Conflict is an inherent part of life Essay

Conflict can erupt when parties differ significantly in power, status, or culture. Power. If dependence is not mutual, but one way, the potential for conflict increases. If party A needs the collaboration of party B to accomplish its goals, but B does not need A’s assistance, antagonism may develop. B has power over A, and A has nothing with which to bargain. A good example is the quality control system in many factories. Production workers might be highly dependent upon INSPECTORS to approve their work, but this dependence is not reciprocated. The inspectors might have a separate boss, their own office, and their own circle of friends (other inspectors). In this case, production workers might begin to treat inspectors with hostility, one of the symptoms of conflict. Status. Status differences provide little impetus for conflict when people of lower status are dependent upon those of higher status. This is the way organizations often work, and most members are socialized to expect it. However because of the design of the work, there are occasions when employees with technically lower status find themselves giving orders to, or controlling the tasks of, higher-status people . The restaurant business provides a good  example. In many restaurants, lower-status waiters and waitresses give orders and initiate queries to higher-status cooks or chefs. The latter might come to resent this reversal of usual lines of influence.10 The advent of the â€Å"electronic office† led to similar kinds of conflict. As secretaries mastered the complexities of electronic mail, they found themselves having to educate senior executives about the capabilities and limitations of such systems. Some executives are defensive about this reversal of roles. Culture. When two or more very different cultures develop in an organization, the clash in beliefs and values can result in overt conflict. Hospital administrators who develop a strong culture centered on efficiency and cost  effectiveness might find themselves in conflict with physicians who share a strong culture based on providing excellent PATIENT CARE at any cost. A telling case of cultural conflict occurred when Apple Computer expanded and hired professionals away from several companies with their own strong cultures. During the first couple of years Apple recruited heavily from HEWLETT PACKARD, National Semiconductor and Intel, and the habits and differences in style among these companies were reflected in Cupertino. There was a general friction between the rough and tough ways of the semiconductor men (there were few women) and the people who made computers, calculators, and instruments at Hewlett-Packard some of the Hewlett-Packard men began to see themselves as civilizing influences and were horrified at the uncouth rough-and-tumble practices of the brutes from the semiconductor industry. Many of the men from National Semiconductor and other stern backgrounds harbored a similar contempt for the Hewlett Packard recruits. They came to look on them as prissy fusspots.

Million Dollar Baby Film Essay

In the film ‘Million Dollar Baby’,directed by Clint Eastwood is mainly based around the theme of how the important characters as vehicles to convey the theme familial love and support. This is shown when the theme is set up through Maggie and Frankie having broken relationship with their families, but it was resolved when they came together. Having familial love and support is important to an individual’s wellbeing. Without love, humans become isolated and unsatisfied. Therefore, by coming together, they express a similar familial love although they are not biologically related and experiences this fulfillment in life. The characters from the film demonstrated the beauty of this relationship. Eastwood successfully conveyed the idea through various visual and oral techniques. Throughout the film, secondary characters also supports the success of the protagonists to show family support is essential for the main character to achieve their specific goals. Eastwood conveys the idea of the importance of familial love for Maggie, in â€Å"Million Dollar Baby†, through the relationship between Maggie and Frankie, her boxing trainer. Maggie and Frankie, both have broken relationships with their own families but the resulting emptiness is filled when they came together. Maggie does not want to live in a dysfunctional family as her family cares little for her well-being. Her plight is summed up in the quotation when the audience is told that she wants to escape from her miserable life, â€Å" I’m 31, Mr. Dunn, and I’m here celebrating the fact that I spent another year scraping dishes and waitressing which is what I’ve been doing since 13. My brother’s in prison, my sister cheats on welfare by pretending one of her babies is still alive, my daddy’s dead, and my momma weighs 312 pounds. The only thing I ever felt good doing was boxing.† Although Maggie saves up enough of her prize money to buy her mother a house, her actions are not appreciated. Her mother berates Maggie for seizing her welfare payments and Medicaid benefits. Frankie’s support provided the energy for Maggie to succeed in her career. In Frankie’s situation, he was alienated from his daughter for an unexplained reason. This is shown when Frankie’s letters along with his pain comes back to him with‘ Return to Sender’ written on them. Frankie expresses the pain of rejection through his facial expressions. Lighting was used in the film to portray this. Dim lighting was used whenever Frankie appears. His face was made barely visible with many shadows, one side being darker than the other. This technique of the different shades on the character’s face symbolized the two sides of Frankie’s life. The darker side symbolizes the terrible past of his life while the brighter side symbolizes the bright future Frankie will share with Maggie. Dim lighting on the returned letters is also used to express the sad mood in the scene. The letters are on the ground forcing Frankie to bend down to pick them up, which symbolizes his daughter’s rejection and his distant relationship with he r. When Frankie says to Maggie â€Å" I made many mistakes in my life. I just want to prevent you from doing the same† it demonstrates his regret. This shows the relationship progress between Frankie and Maggie. He wanted to redeem himself by finding a ‘replacement’ daughter-Maggie. In â€Å"Million Dollar Baby†, Frankie’s life changed because of Maggie’s entrance. They each had personal needs due to the lack of familial love so personal fulfillments developed to satisfy each other. Both Frankie and Maggie have a lack of familial love therefore, as they meet, a non-biologically related love and support develops. Two examples of dialogue stand out in particular showing the development in their relationship. Maggie said: â€Å" You’re gonna leave me again?† ,Frankie replied, â€Å" Never† and when Maggie expressed â€Å" I’ve got nobody but you, Frankie.† Frankie answered with a definite answer of â€Å"Then youà ¢â‚¬â„¢ve got me.† Eastwood used both dialogues to express the same idea of that strong bond between Frankie and Maggie that has developed throughout the film. Frankie is the only one who helped and supported Maggie through her victory as he saw her as his own and wanted to make her the best by training her harshly which can be seen as another type of love. Maggie sees boxing as one important part of her life and does not want to give up. Finally won by her determination, Frankie accepts Maggie by making an agreement between them. Frankie then slowly shapes her into a viable fighter. The other technique used to show her success was lighting. The lighting used at the beginning of the film was dim and dark indicating the dark sides of Maggie’s life. When she succeeded, it changed into a very bright background. The brand, Everlast, on the speed bag was used subtly to show Maggie’s determination. She used this support to work hard to change her life and be successful for once in her life. It all paid off when she was standing inside of the boxing ring. Without Frankie’s support, she might have never dreamed of that day. The theme of familial love and support plays a significant role in the film â€Å"Million Dollar Baby†. It is shown through Frankie and Maggie’s development of familial love due to their dysfunctional family. Familial love and support was also conveyed by the secondary characters supporting the protagonists as they express care and support to each other. Familial loves is shown as a complex idea in the film as biological love fails and another form of family is reconstituted. The audiences also learn that love is a powerful force that can transform families and provides fulfillment in the lives of people and to be successful in life, you have to have love.

A Look at the Drive and Will Power of Frederick Douglass and Chris McCandless

A Look at the Drive and Will Power of Frederick Douglass and Chris McCandless It is sometimes said that nothing in life that is worth having comes easily. I have noticed that what often separates those who attain their hopes and dreams from those who do not is that they possess a certain drive and determination to stop at nothing to achieve those dreams. Although the two individuals Chris McCandless and Frederick Douglass lived in different time periods, and grew up in totally different environments, they possessed the will to overcome whatever obstacles life presented them and achieved the goals that they set for themselves. Chris McCandless was determined to live an unconventional, nomadic lifestyle like those of his idols Henry David Thoreau, Boris Pasternak, and the Jules Verne character Captain Nemo. Growing up, he waited until the time was right to begin his journey across the country and into the wilderness. John Krakauer wrote: Five weeks earlier hed loaded his belongings into his car and headed west without an itinerary. The trip was to be an odyssey in the fullest sense of the word, an epic journey that would change everything. He had spent the previous four years, as he saw it, preparing to fulfill an absurd and onerous duty: to graduate from college. At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence. (22) Later in the book we were again given a glimpse of Chriss gritty determination to achieve a goal that he had set for himself. During his travels Chris stopped in the small dusty town of Tapock, Arizona. It was there that he noticed an old secondhand canoe which he purchased in an attempt to float from Lake Havasu to the Gulf of California. During this adventure down the Colorado River Chris traveled through the Colorado River Indian Reservation, the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, and the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, and across the border into Mexico. He was unaware of the fact that once in Mexico the Colorado River turns into a maze of irrigation canals, marshland, and dead end channels. At one point he follows a map drawn by a group of Mexican canal officials he had met to no avail. He found himself at a dead end in the middle of the desert. He did not give up though. Instead he carried his canoe and gear for three days to a new canal to continue his quest for the sea. After traveling for several more days Chris once again found himself lost and stuck in swampy marshland. By chance he met a group of duckhunters who after hearing his tale of wrong turns and dead ends agreed to take him to the small fishing village of El Golfo de Santa Clara, located on the Gulf of California (34-35). At several points along the way Chris could have easily given up his quest and turned back, but he would not allow himself to fail. This is the same type of determination that can be seen in Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass was born a slave in Tuckahoe, Maryland during the early 1800s. He was eventually sent to Baltimore to live with his new master and mistress. It was there that Douglass found the key by which he could unlock the bonds of slavery and revel in the freedom that few of his peers would ever come to know. Douglass wrote, Mistress, in teaching me the alphabet, had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from taking the ell (31). He remained true to his words over the next couple of years and used an ingenious plan to take every opportunity possible to learn to read and write. Douglass was often called upon by his mistress to run various errands throughout the day. He found that if he hurried up and got his errands done quickly he had a few minutes that he could use to get a lesson. He carried with him bread and a book. He would make friends with the white kids in the streets by bribing them with the food and in return in they would teach him what they could. Douglass described the scenario, This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge (32). What a great plan to use the most basic of human needs, hunger, and the kids naivety to gain the most valuable of assets that a slave could hope for, but he wasnt done. Frederick not only wanted to read, but he was also driven to learn how to write. Once again he used a cunning plan to reach this goal. Douglass described the how he learned to write as follows: The idea as to how I might learn to write was suggested to me by being in Durgin and Baileys ship-yard, and frequently seeing the ship carpenters, after hewing, and getting a piece of timber ready for use, write on the timber the name of that part of the ship for which it was intended. When a piece of timber was intended for the larboard side, it would be marked thus-L. When a piece was for the starboard side, it would be marked thus-S. A piece for the larboard side forward, would be marked thus-L.F. When a piece was for starboard side forward, it would be marked thus-S.F. For larboard aft, it would be marked thus-L.A. For starboard aft it would be marked thus-S.A. I soon learned the names of these letters, and for what they were intended when placed upon a piece of timber in the ship-yard. I immediately commenced copying them, and in a short time was able to make the four letters named. After that, when I met with any boy who I knew could write, I would tell him I could write as well as he. The next word would be, I dont believe you. Let me see you try it. I would then make the letters which I had been so fortunate as to learn, and ask him to beat that. In this way I got a good many lessons in writing, which it is quite possible I should never have gotten in any other way Thus after a long, tedious effort for years, I finally succeeded in learning to write. (34-35) I think what amazes me the most about both of these individuals was the time period over which they continued to st rive for their goals. They both forged ahead over the course of months and years gaining whatever advantages and overcoming any obstacles they were presented with, staying focused on the final outcome. This type of determination and will power is inspiring to me, as in this day and age more people seem to have trouble setting goals, or staying focused on achieving them for any extended time period.

Leadership and the future Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Leadership and the future - Assignment Example Grossman is concerned with the quality of medical care in nursing homes and those of elderly residents in their homes (Grossman, 37). Nurses are usually in charge for the delivery of such care in the centers or the patients’ home. Nevertheless, the number of aged patients existing in the nursing homes rose considerably in the 1990s and late 1980s. This has resulted in a rise in the workload of the nurses who are sometimes forced by circumstances to take care of more than one patient. Patients with a disability and high morbidity have also increased pressure on the available human resource, (Wick, 46). I have personally, played a significant role in the development of the nursing field. I came up with the generation of value indicators. This system is used to measure the explicit process criteria. In this strategy, the care given to patients is measured against the explicit quality indicators or standards that result from the care. The indicators are selected on the foundation of their significance to the nursing industry. In addition, information is to de delivered to the registered nurses to support each of the quality indicators. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) is the worlds leading training organization for the nurses. This organization validates nurses’ skills, abilities, and knowledge. The ANCC board recognition and certification empowers qualified nurses within their specialized spheres to active contribute to the delivery of quality medical care to patients’. The ANCC is an auxiliary organization to the American Nurses Association (ANA). It provides financial support to organizations and individuals to help them further their skills and competence, (Marx, 87). One is expected to gain the relevant work experience after graduation over the years as he or she sharpens the skills acquired in class. My strategy to improve the quality of nursing health care for the next decade is based upon three basic

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words - 2

International Business - Essay Example For Coca-Cola, it meant duplicating a substantial part of its value-creation process—from product formulation to marketing and delivery—throughout the world. Intel’s global competitive advantage is based on attaining technological leadership and preferred component supplier status on a global basis. For a midsize company, it may mean setting up a host of small foreign subsidiaries and forging numerous alliances. For still others, it may mean something entirely different (De Kluyver & Pearce, 2006). Thus, although it is tempting to think of global strategy in universal terms, globalization is a highly company-and industry-specific issue. It forces a company to rethink its strategic intent, global architecture, core competencies, and entire current product and service mix. For many companies, the outcome demands dramatic changes in the way they do business—with whom, how, and why. In the study of management, it is already a common knowledge that it involves four basic functions: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling resources (land, labour, capital, and information) to efficiently reach a company’s goals. Controlling is the fourth basic managerial function. In management, controlling means monitoring a firm’s progress toward meeting its organizational goals and objectives, resetting the course if goals or objectives change in response to shifting conditions, and correcting deviations if goals or objectives are not being attained. Managers should strive to maintain a high level of quality—a measure of how closely goods or services conform to predetermined standards and customer expectations. Many firms control for quality through a four-step cycle that involves all levels of management and all employees. In the first step, top managers set standards, or criteria for measuring the performance of the organization as a whole. At the same time, middle

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project management - Essay Example Janis is in a position of power and she has to create an effective communication plan to ensure the success of the project. The first step in the communication plan is to ensure all the key players have the proper communication devices. The company must provide Janis, Clark, Downs, and Pokorski with a smartphone. I recommend the firm purchase four iPhone 4. A smartphone has the capabilities of connecting to the internet which can enable the different managers to send data and information to Janis instantly. The company should also design a mobile application that enables these workers to connect to the company intranet. A lot of businesses in the 21st century have realized the benefits technology offers to improve communication and are taking advantage of its capabilities (Goessl, 2008). Janis also has to create a system to ensure these managers communicate with her on a routinely basis. My recommendation is for the four professionals to have weekly meetings. The meeting can occur ei ther face to face or virtually. The virtual meetings could take place using the services of Skype. Skype is an internet service that enables its users to make video calls free of charge (Skype, 2011). Janis has to be able to manage her human resources effectively to avoid conflicts. The company placed Clark, Downs, and Pokerski in a tough position because they gave Janis the ability to access the resources these managers have at their disposal. It is possible that Janis might ask for work from these managers which might place them in a conflict in regards to their regular work schedule. Janis has to be considerate in her requests. Janis can minimize the conflicts by giving the managers a head start. This can be done during the weekly meetings. If Janis needs to use the employees or resources of the managers she can schedule their services a week in advance. There are always potential risks that project managers might face in any project. A risk is something that may happen that can have a negative impact on a project (Projectperfect, 2011). Janis has to realize a risk assessment in order to find ways to minimize the risk. The project Janis is in charge of is a construction project. An inherent risk the company faces is not selecting the proper construction crew for the project. A way to lower that risk is to hire only workers that have at least three years of experience in the construction industry. Another risk of this type of project is potential accidents to the workers. To offset this risk Janis must purchase insurance. A third risk that Janis might face in the project is time related issues. The project could get delayed which would hurt the plans of the company. A good way to minimize the risk of the project being delayed is by Janis using a work breakdown structure. A work breakdown structure can be defined as result orientated family tree that captures all the work of a project in an organized way (Chapman, 2004). The great thing about using a work bre akdown structure is that it allows the project manager the ability to divide the work in different deliverables. It is easier to estimate the time it takes to complete each deliverable separately. The work breakdown structure can also help the project manager lower the risk of exceeding the stipulated budget for the project. Janis has a budget of $2.75 million for the Alabama construction project. For this project to be completed on time and within budget Janis has to do a good job of communicating

Corporate law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Corporate law - Essay Example Sarah, who bought a hotel from Nigel, later realized that the physical condition of the building, housing the hotel, was not in perfect condition as she had been led to believe, by her architect friend, is putting Nigel the proprietor of Colchester Suppliers through litigation. The financial performance of the hotel was also not, in accordance with what the hotel’s accountant had projected to her. Upon the revelation of these discrepancies, Sarah suffered a nervous breakdown, which she squarely blames on Nigel and is suing for responsibility. Sarah’s case against Nigel is a typical case of obligatory law, which integrates personal duty into the law governing such transactions between individuals and corporations. Nigel is not responsible for any wrongdoing, on his part because on the part of the financial performance of the hotel, the accountant made it clear to Sarah that the information presented was without responsibility, on his part, as the accountant. The fact tha t the accountant provided this information, when giving Sarah financial information pertaining to the hotel, shows that Sarah had an obligation to seek an alternative and independent opinion about the hotel’s accounts. This would have helped her make a better judgement of the hotel’s financial position and decide if it was worth her attention. She should not lay blame on Nigel, as the owner of the hotel, because it should have been that the account’s opinion would be bias, in favour of the hotel he or she has been catering for. The accountant’s actions could be partly due to the desire to portray the hotel in a positive light for retaining their position as employees in the event of a transfer of ownership. This transfers part of the blame to the accountant who should be held liable for their actions because the law under the obligations rule subjects them to the duty of telling the truth on facts and knowledge they are privy to (Golding & Edmundson, 2008 p148). Under corporate law, obligation to conform to social rules like telling the truth requires that a sanction be carried out against the accountant because of his/her actions. Obligations of this nature, under the law, make it a duty for someone to conform to some social rules that govern practices in businesses. These obligations are subject to a sovereign authority to obey where the command requires the conveyance of a will and awareness of the attached risk involved in suffering a sanction for non-compliance (Dimond, 2009 p180). Nigel, on his part, did not refuse to divulge information concerning the financial position of the hotel or opinion because Sarah never asked for it. If he had given his opinion, it can be held that he lied about the financial state of the hotel so He should be exonerated of any blame in matters relating to the finances of the hotel. However, at the same, it makes it his duty to ensure that his employee observed the appropriate moral conduct of confo rming to social rules because the accountant was in his employ. His failure to make it his duty and obligation casts some responsibility to him for his accountant’s actions. The obligation law casts more negligence on the buyer and the accountant because they did not do what was meant to be their duty under the law (Davies, 2011 p 318). Sarah consulted her architect friend, Liz, to assess the building the hotel was housed in, and this shows that she

Augustine's Contribution to Epistemology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Augustine's Contribution to Epistemology - Essay Example Augustine deems the course by which the psyche progresses from the fixation with the object towards deliberation that of the divine as a constitutive part of the cleansing and refinement that is salvation, and as arising in the two-natured Christ, through partaking in Christ’s body.1 Augustine devoted his life to the fundamental quest for truth.2 The epistemological groundwork of his hermeneutic is originated in this expedition for truth.3 Augustine recognizes that Scripture will be understood by a man who possesses an intellectual core. Every human spirit comprehends through the means of enlightenment by a heavenly luminosity. Some men are bestowed with the grace of seeing ideas more clearly while others less clearly. Hence, in the usual course of events, the human intellect does see the divine facts moderately, not immediately in his life.4 The very character of substance hinders the human psyche from the absolute wisdom of the understandable. Augustine adopted the doctrine dated back from the time of the philosophers, Aristotle and Plato, that certain factors thwarts the soul in his search for truth and knowledge. In reference to the bible, Augustine supposes that matter deters the exact forethought for veracity. Moreover, he believes that being endowed with the birthright of original sin from Adam and Eve hinders humans to be guided by the divine light, which, in turn, will help them clearly perceive reality. Original sin darkens the path of human intellect towards certainty. Augustine believes that the corruptible body impedes the quest for knowledge and the main vice that dominates the soul is pride.5 Humility, through the Incarnation and the words of the Holy Scripture, heals pride. The Incarnation facilitates the dialogue between humans and God. Philosophical and biblical reasons predominate Augustine’s speculations of his works. However, the human psyche does not perceive truth directly. Augustine gave emphasis that the human inability to see the truth precisely in his life renders God and truth ineffable; hence, his theology accentuated that God is known better by not knowing him.6 Furthermore, celestial origin is beyond description and human words are simply unsuccessful in clearly describing it. Men utilize remarks, unsuitable they may be, just to say something rather than nothing.7 Moreover, Augustine highlights that such events can never be known.8 Beliefs an individual has known cannot be modified by a more complex fact unless that individual views that reality with his own eyes. Thus, faith continues an individual’s pursuit for wisdom. This insinuation of reliance is astonishing for Christians since their religion is rooted in a variety of historical occurrences. Now and then, some people believed that Augustine’s great contribution to epistemology is to rescue the cognitive status of belief.9 Although substandard to wisdom, it is nevertheless essential to human life in general, but especially i n religion.10 For the reason that Christianity is founded on the works of authors from long ago that individuals in this present time barely even know, what they only did was to believe in what they have written. Augustine associates ontology to epistemology for the reason that teaching and learning are spliced into being.11 For instance, language is often already a part of being, and such it is inseparable to its mnemonic function—teaching and learning.12 Thus, in Augustine’

Google Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Google - Case Study Example rnment’s stringent laws, Google agreement for self censorship is the right alternative as it provides it with option to tap the huge market for its other products like android services. Hence, I agree with Schmidt that some information is better than no information. Schmidt is right in his assertion as Google is a business proposition with the basic objective of disseminating information. In the contemporary environment of global competition, changes within business strategy become essential and decision to self censor in China is part of its strategy for global expansion. Google’s decision therefore is right conforms to its wider objective of business goals and mission. While Google’s business strategy is fundamentally based on free access to full information, it has to forego its principle of providing full access to information as per guidelines and restrictions of Chinese government. Hence, the Chinese customers cannot access information that is deemed objectionable by the Chinese government. But in the highly competitive global business, China presents huge scope of business expansion and therefore its decision to self censor is

Internet and Children Essay Example for Free

Internet and Children Essay Nowadays, in the world in which we live, violence is reported everywhere. It makes parents became worried. So, they try to protect their children from the adverse impacts in society. But although society has taught us that violence is not accepted, in the essay â€Å"Violent Media is Good for Kids,† Gerard Jones tries to convince people, especially the kids’ parents, that violent media is good or furthermore, it is essential for the development of children. He uses his own childhood as an example of how media or The Hulk helped him switch to â€Å"more sophisticated heroes† (Jones 195), and â€Å"finally found my own lead along a twisting path to a career and an identity† (Jones 196). Afterwards, his son was afraid to climb a tree, so Jones read the stories of Tarzan to his son. Then later, his son was climbing trees. He also gives other examples of how violent media helped children to overcome their stressful and hurtful lives. A healthy child must grow both physically and mentally. Especially, mental illness in children can be hard for parents to identify. Gerard Jones admitted that he grew up too passive because he was sheltered from the media. In recent years, there has been dispute about whether or not children should view, or listen to violent media. In Violent Media is Good for Kids Gerard Jones says that we should. He noticed that â€Å"people pulling themselves out of emotional traps by immersing themselves in violent stories. People integrating the scariest, most fervently denied fragments of their psyches into fuller senses of selfhood through fantasies of superhuman combat and destruction.† (Jones 196) .Each person’s childhood is often a ssociated with something, for example, Donald Duck, Superman, or Barbie doll, Batman, etc†¦ Those characters sometimes play an important role in the formation of their life. After finding his favorite character, The Hulk, Jones â€Å"finally found my own lead along a twisting path to a career and an identity† (Jones 196). Jones’s son, perhaps, admires Tarzan, who was told by his father to support him to climb a tree. To Jones, a super hero model can give kids strength and make them brave. Children need a way to express their natural rage and by allowing them to read these stories or play battle just for fun with their friends helps them develop into kids that will interact with each other. All kids feel rage, so if they let it out in a safe way, they can use it to combat challenges in life. Thus, violent media helps them develop into people who are not afraid to stand up and take charge. Jones tries to prove that violent media can help kids if it is used in the right way. He writes a quote from Melanie Moore, Ph.D., a psychologist who works with urban teens, t o support his argument. He does however include examples as to why he believes that violent media is good for children. But he does not include statistics to back-up his arguments and this is a weakness of Joness essay. His examples might not be credible because he presents himself as one of the evidences and each child develops differently. We can see every child takes a different way to explore the world. Many children will grow up like Jones. They will find themselves in the real world and know who they are if they were allowed access to the media. He states â€Å"When we try to protect our children from their own feelings and fantasies, we shelter them not against violence but against power and selfhood.† (Jones 197) .Parents cannot ban their kids playing video games or watching violent cartoons but as adults, they must know which one is good, which one is bad for our kids. When parents try to protect their children from the influence of violence, they need to remember th at although comics and video games are full of violence and fighting, they also have messages and some good lessons. Parents always loves their children, so Jones uses the phrase â€Å"when we tries to protect our children† to let the parents know that he sympathized with their concerns. But then he says: â€Å"we shelter them not against violence but against power and selfhood.† The word â€Å"shelter† means to protect from something harmful. He emphasizes that the harmful thing is not violence but it is harmful to children losing their power and selfhood. However, some children might take the message of the stories the wrong way, putting themselves too deep into a story. They may hurt themselves or the others because they thought that they were strong like their favorite hero. As increasing violence in the media would be certainly dangerous for society and corrupt a childs thoughts and imagination through blood, knives and guns, those were called â€Å"a tool to master their rage† (Jones 196). â€Å"Im not going to argue that violent entertainment is harmless. I think it has helped inspire some people to real-life violence. I am going to argue that its helped hundreds of people for everyone its hurt, and that it can help far more if we learn to use it well.† (Jones 197) .Jones admits that violent media isnt harmless and that it does dra g some children to doing real life violence, but he does not say specifically what should be done about this issue. He goes on to say that it has helped more than it has harmed. There is much research on whether children should or should not access to violent media. By giving some evidence as well as using quote authority to support his thesis, Gerard Jones made a good essay to persuade that violent media is one of the factors that children need to develop. The title â€Å"Violent Media is Good for Kids† is also impressive. It makes the readers curious because â€Å"violent† and â€Å"good† may sound contradictory. However, his essay is interesting but not enough to convince. A good way to protect the children is to give them the right tools in life, and teach them how to make it a responsible choice and how to protect themselves from bad temptations. â€Å"All violence is the result of people tricking themselves into believing that their pain derives from other people and that consequently those people deserve to be punished.† (Rosenberg) Works Cited Jones, Gerard. â€Å"Violent Media Is Good for Kids.† Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing. Ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 195-197. Print. Rosenberg, Marshall B. Nonviolent Communication: A language of life. California: PuddleDancer Press, 2003. Print.

Reflection On Leadership And Management Skills

Reflection On Leadership And Management Skills This essay will be used as a tool to critique and improve my leadership and management skills as this is essential to the changes that are needed in the NHS improvement plan. In this process I have identified my leadership strengths as well as my development needs. I have used self assessment and feedback from colleagues in the form of my managers, peers and direct reports. I have also reflected upon my vision and style of management and further identified areas that can be enhanced into making me a more versatile leader as this is important to the NHS modernisation programme (DH 2000). With this information I have formulated an action plan that is SMART (Specific, Measureable, Action Oriented, Realistic and Time bound) (NHS Leadership Qualities Framework 2002). Leadership is essential and central to the current NHS modernisation programme. In fact the department of health quotes anyone working in the NHS regardless of their position, grade, qualification or place of work, may be a leader or agent of change and improvement (DH 2001). In simple terms the department of health is looking towards its own staff to develop and deliver their NHS improvement plan and are looking for visionary staff at all levels of experience (DH 1999). The changes that I have had to lead and am currently leading have been driven by reducing waiting times for new case patients as well as implementing the 18 week Pathway from referral to treatment (DH 2006). Other drivers for change and improvement have been the implementation of the Choose and Book system, whereby patients are invited to choose where they are referred and given the option of booking their appointments. The reason for these changes on a whole has been to provide a faster, more user friendly and convenient access to care for patients requiring treatment (DH 2005). My professional title is Head of Orthoptic Services which is an allied health profession. I have to provide clinical leadership whilst ensuring a comprehensive and equitable service is provided that is responsive to changing needs, that is flexible to change and has to directly follow department of health guidelines and changes. My leadership role is to manage and develop the Orthoptic Services within the framework of national guidelines and ensure that effective communication across 3 hospital based departments, out-reach clinics, special schools and screening clinics is adhered to, to enable effect change. Within this role I am met with challenges that are set from management levels above me that I have to react to within my sphere of influence. These may include financial management, staffing levels, waiting targets and service developments in line with the NHS improvement plan (DH 2004). In providing these changes the challenges that I face are mainly down to financial constraint s and staffing levels. Staffing levels are always an issue since our department lost a member of staff due to recruitment and retention, and as a method of cost savings the post was dissolved. Conflict is often an issue as change is at this time frequent and often initially met with resistance and negativity; I myself can initially have these reactions and project them. My personal vision of leadership is to be a transformational leader. This type of leader has the skills to share their vision, motivate their team and gain commitment, which will as a result inspire performance (Bennis, 2003, p 31-46). I am keen to motivate my staff by giving them objectives that I feel are appropriate and within their capabilities; this gives them a varied, inspiring work life and will broaden and increase their interests. This has been highlighted in my LQF feedback which I will discuss in greater detail later. I feel this is also how the department of health envisions how leadership will carry forward their NHS improvement plan (DH 2001). However, this is sometimes not always possible and in more challenging times I can become more of a transactional leader. I feel sometimes when I have to pass on objectives that people are resistant to, then reward and punishment which is characteristic of transactional leadership comes into force. One example of this was when a member of staffs competencies was called into question due to consistently producing clinically inadequate test results. My leadership philosophy is to be a leader who has inspirational qualities and to be credible. This should involve being approachable, hard working, trustworthy, competent and supportive. If I am able to fulfil these criteria then I feel I will have credibility as a leader and or manager. This is what followers expect of a leader (Kouzes and Posner, 1997, p 19-31). The reason for this is because a confident and competent leader will have the ability and capabilities which will be obvious to their followers. They will be able to share their vision which will inspire the staff to follow in their footsteps. To be a successful leader it is important to self assess and understand about self-knowledge. If one is able to identify their strengths and any areas for development, this will result in being able to set realistic parameters and be able to capitalise on their strengths, interests and capabilities (Bennis, 2003, p47-64). I have therefore completed an assessment of myself by using the NHS Leadership Qualities Framework 360 Feedback assessment tool (LQF). I have also completed a shortened Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to identify my personality type. The LQF is based upon research with over 3,328 participants and is evidence based grounded research with 150 NHS Chief Executives and Directors of all disciplines. This makes it a robust form of assessment (NHS Leadership Qualities Framework 2002). . My criticism of the LQF would be that you have to carefully select who you feel is able to fill it out in a critical but positive way. I feel that if this is not done it has the ability to skew the percentage scales especially if there has only been small numbers of participants in each group. This creates statistically insignificant results. Finally some of my direct reports felt that the language and questions were quite technical and needed some form of political astuteness and management knowledge, therefore making it difficult to fill out completely accurately. I have been able to identify key qualities from the LQF which not only fit in with my leadership philosophy but in my role as a leader. Some of these qualities I had no idea I possessed. I appear confident and am approachable, supportive, motivated, focused, determined and a good communicator. I also have the will to see service developments; this is key to the Department of Healths modernisation and improvement plans (DH 2000). These qualities have been identified by my managers, peers and direct reports. Some of these qualities fit in with being a transformational leader which is clearly what is important to the department of healths improvement plan. Interestingly some of my needs for development have been identified as not being self-confident, not dealing with disciplinary needs and identifying slipping standards, these development needs all point to a more transactional form of leadership or the more management orientated tasks. This process (LQF) has forced me to be far more critical and reflective of myself. It has been uncomfortable at times as some of the feedback has been quite damning of my leadership style, however it is apparent that this is an anomaly in the process and not the general feeling from the rest of the participants. It has highlighted to me key strengths that I have aspired to possess, and it has clearly highlighted areas needed for development, some of which I feel I may have been subconsciously aware of. An example of my strengths directly ties in with the department of healths NHS modernisation programme quote: Anyone working in the NHS regardless of their position, grade, qualification or place of work, may be a leader or agent of change and improvement (DH 2001). A number of direct reports state I delegate duties well which allows people to expand their own role in the department. This creates new challenges for people which maintains motivation (LQF page 44). Other comments relating to this go on to state this makes people feel valued, able to branch into other areas of expertise and helps to retain staff. In this process I have been able to clearly identify key qualities and strengths; however, in order to become a more effective leader some development needs have been identified. In order to achieve this I have created action plans for three areas I would like to work on. Firstly to improve my time management skills, my next plan will be to develop the ability to confront colleagues in a self managed way and finally to increase my self confidence. (Appendix 1) To enable myself to improve these development needs I have formulated action plans for each. I am going to attempt to use ideas and recommendations from professional consensus but also from the likes of Bennis, Kouzes and Posner, Tracy and Covey all advocators of personal development and leading experts in leadership. My first action plans objective is to improve my time management skills. The rationale behind this is because poor organisation and time management creates a negative outlook for all groups of people I work with, my peers, direct reports and my managers. It has been stated in the LQF that it sets undesirable standards to others. Also objectives can be left too close to the deadline which then creates a rushed and poorly planned outcome which can directly affect the quality of the project. Ultimately the deadline can be missed if other tasks make me have to digress from the original task. Furthermore people have identified that I need to improve my long term planning and see the bigger picture, however, this is difficult if I am constantly dealing with the day to day urgent tasks or Fire-fighting as quoted by a peer. Having reflected upon my style of leadership and identifying a quality I possess, approachability, I also feel this can hinder effectiveness. I currently operate an open door policy and try to be approachable. This causes frequent interruptions and digressions which puts pressure on myself and creates difficulty reaching deadlines. The strategies I am going to explore are based around Stephen Covey and Brian Tracys methods of improving personal effectiveness. Before I set about this I feel I will have to reduce the potential unnecessary interruptions and digressions. Firstly I still want to remain an approachable leader with an open door policy, this, my staff felt was a strength, however, I feel that if I restrict access I will have more uninterrupted time which will make me able to work for longer periods of time and thus reach goals and objectives far more effectively. My first step is to simply close my door between certain hours and ensure that people are aware that if the door is closed I am not available, but I will make staff know that I am available between the hours of 08.00 09.00 (dependent on start time), 12.00 13.30 and 16.00-17.00. The next step will be to improve clarity; this is the most important concept in personal effectiveness, if I have absolutely clear goals and objectives, this should improve my productivity and prevent me procrastinating (Tracy, 2004, p7). Ideally I will start to document what it is I want to achieve since this will enable me to visualise what it is I am aiming for. During this process I will set a realistic deadline to achieving my goals, this will give the objective urgency. I will plan ahead, again documenting what needs to be achieved. Finally, something I rarely do will be to take action on the plan immediately (Tracy, 2004, p7). The next step will involve building upon my clarity and identified goals and objectives and will involve planning ahead by working from a list. A short time making a plan of the day ahead will in the long run save time. Therefore I am going to list the tasks or objectives that need to be achieved monthly, weekly and daily, and as I have achieved an objec tive I will cross it off. Tracy (2004, p14) explains that monthly and weekly lists increases effectiveness and efficiency, and ultimately improves motivation and drive since you are able to visualise your achievements. It is this sense of accomplishment that generates forward motion. This strategy will be a very useful evaluation tool as it will enable me to assess my progress and achievements. This plan of action also fits in with the Quadrant II theory where I need to balance my working life between urgent and important issues (Covey, 2004, p150). There are four quadrants (I) important and urgent (II) Important and not urgent (III) not important but urgent and (IV) not important and not urgent. Currently if I reflect upon my practice and what has been highlighted in my LQF I am working in quadrant I. Jerry spends most of his time fire-fighting at work i.e. he is constantly dealing with the immediate problem rather than getting on top of things and looking ahead and planning bette r (LQF, p47). This affects my drive for improvement which is key to the NHS Modernisation and Improvement plan (DH 2000). Covey (2004, p152) states that this leads to stress, burnout, crisis management and fire-fighting and therefore lead me to be far less effective and efficient. The idea is to work more in quadrant II where I am dealing with important but not urgent tasks, if I can achieve this then this will impact on having to deal with the urgent and important tasks that prevent me from planning ahead and driving for improvement. Furthermore if I can get into quadrant II, less and less tasks will be urgent and important. An example of a problem that exists at the moment as a result of poor time management and dealing with urgent and important issues all the time is patient discharge letters. I am unable to sit for any length of time and write them, they are therefore mounting up and compounding my inefficiency. If I were to list them on my weekly schedule, then I will be able t o visualise the task needs doing. Therefore if I can eliminate the pile that exists, it will be easier to stay on top of the task, one letter at a time is easier and more effective than having to sit down and write ten. Therefore my evaluation tool will be to constantly review my task lists and assess my achievements and work on the objectives that are left outstanding. The second action plans objective is to look at developing my ability to confront members of staff at all levels in a self managed way. The rationale behind this is because confrontation at work occurs at all levels, meaning that I have to manage confrontation with my peers and direct reports. Confrontation and conflict appeared frequently in my LQF assessment, with comments suggesting I shy away from it, bury my head in the sand, let standards slip rather than deal with confrontation and do not deal with disciplinary issues to avoid confrontation. These comments were particularly used by my peers and direct reports. All this fits in with the difficulty I have dealing with conflict management. Conflict is likely when the work place has staff of varying backgrounds (Outhwaite, 2003, p347-375), for example professionals versus semi professionals, which can then lead to perceived status differences making joint working far more difficult. One of my peer comments was to do with the perce ption that my staff controls me and that I have little control over them. Though I disagree with the majority of this statement, there does appear to be some obvious perceptions within my peers that this is in fact the case. The strategy to improve on my ability to confront colleagues in a self managed way will concentrate on conflict resolution. My role as a leader is to identify, explore and resolve issues that may be causing conflict, this may be uncomfortable but can only be achieved with perseverance and some degree of risk (Outhwaite, 2003, p347-375). Confronting my direct reports would be the logical first step, the reason for this is the feedback I received from my peers, suggesting they (direct reports) control me. My own direct reports suggested that I dislike confronting them when standards are slipping or when disciplinary issues need resolving (LQF, p 44-45). Return to work interviews after sickness are left or not done, these by no means are a disciplinary action, however if they are not done it gives the opinion that I do not care. In line with improving my time management skills, my intention is to immediately list the interview down on my schedule, so that I can visualise the need to do it. If clinical case note standards slip, then I should deal with them immediately also. There was a case when a colleague had written highly inappropriate comments in clinical records that were brought to my attention. I procrastinated far too long in dealing with this, so that when I did eventually confront the member of staff I was me t with hostility Why did you not speak to me months ago. My staff members were aware of the issue and were uncomfortable that nothing had been done. If feel if I had exercised better assertiveness and had identified, explored and resolved the issue earlier then the outcome would have been more positive for me and my direct reports. I feel the longer issues are left, the more I worry and become less in control. When it comes to the confrontation, I am tense, uncomfortable and out of control. The quicker I can explore and resolve the issue the easier it will be to deal with and I will be moving towards a more self managed way of dealing with confrontation. Furthermore the quicker I act on these types of issues the more it will be a self managed style of leadership, as it will prevent me from being pushed into dealing with confrontation by my direct reports and peers. Managing confrontation with my peers will employ a more open and honest form of communication (Covey 2004, p 202). Through my LQF and reflection I have identified that with my immediate peers there is differing professional backgrounds and probable peer resentment. It is clear that with both parties small issues and annoyances have been left to fester. This then leads to an escalation of bad feeling and antagonism between us all. With the differing professional backgrounds there has always been a differing level of expectation across the workforce. Covey (2004, p 201-202) examines dealing with the issues head on by arranging a series of meetings to mediate and resolve the existing issues and promote a more open and positive working relationship. By taking these steps myself to deal with the current situation, I will be self managing confrontation and will not be forced into having to deal with issues by outside pressures and necessity. Evaluation of this action plan will again be in the form of scheduling and crossing off achievements, but also reflecting upon the experience. Rule: Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field (Tracy 2004, p52). If I can maintain a diary reflecting upon conflicts that have been resolved and concentrate on the problems and not the personalities then I will be moving towards a self managed way of dealing with confrontation. I will be forcing myself to learn from my experiences and be able to identify successful and less successful outcomes and identify why these exist or what it was that was different between each confrontation. I will reflect upon the use of some of my strengths identified in my LQF. Confidence but not arrogance, highly developed communication style and being able to listen, these are all important in dealing with conflict management (Outhwaite, 2003, p 374-375). My final action plans objective will be to increase my self confidence. The rationale behind this is very personal. Already through my LQF assessment I have learnt that people mostly perceive me as confident and having motivational and inspiring qualities, however, my own personal confidence levels are very poor. Fear of change, conflict and failure is a barrier to my confidence. The LQF assessment showed a very low score for taking calculated risks, this does not surprise me since my direct reports and peers are very unforgiving when it comes to poor judgement and change, even if it was justified. One particular peer is very judgemental regarding failure and slipping standards. My time management skills are in need of further development and a sense of not achieving the balance between non urgent and important tasks (Quadrant II) and constantly dealing with immediate issues constantly chips away at ones confidence levels. Not being able to achieve positive outcomes in conflicts and confrontations needs to be addressed. The more I can succeed and develop the win/win habit the better my confidence will become. It is not about winning confrontations and moving forward my way, but more that agreements and solutions end with a mutually beneficial or satisfying outcome (Covey, 2004, p207). My strategy to improving my self confidence will start by formulating organisational plans and task sheets. When I achieve an objective or project I will cross these of the list and highlight it as an achieved small win (Kouzes and Posner, 1997, p 242-265). This creates momentum and the sense of achievement as previously discussed. I will rate key results on a scale of one to ten and identify strengths and weaknesses, the weaknesses can be used to further develop. If I learn from these weakness and train further this will eliminate the feelings of inadequacy and the lack of confidence I have (Tracy 2004, p 51). Key results or completed projects can be discussed with colleagues and appraised by my manager (Tracy, 2004, p 35-40). All these achievements that I have previously never reflected upon will start to give me a sense of confidence and accomplishment I have never previously thought about. On reflection I have assessed my achievements more on a win/lose scenario, but the more I c an work towards the win/win habit (Covey, 2004, p 205-234) and pass this on to my direct reports the more I am likely to succeed and become self confident. My direct reports tend to assess accomplishments using the win/lose way, and therefore anything that is achieved must have the outcome of us having won the battle, it is not surprising that this promotes the lack of confidence and a feeling of inadequacy I have. Evaluation of this action plan will be to more frequently assess my achievements and accomplishments (Kouzes and Posner, 1997, p 242-265). This will involve assessing my task sheets and my organisational plan which will be done on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. This will help me visualise the tasks that have been completed. The rating of tasks and further training can be assessed by looking at the ratings and assessing if they are improving. This will enable me to build my self confidence. Conflicts and confrontations can be reflected upon and I will be able to better understand the concepts behind win/win. If I can self manage the confrontations and aim for win/win, not only will I be achieving mutually satisfactory benefits and outcomes, but this will be working towards building my self confidence as more and more tasks will be achievable. It will also improve the interdepartmental conflicts and possible peer resentment that has been evident since my LQF. To conclude, it is obvious that all my action plans link into each other. As I become a more effective and efficient leader, then my peers will have less reason to resent my management style and pressure me into acting upon issues that are troubling them. This will then have the effect of lessening conflicts and confrontations. Furthermore, as I improve my time management skills and lessen the confrontations that occur, this will start impacting on my own self confidence. My own self confidence is directly affected by poorly self managed confrontations and an increasing number of tasks that are left undone or incomplete. It is obvious from my strengths that I have the ability to carry out these action plans and that my staff members are more than willing to take on tasks that are suitable for them as they state this makes people feel valued, able to branch into other areas of expertise and helps to retain staff. The Department of Health is looking for visionary staff members that are able to implement and carry out their modernisation plan. As my leadership skills improve I will be more effective in leading change and envisioning improvements becoming the embodiment of the Department of Healths modernisation and improvement plan.

Art and Nature in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale Essay -- Shakespeare

Art and Nature in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale In Shakespeare’s â€Å"The Winter’s Tale†, we see a jealous king convinced he is search of the truth. He will expose his wife and her alleged philandering, but his determination to prove this actually changes this search from one for truth to one for myths—creations, false truths. In essence. Leontes runs into the conflict of defining art versus nature, where art is the view of the world he constructs to prove his paranoia true. Nature itself can exist without art, but the art here is the mangled perception through which Leontes will seek to define Nature. In summation, â€Å"The Winter’s Tale† investigates the conflict between art and nature—creation versus enhancement—and seeks to find out if art can exist without any consideration to nature. The idea of altering perception is a fundamental one in â€Å"The Winter’s Tale†, and art is seen as the way to make this alteration occur. While it is clear to the reader from the very beginning that Hermione is in fact innocent, Shakespeare introduces the reader to Leontes’s persistence to clearly show the beginnings of the conflict brewing. Despite Hermione’s clear innocence, Leontes has been written as a character so belligerent to ever see what is universally accepted as true in nature. The result is a conflict clear to the reader—a conflict of nature on its own merit, a question of truth, versus art, where perception is inherently flawed. Shakespeare creates a truly paranoid, conflicted character in Leontes, which works to make his objectivity, his desire to make truths out of falsities, even more apparent. Leontes speaks to the audience passionately upon his discovery, but his passion sounds so melodramatic, especially when we as readers a.. . ...years later, it becomes clear that for all the emphasis put on art, on creation, and on mass production—nature is central to our human experience. We can symbolize this natural connection with art—but the art itself always harkens back to something that elicits an emotional response from the viewer. For Leontes, a statue of his presumably deceased wife, Hermione triggers a sorrowful reaction. Art indeed embellishes life as it does with flowers, but we are always working from some perspective, some emotion, before we are merely creating art. â€Å"The Winter’s Tale† takes on the challenge of investigating whether or not art can in fact breathe outside the womb of nature, and as we witness art break down, and nature hold the characters together, it becomes resoundingly clear that art seeks to react to nature, but that it cannot work without maintaining nature at its core. Art and Nature in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale Essay -- Shakespeare Art and Nature in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale In Shakespeare’s â€Å"The Winter’s Tale†, we see a jealous king convinced he is search of the truth. He will expose his wife and her alleged philandering, but his determination to prove this actually changes this search from one for truth to one for myths—creations, false truths. In essence. Leontes runs into the conflict of defining art versus nature, where art is the view of the world he constructs to prove his paranoia true. Nature itself can exist without art, but the art here is the mangled perception through which Leontes will seek to define Nature. In summation, â€Å"The Winter’s Tale† investigates the conflict between art and nature—creation versus enhancement—and seeks to find out if art can exist without any consideration to nature. The idea of altering perception is a fundamental one in â€Å"The Winter’s Tale†, and art is seen as the way to make this alteration occur. While it is clear to the reader from the very beginning that Hermione is in fact innocent, Shakespeare introduces the reader to Leontes’s persistence to clearly show the beginnings of the conflict brewing. Despite Hermione’s clear innocence, Leontes has been written as a character so belligerent to ever see what is universally accepted as true in nature. The result is a conflict clear to the reader—a conflict of nature on its own merit, a question of truth, versus art, where perception is inherently flawed. Shakespeare creates a truly paranoid, conflicted character in Leontes, which works to make his objectivity, his desire to make truths out of falsities, even more apparent. Leontes speaks to the audience passionately upon his discovery, but his passion sounds so melodramatic, especially when we as readers a.. . ...years later, it becomes clear that for all the emphasis put on art, on creation, and on mass production—nature is central to our human experience. We can symbolize this natural connection with art—but the art itself always harkens back to something that elicits an emotional response from the viewer. For Leontes, a statue of his presumably deceased wife, Hermione triggers a sorrowful reaction. Art indeed embellishes life as it does with flowers, but we are always working from some perspective, some emotion, before we are merely creating art. â€Å"The Winter’s Tale† takes on the challenge of investigating whether or not art can in fact breathe outside the womb of nature, and as we witness art break down, and nature hold the characters together, it becomes resoundingly clear that art seeks to react to nature, but that it cannot work without maintaining nature at its core.

Comparing the Symbology and Imagery in T. S. Eliot’s Poetry Essay

In the poems â€Å"The Love Song by J. Alfred Prufrock,† written in 1910, published in 1915, and â€Å"Rhapsody on a Windy Night,† written in 1917, both of which were written by poet and literary-critic T. S. Eliot, the symbolism and imagery of the women represented in mythological means, the locations and landscapes that both protagonists wander through or plan on going to, and the nature that is used in both poems are very similar, yet uniquely different. â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† is about a man with low self-confidence worrying about going to a party in the evening where he is sure that the women there with reject and ridicule him; â€Å"Rhapsody on a Windy Night† is about a man wandering his way back in the early hours of the morning to the place where he is staying. In â€Å"Rhapsody†¦,† the moon is featured as a forgiving woman, one who will not hold a grudge and gentles and watches over everything. She appears as a lonely woman, almost as one whose lover has left her holding and twisting a â€Å"paper rose that smells of dust and eau de Cologne† (Eliot 31). At the end of â€Å"The Love Song†¦,† the women are represented as mermaids, sea-girls. They put the men under a spell, for lack of a better word, â€Å"We have lingered in the chambers of the sea/ By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown/ Till human voices wake us, and we drown.† The last line makes them seem like Sirens. In both poems the women are featured in strong mythological terms. Mythology, legends, etc. have always appealed to the senses. They are timeless, and involve adventure, romance, magic, loyalty, betrayal, wars, and mystery, all of which are qualities that strongly appeal to our senses, while also being riddled with symbol s and hidden meanings (Melinda-Landa... ...Works Cited Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. New York: Avon , 1972. Print. Daly, Kathleen N., and Marian Rengel. "A-to-Z Entries." Greek and Roman Mythology A to Z. New York: Facts On File, 2004. Print Eliot, T. S., and Peter Washington. â€Å"Prufrock and Other Observations.† Eliot: Poems and Prose. New York: A. A. Knopf, 1998. 13-19, 29-32. Print. Hanegraaff, Wouter J. "The Nature of Reality." New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought. Albany, NY: State University of New York, 1998. 154. Print. Hard, Robin, and H. J. Rose. "The Younger Olympian Gods and Goddesses." The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology: Based on H.J. Rose's "Handbook of Greek Mythology" London: Routledge, 2004. 187. Print Homer. "Book Twelve." The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Eagles. London: Penguin Group, 1996. Print.

Del Rio Foods Analysis Essay -- Business Analysis

Del Rio was established in 1933, and it is located in California. Its owners are Bob and Maria. Del Rio is an agricultural business where processed canned products and fresh produce are sold. Both owners have the same agricultural background which is why they are doing this business. They are running Del Rio successfully. When the world was going through a great depression, many businesses had tough time to survive. However, Del Rio Foods, Inc. was in stable condition even though they did not make a lot of money. From 1987 to 1990, their Income Statement shows that they had a steady increase in their net income each year. The CEO’s objective is to expand his business as far as into east coast. Del Rio acquired a couple of farms and built them as its main facility and a distributor. Joint venture was formed with few wholesalers and retail stores. Additionally, Cape Fear and Wilmington plants were bought to increase productivity. The mission statement, SWOT analysis, and action plan are discussed further. The vision of the CEO is to go as far as into east coast. Bob is planning to buy additional farm lands to grow more fresh produce to increase the sales. This will welcome new customers, suppliers, retailers, and wholesalers. Also, there will be more job openings to public. People will find positions in various departments or whatever post they are capable of doing it. More people there are to work, faster the jobs get done. Of course, Del Rio will get more business from its customers, retailers, and wholesalers when they see that this company is the only one that gets the job done quickly. Bob also wants to remodel, repair, and keep his plants neat and clean. After making some improvements, it will build comp... ...epartments where needed. His strategy and vision for the company will determine where everyone will focus their efforts. The CEO needs to create a corporate culture. His culture will determine what people should be doing and what should do not be trying. He can decide who will stay, who will leave, and how the job will get done. Culture starts with the boss. He can decide how he wants people to act and start modeling the behavior publicly. STOPPED HERE†¦!!!:)ïÆ'Ÿ Capital allocation. Every dollar you raise and spend should produce more than $1 of return for the company, or it’s a waste of money. Learn how to make these judgements. Hiring and Firing. The job of executives is primarily team and culture building. Hiring and firing are must-have skills. Read, take classes, and review past hiring successes and mistakes. Do whatever you can to hone your abilities.

Child Psychology Services (Part 1) Essay

Explain the importance of safeguarding children and young people Safeguarding children and young people is a key for all professionals who work in all settings where they have contact with children, more so children who could be more vulnerable than others i.e. a child who struggles with a physical or mental disability. All children need to feel safe and secure and are being taught or mentored by adults they can trust. It is of the upmost importance that the correct people, whether they are full time employees or volunteers are given CRB checks. All agencies involved with children (more so, vulnerable children and young people) must take practical measures to make certain that the risk of harm to children/young people’s wellbeing is minimised. If there are concerns about a child/young person’s welfare then all agencies must take appropriate action to deal with these concerns, i.e. working to the agreed local policies and procedures for safeguarding children, keeping records of all reports made about the child is essential as a source to safeguarding children. Explain the importance of a child or young person centred approach Essential to safeguarding and encouraging the welfare of a child or young person is having a child’s centred approach. This could include seeing and keeping a child focused through difficulties they could be experiencing. Listening and ascertaining a child’s wishes and feelings will be important for the child, especially if they have formed a strong bond with the professional they are opening up to. It will also be imperative to a child if that professional close to them understands their daily lives and what they might be experiencing, no matter how hard it could be for the adult to hear. Crucially the child or young person will know there are people out there to help and support them when they need advice or guidance. It is important for a child centred approach because every child is different and a unique individual. A child’s wishes should always be taken into account. The national framework for Every Child Matters (Children’s Act 2004) was set up to support children or young people to ensure the joining up of services to ensure that each individual achieves the five Every child Matters Outcomes which offer support to children to enable them to be; †¢ Healthy. †¢ Stay safe. †¢ Enjoy and achieve. †¢ Make a positive contribution. †¢ Achieve economic well-being. Explain what is meant by partnership working in the context of safeguarding. When it comes to safeguarding, children are best protected when professionals know what is required of them and how they work together. This means that everyone who works with children has a responsibility for keeping them safe which involves identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action. To carry this out effectively professionals need to work in partnership with each other. Unfortunately, the importance of doing this has come about from professionals failing to protect Victoria Climbie who died in 2000. Her death was preventable as doctors, police and social workers all came into contact with her and had concerns. However, the doctors who treated her discharged her to her abusers care and admitted they assumed the social services would investigate. The social workers were described as incompetent and Victoria’s social worker felt unsupported by her supervisor and described her colleagues as conflicted and chaotic. The police too failed to fully investiga te Victoria’s home (for fear of catching scabies) although close family members and Victoria’s child-minder raised their concerns. Following this case lessons were learnt and recommendations put into place to try and prevent another tragedy where successful partnership working for safeguarding should have stepped in earlier to avoid this abuse. To provide adequate safeguarding measures it helps to have a complete ‘picture’ of the child. Partnership working means each professional, (whether it’s the police, NHS, educations departments, NSPCC or social workers), if they have concerns to do with safeguarding, welfare child protection, they should work with the other agencies in contact with that child. Each of these professionals may have one snapshot and a concern that  may, on its own, not necessary need intervention. By working in partnership and sharing information the bigger picture evolves and, if each profession has a different concern, together the dots can be joined and a clearer decision can be made on any intervention measures. To help co-ordinate partnership working professionals use the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) to assess a child’s needs and use the outcomes to provide access to services to provide necessary support. CAF is a voluntary process which is used with informed consent so families do not have to engage and if they do they choose what information that they want to share. The CAF process is aimed to be used when a teacher, the child concerned or their parent raises concerns about that child’s health, development, welfare, behaviour or progress in learning/wellbeing. The information gathered enables an assessment to be made of what help is required and how it will be delivered and by whom. A Team around the Child (TAC) is then created to implement the requirements. The professionals that make a TAC vary from child to child depending on their needs and within the TAC a lead professional will have the responsibility to coordinate the work. Describe the roles and responsibilities of the different organisations that may be involved when a child or young person has been abused or harmed. When a child has been abused or harmed the first line response will be at the point of the allegation or discovery. This could happen in any number of settings, for example at school, in a medical setting or by a child calling child line. All of the agencies or organisations will need to work together but have their own roles in helping the child. – Social Services have statutory responsibilities to provide support to vulnerable children and families in need. This may be after a death or when families are finding day to day life difficult. Most social workers are employed by social services. – Health Visitors have a responsibility for the health of babies and young children under the age of five. They provide support and guidance to the parents of young children and carry out assessments of the child’s development. – General Practitioners (GPs) work in the community, usually from health centres, and are the gateway to other health services. GPs are often the first people to identify possible abuse when a child attends the surgery. – Probation Services support people convicted of some offences to be rehabilitated into the community. They have a key role in monitoring people convicted of offences against children and should ensure that those people do not pose a threat to any local children. – Police are involved in the criminal proceedings that may result from safeguarding issues. – Schools and Training Organisations are key to identifying and supporting children between the ages of 5 – 18 years when they are in need of help. All staff working with children and young people should be trained in safeguarding and protection. – Child Psychology Services will often be needed to support children who have experienced harm or abuse.

Causes of obesity Essay

Alderman describes the problem with great success that gets the reader’s attention. She introduces the problem by explaining common causes of obesity, which are addressed in Michelle Obama’s campaign recently. Referring to the nation’s first lady to address her issue, Alderman intensifies the problem so the reader can â€Å"see† it better. She then quotes the Center for Disease Control and Prevention statistic that â€Å"one of three children in this country is overweight or obese.† The author also uses statistics and facts to dramatize the problem making the reader actually â€Å"feel† the problem, thus appealing to their pathos. She evokes a sense of anxiousness for the parents because they may feel surprised and worried if their children have the same problem with obesity. To inspire such pathos and to further convince the reader that the problem must be solved, she applies logos. She explains that if action is not taken, many kids are at risk for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. In addition, by referring to Michelle Obama and giving credit to a study and relevant sources, she also establishes her ethos. By creating pathos, logos, and ethos while describing the problem, Alderman is very effective in giving the problem presence. Alderman is also very successful in describing her solution; she does a terrific job of enhancing the power of her proposal through striking visual texts. Each element in her solution is emphasized with capitalized, bold headings such as â€Å"FACE THE FACTS.† Within these categories are her recommendations to all parents. She speaks directly to them and her goal is to inform them of new information about what they can do to keep their family healthy and avoid childhood obesity. Using the visual technique, Alderman creates a sense of trustworthiness, which appeals to her audience to do what is recommended.

Asia Essay

1. Which internal and external factors have helped Reliance group to grow into its current position? Reliance group is an example of a well-managed company that has been able to take advantage of interior competitive advantage possibilities as well as exterior ones. On one hand, Reliance started out with Dhirubai Ambani by borrowing money from the Indian government, shifting towards textiles made out of synthetic plastic fibers and receiving benefits from government incentives and political connections at its origin and middle life cycle. Reliance responded perfectly to the world leading industries at the time and acted as a pioneer in introducing them in the Indian market. As the world’s leading industry shifted from a high demand for plastics and textiles derived from plastics to petrochemicals and fuel production, the Reliance group did likewise by building petrochemical plants in India and tried to make the maximum profit out of what India had to offer to the world and itself at the time and had not been developed to its maximum potential yet. On the other hand, government played a key role in Reliance success as it enabled the company to export worldwide and grow in domestically by reducing quotas and tariffs as well as taxes on the raw materials needed for manufacturing. 2. In which aspects has the management of Reliance group been typical for Indian management? In which aspects has it been atypical? Most of the aspects of the management of the Reliance group can be easily related to the way companies are managed in India. Reliance group is a family run company that depends gravely on the relationship between the siblings that own the company, all siblings had the father and founder as the center of the company and once he passed away the company was divided amongst the brothers and sisters. Another typical Indian attribute is the diversification of the operations of the company, Ranging from petrochemical to eatable products or telecommunications. Each brother took care of a different sector and the gender role with a tendency towards masculinity and seniority was also seen when the company was divided giving the oldest of the brothers 70% of the market share of the company, 20% to the younger brother and only 5% to each one of the sisters. What was very atypical was the monochromic way the company has been run, however it can easily be explained due to the fact that they need to replicate the way the international monochromic market works that emulates the way US firms work. 3. Do you think Reliance Group has to transform its fundamentally to remain successful in the future? Yes, I do believe that Reliance group should find of way of not having to depend on the fluctuations of the global market as much as it does, Thus preventing the company from ever being as impacted as it was by the recent global crisis. I believe they should expand domestically as a way of having a â€Å"safe space† in case there is another crisis in the future and perhaps try to grow deeper ties with other Asian countries like Japan or China that did not suffer from the crisis at the scale that western economies did and that are geographically closer from India than many other western countries.

Child Development Models Essay

This essay will describe the different explanations for children’s behaviour, examining the Psychodynamic, Behaviourist and Social Learning perspectives. It will also evaluate each of these theories and make reference to their practical application. In doing so, the essay will set out how parents, child psychologists, social workers and teachers can aim to understand children’s behaviour.  As Haggerty (2006) states, â€Å"The theory supporting psychodynamic therapy originated in and is informed by psychoanalytic theory.† The psychoanalytic approach to therapy was developed by Sigmund Freud, an Austrian psychiatrist. Freud’s model proposed that an individual has three elements to their psychological self: the ego, superego and id. The id is the most primitive, consisting of largely unconscious  biological impulses. The ego uses reality and its  consequences to modify the behaviour being urged by the  id. The superego judges actions as right or wrong based  on the person’s internal value system.  (Strickland ed., 2001, p.637)  According to Freud, children progress through various psychosexual stages of development. He claimed that, at particular points in the process, a single body part is particularly sensitive to erotic stimulation (Stevenson, 1996). The first stage begins at birth and continues until approximately 1 year old. It is classified as The Oral Stage because the mouth and lips are the main focus, displaying biting, sucking and chewing behaviour. The Anal Stage comes next and usually occurs between 1 and 3 years old. Toilet training encourages the child to enjoy expelling faeces. At this point the id will be satisfied by this instantaneous pleasure and will be in conflict with the ego and superego, which are concerned with controlling bodily functions to satisfy social expectations and practicality.  The Phallic Stage occurs between approximately 3 and 5 years old and contains one of Freud’s most controversial theories, the Oedipus complex (or Electra complex in females). His theory states that the child becomes focused upon the genital area and experiences turmoil in the form of an unconscious desire to possess the opposite-sexed parent and eliminate the same-sexed parent. What Freud termed the Latency Period comes next. He believed that sexual drive lay dormant due to repressed impulses and desires. At this stage, children focus upon non-sexual activities and form same-sex friendships.  At approximately 12 years old, a child faces puberty and enters what Freud classes as The Genital Stage. The focus returns to the genitals but this time in relation to others. There is now an interest in relationships and exploring sexuality. When a child is unable to resolve the conflicts that occur at any of these stages, fixation can occur. â€Å"If needs are not met in a satisfactory way or if the individual’s conscience or superego cannot deal with impulses and drives to love and to hate, then complex character traits emerge† (Errington and Murdin, 2006). For example, oral fixation may result in an adult displaying pessimism, sarcasm or gullibility, whilst phallic fixation may result in recklessness or fear of commitment. Freud, like many who begin a movement, now receives much criticism. One area of weakness is the limited scope of his research, as his therapy work mainly focused upon upper middle class women. Another popularly criticised aspect of Freud’s work is the emphasis on sexuality as, in his view, everything seems to stem from expression or repression of the sex drive (Boeree, 2006). Despite criticism, Freud’s methods underpin the commonly held belief that childhood experiences are hugely important to personality development. In practical terms, those working with children today place great importance on ensuring that a childhood contains opportunities to develop, to learn the difference between right and wrong, and to learn to appropriately act upon or repress urges.  Behaviour therapy is defined as â€Å"A collection of psychotherapeutic techniques aimed at altering maladaptive or unwanted behaviour patterns, especially through the application of principles of conditioning or learning.† (Colman, 2006). The main influencers of this theory were Pavlov, Watson and Skinner. Ivan Pavlov, later to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology for his research into the digestive system, observed that â€Å"†¦dogs would salivate upon seeing their keeper, apparently in anticipation of being fed.† (Strickland ed., 2001, p.478). Pavlov extended his experiment and rang a bell immediately before food was served to the dogs. Eventually, the dogs would salivate upon the bell ringing, even if no food was then served. This led Pavlov to develop an understanding of conditioned responses and unconditioned reflexes.

Manhattan Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Manhattan Project - Essay Example In the quest for an atomic-powered weapon, the secrets of nuclear physics and chemistry were exposed. Following the theoretical assessment of producing a controllable nuclear chain reactor, physical engineering was employed to construct the specific mechanics required. Communication contributed as much to the success of the Manhattan Project as did scientific discovery. Although the creation of the first atomic weapon was clearly a technological triumph, the question of morality and responsibility to ethics will forever plague the topic. Regardless of whether America was morally justified in deploying atomic weaponry on Japan, though, the Manhattan Project will always be an excellent example of collaboration and communication in scientific and engineering fields. The Atomic Age, a period of incessant discovery and revelation of atomic and subatomic wonders - an age that revolutionized the physical world - began on a vacant playing field beneath the University of Chicago stadium on December 2, 1942. In the late afternoon of this momentous day, Fermi and Leo Szilard created the first controlled nuclear reactor, a model later reconstructed into five different reactor prototypes.[3] From the first controllable chain reaction to the dropping of atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, the fields of physics, chemistry, and mathematics - the core disciplines of modern engineering - raced mercilessly ahead to godly enlightenment: the power of life and annihilation. The first atomic bomb, a weapon harnessing the devastating power of nuclear fission, was developed as an end to World War II and all war thereafter. Comprehension of the bomb and its historical development is attained by breaking the subject into three related components: chemistry, nuclear physics, and the practical engineering that realized the theoretical dream. The Chemistry Aspect Fission is an elementary chemical interaction between subatomic particles. Nuclear fission is defined as the splitting of an atom by nucleus bombardment. Atoms consist of three subatomic particles: negatively charged electrons, positively charged protons, and neutrons, which have no electrical charge. Atomic nuclei are dense cores of atoms composed of neutrons and protons, and are thus positively charged. Chemical reactions, from basic acid-base titrations to nuclear fission, involve the collision of atomic particles. Fission begins with the high-energy collision of neutrons with the nucleus of another atom. Protons cannot partake in nuclear bombardment because of the electrostatic repulsion between positively-charged protons and nuclei. For fission to proceed, a neutron fired at the atom must fuse with the nucleus, producing a less-stable isotope. The "heavy" atom, chemically volatile, will split into two stable atoms, discharge neutrons, and generate energy (in the form of Gamma radiation). The neutrons released are free to collide

Marketing Plan for British American Tobacco Company (BAT) Essay

Marketing Plan for British American Tobacco Company (BAT) - Essay Example The report entails the marketing plan of BAT and considers the current marketing environment, situational analysis and marketing objectives that should be implemented in order the changes in consumer attitudes towards consumption of the traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars. The report will also outline the marketing mix strategy that BAT should implement in order to attain the marketing objectives. British American Tobacco (BAT) has market presence in more than 200 countries across the world but has received criticism due to its controversial products that have adverse health effects on the consumers. Some of the leading global brands include Lucky Strike, Benson & Hedges, Pall Mall, Dunhill, and Rothmans. BAT has a strong market presence in Britain and entire European market and its traditional products such as cigars, pipe tobacco and cigarettes are experiencing a decline in demand due to high consumer awareness of the adverse impacts of nicotine on their health. In response, BAT has started developing next-generation products that include the heat-not-burn devices and electronic cigarettes. BAT has implemented a new vision strategy that will enable the company to attain leadership of the global tobacco industry and enhance the shareholder value. Marketing is concerned with anticipating and meeting the changing consumer needs and preferences through offering new products, new uses of the product and added benefits to the products.

The Distinctive Features Of Jesus' Image In Matthew And Luke Essay

The Distinctive Features Of Jesus' Image In Matthew And Luke - Essay Example Christ is able to lead people by giving each of them the opportunity to find personal salvation as well as to continue His good work in Israel by teaching others the truth of God: â€Å"But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel† (Matthew 10:6). Jesus warns the Israelites that they will have the difficult task of discovering the truth of God to ordinary people. He tells them that they can be rejected, however, nothing and no one should break their faith in God and God's truth: â€Å"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell†. Christ explains that the Jewish people can find spiritual salvation only if their souls become a fertile ground for the grain of God's truth. Otherwise, the human soul cannot find a way to God. People should be prepared for various trials and temptations on the way of their spiritual enlightenment. Christ warns people that the way to God involves the spiritual struggle with their vices and sins. This manifestation of the Jewish wisdom of Christ is inseparable from his missionary teaching. Christ focuses on the fact that only adherence to his ethical teaching can give the possibility of salvation, and thus can open a road to eternal life. In general, the essence of the Jewish wisdom of Jesus Christ implies that all people should perceive each other as if they are brothers and sisters. Integrity, honesty and mutual assistance should be the criteria of the life of Jews.

TD 5- HRM - 402 Delivering Training and Development Essay

TD 5- HRM - 402 Delivering Training and Development - Essay Example This will also help the management to develop further their future training programs, including pinpointing the relevant topics or areas that are absent from the training. Level 2: Learning – Under this level, Walmart Human resource manager measures what the employees under training have learned and by how much their knowledge has increased due to the training. This level of evaluation allows the management to measure learning using the specific objectives set for the training, and this will influence their decision on whether to changes in skills, knowledge or attitude. This is beneficial to the Walmart organization as it helps them to know what the employees are learning and what they are not as this will assist them to improve future training sessions. (Clifford & Thorpe, 2007) Level 3: Behavior – On this level the management evaluates how the employees’ behavior has changed basing on training that they underwent. Behavior change translates to how much information the employees got from the training program. The Walmart management, through training, they can now provide the necessary conditions to initiate the change in their organization. (Siddons & Development, 2006) Level 4: Results – The Management analyzes the results of the training at this level. This consist of outcomes that the organization has resolute to be the best for the business, best for its employees, good for the overall Walmart

Theoretical and Empirical Interest in World Cities Essay

Theoretical and Empirical Interest in World Cities - Essay Example However, the fact remains that the concept of a ‘world city’ is not so simple as this. Often referred to as ‘global city’ or sometimes as ‘alpha city’, a world city happens to be a very significant and important node point in the entire system of global economy. It has been a subject of researchers and empirical studies since long and is one of the most researched areas in the field of urban studies. Geography and urban studies are what the concept of world cities originates from, while globalization is the basis of this concept, considering the fact that the idea of globalization takes into account the hierarchy of the geographic locales in respect of importance to the operation of the global system. It is not that a concept is formed in a day, especially when it concerns as vast an idea as ‘global/world city’. The development of the concept of world cities may not be as old as the global cities themselves. Again, it has also to be kept in mind that the idea of a world city is not just like another of the thousand novel concepts that should better be described as the byproducts of globalization in the modern age. The development of the concept of a world city or a global city has quite a long and rich history. The volume of research works by scholars in all countries in the world and the growing interest in the concept of world city testify to its immense importance in the world of empirical studies. The purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss the factors related to the development of the concept of a world city and also to discuss the contemporary research that provides new insights into the hierarchy of world cities. Before we start exploring the development of the concept of a world city, we have to understand that development of the general ideas about a world city and the development of empirical interests in the concept of world/global cities are not the same.