werent able to catch the Ripper. This is the reason why the world press degraded them. British newspaper business were eager to sell more and more newspapers these days as the Education Act 1870 made it compulsory for everyone to attend school, meaning that now most of the British population was literate. The Fleet Street newspapers competed by writing articles, that more likely were incorrect and unreliable. However, the only thing that mattered to the newspapers at the time was selling, and as the British population was enthusiastic about the murders carried out by Jack the Ripper, they published incorrect material. This shows how much attention Jack the Ripper attracted, as to keep him in the minds of the British population, the very source that everyone depended on telling the truth, told a lie! The world press also played a big role in attracting attention to the murders. They deeply investigated the murders and at times produced false information and rumours that made the populace even more fearful and intimidated to stroll through the alleys of Whitechapel at night. Offering rewards was a tactic that the police used later on, which it previously thought was insufficient to collect evidence about Jack the Ripper and his whereabouts. By this, many people were attracted to the case and produced false evidence solely to get a reward in the end. This afterwards proved to be totally unsatisfactory as the police found the investigation harder as many people brought forward different and inconclusive information with regard to the identity of the Ripper. The double murders that took place in the night of the 30th of September 1888 also caused people to grow fearful and attentive in the East End of London. The first victim of the double murders was Elizabeth Stride who was found to have several cuts in the neck and windpipe. It was supposed that the horse and cart of Louis Diemschutz who worked near to the scene of the murder disturbed the Ripper. Because of this, the Ripper went and murdered a fourth prostitute named Catherine Eddowes less than half a mile away. What was peculiar about the Eddowes murder was not only that she had her intestines, left kidney and womb removed; but that written in chalk above the dead womans apron were the words: The Juwes are The men That Will not be Blamed For nothing. This could have been a genuine clue for the MPF as to who the Ripper was; as they could have seen whether the handwriting of this matched the handwriting of the letters he sent to the police. But before they could do so, Sir Charles Warren, Commissioner of the MPF ordered the writing to be removed immediately to prevent any anti-Semitic tension. Another reason why Jack the Ripper attracted so much attention, was because of the tension between political parties. A serial killer was out in the streets of London, killing innocent women, and sitting in Parliament were politicians who looked to be doing nothing about this. As a result of the Jack the Ripper murders, the poverty stricken area of Whitechapel was well known, and so was the poverty that the residents suffered. Opposition parties in the Government saw this as an opportunity, to attack the Government, in saying that the poverty that they (the government) had not solved was to blame for these murders. If there were no poverty in Whitechapel, then single women would not have had to result to prostitution, and Jack the Ripper would have had no prostitutes to murder. Jack the Ripper attracted so much attention, that even the politicians in Parliament were talking about his actions. In conclusion, I think that it was the way in which the prostitutes were brutally butchered, and the perplexity that the Metropolitan Police Force faced with dealing with the murders; are what engrossed so much attention in 1888. In particular, I think the murder of Mary Kelly- the last of the Ripper murders- is what attracted the majority of attention in the Ripper case as the victim was viciously mutilated. There were cuts all over her body and most internal organs had been removed. The breasts were also cut off as well as her uterus. The heart was removed and could not be located. Because of this, I think it was this murder that made people most fearful and kept the dark alleys of Whitechapel deserted at night as the people living their knew that a determined murderer could well be at their doorsteps next. QUESTION 3 WHY WERE THE POLICE UNABLE TO CATCH JACK THE RIPPER? (20 Marks) The police were unable to catch Jack the Ripper for several major reasons. It was mainly that the police did not know who or what they were dealing with. This was due to the fact that Jack the Ripper was the first serial killer to be reported on at such a scale. The police were unaware of the fact that they were dealing with a serial killer, and more importantly did not know what a serial killer was. Jack the Ripper was the first serial killer who had been focused on at such a scale by the newspapers or the media. This was mainly due to the fact that most of the adult population of the time were now able to read and write due to the Education Act 1870. This encouraged the newspapers to write more about the Ripper, sometimes quoting unreliable sources which were also used by the police, leading them to false leads. As more and more of the public were getting interested in the Ripper murders, newspapers felt that they had to publish something on the Ripper murders otherwise the public would loose interest and the newspaper company loose money. Hence the newspapers were forced into writing false/incorrect information in their articles. As the methods of investigation used by the police were still developing, and forensic science just starting, the Metropolitan police were unsure about how to conduct their investigation. As a result they resulted to any means possible and even took the false words of the newspapers as being true. Despite the fact that forensics experts of the time had visited the crime scenes and had drawn certain conclusions, the Metropolitan police still followed the false information published in the newspapers, despite the fact that it contradicted the conclusions drawn by the forensics experts. This shows how undeveloped the methods of investigation of the police was at the time as police were following information given by drunken lunatics who were giving witness accounts only to earn a little easy money, and based their witness accounts on the stereotypical image of the Ripper at the time to try and catch one of the most cunning and clever serial killers of all time. Another major factor why the police were unable to catch Jack the Ripper was that their nature of investigation was too narrow and that they should have widened their scope. At first the Metropolitan police believed that Jack the Ripper was someone local, from the evidence shown from his knowledge of the layout of all the alleyways and roads of Whitechapel. This enabled him to move very quickly and freely around the Whitechapel area without the police being able to catch him. This was very important because by the time the body of Jack the Rippers next victim was discovered he would have been long gone. A rumour had been spread about a man known as Leather Apron as being the serial killer, Jack the Ripper. The police were intrigued by this information and were quick to respond. They arrested a man called John Pizer, a butcher from the Whitechapel area. He was foreign as many of the witness accounts suggested, and wore a leather apron, giving him the name Leather Apron. However he had an alibi, which cleared him of all charges. Again the police had followed false leads and had wasted more time. This then lead the police to believe that the murder was someone who was not from the Whitechapel area but could have had a job or another sort of connection within the area, because of his knowledge of the layout of Whitechapel. The police used many techniques to try and catch Jack the Ripper, however none of them succeeded. Firstly, the Metropolitan police increased the number of police officers and constables on the beat (on duty), each being placed within five minutes of walking distance of each other. However this did not work as the Ripper was still too quick for the Metropolitan police. Another method used by the police was to try and go undercover to catch Jack the Ripper. Some officers dressed up as prostitutes to try and lure Jack the Ripper into spending some time with them. However this did not work as there were no female officers at the time, and the men who dressed up still wore their typical police boots which were still recognisable despite the heavily polluted smog that filled the air, blowing their disguise. Again the police had wasted more time, as their method of investigation was still unreasonable. These thoughtless actions were not kept quiet. Jack the Ripper news attracted worldwide attention. These actions were even commented on in the New York Times, the London Police must be the stupidest police force in the World. This did not give a good impression of the Metropolitan police force. On conclusion the police were unable to catch Jack the Ripper because of their lack of knowledge of serial killers and the undeveloped methods of investigation they used. When Jack the Ripper first started his campaign of murder, the police were unaware that they were dealing with a serial killer and more importantly did not know what a serial killer was. This was to the disadvantage to the police, as they did not know how to catch Jack the Ripper. Another factor why the police were unable to catch Jack the Ripper was the little knowledge of forensic science that they had at the time. The police were uneducated in forensic science, and in many occasions altered the scene of the crime. Lastly, the police were unable to catch Jack the Ripper because of the methods that they used. The police at the time were uneducated in undercover work as well. They did not know how to disguise themselves into the normal population to trap Jack the Ripper.

The Confederate Flag Dispute Essay -- Confederate Flag Essays

The Confederate Flag Dispute The start of the Confederate flag controversy was due to the request of the NAACP to remove the flag off of South Carolina’s Statehouse. This request is based on the fact that they, the anti-flag groups, claim that the meaning of the Confederate flag is one of hate and discrimination. On the other hand, there are other groups that believe differently whom are called the pro-flag groups. They claim that the flag is a sign of heritage and should stay on the Statehouse. Liberals tend to be in the favor of the anti-flag groups, and conservatives are more likely to be supporting pro-flag groups. Both sides use evidential logos to prove their arguments, and pathos to show how wrong the other side is. Eric Foner’s article â€Å"Rebel Yell† is an example of an anti-flag argument published in a well-known liberal magazine The Nation. In â€Å"Rebel Yell† historian Eric Foner first explains some of the pro-flag arguments in the introduction paragraph; then throughout his article he shows why claims like these are wrong. First He explains that slavery was a big issue in Civil War. Then he attacks the claim made by pro-flag groups that a large amount of black fought for the Confederacy, and lastly he shows how the Confederate flag is now connected with racial inequality. He points out that the Confederate flag is not only associated with slavery but in addition is now associated with racial discrimination. This article is a definition argument that defines the Confederate flag as a negative symbol; in it Foner mainly uses logos to show the meaning of the Confederate flag, pathos as a way of portraying pro-flag supporters as the bad guys, and his ethos to show his audiences he is well-informed of the pro-flag a... ...tion’s history will also be laid to rest†(par. 8). His logical arguments are strait forward and informative and when used with pathos as a pair is very effective. When pathos is not used with some sort of logos the effectiveness of the article quickly wavers and most of the agreeing audience will only be anti-flag supporters. This article being liberal seems to correlate with what the anti-flag side believes in. Anti-flag groups want to remove the flag because of its connection with racism, which has been part of America’s past. Liberals want to make changes for the betterment of society. If liberals see the Confederate flag as a negative symbol then they will want to remove it even though it’s a part of Southern history, is why liberals tend to support the removal of the flag. Work Cited Eric Foner. â€Å"Rebel Yell.† The Nation. 270.6 (February 14, 2000): 4. The Confederate Flag Dispute Essay -- Confederate Flag Essays The Confederate Flag Dispute The start of the Confederate flag controversy was due to the request of the NAACP to remove the flag off of South Carolina’s Statehouse. This request is based on the fact that they, the anti-flag groups, claim that the meaning of the Confederate flag is one of hate and discrimination. On the other hand, there are other groups that believe differently whom are called the pro-flag groups. They claim that the flag is a sign of heritage and should stay on the Statehouse. Liberals tend to be in the favor of the anti-flag groups, and conservatives are more likely to be supporting pro-flag groups. Both sides use evidential logos to prove their arguments, and pathos to show how wrong the other side is. Eric Foner’s article â€Å"Rebel Yell† is an example of an anti-flag argument published in a well-known liberal magazine The Nation. In â€Å"Rebel Yell† historian Eric Foner first explains some of the pro-flag arguments in the introduction paragraph; then throughout his article he shows why claims like these are wrong. First He explains that slavery was a big issue in Civil War. Then he attacks the claim made by pro-flag groups that a large amount of black fought for the Confederacy, and lastly he shows how the Confederate flag is now connected with racial inequality. He points out that the Confederate flag is not only associated with slavery but in addition is now associated with racial discrimination. This article is a definition argument that defines the Confederate flag as a negative symbol; in it Foner mainly uses logos to show the meaning of the Confederate flag, pathos as a way of portraying pro-flag supporters as the bad guys, and his ethos to show his audiences he is well-informed of the pro-flag a... ...tion’s history will also be laid to rest†(par. 8). His logical arguments are strait forward and informative and when used with pathos as a pair is very effective. When pathos is not used with some sort of logos the effectiveness of the article quickly wavers and most of the agreeing audience will only be anti-flag supporters. This article being liberal seems to correlate with what the anti-flag side believes in. Anti-flag groups want to remove the flag because of its connection with racism, which has been part of America’s past. Liberals want to make changes for the betterment of society. If liberals see the Confederate flag as a negative symbol then they will want to remove it even though it’s a part of Southern history, is why liberals tend to support the removal of the flag. Work Cited Eric Foner. â€Å"Rebel Yell.† The Nation. 270.6 (February 14, 2000): 4.

Home Depot †Executive Summary Essay

The Home Depot (Ticker: HD) is the world’s largest home-improvement retailer along with being an American Fortune 50 company. The company operates 2,259 retail building supply/home improvement â€Å"warehouse† type stores all across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Home Depot has over 340,000 team members and is based in Atlanta, Georgia. The average store size is just over 100,000 square feet along with an additional 24,000 square feet set aside for seasonal gardening. Target Group The Home Depot’s two main customers are at home â€Å"do-it-yourselfers† and contractors. The main products and services offered help solve the wants and needs of customers involved with home construction and maintenance, renovation and remodeling. Competitive Environment The competitive environment for the home-improvement industry is broken into three major players: The Home Depot, Lowe’s and local retailers. They compete with local retailers that specialize in nearly every product and service offering. The Home Depot and Lowe’s are both â€Å"all offerings† locations spread throughout North America. Over the past decade Home Depot was stickily focused on expanding the store count and business lines whereas Lowe’s was focused on store count growth and perfecting their supply chain and internal technology. Past Growth Over the past 13 years The Home Depot has more than doubled its store footprint. It was aided by two major factors; First being that the home improvement and building industries were growing quickly providing a constant demand for product. Second, funding was easy to receive and it was relatively cheap because of low interest rates. Management began to â€Å"empire build† with their now sold professional supply business (now known as HD Supply) and cut costs in their big box stores to help reduce costs. With the reduction of cost came the reduction in customer satisfaction. Return to Retail Noticing that customer satisfaction rating had severely slipped because of stock outs and poor team member engagement with the customer a new initiative was proposed. Marvin Ellison, Executive Vice President, U.S. Stores, proposed the â€Å"FIRST Relaunch†. The program focuses on putting the customers first, by â€Å"Do(ing) the unexpected†. The operational plan focused on customer service, being in stock on all products and creating a better store appearance (inside the physical store and within the community). In efforts to focus on customer service, more employees were hired and trained. Upper management also equipped each team member with more technology (PDA’s, walkie talkies, etc). There was a companywide initiative to integrate Hispanic merchandise, marketing and staffing. Home Depot switched to a regional distribution system while upgrading their internal information technology infrastructure to better keep stores’ inventory stocked properly. This major overhaul materialized into The Home Depot’s stock outs dramatically decreasing. To create a stronger public image, Home Depot created The Home Depot Foundation which helps with community home building, disaster relief and veteran job placement assistance. These initiatives have greatly improved customer satisfaction and recognition in the community by increasing ratings from 55% to 75% (2008 to 2012). Current Economic cycle Home Depot has clearly set itself up to be successful in the recent upswing in the housing markets. Their technology upgrade has proven to be successful in keeping stores stocked and employees more engaged with helping the customers. Management has responded to the late spring, summer, and early fall build up in construction needs by resorting to hiring part time and seasonal workers while still giving them the proper training to satisfy the customer. Management The current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Frank Blake, is often credited with the company’s turnaround ever since taking the helm. He sold the professional supply business (now known as HD Supply) to help the company focus on their core competencies. Blake also helped implement the customer first initiatives. All while cutting his own pay and switching his  future pay to stock and options, which are based on The Home Depot’s performance. Financial Position Since Home Depot has slowed their store expansions, cash reserves have grown to match total debt due in 5 years. Sales have increased steadily since the industry lows in 2008. Cash from operations have also steadily increased to match market high 2006-07 levels. A large portion of the cash flow each year has been focused toward share repurchases and steadily increasing their yearly shareholder dividends. Lending Risks The Home Depot is in the heart of an uncertain housing environment. The sales and financial results each year are closely tied to the consumer spending money on construction and housing maintenance. If the economic environment were to deteriorate it is likely many consumers would hold off on simple maintenance projects, which is currently the bulk of store sales. The housing market has seemingly bottomed but it still remains unclear to if the recent increase in housing sales is going to last.

Job Offer Letter

Mary Janes 3341 av Cham, Montreal, QC H3C1J5 (514)566 7776, ling-chun. [email  protected] ca February 13, 2013 Mr. Joseph Bleau Recruitment Coordinator Reynolds and Reynolds Ltd. 3 Robert Speck Parkway Mississauga, ON L4Z 2G5 Dear Mr. Bleau: I am a senior at XXX Uni majoring in Business with a focus in Management. I plan to graduate in the Spring of 2013, and I am applying for job of account manager with Reynolds and Reynolds, one of the world’s leading automobile dealer support companies. I believe that my academic and practical experience make me well suited for a position with your organization.As shown in the resume, I am studying in Montreal and taking bilingual courses in my university, which can ensure that I am able to speak French and English frequently. Also, as an intern at Pearson Company before, my responsibilities included maintaining customer relationships by assisting with sales and customer service. I have gained skills in setting goals and quotas and making plans to meet them. I am able to establish and build up long-standing relationships with potential customers at the same time as providing service to existing accounts.In addition, I demonstrated an ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines in my internship. I am willing to travel extensively and work long hours to meet or exceed company goals. My resume, which I have enclosed for your review, contains additional details about my professional accomplishments. It would be a pleasure to meet with you at your convenience to discuss my qualifications and the value I can bring to your organization. Thank you for your kind consideration. Sincerely, Mary Janes

Golden Age Of Athens Essay

Golden Age Of Athens Essay Golden Age Of Athens Essay Golden Age of Athens In 490BCE, Athens began to gain power and posed a threat to the Persians. The Persians declared war on Athens; the Persians outnumbered the Athenians 2:1. As a last resort, Athens sent Thydibides to ask for the assistance of the Spartans. After running 140 miles in 2 days, the Spartan’s refused Thybidides’ plea. In a miracle-like event, the Athenians were victorious over the Persians, killing nearly 6000 men in one day. This battle at Marathon became one of Athens’ defining moments. Thymesticles, who had gained power through democracy, was an Athenian leader who fought in this battle. He also recognized the Persians weren’t entirely defeated, and that they would rage war again with a greater army. He raised a campaign to buy huge ships that seated 170 men on three levels called triremes. When 486BCE came along, King Daris of Persia died, his son Xerxes vowed revenge on Athens. In 483 BCE, a large vain of silver was found in Athens that Thymesticles wanted to spend on the triremes. The Athenian citizens were opposed to this idea – they proposed that the silver be divided among the citizens. Thymesticles won his campaign to buy these ships just at the right time; in 480BCE the word reached Athens that the Persians were coming. Athens turned to their Gods for hope, sending a message to their oracle. Their message read, â€Å"What can we do to save ourselves?† the oracle responded telling them to flee, there was nothing they could do. The Athenians rose in uproar that their Gods had deserted them, the leaders of Athens decided to evacuate the city-state. Thymesticles sent another message to the oracle, with the response that they could be saved by the wooden wall. Thymesticles interpreted this as the wooden ships he had bought specifically for this war, so he devised a brilliant plan. He sent the warriors and men to the island of Salamis where they watched the Persians invade the deserted Athens and burn the Acropolis to the ground. Quick-witted Themyisticles sent a fake letter to the Persian army, asking to meet them in the Strait of Salamis. When the Persians arrived, the Athenians destroyed their forces, destroying over 200 of their ships. Athens had won, again. Winning this battle meant a new dawn for Athens, it began to grow unprecedentedly fast. They became the new head of naval confederacy and the unspoken head of the Delian League. With their multiple naval fleets, Athens’ economic power grew. The Athenians had access to a quality of life that no Greek before them had ever experienced. It was at this time that Themysticles was under attack – he was eventually ostracized by the ostraca

Alcoholism Essays (1948 words) - Alcohol Abuse, Free Essays

Alcoholism Essays (1948 words) - Alcohol Abuse, Free Essays Alcoholism CUNNING, BAFFLING, POWERFUL, PATIENT AND DEADLY Alcoholism: Today's substance abuse, whether alcohol or drugs, continues to be a major social problem. Common patterns occur in all forms of substance abuse. While some types of substance abuse problems are slightly different in terms of causes and cures, experts agree that there are some do's and don'ts which relate to kicking the abuse habit. If you or a loved one have a substance abuse problem, this article can give you sound advice on understanding what substance abuse is, and what to do about it. In this article, we will refer to alcohol, although the word drug may be used synonymously in place of alcohol. What is Alcoholism? Alcoholism is a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by continuous or periodic: impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial. The rational for continued use of alcohol is centered on, Common addiction distortions. MENTAL FILTER:Magnify the negative details and eliminate the positive.E.g. - using alcohol is so incredible. It is the most pleasurable thing I know. (filter out the negative effects) POLARIZED THINKING: Things are black and white, good or bad. You are perfect or a complete failure.E.g. - My life would be void of pleasure with out alcohol. OVERGENERAL- ZATIONTo come to a general conclusion based on a single incident or piece of evidence.E.g. - Alcohol has made for some great times with friends. I must have alcohol in order to capitalize on the potential for fun. MIND READINGYou think you are able to define how people are thinking about you.E.g. - People will not like me if I give up alcohol. There is a side that come out that is very attractive. CATASTROPHIC EXAGGERATIONYou expect disaster, and disaster means the end of the world. E.g. - I won't be able to tolerate the discomfort of sobriety I AM CONTROLLEDYou feel externally controlled, you see yourself as helpless and a victim of fate. E.g. - The alcohol makes my days tolerable, without it, I'll not be able to function. I MUST CONTROLYou feel that control is an all or nothing thing. Any ease on the reins will result in a fall so disastrous you will never regain control.E.g. - Without alcohol I may get depressed, and I will never be able to come out of it. BLAMINGYou hold other people responsible for your pain.E.g. - If I give up my drinking, I will be a bare wire, forced to face my abuse riddled past. These are common patterns of substance addiction, keeping in mind that most alcoholics are unwilling to admit they are real alcoholics and fit into one or more of these categories. No person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from other people. Therefore, it is not surprising that their drinking careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove they could drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday they will control and enjoy their drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death. The John Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore uses the following questions as a test for alcoholism. #YesNo 1Do you loose time from work due to drinking? 2Is drinking making your home life unhappy? 3Do you drink because you are shy with other people? 4Is drinking affecting you reputation? 5Have you ever felt remorse after drinking? 6Have you gotten into financial difficulties as a result of drinking? 7Do you turn to lower companions and an inferior environment when drinking? 8Does your drinking make you careless of your family's welfare? 9Has your ambition decreased since drinking? 10Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily? 11Do you want a drink the next morning? 12Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping? 13Has your efficiency decreased since drinking? 14Is drinking jeopardizing your job or business? 15Do you drink to escape from worries or troubles? 16Do you drink alone? 17Have you ever had a complete loss of memory because of drinking? 18Has your physician ever treated you for drinking? 19Do you drink to build your self-confidence? 20Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of

Exercise in Sentence Combining with Adverb Clauses

Exercise in Sentence Combining with Adverb Clauses As discussed in part one and part two, adverb clauses are subordinate structures that show the relationship and relative importance of ideas in sentences. They explain such things as when, where, and why about an action stated in the main clause. Here well practice building and combining sentences with adverb clauses. Practice Exercise:Building Combining Sentences with Adverb Clauses Combine the sentences in each set below by turning the sentence(s) in bold into an adverb clause. Begin the adverb clause with an appropriate subordinating conjunction. When youre done, compare your new sentences with the sample combinations on page two, keeping in mind that multiple combinations are possible. Example:Sailors wear earrings.The earrings are made of gold.Sailors always carry the cost of a burial.They carry the cost on their own bodies.Combination 1: So that they always carry the cost of a burial on their bodies, sailors wear gold earrings.Combination 2: Sailors wear gold earrings so that they always carry the cost of a burial on their bodies. It is unlikely that Cleopatra actually committed suicide with an asp.The species is unknown in Egypt.The boy hid the gerbil.No one would ever find it. Our neighbors installed a swimming pool.The pool is in their backyard.They have gained many new friends.My parents and I watched in awe.We watched on a hot August evening.Erratic bolts of lightning illuminated the sky.The bolts of lightning were from a distant storm. Benny played the violin.The dog hid in the bedroomThe dog whimpered.Natural rubber is used chiefly to make tires and inner tubes.It is cheaper than synthetic rubber.It has greater resistance to tearing when wet. A Peruvian woman finds an unusually ugly potato.She runs up to the nearest man.She smashes it in his face.This is done by ancient custom.Credit cards are dangerous.They encourage people to buy things.These are things that people are unable to afford.These are things that people do not really need.I kissed her once.I kissed her by the pigsty.She wasnt looking.I neve r kissed her again.She was looking all the time. Some day I shall take my glasses off.Some day I shall go wandering.I shall go out into the streets.I shall do this deliberately.I shall do this when the clouds are heavy.I shall do this when the rain is coming down.I shall do this when the pressure of realities is too great. When youre done, compare your new sentences with the sample combinations on page two. Here are sample answers to the practice exercise on page one: Building and Combining Sentences with Adverb Clauses. Keep in mind that multiple combinations are possible. Because the species is unknown in Egypt, it is unlikely that Cleopatra actually committed suicide with an asp.The boy hid the gerbil where no one would ever find it.Since our neighbors installed a swimming pool in their backyard, they have gained many new friends.On a hot August evening, my parents and I watched in awe as erratic bolts of lightning from a distant storm illuminated the sky.Whenever Benny played the violin, the dog hid in the bedroom and whimpered.Natural rubber is used chiefly to make tires and inner tubes because it is cheaper than synthetic rubber and has greater resistance to tearing when wet.By ancient custom, when a Peruvian woman finds an unusually ugly potato, she runs up to the nearest man and smashes it in his face.Credit cards are dangerous because they encourage people to buy things that they are unable to afford and do not really need.I kissed her once by the pigsty when she wasnt looking and never kissed her again although she was looking all the time.(Dy lan Thomas, Under Milk Wood) Some day, when the clouds are heavy, and the rain is coming down and the pressure of realities is too great, I shall deliberately take my glasses off and go wandering out into the streets, never to be heard from again.(James Thurber, The Admiral on the Wheel)

Corporations and its affect on the world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corporations and its affect on the world - Essay Example Democracy, in its turn, is an ideal medium for the development and growth of businesses and corporations. Democracy and capitalism, in this sense, are the systems that consciously and lawfully encourage and allow so-called â€Å"free market† and â€Å"market competition† where the strongest wins. The strongest now means the richest. Those, who have got their influential and powerful positions in the global marketplace, will never let anyone new in. They play in democracy and in competition. They are more likely to agree on each one’s market share, than to share the market with one more pretender to wealth. As for the overall concept of democracy, it is the system which is supposed to provide each citizen with an opportunity to influence the politics of the country and take part in the legislative practice of the state. On practice, however, we have a system which imposes the will of the elite to the general public, making people think the way they are supposed to think. With the help of the media the strong of the world can influence people’s thinking and opinions. As a result, we get a nation that is taught to believe in its government and not to question the government’s decisions. According to the research conducted by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (Huang and Stone), nowadays the largest income concentrates in hands of 0.1% of income receivers. Inequality between high- and middle-income Americans has been rising since 1990. The tax returns data of 1917-2004 shows a U-shaped trend in the percentage of income received by the top 10% of income recipients (Burtless and Haskins 497). In 2005 the rich got 18% of the nation’s income (Colson). Consequently, the rates of economic and, as a result, political inequality reinforce each other and compromise democracy (Jencks). Furthermore, the richest Americans not only avoid high taxation, but enjoy an enormous political influence in

RESEARCH ISSUES IN HUMAN RSCOURCE MANAGEMENT Essay

RESEARCH ISSUES IN HUMAN RSCOURCE MANAGEMENT - Essay Example For example, interpersonal hostility may have deleterious effects on both the job satisfaction and well-being of victims (Mikkelsen and Einarsen, 2001; Tepper 2000; Ashforth 1997; Einarsen and Raknes 1997). What is more, interpersonal hostility may also lead to high costs for organisations, in the form of increased absenteeism and higher turnover of personnel, decreased commitment and productivity, and negative publicity (Hoel, Einarsen and Cooper 2003; Tepper 2000). For society as a whole, this may lead to lower productivity, early retirements and increased health costs. As a consequence, many nations have adopted or are planning to adopt laws promoting dignity at work or banning different forms of work harassment. Workplace violence and bullying has been identified as a vital concern by trade unions in Britain and in many countries for several years now. As it is, many reports have vividly demonstrated the pain, psychological distress, physical illness and career damage suffered by victims of bullying, however, academic research began only recently. The most developed research comes from Scandinavia (Vartia 1996; Niedl 1996), where there is strong public awareness; government funded research, and established anti-bullying legislation. Bullying presents significant methodological problems for researchers. A crucial difficulty is that of definition as no clear agreement exists on what constitutes adult bullying. Although physical bullying is seldom reported, the workplace presents opportunities for a wide range of menacing schemes and devices. Five classifications of bullying behaviour have been provided (Rayner & Hoel 1997) -- threat to professional status (belittling opinion, public professional humiliation, accusation of lack of effort); threat to personal standing (name calling, insults, teasing); isolation (preventing access to opportunities such as training, withholding information); overwork (undue pressure to produce work, impossible deadlines, unnecessary disruptions); and destabilisation (failure to give credit when due, meaningless tasks, removal of responsibility, shifting of goal posts). There have been three main approaches to research into workplace bullying. The first has been qualitative and individualistic in perspective, identifying a role for the individual in terms of vulnerability to bullying or a propensity to bully (Crawford 1997; Lockhart 1997; Randall 1997) and explaining the dynamics of bully-victim relationships. The second approach is descriptive and epidemiological and is usually based on self report. These studies document the prevalence of workplace bullying, the types experienced, age and sex differences, who is told, what action is taken, etc. The third approach is influenced by theories and constructs in organisational psychology and has focused on the interaction between the individual and the organisation and how aspects of the organisational structure and climate of the workplace may encourage the development of a bullying culture (Rayner 1997). For researchers who

Hypothesis Identification Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hypothesis Identification Analysis - Essay Example he independent variable was chosen by the researcher because the increase in the abuse of cigarettes and tobacco can be attributed to the marketing strategies of tobacco companies. Joint sponsorships between alcohol and tobacco companies contributed to the increased numbers of people using cigarettes and alcohol products at the same time. The promotion event targeted sporting events where the youth had interest in such as auto racing soccer and golf. Other events such as bar and night club events have been sponsored by the tobacco and alcohol companies to influence more people to use their products. The promotion programs are aimed at exposing the tobacco and alcohol products to the young adult potential smokers so that the companies can improve on their sales and profit margin (Jiang & Ling, 2011). The hypothesis statement was used to determine whether the increase in alcohol and cigarette abuse among young adults is due to marketing strategies of the tobacco and alcohol companies. The study found out that tobacco companies were able to offer discounted or free alcohol at Tobacco Company sponsored bar nights. The discounted or free alcohol is aimed at introducing more young adults into the usage of alcohol and tobacco products. For instance, the study found out that Marlboro promotional strategies were aimed at offering free beer to the young adults who bought their cigarette products so as to generate excitement and please the participants (Jiang & Ling, 2011). The hypothesis was accepted since the promotional and marketing strategies of the tobacco and alcohol companies were aimed at introducing more young adults into the usage of their products. The implications of the study are that tobacco and alcohol companies are contributing to the increasing deaths of young adults in the United States. Their marketing strategies only lead to more young people abusing tobacco and alcohol products. Tobacco and alcohol companies are only concerned with the sales they

From financial crisis to global recovery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

From financial crisis to global recovery - Essay Example Despite the global economic turmoil, the global FDI inflows rose significantly by 17 percent in 2011 in most of the economies to $ 1.5 trillion. The FDI flows increased in major economic groupings such as developing economies, transition economies and developed economies. Developing and transition economies recorded $ 755 Billion FDI inflows that were driven mainly by robust investments (Lapavitsas, 2012). FDI flows in Europe increased by 18 percent while the flows in the United States declined by 8 percent. Ireland experienced the largest FDI flows due to movements in debt and equity financial markets. The increase in FDI flows in Europe was mainly driven by cross-border corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, and stabilization of the economies (Ramamurti & Hashai, 2011). However, this trend was not even in all European countries since Greece and Germany experienced a decline while countries like France saw an increase in FDI flows. Developing counties accounted for most of the global FDI flows in the first half of 2011 (Shambaugh, 2012). The FDI inflows in developing countries were at $ 684 billion. The FDI flows in transition economies rose by 6 percent in 2011 to reach $ 92 billion. ... The Sub-Saharan African region witnessed $ 37 FDI inflows in 2011 (Shambaugh, 2012). The FDI outflows from Africa were 50 percent lower in 2011 and amounted to $ 3.5 billion and mainly came from Egypt and Libya. FDI outflows from the United States reached $ 397 billion in 2011 due to appreciation of Japanese Yen since Japan was the second largest investor in the US (Shambaugh, 2012). From the above graph of global FDI flows, it is evident that the recent financial crisis negatively affected the global FDI flows. The global FDIs flows are currently on the increasing trend (Breitfeld, 2010). US economy FDI flows and balance of payments The global financial crisis of 2007-2009 led to the decline of the US trade deficit due to slowdown in imports. The US exports increased by 16 percent from 2010 to $ 1,497 billion in 2011 due to increasing economic growth in the economy. The imports also increased by the same percentage during the same period to $ 2,236 billion (Richardson, 2011). Though the two increased at the same percentage, the net effect was an increase in the trade deficit by 15 percent or $ 93 billion. In 2009, the recession led to an 18 percent in US merchandise exports and 26 percent decline in imports (Richardson, 2011). The figures however reversed in 2010 when exports in merchandise increased by 21 percent while the imports increased by 23 percent. In 2011, the trade deficit in goods was $ 738 billion on the BOP but was still lower than the previous peak of $ 836 billion in 2006. The deficit on the current account which includes the trade plus investment income and any unilateral transfers grew from $ 442 billion in 2010 to $ 466 billion in 2011 thus leading to an increase in the current account deficit by $ 24 billion. The

Final Case Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Final Case Report - Essay Example In 2011, the entry of the crystal silicon producers mainly from China has resulted to the reduction in the module costs. In order to face the increase in competition, First Solar has applied new technological approach in order to manufacture solar cells. The case of First Solar revealed the fact that the concerned company has been effective in performing operations competitively owing to cost advantage in using crystal silicon. The key strategic issues identified from the case of First Solar are that the company has faced increased competitions from other producers of solar modules. In addition to this, the entry of Chinese firms in solar industry has been affecting the leadership position enjoyed by First Solar as an individual competitor in the solar industry. In this respect, the competition from other firms had a negative impact on the market share of First Solar (First Solar Inc, 2013). The aim of the essay is to develop strategic planning report for First Solar on the basis of identifying the problems or issues faced for market competition. Furthermore, internal and external analysis of the environment has been conducted with the intention of identifying the threats as well as opportunities for the concerned company. In addition to this, strategies have been developed based on the issues identified using different analytical models that are essential for the success of the company in the long run (First Solar, 2015; First Solar Inc, 2013). First Solar is the global producer and seller of solar modules and uses photovoltaic energy for producing the same. First Solar as one of the renewable energy organizations is devoted to sustainable business practices in order to gain competitive position in the market. The mission statement of the company reveals the objectives of the organization. The mission of First Solar is to provide clean and affordable solar electricity worldwide. In addition to the use of eco efficient solution to generate

From financial crisis to global recovery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

From financial crisis to global recovery - Essay Example Despite the global economic turmoil, the global FDI inflows rose significantly by 17 percent in 2011 in most of the economies to $ 1.5 trillion. The FDI flows increased in major economic groupings such as developing economies, transition economies and developed economies. Developing and transition economies recorded $ 755 Billion FDI inflows that were driven mainly by robust investments (Lapavitsas, 2012). FDI flows in Europe increased by 18 percent while the flows in the United States declined by 8 percent. Ireland experienced the largest FDI flows due to movements in debt and equity financial markets. The increase in FDI flows in Europe was mainly driven by cross-border corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, and stabilization of the economies (Ramamurti & Hashai, 2011). However, this trend was not even in all European countries since Greece and Germany experienced a decline while countries like France saw an increase in FDI flows. Developing counties accounted for most of the global FDI flows in the first half of 2011 (Shambaugh, 2012). The FDI inflows in developing countries were at $ 684 billion. The FDI flows in transition economies rose by 6 percent in 2011 to reach $ 92 billion. ... The Sub-Saharan African region witnessed $ 37 FDI inflows in 2011 (Shambaugh, 2012). The FDI outflows from Africa were 50 percent lower in 2011 and amounted to $ 3.5 billion and mainly came from Egypt and Libya. FDI outflows from the United States reached $ 397 billion in 2011 due to appreciation of Japanese Yen since Japan was the second largest investor in the US (Shambaugh, 2012). From the above graph of global FDI flows, it is evident that the recent financial crisis negatively affected the global FDI flows. The global FDIs flows are currently on the increasing trend (Breitfeld, 2010). US economy FDI flows and balance of payments The global financial crisis of 2007-2009 led to the decline of the US trade deficit due to slowdown in imports. The US exports increased by 16 percent from 2010 to $ 1,497 billion in 2011 due to increasing economic growth in the economy. The imports also increased by the same percentage during the same period to $ 2,236 billion (Richardson, 2011). Though the two increased at the same percentage, the net effect was an increase in the trade deficit by 15 percent or $ 93 billion. In 2009, the recession led to an 18 percent in US merchandise exports and 26 percent decline in imports (Richardson, 2011). The figures however reversed in 2010 when exports in merchandise increased by 21 percent while the imports increased by 23 percent. In 2011, the trade deficit in goods was $ 738 billion on the BOP but was still lower than the previous peak of $ 836 billion in 2006. The deficit on the current account which includes the trade plus investment income and any unilateral transfers grew from $ 442 billion in 2010 to $ 466 billion in 2011 thus leading to an increase in the current account deficit by $ 24 billion. The

Final paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Final - Term Paper Example The implementation of effective positional and marketing strategy can benefit to gain competitive lead over other rivals. The introduction of Minute maid, as a new high quality juice, requires most suitable marketing strategies to monitor the external opportunities and threats. One of the greatest strength of the Coca Cola Company is to market any new product or conduct business on a worldwide scale. The execution of Customer Relationship Management, direct marketing and internet marketing campaign can benefit Coca Cola Company for maintaining long-term sustainable growth. Global business environment is becoming highly competitive as several leading organizations around the globe are trying to capitalize on the potential opportunities that are developed due to globalization and technological advancement. Each and every organization is trying to develop and implement unique strategies in business operation process in order to gain potential competitive advantages over their competitors. Marketing strategy can be considered as important business operation strategy that helps organizations to market their products successfully to the target customers. This report will integrate relevant marketing theories and concepts to develop specific marketing ideas to promote a leading brand named Coca Cola. The Coca Cola Company can be considered as one of the leading soft drink multinational brands headquartered in the United States of America. Now-a-days, the global soft drink industry has become highly saturated due to the presence of several potential competitors. Therefore, it is highly important for the organizations to develop new competitive products and promote effectively to the target audiences in order to mitigate the risk of intense market competition. Introduction of high quality fruit juice in the market place and development of

Training and development Essay Example for Free

Training and development Essay Orientation Period All fresh and promotes employees take part in an orientation period. The reason of the orientation period is to greet employees to The Cornell Cooperative Extension Association and to publicize them with the Association and their fresh jobs and responsibilities. The beginning of the orientation period may comprise of a tour of the â€Å"facility, introduction to coworkers, distribution and review of the employee manual, and enrollment in benefits, if applicable. † Along with that, the employees manager will analyze the performance prospect of the job and program on-the-job training and development. During the complete orientation period, the Association will assess and supply on-going feedback comparative to the latest staff members presentation. The Association will then decide whether or not the new staff member will be kept hold of. The new staff member will have the chance to choose whether or not she/he wishes to continue with the service associated with the Association. The orientation period is not an agreement of service for any set phase of time. Exempt staff members provide a least orientation period of twelve months. Non-exempt staff members serve an orientation period of up to six months. All through the orientation period, the employees supervisor â€Å"monitors, provides feedback and coaching, and evaluates the employees job performance, work habits, attendance, cooperation, and potential for development in the position. † Staff members get a written notice if they are not to be kept held by the Association through the orientation or if the orientation period is to be lengthened. http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/310%20(A). htm. Performance Development Professional expansion prospects supply for the constant enlargement and knowledge of employees and, in turn, improve their involvements to the association. Successful proficient development strategies occupy the employee, his/her supervisor, the Association, and Extension Administration. Any staff member has the accountability to look for explanation of roles and responsibilities at any occasion when there is hesitation or perplexity surrounding performance prospects during the supervisor or Association. Promotions and Transfers. Cornell Cooperative Extension supports the career development and expansion of its employees by allowing employees for promotions and transfers to other places. It is the objective of the Association to utilize worthwhile workers whose documentations and knowledge go with the requirements of the situation. The Association normally employs both internal and external candidates for job opportunities. Program and administrative requirements of the Association may involve a worker being allocated latest â€Å"responsibilities, roles and accountabilities at any time. † http://counties. cce. cornell.edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/312%20(A). htm. Separating from Employment To guarantee an even change an employee who proposes to leave from service with Cornell Cooperative Extension is appealed to present a written notice to the employees supervisor at least two workweeks prior to the date of resignation is to be efficient. Supervisory staff is demanded to provide a minimum of four workweeks written notice. Retirement is a partition of service when the member of staff chooses to accept withdrawal advantages under his or her retirement benefit plan. A written exit interview form is supplied to the worker. In the exit interview form, the worker is encouraged to offer â€Å"suggestions, concerns, and constructive recommendations about the Association and its policies. † An employees final paycheck for all hours worked is given on the next habitually planned payday after the employees last day of work. http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/315%20(A). htm Substance Free Workplace It is Associations ambition to supply a â€Å"drug- and alcohol-free and smoke free, healthy, and safe workplace. † Employees are needed to account to work in a suitable mental and physical situation to carry out their jobs in a reasonable approach. An employee is banned from carrying, â€Å"using, selling, purchasing, storing, distributing, manufacturing, or having alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, controlled substances, or narcotics present in the employees system when reporting to work, during working hours, or at any time while conducting official business-related activities. † An employee should account any troubles in the place of work that happen as a consequence of alcohol or drugs to the employees supervisor straight away. http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/905%20(A). htm. Compensation Worker’s Compensation Workers Compensation Insurance is a New York State-required agenda planned to defend the monetary steadiness and to cover medical bills of employees who experience an unintentional damage or sickness happening out of and in the route of service, as determined by the Workers’ Compensation Board. Any misplaced time must be recognized by a physicians certificate. Compensation payments are carried out by the State Insurance Fund as a repayment to the Association in agreement with the following salary persistence policy: â€Å"If the injury/illness lasts 7 calendar days or less: The employee will be paid at full salary and sick leave will not be charged against the employee. The Association is not reimbursed by the State Insurance Fund for the missed days. If the injury/illness lasts more than 7 calendar days, but not more than 14: Beginning with the eighth day, the association compensates the employee at 2/3 pay for missed days. The State Insurance Fund will only reimburse the association for up to 2/3 of the employees average weekly salary for those days missed beyond the first seven. The employee may elect to use accrued sick leave to supplement the 2/3 pay from the association. If the injury/illness lasts more than 14 calendar days: The Association will continue to pay the employee at 2/3 pay. The Association will be reimbursed by the State Insurance Fund for up to 2/3 of the employees average weekly salary (including the first 7 days). Again, the employee may elect to use 1/3 accrued sick leave to supplement the 2/3 pay from the Association. † http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/605%20(A).htm Position Classification and Pay Rates. The Association employs the Cornell Cooperative Extension System Classification Model. Each situation surrounded by the Association is allocated a classification payroll title thoughtful of the position’s position and responsibilities. Rates of pay are recognized by the Association in agreement with the Association Compensation Program. The Association’s goal is to pay each employee moderately supported upon presentation and monetary potential and dependable with job responsibilities. The payroll period begins on Thursday and ends 14 calendar days later on Wednesday for non-exempt. For Exempt, the first payroll period begins on the first day of the month and continues through the 15th of that month. The second payroll period begins on the 16th day of the month and continues through the last day of the month. Appraisal Benefits Administration The Association offer its employees a complete benefits parcel. Eligibility for benefits is reliant upon numerous factors, including employment classification and length of service. Benefits are administered according to appropriate administration guideline, â€Å"insurance carrier master policy, plan document, or Association policy. † In addition, the Association has the right to decide suitability for benefits and to understand the terms of each plan or Association policy. The Association reserves the right to put in, adjust, or finish benefits for all present, previous, and retired employees at any time. http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/801%20(A). htm References CCETC HR Policy Manual Code 101 http://counties. cce. cornell.edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/101%20(A). htm Accessed October 4, 2006 CCETC HR Policy Manual Code 301 http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/301(A). htm Accessed October 4, 2006 CCETC HR Policy Manual Code 302 http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/302%20(A). htm. Accessed October 4, 2006 CCETC HR Policy Manual Code 303 http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/303%20(A). htm Accessed October 4, 2006 CCETC HR Policy Manual Code 304 http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/304%20(A). htm Accessed October 4, 2006. CCETC HR Policy Manual Code 308 http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/308%20(A). htm Accessed October 4, 2006 CCETompkins. org | Your Page http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/employment/staffDev. htm Accessed October 4, 2006 CCETC HR Policy Manual Code 310 http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/310%20(A). htm Accessed October 4, 2006 CCETC HR Policy Manual Code 312 http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/312%20(A). htm. Accessed October 4, 2006 CCETC HR Policy Manual Code 315 http://counties. cce.cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/315%20(A). htm Accessed October 4, 2006 CCETC HR Policy Manual Code 605 http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/605%20(A). htm Accessed October 4, 2006 CCETC HR Policy Manual Code 801 http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/801%20(A). htm Accessed October 4, 2006 CCETC HR Policy Manual Code 905 http://counties. cce. cornell. edu/tompkins/HRpolicy/905%20(A). htm Accessed October 4, 2006 CLA: About CLA CLA Position Statements: Human Resource Management Practices ttp://www. cla. ca/about/human.htm Accessed October 4, 2006 Compensation Internet Guide http://www. hr-guide. com/compensation. htm Accessed October 4, 2006 Cornell Cooperative Extension http://www. cce. cornell. edu/about_extension/ Accessed October 4, 2006 Human Resources Management ttp://www. managementhelp. org/hr_mgmnt/hr_mgmnt. htm Accessed October 4, 2006 Human resources Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ttp://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Personnel Accessed October 4, 2006 Office of Human Capital Management Homepage http://www. usda. gov/da/employ. html Accessed October 4, 2006.

Research Proposal E Construction Dispute Model Construction Essay

Research Proposal E Construction Dispute Model Construction Essay Construction industry cannot avoid from disputes as many parties involved in one industry. All the parties insert dispute resolution mechanisms into the contract in the hope that the disputes can be avoided or solved as quickly as they can as they arise. If disputes are not managed properly, they tend to drag on and escalate to cause projects delays and ultimately ruined the relationships. There is now a wide armoury of dispute resolution methods available for resolving construction disputes. The most popular out of these being litigation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes such as arbitration, mediation, and conciliation. These dispute resolution processes suffer two key disadvantages, which arise from the fact that these processes only come into play after a dispute has arisen. One disadvantage is that, during the dispute resolution process, trust between the parties may be sorely tested, or even destroyed. The other disadvantage is that the time and cost of resolvin g a dispute may affect the expected project gains of parties concerned. It is essential in construction industry to adopt an anticipative approach to management. Since disputes have been one of the major factors affecting cost and time, it is necessary to determine the classification of dispute from the construction law cases and then the e-CDM can be the tool/database to prevent the conflicts or disputes at any stages of construction. By having thorough knowledge and information in this tool/database, it will definitely help the project manager and contract manager to anticipate problems at an early stage of the project without going through any other Alternative Dispute Resolution method which will cost extra money on the top of the project cost. INTRODUCTION Malaysia has been developing rapidly in tandem and racing a head to become industrialised nation. Undoubtedly, the building and construction industry are instrumental as the driving forces to contribute towards realising this aspiration. The construction industries are expected to play a vital role by contribution of 11.2% to the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2013.  [1]  According to CIDB Chief Executive Datuk Sri Dr. Judin Abdul Karim, the construction industry is expected to secure RM 120bil worth of the project in 2013.  [2]  In order to achieve this encouraging but challenging target, the Government and the private sector must work closely together to ensure projects under the Economic Transformation Program (ETP), the Entry Point Project (EPP), project under the 5 corridors and the Greater Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley are implemented in the timely manner to avoid any delays that would increase cost. The construction industry in Malaysia is fast growing and in light of the economy uncertainty, the world is now facing, great challenges face players in the industry. Dispute amongst parties involved in the industry are unavoidable. It would be impossible to create an environment where the industry would not be affected but great effort should be expended to minimize the effect that would be failing the industry. To do so, it is important that disputes be resolved in the most expedient and economic manner to enable parties in the industry to move forward without being badly affected. BACKGROUND STUDY Modern day construction projects vary from simple houses for individuals to complex infrastructure projects for governments. Some construction projects may even involve cross border movement of resources and not limited to the control of a single jurisdiction. A variety of factors, including, unfair allocation of risks, multiple contracts, unrealistic expectations and schedules, poorly drafted or inadequate contract documents, design omissions, tighter funding, the lack of experienced personnel, communication problems, and even the state of the economy, add to the complexity of construction projects. As a result, construction projects are a breeding ground for contractual dispute. Cooke J in Canterbury Pipe Lines Ltd v Christchurch Drainage Board  [3]  said Building contracts have been traditionally a fertile source of disputesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The enunciation aptly summarizes the very nature of construction industry as an industry notorious for complex disputes.  [4]  The primary cause of such disputes arises from inadequate legal knowledge.  [5]  Majority of construction practitioners comes from technical engineering and architectural background without adequate legal knowledge in contracts and this has led to numerous disputes in construction contracts. Lack of knowledge in construction laws by construction players has been the leading cause of dispute. Employers, Consultants and Contractors though with years of experiences in the industry are usually lacking of the legal knowledge and understanding on the operation and effects of various clauses in construction contracts in general and handling dispute. The lacking in understanding the legal and contractual aspects of contract may be caused by not having the experience to undergo the process itself or just plain ignorance of the topic overridden by over-zealous attitude of churning maximum profits and in the understanding that legal experts are there to provide all the required advice and service. Lack of knowledge in construction law will lead to wrong interpretation of contracts in which the party tends to take trivial matters to the dispute. Construction industry cannot avoid from disputes as many parties involved in one industry. All the parties insert dispute resolution mechanisms into the contract in the hope that the disputes can be avoided or solved as quickly as they can as they arise. If disputes are not managed properly, they tend to drag on and escalate to cause projects delays and ultimately ruined the relationships. Lord Denning  [6]  , when commenting on construction disputes, is quoted as saying; One of the greatest threats to cashflow is the incidence of disputes. Resolving them by litigation is frequently lengthy and expensive. Arbitration in the construction context is often as bad or worse According to Hibberd and Newman  [7]  , litigation gains an unpopular name when time goes on. They quote that A substantial majority (70%) suggested the whole system takes too long, whilst almost 30% suggested that the costs of litigation are far too high. As the litigation cannot solve dispute effectively, arbitration had been introduced. Professionals believed that arbitration can solve the problems without ignoring the main desire of clients. Most of the clients depend on those who know contract better than them. They hope these professional can help them with the lowest cost and fastest way to solve the problem. There is much truth in the old adage that prevention is better than cure. The various dispute resolution processes referred to mediation, conciliation and arbitration all suffer two particular disadvantages, which arise from the fact that these processes only come into play when a dispute has crystallized. One disadvantage is that, during the dispute resolution process, trust between the parties may be sorely tested, or even destroyed. The extent to which this occurs is likely to be proportional to the time and cost (in both money and resources) of resolving the dispute. As ongoing trust between contracting parties is such an essential ingredient of healthy and efficient project delivery, this can be a significant disadvantage in a continuing relationship such as will typically be found in a BOOT project. The longer and more acrimonious the dispute resolution process, the greater the likelihood that there will be a loss of trust in any continuing relationship. By having a readily accessible resource such as e-Construction Dispute Model (e-CDM) which the parties can access during the course of the project at any construction stages, the impact of disputes is minimized. In contrast to the dispute resolution processes earlier described, e-CDM seek to avoid or minimize the incidence of disputes by a timely, little costly and relatively informal process which takes place while the work is in progress. Used effectively, they can lead to a reinforcement and enhancement of trust, with a positive impact on the project as construction unfolds. PROBLEM STATEMENT The construction industry is notorious for high levels of conflicts and disputes. It is a project based industry with each project being unique. Some construction projects may even involve cross border movement of resources and not limited to the control of a single jurisdiction. A variety of factors, including, unfair allocation unfair allocation of risks, multiple contracts, unrealistic expectations and schedules, poorly drafted or inadequate contract documents, design omissions, tighter funding, the lack of experienced personnel, communication problems, and even the state of the economy, add to the complexity of construction projects. As a result, construction projects are a breeding ground for contractual disputes.  [8]   It could be said that the adversarial nature of the construction industry contributes to the germination and manifestation of construction disputes. As such, the construction industry has been at the forefront of the search for effective and efficient dispute resolution mechanisms. Project procurement and construction disputes are two of the major concerns in the construction industry worldwide.  [9]  There is now a wide armoury of dispute resolution methods available for resolving construction disputes. The most popular out of these being litigation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes such as arbitration, mediation, and conciliation. These dispute resolution processes suffer two key disadvantages, which arise from the fact that these processes only come into play after a dispute has arisen. One disadvantage is that, during the dispute resolution process, trust between the parties may be sorely tested, or even destroyed. The other disadvantage is that the time and cost of resolving a dispute may affect the expected project gains of parties concerned. In the circumstances, the current trend is to look for methods other than processes such as litigation, arbitration, mediation, and conciliation that could be put in motion before or at least, soon after a conflict has arisen. The aim is to ensure that dispute prevention measures, or at least measures for minimizing the scope of any dispute is put in place before the parties positions have hardened. Traditionally, resolving construction disputes are done through litigation. This can be confirmed by 72 cases related to building contract being reported by the Malayan Law Journal between 1990 and 2007 and the Current Law Journal which reported about 200 cases of construction related issues since 2004.  [10]  Yet, today the litigation procedures have fallen into disrepute, particularly due to excessive costs, delays, procedural complexity and adversarial approach.  [11]  The earlier research have come out with the new approach by developing eDR model but it only focus on on contractual variations  [12]  in construction projects. The lacking of law knowledge in every term of contact still needs to be addressed. It is essential in construction industry to adopt an anticipative approach to management. Since disputes have been one of the major factors affecting cost and time, it is necessary to determine the classification of dispute from the construction law cases and then the e-CDM can be the tool/database to prevent the conflicts or disputes at any stages of construction. By having thorough knowledge and information in this tool/database, it will definitely help the project manager and contract manager to anticipate problems at an early stage of the project without going through any other Alternative Dispute Resolution method which will cost extra money on the top of the project cost. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE The objective of this study are: To classification the types of dispute in the Malaysian construction industry base on the related law cases; To develop an e-CDM model as the database for construction industry; and To develop an application of e-CDP prototype/system based on types of the disputes, the parties involved, type of the project, when do the disputes occurred, and standard form of contract for the project. RESEARCH AIM The research has highlighted the problem statements on poor understanding of contract administration and lack of contractual knowledge toward the most litigious issue in construction. Therefore, the aim of this research is to classify the types of dispute based on related law cases in construction and subsequently propose and develop eCDM tool/database on construction disputes as an alternative way for resolving disputes in construction projects. SCOPE OF STUDIES This research is limited to the following:- a) To construction disputes reported by Malayan Law Journal. b) Cases related to Building Contract in Malaysia. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Briefly, this research will be carried out with five (5) different stages: Identifying the research issue Literature review Data and information collection Data and information collection Research analysis Data and information collection Conclusion and recommendations Data and information collection Identifying the Research Issue Identifying the research issue is the very initial stage from the whole research. Initial literature review was done in order to obtain the overview of the particular research topic. In identifying the issue, firstly, it will involves reading on various sources of published materials such as journals, articles, seminar papers, cases, previous research papers, or other related research materials, newspapers, magazines and electronic resources as well as World Wide Web and online e-databases from UM librarys website.  [13]  At the same time, discussions with supervisors, lecturers, as well as course mates have been done to gain more ideas and knowledge relating to the topic. Literature Review The second stage in executing a research is literature review. Literature review stage is basically a stage when the researcher will be reading and also need to criticize on each and every material that has been read. Published resources, like books, journals, varies standard form of contract and related statutory are the most helpful sources in this stage. Literature review also will be involving the collection of documents from the secondary data research, such as books, journals, newspapers.  [14]   Data and Information Collection This stage is data and information collection stage. This is an important stage towards achieving the objectives of this research. In this stage, the further action is to collect the relevant information based on the secondary data from the published resources. Lexis-Nexis database which provides cases of Malayan Law Journal is the main sources in getting the related cases. Research Analysis During this stage, all of the data collected data, information, ideas, opinions and comments were specifically arranged, analyze and also will be interpreted based on the literature view which will be carried out. This stage also could be called as the heart of the research as from this chapter; we can see how the objective has been achieved. Conclusion and recommendations Conclusion and recommendations is the final stage of the research. In this stage the findings will be able to show the result of the research. A conclusion needs to be drawn in-line with the objectives of the research. At the same time, some appropriate recommendations related to the problems will be made for a better solution in relation to the said problem. CONCLUSION Disputes between parties to construction projects are of great concern to the industry; nevertheless, the subject is dominated by anecdote and hearsay. The study of construction industry disputes, and the causes of those disputes, is essential. In fact, it would seem that effective management action can be taken only if based on reliable evidence and as contract manager it is essential for them to consider all kinds of dispute in construction industry.

Nathaniel Hawthorn :: essays research papers

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts. His father, also Nathaniel, was a sea captain and descendent of John Hawthorne, one of the judges in the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692. He died when the young Nathaniel was four year old. Hawthorne grew up in seclusion with his widowed mother Elizabeth - and for the rest of her life they relied on each other for emotional solace. Later he wrote to his friend Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: "I have locked myself in a dungeon and I can't find the key to get out." Hawthorne was educated at the Bowdoin College in Maine (1821-24). In the school among his friends were Longfellow and Franklin Pierce, who became the 14th president of the U.S. Between the years 1825 and 1836 Hawthorne worked as a writer and contributor to periodicals. Among Hawthorne's friends was John L. O'Sullivan, whose magazine the Democratic Review published two dozen stories by him. According to a story, Hawthorne burned his first short-story collection, Seven Tales of My Native Land, after publishers rejected it. Hawthorne's first novel, FANSHAWE, appeared anonymously at his own expense in 1828. The work was based on his college life. It did not receive much attention and the author burned the unsold copies. However, the book initiated a friendship between Hawthorne and the publisher Samuel Goodrich. He edited in 1836 the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge in Boston, and compiled in 1837 PETER PARLEY'S UNIVERSAL HISTORY for children. In was followed by a series of books for children - GRANDFATHER'S CHAIR (1841), FAMOUS OLD PEOPLE (1841), LIBERTY TREE (1841), and BIOGRAPHICAL STORIES FOR CHILDREN (1842). The second, expanded editi on of TWICE TOLD TALES (1837), was praised by Edgar Allan Poe in Graham's Magazine. In 1842 Hawthorne became friends with the Transcendentalists in Concord, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, who also drew on the Puritan legacy. However, generally he did not have much confidence in intellectuals and artists, and eventually he had to admit, that "the treasure of intellectual gold" did not provide food for his family. In 1842 Hawthorne married Peabody, an active participant in the Transcendentalist movement, and settled with her in Concord. A growing family and mounting debts compelled their return to Salem. Hawthorne was unable to earn a living as a writer and in 1846 he was appointed surveyor of the Port of Salem. He worked there for three years until he was fired.

Moving Away from Home Can Be Astessful Experience for Young People

Moving away from home can be a stressful experience for young people Nowadays, many young people don’t want to live with their parents because they think if they live along, they can do whatever they want. But maybe few months later, they will find some problems that they never know how to do before because their parents always do everything for them when they are at home. At that time, they will feel stressful. However, I think it’s a good way to teach them how to live by themselves, especially for teenagers. They can’t be dependent on their parents all of their life so they have to learn many things and do many things by themselves. Moving away from home not only can be a stressful experience for young people but can also be a good way to let them learn how to become independent. The other reason that young people will feel stressful when they move away from home is they don’t know many people in the new place or even they don’t know anyone there. When they have something they can’t solve, they don’t know they can ask who or who can help them. They will feel so lonely and upset in the beginning, especially for someone who has nothing is smooth. In conclusion, moving away from home is a stressful experience for young people but also it is a helpful experience to them because they can learn many things by this kind of experience.

Lessons from Rs Mcnamara

Walking Along a Familiar Path In Errol Morris’ documentary Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, we follow the life and times of former United States Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara. The insightful piece follows his life from birth during World War I, his success at college, cunning business career at Ford Motor Company, to his involvement in World War II and his controversial political career during the Kennedy and Johnson presidential terms.Morris highlights the documentary around these eleven lessons that McNamara passes through during an interview for the film. In my opinion some of these ‘lessons’ are merely some opinions of McNamara and some seem to be spurred along by Morris, who is asking the questions in the background. I believe it is through some of these lessons that Morris uses McNamara’s success and failures to relate them to current issues such as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars; and how we seem to be treading do wn a familiar path.LESSON #5: PROPORTIONALITY SHOULD BE A GUIDELINE IN WAR? â€Å"In order to win a war should you kill 100,000 people in one night, by firebombing or any other way . . . Proportionality should be a guideline in war. Killing 50% to 90% of the people of 67 Japanese cities and then bombing them with two nuclear bombs is not proportional, in the minds of some people, to the objectives we were trying to achieve. † Robert McNamara This comment by McNamara resonated through out the film. I knew that there was some bombing in Japan but not to this extent.Morris puts forth one of the most powerful uses of imagery to captivate the audience and bring these death tolls to a whole other level. McNamara resentfully cites a series of Japanese cities that were partially or largely destroyed and matches them to American cities of comparable size, and asks us to imagine those U. S. communities similarly ravaged. It's a strong point, graphically supported by Morris on screen by flashing names and statistics at accelerating speed. â€Å"In that single night, we burned to death 100,000 Japanese civilians in Tokyo: men, women, and children. McNamara. Through this outrages example, I believe Morris was alluding to the large deployment of troops launched to fight small forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. Having twenty-five thousand troops fighting insurgent forces made up of small groups of guerrilla factions can be scene in some eyes as excessive and ill proportioned.LESSON #6: GET THE DATA and LESSON #7: BELIEF AND SEEING ARE BOTH OFTEN WRONG. â€Å"At one point, the commander of the ship said, ‘We're not certain of the attack. At another point they said, ‘Yes, we're absolutely positive. ‘ And then finally late in the day, Admiral Sharp said, ‘Yes, we're certain it happened. ‘ So I reported this to Johnson, and as a result there were bombing attacks on targets in North Vietnam. † McNamara The important fact from McNamara is that the escalation of the Vietnam War started based on a misinformed from a single crew thinking they had been torpedoed. This seemed to be a decent excuse to start bombing runs, mobilize troops and deploy them in to South East Asia.The parallels between these chain of events leading to the Vietnam War and the actions taken by the US government in launching campaigns against Afghanistan and Iraq are very similar. While the terrorist attacks on 9/11 were a violent catalyst to the conflict in Afghanistan, it was an isolated attack by a handful of terrorist. The US turned 9/11 into a raid on Afghanistan harboring factions of these terrorists, eventually overturning the government in power. Another similar lesson in which McNamara states we should â€Å"Get the data,† can be strongly related to the US government’s poor excuse to invade Iraq.The speculation that Iraq was in the process of making or in possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) was largely fabricated o rdeal backed by speculation and no quantifiable evidence. Since 2003, the US has still not found WMDs and have quickly skirted this issue under the rug while they change their war song as an action of freedom against tyrannical Iraqi government. LESSON #8: BE PREPARED TO REEXAMINE YOUR REASONING. ?†Were those who issued the approval to use Agent Orange: criminals? Were they committing a crime against humanity?Let's look at the law. Now what kind of law do we have that says these chemicals are acceptable for use in war and these chemicals are not. We don't have clear definitions of that kind. I never in the world would have authorized an illegal action. I'm not really sure I authorized Agent Orange. I don't remember it but it certainly occurred, the use of it occurred while I was Secretary. † Another one of McNamara’s strong comments that relate to that there is a consequence to every action we take and that we must live with that consequence.His job was tough, and he had to make some critical decisions for the ware fare of millions in which he, â€Å"Never had hindsight in making decisions at the time. † This, I believe, was Morris’ big punch in the mouth to the powers of the George W. Bush administration and their actions surrounding the invasion of Iraq. Now, at the time of release of this documentary the Iraq war was still in the infant stages of development- Morris had no clue how the war would turn out but left us with a strong statement that someone would have to be accountable for starting an unjust war.I was once told in a high school history class that, â€Å"History is written by the victors. † McNamara sums this quote up with a brilliant look back into some of his actions during World War II â€Å"[General Curtis] LeMay said if we had lost the war, we would have been prosecuted as war criminals. And I think he's right . . .. What makes it immoral if you lose and not immoral if you win? † Morris alludes through this lesson that someone will have to answer to these actions and wash the blood off their hands. Can we learn from history? Are we fated to repeat the mistakes that we've made in the past, again and again?Or can we learn from history and from the past? These are some serious questions I believe Morris forces us to ask ourselves. I believe that Morris was trying to bring up similarities of the past rather than actually relating the Vietnam War specifically to the Iraqi War, showing us that we are still treading upon our past mistakes. If we don’t learn from history and the events that pass we will be doomed to repeat history, over and over again. â€Å"Don’t make the same mistake twice†¦one mistake can destroy a nation. † Robert Strange McNamara

Reading Strategies Essay

Reading is an essential skill in human life. People are trained to learn how to read at very early age and they read with many purposes such as reading for pleasure or reading to earn experience or simply to know what is happening around them. In academic setting, reading is assumed to be the central means for learning new information and gaining access to alternative explanations. Reading also provides people with the foundation for synthesis and critical evaluation skill. In addition, reading is the primary means for independent learning, whether the goal is performing better on academic tasks, learning more about subject matter, or improving language abilities (Grabe and Stoller, as cited in Celce-Murcia, 2001). However, according to Dr. Kathleen King (Reading Strategies, n. d. ) for students at college, reading is a new experience although they have been reading for more than 12 years at school or for pleasure. In addition, academic reading is not easy; therefore, it is extremely difficult for academic students to achieve complex goals without reading strategies. Supporting to this idea, (Hawkins, 1991, cited in Celce-Murcia) also said that â€Å"Of all the skills that the child must acquire in school, reading is the most complex and difficult†. Therefore, English Second Language students are surely unavoidable to face some problems. Firstly, learners may be good at understanding separate words or even each sentence, but fail to understand the relationships between the sentences and the meaning of the text as a whole. Next, they do not have necessary knowledge about what they read. And the most important problem is that they lack necessary reading strategies. English Second Language students need to learn reading strategies because their comprehension breaks down easily. They need different ways to approach reading to help facilitate the reading process and provide them with a better sense of what they are reading (Reading strategies for ESL Students, n. d. ). Reading strategies are the most effective means to help them deal with obstacles in reading and become a better reader. Furthermore, with practice, the strategies lead to skills that become automatic and quick over time (McNamara and Danielle, 2009). But for students at the college, reading is not simply to do the task and reading passage is often longer than it is at high school meanwhile not all of them know the reading strategies and how to use them effectively. So, teaching reading strategies for students becomes necessary. That is the reason why the researcher choose â€Å"reading strategies for academic students† as a topic to do the research with the hope of improving the effect of their reading. CHAPTER II: LITERATURE II. 1. Definition of Strategies Brown (2001) defined strategies as specific methods to solve a problem or task, as modes of activity to reach a particular end or intentional designs to control or manipulate certain information. He stated that strategies differentiate within an individual and that a person can use a variety of strategies to achieve his or her goal. Oxford (as cited in Oxford, 2003, p. 8) defined strategies as follows: â€Å"The word â€Å"strategies† comes from the ancient Greek word strategia, which means steps or actions taken for the purpose of winning a war. The warlike meaning of strategia, has fortunately fallen away but the control and directedness remains in the version of the word. † He believed that whether a strategy is helpful or not depends on the specific context in which it is appropriately used. In order to use a strategy effectively, learners have to consider three important conditions: whether the strategy relates well to the second language task at hand, whether the strategy fits the particular students’ learning style preferences to one degree or another, or whether the students employ the strategy and link it with other strategies well. II. 2. Distinction between Strategies and Skills Strategies can be defined as conscious actions that learners take to achieve desired goals or objectives, while a skill is a strategy that has become automatic. As learners consciously learn and practice specific reading strategies, the strategies move from conscious to unconscious; from strategy to skill (Nunan, 2003). Strategic reading is defined as the ability of the reader to use a wide variety of reading strategies to accomplish a purpose for reading (Nunan, 2003). Strategic reading means not only knowing what strategy to use, but knowing how to use and integrate a range of strategies (Anderson, 1991). II. 3. Difference Strategic Readers from Poor Readers (Reading Strategies, n. d. ) |1. Before Reading, Strategic Readers †¦ |Poor Readers †¦ | |? Build up their own background knowledge about reading and the |? Start reading without thinking about the process of reading or the| |topic |topic. | |? Set purposes for reading. |? Do not know why they are reading but merely view the task as | |? Determine methods for reading, according to their purposes. |â€Å"ground to cover†. | |2. During Reading, Strategic Readers †¦ |Poor Readers †¦ | |? Give their complete attention to the reading task. |? Do not eliminate distractions from reading. | |? Check their own understanding constantly. |? Do not know whether they understand. | |? Monitor their reading comprehension and do it so often that it |? Do not recognize when comprehension has broken down. | |becomes automatic. |? Seldom use fix-up strategies to improve comprehension. | |? Stop to use a fix-up strategy when they do not understand. |? Skip or ignore meanings of unfamiliar but crucial words. | |? Use semantic, syntactic, and graphophonic cues to construct |? Do not integrate text with prior knowledge. | |meanings of unfamiliar words. |? Read without reflecting on meaning or text organization | |? Synthesize during reading. | | |? Ask questions. | | |? Talk to themselves during reading. | | |3. After Reading, Strategic Readers †¦ |Poor Readers †¦ | |? Decide if they have achieved their goals for reading. |? Do not know what they have read. | |? Evaluate their understanding of what was read. |? Do not follow reading with comprehension self-check. | |? Summarize the major ideas. |? Rely exclusively on the author’s words. | |? Seek additional information from outside sources. |? Do not go beyond a surface examination of the text. | |? Distinguish between relevant and irrelevant ideas. |? Apply no conscious strategies to help them remember. | |? Paraphrase the text what they have learned. | | |? Reflect on and personalize the text. | | |? Critically examine the text. | | |? Integrate new understandings and prior knowledge. | | |? Use study strategies to retain new knowledge. | | II. 4. Some Methods for Teaching Reading Strategies Reading Strategies (n.d. ) separates reading lesson into three stages and has some ideas about activities for each stage. II. 4. 1. Before Reading activities should emphasize methods of merging reader, text, and content –enabling students to set appropriate reading purposes, recall related prior knowledge, preview and predict what the text will be about, and select reading methods to suit their purposes and the text. Included in these considerations may be readers’ decisions to expand their background knowledge through related discussion, exploration of key concepts, or related reading. II. 4. 2. During Reading: activities should enable students to monitor their comprehension through a variety of strategies and experience and acquire diverse fix-up strategies to improve their understanding where necessary. II. 4. 3. After Reading: activities should teach students to review their understanding of text, relate new ideas to their background knowledge, revisit the text to clarify and extend meanings, make responsible interpretations and criticisms of ideas from the text, revise their thinking, apply the information to other texts and disciplines, and remember crucial learning for future application. II. 5. Some Techniques for Teaching Reading Strategies Reading Strategies (n. d. ) also gives some techniques to teach reading strategies II. 5. 1. Some Techniques for Teaching Before-Reading Strategies Before reading, strategic readers: * Preview the text by looking at the title, the pictures, and the print in order to evoke relevant thoughts and memories. * Build background by activating appropriate prior knowledge through self –questioning about what they already know about the topic (or story), the vocabulary, and the form in which the topic (or story) is presented. * Set purposes for reading by asking questions about what they want to learn during the reading process. II. 5. 2. Some Techniques for Teaching During-Reading Strategies During reading, strategic readers: * Check understanding of the text by paraphrasing the author’s words. * Monitor comprehension and use fix-up strategies: use the cueing systems to figure out unknown words and imaging, imagining, inferencing, and predicting. * Integrate new concepts with existing knowledge: continually revise purpose for reading. II. 5. 3. Some Techniques for Teaching After-Reading Strategies. After reading, strategic readers: * Summarize what they have read by retelling the plot of the story or the main idea of the text. * Interpret and evaluate the ideas contained in the text. * Make applications of the ideas in the text to unique situations, extending the ideas to broader perspectives. * Use study strategies for note taking, locating, and remembering to improve content – area learning. II. 6. Kinds of Strategy Before students begin their next reading assignment, identify their purpose for reading. According to the reader’s different purposes, he or she will choose the appropriate reading style. Therefore, there are a variety of strategies. II. 6. 1. Study Reading The Study Reading is used when the readers intend to read difficult material at a high level of comprehension. This reading style says that because of the material at a high level of comprehension the readers should read the material more than once and sometimes reading the material aloud also improves their comprehension. (Becoming a Flexible Reader, n. d. ) II. 6. 2. Skimming When the reader’s purpose is to quickly obtain a general idea about the reading material, he or she is suggested to use skimming style. This strategy is extremely useful if the readers want to read a large amount of material in a short amount of time by two ways: identify the main ideas and ignore the details. (Becoming a Flexible Reader, n. d. ) II. 6. 3. Scanning Contrastively, the scanning style is used when their purpose is to quickly locate a specific piece of information within reading material. To scan, the readers mostly focus on a list of names, words, numbers, short statements, and sometimes even in a paragraph. (Becoming a Flexible Reader, n. d. ) II. 6. 4. SQRW. According to A Strategies for Reading Textbooks (n. d. ), it divides strategies into four-steps, called SQRW. Each letter stands for one step in the strategy. Using SQRW will help readers to understand what they read and to prepare a written record of what they learned. The written record will be valuable when readers have to participate in a class discussion and again when they study for a test. Read to learn what to do for each step in SQRW. ( Survey This strategy brings to mind what the readers already know about the topic of a chapter and prepares them for learning more. The readers do survey by reading the title, introduction, headings, and the summary or conclusion or they will examine all visuals such as pictures, tables, maps, and/or graphs and read the caption. By survey, the readers quickly learn what the chapter is about. ( Question Questions give the readers a purpose for reading and help them stay focused on the reading assignment. To form questions, the readers base on a heading and use the words who, what, when, where, why, or how. When a heading contains more than one idea, form a question for each idea. Do not form questions for the Introduction, Summary, or Conclusion. ( Read Read the information that follows each heading to find the answer to each question readers formed. They may change a question or turn it into several questions to be answered. Readers need to stay focused and flexible so they can gather as much information as they need to answer each question. ( Write Write each question and its answer in your notebook. Reread each of your written answers to be sure each answer is legible and contains all the important information needed to answer the question. CHAPTER III: APPLICATION III. 1. For Students Here are some suggestions for students to apply before, during and after-reading in order to become strategic readers. There are two things that students need to prepare before they read. First of all, it is the reading environment. Students had better to choose a quiet place which is far away from making noise. They would be distract by it and cannot concentrate well on what they read. Moreover, a place gives them an attitude to be ready to read. Besides the place, readers also pay attention to have small things as pen or paper in hand. These things help them take note immediately what they read on the text when the ideas come out in the mind before they quickly disappear. Before reading, firstly it is necessary for English Second Language students to set a goal for reading. This activity will keep them focus on what they read and prevent them from wandering around the text. Secondly, they should activate prior knowledge. It means that students brainstorm what they already know about the topic. Combination between prior knowledge and new text help them understand more about the topic. Last but not least, according to their purposes, they choose suitable methods for reading. Appropriate strategies help them read and achieve their goals quickly. While reading is the stage which students apply all their known strategies to read quickly but effectively. For example, strategic readers do not read the text from the beginning to the end; instead they skim it quickly to have an overview or to get main ideas about what they are going to read. It means that those students would read the introduction or every first line of each paragraph before going to read the whole passage. Next, when students read in detail, they should underline the information which they feel interested in and take notes or  highlight for easy to review important points later. In addition, it is important for students to remember to use what their background knowledge and their brainstorming about the text in before reading and see whether the old information fits the text, whether their prediction is correct or need changing. Moreover, if they have any difficulties with reading the text, slow down their reading speed and reread the information with more care. In case, it is too difficult to understand, highlight it for going back later, then skip it and move forward. Finally, college students are often required to read a lot with difficult vocabulary, so they should break down the assignment into many small sections, for example, ten pages for each reading times and manage to finish reading these sections instead of the whole. This strategy gives students more concentrated on what they read and prevents them from getting frustrated and disappointed. It is not simply to finish the reading task, learners should go beyond. And after reading is a stage for them to do so. First of all, students need to draw a conclusion. They turn back and think about what predictions they made before and during reading by reviewing the text. Also, they had better look back to consider how the information read related to their background knowledge and decide whether they achieve their goal. Secondly, students should take notes what they have read by writing a summary. This summary contains the main ideas, the important information or simply just a list of ideas getting from the reading. This activity is very helpful for the readers to maintain new knowledge for later use. Lastly, this stage also gives students a chance to discuss what they do not understand about the text. Students will mark anything that makes them confused and bring it to class and talk with their friends in order to clarify it. III. 2. For the Reading Teachers It takes a long time for students to become strategic readers and reading teachers play an important role in helping their students read quickly but effectively. Therefore, teachers are suggested to take these considerations. First of all, teachers themselves need to have a full awareness of great benefits which strategies could bring to their students, then the introduction of strategies, their practice, and their uses should be part of  every reading lesson because a strategy can be only applied well when teachers frequently explain, model it carefully, then give them enough opportunities to practice. However, for any approach to strategy development, teachers should remember to introduce only a few strategies at a time until students feel confident to use the strategies. And in each reading lesson, separate application of each strategy does not give a lot of help, so teachers should encourage students to combine some strategies together to get the best results. Moreover, teachers should be well-prepared the lesson beforehand. The aim of this preparation is to figure out which strategies are used in the lesson, then the teachers will carefully prepare suitable activities for each stage of a reading lesson. For example, in before-reading stage, teachers give activities such as True/ False Prediction, Brainstorming to help students have some general ideas about what they are going to read. For while-reading stage, teachers use Answer the Questions, Choose the Main Ideas to check their comprehension. For after-reading stage, the activities could be Summary, Discussion or Retelling what they have read. Additionally, when reading process takes place, reading teachers monitor the students’ expertise and independent application of the strategies. If there are many students feeling unsure about using the strategies, teachers stop their work, reintroduce and give them more practice. Finally after every reading times, teachers ask students to record their ability in applying strategies to assess their own growth. CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION During teaching process, most of reading teachers give more time and emphasis on testing reading comprehension than teaching readers how to comprehend. Therefore, this small research has been done to offer an overview of different strategies to reading and application for practice. All of strategies can be brought into play in an efficient way in the teaching and acquiring reading skill. Simultaneously, it helps both teachers and students recognize the significant advantages of mastering reading strategies. With careful discussion about most of strategies used in three main reading stages: before, during and after reading, hopefully this research is a source of reference for reading teachers and students. REFERENCES A Strategies for Reading Textbooks, (n. d. ). Retrieved December 3rd, 2010 from http://www. how-to-study. com/study-skills/en/studying/40/a-strategy-for-reading-textbooks/ Anderson, N. J. (1991). Individual Differences in Strategy Use in Second Language Reading and Testing. Modern Language Journal, 75: 460-472. Becoming a Flexible Reader, (n. d. ). Retrieved December 3rd, 2010 from http://www. how-to-study. com/study-skills/en/studying/33/becoming-a-flexible-reader/ Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by principles- An interactive approach to language pedagogy. (2nd ed. ). NY: Longman, pp 384-387. Dr. Kathleen King, (n. d. ). Reading Strategies, Lecture from University. Retrieved December 14th, 2010 from http://www. isu. edu/~kingkath/readstrt. html Grabe, W. , Stoller, F. L. (2001). Reading for Academic Purpose: Guidelines for the ESL/ EFL Teacher, In Celce-Murcia, M. (Ed. ), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. (3rd ed). Boston: Heinle, pp. 187-204. Hawkins, B. , (2001). Teaching Children to Read in a Second Language. In Celce-Murcia, M. (Ed. ), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. (2rd ed). Boston: Heinle. McNamara, Danielle S. (2009). The importance of teaching reading strategies, The Perspectives on Language and Literacy. Retrieved December 14th, 2010 from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_7694/is_200904/ai_n32423755 Nunan, D. (Ed. ) (2003). Practical English Language Teaching. Singapore: McGraw Hill. Oxford, R. L. (2003). Language Learning Styles and Strategies. Retrieved February 28, 2008, from web. ntpu. edu. tw/~language/workshop/read2. pdf Reading Strategies, (n. d. ). Retrieved December 10th, 2010 from http://98. 130. 215. 11/articles/6%20Strategic%20Reading. pdf.