The Information Systems Development Life Cycle Assignment

The Information Systems Development Life Cycle - Assignment Example The researcher states that in the photograph printing store, the components (phases) in the SDLC will be the steps to be taken to migrate to a new computerized and more accurate (tamper-proof) employee time-entry system and analyzes each step. Planning – this is the very first or initial phase of the SDLC and ideas here are discussed such as what the proposed computerized system is expected to solve (problems like the lost punch cards, inaccurate timekeeping, and employee cheating – punching for an absent employee). The costs will also be discussed and the time frame needed to fully implement this new system. Creating – the hardware requirements will be specified including a software program to run the whole system. A total number of employees, backup systems, desired features and all other operational details are created at this point so that management expectations can be met. Testing – the new system will be tried if there are kinks or bugs in it so rem edies and patches can be applied immediately prior to actual implementation and avoid future problems. Deploying – once the new system is complete and fully operational (bug-free), it will now be implemented throughout the entire store and employees are required to use it. The new system can then be integrated into the firm’s payroll system to automatically compute wages and salaries for the employees based on their time records to generate a payroll.

Leadership Style: Indian Prime Minister

Leadership Style: Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi-one of the first female prime ministers in the world (preceded only by Sirimavo Bandaranaike who became prime minister of Sri Lanka in 1960), as well as the longest serving prime minister of India, the most populous democracy in the world-was an ideal candidate for this assignment. An exceedingly complex individual, Indira Gandhi was frequently perceived as a shy, aloof young woman. And yet her behavior as Prime Minister was engaged and aggressive, climaxing in her declaration of a State of Emergency in 1975. Born into Indias most prominent political family in 1917, Indira Nehru was immersed in politics from an early age. Stepping into the void left by her mothers untimely death in 1936, as a young woman she became her fathers hostess, a role that expanded into confidant and advisor over the ensuing years. After her fathers death in 1964, she accepted a minor portfolio in the Shastri government. Lal Bahadur Shastris subsequent death, two years later, made her the compromise choice of the ruling Congress Party hierarchy for the post of the prime minister, since she was thought to harbour no political ambitions of her own. Over the next 11 years, she proved to be a formidable political leader, consolidating her control over the party and the country, winning the 1971 war with Pakistan that saw the creation of Bangladesh, and declaring a State of Emergency in 1975. This latter action, a culmination of bitter relations with the opposition, led to her political defeat in the 1977 elections. Out of power for the next three years, she returned triumphantly in 1980, and ruled India with an increased determination to maintain herself in office. Not above manipulating communal grievances to stay in power, ironically she, herself, eventually fell victim of one of these crises. In 1984, she was assassinated by her own bodyguards, members of the Sikh community, thus ending a remarkable political career. Leadership Style: A New Synthesis While every scholar seems to have his or her own definition of leadership style, the underlying concepts appear to be similar-how the leader carries out the responsibilities of his or her office; more specifically, the leaders work habits, and how they relate to those around them. After reviewing various studies of presidential leadership style Hermann and Preston (1994) distilled five common leadership style variables involvement in the policymaking process, willingness to tolerate conflict, motivation for leading, and preferred strategies for resolving conflict. Kaarbo (1997, pp. 561-563) adopted and modified these five variables and added two variables from the literature on organizational leadership style-relations with members of the cabinet and task orientation. This study adapted five of the variables (motivation for leading, task orien- tation, cabinet management strategy, information management strategy, and rela- tions with the party) developed by Hermann and Preston (1980) and Kaarbo (1997, pp. 561-563), and added another five variables that examine the prime ministers relations with personnel, opposition parties, the media, and the public, and his/her investment in job performance. These have been grouped into three spheres of activity: first, the leader and his/her motivation, task orientation, and investment in job performance; second, the leader and the executive-cabinet and information management strategies; and third, the leader and relations with other personnel, caucus, the party, the opposition, and the media. Leadership Style of Indira Gandhi This section examines the empirical evidence of Gandhis leadership style: motivation for leading; task orientation; investment in job performance; management style, both with the cabinet and in the realm of information gathering; and her interpersonal relations with her associates, the caucus, the extra-parliamentary party, the opposition, the media, and the public. Results showed that she was motivated primarily by pragmatism and power, focusing on goals rather than process. With her cabinet, she functioned largely as an advocate for her goals and preferred to rely on independent sources of information. In her dealings with personnel, the party caucus, the extra-parliamentary party organization and the opposition parties, she was largely demanding, domineering, competitive, controlling, and oppositional. She was capable of being both accessible and friendly to the media as well as being hostile and closed, depending on the time period. It was only with the public that Indira demonst rated a consistent pattern or openness and warmth. Motivation The first leadership style variable centers around the question of a prime ministers motivation for leading. A survey of the literature has suggested that a variety of needs and incentives induce individuals to assume leadership positions in politics (see Kaarbo Hermann, 1998, pp. 251-252). The leader may be motivated by pragmatism (a belief in an obligation to the party to shape government policies along incremental lines); by personal validation (the wish to be popular and to be accepted); by an ideological agenda (a coherent system of political beliefs that shapes government policy); or a desire for power (dominance and control). In the area of motivation, it can be observed that notwithstanding a brief flirtation with socialism, Indira Gandhi was a decidedly non-ideological leader. Investment in Job Performance The amount of energy and time that a prime minister brings to the office is another variable of leadership style (Barber, 1972/1992). It demonstrates whether the leader places limits on the extent of the commitment to the office or whether there is a tireless outpouring of energy. Prime ministers may be interested primarily in the process of government, the building of concurrence, and the development of good relations among the members of cabinet, or they may be more goal oriented, focusing on specific ends and their implementation. Indira Gandhi was heavily involved in her role as Prime Minister. Politics took over her life as she travelled extensively crisscrossing India with extraordinary energy (Gupte, 1992, p. 331). A 16-hour or longer working day was the norm with very little time for family, friends, or relaxation (Frank, 2001, p. 355). Task Orientation The way in which the prime minister organizes the composition of and manages the decision-making process within the cabinet is another facet of leadership style. How are policy dilemmas resolved? To what extent is there involvement in the policy process? Who becomes part of the locus of decision making is also something the prime minister decides. In these activities, the prime ministers style may run the gamut from being largely uninvolved, to a consensus builder, to an arbitrator, and finally, to a strong advocate The empirical evidence indicates that Indira Gandhi was overwhelmingly concerned about task implementation and little concerned with the issue of building concurrence among her cabinet. Rather, she treated many of her cabinet colleagues as potential challengers, and if any grew too powerful, she saw to it that their powers were curbed, even if it meant dismissing capable individuals. Cabinet Management Although information in a cabinet setting is usually channelled through the various ministries, prime ministers will differ as to how they choose to review such information and how they relate to their close advisers. The same, of course, is true for presidents in a presidential system (George, 1980, 1988; George George, 1998; Hermann, 1978, 1987; Hermann Preston, 1995; Kaarbo, 1997). They may want all the facts about the problem or situation and do the interpretation themselves, or they may only be interested in seeing summaries and policy options. Of interest here is how much input the prime minister wants into the way problems and issues are framed and get onto the agenda. Strategy Indira Gandhis dealings with her cabinet demonstrated overwhelmingly that her preferred role was to act as an advocate, rather than a consensus builder, or arbitrator between various government ministers. But advocacy only partly captures the extent to which she dominated her colleagues; she dismissed those who might have challenged her and placed her favourites in senior government posts. Her advocacy was, in fact, an authoritative, peremptory exercise of power. Information Management Strategy In managing the flow of information that comes to the office, does the prime minister use a system of individuals to filter information and minimize direct involvement, or is close scrutiny more likely? Closely related is the question on which the prime minister relies for information. Does the prime minister prefer to receive policy relevant data from his cabinet and senior civil servants, or is there a reliance on other sources? As part of her overall activist stance as Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi demonstrated a high degree of involvement in the management of information, prefer- ring to search out what she wanted to know, rather than waiting for it to be presented to her. Relations with Personnel The final cluster of leadership style variables focuses on the prime ministers interpersonal relations with those with whom he/she works, i.e., state-level., governmental officials, members of the judiciary, etc., with his or her own party, with the opposition, the media, and the public. The prime minister interacts with a number of individuals on a daily basis. The extent of the involvement may be high or low; stylistically it may encompass patterns ranging from solicitous, to polite, attention seeking, demanding, and even exploitative. With both the caucus and the extra-parliamentary party organization, the prime minister may behave cooperatively or be competitive or combative and overbearing. Since conflict is a very pervasive element in cabinet life, especially in highly factional single party cabinets and in coalition cabinets (see t Hart, 1994), the management of party relations by a prime minister is extremely important. Indira Gandhis dealings with her aides, advisers, and members of other branches of government were coded for the degree of involvement and the type of behavior exhibited. Relations with other stakeholders Analysts have also focused on how the leader carries out or implements decisions, the way in which the leader mobilizes, orchestrates, and consolidates support for his or her policy decisions (Renshon, 1996a, 1996b). Does the prime minister attempt to sell policies by going beyond the party and parliament to appeal to the public at large? Does he or she try to educate or manipulate the public? Or does the leader display little direct engagement with the public, preferring government officials to articulate and defend government policy? Those prime ministers who focus on policy achievements are more likely to use the office of the prime minister as a bully pulpit, while those who stress the policy process will be less inclined to try to generate additional support among the attendant public. I . Party Caucus and Extra-Parliamentary Party Organization Indira Gandhis relationship with the party caucus-and more particularly her cabinet colleagues-was overwhelmingly contentious from 1966 until 1970. From 1970 on, as power shifted from the Cabinet to the Prime Ministers Secretariat, her relations with the party caucus became manipulative/exploitative. Later, power would shift even more to the Prime Ministers house next door (Frank, 2001, p. 354). The party caucus and the cabinet increasingly assumed a rubber stamp function and the cabinet no longer operated as a center of policy making. Indiras relations with the party organization largely mirrored those with the party caucus. Given the nature of her competitive and controlling relationships with both her caucus and the Congress party organization, it is hardly surprising that Gandhi would manifest the same type of behavior with the various opposition parties. Born into Indias most prominent political family in 1917, Indira Nehru was immersed in politics from an early age. Stepping into the void left by her mothers untimely death in 1936, as a young woman she became her fathers hostess, a role that expanded into confidant and advisor over the ensuing years. After her fathers death in 1964, she accepted a minor portfolio in the Shastri government. Lal Bahadur Shastris subsequent death, two years later, made her the compromise choice of the ruling Congress Party hierarchy for the post of the prime minister, since she was thought to harbour no political ambitions of her own. Over the next 11 years, she proved to be a formidable political leader, consolidating her control over the party and the country, winning the 1971 war with Pakistan that saw the creation of Bangladesh, and declaring a State of Emergency in 1975. This latter action, a culmination of bitter relations with the opposition, led to her political defeat in the 1977 elections. Out of power for the next three years, she returned triumphantly in 1980, and ruled India with an increased determination to maintain herself in office. Not above manipulating communal grievances to stay in power, ironically she, herself, eventually fell victim of one of these crises. In 1984, she was assassinated by her own bodyguards, members of the Sikh community, thus ending a remarkable political career. Born into Indias most prominent political family in 1917, Indira Nehru was immersed in politics from an early age. Stepping into the void left by her mothers untimely death in 1936, as a young woman she became her fathers hostess, a role that expanded into confidant and advisor over the ensuing years. After her fathers death in 1964, she accepted a minor portfolio in the Shastri government. Lal Bahadur Shastris subsequent death, two years later, made her the compromise choice of the ruling Congress Party hierarchy for the post of the prime minister, since she was thought to harbour no political ambitions of her own. Over the next 11 years, she proved to be a formidable political leader, consolidating her control over the party and the country, winning the 1971 war with Pakistan that saw the creation of Bangladesh, and declaring a State of Emergency in 1975. This latter action, a culmination of bitter relations with the opposition, led to her political defeat in the 1977 elections. Out of power for the next three years, she returned triumphantly in 1980, and ruled India with an increased determination to maintain herself in office. Not above manipulating communal grievances to stay in power, ironically she, herself, eventually fell victim of one of these crises. In 1984, she was assassinated by her own bodyguards, members of the Sikh community, thus ending a remarkable political career. II. Media and Public Lastly, in relations with the media, the prime minister may be accessible and informative or inaccessible and hostile. Prime ministers who emphasize the implementation of significant policy changes are more likely to generate greater opposition, which in turn will be reflected in some parts of the media, than those who are more concerned with maintaining the political process with incremental changes. In the face of hostility on the part of the media, the Prime Minister is more likely to become less accessible and more hostile. Gandhis relations with the media vacillated between being accessible, informative, and friendly to being uninformative, inaccessible, and unfriendly after the imposition of Emergency Rule in 1975. However, in her relations with the public, Indira Gandhis leadership style was extremely open. The Indian crowds seemed to energize her, and she felt a special bond with the Indian masses who loved the combination of her aristocratic background and her simple down-to-earth manner. Over the next 11 years, she proved to be a formidable political leader, consolidating her control over the party and the country, winning the 1971 war with Pakistan that saw the creation of Bangladesh, and declaring a State of Emergency in 1975. This latter action, a culmination of bitter relations with the opposition, led to her political defeat in the 1977 elections. Out of power for the next three years, she returned triumphantly in 1980, and ruled India with an increased determination to maintain herself in office. Not above manipulating communal grievances to stay in power, ironically she, herself, eventually fell victim of one of these crises. In 1984, she was assassinated by her own bodyguards, members of the Sikh community, thus ending a remarkable political career. Conclusion Analysis shows Indira Gandhi as strongly goal-oriented, tireless in the exercise of her job, an advocate within her cabinet with a preference for receiving information from independent sources. As well, the type of involvement she exhibited with associates, the caucus, the party organization, and the opposition, which was largely competitive and controlling, also fitted expectations for the Ambitious, Controlling, and Contentious leader. Indira Gandhis leadership behavior in the selected categories revealed that her leadership style patterns strongly indicate toward her Ambitious, Dominant, and Contentious personality as well as Reticent, Retiring, and Aggrieved personality patterns. Although, Indira Gandhi demonstrated some Reticent personality traits when she assumed the office of the Prime Minister, the demands of the job and the initial hostility she encountered from the Congress elites-the Syndicate-seem to have galvanized the Ambitious, Dominant, and Contentious dimensions of her personality into action. Compensatory narcissism allowed Indira to appeal over the heads of the Syndicate and establish a strongly personal and very effective relationship with the masses that bolstered her self-esteem and fueled this aspect of her personality.

Essay --

1) Identify synthesis methods that are used to make the nanomaterials for your application (1 separate synthesis method per team member). Briefly describe how each synthesis method works, and classify each as top-down or bottom-up. For drug delivery, numerous processes exist that incorporate nanotechnology. A very common procedure for promoting drug delivery, is through the use of nanoparticles. This allows for a controlled drug release. By using nanoparticle technology, drugs can be placed inside a vehicle which helps decrease the rate at which said drug will metabolize. Targeted drug delivery is also possible, due to specific nanoparticles releasing the drug once it reaches its destination. This reduces total drugs needed as well as the side effects, due to a more efficient transporting mechanism. Lowering the costs is another benefit as well. Anything smaller than 100 nm is considered a nanoparticle. Four common nanoparticles used are silica (SiO2), gold (Au), magnetite (Fe3O4), and quantum dots. Silica nanoparticles are very inert so they can be used with very reactive drugs. Due to the nature of the shape, size, and arrangement of these nanoparticles, they can bypass the RES (reticuloendothelial system). The drugs will then not be recognized as foreign and can thus be delivered to their target with minimal issue. Silica nanoparticles can also be mesoporous, which has pore sizes of 2-50 nm.2They can have a unique arrangement with a core shell architecture which allows a nanoparticle to have two different properties due to the different materials. Due to these pores, drug loading ability can be customized. Another trendy nanoparticle is gold. They are used due to their special photo thermal effect; one can send in light a... ...um. Nanosphere lithography is the second best because it is used when polymers cannot be accessed. Metals are made as spheres but shapes are limited by the crystal group chosen as the glass substrate material. Sol-gel has tons of potential but it can only make hydrophobic materials. Microfluidization is easily the worst because it is way too expensive for such low yield. Research is being done to optimize this. All of these drug delivery synthesis methods can be performed fairly quickly and are currently being used commercially, with various levels of popularity. Radical polymerization also has the largest range of crystal properties possibilities, being able to be hydrophilic or hydrophobic. This is very unique, especially when considering it being used as a drug vehicle. Being hydrophilic can allow hydrophobic drugs to enter the body for extended amounts of time.

Life of Pi Analysis Essay

A. Example one In the early stages of Life of Pi, Martel mentions a place that Pi and Ravi had gone to visit while on vacation. While looking aimlessly through the window, they noticed three hills. On top of one hill was a catholic church, another a Hindu temple, and the other a Muslim mosque. Each hill portrays each of the religions in Pi’s complex faith. The hills represent Pi’s struggles to understand each religion. Later on, we find out that Pi is caught in between these three religions. He couldn’t completely disregard any of the religions, so each one kept warring for a place in his life. In How to Read Literature like a Professor, Foster repeatedly says how symbols usually have more than one possible meaning. So another possible meaning for the three hills is that each of the warring religions has a different part in his life. The religions are separated by being on each hill, but they live simultaneously in the same general area. Just as, in Pi’s life, each relig ion has its separate area of his mind, but they all partake in his life. B. Example 2 In How to Read Literature like a Professor, Foster also talks about allegories. The relationship between the tiger and Pi can be considered an allegory. A lot of the time spent on the boat is the classic fight of good vs. evil. Pi, seen as a naive child who could do no wrong, takes the role of the good character. Richard Parker represents the savage â€Å"dark side† and takes the role of evil. As the story progresses you see that each could not survive without the other. Richard Parker showed Pi that he could not have survived by being the sweet faultless boy who could not kill and eat a fish. Pi showed Richard Parker that he is inferior to Pi by training him and getting him food. The battle between the two at the beginning digressed to a mutual realization that good cannot always conquer evil and evil cannot always conquer good. â€Å"It’s the plain truth: without Richard Parker, I  wouldn’t be alive today to tell you my story.† (Martel, 164) C. Example 3 Colors play a very important role in Life of Pi. The color orange represents hope and survival. He had an orange life buoy and an orange whistle. â€Å"If there hadn’t been a life buoy, I wouldn’t have lasted a minute.† (Martel, 117) There was an orange tarpaulin that he secured himself in on the life boat. All of these objects helped him survive the sinking and gave him hope for future survival. Richard Parker might’ve been the biggest thing keeping him alive, and he was a 450 pound orange Bengal tiger. Orange is the color of Hinduism as well which shows how religion still gives him hope. The next color is green. It is the symbolic color of Islam. Muslims believe that green represents home and safety. The Algae Island was a blinding green and kept him safe from starvation for a day and let him be on solid ground like his home. Green and orange represent two of the three religions that kept Pi fighting for life. Green gave him safety and a sense of home an d orange gave him hope for survival. 2. Chapter 5: Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before? A. Example 1 â€Å"There’s no such thing as a wholly original work of literature.† (Foster, Chapter 5) Foster presented the idea that, knowingly or not, every author takes ideas from other stories and twists them into their own. In the case of Life of Pi, Yann Martel may not have been thinking about any other particular piece of literature, but Life of Pi, specifically the sinking of the Tsimtsum, is very similar to a very famous story known as Titanic. The Titanic was an enormous ship that was thought never to sink in a million years. According to Piscine, the Tsimtsum could not sink either. â€Å"For days the ship had pushed on, bullishly indifferent to its surroundings. The sun shone, rain fell, winds blew, currents flowed, the sea built up hills, the sea dug up valleys—the Tsimtsum did not care.† (Martel, Chapter 38) But nonetheless, both the Tsimtsum and the Titanic ended up at the bottom of the ocean with a great fight. B. Example 2 Later in the story, Pi reveals a second interpretation of the seven month journey. He replaces the animals with humans like his mother and the cook. In this side, Pi portrays himself as the ferocious tiger, Richard Parker, essentially becoming his doppelganger. While Pi was on the inescapable lifeboat, he was trapped with Richard Parker. In accordance to Foster’s idea that no literature is original, this version could be extremely comparable to The Picture of Dorian Gray and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian is forced to deal with an evil side of him after he trades his life for youth. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Jekyll accidentally creates a concoction that gives him another personality called Mr. Hyde who commits crimes and can easily be named evil. In all three cases, the protagonist is faced with an uncontrollable alternate personality. C. Example 3 Another obvious comparison is the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. One can clearly see the resemblance between Life of PI and Beauty and the Beast if they figure the plot of both stories. Pi is a normal Indian boy with a somewhat eccentric father who goes through a series of unfortunate events. These events somehow lead to him being stuck in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. With time, the tiger becomes his friend and his savior from other wild animals. Belle is a normal young woman with an unusual father. She is also dragged through a series of unfortunate events in which she finds herself stranded in the middle of a forest kept in a castle with another unidentified wild beast that also saves her from a pack of wild dogs and also gradually becomes her close friend and lifelong companion. It is easily assumed that Piscine and Belle, and Richard Parker and Beast, are the same. â€Å"The point is this: stories grow out of other stories, poems out of other poems.† (Foster, Chapter 5) 3. Chapter 26: Is He Serious? And Other Ironies A. Example 1 In How to Read Literature like a Professor, Foster says, â€Å"Irony trumps  everything.† (Foster, Chapter 26) â€Å"I was named after a swimming pool. Quite peculiar considering my parents never took to water.† (Martel, Chapter 3) Water is the element of torture in Pi’s existence. The very basics of Piscine’s life are ironic. He is named after a swimming pool, but throughout the early parts of his life, he is tortured because of his name. His parents and the rest of his family are killed by drowning after a shipwreck. He spends the most grueling seven months of his life surrounded by water. During that time, he comes close to dying of dehydration because he has no water to drink. The whole time he has an abundance of water, but since it is salt water, it will only make his situation worse. He needs water to live, but it has been the main factor in most of the tragedies he has experienced. The irony of Pi’s relationship with water trumps everythin g else in the book, just as Foster said it would. B. Example 2 â€Å"It seemed the presence of a tiger had saved me from a hyena- surely a textbook example of jumping from the frying pan into the fire.† (Martel 136) It is ironic that the tiger, the animal thought to pose the most danger, saves him from the less dangerous hyena. It is thought that Richard Parker would be the end of Pi because he is the most ferocious animal, but instead he becomes Pi’s savior from the other animals. It is ironic that at the beginning of the book, Pi and the rest of the people surrounding him have power over the animals. â€Å"Just beyond the ticket booth Father had painted on the wall in bright red letters the question: DO YOU KNOW WHICH IS THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL IN THE ZOO? An arrow pointed to a small curtain. There were so many eager, curious hands that pulled at the curtain that we had to replace it regularly. Behind it was a mirror.† (Martel 31) Pi came from a world where he was always in a position of superiority, but now on the boat, he is helpless and inferior to the tiger and the other animals. â€Å"I am alone and orphaned, in the middle of the Pacific, hanging onto an oar, an adult tiger in front of me, sharks beneath me, and a storm raging above me.† (Martel 107) C. Example 3 At the start of the book, Piscine is seen as a sweet innocent naà ¯ve boy. In  his mind and religions, doing bad things never led to good things, so he remained innocent and faultless. He held doing the right thing and never the wrong very close to him. Ironically, all of his values went out the window by the end of the book. At first he wouldn’t eat meat because of his religions, but his sustenance on the boat was fish. Murder used to be the worst possible thing someone could do, but he murdered the other man on the lifeboat in order to stay alive. He loved God and his religions so much, but he finds himself screaming and yelling at God. In all of these instances, he loses his innocence, morals, and everything he treasured before the wreck, but without making the hard decisions he had, he wouldn’t have survived. In a way, his loss of innocence is what kept him alive.

Additionally it may be beneficial Essay

Thank you for such an insightful post! How great is it that you were able to directly relate to Tammy in moving into a position of leadership within an organization where you had previously been working? I completely agree with you in that Tammy will need to foster relationships that promote productivity. I wonder if Tammy will be tempted to lean towards a more 1,9 managerial style where she focuses more on relationships than on production. â€Å"His aim as a manger, however, is to avoid pressuring for production at a rate higher than that which would win acceptance from organizational members† (Blake-Mouton, 191). I imagine that it would be difficult to focus as much on production as on relationships when you already have established friendships with the people that you are trying to lead. It sounds as though you were able to accomplish more of a 9,9 managerial style, which is quite a feat! In order to focus more on production, she will need to adopt a leadership style that is high in initiating structure. As Dr. Wagner talked about in his video, â€Å"Initiating Structure and Consideration,† Tammy will need to set and maintain definite standards of performance for her team if she hopes to turn the YMCA around. Thank you again for an excellent post! Julia Teresa, I agree with you when you say Tammy will have to initiate structure and consideration. In this case I think these styles of leadership are both equally important. Additionally it may be beneficial for her to not only understand her staff but to understand her own unique leadership styles. She posed several questioned pertaining to her own leadership, stating, â€Å"do I have the skills and competences to effectively change the current situation?† Tammy is wise in posing these questions and understanding that merely having consideration may be futile, as there is no direct relation between consideration and job performance. How beneficial do you think it will be for Tammy to know her managerial style? Where do think Tammy falls on the grid? I would venture to say she maybe The 9.9 Managerial Style. It will be important for her to set a structured environment whereby staff can freely think, be creative, and express. According to Blake & Mouton  Ã¢â‚¬Å"when people can think, when they have influence on outcomes, they support rather than comply or resist. â€Å" (Blake & Mouton pp. 196) Blake, R, & Mouton, J (2010). The Managerial Grid. In J.T. McMahon(Ed) Leadership Classics(pp185-199) Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press. Bowers, D.G. & Seashore, S.E. (2010) A Four-Factor Theory of Leadership. In J.T. McMahon (Ed.) Leadership Classics(pp 200-210). Long Grove, IL. Waveland Press. Ken Mark and Gerard Seijts, â€Å"The Scarborough YMCA: Getting Back on Track,† in Cases in Leadership, ed. W. Glenn Rowe and Laura Guerrero (Los Angeles: SAGE Publishing) 107-115. Your post was insightful. You mentioned that Tammy will do well for three reasons: 1. Her colleagues already view her as a peer and trust hrialer. 2. She will not have to go through an initial stage of having the team become familiar with her and vice versa to be able to establish a trusting relationship. 3. Since they already see her as a peer, her ability to motivate and inspire them will be enhanced. This is true. Additionally I have found that peer leadership doesn’t always constitute for positive outcomes. Tammy may experience some push back from staff that persist to remain in mediocrity and complacent. Some staff may think that Tammy has gotten â€Å"big headed† due to her newly assigned leadership role. When I took on my new managerial position unfortunately, some staff had to be released. It was painstaking but necessary. In the case of Tammy, she agreed to take on the position if she had the authority to fully manager staff. I would venture to say Tammy was being proactive and may have foreseen this inevitable fate for some of her former peers. While Bower & Seashore state the findings confirm there is significant and strong relationship between managerial and peer leadership characteristics, there are other considerations.(Bower & Seashore, pp 209) One consideration is sited in Leadership Classics as â€Å"seven of the eight leadership characteristics outlined in â€Å"A Four Factor Theory Of Leadership† play some part in the predictive model generated from data; only peer interaction facilitation seems to play no unique role.†(Leadership Classics, p 209) In the case of ‘peer leadership’, it is no argument that there are  pros and cons and the outcome is unpredictable.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ESSAY

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ESSAY ï » ¿ Personal experience essay is all about you and your personal perception of something that has happened to you. The most important thing about personal experience essay is to consequentially realize all the benefits the personal experience that you have received after living through it. Instructors want to see your ability to write, to put events into logical order, to see your ability to use English, and your ability and desire to learn from your own experiences. This is the secret that have just shared with you. The personal experience essay is your chance to communicate with the world and to have opportunity to show yourself from the inside. Â   Another important aspect of personal experience essay is your ability to show in the writing how you have benefited from it. Perhaps the chosen personal experience has taught you completely new things. Perhaps, you have changed your mind and opinion on the things that you disliked or ignored before. Everything in your personal experience that you choose to show does matter. Keep your essay structure according to the essay guidelines. If help needed, we are ready to help you to write original personal experience essay today. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ESSAY Any type of personal experience essay will start with the particular event selection. Creating personal experience essay is an exciting process and the main focus of this essay is your unique personality. There are several ways to go around writing this type of essay. First is to depict an story or experience that made your laugh. The second is to present a story that has changed you as a person and you became wiser in many ways. You can describe the event in your life that you are proud of and you have benefited from. Or you can describe a personal experience that was a true challenge for you. Depict how you were able a chance to have a personal growth in your life. In these both examples your main goal is to stay objective. If you find yourself to get emotionally involved in the essay you are writing that means that you have already lost your objectivity. Try writing it all out with the focus on your personal feelings and emotions and then get back to real essay writing.

Equal Opportunity Employment †Affirmative Action

Equal Opportunity Employment – Affirmative Action Free Online Research Papers Equal opportunity employment is very much a legal topic, but it also deals with emotional issues as well. It concerns all individuals, regardless of their sex, race, religion, age, national origin, color, physical condition, or position in an organization. Management of all organizations needs to be aware of their personal biases and how their attitude can affect their work with their subordinates. It needs to be emphasized that both covert and intentional discrimination in employment is illegal. When supervisors ignore the legal dealings of human resource management, they risk costly and time-consuming litigation, negative public attitudes, and damage to their individual careers. Affirmative action allows us to correct discrimination practices that have occurred in the past, by actively recruiting minority-group members, and the importance of supporting diversity as a proactive business goal. Affirmative action is a primary legal tool to promote minorities who have been historically discriminated against and there is a lot of evidence that minorities have been brought into the mainstream and accepted. Then managers embrace a diverse team of employees, they acknowledge that employees have individual differences, and people with varied abilities can make contributions. Affirmative action programs are necessary to prevent people from being denied access due to their race, and it also helps to provide equality in the work place. They benefit our entire society because increasing wealth for underrepresented groups increases wealth for all. It has been said that acquiring more women and minorities into big businesses should be done. In the 1960’s businesses would higher white males as management while excluding women and minorities, even if the women and minorities had more competence for the job. Organizations have evolved since then and more women and minorities do hold management positions, a lot of this change is due to affirmative action. If organizations were to put an equal amount of men, women, and minorities, into decision-making positions, the outcome could have a larger variety of ideas that could lead to bigger profits. However, I do not think women or minorities alone have an â€Å"advantage† over men in creating greater profits. Nor do I believe that men alone would create more profits than women or minorities, either. Excluding women and minorities from the workplace ignores the talents of more than half the populations. I think if people truly saw each other as equals and they would just stop believing that one gender or race is better than another gender or race, than great outcomes could occur. I believe this would be the optimum way to evolve. Organizations could evolve into businesses full of employees that work together to bring more profitable and creative ideas to the work place, if only they truly believed in equal opportunities for everyone. The policies of affirmative action will result in increases in the representation of women and minorities across all levels of employment in the United States and within organizations that were once exclusively male. This has led to higher employment participation rates, increased earnings, and gains in education attainment for women and minorities. Implementing affirmative action encourages initiative and the use of non-traditional means that will identify and place those individuals who have the qualifications to succeed. Affirmative action does not displace other qualified individuals. It simply recognizes that diversity is an asset to any group trying to fulfill a function, as long as each person has the qualifications or abilities to do so. Affirmative action can be successfully established by setting up unambiguous, explicit, and focused qualification criteria to be used in selection and promotion decisions. The requisite criteria should be communicated clearly, and relevant audiences should perceive the selection procedure as fair. The recipient’s contributions to the organization, as well as his or her specific competencies should be emphasized, and the conditions under which employees, including affirmative action recipients, must cooperate to meet organizational goals need to be established. Affirmative action is one of the most effective ways to address the long-standing problems of racism and sexism within organizations in our country. It serves as a pathway for reaching the American goal of equality. Affirmative action will level the playing field when employing people in organizations. It allows organizations to advertise jobs to a broader audience and makes the application process not only accessible to white American men, but also to women and minorities too. However, it does not mean that organizations should select a minority over a more qualified non-minority individual. It allows everyone to begin at the starting line together, and then the individuals that are most qualified for the positions will end up employed. There will be no disregarding somebody due to their sex, race, religion, age, national origin, color, physical condition, or position in an organization. Research Papers on Equal Opportunity Employment - Affirmative ActionResearch Process Part One19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andPETSTEL analysis of IndiaWhere Wild and West MeetIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalHip-Hop is ArtThe Project Managment Office System

Using Que as a Conjunction in Spanish

Using Que as a Conjunction in Spanish Using the Spanish  Although que is most often used as a relative pronoun in Spanish it is also frequently used as a subordinating conjunction. The distinction may not seem obvious to English speakers, because que in both cases is usually translated as that. However, the distinction is important in some situations, such as those listed below when translating that after a noun. Forming Sentences With Que as a Conjunction Que is used as a conjunction in the following sentence construction: Main or independent clause que dependent clause. The main clause includes a subject and verb, although the subject may be understood rather than explicitly stated. The dependent clause also has a subject and verb (although the subject again may be implied) and could stand alone as a sentence, but it depends on the main clause to indicate its significance. The usage is similar in English: Main clause that as a conjunction dependent clause. The main difference is that in English it is common to omit that, while que is nearly always mandatory. A simple example should make this clearer. In the sentence Olivia sabe que Francisco est enfermo (Olivia knows that Francisco is sick), Olivia sabe (Olivia knows) is the main clause, que is a conjunction, and Francisco est enfermo (Francisco is sick) is the dependent clause. Note that Olivia sabe and Francisco est enfermo each has a subject and verb. Note that when que functions as a conjunction, it never is accented to form quà ©, which is a pronoun. Examples of Que as a Conjunction Here are some other examples of que as a conjunction: Todos creemos que fue un asesinato. (We all believe (that) it was a murder.)Esperamos que este fin de semana sea ms productivo. (We are hoping (that) this weekend will be more productive.)Quiero que me quieras. (I want you to love me. Literally, I want that you love me.)No creà ­ que fuera fisicamente posible. (I didnt believe (that) it was physically possible.Predigo que la banca mà ³vil expandir en el futuro. (I predict (that) mobile banking will expand in the future.) When De Que Should be Used If the main clause ends in a noun, de que is used as a conjunction instead of que: Tengo el miedo de que sea un virus. (I am afraid (that) it is a virus.) ¿Tienes celos de que Andrew pase tiempo con Lauren? (Are you jealous (that) Andrew is spending time with Lauren?)Hizo el anuncio de que el primer sencillo de su segundo lbum se llamarà ­a  «Move ». (He made the announcement (that) the first single from his second album would be called Move.) Note, however, that when que is used as a relative pronoun after a noun, de que cannot be used. An example: Hizo an anuncio que nos sorprendià ³. He made an announcement that surprised us. One way whether you can tell that que in the above example is a relative pronoun is that you could translate it as which and still make sense (i.e., he made an announcement which surprised us). But in the examples above where de que is used, that and not which must be used in translation. When a verb or a phrase is commonly followed by de and an infinitive or noun, often de que followed by a clause can be used instead: Estoy cansado de que me mientan. (I am tired of them lying to me. Literally, I am tired that they lie to me.)Estamos felices de que haya boda. (We are happy (that) there was a wedding.)No me olvidà ³ de que la literatura puede servir de entretenimiento. (I didnt forget (that) literature can serve as entertainment.) Using the Subjunctive Mood with Que It is very common for the verb in the clause following que or de que to be in the subjunctive mood. This typically occurs with the clause before que is used to express doubt, hope, negation, or an emotional reaction. Dudamos que su coche pueda funcionar. (We doubt (that) her car can run.)Tus amigos y yo esperamos que vengas pronto. (Your friends and I hope (that) youre coming soon.)No existe la posibilidad de que las plataformas de Xbox y PlayStation se unan. (The possibility doesnt exist (that) the Xbox and PlayStation platforms will merge together.)Me sorprendià ³ que la pizza se sirve con pià ±a. (It surprised me (that) the pizza is served with pineapple.) Key Takeaways Que functions as a conjunction when it comes between two clauses.When the first clause ends in a noun, the conjunction becomes de que.Que or de que as a conjunction is usually translated as that, which is often optional in English.

Anxiety of a Preoperative Patient Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Anxiety of a Preoperative Patient - Essay Example Extensive surgery or surgery with uncertain outcomes also generates more anxiety than any surgery with a predictable course of events. Ambiguity about the outcome and unpredictability about the course, although depend on the type of the surgery and the indication for which it is done. Therefore the nursing staff that is usually in contact with such patients in the immediate preoperative period in the preoperative area has a chance to intervene provided they can assess these patients in a systematic manner for the experienced perioperative stress leading to elevated anxiety scores of these patients. Perioperative nurses are specially trained to do so, and they must find out time to intervene in these patients even in the preoperative area to deal with these patients' emotional distress. If the positive outcome of the care is the goal of care delivery, these interventions can change the emotional status of these patients in such a manner that the relationship between preoperative psych ological status and postoperative recovery of these patients is positively influenced (Stirling, 2006). The most common nursing diagnoses that require intervention from the nurses in this period are anxiety that may be partly related to knowledge deficit, but also partly contributed by the context and the environment. Therefore, the knowledge about the surgical procedure and the patient assessment findings can be combined to make an appropriate plan of care in such situations. It is to be remembered that every patient have their own perspectives of anxiety, and hence assessment and consequent plan of care should be individualized based on specific patient needs. A patient who needs surgery and is waiting for the in preoperative area may be surrounded by a sense of impending doom for the imminent surgery, and a nursing diagnosis of preoperative anxiety needs nursing intervention in that period only. Many of the incidents of anxiety result from patient knowledge deficits related to perioperative routine, surgical interventions, or outcome expectations (Stirling, 2006). Contextual assessment process would examine and assess the patient's knowledge about the surgery. Thus, the assessment must include the status and quality of communication the patient has already received, the patient's possible language barrier, assessment of sufficiency of the patient's mental capacity, extent of information received by the patient regarding the surgical procedure and why it is needed. Since most of the anxiety in this phase id related to the ignorance about the details of the surgical intervention and outcome expectations, the patient's level knowledge regarding those must be assessed in simple questions, so the nurse can design a customized intervention strategy and create the baseline communication link for future interventions before the surgery following this contextual assessment. This assessment should ultimately be able to determine the patient's learning needs and based on these needs, to design an intervention to fulfill the patient's knowledge deficits a ppropriate to the etiology of it (Mitchell, 2000). The environment plays a significant role in perioperative nursing, and the operating area environment has significant impact on all such patients. The perioperative nurse also is a part of the environment, and she can indeed catalyze a positive environment that can influence the patient's anxiety. While assessing anxiety,

Operations Managment.Intangible specialisation and product-mix Essay

Operations Managment.Intangible specialisation and product-mix optimisation - Essay Example Based on the specific perspective oriented approach that the operations management makes regarding productivity agenda of an organization, strategic management can be used to formulate policies to enable balancing of availed options in operations (Schiavone, 2004, p7). In this study, Fiat’s case study has been used to demonstrate the importance of understanding operations management from a systems approach in withstanding market conditions. Perhaps defining the term intangible within the context of organization operations will assist in making a conclusive perspective eon the topic. The term intangible denotes assets, capital or factors that an organization works with but they are not immediately visible. On the other hand, tangible assets are the physically visible factors which the company uses in production. Both tangible and intangible factors contribute to the overall operation of the company. Economic evolution of organizations and other production entities is characterized by the accumulation of assets both. Intangible assets also represent relevant knowledge and technologies that the organization needs to remain in a specified production line. Intangible specialization is the concentration of accumulation of assets that are intangible in nature such as technology, with little emphasis being made to accumulation of tangible assets. Since there is some need to balance the control of accumulation of these two sets of assets, it becomes detrimental in the long run when the organization is unable to achieve the balance. Intangible specialization entails the concept of management decision making that tends to lean to and favor the dominance of a service intensive approach in production operations. The most dominant characteristic of intangible specialization is heavy reliance on routines as well as dependence in rigid production paths. Inappropriate

Oil and Energy Industry in UAE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Oil and Energy Industry in UAE - Essay Example m.) respectively and hence world's fifth and fourth largest respectively (Khalil 2009). UAE is OPEC's third largest oil producer and currently pumps 2.4 million b/d (Khalil). UAE projects to enhance upstream as well as downstream production capacities (Energy Information Administration 2007). Historically, oil, and recently natural gas, has contributed vitally to UAE's overall economic development and growth (UAE Federal e-Government Portal 2006). Currently, energy sector, especially oil and gas, contributes as much as 62% to UAE's overall economy (UAE Federal e-Government Portal). Essentially, Abu Dhabi holds sway over UAE's oil capacity both in overall production capabilities and proven reserves (9.2 billion barrels) (EIA). Moreover, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), UAE's largest state-owned company, dominates production (EIA) and controls UAE's quota prescribed by OPEC (EIA). Notwithstanding plans to diversify economy (Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 n.d.), UAE continues to rely on oil and gas as major sources for state revenues ("Non-Oil Sectors Ac... This, in fact, poses serious challenges for an economy whose performance has depended largely on international oil markets (Husain, Tazhibayeva, and Ter-Martirosyan 2008). Moreover, not only has economic performance in an oil-rich country such as UAE depended on energy sector's positive or negative shocks but fiscal policies seem to strongly correlate with oil prices as well and hence impact positively or negatively, depending on fluctuations in oil prices, non-oil production sectors (see fig. 1). [Insert Your Last Name] 3 Fig. 1. Husain, Tazhibayeva, and Ter-Martirosyan Indeed, a growing body of analyses and government reports (Boer & Turner; Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 ) have repeatedly stressed significance of and implications for economic diversification in Gulf Council Countries (GCC), of which UAE is a member. The case for diversification in UAE is even more pressing given UAE's reliance on Abu Dhabi and Dubai as leading engines for country's economic growth (O'Sullivan 2007). Further, given each emirate's autonomous status according to constitution (O'Sullivan), UAE cannot enact a universal and binding economic policy unless political authority steps in. This is, again, particularly true given Abu Dhabi's and Dubai's attraction force as opposed to remaining emirates' fading allure, especially to youth. So far, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, UAE's leading economies, both have managed to maintain healthy economic growth rates according to each emirate's strategic vision. [Insert Your Last Name] 4 However, overall, UAE's leading economic sector, i.e. energy and oil, seems to project growth in oil production capacity (see fig. 2) and increasing foreign

Health Care in Haiti Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health Care in Haiti - Research Paper Example A leading example has been in the U.S. that has developed to be a liberated system and fight to attain equality. However, Haiti will be this paper’s focus and derive the measures applied within the health care system in the attempt to offer sustainability to Haitians. About Haiti Haiti’s geographical position is found in the Atlantic Ocean in an area within the Caribbean Sea. Haiti has been since plagued by natural disasters that have threatened the sustainability of the population and these have included famous hurricanes in 2008. The economy has failed to offer sustainable measures to the population that strives to live above the dollar daily. Most Haitians are of lower class with the rising inflation within their economy. Food and fuel have been the chief cause of the impoverished lifestyle leading to some venturing to eat the edible clay cookies. The country has been named as the poorest country within the western hemisphere with the threat placed on natural and fab ricated causes. The inability to offer sustainability to the economy has developed the constraints witnessed to provide sustainable solutions within the health care (Farmer 398). ... The health care system has been the refection of the impoverished living conditions subjected upon Haitians. Despite efforts to invent measures that have been invented to improve mortality and life sustenance in vaccination services, the needed health care reforms is still an outstanding problem. The inadequate distribution of resources and, corrupt political, system has been the leading cause of the problem. The measure has witnessed a minimal amount of $85 vested annually to sustain the ordinary citizen, a figure invested by foreign entities and agencies (Whyte). Moreover, public hospitals and the few clinics available within the economy hold minimal qualified personnel with inadequate supply of the needed medical resources. Most of the qualified doctors have fled Haiti for safer environs and working conditions. The attempt has been made by Cuba to increase the number of trained professionals within the system, but the provision is not enough to sustain the reducing condition. The other provision to destabilize health care has been in the perpetrated violence witnessed in protest against the corrupt government, which instilled fear among health workers to avoid their duties. This has led to the development of ignorance that has threatened sustainability as the natives practice traditional measures to solve health problems. Research has indicated that more women are using herbal strategies to solve health problems as compared to contemporary medicine leaving more children without vaccination. Solutions Non-governmental organizations have been established to offer sustainable measures to sustain the Haitian economy. Haiti Healthcare Partners (HHP) had been established in 2006 to find strategies to accord affordable programs to the natives

Colonialism Conceptualization of Masculinity Essay

Colonialism Conceptualization of Masculinity - Essay Example These necessitated the need for colonization or imperialism as a source of raw materials for industries, labor, and market for finished products. This consequently led to scramble for colonies by the European nations such as Britain and France culminating into endless wars between nations and also with the colonized as they seek their freedom. Success depended on the military strength of the nation in terms of weapons and soldiers. The matter for concern in this paper is how gender, sexuality and race played a role in this imperialism. The colonists needed strong dedicated men to fight for the country thus the construction of the concept ‘masculinity’ as the key to success. The paper will thus focus on how colonialism conceptualized masculinity and how imperial masculinity was constructed. It will also look at the reality of colonial man compared to image and the dangers posed to manhood by colonialism. Lastly, it will compare and contrast the colonial manhood with the n ative manhood. In trying to achieve this, the paper will argue that the relationship between imperialism and masculinity was not only due to the opportunities of adventure and economic progress, but also due to the pattern of gender relations within the European countries especially Britain. For many men, it was a way of escaping the â€Å"feminized and demoralizing home atmosphere† (Tosh 1995, 82). ... Men are born masculine in nature and this involves being strong, aggressive, decision makers and protector. On the other hand, women are viewed as are being naturally soft, being caring, nurturing and such qualities. The society using these qualities conceptualizes masculinity as being superior that feminity; men are supposed to protect women in society. Is this the same criteria used by colonists to conceptualize masculinity? To a certain extent, this criterion defines masculine men but some other attributes are created by Europeans. The defeat of Britain in Anglo-Boer war of 1899-1902 was attributed to physical incapacity leading to conception of colonialism masculinity (Tosh 1995, 72). The men involved in the war were considered degenerates since they did not have the qualities needed for a soldier such as strength and good health. According to Baden-Powell (184), men who contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire were found to have declining standards of strength in terms of weight and height and health; they were four inches less in 1895 than the men of 1845 who were 5 ft 6 inc in height and 6 pounds under average weight (184-185). What were the attributes of masculinity according to British and France? For the colonists, being strong was not the only measure of masculinity. One had to be brave, determined, exercise continence, be able to regulate bowel movements, self-discipline, and self- sacrifice or be ready to suffer for the sake of the nation and exercise endurance and be loyal to his country (Baden-Powell, 185). For Aldrich (126) the ideals of masculinity and colonialism include warfare, liberty, manliness, patriotism and success. Masculinity in colonialism though may have been attained

How my parent motivate me to study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How my parent motivate me to study - Essay Example [My parents provide me with insights on how to improve in my studies by talking to me and asking me my experiences in various subjects.] [The information I give to them helps them to create solutions on how to strengthen my weak areas and improve in my studies.] [My parents also provide me with the tips necessary for studying especially using their experiences while they were in school.] [Despite being discouraged after failing to meet my study objectives,] [my parents comfort me and help me set new targets that were not only achievable,] [but targets that are also realistic.] [Although it is the responsibility of all parents to meet the needs of their children,] [it is evident that not all parents meet the needs of their students.] [However, my parents ensure that all my needs at home and in school are catered for, which makes my school life easy and motivate me to

Colonialism Conceptualization of Masculinity Essay

Colonialism Conceptualization of Masculinity - Essay Example These necessitated the need for colonization or imperialism as a source of raw materials for industries, labor, and market for finished products. This consequently led to scramble for colonies by the European nations such as Britain and France culminating into endless wars between nations and also with the colonized as they seek their freedom. Success depended on the military strength of the nation in terms of weapons and soldiers. The matter for concern in this paper is how gender, sexuality and race played a role in this imperialism. The colonists needed strong dedicated men to fight for the country thus the construction of the concept ‘masculinity’ as the key to success. The paper will thus focus on how colonialism conceptualized masculinity and how imperial masculinity was constructed. It will also look at the reality of colonial man compared to image and the dangers posed to manhood by colonialism. Lastly, it will compare and contrast the colonial manhood with the n ative manhood. In trying to achieve this, the paper will argue that the relationship between imperialism and masculinity was not only due to the opportunities of adventure and economic progress, but also due to the pattern of gender relations within the European countries especially Britain. For many men, it was a way of escaping the â€Å"feminized and demoralizing home atmosphere† (Tosh 1995, 82). ... Men are born masculine in nature and this involves being strong, aggressive, decision makers and protector. On the other hand, women are viewed as are being naturally soft, being caring, nurturing and such qualities. The society using these qualities conceptualizes masculinity as being superior that feminity; men are supposed to protect women in society. Is this the same criteria used by colonists to conceptualize masculinity? To a certain extent, this criterion defines masculine men but some other attributes are created by Europeans. The defeat of Britain in Anglo-Boer war of 1899-1902 was attributed to physical incapacity leading to conception of colonialism masculinity (Tosh 1995, 72). The men involved in the war were considered degenerates since they did not have the qualities needed for a soldier such as strength and good health. According to Baden-Powell (184), men who contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire were found to have declining standards of strength in terms of weight and height and health; they were four inches less in 1895 than the men of 1845 who were 5 ft 6 inc in height and 6 pounds under average weight (184-185). What were the attributes of masculinity according to British and France? For the colonists, being strong was not the only measure of masculinity. One had to be brave, determined, exercise continence, be able to regulate bowel movements, self-discipline, and self- sacrifice or be ready to suffer for the sake of the nation and exercise endurance and be loyal to his country (Baden-Powell, 185). For Aldrich (126) the ideals of masculinity and colonialism include warfare, liberty, manliness, patriotism and success. Masculinity in colonialism though may have been attained

Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Statement - Essay Example This truly is where my heart resides. The Health Care Administration specialization was interesting, but I could see that it was not taking me where I wanted to go professionally. I looked into the specialization for Human Services and feel that this is a better fit for me professionally and personally. The Health Care Administration program required many hours of group preparation and group work. This was not possible for me because I work full time and have other important family responsibilities. I know that I will need to make sacrifices to further my education, but I felt that what I would need to sacrifice in order to obtain a Masters in Health Care Administration was too much. I especially felt this way once I realized I was moving away from my real interest, which is social work. I do not anticipate any academic concerns that were experienced in the Health Care Administration specialization. I have been assured that there is less group work in the Human Services specialization and that it is more conducive to working a full time job and having family obligations. I will also be a more motivated, thoughtful student because the coursework is more applicable to my current employment and interests. The main reason I am so excited about the Human Services Masters degree is I believe it will make me better at my current position. I already possess the values, knowledge and skills necessary to be a good social worker. I feel that increased education will make me even more effective. The most immediate outcome of earning the degree is I will be better at my job. Other reasons I want to get this degree are it will open the possibility of career advancement. I am pleased with the job I currently have. But I recognize that in the future, I would like to take on more responsibility and manage other employees and more difficult cases. So in some ways, I feel that I want to earn this degree because it will help my current situation

Reflection on Nursing Communication Scenario

Reflection on Nursing Communication Scenario INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION SKILLS Communication is a vital part of the nurses role. Theorists such as Peplau (1952), Rogers (1970) and King (1971) all emphasise therapeutic communication as a primary part of nursing and a major focus of nursing practice. Long (1992) further suggests that communication contains many components including presence, listening, perception, caring, disclosure, acceptance, empathy, authenticity and respect. Stuart and Sundeen (1991, p.127) warn that while communication can facilitate the development of a therapeutic relationship it can also create barriers between clients and colleagues. Within Healthcare, communication may be described as a transitional process that is dynamic and constantly changing (Hargie, Saunders and Dickenson, 1994, p.329). It primarily involves communication between the nurse and the patient. If the interaction is to be meaningful, information should be exchanged; this involves the nurse adopting a planned, holistic approach which eventually forms the basis of a therapeutic relationship. Fielding and Llewelyn (1987) contend that poor communication is the primary cause of complaints by patients. This is supported by Young (1995) who reports that one third of complaints to the Health Service Commissioner were related to communication with nursing staff. Studies by Boore (1979) and Devine and Cook (1983) demonstrate that good communication actually assisted the rate of patient recovery thus reducing hospital admission times. This suggests that good communication skills are cost effective. In this assignment, I have reflected on situations that have taken place during my clinical work experience. These situations have helped to develop and utilise my interpersonal skills, helping to maintain therapeutic relationships with patients. In this instance, I have used Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle as the framework for my reflection. Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle consists of six stages in nursing practice and learning from the experiences. Description of the situation that arose. Conclusion of what else would I could have done. Action plan is there so I can prepare if the situation rises again. Analysis of the feeling Evaluation of the experience Analysis to make sense of the experience My Reflective Cycle Baird and Winter (2005) illustrate the importance of reflective practice. They state that reflecting will help to generate knowledge and professional practice, increase ones ability to adapt to new situations, develop self esteem and greater job satisfaction. However, Siviter (2004) explains that reflection is about gaining self confidence, identifying ways to improve, learning from ones own mistakes and behaviour, looking at other peoples perspectives, being self aware and making future improvements by learning from the past. I have come to realise that it is important for me to improve and build therapeutic relationships with my patients by helping to establish a rapport through trust and mutual understanding, creating the special link between patient and nurse as described by Harkreader and Hogan (2004). Peplau (1952), cited in Harkreader and Hogan (2004), notes that good contact in therapeutic relationships builds trust as well as raising the patients self esteem, often leading t o the patients personal growth. Ruesh (1961), cited in Arnold and Boggs (2007), states that the purpose of therapeutic communication is to improve the patients ability to function. Therefore, in order to establish a therapeutic nurse/patient interaction, a nurse must possess certain qualities e.g. caring, sincerity, empathy and trustworthiness (Kathol, 2003) (P.33). These qualities can be expressed by promoting effective communication and relationships by the implementation of interpersonal skills. Johnson (2008) defines interpersonal skills as the ability to communicate effectively. Chitty and Black (2007, p 218) mention that communication is the exchange of information, thoughts and ideas via simultaneous verbal and non verbal communication. They explain that while verbal communication relies on the spoken word, non-verbal communication is just as important, consisting of gestures, postures, facial expressions, plus the tone and level of volume of ones voice. Thus, my reflection i n this assignment is based on the development of therapeutic relationships between the nurse and patient using interpersonal skills. My reflection is about a particular patient, to whom, in order to maintain patient information confidentiality (NMC, 2004), I will refer to as Mr R. It concerns an event which took place when I was working on a surgical ward. Whilst there were male and female wards, female and male surgical patients were encouraged mingle. On this particular day, I noticed that one of the male patients was sitting alone on his bed. This was Mr R., a 64 year old gentleman who had been diagnosed with inoperable cancer of the pancreas, with a life expectancy of 18-24 months. He was unable to control his pain, and whilst some relief could be provided by chemotherapy, Mr R. had a good understanding of his condition and knew that there was no cure available. He was unable to walk by himself and always needed assistance even to stand up or sit down. Because of his mobility problems I offered to get him his cup of tea and I then sat with him as he was lonely. I would now like to discuss the feelings and thoughts I experienced at the time. Before I gave Mr R. his cup of tea, I approached him in a friendly manner and introduced myself; I tried to establish a good rapport with him because I wanted him to feel comfortable with me even though I was not a family member or relative. When I first asked Mr R. if I could get him a cup of tea, he looked at me and replied I have asked the girl for a cup of tea, I dont know where she is. I answered Well, I will see where she is and if I cant find her, I will gladly get one for you Mr R. In doing this, I demonstrated emphatic listening. According to Wold (2004, p 13), emphatic listening is about the willingness to understand the other person, not just judging by appearance. Then I touched MrR.s shoulders, kept talking and raised my tone a little because I was unsure of his reaction. At the same time, I used body language to communicate the action of drinking. I paused and repeated my actions, but this time I used some simple words which I though Mr R. would understand. Mr R. looked at me and nodded his head. As I was giving him his cup of tea, I maintained eye contact as I didnt want him to feel shy or embarrassed. Fortunately, using body language helped me to communicate with this gentleman. At the time I was worried that he would be unable to understand me since English is not my first language but I was able to communicate effectively with him by verbal and non-verbal means, using appropriate gestures and facial expressions. Body language and facial expressions are referred to as a non-verbal communication (Funnell et al. 2005 p.443). I kept thinking that I needed to improve my English in order for him to better understand and interpret my actions. I thought of the language barrier that could break verbal communication. Castledine (2002, p.923) mentions that the language barrier arises when individuals come from different social backgrounds or use slang or colloquial phrases in conversation. Luckily, when dealing with Mr R. the particular gestures and facial expressions I used helped him to understand that I was offering him assistance. The eye contact I maintained helped show my willingness to help him; it gave him reassurance and encouraged him to place his confidence in me. This is supported by Caris-Verhallen et al (1999) who mention that direct eye contact expresses a sense of interest in the other person and provides another form of communication. In my dealings with Mr R., I tried to communicate in the best and appropriate way possible in order to make him feel comfortable; as a result he placed his trust in me and was more co-operative. Evaluation In evaluating my actions, I feel that I behaved correctly since my actions gave Mr R. both the assistance he needed and provided him with some company. I was able to successfully develop the nurse-patient relationship. Although McCabe (2004, p-44) would describe this as task centred communication one of the key components missing in communication by nurses I feel that the situation involved both good patient and task centred communication. I feel that I treated Mr R. with empathy because he was unable to perform certain tasks himself due to his mobility problems and was now refusing chemotherapy. It was my duty to make sure he was comfortable and felt supported and reassured. My involvement in the nurse-patient relationship was not restricted to task centred communication but included a patient centred approach using basic techniques to provide warmth and empathy toward the patient. I found that I was able to improve my non-verbal communication skills in my dealings with Mr R. When he first mentioned having chemotherapy, he volunteered very little information, thus demonstrating the role of non-verbal communication. Caris-Verhallen et al (1999, p.809) state that the role of non-verbal communication becomes important when communicating with elderly people with incurable cancer (Hollman et al 2005, p.31) There are a number of effective ways to maximise communication with people, for example, by trying to gain the persons attention before speaking this makes one more visible and helps to prevent the person from feeling intimidated or under any kind of pressure; the use of sensitive touch can also make them feel more comfortable. I feel that the interaction with Mr R. had been beneficial to me in that it helped me to learn how to adapt my communication skills both verbally and non-verbally. I used body language to its full effect since the language barrier made verbal communication with Mr.R. difficult. I used simple sentences that Mr R. could easily understand in order to encourage his participation. Wold (2004, p.76) mention that gestures are a specific type of non-verbal communication intended to express ideas; they are useful for people who have limited verbal communication skills. I also used facial expressions to help encourage him to have chemotherapy treatment which might not cure his problem but would give him some relief and make him feel healthier. Facial expressions are the most expressive means of non-verbal communication but are also limited to certain cultural and age barriers (Wold 2004 p.76). My facial expressions were intended to encourage Mr R. to reconsider his decision with regard to chemotherapy treatment. Whilst I could not go into all the details about his treatment, I was able to advise him to complete his treatment in order to alleviate his symptoms. Analysis In order to analyse the situation, I aim to evaluate the important communication skills that enabled me to provide the best level of nursing care for Mr R. My dealings with Mr R. involved interpersonal communication i.e. communication between two people (Funnell et al 2005, p-438).I realised that non-verbal communication did help me considerably in providing Mr R. with appropriate nursing care even though he could only understand a few of the words I was speaking. I did notice that one of the problems that occurred with this style of communication was the language barrier but despite this I continued by using appropriate communication techniques to aid the conversation. Although it was quite difficult at first, the use of non verbal communication skills helped encourage him to speak and also allowed him to understand me. The situation showed me that Mr R. was able to respond when I asked him the question without me having to wait for an answer he was unable to give. Funnell et al (2005, p 438) point out that communication occurs when a person responds to the message received and assigns a meaning to it. Mr R. had indicated his agreement by nodding his head. Delaune and Ladner (2002, P-191) explain that this channel is one of the key components of communication techniques and processes, being used as a medium to send out messages. In addition Mr R. also gave me feedback by showing that he was able to understand the messages being conveyed by my body language, facial expression and eye contact. The channels of communication I used can therefore be classed as both visual and auditory. Delaune and Ladner (2002 p.191) state that feedback occurs when the sender receives information after the receiver reacts to the message, however Chitty and Black (2007, p.218) define feedback as a response to a message. I n this particular situation, I was the sender who conveyed the message to Mr R. and Mr R. was the receiver who agreed to talk about his chemotherapy treatment and allowed me to assist. Consequently I feel that my dealings with Mr R. involved the 5 key components of communication outlined by Delaune and Ladner (2002, p.191) i.e. senders, message, channel, receiver and feedback. Reflecting on this event allowed me to explore how communication skills play a key role in the nurse and patient relationship in the delivery of patient-focussed care. Whilst I was trying to assist Mr R. when he was attempting to walk, I realised that he needed time to adapt to the changes in his activities of daily living. I was also considering ways of successful and effective communication to ensure a good nursing outcome. I concluded that it was vital to establish a rapport with Mr R. to encourage him to participate in the exchange both verbally and non-verbally. This might then give him the confidence to communicate effectively with the other staff nurses; this might later prevent him from being neglected due to his age or his inability to understand the information given to him about his treatment and the benefits of that treatment. I have set out an action plan of clinical practice for future reference. If there were patients who needed help with feeding or with other procedures, I would ensure that I was well prepared to deal patients who werent able to communicate properly. This is because, as a nurse, it is my role to ensure that patients are provided with the best possible care. To achieve this, I need to be able to communicate effectively with patients in different situations and with patients who have differing needs. I need to communicate effectively as it is important to know what patients need most during there stay on the ward under my supervision. Whilst I have a lot of experience in this field of practice, communication remains a fundamental part of the nursing process which needs to be developed in nurse-patient relationships. Wood (2006, p.13) states that communication is the key to unlock the foundation of relationships. Good communication is essential if one is to get to know a patients individu al health status (Walsh, 2005, p.30). Active learning can also help to identify the existence of barriers to communication when interacting with patients. Active learning means listening without making judgements; I always try to listen to patients opinions or complaints since this gives me the opportunity to see the patients perspective (Arnold, 2007, p.201). On the other hand, it is crucial to avoid the barriers that occur in communication with the patients and be able to detect language barriers. This can be done by questioning patients about their health and by asking them if they need help in their daily activities. I set about overcoming such barriers by asking open-ended questions and interrupting when necessary to seek additional facts (Funnell et al, 2005, p.453). Walsh (2005, p.31) also points out that stereotyping and making assumptions about patients, by making judgements on first impressions and a lack of awareness of communication skills are the main barriers to good communication. I must not judge patients by making assumptions on my first impression but should go out of my way to make the patient feel valued as an individual. I should respect each patients fundamental values, beliefs, culture, and individual means of communication (Heath, 300, p.27). I should be able to know how to establish a rapport with each patient. Cellini (1998, p.49) suggests a number of ways in which this can be achieved, including making oneself visible to the patient, anticipating patients needs, being reliable, listening effectively; all these factors will give me guidelines to improve my communication skills. Another important factor to include in my action plan is the need to take into account any disabilities patients may have such as poor hearing, visual impairment or mental disability. This could help give the patient some control and allow them to make the best use of body language. Once I know that a patient has some form of disability, I will be able to prepare a course of action in advance, deciding on the most appropriate and effective means of communication. Heath (2000, p.28) mentions that communicating with patients who have an impairment requires a particular and certain type of skill and consideration. Nazarko (2004, p.9) suggests that one should not repeat oneself if the patient is unable to understand but rather try to rephrase what one is saying in terms they can understand e.g. try speaking a little more slowly when communicating with disabled people or the hard of hearing. Hearing problems are the most common disability amongst adults due to the ageing process (Schofield. 2002, p.21). In summary, my action plan will show how to establish a good rapport with the patient, by recognising what affects the patients ability to communicate well and how to avoid barriers to effective communication in the future. Conclusion In conclusion, I have outlined the reasons behind my choosing Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle as the framework of my reflection and have discussed the importance of reflection in nursing practice. I feel I have discussed each stage of the cycle, outlining my ability to develop therapeutic relationship by using interpersonal skills in my dealings with one particular patient. I feel that most parts of the reflective cycle (Gibbs 1988) can be applied to the situation on which I have reflected. Without the model of structured reflection I do not feel I would have had the confidence to consider the situation in any depth (Graham cited in Johns 1997 a, p.91-92) and I fear reflection would have been remained at a descriptive level. I have been able to apply the situation to theory; as Boud Keogh Walker (1985, p.19) explain that reflection in the context of learning is a generic term for those intellectual and effective activities whereby individuals engage to explore their experiences in ord er to lead to a better understanding and appreciation. Boyd Fales (1983, p.100) agree with this and state that reflective learning is the process of internally examining and exploring an issue of concern, trigged by an experience that creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self and which results in a changed conceptual perspective. However, I personally believe that the reflective process is merely based on each individuals own personality and beliefs as well as their attitude and approach to the life. Appendix Mr R., a 64 year old gentleman, was an inpatient on a surgical ward. Earlier that day his consultant had directly informed him that he had inoperable cancer of the pancreas with a life expectancy of 18-24 months. Some relief might be offered by chemotherapy, but there was no cure. Mr R. was understandably shocked, but had suspected the diagnosis. At that time he remained in the care of the specialist nurse. Later in the day, as I was passing through the ward, I notice Mr. R. alone on his bed. Prescriptive A prescriptive intervention seeks to direct the behaviour of the client, usually behaviour that is outside the client-practitioner relationship. My first intervention was to open the conversation and demonstrate warmth. I provided information myself and gave Mr R. the choice of staying on his own or engaging with me. By shaking Mr R.s hands I was attempting to provide reassurance and support as well as communicating warmth in order to reduce his anxiety and promote an effective nurse-patient relationship. Practitioner: Hello Mr. R, I am one of the nurses here this  morning with Dr. M. Is there anything I can get you or would you rather be on your own? (Shook hands). Mr. R: NO, I remember you from this morning, come and sit down. Ive asked the girl for a cup of tea, I dont know where shes got to. Practitioner: Well give me a minute and Ill bring you one in. Do you take sugar? Mr. R: I suppose I shouldnt, then why worry. Two please. Practitioner: (Returning with a cup of tea) Here we are, dont blame me if its horrible, I got it from the trolley. (I smiled at Mr.R. and tried to establish eye contact, then sat down in the chair next to him). Mr. R: Thanks, thats just what I need. 2. Informative An informative intervention seeks to impart knowledge, information and meaning to the patient. My intention was to reinforce the nurse-patient relationship by smiling and attempting to establish eye contact as well as using facial expressions to put the patient at ease and establish a good rapport. By making Mr. R a cup of tea it created a pleasant response in a time of crisis. Practitioner: Jane (specialist nurse) was here this morning, what did you think about what she had to say? Mr. R: Oh yes she was very nice, mind you Im an old hand at this, I looked after my wife when she had cancer. Mr. R: She was riddled with cancer, but we kept her at home and looked after her. She could make a cracking cup of tea (Mr.R. smiles) Practitioner: (smiles and nods) When did she pass away? 3. Confronting A confronting intervention seeks to raise the clients consciousness about limiting behaviour or attitudes of which they are relatively unaware. By meeting the patients needs at that time I felt the urge to continue to show a display of warmth and develop the relationship further. Mr. R: It will be two years next month that she died. Practitioner: You must miss her. Mr. R: Theres not a day goes by that I dont talk to her. Goodness knows what she would make of all this, its brought it all back. 4. Cathartic A cathartic intervention seeks to enable the client to discharge/react to a painful emotion primarily grief, fear and/or anger. Mr. R spoke emotively and angrily by using such words as riddled and cancer. He spoke loudly and angrily with congruent non-verbal cues. Practitioner: Has what youve been discussing with Jane reminded you of your wifes death? Mr. R: Yes, (patient covers his face with his hands). Practitioner: What is it about what youve heard that is worrying you, do you think you can tell me? 5. Catalytic A catalytic intervention seeks to elicit self-discovery, self direct living, learning and problem solving in the client. Mr. R had a broad scope in which to discuss any concerns he may have had, but his response only concerned his wife, not him as his wife was the one who suffered from cancer. Mr. R: (Pause) ..Im an old hand at this and I dont want any of that chemo. Practitioner: What is it about the chemotherapy you dont like? Mr. R: My wife had it and we went through hell. Practitioner: You went through hell Mr. R: The doctors made her have the chemo and she still died in agony. 6. Supportive A supportive intervention seeks to affirm worth and value of the clients person, qualities, attitudes and actions. It is done to encourage the client to say more and to explore the issue further. Support is provided by non-verbal means like giving warmth, supportive posture and maintaining eye contact. I wanted to convince Mr. R that I was interested in what he had to say and help him believe that he was worth listening to that his opinions really mattered. Practitioner: Do you think the same thing will happen to you? Mr. R: Yes, thats the one thing Im worried about. Practitioner: em, if Im honest with you chemotherapy treatment is not a subject I know a lot about. (Pause), would you like to see the specialist nurse again? She can go over things with you and explain your options. Mr. R Well if she doesnt mind, Im just not sure the chemo will be worth it. Learning outcomes From this experience, I have learned the importance of:- Practice in accordance with the NMC (2004) code of professional conduct, performance, when caring for adult patients including confidentially, informed consent, accountability, patient advocacy and a safe environment. Demonstrating fair and anti-discriminatory behaviour, acknowledging differences in the beliefs, spiritual and cultural practices of individuals. Understanding the rationale for undertaking and documenting, a comprehensive, systematic and accurate nursing assessment of physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs. Interpreting assessment data to prioritise interventions in evidence based plan of care. Discussing factors that will influence the effective working relationships between health and social care teams. Demonstrating the ability to critically reflect upon practice.

Life Struggle on Minimum Wage Essay -- essays research papers

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Strategies of a Non-Native Translator :: Free Essays Online

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Favorite Family Get-Together

Getting together with family is something that most of us look forward to. Throughout the years our family has grown with all sorts of personalities, Making every get-together fun, interesting, and memorable. Even though I see my family quite often, our get-togethers are always quite entertaining. While we celebrate birthdays, holidays, special occasion, and new or old traditions, By far my three favorite are my mom's birthday, pumpkin carving contest, and New Year's.My first favorite family get together is my mom's birthday. No matter what day the week her birthday is my siblings and I always managed to gather our families enjoying my mom for dinner. It's indescribable how happy that makes her. We bring her favorite dish and pastry. At the dinner table we take turns to express our gratitude and I love for my mom. Throughout the night we gathered up and see her open the gift and read the card her grandkids made for her. Every year is a blessing to be able to enjoy that moment.My seco nd favorite family get together is our pumpkin carving contest. We came up with this tradition couple of years ago. Teams are formed by family and their kids, we help them carve their pumpkin into any character or picture of their choice. To make it fun we give out prices for the winning pumpkin. The children get so involved and become competitive that the competition gets quite interesting. The losers end up cleaning the mess left over from the carving process it became more popular with the kids as they grow older.The competition became more serious. But at the end of the contest everyone goes home with a great carved pumpkins. My third favorite family get together with the New Year's day. Our family celebrates not only for the upcoming new year But also for the year that ends. The children play throughout the night and the adults just relax, Conversation; Making it seem like we rarely see each other throughout the year. My family only consists of my immediate family.Making it mor e meaningful, private, and warming. The countdown to the new year is by far the best. We get in spirit, putting on hats, glasses, beads of the upcoming new year numbers. As a family we end the year and we welcome the new year with popping streamers, and loud horns, The most importantly as a family. Throughout the years our family get-togethers have become memorable. Celebrating birthdays traditional events and holidays makes our little families become one.