Monday, September 30, 2019
Shale Gas
Shale gas is natural gas formed from being trapped within shale formations. Shale gas has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States over the past decade, and interest has spread to potential gas shale's in the rest of the world. In 2000 shale gas provided only 1% of U. S. natural gas production; due to rising oil prices gas prices have also been affected by the rise therefore there was big demand for gas in the US which in 2010 it was over 20% and the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration predicts that by 2035 46% of the United States' natural gas supply will come from shale gas. I would like to mention that Chesapeake energy is the leading US company in producing Shale gas with a market cap of 13. 6 Billion US $ (which I think itââ¬â¢s a good choice of adding it to your investment portfolio). Starting as early as 2017 the USA will start to export LNG to other world markets.Recently a company called Freeport LNG Development LP, which opened a facility on the Gulf Coast to import liquefied natural gas four years ago, signed a 20-year contract with two large Japanese power companies (Osaka Gas Co. ; Chubu Electric Power) to export natural gas from it instead. Freeport LNG is in advanced talks with Royal Dutch Shell PLC for a similar export deal that would allow the energy giant to ship out natural gas to foreign end customers. The emergence of vast new supplies of natural gas from dense shale rocks has upended expectations that the U.S. would become a major importer of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, from overseas. Now, many industry officials believe the U. S. could emerge as a major exporter, a development that could have a significant impact on the U. S. trade deficit. Drilling Shale Gas wells is not an easy task thanks to introducing new technologies like the Horizontal drilling technology which is used to drill the shale gas wells, with lateral lengths up to (5,000 m) within the shale, to create maximum boreh ole surface area in contact with the shale.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Why is it difficult to define a “new social movement”?
When one thinks of ââ¬Å"new social movementsâ⬠(NSM's) it is fair to say that a number of images may spring into peoples' minds. To some, Swampy chaining himself to a tree will automatically be imagined, for others, they may think of the anti-globalisation protests in Seattle or on the streets of London. The fact is that both of these ideas come under this broad title and it is for that reason that it can de difficult to define exactly what is meant by an NSM. This essay will attempt to address why NSM's have come into existence, which sections of society choose to become involved and how these groups operate. Having done this, the essay will then attempt to show why defining an NSM is problematic. It is fair to say that most people who choose to participate in NSM's do so because they feel that conventional politics does not or has not dealt with the issues that they feel are important. It is, therefore, the aim of the NSM's to highlight these issues and bring them to the attention of either the politicians or the general public in the hope that government policy will adopt a different strategy. It has been said that ââ¬Å"one repeated motif in the discussion of new social movements is the view that they are, in contrast to older movements, primarily social or cultural in nature and only secondary, if at all, political. â⬠(Scott, 1990:16). What Alan Scott is saying here is that the main ideas behind social movements are the attempts to change the way society exist as a whole and not necessarily the way people view their politics. Being part of a social movement is not just a way of thinking; it is a belief in a certain ideal that transcends all aspects of your life. In this way, it can be said that NSM's are expressive in their views as opposed to political parties, who are instrumental. An NSM is not necessarily motivated by achieving a pre-set goal but by the belief itself. This is one reason that can explain why members or ââ¬Ëadherents' of social movements are fully prepared to make self-sacrifices, such as imprisonment, for their cause. One important ramification of this is that the adherents to social movements are prepared to step outside the law to achieve their goals. This creates a very serious dilemma for governments because if people are prepared to act illegally then the threat of legal action will not act as a deterrent. In other words, if people have a strong enough will then in the end, there is nothing to stop them. As Russell Dalton and Manfred Kuechler wrote ââ¬Å"the new social movement approach claims that many NSM's intentionally remain outside the institutionalized framework of government. â⬠(Dalton et al. , 1990:14). The NSM's prefer to remain in this position to avoid being forced to compromise their goals. What this suggests is that NSM's actively promote criminal behaviour and rationalize it by saying that it is for a good cause. However, in a survey conducted by Alan Marsh in 1977, it was found that 55 per cent of the people questioned believed that ââ¬Å"it is justified to break the law to protest about something you feel may be very unjust or harmful. â⬠(Byrne, 1997:4). Although these activities are illegal, the majority of people are prepared to act as such anyway. This illustrates the complications that arise when one tries to define NSM's. On the one hand, you could say that they choose to be troublemakers, committing crimes and illegal protests, but on the other hand, you see that in fact a substantial proportion of the population shares their views on the appropriate course of action. A major difficulty with trying to define NSM's is to distinguish with what exactly we are dealing. What is meant by this is what sort or group of people or section of society do we class as a new social movement? For example, we would class feminists and green activists as social movements but this also leads to difficulty in defining what an NSM actually is. In terms of ideology, feminists and green activists have little in common yet they would both fall into the category of NSM's. A very extreme example of this is the Al' Queida terrorist network and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). These two groups could not be more different if they tried but to a certain extent they can both be classed as social movements. On the one hand, you have the CND, an organisation at the heart of the Peace Movement, whose ââ¬Å"supporters have employed tactics which extend from serious academic work on the probable effects of nuclear warfare, to mass demonstrations, and to a wide variety of non-violent direct action. â⬠(Byrne, 1997:11). On the other hand, you have the Al' Queida terrorist network, the alliance responsible for the September 11th attack upon New York's World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. This group is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people ââ¬â the CND, however, call for an end to weapons of mass destruction. How then can you class the Al' Queida terrorist network as a social movement? Its members are willing to step outside the conventional channels to achieve their goals. They are prepared to fight and die for their cause as long as by their death they have advanced towards their end goal ââ¬â the destruction of the US. The Al' Queida is one extreme example of how an NSM can be described as irrational and unreasonable. Their adherents are not motivated by self-interest but by their unbreakable belief in the cause. They also seem to think that they are justified in breaking the law or ignoring any kind of conventional methods. Here we can see how defining a NSM can be made difficult. The spectrum when it comes to social movements is so diversified that it leads to problems in terms of what can and cannot be included. It is difficult to comprehend that two such different groups can be classified under the same heading. The Al' Queida terrorist network is, to a certain extent, an example of how NSM's choose to exist in terms of their structure. The Al' Queida exists with more recognizable members, such as Osama Bin Laden, but the fact remains that if he were to be captured or killed then that would have little effect on the remainder of the group. The adherents will still believe in their cause and they will still do all they can to realize their vision. Of course, this is a very extreme example of a NSM and when we look at more mainstream groups the structure is less militant but the basic ideas remain the same. On a whole, NSM's attempt to avoid the hierarchical approach of the conventional political parties and instead choose to opt for a more co-operative system. The CND is actually an example of how a structured organisation can exist within the informally organized Peace Movement. It is difficult to describe the structure of an NSM as even the word ââ¬Ëstructure' suggests some kind of organisation. Referring to NSM's as groups also causes problems as this suggests that there would be some kind of hierarchy when in fact, as Brand et al. suggest ââ¬Å"New social movement theorists maintain that these groups prefer a decentralized, open, and democratic structure that is more in tune with the participatory tendencies of their supporters. â⬠(Dalton et al. , 1990:13). It is clear that NSM's choose to steer away from creating any formal structure as to avoid becoming the political parties that they are attempting to influence. The structure of NSM's has strong links with their ideology. NSM's are inclined to believe more in a co-operative society where every person has his or her own personal space in which they have the right to exist and the right to choose how they wish to live their lives. This means that NSM's have no leaders as such due to the adherents wish to maintain a sense of autonomy. To many adherents of social movements it is important for them as individuals to maintain their rights to exist as they see fitting. The idea of autonomy is of great importance when trying to discuss NSM's and the fact that they demand various aspects of this autonomy adds weight to the arguments for difficulty with definition. The first aspect is personal autonomy. The idea that adherents have the social ââ¬Ëspace' to grow as individuals and develop their own views and ideas, as opposed to being limited by constraints placed upon them by society. An example of this sort of autonomy can be found when we look at the Women's movement of the early seventies. Here women were not only fighting for their sex as a whole but for their own personal right to equality within the male dominated system. The Women's movement is also a good example of the second aspect of autonomy: that of group autonomy. Here we can consider the issue of abortion and the rights of women. This issue can be evaluated on both levels: personal and as a group. On a personal level, the efforts of the movement mean that the choice is there and whichever path is chosen is not dictated by anyone other than the parties involved. The women's movement fought for the rights of all women to choose whether or not to have abortions so that no matter what background you come from or what religion you are, every woman has the right to choose. The third aspect of autonomy is described as the ââ¬Ëautonomy of struggle', which is to say ââ¬Å"the insistence that the movement and those it represents be allowed to fight their own corner without interference from other movements, and without subordinating their demands to other external priorities. â⬠(Scott, 1990:20). We now see that this issue of autonomy is very important to NSM's. A social movement sees itself through its own rights and the rights of its adherents to live their lives in a certain fashion. This leads on to the idea of a social movement helping people to define themselves in terms of their place in society. This is prime example of how adherents differ to members of conventional political parties. A Conservative does not really have to make any concessions upon his or her lifestyle in order to be a member of the Conservative party but being an environmentalist is about a change in how one acts in general. What this illustrates is the argument that NSM's do not necessarily take action towards political reform but in fact towards social reform. One of the main elements that makes defining NSM's so difficult is who makes up the adherents of these movements. Over the last thirty years, there has been an increase in the so-called new politics but can this all being attributed to the uprising of the student movement or are the adherents far more diversified? As has already been mentioned, different people have different views on what they consider to be an NSM. Are we supposed to believe that all adherents are in fact longhaired, unwashed students who have nothing better to do with their time that form squatter camps and disrupt building work? The classical approach to NSM's suggests that most adherents turn to social movements due to relative deprivation. The idea that they are somehow incapable of participating in conventional politics so they choose NSM's as an alternative. However, when classicalists looked at the type of people involved in the civil rights movement in the US during the fifties and sixties, they found that it was not only the alienated black population that was involved but also the white middle class. The theory of ââ¬Ëresource mobilization' was put forward as an alternative to the classical theory. Here, the authors of the theory believed that participation in NSM's was to do with resources. What ââ¬Ëresources' mean is the availability of finances, office space and other intangible assets such as time and education. It suggests that there has been an evolution of the middle class to include people such as teachers and lecturers who have created a class not through economic wealth but through their knowledge and intelligence. The typical adherent to NSM's is far from the image of a tree-hugging extremist but is, in fact, a member of this new middle class, a technocrat. What are the reasons behind this? That is a hard question to answer but Ronald Inglehart suggested the theory of ââ¬Ëpost-materialism'. ââ¬Å"Inglehart argues that the post-war generation have been socialized into such higher order or ââ¬Ëpost-material' values, and its this which motivates their support for social movements. â⬠(Byrne, 1997:55). Here, the argument is that the people who choose to become involved in NSM's are those who feel that they have achieved all the material possessions that they can and are therefore, looking for some other kind of personal fulfillment. This theory holds a number of flaws, for example, how can Inglehart be sure that people would choose to become involved in social movements instead of charity work in their quest for personal fulfillment? Another problem arises when you try to quantify the level of material wealth that constitutes satisfaction and at which point the person decides to give up the search for more money. However, the fact remains that it has become more apparent over the years that it is this new middle class that is the typical adherents to the NSM's but it has not become clear why it is this group. The fact is that these new social movements choose to exist outside the conventional channels of politics. They do not have the same structure as the mainstream political parties as they are not supposed to be as such. They are an ideology that is followed through choice and lead to more extreme measures than usual politics to the extent that adherents make a lifestyle decision. The difficulty in defining NSM's comes from all aspects of their existence. The title of a social movement covers such a diverse range of beliefs and ideas that any kind of set rules will ultimately fail as no statement can be truly all-inclusive. Neither would NSM's want to be able to be defined as it goes against all the ideals for which they stand ââ¬â the ideals of a hierarchy free alliance where the emphasis is on co-operation and not leadership. This statement itself causes problems, as it is a sweeping generalization of the group of social movements as a whole. The difficulties of defining new social movements appear because of the fact that no two movements or beliefs are exactly the same.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Land law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1
Land law - Essay Example A tenancy agreement vests an interest in the land unlike license agreement whereby the individual is only granted personal interest by the owner of the land and such interest can be revoked at anytime without any notice2. In differentiating tenancy agreements and license, the intention of the parties at to the nature of agreement is irrelevant; the only determining factor is the intention to grant the party exclusive possession of the property3. A license agreement grants the individual a personal privilege which is revocable at the will of the person granting the license. In tenancy agreements, a letter conveying the transfer of interest in the land to the tenant is mainly used as the evidence of exclusive possession of the property. The licensee is required to use the real property according to the terms set out in the license agreement while the licensor remains with the exclusive possession and control of the property. A license only makes acts that would be considered unlawful l ike trespass to be lawful. For instance, a license agreement allows the licensee to walk through the land of another or keep his goods in the land of the licensor without being prosecuted for trespass. A gratuitous license can be revoked by the licensor without any notice if the licensee contravenes the terms set out in the agreement or when the licensor desires to end the license4. A tenancy agreement mainly covers a term not exceeding more than three years but there is no express requirement that it should be executed by a deed. The interest of the tenant in the tenancy agreement is protected from third party interference, even without any formal registration as long as the tenant has paid the market rate rent for the property. Tenancy agreements can be created by contract law or common law. A fixed term tenancy covers a fixed period of time whereby the tenant is required to vacate the premises at the end of the period5. Some tenancies are created by common law whereby the tenancy continues indefinitely until it is terminated by provision of notice. In this type of tenancy, the tenant continues to pay rent in periodic terms until both the landlord and tenant provide each other with a notice of intention to terminate the tenancy. A tenancy at will is another form of tenancy that is created by common law. In this type of tenancy, the tenant will occupy the real property either with express or implied consent of the landlord. This mainly occurs when a pre-existing fixed term tenancy expires and the tenant continues to occupy the property up to the time a new tenancy agreement is created or until the landlord requires the tenant to vacate the property6. Another form of tenancy is tenancy at sufferance which occurs at the end of fixed term tenancy holds over to the property and the landlord does not give an indication of consent or objection of the tenant continuing to occupy the premises. If the landlord requires the tenant to move out of the property, the conti nuing occupancy of the property by such a tenant amounts to trespass. If the tenant pays rent which the landlord accepts, the tenancy changes to periodic tenancy. Tenancy agreements contain covenants and conditions which parties are prohibited from breaching. Covenants impose obligations on one party for the benefit of the other party while conditions refers to even that may occur or not occur leading to the termination of the tenancy. A breach of a covenant will make the landlord
Friday, September 27, 2019
Critically evaulate the care and management of a Scaphoid fracture Essay
Critically evaulate the care and management of a Scaphoid fracture from the perspective of a Emergency Nurse Practitioner - Essay Example I chose to focus on scaphoid fractures since they are part of the injuries that I am likely to come across as an emergency nurse practitioner (Rutter, 2008). This paper touches on the clinical assessment and differential diagnosis of scaphoid fractures. I will discuss different assessments that a nurse can perform and the diagnosis process that is supposed to be followed when dealing with a fractured scaphoid. I will also look at the psychological as well as the cultural factors that might affect the patient suffering from a fractured scaphoid. I will also include the treatment options available for scaphoid fractures. There are several issues related to the management of fractured scaphoids. And I will delve deep into some of these issues in my discussion. Clinical assessment and differential diagnosis Scaphoid fractures are quite difficult to diagnose correctly since X-Ray interpretations are normally vague (Gunal, Barton and Calli, 2010). This draws to attention the need of clinic al assessment in the diagnosis process. The diagnostic process of a fractured scaphoid needs to be thorough enough to be able to make accurate diagnosis. Signs and Symptoms It is quite challenging to diagnose fractured scaphoids due to the lack of apparent signs that are common with bone fractures. The most common symptom or sign of a fractured scaphoid is tenderness and pain, which is usually accompanied by swelling on the wrist (Elhassan and Shin, 2006). However these signs are not very specific and one might make unnecessary outpatient reviews. In the health facility where I worked, MRI technology was used to a certain the presence of a fractured scaphoid on a patient (Garcia and Holtz, 2001). However, the patient had to undergo plain-film radiographs to ascertain that indeed there was a fracture on the wrist. The first step of the clinical assessment of the suspected fractured scaphoid was to take the patients history (Bickley, 2005). Taking the history of the patient was import ant as it showed the injury mechanism. For a fractured scaphoid, the injury mechanism normally involved: Falling onto the outstretched hand Forced dorsiflexion, with a radially deviated wrist Sometime there could be palmar flexion After checking the common signs of a fractures wrist such as swelling, lack of a strong grip and pain, the next step involved the use of radiographs (Elhassan and Shin, 2006). The lateral radiograph was used to indicate whether or not there was any sign of inconsistency in the alignment of the carpal and distal joints (Edwards and Stillman, 2006). If the patient had positive radiograph results but negative initial clinical findings were treated using cast immobilization for two weeks. After two weeks, the examination was repeated to examine whether there had been any form of healing or bony resorption at the site of the fracture. Emergency nursing practitioners carried out the initial clinical evaluation which in most cases showed the following (Muscari. 2 001): Pain on the wrist Fullness and swelling off the snuffbox, which was a clear indication of effusion Tender palpation in the anatomical snuffbox and scaphoid tubercle Reduction in the range of motion Pronation and ulnar deviation that caused pain Reduced strength of grip When the radiographs failed to indicate the fracture, even when it was apparent there was one, the other option used was MRI. In many health facilities which deal with emergency care for minor
Thursday, September 26, 2019
EasyJet Airline Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
EasyJet Airline Company - Essay Example The timeline of EasyJet Airline reportedly started in March of 1995 as founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou was noted to have offered flights at significantly low fares in Europe. Currently,it boasts of being ââ¬Å"Europe's leading airline,operating on over 600 routes across 30 countries with our fleet of over 200 aircraft, employing over 8,000 people In its almost 18 years of organizational existence, EasyJet was noted to have been governed by a code of conduct to guide the behavior and decision-making processes of its personnel. The paper hereby presents a critical evaluation of the code of EasyJet Airline through a description of the code and by thoroughly assessing the codeââ¬â¢s effectiveness in demonstrating the companyââ¬â¢s values and conformity to business ethics. Critical Analysis of the Code The organizationââ¬â¢s code was found under the title Governance on their official website: http://corporate.EasyJet.com/about-EasyJet/governance.aspx?sc_lang=en. Upon initial gl ance, the governance page contains information that indicates that the organizationââ¬â¢s board of directors commissioned setting principles and ethical policies, of which, it was explicitly emphasized that the ââ¬Å"key to these principles is working in an open and honest mannerâ⬠(EasyJet Airline, Governance, n.d., par. 2). Likewise, the code was apparently patterned from the UK Corporate Governance Code which allegedly requires the following information to be disclosed:â⬠¢ Terms of reference for the Finance Committeeâ⬠¢Terms of reference for the Remuneration Committee... ance Committeeà Terms of reference for the Remuneration Committee Terms of reference for the Audit Committee Terms of reference for the Nominations Committeeà Terms and conditions of appointment / reappointment of the non- executive directors Matters reserved for the Board Non-Audit Services Policy (EasyJet Airline, Governance, n.d., par. 3). Finally, two (2) other documents were disclosed to be incorporated and accessible: (1) Corporate Governance Pages of the Annual Report; and (2) division of responsibilities of the Chairman and CEO (EasyJet Airline, Governance, n.d., par. 4). The Corporate Governance Pages of the 2012 Annual Report are found on pages 44 to 48 and contain the following major portions, to wit: principles statement, statement of compliance, leadership, directorsââ¬â¢ conflicts of interest, board engagement with investors, board committees, relations with investors, internal control, risk management and internal audit (EasyJet, Corporate governance, 2012). T he Ethics Resource Center has recommended a code outline that should apparently contain the following format: I.à à à MEMORABLE TITLEà II.à à LEADERSHIP LETTERà III.à TABLE OF CONTENTSà IV. à INTRODUCTION-PROLOGUEà V.à à CORE VALUES OF ORGANIZATIONà VI.à CODE PROVISIONS-SUBSTANTIVE MATTERSà VII. à INFORMATION AND RESOURCES (Ethics Resource Center, 2009, p. 1). From the course modules, it was explicitly defined that the contents of ethical codes are as follows: ââ¬Å"standard of conduct, obeying the law, employees,consumers, shareholders, business partners, community involvement, public activities, environment, innovation, competition, business integrity, and compliance/monitoringâ⬠(University of Salford Manchester, What is the content of ethical codes?, 2012, p. 6; Crane and Matten, 2007).
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
The Responsibilities of Nurse managers Assignment
The Responsibilities of Nurse managers - Assignment Example Nurse empowerment also minimizes chances of employee burnout, being strained by work and, experiencing feelings of frustration and failure. Empowered nurses are not only motivated but also motivate other healthcare professionals by sharing the power tools and nurse managers should encourage this. Nurse empowerment can be used to build respect and trust in the workplace. The enhanced workplace aspects positively influence the behaviors and attitudes of nurses to a great extent because empowering workplaces increase feelings of organizational respect, justice and trust in management. This also encourages positive relationships with superiors, subordinates and peers within the workplace leading to the establishment of effective alliances. Nurse managers should, therefore, ensure the administration organizational justice through fair organizational processes and making of rational decisions, interpersonal justice through treatment of individuals with respect and dignity and, informationa l justice through the provision of quality and timely information. Nurse empowerment also increases autonomy among nurses which encourages them to bring out their special talents and apply them to improve the ways of accomplishing tasks in the workplace. Nurse managers should encourage and allow the expression of talents among nurses. Evaluation of staff retention tactics Good pay is a nice staff retention tactic. However, employees are not just concerned with salary. Instead, they seek for continual career advancement and learning opportunities. Nurse managers should, therefore, focus on paths to nurse advancement by understanding what is important for them in terms of their professional lives, and help them design their work and learning around that. They should also develop clear career paths for each nurse and help them set career goals frequently. Organizational credibility, employee treatment and work conditions are also very critical. Nurse managers should, therefore, ensure the provision of good work conditions, treat nurses as individuals, and advocate for the fulfillment of organizational pledges to employees. The ability to adjust to an organization is important thus nurse managers should ensure a smooth on board experience to assist new nurses adjust to the organization and become productive more quickly. Judgment of the importance of communication Effective and sufficient communication in nursing is important. It facilitates timely two way delivery of information between nurses, their superiors, patients and co-workers. It also allows nurses to obtain information from the patients, give them information and act as an effective liaison between the patient and the doctor. Nurse managers should, therefore, ensure the development of and assess communication skills among all nurses to ensure nurses are competent in giving and receiving information. This encompasses spoken language, proximity, eye-contact and therapeutic relationship and spatial awarene ss. Nurse managers should also note the things that can cause communication breakdown and plan to counter them, for example improper shift change among nurses, lack of trust, and conflict among nurses among others. They should also create an environment of confidence. Comparing challenges in the management of generational issues Todayââ¬â¢
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
What is your relationship between text and performance How is text Essay
What is your relationship between text and performance How is text used in, for and as art, design and performance - Essay Example By providing access, that is, to every form of extremism, including the prostitute, the madman, the artist, and the critic, modern society had stripped man of his ability to approach the society from without, and therefore to critique. Gavin Butt, writing specifically about art and literature criticism more than a half a century later, in 2005, claimed that the position of the critic had not substantially changed. He argued that criticism had suffered a crisis following post-structuralism in which the ââ¬Å"space for criticalityâ⬠had ââ¬Å"witheredâ⬠(p 1). Specifically, he claimed that theorists following Derrida, through declaring a deconstructive stance in regard to text in which the critic lives inside the text rather than outside of it, thereby becoming unmoored from any objective or ââ¬Å"anteriorâ⬠position from which to judge a textââ¬â¢s intent, have lost claim to any constructive ground by which to judge such texts (p 3). Taking, as one must in the pos tmodern world, the notion of text to its logical conclusion, one comes to the same argument that Marcuse presented. The artist cannot find room to critique society because he lives within the text that society represents. But is this necessarily so? If, that is, Marcuse found it possible to write his book, or Butt found it worthwhile to discuss the role of the critic, there must be some possibility of critical distance still available to the artist. Or else why so much spilled ink? The answer, it is believed here, is found in the continuing argument provided by Butts ââ¬â and indeed hinted at in the work of both Marcuse and Derrida, as well as others. Through what Butt calls the ââ¬Å"performativeâ⬠act of criticism, the artist as well as the critic, is able to form an act of criticism of ââ¬Å"text.â⬠Butt calls for a criticism ââ¬Å"after criticismâ⬠which rests on the ââ¬Å"event-nessâ⬠or immanence of an act as the significant factor, rather than any supposed transcendent or theoretical quality concerning the notion of criticism. In other words, the artist, by acting on a text, defined however it may be defined, is able to approach that text in a way that is instructive or altering or controlled or otherwise understood. In this brief paper, the role of the artist in defining the interaction between text and performance will be considered. Using the framework that Butts suggests, as presaged by other theorists working in the same vein, and as applied through the work of select contemporary artists, the paper will consider how text, both literally and figuratively configured, relates to performance, and how the artist may make use of this relationship as a critical function. Brief definition of the notion of ââ¬Å"textâ⬠will be offered, followed by a critical examination of how the relevant working artists have used actual and figurative text in their art to significant effect. Following this exposition, conclusions will be offered regarding the use of performance and text within my own approach to art as a means of achieving critical distance from the society in which I live and communicative proximity to my viewers, so that my art may be both meaningful and substantive. Text Defined In their film about the French philosopher who defined the deconstruction movement, Jacques Derrida, Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering weigh his influence and theoretical suppositions against the man himself. This is a fitting tribute in many ways, since Derrida believed that the notion of a ââ¬Å"textâ⬠includes a structurally infinite set of possibilities, a network of associations that spring from any given object or
Monday, September 23, 2019
Final exam quesiton 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Final exam quesiton 1 - Essay Example Indeed, the class accorded me the chance to learn more about the government policies on the American Indians. In addition, the learning methodology used that included lectures, essay writing, film, class discussions, and fieldtrips were fundamental in understanding the topics and improving interactions among the students and instructors. Indeed, I enjoyed the friendly and relevant modes used by the instructors to present the topics and the fact that students were at liberty to freely voice their opinions in the course of learning. Most importantly, the class availed a chance for the students to discuss controversial topics such as race and ethnicity that involve hard feelings and mixed emotions. Through these class discussions, we discussed these topics in a light mind and got the necessary understanding. Moreover, the reward on good attendance, the self-assessment survey, book reports, movie reviews, and other assessment procedures were very convenient and pleasant to this class. Hence, the class was informing, exciting, and worth
Sunday, September 22, 2019
I'm Still Human Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
I'm Still Human - Essay Example Racism is a perfect example. Whites have always been marked as superior to the blacks in the United States and the blacks have been negatively stereotyped. Although many efforts have been taken since decades for uniting the human race and sorting out the differences between them, these problems still exist in our society where a particular group of people are sidelined and neglected (Biss 2008). This inferiority is not just assigned to a particular group on the basis of their physical appearance but also owing to their mental skills and capabilities. I can truly relate to this with my life as I have a son who suffers from autism and I have taken care of him for eight years after his condition was identified. My child was diagnosed with autism at the age of four years and though he is in possession of great skills and abilities, he is looked down upon owing to his disease which makes him different from other children. The article, ââ¬Å"Autism: Why Some Children ââ¬ËBloomââ¬â¢ and Overcome Their Disabilitiesâ⬠sheds light upon the positive outcomes that can be obtained in autistic children if early interventions are prescribed in these children. While going through this article, I assessed the importance of the need of optimism and positivity in the life of autistic children. It triggered thoughts in my mind regarding my son and how proper support and interventions can actually make his life better. Autistic children are not received with warmth and love in our society. They are sidelined and are not judged on the basis of their positive traits but are rather judged on the basis of their shortcomings. This makes their progress and development worse (Szalavitz 2012 a). Children suffering from autism are not treated well in our society and this can clearly be assessed by the report of a recent research. The results of the research revealed that young school going children who suffered from autism were bullied five
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Assessments for Early Childhood Programs Essay Example for Free
Assessments for Early Childhood Programs Essay William J. Wilson once said, ââ¬Å"The person who scored well on an SAT will not necessarily be the best doctor or the best lawyer or the best businessman. These tests do not measure character, leadership, creativity, or perseveranceâ⬠. Why do we test students? What is the purpose of assessments? Do these tests and assessments benefit the students? These are questions educators have been asking for years. It is impossible for one to determine a childââ¬â¢s academic abilities based solely on a test. Yet there still needs to be some form of assessments performed in order to evaluate the academic level each student has reached. But how much assessing is too much? How heavily do educators rely on the results of these assessments? The main issues, when it comes to assessing early childhood students, are the consequences of the assessment results and how they affect the child. According to The National Academies of Sciences, there are two key principles that support the success of assessment. The first is that the purpose of an assessment should be a guide for assessment decisions. The purpose for any assessment must be determined and clearly communicated to all stake- holders before the assessment is designed or implemented. Most important, assessment designed for programs should not be used to assess individual children. Because different purposes require different kinds of assessments, the purpose should drive assessment design and implementation decisionsâ⬠(The National Academies of Sciences, 2008). The second principle is that any assessment performed should be completed in a ââ¬Å"coherent system of health, educational, and family support services that promote optimal development for all children. Assessment should be an integral part of a coherent system of early childhood care and education that includes a range of services and resourcesâ⬠(The National Academies of Sciences, 2008). These two principles explain the main purpose of why assessing is important and how assessments should be conducted. After having an understanding of the purpose of assessments, why is it so important to begin evaluations at such a young age? What is the purpose of evaluating infants and toddlers? Author Sue Wortham explains evaluating toddlers and infants determine whether the child is developing normally or if they show any signs of delay and need assistance. All in all, the main purpose of assessment is to benefit the child (Wortham, p. 32). The NAEYC believes that during a childââ¬â¢s early years, evaluating and assessing their development should be the primary focus. They want to study how young children grown and learn. All the ââ¬Å"results of assessment are used to inform the planning and implementation of experiences, to communicate with the childââ¬â¢s family, and to evaluate and improve teachersââ¬â¢ and programââ¬â¢s effectivenessâ⬠(Wortham, p. 4). Teachers also use assessment results to in order to plan their curriculum accordingly. So exactly do assessments search for? Assessments look not only for what the child is already capable of doing independently but also what they can do with the help of a teacher or another student (Wortham, p. 35). So how are they assessed exactly? There are many different assessments given to children across the U. S. everyday. These may be administered orally or as written works, such as questionnaires, surveys, or tests. These may include: standardized tests, observations, checklists, rating scales, rubrics, interviews, or portfolios. Each of these serve a different purpose in order to give different pieces of information needed to evaluate the child in question. Standardized tests, though many disagree with them, are meant to measure individual characteristics. Observations, on the other hand, are one of the most effective ways to measure studentsââ¬â¢ characteristics. When children are young, it can be hard at times to determine if there are any developmental delays (Wortham, p. 39). Developmental checklists, or scopes, are mainly used at all levels of education. These checklists are lists of the learning objectives that have been established by the teacher in order to keep track of their learning and development. Items on a checklist are rated with a negative or positive response from the teacher. Rating scales, unlike checklists, provide measurement on a continuum and are used when a collection of criteria is needed to attain specific information. Another form of assessment teachers commonly use is Rubrics. Rubrics were created to ââ¬Å"evaluate authentic and performance assessmentsâ⬠(Wortham, p. 41). Rubrics, like rating scales, have a range of criteria that must be met. However, unlike rating scales, rubrics can be used to not only determine the quality of performance required, but are also used to assign grades. Rubrics make it easy for students to understand what is expected and is makes it easier for teachers to grade assignments. The final types of assessments that are most frequently used are performance and portfolio assessments. These evaluations might be administered through interviews given directly by the teacher in order to understand the childââ¬â¢s thinking and understanding (Wortham, p. 41). Teachers may present these evaluations through directed assignments, activities, or games. The performance results are typically kept in a student or teacher portfolio. These portfolios contain samples of studentââ¬â¢s work and are used as a sort of progress report card. Keeping detailed reports of studentââ¬â¢s work in the portfolios help teachers keep track of their studentââ¬â¢s progress and help determine which areas of learning are lacking attention (Wortham, p. 41). Overall, according to Wortham, these tests, whether administered to an individual child or a group of students, are meant to determine a studentââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"abilities, achievements, aptitudes, interests, attitudes, values, and personality characteristicsâ⬠(Wortham, p. 9). Now having an understanding of the different types of assessments used to evaluate students and the purpose, let us turn to the negative and positive effects of these evaluations. It is crucial for educators to administer tests and evaluations carefully, because it they are poorly articulated, it can lead to decisions that are unfair or unclear, and they may do harm to programs, teachers, and, most importantly, children (Snow, C. E. Van Hemel, S. B. , p. 341-342). Evaluations and assessments are not meant to punish a child, and therefore, should never be overseen lightly. It is important that the information gathered outweighs any negative effects. Editors of Early Childhood Assessment: Why, What, and How, Catherine E. Snow and Susan B. Van Hemel, explain that ââ¬Å"although the same measure may be used for more than one purpose, prior consideration of all potential purposes is essential, as is careful analysis of the actual content of the assessment instrument. Direct examination of the assessment items is important because the title of a measure does not always reflect the contentâ⬠(Snow, C. E. Van Hemel, S. B. , p. 346). So what are some negative effects? Negative consequences of assessment findings may include program de-funding, closing a center, firing a teacher, mislabeling a child, or a reduction in program resources (The National Academies of Sciences, 2008). These effects, such as mislabeling a student, can follow students for the rest of their education career. Once a child is entered into a program, it can be difficult at time for teachers to look past that label. Children all develop at different his or her own pace. No one child will develop and learn the same way as another child. They all grow up and develop at different stages. Yet educational theorists have been able to observed and gather enough information to conclude that children, if divided in age groups, do tend to follow a certain development pattern. The problem is, it is hard to determine which children are the outliers in these results without carefully administering proper assessments. Assessments are not used to necessarily judge student or punish them. Their main purpose is to help students, teachers, and parents. So what are some positive effects of assessment and evaluations? Students that benefit from assessments and evaluations are those that are properly observed and tested. Teachers also benefit from the use of assessments because it helps them create an appropriate curriculum for their students. Evaluating children at a young age can have a positive effect if a delay or disability is in fact found, and because it was caught early, the student has a better chance of exceeding their potential in school. Catching developmental delays or disabilities at a young age is the same as finding cancer at an early stage in the sense that the earlier the cancer is found; the chances of survival are greater. Assessment results are used to plan for instruction, evaluate instructional programs, and report student progress. These are all positive results of assessments. Without the results of assessments and test, how can educators determine what to teach their students? Evaluations, if planned and administered properly, can be more beneficial than harmful. Unfortunately, not all teachers evaluate children fairly or appropriately. So it is important for parents to stay involved in their childrenââ¬â¢s education in the event that the results of an evaluation do not match the potential of their child. Parents should know the norms and abnormalities of their childââ¬â¢s behavior. Therefore, it is always beneficial to the child for parents and teachers to communicate. This way if a child is acting up in class, and the teacher notifies the parent, the parent may confirm any fears right away by simply saying, ââ¬Å"that isnââ¬â¢t like himâ⬠or ââ¬Å"heââ¬â¢s just nervousâ⬠. Avoiding drastic measures and not jumping to conclusions is the proper way to evaluate a child fairly. What are the predicted long-term benefits to Early Childhood Assessments? Are assessments and student evaluations accurate? Should teachers be required to assess and evaluate students as much as they already do? These are just a few of the questions that plagued educators for years. Too much assessing has placed so much pressure on students and teachers, inevitably taking away a childââ¬â¢s desire to learn for the sake of learning. The purpose of assessments and evaluations is a great concept, but placing too much pressure and emphasis on the test results is tainting the original purpose of learning.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Why the USA Lost the Vietnam War
Why the USA Lost the Vietnam War For the first time ever, the American army looked weak in front of its people and the world. In January of 1973, the United States of America agreed to withdraw all troops from Vietnamese ground. Many people at the time, considered withdrawing the army from enemy territory, losing the war, however, many Americans opposed American presence in the war and pushed their leaders towards withdrawing the troops.[1] Many things influenced the US to withdraw their troops, primarily the opposition to the war at home, but also the American armyââ¬â¢s tactics and the American troopsââ¬â¢ morale, which is strongly connected to the warââ¬â¢s opposition. The United States had a tough job in Vietnam, but also fought a war at home. A war against the war. Opposition to the war, in the United States, was extremely large. Civil rights movement all over the country, and anti-war protests pushed and pulled the government during the war days. In 1970, following President Nixonââ¬â¢s move into Cambodia, many universities had protests against the war. During one of these protests, in the university of Kent State, four students were shot dead by the National Guard. This incident only, sparked more protests throughout the country.[2] During the war there was a conscription movement, where people of conscription age who were not studying or working had to sign their names to be drawled. However many of the people who were conscripted were poor or African-American and never had the chance to study or work. Martin Luther King, a black preacher and a leader in the civil-rights movement, spoke up against conscription, or as it was called at the ti me, the ââ¬Ëdraftââ¬â¢; ââ¬Å"They must see Americans as strange liberators. The Vietnamese people proclaimed their own independence in 1954ââ¬âin 1945 ratherââ¬âafter a combined French and Japanese occupation and before the communist revolution in China.â⬠[3] John Kerry, a veteran of the Vietnam war, soon after his serving time joined and became the spokesman of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. The current United States Secretary of State said; How do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam? How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?[4] There were many people who opposed the war in Vietnam, including many soldiers. Due to the fact that lots of soldiers were in Vietnam against their will, many soldiers were against the war itself. This was one of the greatest influences on the soldiersââ¬â¢ morale, during the war. The soldiers deployed in Vietnam, in the beginning of the war, were among the best in history. However that changed as soldiers started to question the real reason to be fighting, the conscription also stirred many conflicts at home and inside the army. Due to discontent within the army, soldiers turned to drugs as a form of mental relief. The use of Heroin and Marijuana were common sight in an army suffering from boredom, lack of discipline and low self-esteem; more than 200 men died from drug abuse. ââ¬ËFraggingââ¬â¢ was another big issue within the army. Fragging is the act of murdering your commander, 42 soldiers and 15 marines died from fragging. [5] Many soldiers in Vietnam were fighting in the war against their own will, this was because of conscription. Conscription, o r the ââ¬Ëdraftââ¬â¢ as it was known, forced many people to join the army, and fight in Vietnam. Mostly poor people were drafted, therefore there were many black people in the army, since at the time Africa-American population didnââ¬â¢t have the chance to study or work to avoid the draft.[6] This created many racial tensions within troops and units. The ineffectiveness of the armyââ¬â¢s tactics also frustrated many soldiers during Vietnam. Even though the United States had arguably the most well trained troops at the time, the tactics used by the US army were ineffective against the Viet Cong. The army had the most advanced technology, while the North Vietnamese only received guns and ammunition from China. However the North Vietnamese had the upper hand when it came to tactics. They knew the terrain and used guerilla tactics, small scale actions against a much larger and more powerful enemy. America fought a hi-tech war, many helicopters and tanks, as well as air strike, supported American soldiers.[7] Because the North Vietnamese used guerilla tactics they were able to avoid many of the United Statesââ¬â¢ attempts at attacking. Their bases were in jungles, invisible to aircrafts, and when they went on missions they stayed very close to the Americans so their enemy wasnââ¬â¢t able to call in airstrike. Vietcong and North Vietnamese commanders and higher positions, had the luxury of living underground. Although t unnels were small and uncomfortable, they were away from the battlefield assessing options. The United Statesââ¬â¢ main strategy at finding North Vietnamese bases, was search and destroy. Search and destroy is a counter-guerilla strategy where a unit is assigned the mission of searching and destroying enemy or enemy base, hence the name search and destroy.[8] However many North Vietnamese spies and officials hid within villages, this frustrated units and soldiers burned whole villages in order to tell commanders that the mission was successful. These events of burning villages were named zippo-raids, and led to many debates inside the US on whether what the army was doing in Vietnam, was unethical. In addition to controversy, the struggle of finding proper tactics also brought discontent to the army, resulting in poor morale. In the early 1970ââ¬â¢s, many people questioned the true purpose of the war, soldiers struggled through their missions, and the army failed to have successful tactics against the poorly-trained North Vietnamese. This ultimately led to the end of the war, after there were many in-house movements against the war, racial tensions within the army and the country were never higher, soldiers suffered and struggled through missions, and USââ¬â¢ commanders failed to even grasp an effective strategy against the North Vietnamese and Vietcong powers. In January of 1973, the United States of America was no longer part of the Vietnamese conflict. Works Cited Brown, Robert. 2009. Guerilla Warfare. November 27. Accessed November 21, 2014. http://school.eb.co.uk/levels/advanced/article/110197. Karnow, Stanley. 1983. Vietnam A History. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. Kerry, John. 1971. Anti-War Speech. April 22. Accessed November 11, 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yixdveuf0GQ. King, Martin. 1967. Martin Luthor King Jr. and the Global Freedom Struggle. 4 April 1967 Beyond Vietnam. New York, April 4. Michaels, Jim. 2013. In the 1970s, the U.S. military struggled with morale. July 04. Accessed November 10, 2014. http://www.usatoday.com/story/nation/2013/07/03/afghanistan-advisers-george-lepre-haynes-vietnam-conrad-crane/2484665/. Schutts, Jeff. 2011. The Tet Offensive and the Media. Accessed November 10, 2014. http://www.historyandtheheadlines.abc-clio.com/ContentPages/ContentPage.aspx?entryId=1199250currentSection=1194544. Spector, Ronald. 2014. Vietnam War. Accessed November 05, 2014. http://school.eb.co.uk/levels/high/article/75317#. 2012. The War in Vietnam; Vietcong and American tactics. March 2. Accessed November 21, 2014. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/vietnam/thewarinvietnamrev1.shtml. [1] Spector, Ronald. 2014. Vietnam War. Accessed November 05, 2014. http://school.eb.co.uk/levels/high/article/75317#. [2] Karnow, Stanley. 1983. Vietnam A History. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. [3] King, Martin. 1967. Martin Luthor King Jr. and the Global Freedom Struggle. 4 April 1967 Beyond Vietnam. New York, April 4. [4] Kerry, John. 1971. Anti-War Speech. April 22. Accessed November 11, 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yixdveuf0GQ. [5] Michaels, Jim. 2013. In the 1970s, the U.S. military struggled with morale. July 04. Accessed November 10, 2014. http://www.usatoday.com/story/nation/2013/07/03/afghanistan-advisers-george-lepre-haynes-vietnam-conrad-crane/2484665/. [6] Karnow, Stanley. 1983. Vietnam A History. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. [7] 2012. The War in Vietnam; Vietcong and American tactics. March 2. Accessed November 21, 2014. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/vietnam/thewarinvietnamrev1.shtml. [8] Brown, Robert. 2009. Guerilla Warfare. November 27. Accessed November 21, 2014. http://school.eb.co.uk/levels/advanced/article/110197.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
HRM Issues in China Essay examples -- Human Resources Management Chine
Issues affecting International Human Resource Management in China ââ¬Å"Napoleon called China a sleeping dragon and said there would be woe to the world when the dragon awakes. As the world knows, the dragon is more than stirring.â⬠Introduction The Chinese believe that the Great Dragon ruled the Middle Kingdom of the world for nearly four thousand years. For most of this period China was a great trading nation. Then the dragon fell asleep for two centuries, while China collapsed under the effects of colonialism, until in 1978 Deng Xiao Ping woke the dragon up. And now the Chinese dragon is back, hungry to take its place as the economic and cultural superpower of the 21st century. Nowadays China is often called the worldââ¬â¢s largest market. Many people might think that it is very easy to start business in China and that success is guaranteed because of the huge potential of the market. But that isnââ¬â¢t true. Making successful business in China is not that easy as it might seem. There are many potential problems which can arise. For instance the Chinese civilisation is five thousand years old and because of that the Chinese culture, tradition and value system have a significant impact on the different business processes. As the largest country in population, China has 50 plus different minority groups of people each have its own culture, custom, norm, tradition, even unique holidays and languages. Also, as one of the top three nations in land size, China is geographically divided into many regional centres across the nation each has unique cultural aspects in terms of tradition, value, social norm, belief, and organisational features. Those unique cultural factors will present numerous challenges to foreign investors and international joint venture managers. In this essay I want to discuss issues effecting human resource management which is, according to many foreign executives, the greatest challenge for Western companies in China today. The significance of culture in international Human Resource Management According to Hofstede the influence of national culture is important to management for three reasons. The first is political and institutional. There are differences between the countries in formal institutions such as government, legal systems, educational systems, labour and employerââ¬â¢s association, and the way they are used. The secon... ...-158. Hofstede, Geert: http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_china.shtml, 1.12.2004. Huo, Paul / von Glinow, Mary Ann: On transplanting human resource practices to China: A culture-driven approach, International Journal of Manpower 16(9), 1995, p. 3 - 15. Huczynski, Andrzej / Buchanan, David: Organizational Behaviour ââ¬â An Introductory Text, 4th edition, London: Prentice Hall, 2001. McClenahen, John S.: Chinaââ¬â¢s Cultural Challenge, Industry Week 253(4), 2004, p. 10 - 12. Meier, Johannes /Perez, Javier /McKinsey: Solving the puzzle: MNCs in China, Business Source Premier Database, 1995. Scarborough, Jack: Comparing Chinese and Western Cultural Roots: Why ââ¬ËEast is East and â⬠¦Ã¢â¬â¢, Business Horizons 41(6), 1998, p. 43 - 50. Wang, Yuan / Zhang, Xin Sheng / Goodfellow, Rob: Business Culture in China, 1st edition, Singapore: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1998. Wilson, Jonathan / Brennan, Ross: Market entry methods for western firms in China, Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics 15(4), 2003, p. 3 - 18. Yang, Jiaqin / Lee, Huei: Identifying key factors for successful joint venture in China, Industrial Management & Data Systems 102(2), 2002, p. 98 - 109.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
The Truth about Cannibalism Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Paper
The Truth about Cannibalism Typical Western thought directs people to examine the practices of cannibalism as savage and primitive. More often than not, this type of association exists because the people viewing the action are frightened and confused by that which they do not understand. In fact, some would even claim that, ââ¬Å"cannibalism is merely a product of European imaginationâ⬠(Barker, 2), thereby completely denying its existence. The belief that cannibalism goes against ââ¬Å"human instinctâ⬠, as seen in many literary works including Tarzan, reduces those who practice it to being inhuman. (Barker, 1) However, scientific findings demonstrate that those who practice cannibalism are still human despite their difference in beliefs; therefore, not only can rationalization be extrapolated from those who practice the act of cannibalism, but also denying the fact of the participantââ¬â¢s very humanity has been undermined through scientific findings. The spectrum of logic behind cannibalism is wide in scope and varies in each tribe. In Africa there are a number of cannibalistic tribes, the two most notable being the Fang and Azande tribes. The Fang tribe occupied the Gabun district north of the Ogowh River in the French Congo. According to Mary Kingsley, ââ¬Å"The Fang is not a cannibal for sacrificial motivesâ⬠and is considered by many to be ââ¬Å"morally superior to the Negroâ⬠. (encyclopedia.org) However, despite displaying higher moral standards, the Fang tribe has been purported to be ââ¬Å"utterly indifferent to human life.â⬠(encyclopedia.org) Yet, it was not indifference that served as the basis of practicing the acts of cannibalism but rather they simply found nothing wrong in doing so. In the Fang ââ¬Å"a woman who bore ... ...that of his kind. In the Hua and Gimi tribes, there are much deeper meanings and rituals involved in the eating of human flesh. Whether Westerners view cannibalism as ââ¬Å"primitiveâ⬠does not undermine its presence. These tribes have maintained their salvation through cannibalism for centuries. In fact, some may even posit that without the existence of cannibalism, these tribes may cease to exist due to the lack of a strong underlying culture. Works Cited ââ¬Å"Baker, John.â⬠Online. Internet. WWW page. http://www.heretical.org/cannibal.baker1.html 5 Oct. 2002. Barker, Hulme, and Iverson. Cannibalism and the Colonial World. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. ââ¬Å"Kingsley, Mary.â⬠Online. Internet. WWW page. http://30.1911encyclopedia.org/F/FA/FANG.htm 5 Oct. 2002. Sanday, Peggy. Divine Hunger. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1986.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Genetic Engineering: Genetic Research and Gene Therapy :: Persuasive Argumentative Essay Examples
Genetic Research and Gene Therapy The human genome is the key to gene therapy, genetic diagnosis, and even to genetically engineer human beings. The human genome is a map of the entire DNA sequence, a blue book, of the individual, which is currently being mapped by the Human Genome Project. Knowing where and which gene controls what trait and causes what genetic disease will armed doctors with a powerful tool to treat their patients in the molecular level. On the other hand, people can jump at the opportunity to manipulate genes to create the perfect baby or enhance a specific trait. One of the few ways of achieving these goals is through research on human embryos. Genetic research on human embryo has two implications. One in therapeutic research (to detect, and hopefully correct gene flaws), which is more practical, and the other is parents deciding how their child should look (or an extreme word, eugenic). The latter, which in the present is wishful thinking but will be a reality in the future if the technology becomes feasible. This paper will mainly discuss the therapeutic research (the medical practice and technological aspect of genetic engineering on embryos) to show what can be done medically and its implications. The consequences, moral and ethical issue of genetic research on human embryos will not be discuss in length here, for it is a topic in other groups and within my group. Currently in therapeutic research, one of the things that can be done is a process call Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD). PGD is a new medical treatment that incorporates the technology of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and the ability to genetically removed a single cell from an 8-cell embryo to detect any genetic abnormalities (Forbidden Knowledge). In this way, "couples at high genetic risk [will have the] opportunity to start their pregnancy knowing that their baby will not have a lethal inherited disease" rather than stress by deciding whether or not to undergo a prenatal test such as amniocentesis, which requires the pregnancy be at least 15 weeks (Forbidden Knowledge). Some of the major genetic diseases that can be detected are Cystic Fibrosis, Huntington's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, some form of cancers (Carmosino), aneuploidy chromosomes for chromosome 13, 18, 21, X, and Y (Jones), and sickle-cell anemia (Henig, 58). Gene therapy, which is in is early stages will greatly benefit from embryo research.
Monday, September 16, 2019
The Giver Essay Dystopia
It is difficult for us to imagine a world without color, personal freedoms, and love, but in this book, the society is exactly this. Being able to make your own choices is really important, most of us donââ¬â¢t realize it right now but itââ¬â¢s important to appreciate freedom. In the Giver, what may seem like a perfect society is actually a dystopia is because theres no individuality, you are assigned a family, and jobs were assigned as well. To begin with, individuality didnââ¬â¢t even exist in this community.Everything is conform, no one is allowed to know their own identity, and everyoneââ¬â¢s lives are pre-programmed and ran by the Committee of The Elders. No one had emotions, feelings, or memories. They donââ¬â¢t see color and the weather in neither sunny, rainy, or snowy. Imagine how different life would be without memories or feelings. No stories to tell, not knowing what love is. Therefore, the association that Jonas lives in is dull, pre-planned and un-individ ual.Also, families are assigned in this union. Your placed in a family unit and you arenââ¬â¢t allowed to have your own kids or know your biological parents are. Your paired with a spouse that you donââ¬â¢t even love. How would you feel if your parents were not people who created you? How would you like not knowing who your real parents are? Thus, itââ¬â¢s important to realize how important it is to value your family and freedom because this society had assigned family.Another reason this realm is a dystopia is because jobs are assigned to each person. ââ¬Å" Itââ¬â¢s choosing thats important isnââ¬â¢t it? ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢(Pg 110) For instance, being assigned jobs keeps you from living out your dreams and setting goals in life. What if you werenââ¬â¢t able too do what you have a true passion for. How would you like not being able to chose what you want to do for a living. All and all, through these words of evidence, its pretty clear that the community is dystopia .
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Difference between a School and University Essay
There are many inevitable changes and transformations that a person can experience all throughout his/her life. Having a really good education is one of the greatest gifts that parents can give to their children. Moreover, entering a university is already an opportunity these days. In my case, I have given the chance to enter a university that helped me practiced my academic freedom and at the same, understanding my needs. There are many differences that occur during a high school education and a college education. I came from a private high school that mostly speaks Spanish. All of my classes are in Spanish and majority of the students came from the same culture. There is almost no diversity in terms of people, culture and language. But more than that, a very distinct rule that was implemented in our high school is regarding the grading system. Teachers and parents have a very strong relationship that is why, they were able to control over school time and the way classes should be handled and if a student misses on any of her assignments, she can easily have a make up exam. Since the school was private, there was an air of exclusivity amongst the school grounds and it was regarded dearly. When I entered the university, there were many changes that took place. It was very shocking at first but I have to cope up with it. First of all, the university that I attended to was public and all the classes were taught in English. Moreover, in high school, the student body does not partake in more important matters about the school whereas in college, the student body does not take part in school matters but it is also highly respected. And since it is a public university, it was filled with different people from various cultures and places. Another difference that I experienced in college is the fact that parents do not have a strong authority over the school so they are not involved in the management of classes and time. Because of this situation, they cannot just access the grades of the students and if they want to, they still have to ask permission from the student. Lastly, missed exams are hard to get so you really have to manage your time and study very hard. Along with the decision to go into a public university are the transformations and changes that I was obliged to adapt to. In high school, I was highly dependent on my parents for my primary needs but since stepping into college, I was made to watch over me. I am no longer dependent on my parents for my needs; I should now work for them. But the real challenge that I faced was handling my time between being a wife and a mother and being a student. It is a very time consuming and tiring responsibility but I am happy to say that I am handling it very well. The changes and challenges that I faced from high school through college is one of the most memorable experiences in my entire life. Admittedly, it was really shocking at first but I learned to cope up with it. The fact that I am now in an environment that is filled with very different people means that I should learn to have a hard face in dealing with their moods and personalities. Moreover, since I am now a family person, the biggest challenge that life posted on me was how to balance my time so that I will excel in both aspects. With this realization in mind, I learned to manage my time very well and at the same time, keeping track of my family. I learned to become a different woman. I discovered new talents and potentials that I never thought I had. Going to college opened my eyes to different views and opportunities in life. More than that, I consider this to be a great achievement because there are only few people who can excel in academics and at the same time, a full woman.
A risk that paid off
The greatest and most accomplished men in any age are those who launch out boldly into the unknown, not fearing what the untried paths ahead held in store for them, but believing, even beyond belief, that there was a great prize awaiting them at the end of their endeavors.The journey of life itself is about taking risks and I have never been afraid to press towards my own uncertainties in the hope that the result, though undefined, would either make or break me. There was one considerable risk that I took in my life that turned out to be quite profitable and which has contributed significantly to my development.Some years ago I took on the challenge to invest in some real estate in the hopes that I could reap some financial benefits in either the short or medium run. It was a bit difficult for me deciding to invest my personal resources into purchasing a house that was in need of significant amounts of repairs.When the opportunity presented itself I at first considered that I was not in a very secure financial position at the time that would allow me to recover if I encountered losses as a result of the investment I was contemplating. I weighed the odds and had considerable input from my closest of friends and family in helping me to arrive at a decision.The situation was going to be a challenge to me and I have not been known to back down from a challenge. However, launching out into real estate investment was an uncharted path for me and I therefore feared that things wouldnââ¬â¢t go as well as I desired.In situations like these, when contemplating whether or not to take on risk, Wee and Morse (2007) advise that the equation between the possible successes and failures be weighed carefully. Whatever option I examined in making my decision was a great challenge for me. I feared that if I purchased the property and did the improvements Ià would end up losing considerably at the end of the day.On the other hand I also feared that this project was the breakt hrough that I have been begging for for so many years and that I would miss out on a wonderful opportunity. It was Collin Powell who had said ââ¬Å"You never know what you can get away with until you tryâ⬠(as cited in McGowan, 2007, p. 105) and I wasnââ¬â¢t about to miss out on potentially my only chance by shying away from the challenge. Therefore, my reservations aside, I decided to purchase the property.McGowan (2007) suggests that once prudence is exercised in critical risk-taking situations and once proper planning is in place then the prospect of failure, in any endeavor, is significantly minimized. My attack plan with the real estate investment, was therefore to undertake the improvements to the property I purchased at as minimal a cost as possible so that if the returns on sale were not favorable I would not have lost too considerably.In order to ensure that the improvements remained within budget I had to undertake all of the work on my own. The property needed si gnificant amount of work in terms of tiling, painting and landscaping and I undertook these tasks independently. Of course it was taxing on my energy, time and resources to undertake this on my own. However, each day when I saw the improvements I was comforted that my efforts were not being wasted.Gradually I was able to accomplish all the repairs and produced my own work of art. I was really impressed with the way I was able to face up and kept focus on the task during this critical stage of my investment. My motivation was the prospect that the returns I obtained would be considerable and my efforts would not have all been in vain.The long and short of the story is that I was able to double my investment on the property. When I placed the property on the market it was not long before I got calls from eager customers willing to pay me way above what I had initially invested in the project. The improvements I had undertaken really made a significant difference to the point where I w as able to double the money I spent on the property. Indeed the success of my venture proved to me that, according to Wee and Morse (2007), those who are wiling to launch out and try something new, are the ones that achieve in life.Had it not been for this risk-taking activity my life would have been significantly different to date. For me, aside from the financial gains from the investment, the most important benefit of that single venture is being able to take some time off from work and return to college.For some time I had been considering going back to college but given my work situation I knew I would not have been able to afford the tuition and additional costs any time soon. I am where I am today because of the opportunity afforded me by that single venture.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Teaching Survival Skills
Should students be taught survival skills in schools? Have you ever thought about how you would survive if you were to be stranded alone? No food, no water, no shelter, nothing to make a fire with except sticks and a rock. If you were in a dangerous situation, would you be able to make it out alive? Schools nowadays are teaching many different classes. Some are very useful, but some may not be. Most kids today wouldn't know the first thing to do if they were alone and needed to find food or create a shelter. There are no survival skills taught to us as children, we are simply taught to do paperwork our entire lives. If schools taught survival in one class in each school around the globe, human intelligence would double and we would evolve. Teaching survival skills helps the mind. It helps make us think faster, smarter and can even teach us more responsibility and independence. Indianoutskirts.com says that ââ¬Å"humans live in many habitats and need survival skills to evolve and change according to our environmentâ⬠. Some skills students should be taught include: how to cook on an open fire, how to be able to identify if water is safe enough to drink, and how to climb a tree to get away from dangers or predators. Most parents do not teach their children or even think to see if they are equipped with survival skills. Some parents may not agree with teaching these skills in schools, they might not even want them to learn at all. They may say that they do not want to scare them or say that they do not think their child is interested in the topic. Even though they may not be interested, parents should try to explain to them the dangers, how to avoid them and how to survive if they are ever in that situation. The biggest reason that parents should teach their kids these things is because we live in uncertain times. Children who do not learn these skill sets could face many challenges. The world changes everyday and humans learn to adapt and to evolve with their environments. We should be teaching our kids self-defense and many other skills to benefit them in their lives. In the future, if we learn more skills as children, the human species may continue on for billions of years to come.
Friday, September 13, 2019
The Power of Brand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words
The Power of Brand - Essay Example Today, a brand is made out of not one, but a host of cultural ideas. Branding as a strategy involves a multitude of elements such as symbols, words and images; experiences and feelings, patterns of belonging, allegiance and identity; values, belief systems and knowledge; and many, many, many more. (Grant, 2006, p. 90) This study concerns the power of international brands of consumer goods to foster consumer loyalty to the brand. The dissertation proposes to explore the phenomenon of brand communities of international brands in local society, to describe and document how these brand communities distinguish themselves from one another in terms of their common viewpoints, attitudes towards their product brand, their rituals and traditions. It shall thereafter be verified whether this same set of values, representations, behaviour patterns and rituals are replicated in similar brand communities in other parts of the world. In particular, the study shall focus on the existence of brand communities as an element of the market strategy that seeks to foster what may be almost described as a ââ¬Å"cult followingâ⬠ââ¬â a phenomenon more persistent than a fad and which has every indication of a subculture that goes beyond merely repeatedly purchasing the product. The study shall examine those brands for which the phenomenon has entrenched itself, such as the following suggested brands: One may argue that ââ¬Å"Harry Potterâ⬠or ââ¬Å"Star Warsâ⬠may be classified as ââ¬Å"brandsâ⬠for the purpose of this study, despite both being concoctions of literature and cinema. It cannot be denied that what was one book and one movie have spawned not only into a series of books and movies (commercially successful, one might add), but also several other product lines that have proved profitably franchises because they carried the names ââ¬Å"Harry Potterâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Star Warsâ⬠. In this manner, it may be said that ââ¬Å"Harry Potterâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Star Warsâ⬠have evolved into
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Phase 3 Discussion Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Phase 3 Discussion Board - Essay Example These Techniques take into context both the least amount of time required and the most of time that could be required and also the costs or delays that the organization might incur. Theses techniques help the people who are taking care of the entire process in estimations of both the time and cost of the entire project. The Project that has been undertaken by the management to implement a general email system, with all the employees, the existing and the new ones, receiving new email address and an entire integrated model, This kind of change is known as a technical change and needs to be done in a timely manner as technology changes fast, if there are delays in such a change there can be heavy financial costs. Technology changes rapidly, therefore to bring a technological change you have to fast and cost effective. Whenever we start a project we have to keep in mind the scope definition this definition explains the scope of the project and gives us an analysis of what needs to be done. for example to implement an integrated email system you need to know all the new and old employeesââ¬â¢ email addresses their designation, the kind of technology both hardware and software being used and other specific details, then you break this into small tasks such as the number of personal computers needed to be purchased, no, of new emails needed to be made etc. This is basically known as WBS that is work breakdown structure. This is basically breaking down of the entire project into small jobs and tasks and assigning individuals onto each of these tasks. it is also done by defining a scope statement. WBS, basically uses the 80 hour rule which basically means that all tasks that are scheduled and have been assigned by the management need to be done within 80 hours for example if new emails for the new e mail system need to be made it should be done within 80 hours, if the task is taking longer than that then it is not been done properly or there is a gap
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Genocide in Rwanda and Burondi Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Genocide in Rwanda and Burondi - Assignment Example What is genocide? The term Genocide according to history books was unknown prior to 1994. It is a word formed by a Polish-Jewish lawyer describing the Nazi policies of systematic murder and the destruction of European Jews. It comes from the Greek word geno that means a race or tribe, and cide, a Latin word that means to kill. Accordingly, in coming up with this word, he thought of ââ¬Å"a coordinated plan or action to destruct the foundations of the life of a national group, or annihilating the groups themselvesâ⬠. He appealed this to the United Nations; thereafter, the United Nations considered ââ¬Å"genocideâ⬠as an international crime. It is then defined by the UN asâ⬠ââ¬Å"referring to violent crimes committed against groups with the intent to destroy the existence of the group. (US Holocaust Memorial Museum Updated 11 May 2012). Genocide, as an international crime includes any of the following action: acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part , a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. The crime of Genocide in Rwanda Politics and ambition started it all. The first conviction of Genocide was given in 1988 by the International Criminal Court for Rwanda to Jean-Paul Akayesu, a local President of Democratic Republican Movement. He was found guilty of charges against humanity for acts he made while being a mayor. Akayesu was sentenced to a life imprisonment. On this date too rape became an addendum to the list of genocide crimes. (US Holocaust Memorial Museum) Akayesu was the town Mayor of Taba from 1993 to 1994. Initially, he led the town peacefully, fostering the local economy, had control of the police, and a well respected man until a group of oppositionists started the turmoil. At first he was hesitant to join but was compelled to because he was afraid of opposition, and was also scared to lose his position. Since then, he was one among those who instigated violence, incited the people to join mass killings and turned the former quiet place into a scene of violence, rape, torture, and murder (US Holocaust Memorial Museum). Rwanda in 1994 has a population of seven million composed of three ethnic groups: the Hutus (85%), Tutsi, (14%) and Twa (1%). The United Human Rights Council reported that the Hutus extremistsââ¬â¢ political group kept on blaming the Tutsi group for various reasons including: ââ¬Å"the countryââ¬â¢s increasing social, economic, and political pressures. Tutsi civilians were also accused of supporting a Tutsi-dominated rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Through the use of propaganda and constant political maneuvering, Habyarimana, who was the president at the time, and his group increased divisions between Hutu and Tutsi by the end of 1992. The Hutu remembered past years of oppressive Tutsi rule, and many of them not only resented but also feared the minority.â⬠But why should the Hutus have resentments to a minority group like Tutsi? First let us begin with the description of the past of the two warring tribes. Roseber, Jennifer,
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
THE EARLY REPUBLIC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
THE EARLY REPUBLIC - Essay Example Then there was the end of the war, and finally the Revolution with everything being left for the citizens to control1. Our struggles eventually bore fruits. Thereafter, several things changed in terms of the economic, social and political lives of our people; not just considerably but immensely. For a start, we now have our social freedom with us, something that was barely evident in the times of the colonial government. The peaceful coexistence evident between the natives was not something to talk about. Instead, there were colonially steered wrangles with the colonial government engineering wars between different kinsmen all to their benefit. Living together as a family without worries of being summoned to join the military is yet another achievement we cannot underestimate. Indigenous warriors would go as far as Fort Duquesne leaving behind wives and children in desolation. The social recognition the citizens enjoy right now is yet another achievement that cannot be taken for granted. To the colonialists, we were just elements of war and bridges to their unending endeavors. Secondly, we now have a grip of our economy; something that was beyond our reach back then. This very land we cultivate testifies to that. We can bravely produce our food crops without having to work on the British plantations. Most importantly, we now have land titles as opposed to the temporary land ownership that the colonialists bequeathed as after successful conquests. They would later come back to drive out the natives through devastating raids. The flourishing trade our kinsmen enjoy locally and beyond the regional borders is yet another dream come true. Back then, most Ohioans who ventured in business were small scale shopkeepers who only supplied local products. Moreover, we can boast of political freedom at this particular moment; one of the
Monday, September 9, 2019
Labor and delivery Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Labor and delivery - Research Paper Example Management of labor and delivery is section in the medical sector that has been allocated with the initiative of dealing with birth and birth complication cases. In this case, proper management strategies need to be initiated in this section in order to offer standard services to patients as well as reduce cases of childbirth mortality (Berghella et. Al, 2008). Methodology A questionnaire was designed and distributed to patients in random hospitals across in various cities of United States of America. The aim of the questionnaires was to investigate the efficiency in service delivery across the state in regards to labor and delivery. It also focused on the cost of labor and delivery in the Texas state. Findings United States of America registers a range of 4 to 4.6 million childbirths annually. There is poor self-diagnosis of active labor (Berghella et. Al, 2008). Few people visit the labor and delivery centers. There were cases of home-delivery. Most hospital had modern labor and de livery machinery. Many hospitals had a good number of nurses, obstetricians as well as gynaecologists and thus operated 24hours a day except a few situated in the remote regions of Texas. Implications In order to achieve standard medical services in the labor and delivery section, labor and delivery management departments opt to facilitate adequate and advanced trainings to obstetricians and gynaecologists. This is to improve their medical skills and enable them to handle advanced cases in the labor and delivery medical section. There is need to equip the hospital or medical center with advanced equipments. The advancement in technology has led to the invention of several medical machineries that are essential in monitoring pregnancy as well as during the delivery period. Obstetricians working in the rural areas of developing countries encounter a lot of difficulties in dealing with advanced levels of the child delivery process such as performing cesarean operations due to lack of r equired machinery and other medical equipments. 2. Labor and delivery nurses
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Small Group Written Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Small Group Written Assignment - Essay Example This was evident with the incident at the loading dock where two employees (Ed Williams and Buddy Jones) were engaged in heavy altercation over the type of music that should played on the loading dock sound systems while hurling racial slur at each other. The new Operations Manager Bob Jackson must assert leadership on the distribution center of Hayward Healthcare Systems to deter and discourage belligerent and hostile attitude of employees. It is strongly advised that Mr. Bob Jackson must intervene when conflict arises in the distribution center because it is his area of responsibility. The employees in the floor being highly aggressive can only respect a strong leadership which Mr. Bob Jackson must exercise. A policy also needs to be draft and implemented that will bring about the desired behavior in the distribution center. This will include but not limited to, conflict handling and resolution, decorum on music (i.e. no more music to be played on the loading dock sound system but employees are allowed to use headsets). Conflict, fistfights must also be deterred by a heavy penalty such as suspension that could lead to termination from the company. Implement a new hiring policy that will screen the background of the applicants where management can participate in the selection process. Promotion and appointment to positions of responsibility must be done according to merit and this must expressed in a policy. This policy must also be communicated properly to the employees to promote professionalism and to convey policy changes in the management. The company must also implement a zero tolerance policy against racial slur because it is not only unhealthy on the work floor but could also invite discrimination charges which are costly in terms of litigation and settlement not to mention its cost on the companyââ¬â¢s image of being implicated in a discrimination charge. Foster
Saturday, September 7, 2019
Compare and Contrast Integrated and Subjective Approach Essay
Compare and Contrast Integrated and Subjective Approach - Essay Example And the UK is no different. Thus, it is only fair that the builders of the future societies of any nation are well looked after, especially in the area of primary education not only by the parents, but also by the schoolteachers, principals, and other related authorities. In the context of National Curriculum, Primary National Strategy and Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage, the scope of this essay is to ponder upon, and make an attempt to answer the following questions: It now becomes fairly apparent that things concerning educational matters are not to be trivialized and deserve serious attention by the concerned people. It is for this reason that the education building mechanism in places of learning is selected and processed very methodically and scientifically. The National Curriculum was introduced into England, Wales and Northern Island and as a national curriculum for primary and secondary state schools after the Education Reform Act 1988, which makes sure that the state schools of all Local Education Authorities are following a common curriculum. The subjects that are compulsorily taught are divided into two key stages, key stage 1(age 5-7) and key stage 2 (age 7-11). All students at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are required to study (Wikipedia, 2006): Mathematics Science History Geography Art and Design Music Design Technology Physical Education Sex education, in some schools. Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE). ICT The Primary National Strategy The Secretary of State launched Excellence and Enjoyment - A Strategy for Primary Schools on May 20th, 2003. It declares the vision for the future of primary education and would be useful for a sector where high standards are obtained through an exciting curriculum, which develops children in a range of ways. Important points in the vision included the need to make curriculum innovative by the primary schools, encouraging schools to network together and learning to share and develop good pra ctice, the Government acting as a catalyst by empowering teaching leadership and providing opportunities for children to have a whole range of learning experiences ( The Standards Site- Primary, n.d.) . The Subjective and the Integrated - based Curriculum Subject-based Curriculum, as indicated by the name itself, assumes that there is supposed to be one expert teacher or 'specialist' for one subject. The particular expert in that area handles all the issues with regards to that subject. For example, a physics teacher would typically handle and be responsible for all questions regarding physics only, and would not deviate from the main subject at all. The teacher would not look into other subjects like math, chemistry, etc nor would approach or consult teachers of other subjects. This approach thus, assumes that teachers of a particular subject are to handle their specialized subjects alone, and are not supposed to know and teach about other subjects.
Friday, September 6, 2019
Leadership on The Line Essay Example for Free
Leadership on The Line Essay Recognizing the evolving definition and requirements of leadership, Heifetz Ronald and Linsky (2002) highlight the need for leaders to consider the skills and perspective to ensure their effectiveness. Leadership, as illustrated in Leadership on The LineStaying alive through the Dangers of Leading? requires not only the accomplishment of goals but also the ability to respond effectively to the human realities of working in an organization. The books three parts provide steps in recognizing leadership challenges, developing responses and interventions and what competencies leaders must develop professionally and personally. Marginalization, diversion, attack and seduction are identified as the main sources of resistance to leaders. At the same time, the authors also pay particular attention to the dangers within the leadership characterized as hunger for power and control and the difficulties in self-monitoring. The authors want to communicate to readers that there is a need for leaders to purse the development of their leadership skills. Despite the use of figurative characterizations in the book, the authors are practical and pragmatic in their discussion. The examples given, particularly in the Response section of the book is based on real life examples. Examples which the readers can easily relate directly to or parallel to their own experience. The authors point out that the sources of resistance are natural to any leadership scenario and therefore can not be fully stopped and in fact, can also be safeguard against ineffective leadership However, they have to control through resistance-response skills which in turn allows leaders to function as they are needed. Critique There is no doubt that leadership is a difficult challenge. Thus, there has been no limitation of the number of literature that aim to develop strategies and competencies for it. Unlike most literature in its genre that focuses on the development of attributes for effective leadership to become a leader, Ronald and Linsky discuss the development of leadership when one already holds office. The authors aim to provide a literature or guide to leaders who are already experiencing challenges in their roles due to a change in working scenarios or relationships. From the perspective of Heifetz and Linsky, what has become more critical for leaders to day has been the ability to go beyond their functions and respond to other people and at the same time eliciting a response from them. Thus, beyond achieving goals set members, of the organization must understand why these goals are being pursued, that ââ¬Å"people need to know that the stakes are worth itâ⬠(p. 94). At the same time, Heifetz and Linsky state that before any action can be take to address threats to effective leadership, leaders must be able to understand the ââ¬Å"heartâ⬠of the issues before recognizing the actions, indications or ââ¬Å"facesâ⬠determining the threats. The main message of the book is the need for leaders not just to be competent, sensitive or responsive. They also must understand the their motivations for being so, the perspectives that can be taken, the methods that can be most effective and the implications of any perspective, opinion or action to be taken. Empathizing with the natural isolation of being the top man of an organization: there should be an acceptance that there will be member of the organization who would ââ¬Å"undermine the clarity of his vision, delay his progress, and divert him from his core purposesâ⬠(p. 76). Thus, leaders while being advocated to be sensitive to their organization have to balance this with their resolve to accomplish organization goals. Leaders should be then prepared to be questioned, doubted and even maligned for their decisions. Heifetz and Linsky reflect that leaders often view these are criticisms to their professional and personal capacity but they should also understand that these reactions, even when they are deliberate and malicious, occur as part of the dynamics leading and organizations. Reading the book, one of the most unique ideas that Heifetz and Linsky present, absent from most of the leadership literature that I have read, is the concept of pain and leadership. The authorsââ¬â¢ views are ones that one can easily agree and even commiserate to. The recognition of the fact that effective leadership has its pains and not just costs, both to the leader and the organization, is a perspective that makes the work effective and truly emphatic to the challenges of leadership. The view that leadership challenges, or resistance, is an ever present element in any organization does not discourage readers but actually motivates them to deal with them rather than trying to circumvent them. However, it should also be recognized that some of the examples or ideas presented may require significant experience to be understood comprehensively. This is a particular challenge in the last section of the book where the authors delineate the introspective requirements for leaders. Nonetheless, the book provides critical insights to the realities of leadership and not just what it should be. More importantly, it is effective in motivating readers view leadership as continuing process of development and that there is a need to actively pursue effectiveness. Reference Heifetz, Ronald A. and Linsky, Marty (2002). Leadership on The LineStaying alive through the Dangers of Leading, 1st Edition. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
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