Monday, September 30, 2019

Marital rights or partial immunity? Essay

The rape within marriage was not a crime and this principle had stood for centuries until 1992. In the case of R ([1991] 2 All ER 257) the rape within marriage was constituted as a serious crime. Before it became a law it was place for debates and Professor Glanville Williams had given his proposals how the law should be changed on this topic. The current article of the author of Helen Fenwick, who is a lecturer in law at the University of Durham, explains why Prof. Williams proposals are not suitable to be a law and secondly, he considers the effect if Prof. Williams suggestions would have been approved. The article is comprehensive and every argument has decent backup, except one thing that author do not even try to identify merits of Prof. Williams proposals. The marital rights and partial immunity, according to Prof. Williams is important measure. It indicates that offence of rape is somehow different according by who is made. If it was made by to victim known person like cohabitee, husband, ex-cohabitee or ex-husband it should get lesser sentence than rape by stranger. Also it is suggested that domestic rape would be classified as assault and not as rape or indecent offence, because it is less harmful to the victim to be raped by husband than a stranger, and cohabitee or husband should get lesser sentence than stranger. Secondly, according to Prof. Williams all rapist can be put in two groups: present and former husbands and cohabitees on first instance and on second strangers and as I mentioned above Prof. Williams suggests that the former group should be treated more leniently, because its less horrific to the victim and strangers rapist is more dangerous to society. Helen Fenwick is very sceptic about these suggestions, he uses number of arguments, examples in order to prove it. Author does not support marital rights neither partial rights on the subject of domestic rape. In the first place, Fenwick denies merits of using ‘categorisation of rapists’ and uses very one sided examples of domestic rape, husband, and stranger rapists. Author has intention to show that domestic rape can be worse than stranger rape, because of the future consequence. Secondly, Fenwick is against ‘Re-Labelling of All Domestic Crimes’, he argues that it would bring anomalies and injustice and he is right because it requires major changes in domestic offences. Furthermore, author declares that provocation hardly can be working with rape offence, because a husband or cohabitee, who rapes unfaithful wife should be given some allowance. But on the other hand â€Å"Why not to extend such consideration to the distraught husband who beats up his unfai thful wife?†. In the end Fenwick talks about ‘Cohabitation as a mitigating factor in rape’. Author is against this assumption, because husband can be accused of rape, but sentenced on a different scale than stranger. There are some problems however, with Fenwick argument and his overall looking into Professors Glanville Williams articles. It seems that Fenwick is looking for demerits only and very sceptic about Prof. Williams proposals. Furthermore, it can be reasonably believed that when looking at Prof. Williams suggestions it possible to find merits. The court will consider all relationships between victim and offender, and it can hardly be said that it would not take into account when sentencing that when rape occurred the victim and accused was living together. Moreover, when Fenwick using examples of husband and stranger raping victim, he is using extremities. He shows the worst scenario of how husband rapes his wife, with the worst future consequences and he using example to st rengthen his opinion by showing us that stranger who rapes victim can be less harmful. Later he is trying to repair this position by saying that â€Å"I do not want to suggest that â€Å"stranger† rape is really cosy† and â€Å"it is well known that husbands and other members of the family sometimes find any rape hard to come to terms with and may blame the woman†. It reflects that he could use more objective examples. On the other hand, this article is really strong and persuasive. Authors arguments are well backup with creditable information, he is examining problems in depth. Rises proper questions to influence reader and to negate Prof. Williams proposals as it is true that these proposals if incorporated into law would not bring certainty and finality to it, it would bring anomalies and misunderstandings. Fenwick uses statistics to strengthen his position on point that most of the rape is made by people who is known to the victim, and so if Prof. Williams suggestions would be incorporated, it would bring ‘partial immunity’ to the most rapist and they would receive lessen crimes, like domestic assault and others. What is more, the text reflects the Helen Fenwick view and in that time recent decided case of R and Law Commission recommendations, which is mentioned in the article. As author is criticising the Prof. Williams articles it is necessary to say that all Fenwick criticism is justified. The article also respond directly to the points made by Prof. Williams and comes with results how these proposals would had changed law on domestic rape into negative side. It is worth to mention that Fenwick is using current practise and personal reflection to deal with this problem. I am quite sure that Helen Fenwick is right what he is trying to address to us and the key points is set out in easy and comprehensive language in order to access to reader. In the conclusion, Fenwick view is based on the modern policy and to give women more rights. It also says that the principle of irrevocable consent within marriage is not just and any proposals by Professor Glanville Williams is against women rights to dispose her body as she chooses. What I can say more, that I am of the same opinion as Fenwick and I think when read this article you should focus on the women rights. In 1990s the criminal law on rape was on the edge of changing. The principle, that at marriage woman gives irrevocable consent to have sex with husband, now is being challenged. There was strong public opinion that stranger rapist and husband rapist should be equal placed in the court room. Professor Glanville Williams in his article ‘The problem of domestic rape’ (141 NLJ 205); (141 NLJ 246); argues that husband should not be liable for ‘rape’ like stranger rapist for a number of reasons, which shall I discuss. In his article, Prof. Williams, is willing to affect changes in law on domestic rape topic. He argues that husband should be protected by exemption from domestic rape offence. Prof Williams gives further points to strengthen his position by saying that the principle of husband exemption from rape was standing for centuries, not only because it was a policy but also that husband do not deserve to be accused of rape. Spouses have long lasting relations hip and that for maybe one time when husband had not had a consent he is not worth be liable for the same offence as stranger rapist. Furthermore, after marital ‘rape’ couple can even be reconciled, and forget about that one incident and that domestic rape is far more less traumatic than stranger rapist. Moreover, Prof. Williams suggests that after abolishing exemption there is left to much protection for wife of criminal law in respect that at the marriage she accepts sexual relationship between her and husband. Another major concern of author is the sentencing problems which is against his view. Prof. Williams is of opinion that to punish husband for 3-5 years of imprisonment is too harsh. Author suggests that the sentence should be not about the years, but counting in days or even fine. Moreover, ‘compelling the woman to testify’ against his husband is not appropriate, for reason that woman can still feel love to her husband and this would be against her will to testify, but in our law now is contrary woman must testify. Prof. Williams uses an example to illustrate this by ‘In 1989 a wife who refused to testify against her husband in an assault case was fined by Newark magistrates for contempt of court. Author thinks that this is against family interests. Professor’s Glanville Williams arguments is very interesting and challenging the Criminal law on rape. Author is wide known, respected, honourable academic and his authority and validity seems to be able to influence Law Commission and other academics. He is using a lot of tools to affect the reader, start with involving the reader, where he is asking reader to image, think what he would be in the place of husband, and ending with appellation to conscience. Prof. Williams backups all of his arguments by using case law or articles or even interviews with people. Latter is really helpful to put more confidence in the article. As he has great authority so his reasoning is valid to the deep context of family relations. Author is supporting family welfare and put reconcilation as the strong argument that husband should have exemption from domestic rape. What is more, indeed is credible to rely on, as the reasoning this as I mentioned above, author is respected and honourable academic and if he would be so, we could not be influenced by his works. The last thing to say, but not least, is that the article is really well writen, it easy to read and understand. So it can affect general community. There are however some problems with Professor’s Williams arguments. It did not persuade me for a number of reasons. Let’s start with saying that the law should be equal to everyone who live within it. If Prof. Williams arguments would be accepted it is not right against, like he calls, ‘stranger rapist’. Why? For the reason, that the ‘stranger rapist’ not always is very horrific, and the future consequence might be more positive to victim, being raped by stranger. Despite the fact, that victim feels more horrific being raped by stranger than husband we can still perceive positive side. For example, when victim is raped by husband she cannot expect support from her family, also victim losses confidence in all men, no matter how good personality is man, he can still be able to do that horrible act. Now looking at the stranger who raped his victim, she gets full support from her close people and after a while she can get back confidence in herself and men. Moreover, it is women right to dispose her body as she wants and no husband can tell how she must act, the principle that husband has exemption is out-dated public policy. Furthermore, stranger as well as husband should have reasonable self-restraint level. So, to my mind, it is worth to have the same punishment for both wrongdoers, stranger and husband, because in the end the harm is done and offender must take the consequence of it. In relation, as Prof. Williams indicated, with ‘sentencing anomalies’ is very conflicting to law on sentencing. Author suggestion that downgrading domestic law to common assault would cause a lot of injustice into the law. It is the same to give privilege to one group of people and for other give more duties and severe sentences. This idea is step out of modern world, and denies the principle that all people should be equal to To consider all things mentioned above, it is clear that Professor Glanville Williams is respected and honourable academic, this article is written very well, it easy to read, comprehensive and credible. Despite this, his arguments is not walking a long side with modern world public pol icies and for this fact I do not agree with his article.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Failing business Essay

Many are quick to remember one’s failure and slow to remember the redeeming moments. My life is no different. I am only human and I too have made my own mistakes in life. Though I sometimes have the tendency to move on from failure and perhaps forget, there are many who are only too quick to remind me of my past. Learning from this, I have vowed to treat each failure as a learning experience; One that makes me stronger and makes me better. This is the lesson that I learned from what some people would consider as one of the most challenging days of my life. I recently discovered that the pursuit of one’s goals is not as easy as it seems. When one looks at all the successful businessmen in the world, it does not seem apparent that they had to undergo many challenges to become successful. Yet as I have learned, there is so much work and effort that is needed to succeed in life. This is how my first business, a commercial cleaning service, became a failure but ultimately a success because I learned a very valuable lesson from it. The plan of the commercial cleaning service was simple. I had intended to take advantage of the lack of cleaning services in my area. I noticed that there were very few cleaning services and if there were any they were either inefficient, too expensive or both. Being a novice entrepreneur, I figured that this was an opportunity that was a guaranteed success; after all, all I had to do was simply offer better service and better prices. This was my first mistake. In making this assumption, I did not consider the fact that the ones who had established themselves before me had probably thought of these same advantages. I was naive to think that only I had the monopoly of great ideas and that others were not able to think as well. This presented the first challenge because I was unprepared for what happened. The initial costing for supplies and capital equipment was way higher than anticipated due to the fact that I was trying to provide quality service. Since I had already made those investments, I had to readjust my computations on Return on Investment and saw that the only way that I would be able to cover the daily expenses was to increase the price. So, instead of providing cheap and good quality service, I was constrained to offer only quality service. This unfortunately paved the way for the next problem which was the fact that I did not have prior experience in this field. While I did consider myself a neat freak, I was certainly out of my league when it came to running a commercial cleaning service. I failed to consider the fact that there are so many variables to consider and that when one has employees one has to ensure that they do their duties satisfactorily. This was no longer just a simple matter of telling people to clean something and making sure it was done properly. It involved going over the shifts and ensuring that every detail was not overlooked. Aside from this, I had to also consider the welfare of the people who were working under me. No matter how motivated I was, I could not seem to convince my employees to have the same passion and conviction. This was lesson number three for me; I learned that employees are never really motivated to perform unless they have a personal stake in the matter. I needed to get them involved on a personal level and believe in offering quality service at a good price. Unfortunately, the only thing they were interested in was clearing their pay and spending their money. Suffice it to say that the business soon failed. I was disheartened by the harsh reality check that happened but I am proud to say that I have learned from this experience. I could have lost much more to learn that valuable lesson. As I look back at that memory, I greet it with a smile knowing that even though it resulted in failure, I would not be the person I am today were it not for that experience. The thing about life is that there is always hope and there are several chances to fail and even more chances to succeed; as long as one has the drive and the passion.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Gary Watsons argument psychopaths Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gary Watsons argument psychopaths - Essay Example In an article titled Psychopathy and Prudential Deficits, Watson uses the story of Howard Dever. Dever had a young life of hustling and petty crimes in New York City before being conscripted into the United States Army in the 1940s. While in the Army, Dever had 14 AWOLs and many incarcerations (Watson 308). He would later be shipped to England where he married an English woman. However, he would abandon his wife and their child and at one time was faced with 15 counts of indictment for forgery, burglary and impersonation in Massachusetts. He could he heard at one time remarking after leaving Florida without telling his wife , â€Å"but I forgot to tell my wife, she didn’t know where I was, but she took me back when I came home† (Watson 308). Another time he was heard remarking after being indicted for burglary, â€Å" hell I didn’t need the money, I would just get an idea and I would go out and do it. Maybe I hurt somebody doing it but I have had fun† (Watson 308). Thus, it is from this story that Gary Watson (309) observes that this sort of thoughtless behavior by Dever causes so much grief, but the psychopath has a blank incomprehension of the moral responses which his inconsiderate and malicious behavior elicits. This is what makes a psychopath so chilling as opposed to people with other anti-social behaviors. The psychopathic profile is characterized by egocentricity and self-centeredness which makes them lack concern. Watson’s argument is based on a thesis that there is the co- occurrence of moral and prudential deficits in psychpathy. As such, there is one striking aspect about psychopaths. They are as careless of themselves as they are of others. Therefore, Watson’s argument is that since psychopaths have a blank comprehension of the moral responses that their actions might elicit on other people, they cannot be held morally responsible for their actions. The

Friday, September 27, 2019

Possibilities of God Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Possibilities of God - Term Paper Example rinciple, which will serve as his foundational or first principle for understanding human nature.2 Herein, I take Humes empiricist principle to mean that true knowledge must be derived from sensory experience alone. Thus, â€Å"trying to go beyond perceptions, as metaphysics must, inevitably involves going beyond anything that can have cognitive content† (Morris, â€Å"David Hume†). However, if one were to take the empiricist principle itself, questioning its own validity, then one would come to understand that it fails to answer to itself, for Hume’s theory of meaning itself is not readily traceable to an empirical impression on which it depends. Therefore, Hume’s principle is meaningless (Groothuis 5). The problem I will address in this paper then is: where does the impression of Hume’s idea of the copy principle lie? In this essay, I shall defend the veracity of Hume’s principle from the aforementioned criticism. For despite such criticism , Hume’s empiricist principle nevertheless remains to be a valid foundational principle for his philosophy. Hume acknowledges the role of psychology in our process of thinking. In his Enquiry, Hume’s aim was to track patterns in experience or through observation, which would give rise to knowledge and certainty. But where then does the impression of this said principle stem from, since it obviously isn’t derived from any of our sensory perceptions? Since it does not come from our sense perception; it must come from the mind, based on Hume’s explication on the psychological laws of association of ideas. He points out that the idea of necessary connection, i.e. cause and effect, cannot be found in the objects we observe, but resides only in our minds, and hence is simply a habit of the mind; it is but a mere subjective compulsion to relate things by the psychological necessity of associating an idea with another idea. Thus, could it be that he is also subject to the same subjective compulsion when stating his

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Socrates' Death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Socrates' Death - Essay Example It is against this backdrop that the dikasts sentence Socrates to death by drinking a conium-laced concoction. Rebutting Socrates’ Position Socrates’ appeal that in his philosophical lectures to the youth on the nature and essence of virtue as a way of directing them to be examined, ethical life does not suffice. Calling people to examined and moral lives does not require the ignoble lampooning of the Athenian pantheon of gods. Socrates was fully aware that the Athenians heavily depended on their many deities since Athenians had assigned every force of nature or the environment to a given deity; yet he proceeded to malign these gods. In an instance, he charged publicly that contrary to Athenians’ beliefs, the gods could act neither morally nor whimsically. Given that the youth formed the majority of his audience and public lectures, it was obvious that Socrates was inspiring the youth towards socio-cultural disobedience. The legitimacy or illegitimacy of the gods that Socrates preached against in this case does not matter: what matters most is that the religious system existed to foster communal good, unity and continuity. By extension, Socrates in his teaching was threatening the very unity and continuity of the Athenian community (Blyth, 2000). ... on and politics were not divided in the Athenian total way of life, Socrates proceeded to advance his stand against the collective and ritualistic views of religion by not participating in these rituals. Socrates was aware that the rulers were considered spokespersons of these deities and thus, by attacking these gods, he was actually disparaging the Athenian oligarchy and political order. The consequences were dire as he indeed knew, but he trudged on with his impious agenda. Thus, Socrates was not only advancing an antireligious onslaught on the Athenian culture but also on Athens’ political stability. Alongside serving in the military (Ephebos) and getting an education, a good citizen of ancient Athens was supposed to exercise his religious duties. Socrates does not observe the religious duties that he owes Athenians fully. Instead, he contravenes this expectation by introducing other gods to the youth and his larger audience. While Socrates is categorical that the sun and moon are inanimate bodies in lieu of Athenian gods, he implies that he believes in gods other than the Athenians’. Socrates also confirms this as he answers Meletus in his unapologetic three hour defense. According to Miller (2000), these concepts underlie contemporary perspectives, except that they are treated as rights and freedoms in lieu of duties. Presently, democracies insist that all have a right to education, the freedom of association and conscience (religious affiliation and beliefs and any career or profession, including the military). The advantage of the contemporary view is that plurality of views in politics and religion is preserved. The shortcoming of this view is that many have not been able to tinker their democratic freedoms and rights with personal responsibilities.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

FEMA Incident Command Systems and National Incident Management Systems Research Paper

FEMA Incident Command Systems and National Incident Management Systems Related to Law Enforcement Personnel - Research Paper Example As a law enforcement officer involved in special operations you have to be able to effectively respond to such operations using certain established guidelines and principles to protect property, live and the environment and restore normalcy. The Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA) is one such body under the US Department of Homeland Security tasked with handling emergency situations. Given that emergencies are unpredictable events that require cross functional approaches, as more than one agency may be involved, hence the need for a standardized approach and guidelines that are not specific to one agency. The FEMA has a system called the Incident Command System (ICS) that employs methods and standards that have been verified for efficiency and success in the business world and applied to emergency situations using a standard command, control and coordination system to achieve the aims of emergency responses and management. The ICS system enables proper cooperation and coord ination among different agencies since there are emergency occasions when as a special operations officer you may come under the command of someone from a different agency such as fire fighting whose methods and command structures could be different from special operations. This paper will therefore examine the beginnings of ICS, the development of new rules and guidelines with emphasis to the presidential order to the Department for Homeland Security in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks and then look at the guidelines from various sources, discuss them and draw conclusions. ICS can be traced to the 1970s when wildfires became a big problem in California when the state, federal, county and local fire departments, recognizing that no one agency can handle a fire emergency all alone, joined together to form a platform called the Firefighting Resources of California Organized for Potential Emergencies (FIRESCOPE) that pinpointed certain problems common to emergencies and hindering inter agency cooperation, including non uniform terms and commands, non-aligned communication, a missing scope for increasing or reducing the size of the joint response team depending on the situation, deficient combined plans of action plans and a lack of a command system to oversee inter agency operations (Haddow, Bullock & Coppola, 2011). The ICS is a model tactic built on best practice standards for managing emergencies and incidents that allow for a synchronized response from different agencies that creates a shared approach to scheduling and managing resources and enhances the incorporation of equipment, facilities, staff, systems within a unified organizational framework (â€Å"Introduction to the ICS†, 2009). The ICS has however evolved into an all inclusive emergency response and coordination approach for emergencies that utilizes a unified structure of organization and management system. The ICS is based on five main premises: Command, Logistics, Operatio ns, Planning, Finance/Administration (â€Å"What is the ICS?† 2010) During an emergency the law enforcement agencies leadership is organized into the above units with each having a jurisdiction over all the different agencies involved in the emergency. After the September 11t

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Wooly nightshade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wooly nightshade - Essay Example This report looks at the woolly nightshade, its characteristics and its prevalence in New Zealand, as well as ways of controlling it through the introduction of lace bugs. Furthermore, the lace bug is described and the characteristics, which make it the best option for biologically controlling and eventually eradicating the woolly nightshade, are discussed. Moreover, the application process to have lace bugs imported and released into the New Zealand ecosystem are described in some detail as well as the decision to have them imported and released. Finally, the consequences of the release of these bugs into the environment are discussed and their impact on the eradication of the woolly nightshade is analysed. Pests are not only tiny animals such as insects but also plants that grow naturally wherever the conditions are favourable, and that harm or hinder the growth of other plants in the surrounding environment. Woolly nightshade, or Solanum mauritianum, is an example of a pest plant; it is also known as the kerosene plant, tobacco weed, or the flannel weed. It originated from Brazil and Uruguay, and was brought to New Zealand as a garden plant in 1883 after which it was soon noted growing wild near Auckland. It has various distinctive features that set it apart from other plants, as it has five purple petal flowers that grow at the end of the branches, large oval-shaped leaves that are grey and green in colour. In addition, it produces a strong kerosene smell whenever the leaves are crushed and has the ability to flower throughout the year, producing berries during late spring and summer – they are first green and then turn to yellow when ripe (Ramel, 2012). Because of its fast g rowth, the woolly nightshade usually tends to grow taller than most plants in its surroundings (up to 30 metres tall) to become the dominant plant, so it can cover a very vast region within a relatively short period. This pest plant is common in northern New Zealand in the regions of

Monday, September 23, 2019

Immigration Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Immigration - Term Paper Example America is a perfect illustration of the extent of immigration as a social issue and how it influences society in a significant way (Fairchild 48-50). America is a country whose growth and development was greatly derived from immigrant communities most of which later became Americans. Immigration has equally been a source of social, cultural and political confrontations that have shaped America. Immigration is of great interest to me because of the immense role it plays in society both negatively and positively. In America, for instance, immigration has been incidental to the development of the country in several ways. Immigrants provided cheap labor during the industrial evolution and early development stages of the country. Furthermore, the assimilation of immigrant communities into the American society advanced the country’s diversity profile. Conflicts created by immigration often revolve around the perceived threat to a country’s culture by the immigrants who are t orn between two cultures. Such a concern leads to strife between resident communities and immigrants though most of the conflicts are merely based on perceptions. According to Carl (45-52) immigration is a social problem because of how it creates tensions and misunderstandings in society. Basically, immigration is a source of social strife pitting resident communities and immigrant communities most of which are based on culture and economic factors. Culturally, immigrants are perceived as a threat to a nation’s culture owing to the fact that immigrants belong to a different cultural heritage that is seen as a huge threat to the already existing culture of their new home. Also, immigrants present a threat of cultural erosion in the sense that future generations of a country will not have anything in common. Though this problem is more attributed to the failure of immigrants to assimilate and become part of the resident culture than their presence in the country. Carl (79-81) f urther suggests that immigration has immense economic implications in society. Economically, immigrants are perceived as a challenge to materials and opportunities, therefore, creating competition for resources and jobs with local communities. Other considerations include crime whereby immigration is often linked to increased levels of crime in the society or sometimes the society may resort to crime as a way of articulating the immigration problem. However, there are some researches that show the opposite. For instance, Sampson’s research indicates that areas with many immigrants are significantly safer areas. Immigration has been subject to literary dialogue since time immemorial and many thinkers and scholars share their diverse opinion on the vast subject. Numerous scholars examine immigration in detail evaluating the nature of a problem it presents to society. In essence, immigration as a social problem has attracted the attention of numerous researchers, authors and sch olars who examine the issue from different theoretical perspectives. Robert Sampson tackles the subject from a practical perspective by unearthing the recent conflicts and issues emanating from immigration in the United States through which he presents the prevailing conflicts regarding immigration (Sampson 28-33). In his article, Rethinking Crime and Immigration, Robert Sampson reveals that immigration is indeed a social problem, and it greatly influences the society. The role played by immigration in the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Teacher's Role in Classroom Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Teacher's Role in Classroom Management - Essay Example However, through the use and application of different strategies and lessons, the teacher not only lectures about a particular subject, (English language, in this case) but also shapes up the personality of the young minds being addressed. The task of a teacher also includes instilling the right moral and ethical values in the mind of the learners to help them transform into a better citizen and eventually, a better human being, who will contribute positively to their respective societies. Channeling different creative ideas presented by students in the right direction is also an important responsibility of a teacher. When the subject is taught with the right mix of humour and gravity, respect develops in students and it ultimately leads to a better teacher-student relationship. What has become even more important is the role of a teacher in classroom management. Classroom management is the use of those methods that facilitates the transfer of knowledge. It is all about disciplining, motivating and encouraging the students to prepare them to face the practical world with the right values. The affect of the external factors and environment on a classroom atmosphere has been well researched and confirmed. When handling classroom management, one of the most important things a teacher needs to keep in mind is to ensure that the environment is not dull and distracting. Firstly, the classroom should have a good inlet and outlet of air so that the right supply of oxygen helps maintain a lively and healthy atmosphere. Using enclosed spaces for classroom is not very effective while teaching since students tend to feel restless and bored in an atmosphere which looks suffocating. Apart from that, the seating arrangements and the teacher's corner should be placed in such a way so that it gives the classroom a spacious look, while not proving a hinderance to the communication that will take place. Neatness and order in classroom arrangement is even more important. It is imperative that the comfort level of students is also kept in mind as discomfort due to unleveled chairs or varying temperatures in the classroom may prove to be great distractions in the learning process. Furthermore, it is the role of the teacher to make sure that all students can view the teacher and learning tools clearly. Colourful charts and displays stimulate the minds of the students and help them retain knowledge better. It is better if a teacher tries to replace charts with new ones and add new things on display to upkeep interest and curiosity. In maintaining the right environment, the teacher plays the most significant role when it comes to discipline and the behaviour of the students. It is essential that misbehaviour of a student is declared wrong and punished though in a subtle way so as not to intimidate the other students. Overall, a comfortable environment is necessary to better the learning process and give teaching the right flow. [Barbara L. Wilt (Schoolmarm), 2000, 'Classroom Management Plan'] COMMUNICATION It will not be wrong to state that initiating and

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Peking man Essay Example for Free

Peking man Essay The theory of evolution is backed up by fossils of the ‘Peking man’ found in China during the early twentieth century. The current human species is believed to be the descendant of the Homo erectus, our predecessor species with a smaller brain and upright stature; the Peking man is a subspecies of this group and the corresponding fossil remains were estimated to be nearly 550,000 years old. However, recent Chinese fossil findings conducted by Nanjing Normal University in 2008 suggest the age of a Peking man skull to be at least 750,000 years old. The Homo erectus species is believed to have migrated from Africa approximately 2 Million years ago to Asia. The new estimated age of the Peking man fossils puts forward the possibility of two different subspecies having settled in different parts of Asia during the same timeline. The Homo erectus species had inhabited China and other parts of Southeast Asia for over half a million years. According to University of Iowa’s Russell Ciochon, the Peking man is likely to have coexisted with other Homo erectus subspecies; while one group of Homo erectus is assumed to have settled down in subtropical areas of Zhoukoudian in China, the unfamiliar weather could have driven the other group Southeast which could have evolved into what we today refer to as Peking man (Handwerk 2009). Ciochon uses the phrase â€Å"fork in the road† as an analogy to explain this situation (Handwerk 2009). This subspecies is assumed to have possessed the ability to make tools out of stone and walk upright. Also, its brain size being almost 75% the size of a Homo erectus makes it’s the closest descendant to human beings. The other group of Homo erectus settled in Zhoukoudian is believed to have enjoyed a good supply of food and familiar environment, giving rise to the subspecies Homo erectus pekinensis. The earlier timeline would also mean that this subspecies lived in a more pleasant climate in the grasslands. Moreover, fossil evidence of animal bones indicates that this group of Homo erectus settled in China consumed meat. This inviting proposition of food and pleasant weather could have given raise to the early Homo sapiens to migrate from Africa to Asia. Homo sapiens are quite different from Homo erectus since they are marked by a more â€Å"rounded skull, divided brow ridge, and chin† (Platt 2008). One school of thought spearheaded by Hou Ya-mei of Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology points out the possibility of modern Homo sapiens coexisting, interbreeding or even fighting with Homo erectus, thereby observing the theory of ‘survival of the fittest’ in action (Platt 2008). The present human race is believed to have originated out of Africa 60,000 years ago. The differences in Homo erectus fossil patterns in Asia and other parts of the world had given rise to discrepancy, which can be explained by a â€Å"secondary migration from Africa† (University Of Cambridge). Even though this theory makes sense to an extent, Susan Anton of New York University is pessimistic about the supporting data given to back up claims of two separate settlements of Homo erectus. She simply mentions the possibility of any number of migrations can be claimed, but those claims will continue to be void without strong supporting evidence. She furthers states that evidence such as the routes taken by the Homo erectus groups or a central cohesive point of origin in Africa would be needed to connect the â€Å"Out of Africa† theory and these claimed migrations. However, Anton concludes by admitting that this theory and the change in the timeline would help explain why the Homo erectus had persisted longer in continental Asia. Reference Handwerk, B. (2009, Mar 12). Peking Man Lived 200,000 Years Earlier Than Thought. National Geographic News. Retrieved 24 March, 2009, http://news. nationalgeographic. co. in/news/2009/03/090312-peking-man. html Platt, K. H. (2008, Feb 20). Ancestral Human Skull Found in China. National Geographic News. Retrieved 24 March, 2009, http://news. nationalgeographic. com/news/2008/02/080220-china-fossil. html University Of Cambridge (2007, May 10). New Research Confirms Out Of Africa Theory of Human Evolution. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 24, 2009, from http://www. sciencedaily. com ­ /releases/2007/05/070509161829. htm

Friday, September 20, 2019

Marketing plan and strategic options of Whitbread

Marketing plan and strategic options of Whitbread Introduction Strategic planning is the core of the work of an organisation. Without a strategic framework you dont know where you are going or why you are going there. So, then, it doesnt really matter how you get there! A strategy is an overall approach and plan. So, strategic planning is the overall planning that facilitates the good management of a process. Strategic planning takes you outside the day-to- day activities of your organisation or project. It provides you with the big picture of what you are doing and where you are going. Strategic planning gives you clarity about what you actually want to achieve and how to go about achieving it, rather than a plan of action for day-to-day operations This is all that we are going to learn from this. Task 1 About Whitbread Whitbread PLC is the UKs largest hotel and Restaurant Company operating market-leading businesses in the budget hotels and restaurant sectors. Its brands include Premier Inn, Beefeater, Table Table, Brewers Fayre, Taybarns and Costa Coffee. Whitbread PLC employs 35,000 people and serves 9 million customers every month in its 2,000 outlets across the UK. Whitbread PLC is a FTSE 100 company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. It is also a member of the FTSE4Good Index External Factors affecting Whitbread Whitbread is a family of brands, all of which are in the business of providing hospitality in one shape or form. The major external factors affecting the Whitbread are as below: Globalization: The main reason globalization affects hotel industry is through economy and transportation. Economically countries depend on one another; if one countries economy recesses it can in turn make many other countries economies suffer. Therefore there will be less money spent on luxury activities in both countries. Another affect of globalization on Whitbread is the many different cultures represented in cities and communities across the UK. These different cultures bring different food and recreational activities to their communities Economic conditions: In economic recession people lose jobs or tend to save their money because they do not know when things are going to get better. When people curtail spending due to an economic recession, the first thing they stop spending money on is luxury items. These items include: going out to eat at restaurants, going on trips, and basic recreation. These three activities are part of Whitbread Company; therefore, the Whitbread is one of the first industries to get hurt when the economy recesses. In economic expansion people have more money and tend to spend more money on things like vacations, going to eat at restaurants, and recreation. Political conditions: Political power can be defined as the ability to persuade lawmakers, society, or regulators to take steps that influence a firms actions or performance. For example, a politically strong customer group might influence government to enact legislation to protect its rights, or a politically strong media participant may be able to influence people to avoid certain restaurants or hotels. Weather: Weather has a major affect on hotel industry, for example a tropical resort may lose customers when it rains or is really windy, so these resorts might have a policy that states if you leave early because of weather there will be no refunded money. An example of weather affecting Whitbread is snow. This year the winter is already started with a big chill across the UK and people really dont wish to go out is such a frosty and snowy weather as there are more chances of having difficulties and injuries by slipping. Analysis of Major changes in external environment The major changes that are happening in the external environment that are going to affect the strategy are as below: Change of economic conditions: As we all know that the economy is still going down despite of the various possible alternatives tried by the UK government. There is no relief from the job redundancy and inflation which is going up every day. This is definitely having an effect on the pocket of the normal man and thus the strategy of handing a business will surely change. Political Factors: We just had a new government and is trying to bring in lot many changes in various policies like visa policy, taxes and many more. These changes will definitely bring change in the number of people visiting UK for holidays etc. And this will have a major impact on the hotel industry. Environmental factors: The environment is changing day by day with a high speed and the organizations have to change their strategy of work accordingly. Whitbread like all other organizations has to go with an environmental and energy policy that should make sure that the environment is protected and the energy is saved. Needs and Expectations of stakeholders People including employees, customers, share holders are all the stakeholders in the organization. A key part is to understand the needs and demands of the stakeholders. The stakeholders of the Whitbread have some expectations and demands from the organization and they are described as below: Focusing investment Growth in expanding sectors Outstanding performance Good quality Service Efficient Management Value for money Excellent logistics Reliability Security Task 2 Tools to analyse current business plan SWOT Analysis: In the world of business, conducting a SWOT analysis can be a useful tool when trying to assess the companys current situation as well as the surrounding marketplace. The results of a SWOT analysis often are used by companies to plan future strategies and make internal changes that are deemed necessary. Its a project or business planning tool used by companies to evaluate the feasibility of the business venture or project against competition and against external business conditions beyond their control Strengths and weaknesses of Whitbread business strategy Strengths Big Chain of Hospitality industry Globally diverse Tourists visiting UK Demand supply gap of rooms due to Olympics in 2012 Cultural Diversity Increase in Market Share Eco friendly Good Together Programme Brand Name Weaknesses Susceptible to Political Conditions Position of Whitbread in Market Marketplace covers a wide range of consumer and business issues. For Whitbread, the key areas include healthier lifestyles, food safety, environment, sustainability, outlet accessibility for all customers, listening to their customers needs and developing mutually beneficial relationships with suppliers and contractors. Whitbread are extremely proud of the high operational standards they set, but they are never complacent and are always looking for new ways to improve their business offer. Recent successes include: Big Tick Award for its Skills for Life Programme Bronze Award in Business in the Communitys 7th Corporate Responsibility Index Hotel Report Awards 2009 Alan Parker Named Individual of the Year PubChef Food Excellence Awards, Food Operator of the Year (branded) Top 20 Most Admired Companies 2008 [Whitbread, Dec 2010] Task 3 Modelling Tool to develop strategic options SWOT or TOWS analysis helps you get a better understanding of the strategic choices that you face. (Remember that strategy is the art of determining how youll win in business and life.) It helps you ask, and answer, the following questions: How do you: Make the most of your strengths? Circumvent your weaknesses? Capitalize on your opportunities? Manage your threats? A next step of analysis, usually associated with the externally-focused TOWS Matrix, helps you think about the options that you could pursue. To do this you match external opportunities and threats with your internal strengths and weaknesses, as illustrated in the matrix below: This helps you identify strategic alternatives that address the following additional questions: Strengths and Opportunities (SO) How can you use your strengths to take advantage of the opportunities? Strengths and Threats (ST) How can you take advantage of your strengths to avoid real and potential threats? Weaknesses and Opportunities (WO) How can you use your opportunities to overcome the weaknesses you are experiencing? Weaknesses and Threats (WT) How can you minimize your weaknesses and avoid threats? The options you identify are your strategic alternatives, and these can be listed in the appropriate quadrant of the TOWS worksheet. [Mind tools, Dec 2010] Understanding of activity in Market Whitbread Group, the UKs largest hospitality firm, is undergoing an IT-enabled transformation program to drive international expansion and operational improvements. Over the past few years, the firm sold many non-core businesses, which has brought a fundamental change in the technology function. The new plan means that Whitbreads IT is more focused on making the firm competitive than it was five years ago, when the main concern was cost and managing complexity. Few roles have also changed, taking on responsibility for IT and international business. IT is crucial to Whitbreads hotel business, through applications such as room inventory, as well as revenue management and self-service kiosks. Whitbreads IT programme, dubbed Simply Better, aims to make applications and infrastructure simpler to use and cheaper to operate, so the firm uses mainly off-the-shelf software apart from in areas such as the web. Driving the adoption of tech investment is probably the hardest part of the job. Their aim is to achieve simpler use and have people understand the purpose of the innovation -Â ­ for the guest, profitability and guest experience [Computing, Dec 2010] Future Organizational strategy Whitbreads aim is to build the best large-scale hospitality brands in the world by becoming the most customer focused organisation there is. Anywhere. Theyll do this by providing outstanding value and making everyday experiences feel special so that their customers come back time and time again. Whitbread should have high standards of corporate governance to have good relations with share holders. Target employee turnover and stability in order to gain competitive edge over its rival companies They should have commitment to food safety Good partnership with suppliers Respecting the law and treating workforce fairly Healthier life styles and eating as well Better environment and energy saving First class service to customers Committed and genuine service Task 4 Strategy Plan to ensure Stakeholders Participation In the past years, Whitbread has carried out a detailed evaluation of its corporate responsibility strategy in order to attain the maximum engagement from its stakeholders. The stakeholders have a high level of awareness and concern for environmental issues with most of them are making lifestyle changes as a result of their concerns. For the stakeholders, the primary drivers of choice are still quality, service, and value for money and convenience. However, these are closely followed by corporate responsibility drivers, such as healthy eating and the environment. The stakeholders think that it is important to care about the environment and the majority agreed that Whitbreads environmental performance mattered to them. Following are the issues that are important to these stakeholders and appropriate to Whitbread, namely: Energy efficiency; Recycling; Water management; Takeaway packaging; and Sustainable buildings. The views from their stakeholders should be used to develop their new corporate responsibility strategy. The key focus areas of the new strategy should be as below: People Culture and Values; Environment; Community Charity; Governance, International Standards; Supply Chain; Health Well Being; and Guest Perceptions and brand. Criteria for reviewing potential options Whitbread has been reviewing its corporate responsibility strategy and found that stakeholders e.g. customers, employees and all other interested want that despite being adding new things for the stakeholders we still need to review our strategy in order to give the best. Whitbread should involve and hire some external sources that could do some survey with their customers, team members, directors and board members. The Whitbread should also go for a comprehensive peer and market analysis to understand the consumer and macro trends relating to the sustainability that would be relevant for their business and their customers. The potential options for reviewing strategy plan should be as below: Environmental changes Greener choices Social values Guest engagement Healthier food Agreed Strategy The agreed strategy of the Whitbread should have the following key points that include resource implications: Environment: The Whitbread should continuously work together to improve its environmental foot print and promote good environmental practices. People: Whitbread should at all times respect fundamental human rights of all people. Whitbread would create employment opportunity, facilitate learning and development opportunities for its employees and engage employees in the agree strategy and the Whitbread Way Forward Sourcing: Whitbread will source its goods and services and do business with other organisations in a way that supports sustainable development. It will engage its suppliers and business partners in the agreed strategy. Brand: When dealing with consumers, Whitbread will act in accordance with honest business, marketing and advertising practices and take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety and quality of the goods or services it provides. Whitbread will engage its customers in the new strategy and sustainable business issues Health: Whitbread will enable its customers to make informed choices about how they eat and drink Community: Whitbread will work to be a positive part of the communities in which it operates. Whitbread will also energetically support its chosen charities Task 5 Core Organizational values The core values of Whitbread are: Genuine really caring about customers Confident striving to be the best at what we do Committed working hard for each other Social values Whitbread has been actively involved in the community for over 30 years. Through this time weve initiated, joined, funded or supported a huge range of leading and award winning programs. Whitbreads current community program focuses on delivering initiatives that engage our team members and impact the communities in which they live and work. By investing in our people we can unlock the potential of thousands of team members and encourage them to make a real difference in their local communities Business Values Their aim is to build the best large-scale hospitality brands in the world by becoming the most customer focused organisation there is. Anywhere. They plan to do this by providing outstanding value and making everyday experiences feel special so that their customers come back time and time again Ethical Values Whitbread is very much aware of the importance of the rights of its employees and its responsibilities for good citizenship and high ethical conduct. Accordingly, they aim to ensure that all of its employees are treated fairly and with dignity throughout employment. They similarly expect their suppliers, wherever they are located, to respect and support these principles. If at any time an issue arises that their employees believe may go against these principles, they would raise it initially with their line manager and then if the matter cannot be resolved, raise a formal grievance under the Companys internal procedures Environmental Values Their approach to the environment is guided by their Environment policy and their Energy policy, which contain a number of principles with which all Whitbread businesses are required to comply Vision and Mission Statements of Whitbread Vision Statement To become the leading independent 4* hotel in London providing excellent products and services at reasonable prices to every customer, every time Mission Statement Our customers are our priority and we will provide them with a quality experience which is second to none. We recognize the importance of our employees in achieving this and we will create a positive working environment which encourages their loyalty, commitment and hard work. We strive to be excellent leaders and will undertake all our business activities in an honest and ethical manner to provide a fair return on our investment Future Management Strategy Whitbread aims to be a leader in sustainable hospitality in UK market sector. To realise this vision, it has developed its Good Together Commitments that define its overall approach to corporate responsibility and provides with a vision for the Good Together programme. Operational responsibility for driving forward the Good Together elements is allocated at Operational Director level with in the Business Units within the relevant functions, including commercial, property, HR, marketing, food and beverage and operations. Cross-functional and cross-Business Unit Working groups are set up as needed to project manage and implement the programs and to make sure that there is appropriate coordination and shared insight between different parts of the business in cross-cutting issues and projects. It is the role of the Corporate Responsibility Director to coordinate activity across the business, support the CR Steering Committee in its purpose and to provide technical expertise and support to the working groups and project leaders. All their Good Together Steering Committee Members have set personal objectives related to the delivery of Good Together. In 2010/11 all their operational Directors (the top 40 leaders in the business) and Heads of Department will also be required to set personal objectives relating to delivery of Good Together as part of their development plan. Measures to Evaluate Strategy Plan There could be many different measures that can be sued to evaluate the strategy plan but few important ones of them are mentioned as below: Market Performance of the organization Costs involved Profits generated Brand Standards Health and Safety Team turnover Customer recommendation Energy Saving Sales growth Team engagement Keeping all this in mind, the Whitbread uses a balance card approach named as WINcard to measure their performance across all key performance indicators. The WINcard measures their performance around their key stakeholders: the customers, the people, the shareholders and a more recent stakeholder addition, the community which is better known as their Good Together strategy. The WINcard aligns the day-to-day activities to the overall vision and strategy of the Company and helps to measure the progress. The WINcard has enabled a performance culture to thrive across all levels of the organization and mobilizes their people to act around shared goals. The WINcard measures are used as key indicators in personal development planning, for recognizing excellent performance, in coaching and performance management, supporting talent management and succession planning. It is a core component of their incentive framework at all levels. The WINcard educates, motivates and engages their leaders and teams across the business to focus, prioritize and deliver what is required to achieve success [Whitbread, Dec 2010] Task 6 Schedule for implementing strategy plan Strategic planning implementation is at the heart of how to make change of any kind happen in your organization. Keys to Strategic Planning Implementation Success These are the keys to effective strategic planning implementation for your business. Full and active executive support, Effective communication, Employee involvement, Thorough organizational planning and competitive analysis, and Widespread perceived need for the strategic planning. Time table for implementation The strategy that is being agreed upon is achievable but not in short span of time. Proper planning has to be done for this and a scheduled has to be prepared. Phase 1 Value enhancement Cost Reduction Operational Effectiveness July 2011 Phase 2 Growth opportunities Customer satisfaction Value added services Dec 2011 Phase 3 End to End Services Execute in emerging markets Strengthen the capital Dec 2012 Dissemination processes Activities designed to ensure that the results of the organization and its predecessors are appropriately recognised, demonstrated and implemented on a wide scale. Dissemination is also often described as a process that involves a share of results and experiences with the aim of influencing the way other people think and act, or of making them aware of a new idea, product or service. Following are some key points that should be achieved: Raise awareness in the intended target group Generate understanding and obtain the support of others in disseminating information Involve others outside your own organisation Bring about a change in attitudes and ways of thinking Bring about a change in attitudes towards customers visitors, suppliers or team members. New patterns of conduct in the target group the end users of the strategy To gain the commitment of stakeholders, the following processes need to be followed: Consider stakeholders First No matter how beneficial the change, it will take your stakeholders to implement it. Helping them understands the change and, further, gaining their support for the change will be the key. First, identify all key groups of people or individuals who will be impacted Stakeholders who feel they have helped plan the change will be more likely to help make the change because they understand how and why it will occur. Identify ways you can involve stakeholders in the implementation process. Ask them to share with the organization in full staff meeting or via a company intranet how they have successfully implemented the change. Show Upper-level Commitment Stakeholders will not support a change they feel is not fully supported by upper management. Instead, they will wait out the change, knowing that it will eventually go away to be replaced by the next change [suite101, Dec 2010] Monitoring and Evaluation systems The strategic plan document should specify who is responsible for the overall implementation of the plan, and also who is responsible for achieving each goal and objective. The following questions need to be asked while monitoring the implementation: 1. Are goals and objectives being achieved or not? If they are, then acknowledge, reward and communicate the progress. If not, then consider the following questions. 2. Will the goals be achieved according to the timelines specified in the plan? If not, then why? 3. Should the deadlines for completion be changed (be careful about making these changes know why efforts are behind schedule before times are changed)? 4. Do personnel have adequate resources (money, equipment, facilities, training, etc.) to achieve the goals? 5. Are the goals and objectives still realistic? 6. Should priorities be changed to put more focus on achieving the goals? 7. Should the goals be changed (be careful about making these changes know why efforts are not achieving the goals before changing the goals)? 8. What can be learned from our monitoring and evaluation in order to improve future planning activities and also to improve future monitoring and evaluation efforts? The frequency of reviews depends on the nature of the organization and the environment in which its operating. Organizations experiencing rapid change from inside and/or outside the organization may want to monitor implementation of the plan at least on a monthly basis. Boards of directors should see status of implementation at least on a quarterly basis. Chief executives should see status at least on a monthly basis [Management help, Dec 2010]

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Smoking and The Human Body Essay -- essays research papers

Smoking is a bad habit which plagues the young, as well as the old. It is the largest source of preventable mortality in North America1. Not only does smoking lead to an early grave, but it can also influence one's daily life. Many studies have revealed links between smoking and reduced endurance capacity2. Nicotine, the addictive agent found in cigarettes, can also be used to control weight gain. Both of these factors can have considerable effect on the sporting world. There have been many studies done, indicating that if you smoked, you did less physical activity. It has also been shown that the more you smoke, the less activity you do. In one experiment done on smokers and non-smokers, the subjects were tested while running a marathon. The experimenters took a large group of mainly non-smokers and army conscripts and measured their performance. It was found that the distance covered in the race was inversely related to daily cigarette consumption3. That is, the more you smoked, the less distance you ran. The longer the participant in the race had been smoking, the worse he/she performed. For example, the average non-smoker could cover 2613 meters in 12 minutes, while a smoker of less than 2 years who smoked 21+ cigarettes a day could only cover 2284 meters. A smoker of more than 4 years who smoked 21+ cigarettes a day could only cover 2188 meters4. These results show how performance decreases the more a person smokes in their lifetime. An experiment performed by Robert C. Klesges et al. found that although smokers did fewer sports, and leisure time activities, they did the same amount of anaerobic activities5. The study also found that smokers had the same energy intake as non-smokers, indicating that eating habits were not a factor in the fitness levels. Smokers average 30-35 kcal per day less of high intensity activity than non-smokers6. This reduced aerobic physical activity can be attributed to the fact that smoking causes an increase in carboxyhemoglobin which decreases the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, which would cause relative hypoxia in tissues and lead to reduced performance during maximal physical exertion7. Since smoking is so detrimental to the oxygen transport system, it effects endurance capacity more than any other element of fitness such as muscle strength or speed. This must be taken in consideration if an athlete wishe... ...scripts and 4,100 Joggers," Preventive Medicine v17 (1988), p89. 9 Winders, Suzan E. and Neil E. Grunberg. "Effects of nicotine on body weight, food consumption and body composition in male rats," Life Sciences v46 no.21 (1990), p1523. 10 Winders, Suzan E. and Neil E. Grunberg. "Effects of nicotine on body weight, food consumption and body composition in male rats," Life Sciences v46 no.21 (1990), pp1528-1529. 11 Klesges, Robert C. et al. "Smoking Status: effects on dietary intake, physical activity, and body fat of adult men," American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition v51 (May 1990), p786. 12 Waldum, Helge L. et al. "Long-Term Effects of Inhaled Nicotine," Life Sciences v58 no.16 (Mar. 1996), p1345. 13 Waldum, Helge L. et al. "Long-Term Effects of Inhaled Nicotine," Life Sciences v58 no.16 (Mar. 1996), p1345. 14 "Smoking To Stay Thin--The Body-Image Connection," OPHEA Journal Autumn, 1996, p17. 15 "Smoking To Stay Thin--The Body-Image Connection," OPHEA Journal Autumn, 1996, p17. 16 Waldum, Helge L. et al. "Long-Term Effects of Inhaled Nicotine," Life Sciences v58 no.16 (Mar. 1996), p1346. 5

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Reflection Upon Questioning Skills Essay -- Nursing Reflective Practic

Reflection has its importance in clinical practice; we always seek to be successful and that can be achieved by learning every day of our life through experiences we encounter. In that way we can reconsider and rethink our previous knowledge and add new learning to our knowledge base so as to inform our practice. Learning new skills does not stop upon graduation; it must become second nature to all professionals as they continue their professional development throughout their careers (Jasper, 2006). In keeping within current legislation on the protection and respect of an individuals’ right of anonymity, (Clamp, Gough and Land 2004; Polit and Beck 2007), and to confidentiality, (Burns and Grove 2003; Munhall 2007), any and all possible identifiable characteristics of the client have either been altered or omitted entirely where the potential for identification of the client was seen as possible or probable. I shall refer to the patient whom I worked with as Mr. C however, due to the aforementioned the gender of the client should not be deemed as either factual or an alteration. As I reflect on my conversation with Mr. C, I found that there were seven areas identified as blocks to communication. After I reviewed and critically evaluated the seven blocks, I noticed that I missed listening, identifying and clarifying clients’ concerns associated with utilizing open-ended questions during the interaction. In (1), the patient answered â€Å"I think I’m ok.† I should have further encouraged the patient to elaborate the meaning of his answer, so that I could figure out how he was doing from his perspective. As the patient asked me about his NG tube, I did not answer him properly in (2). I just promised hi... ...rom their nurses. American Journal of Nursing, 93 (8), 38-41. Munhall, P. (2007) Nursing research: A qualitative perspective. 4th Ed. Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Sudbury. p523. Parse, R. R., Bournes, D. A., Barrett, E. A. M., Malinski, V. M., & Phillips, J. R. (1999). A better way: 10 things health professionals can do to move toward a more personal and meaningful system. On Call, 2 (8), 14-17. Polit, D., Beck, C. (2007) Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice. 8th Ed. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Philadelphia. p180. Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (2006). Client centered care. Retrieved October 7.2011, from http://www.rnao.org/Storage/15/932_BPG_CCCare_Rev06.pdf Stickley, T., & Freshwater, D. (2006). The art of listening in the therapeutic relationship. Mental Health Practice, 9 (5), 12-18.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Ethic Leaders

Include a live link to your source so that we may visit the site. http://pressroom. target. com/leadership/gregg-w-steinhafel Identify the leader and the company or organization. Mr. Gregg W. Steinhafel serves as the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Target Brands, Inc. Mr. Steinhafel has been the Chairman of Target Corp. since February 1, 2009 and its Chief Executive Officer since May 01, 2008 and President since August 1999. Mr. Steinhafel has gained meaningful leadership experience and retail knowledge.Target Corporation, originally the Dayton Dry Goods Company and later the Dayton Hudson Corporation, is an American retailing company, founded in 1902 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Wal-Mart. The company is ranked at number 38 on the Fortune 500 as of 2012 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's 500 index. Its bull’s-eye trademark is licensed to Wesfarmers, owners of the separate Target Australia chain which is unrelated to Target Corporation. Provide a brief overview of the company's core business.Target set high standards for—where you shop. They aim to be a place where guests and team members will always find more than they expect. Their mission and values set the stage, and day-to-day innovation, teamwork and community partnerships reflect who they are. Their mission is to make Target your preferred shopping destination in all channels by delivering outstanding value, continuous innovation and exceptional guest experiences by consistently fulfilling their Expect More. Pay Less.  ® brand promise. Describe the position of this person and his or her overall duties and responsibilities.As Chief Executive Officer, he is responsible for determining the strategy and clearly articulating priorities as well as aligning and motivating to execute strategy and clearly articulating priorities as well as aligning and motivating to execute effectivel y and ensure continued success. As president, Steinhafel had companywide responsibility for merchandising, stores, global sourcing, product design and development, presentation, supply chain and Target. com. Identify how and why this person demonstrates a strong sense of business ethics and organizational values. What has this person accomplished? Steinhafel has een instrumental in developing and promoting Target’s unique corporate culture, in which 365,000 talented and diverse team members collaborate and innovate to make Target a fun and convenient shopping experience, providing access to highly differentiated products at affordable prices and sustaining the company’s legacy of giving and service. Since 1946, the corporation has given 5 percent of its income to non-profit organizations that support the communities where Target does business. Today, that giving equals more than $4 million a week. He also believes that donating time, talent and resources is equally imp ortant as the income they give.Target gives hundreds of thousands of hours volunteering in their communities every year. Target helps build safe, strong and healthy communities to all their guest and works closely with partners and organizations. They support educational programs, provide basic needs to families in crisis, and practice sustainability throughout their business—and that’s just the beginning. Throughout the year, Target provide education grants to local K-12 schools to support educational field trips, early childhood reading programs and participation in the arts.Target donated millions of books to kids and their school libraries through Target Books for Schools Awards and their Target School Library Makeover program. Steinhafel is a member of the Business Roundtable, Business Council and the Minnesota Business Partnership. In 2010, he was appointed to the Council for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2012, Steinh afel began a two-year term as chairman of the board for the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA). That is why I have chosen Greg Steinhafel for this discussion assignment. Explain why you selected this person.I have chosen Gregg Steinhafel because he exemplifies great leadership skills and good corporate culture. He is one of those leaders who never use the word â€Å"I† when referring to his company. Steinhafel takes his place out in front of several hundred thousand Target team members, insisting that â€Å"we†Ã¢â‚¬â€œmeaning the discount retailer’s top brass–â€Å"are the coaching staff that help design the playbook, but implement it at the same time. † He believes in team work and helps support his employees. I have always admired leaders who doesn’t take all the credit and realize it’s the company as a whole that makes it grow.What can you learn from this person? What would help you to create a better ethical environment in your place of work or in your future career? Gregg Steinhafel can be a great mentor because I can learn to be a reliable leader/person that helps supports the community, value employees and know not to take recognition by myself but to share it with the company. I know I can help build an ethical environment by being a good example towards others. I can make sure I establish strong ethic values by building trust and complying by the standards.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Good Communicator Essay

Effective communication begins when a specific message is conveyed to people and that your idea is being received and people understand what you are saying to them. This is especially important in the healthcare industry because proper interpretation from patients is critical in them receiving the utmost care and proper diagnosis. Interaction between healthcare workers, doctors and patients is critical in communicating symptoms, diagnosis and test results and treatment of patients. When workers are able to communicate with each other it makes it easier to interact with the patients by having all the needed information, whether it was symptoms relayed from patient, test results relayed from lab or diagnosis relayed from the doctor. There are six characteristics of both supportive and defensive relationships, where one set of characteristics focus on compassion and empathy and defensive characteristics are to the point and abrupt without any interpersonal communication between parties involved. Supportive relationships would seem to be the better choice for the healthcare industry because like a broken wheel halts forward progress, so does non-communication among professionals and patients. When there is no empathy present with a patient they feel like no one understands their problem and feel like they are not getting the help that they deserve. Assertive communication allows an idea to be brought up and talked about but making sure all parties are respected. By being assertive is a learned technique to use and if not done correctly can cause conflicts among the workplace because people do not like abrupt changes in the workplace. Once changes are felt by all and are eventually practiced, it becomes part of a daily routine in the office and there are no longer conflicts having to be resolved. When being assertive one must not become aggressive also or a person would become known as a â€Å"bully† in the workplace and doesn’t care what the consequences of actions will entail. Not only can assertive behavior be bad if not utilized correctly, it may also cause undue stress on the coronary system and could ultimately lead to a heart attack or stroke. When using an assertive style in the workplace, one must be aware of negative reactions that could occur and be able to be ready with additional information to sway the receiver. One must not be too aggressive with tone and pitch of the voice and it will send off the wrong impression to receivers and not sway them to understand what is being said. When faced with aggression most people react negatively and this would not be advisable in a healthcare setting. An example would be when a medical coder has a question on what a doctor has documented in a patients file that doesn’t seem appropriate for the diagnosis so a doctor must be spoken to get more information to code correctly but without pointing fingers at the doctor. If the coder inquires aggressively then the doctor would become irate over being questioned but if the coder were to inquire assertively they would seem more like they just wanted more information to properly code the patient’s records. I fall under the type B personality because I am very easy going, but I do want to be heard when needed. I don’t feel that aggression is the answer but I do feel that one can be assertive and get a point across without being viewed as being too aggressive. Assertiveness takes into account what others feel and say and aggressiveness is all about what â€Å"I† want and need and not what â€Å"they† want or need. Previous positions that I’ve worked, I had many supervisors that used very assertive behavior and they really didn’t get good feedback. When workers became assertive about their needs for specific things at work, then supervisors are more likely to hear what they want and react appropriately. I do have a hard time getting my point across because I know what I want to say in my brain but when it comes out of my mouth it becomes all jumbled and does not make sense. I’m trying to work on my communication skills and am hoping that this course will increase my skills so that I can speak more clear and concise and have people understand what I want to accomplish in the workplace.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Health Improvement Essay

To address this challenge, the world’s governments committed themselves at the United Nations Millennium Summit to the Millennium Development Goals, including the overarching goal of halving extreme poverty by the year 2015. Yet, our planet’s capacity to sustain us is eroding. The problems are well-known – degrading agricultural lands, shrinking forests, diminishing supplies of clean water, dwindling fisheries, and the threat of growing social and ecological vulnerability from climate change and loss of biological diversity. While these threats are global, their impacts are most severe in the developing world – especially among people living in poverty who have the least means to cope. Is this environmental decline inevitable in order for poverty to be reduced? We argue not. Indeed, quite the opposite is true. If we do not successfully arrest and reverse these problems, the world will not be able to meet the Millennium Development Goals, particularly the goal of halving extreme poverty. As this paper demonstrates, tackling environmental degradation is an integral part of effective and lasting poverty reduction. The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) provides the international community with a pivotal opportunity to redirect the global debate, and to forge a more integrated and effective global response to poverty and environmental decline. To succeed, we need to focus on the most important links between poverty, the environment and sustainable development. For many, ensuring sound environmental management means curtailment of economic opportunities and growth, rather than their expansion †¦ too often; it is viewed as a cost rather than an investment. Prepared as a contribution to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development focuses on ways to reduce poverty and sustain growth by improving management of the environment, broadly defined. It seeks to draw out the links between poverty and the environment, and to demonstrate that sound and equitable environmental management is integral to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, in particular eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, reducing child mortality, combating major diseases, and ensuring environmental sustainability. Four priority areas for sustained policy and institutional change are highlighted: ?Improving governance for pro-poor and pro-environment policies, institutions and services, with particular attention to the needs of women and children; ?Enhancing the assets of the poor and reducing their vulnerability to environment-related shocks and conflict; ?Improving the quality of growth to protect the asset base of the poor and expand opportunities for sustainable livelihoods; ?Reforming international and industrialized country policies related to trade, foreign direct investment, aid and debt. Policy opportunities exist to reduce poverty and improve the environment The environment matters greatly to people living in poverty. The poor often depend directly on natural resources and ecological services for their livelihoods; they are often the most affected by unclean water, indoor air pollution and exposure to toxic chemicals; and they are particularly vulnerable to environmental hazards such as floods and prolonged drought, and to environment-related conflict. Addressing these poverty-environment linkages must be at the core of national efforts to eradicate poverty. Many policy opportunities exist to reduce poverty by improving the environment – but there are significant and often deeply entrenched policy and institutional barriers to their widespread adoption. The past decade of experience since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio reveals some important lessons that help point the way forward. Three broad lessons are highlighted here: ?First and foremost, poor people must be seen as part of the solution – rather than part of the problem. Efforts to improve environmental management in ways that contribute to sustainable growth and poverty reduction must begin with the poor themselves. Given the right incentives and support – including access to information and participation in decision-making – the poor will invest in environmental improvements to enhance their livelihoods and well-being. At the same time, however, it is essential to address the activities of the non-poor since they are the source of most environmental damage. The environmental quality of growth matters to the poor. Environmental improvement is not a luxury preoccupation that can wait until growth has alleviated income poverty, nor can it be assumed that growth itself will take care of environmental problems over the longer-term as a natural by-product of increasing affluence. First, this ignores the fundamental importance of environmental goods and services to the livelihoods and well-being of the rural and urban poor. Second, there are many examples of how bad environmental management is bad for growth, and of how the poor bear a disproportionate share of the costs of environmental degradation. Ignoring the environmental soundness of growth – even if this leads to short-run economic gains – can undermine long-run growth and its effectiveness in reducing poverty. ?Environmental management cannot be treated separately from other development concerns, but requires integration into poverty reduction and sustainable development efforts in order to achieve significant and lasting results. Improving environmental management in ways that benefit the poor requires policy and institutional changes that cut across sectors and lie mostly outside the control of environmental institutions – changes in governance, domestic economic policy, and in international policies. Improving governance ?Integrate poverty-environment issues into nationally-owned poverty reduction strategies, including macroeconomic and sect oral policy reforms and action programmes, so that they can become national sustainable development strategies. Engage poor and marginalized groups in policy and planning processes to ensure that the key environmental issues that affect them are adequately addressed, to build ownership, and to enhance the prospects for achieving lasting results. Address the poverty-environment concerns of poor women and children and ensure that they are given higher priority and fully integrated into poverty reduction strategies and policy reforms – for example, the growing burden of collecting scarce water and fuelwood supplies, and the effects of long-term exposure to polluted indoor air. Implement anti-corruption measures to counter the role of corruption in the misuse of natural resources and weak enforcement of environmental regulations – for example, the destructive impacts of illegal logging and unregulated mining, or the preference for construction of new power and water investments over increasing the efficiency of existing investments. ?Improve poverty-environment indicators to document environmental change and how it affects poor people, and integrate into national poverty monitoring systems. This should be complemented by measures to improve citizens’ access to environmental information. Enhancing the assets of the poor ?Strengthen resource rights of the poor by reforming the wider range of policies and institutions that influence resource access, control and benefit-sharing, with particular attention to resource rights for women. This includes central and sub-national government, traditional authorities, the legal system, and local land boards, commissions and tribunals. Support decentralization and local environmental management – land, water and forest resource management, and provision of water supply and sanitation services – by strengthening local management capacity and supporting women’s key roles in managing natural resources. ?Expand access to environmentally-sound and pro-poor technology, such as crop production technologies that conserve soil and water and minimize the use of pesticides, or appropriate renewable energy and energy e fficient technologies that also minimize air pollution. This includes support for indigenous technologies, and the need to address the social, cultural, financial and marketing aspects of technical change. ?Promote measures that reduce the environmental vulnerability of the poor by strengthening participatory disaster preparedness and prevention capacity, supporting the formal and informal coping strategies of vulnerable groups, and expanding access to insurance and other risk management mechanisms. Reduce the vulnerability of the poor to environment-related conflict by improving conflict resolution mechanisms in the management of natural resources and addressing the underlying political issues that affect resource access. Improving the quality of growth ?Integrate poverty-environment issues in economic policy and decision-making by strengthening the use of environmental assessment and poverty social impact analysis. Improve environmental valuation at both the macro and micro level, in order to highlight the full cost of environmental deg radation for the poor in particular and the economy in general, and to improve economic decision-making. ?Expand private sector involvement in pro-poor environmental management to maximize the efficiency gains from private sector participation, while safeguarding the interests of the poor. This requires capacity within government to negotiate with the private sector – for example, to ensure that utility privatization benefits the poor – and to forge effective public-private partnerships that enhance the poor’s access to environmental services. ?Implement pro-poor environmental fiscal reform including reform of environmentally-damaging subsidies, improved use of rent taxes to better capture and more effectively allocate resource revenues, and improved use of pollution charges to better reflect environmental costs in market prices. Reforming international and industrialized country policies ?Reform trade and industrialized country subsidy policies to open up markets to developing country imports while avoiding environmental protectionism, and to reduce subsidies that lead to unsustainable exploitation – such as subsidies for large-scale commercial fishing fleets that encourage over-harvesting in developing country fisheries. . Make foreign direct investment more pro-poor and pro-environment by encouraging multinational corporations to comply with the revised OECD Code of Conduct for Multinational Enterprises, and to report on the environmental impact of their activities in line with the UN Environment Programme’s Global Reporting Initiative. ?Increase funding for the Global Environment Facility as the major source of funding for global public goods in the environment, such as a stable climate, maintenance of biodiversity, clean international waters and the protective ozone layer. These benefit the whole world as well as the poor themselves – so the rich world must pay a fair share for their maintenance. ?Enhance the contribution of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) to national development objectives by strengthening developing country capacity to participate in the negotiation and implementation of MEAs (for example, to ensure that the Clean Development Mechanism promotes investments that benefit the poor). Also, improved coordination is needed between MEAs so that scarce developing country capacity is used most effectively. ?Encourage sustainable consumption and production – industrialized country consumers and producers through their trade, investment, pollution emissions and other activities affect the environmental conditions of developing countries. Making rich country consumption and production more sustainable will require a complex mix of institutional changes – addressing market and government failures as well as broad public attitudes. Enhance the effectiveness of development cooperation and debt relief with more priority for poverty-environment issues, particularly for the poorest countries where aid and debt relief continue to have a valuable role to play in helping governments to make many of the changes recommended above. Mainstream environment in donor agency operations through staff training, development and application of new skills, tools and approaches, and revisions to the way resources and budgets are allocated. Transparent monitoring of progress against stated objectives and targets is needed in order to hold development agencies accountable and to ensure that a commitment by senior management to addressing poverty-environment issues is put into practice throughout the organization. Conclusion This paper looks ahead with some degree of hope and optimism for the future – there are sometimes win-win opportunities, and there are rational ways of dealing with trade-offs. Environmental degradation is not inevitable, nor the unavoidable result of economic growth. On the contrary, sound and equitable environmental management is key to sustained poverty reduction and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. There are significant policy opportunities to reduce poverty and improve the environment, but more integrated and pro-poor approaches are needed. The World Summit on Sustainable Development is an opportunity to focus on what is most important and to forge a coherent framework for action, with clear goals and achievable targets backed-up by adequate resources and effective and transparent monitoring mechanisms. There can be no more important goal than to reduce and ultimately eradicate poverty on our planet. PART 1 Why the Environment Matters to People Living in Poverty â€Å"Water is life and because we have no water, life is miserable† (Kenya) â€Å"We think the earth is generous; but what is the incentive to produce more than the family needs if there are no access roads to get produce to a market? † (Guatemala) â€Å"In the monsoons there is no difference between the land in front of our house and the public drain. You can see for yourself† (India) In their own words, the environment matters greatly to people living in poverty. Indeed, poor people’s perceptions of well-being are strongly related to the environment in terms of their livelihoods, health, vulnerability, and sense of empowerment and ability to control their lives. Figure 1 provides a simplified framework for understanding how environmental management relates to poverty reduction, and why these poverty-environment linkages must be at the core of action to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and related national poverty eradication and sustainable development objectives. Environmental management for poverty reductionDimensions of povertyDevelopment goals Part 1 of the paper focuses on the poverty-environment relationship by examining how environmental conditions in both rural and urban settings relate to three key dimensions of human poverty and well-being: ?Livelihoods – poor people tend to be most dependent upon the environment and the direct use of natural resources, and therefore are the most severely affected when the environment is degraded or their access to natural resources is limited or denied; Health – poor people suffer most when water, land and the air are polluted; ?Vulnerability – the poor are most often exposed to environmental hazards and environment-related conflict, and are least capable of coping when they occur. We also are concerned with the relationship between growth and the environment and how it affects the poor and efforts to reduce poverty. The environmental soundness of growth matters considerably to the poor, and countries with similar levels of income and growth can have quite different levels of environmental performance. While Figure 1 illustrates the main pathways between environmental conditions and dimensions of poverty, in reality these linkages are multi-dimensional, dynamic and often inter-connected: ?Poverty is now widely viewed as encompassing both income and non-income dimensions of deprivation – including lack of income and other material means; lack of access to basic social services such as education, health and safe water; lack of personal security; and lack of empowerment to participate in the political process and in decisions that influence one’s life. The dynamics of poverty also are better understood, and extreme vulnerability to external shocks is now seen as one of its major features. Environment refers to the biotic and abiotic components of the natural world that together support life on earth – as a provider of goods (natural resources) and ecosystem services utilized for food production, energy and as raw material; a recipient and partial recycler of waste products from the economy; and an important source of recreation, beauty, spiritual values and other amenities. The nature and dynamics of poverty-environment linkages are context-specific – reflecting both geographic location and economic, social and cultural characteristics of individuals, households and social groups. Different social groups can prioritize different environmental issues (Brocklesby and Hinshelwood, 2001). In rural areas, poor people are particularly concerned with their access to and the quality of natural resources, especially water, cro p and grazing land, forest products and biomass for fuel. For the urban poor, water, energy, sanitation and waste removal are key concerns. Poor women regard safe and physically close access to potable water, sanitation facilities and abundant energy supplies as crucial aspects of well-being, reflecting their primary role in managing the household. ?Environmental management, as used in this paper, extends well beyond the activities of public environmental institutions. In relation to poverty, environmental management is concerned fundamentally with sustaining the long-term capacity of the environment to provide the goods and services upon which people and economies depend. This means improving environmental conditions and ensuring equitable access to environmental assets – in particular land and biological resources, and safe and affordable water supply and sanitation – in order to expand poor people’s livelihood opportunities, protect their health and capacity to work, and reduce their vulnerability to environment-related risks. This broader conception of poverty and environment, and of environmental management, is essential to understanding the linkages between them and to identifying appropriate policy and institutional options for improving these linkages. There have been some impressive gains since the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment – the first global conference devoted to environment and development issues. There has been a proliferation of environmental policies and institutions at national and sub-national levels, and environmental issues are firmly placed on the agendas of governments, civil society and the private sector. Major global environmental agreements have been forged and global environmental organizations established. Environmental sustainability has become a core concern of bilateral and multilateral development cooperation, and billions of dollars have been spent on environment-related programmes and projects. Tangible progress also has been achieved ‘on the ground’, although the picture is usually mixed. For example, in the 1990s some 900 million people gained access to improved water sources. However, this was merely enough to keep pace with population growth, and about 1. 2 billion people are still without access to improved water sources, with rural populations particularly under-served (Devarajan et al, 2002). Another example is the productivity of soil used for cereal production, which increased on average in developing countries from 1979-81 to 1998-2000. However, it fell in some 25 countries, most of them in Africa, with land degradation being one factor behind the decline (World Bank, 2002c). Despite these gains, pressure on the environment continues to mount worldwide, posing major challenges to the prospects for poverty reduction and human development in developing countries, in particular the least developed countries.