Philosophical Conceptions of Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Philosophical Conceptions of Justice - Essay Example However, justice, in a universal definition, entails the knowledge of doing right from wrong and making sure people live in the right way together. It is this ‘right’ way of living that brings controversies in describing social justice among nations. This paper discusses a variety of philosophical conceptions of justice with regard to famous philosophers in their definitions of social justice (Ackerman, 1980). John Locke and Thomas Jefferson John Locke lived in the mid seventeenth century as an English Enlightenment philosopher. He argued that our ancestors once lived in a state of nature that had no government or laws. However, as life advanced and civilization came up, people became stratified into various social classes that required the formulation of laws and regulations in order to cater for the less disadvantaged. This also prohibited the oppression of the less fortunate by the more fortunate. He called this idea of the social contract that enabled all citizens ac quire fundamental rights of life, property, and liberty. However, this depended on people’s consent that he said are an active part of the social contract in which they take part depending on their own accord (Chaffee, 2004). Consequently, a twenty first century philosopher, Chaffee, analyses Locke’s writings in addition to other various ancient philosophers. He says that Locke’s theory is political in that he took up Hobbe’s opinion of human equality and the social contract. Furthermore, he also puts Aristotle’s arguments forward that man is naturally a social creature who cannot survive alone. This means that humanity is fundamentally a social identity and that there is no need to put up a system to control our way of life. However, Hobbes described how this natural socialism could lead to relinquishment of certain rights by high status individuals, hence, leading to oppression and injustice. On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson, the third preside nt of the United States was a profound follower of Locke’s arguments. He believed that every human being is equal and that God gave each unique rights, including liberty, life, and the right to be happy and content. He created his government on the basis that it enabled his people to secure these rights. However, the people still held the right to overthrow the government if they felt that its constitution was not in favor of their happiness and safety. As a result, I believe in Locke’s way of thinking that nowadays life requires a body, like the government, that controls the provision and use of resources on the basis that we are all equal regardless of an individual’s social status. This is because it defines true independence (Marx, 1938). Conceptions of justice Liberalism denotes a free way of acting and thinking in public and private life. It focuses on the role of an individual to possess the power to think and act in whatever way that he or she likes. It is a philosophical view based on Aristotle and Plato’s arguments on justice as was recommended by Locke as the key to a just way of life. It rejects state religion, hereditary privilege, and absolute monarchy as notions that favor inequality among the public and private. In the 19th, liberalism advanced to a political ideology called classical liberalism. This liberalism was still based on the initial liberalism ideas although it advocated for political freedom and civil liberties while opposing how the government interfered with economic freedom. On the other hand, socialism describes an economic ideology that entails social possession of resources, including the ways of production of these resources. It also entails mutual organization of the economy that focuses on benefiting the public as a whole instead of

White Collar Crime and Corporate Crime. To what extent are the Essay

White Collar Crime and Corporate Crime. To what extent are the regulatory regimes for White Collar Crime (WCC) and Corporate Crime (CC) working - Essay Example The reason behind these concerns is simple, regulations have always prioritized street crimes over WCC and when it comes to corporations, regulations take these offences lightly. It seems governmental regulations seek their benefit in every 'large scale' crime. Apart from the legislator concern, public uphold the opinion in the following words: "There is always a lingering suspicion that the white-collar criminal is getting off leniently in our justice system". (Poveda, 1994, p. 4) In this respect, an awareness of white collar and corporate crime officially encourages us to think critically about the nature of crime and how regulations deal with it. One of the defining characteristics of white-collar crime is their conflicting characteristic both on the one hand of upstanding citizen, in terms of their contribution to voluntary civic activities for example, and on the other criminal, displayed through the harm they caused through their illegal activities (Benson, 1984). Economic or white-collar crimes are performed on a large scale, sophistically such as fraud committed on behalf of organization or against any corporation, and antitrust violations are notoriously difficult to quantify because victims often do not know they have been subject to a criminal offense. Since they are committed on a broader spectrum, therefore government is not much concerned about them as compared to other crimes. Therefore, there is no central regulation or survey application or reporting mechanism to combat with these sorts of crimes or the losses occurred by their frauds. Apart from the critics if we analyse regulatory efforts, it is clear that Government regulatory agencies after crime occurrence collect the original figure of fraud thereby reporting them as they see fit. However, it is often difficult to verify their methodology of reckoning accurate figures that can be compared in any meaningful way. Behind the continuous growth of such crimes, is the organised criminality left over from the operation of licit markets and their regulation to suggest that governmental interventions are having the unintended consequence of generating organised criminal activity within and without national boundaries. (Edwards & Gill, 2003, p. 143) Therefore, unlike violent or street crime, WCC and CC is not analysed or measured through investigations like victim surveys, or comprehensive surveys of the incidence or cost of white-collar crimes. Similarly there is no sampling methodology like fingerprints and crime definitions are seldom transparent, making comparability across crime particularly difficult. However, if the estimates are to be believed, white-collar crime causes tangible losses far in excess of tangible losses associated with street crimes. The regulatory regimes of such broad offences first determine what counts as crime in a particular society. 'Crime and Punishment' gets this right; 'Crime and Society' doesn't. Yet law, a commodity with which the state is endowed, defines and shapes not only spheres of 'outright illegality' like WCC and CC crime, but also certain 'zones of ambiguity'. The ambiguity in the state's relation to law may be evoked by saying that the state has for ages been favoring illegality directly or indirectly. This is nowhere clearer than in the way that state exaction, regulations, and prohibition influence and even determine the incidence of criminal and organized criminal activity (Farer 1999, p. 251). More than any other form of state intervention, it is

Helping Nursing Students to plan and understand their career

Helping Nursing Students to plan and understand their career Introduction This paper provides critical information aimed to help Nursing Students to plan out their career and have a better understanding of Reflection Nursing in the health care industry. The paper is separated into two different parts. As a nurse, individuals are exposed to several number of employment positions during the working life. The paper consists of two specific areas related to the industry. The success of a nursing career depends on gaining experience, skills and competencies to climb the ladder with different roles at higher and higher levels (Turner, 2007). Therefore, the first part of the paper provides the reader with a Career Development plan along with an analysis of the main skills and attributes requires for a nurse to have in them. The second part of the paper focuses n Reflection Nursing, discussing the aspects of this practice, including the importance of it, even though it is a criticized area in the health industry itself. This paper will focus on the technicalities behind starting off a Nursing Career and also, discuss aspects of the industry that involves constant reflections, critical thinking and analysis. Part A A Nursing Career Plan According to Dan Thomas (1994), you must manage your career like a business. In order to pursue in nursing, a career plan is an essential tool for professional development, job satisfaction and illustrates commitment to your discipline. The career as a nurse is a rewarding career with plenty of room for advancement and development (Zehr, 2010). My long term goal to achieve is to be a nurse who leads an entire ward of a health institute. However, to get there, I need to have a strong foundation. Therefore, within the coming 3 years, through hard work and continuing education, I would like to become a registered nurse and start working in an established health institute. The main attribute that attracted me towards this career is because being a nurse requires you to be intimately involved with another human being (Turner, 2007). I once read that Nursing affords the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. You can earn good money, but you can also make a difference (Hugg, 2005, cited in Turner 2007). This was the main aspect that drove me towards a nursing career in general. This career requires you to be involved in peoples most important life moments, such as birth, death or even surgery (Turner, 2007). Along with this, in the nursing career, there are always chances for more advancement and diverse ranges of specialty. In order to reach my goal to be a nurse in a leadership role, there are few processes I have to go through. The first is to pursue my Bachelors Degree of Science in Nursing. As an undergraduate, I would be able to study and familiarize with areas such as medical technology, patient care procedures, math, anatomy and biology, along with any specialized areas I might consider in the future, such as surgical nursing, obstetrics nursing, etc (Jeffress, 2003). The completing of a nursing degree takes a minimum of 2 years. While pursuing my nursing degree, I want to join an internship program at a hospital. This would be a chance for me to earn while learning. By joining an internship program, I will be able to demonstrate the understanding and competence in technical skills and procedures related to my specialty while being provided with an opportunity to apply sound clinical judgment and critical thinking throughout the process in the management of patient care (Lee Memorial, 2011). In short, I will be able to gain a knowledge base and skill set needed to transition to competence in clinical nursing practice. After the completion of my 2 year degree program, the biggest step I need to take is to pass the national licensing test in order to earn my Registered Nurse Credentials. This test would be where my theoretical and practical skills will be tested in order to ensure that I have the required qualifications to become a Practical Nurse. Passing this test would set the path to the starting off of my nursing career. Most new nurses begin their careers in emergency rooms, ambulatory care units, and general hospitals (Jeffress, 2003). Hence following the passing of the licensing exam, I would apply to work as an emergency room nurse, starting off my practical career. From here onwards, I would work my way up the ladder, to reach my long term goal, pursuing my continuing education along the way. While this would by plan for the coming three years, I plan to stay active in my career development throughout my whole career in order to stay successful. This is because many nurses careers burnout or stagnates with time without considering long-term strategies (Turner, 2007). Skills Attributes needed for a Nursing Career Nursing is a service profession (Turner, 2007) which requires me to have a combination of several skills. Nursing career is an integral part of the healthcare profession which calls for skill, hard work and devotion. While there are several skills required to be in a nurse, there are certain skills that takes priority which are: Professionally Competent knowledge based skills and ability to answer questions feasibly Developed Interpersonal Skills communication and observational skills Emotional Skills be able to deal with emotionally charged situations and ability to offer advice Being professionally competent is defined as the knowledge and skills of the nurse to make decisions and prioritize care, and includes competence in relation to physical or technical aspect of care (McCormack McCance, 2010). As a nurse I need to be organized and be effective in multitasking. While taking care of patients, nurses interact a lot with them, sometimes more than the doctors themselves. So, in order to answer any question the patient or their family might have, I would need to have a deep knowledge and understanding of the conditions of the patients (NHS Careers, 2011). A strong background in Science is required to understand most aspect of this area since it helps me understand better what is wrong with the patients. Since nurses are responsible for recording patients information such as the medical history accurately, it is important for a nurse to be intuitive to ask the right questions without missing out any critical part. Along with working with patients, a nurse ha s to work with different kinds of machines and medications during work (College Crunch, 2009). In order to work with these tools harmoniously, a nurse requires being fluent in math. Being familiar with math includes being fluent with both the standard and metric system of measurement, specifically while dealing with medications (College Crunch, 2009). According to Calman (2006), patients describe competent nursing practice as a combination of technical care and nursing knowledge, but it is only when technical care is assumed that interpersonal attributes become the more important indicators of quality nursing care. Another main kill that is required for nurses to have is a well developed set of interpersonal skills. As a nurse, I would have to work with doctors, patients and a team of other nurses communicating with them in a very fast paced environment (College Crunch, 2009). Poor interpersonal communication by a nurse can be profound and often increases the vulnerability experienced by patients. As a nurse, its crucial to be a good at listening as well as talking. With the patients, this is important to make them and their loved ones feel secure leaving their care in your hands and this skill proves important with doctors and your peer because without communicating with them, carrying out the task of patient care will be impossible. Nurses also have to be constantly alert to changes in patients conditions and the implications in terms of care (NSH Careers, 2011). They have to be able to spot anything out of the ordinary or basically anything that doesnt seem right. These changes need to be co mmunicated back to the doctors clearly and concisely in order to ensure the patients well being. With poor interpersonal skills, barriers might occur in this communication process which might include misunderstandings and even lack of information provided to certain parties involved in this communication process. In healthcare, these are errors that might lead to grave problems. Effective communication requires a combination of good verbal and non-verbal skills (McCormack McCance, 2010). Therefore, as a nurse, I would have to be able to understand gestures and facial expressions of my patients, peers as well as doctors, especially during an emergency. Emotional skills can be considered as the next main attribute a nurse is required to have. Empathy and compassion are foundation of nursing care (Turner, 2007). As a nurse, I would be able to see people at their worst days and also at their best. This involves me to have developed traits such as caring, understanding, being non-judgmental and have a strong ability to empathize with the patients from all the walks of life (College Crunch, 2009). At times of crises, a nurse is required to play a key part in helping patients and their loved ones come through these crises and manage distress within a very distressed environment. This requires very strong emotional stability in a person. Since I plan to start off my career from an emergency room, this skill set needs to be extra strong in me. This is because in the emergency room of a hospital, nurses have to deal with people who are very sick, disabled, or experiencing any number of physical, mental and emotional issues and even major ac cidents (College Crunch, 2009). In an environment as such, I would have to be emotionally strong enough to provide the patients with the help they require without letting the situation affect my judgment or quality of work. In order to gather emotional skills, I would have to learn take care of myself in order to be balanced enough to provide care to other since I will encounter difficult staff members, angry physicians, non-cooperating patients and disgruntled family members as well (Turner, 2007). With these skills and many others put in consideration, I will be able to achieve my goal into becoming a successful registered nurse. Part B In the nursing practice, reflection is a process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe, analyze and evaluate and so inform leaning from practice (Bulman, 2004). Reflection is undoubtedly an important concept, which has succeeded in stimulating debate and investigation, and influencing nursing education around the world (Bulman, 2004). This process involves focusing on how the individuals interact with their colleagues and with the environment to obtain a clearer picture of their own behavior (Nursing Times, 2004). Reflective thinking highlights the intermingling of practitioners feelings and emotions, and acknowledges this interrelationship with actions as well as the importance of intellectual thinking thus providing a vehicle for legitimizing professional knowledge that develops from the realities of practice and challenges more traditional form of knowing (Bulman, 2004). The process of reflection in nursing aims to develop professional actions that are aligned with personal beliefs and values. Current thinking in nursing advocates the need for nurses to be educated in ways that develop their autonomy, critical thinking, sensitivity to others and their open-mindedness (Reed Ground, 1997). Nursing is a practice discipline and effective preparation of nursing requires that we are able to care competently for our clients and continue to develop our skills and knowledge over a professional lifetime. They are responsible for providing care to the best of their ability to patients and their families (Turner, 2007). In order to achieve this, it is vital for nurses to focus on their knowledge, skills and behavior to ensure that they are able to meet the demands made on them by this commitment. According to Fitzgerald (1994), nurses develop competence through a process of critical reflection on experience; they examine their work and the contribution their nu rsing and nursing generally makes socially. She also states that in turn, nurses also consider the effect social forces have upon themselves and their work. Through the process of reflection, nurses are able to gain a heightened awareness of the variety of factors that shape their practice resulting in informed practice (Bowden, 2003). Grasping the idea that reflection is a combination of thinking, emotion and commitment to action is not an easy one. (Bulman, 2004). The process of achieving reflection in a field such as nursing can be seen as a challenge. These skills required to achieve reflection was stated by Atkins Murphy (1993) as self-awareness, description, critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation. But while the competent nurse just beginning to utilize the reflective practice is unlikely to be able to use all of these, this stems in part from the limitations of the level of performance which may be efficient and complex but is based on deliberate planning (Benner, 1984). Reflective practice is part of the requirement for nurses constantly to update professional skills. As a nurse, professional competency is a vital attribute to ensure efficiency in their daily works. Using reflective practice, portfolio offers considerable opportunity for reflection on ongoing development. Annual reviews of their self and skills allow nurses to identify their own strengths and areas of opportunity for future development (Nurse Times, 2004). Reflectio n on personal attitudes, feelings and values as well as reflection on life and educational experience is a critical process in nursing education; it is a critical process in becoming a nurse (Lundy Janes, 2009). However, there are some cases where it has been identified that reflections of the nurses as taken-for-granted assumptions that rarely acknowledge that doing as a nurse is more important than thinking or reflecting (Bowden, 2003). For reflection to be really meaningful, it must being with a shared overall aim to achieve effective learning and positive experience. Nurses face ethical dilemmas, and both professions are characterized by specific moral discourses and practiced. In nursing, it is importance to practice a professional identity and practice of personal behavior bound up with notions of moral agency: empathy, compassion, understanding. It is imperative that self-reflection be developed early in the educational experience and continued in nursing practice (Lundy Janes, 2009). Reflective practice potentially provides a way to justify the importance of practice and recognizes the interrelationship between theoretical and practical knowledge, embracing the intermingling of thin king, emotion and action (Bulman, 2004). This appeals to nurses especially because it they are able to identify with this aspect of reflective thinking since it provides a justification for practice knowledge. Peden MacAlpine (2005) discusses the importance of design, evaluation and outcomes of a reflective practice intervention that can be used to train critical care nurses on how to incorporate family intervention into their nursing practice. The befits and problems of reflective practice are many and most beneficial aspects include improvement of professionalism and better ability to tackle similar situation leading to professional development through experience in nursing (Oxbridge, 2011). Reflection practicing relates to a nurses experience and learning from the experience, helping them to change their attitude towards critical care especially in family and enhanced their communication and ability to build proper relationships with families bringing in a new way of understanding family stress or appreciating family values. Reflection helps nurses face practical problems encountered related to role integration, professional autonomy, legal and consent issues, non-medical prescribing and role evaluation. Considering the benefits of changing nursing attitudes and developing professionalism through reflective practice, many researchers have emphasized the need to use reflective practice as a training method within nursing education (Oxbridge, 2011). Guidelines could be developed according to the theoretical framework of reflective practice and can give a new direction nursing education. Reflective thinking has become a popular word in nursing education worldwide, but its meaning and effective use remains debatable because of lack of clarity in its meaning (Mackintosh, 1998). Donald Schà ¶n (1983) suggested that the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning was one of the defining characteristics of professional practice. Nurses should consider the ways in which they interact and communicate with their colleagues. Communication as discussed in Part A of this paper is a vital attribute to a nurse in the face paced environment they work in. And using reflective practicing in order to harmoniously communicate with the peers help create a more efficient working environment along with developing their personal skills as well. They should aim to become self-aware, self-directing and in touch with their environment (Nursing Times, 2004) rather than depending on their peers to carry out certain works during their daily work. This allows the nurses to provide efficient service to the clients/patients more feasibly through reflective thinking. It allows the nurses to think out of the box rather than stick to traditional meth ods and moving forward in their career themselves. This goal can be achieved by making full use of the opportunities available to them via the feedback using the impact on patients, their families, colleagues and the organization as a whole (Nursing Times, 2004). Hospitals over the millennium have developed relinquishing their role as the recognized hub of care delivery, while delivery of health care services at home, at work, at play, in schools and churches, online with the World Wide Web through the internet, and on the telephone continues to increase. In order to stay on course with these developments, nurses have been challenged to re-conceptualize their roles within the complex and changing medical contexts (Forde, McPhee, McCahon Patrick, 2006). Reflective Practicing can be used as a feasible tool against such as discriminatory practices. This tool can be used as a framework for professional development by analyzing the current, past and future actions of the individuals to avoid going against the strong ethical codes set for nurses. Evaluations along with alternatives to similar situations can be provided using reflective practice to ensure that problems do not arise in behavior of professionals (Oxbridge, 2011). While there are no set rules to developing a reflective framework, with experience an efficient framework can be developed incorporating not only reflections on actions but ethical, political and broader social issues that develop for a given experience (Bowden, 2003). This helps bring together a reflective solution that works for an organization in whole, ensuring more efficient processing of daily works within the organization. Comments that reflective practice is regarded by many authors as particular importance to continuing professional excellence which has lead to an almost unquestioned element in professionalism; the room to excellence is through reflection (Forde, McPhee, McCahon Patrick, 2006). Reflection in nursing leads to the individuals in developing their skills in leadership and provide stability to deal with difficulties and complexities within a stressing environment such as a hospital. As discussed above, there is enough educational research and theory that advocates the importance and effectiveness of learning through reflective practicing (Bulman, 2004). Through constant questioning, we see more clearly just who we really are, and what remarkable resources we have access to. We will also see more clearly, what is really facing us, and we will become more capable of accepting and responding to change (Ferguson, 2010). Conclusion In conclusion, the Nursing Career is clearly a career with chances for development and allows individuals to continue their education as they progress through their career. During their career, nurses needs to develop extensive skills during their daily basis and also use their intelligence to climb up the ladder in their career. With long-term planning and reflective practicing in hand, it is obvious that one could become very successful in the a career such as nursing.

My Senior Year :: essays research papers

My senior year is very important and that is why I must use it efficiently. There are many things I hope to accomplish during my senior year. Graduation is my top priority because if I do not graduate my future will be in jeopardy. Clubs and extra activities are very important for college acceptance. I hope to get certified in the areas in which I have been training for. Getting into college so that I can be successful is the main goal in my life is. I hope to get accepted to a college or university by the end of my senior year. My schedule will be busy but I will hopefully have a future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Grades are one of the most important factors of my high school career. My grade point average and my SAT's determine what college I go to. They determine my effort at high school. I must do whatever possible to keep my grade point average above 3.0. My GPA currently is ok, but if I could increase it by just .2 I would be much better off. Grades are very crucial for getting acceptance to college. They are one of the major things that colleges look at to accept you (or so I have been told). So I will keep pushing myself so that my grades will increase this year, making it possible for me to hopefully enter a better school then I can right now.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My extra activities are important so that I can get accepted in to colleges instead of other people. I have been training to get certified in computer repair; I hope to finally get certified this year. Work experience and the laptop club are activities that I joined in hope of filling up space on college applications, giving an extra edge (something to make me better then others). Any computer or business related extra activities would help me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  College is the main goal of my life. It is a life dream to go to college to get a degree and get a successful job. Everything that I have done until this point is to get to college. During my senior year I plan to apply to many colleges and to take the SAT's to get into college. My GPA and SAT scores will be crucial for me to get into college. With college I will further my business career, making more successful in the field I enjoy doing.

Human resource management Specialisation Essay

Concept of compensation-Exploring and defining the compensation context–System of compensating–compensation dimensions-concept of reward–Role of compensation in Organization- Non-financial compensation system–Concept of total reward system-New trends in compensation management–The 3-P compensation concept. Compensation and Employee Behaviour: Bases For Traditional Pay System and Modern Pay System–Establishing Pay Plans–Aligning Compensation Strategy with HR Strategy and Business Strategy-Seniority and Longevity pay- Linking Merit Pay with Competitive Strategy-Incentive Pay-Person focus to Pay–Team Based Pay. Designing Compensation System: Building internally consistent Compensation System-Creating Internal Equity through Job Analysis and Job Valuation-Building Market Competitive Compensation System-Compensation Surveys– Integrating Internal Job Structure with External Market Pay Rates-Building Pay Structures that Recognize Individual Contributions-Constructing a Pay Structure-Designing Pay for Knowledge Program. Employee Benefits Management: Components-Legally required Benefits–Benefits Administration–Employee Benefits and Employee Services–Funding Benefits through VEBA–Costing the Benefits–Components of Discretionary Core Fringe Compensation-Designing and Planning Benefit Program–Totally Integrated Employee Benefit Program. Contemporary Strategic Compensation Challenges: International Compensation and Competitive Strategies-Executive Compensation Packages– Compensating Executives-Compensating the Flexible Workforce-Contingent Employees and Flexible Work Schedules–Compensation for Expatriates and Repatriates–Strategic Issues and Choices in Using Contingent and Flexible Workers. Introduction: Definition, concerns and scope of PM. Performance Appraisals. Determinants of job performance. Mapping, process, sequence and cycle of PM. Performance planning and Role clarity. KPAs- Performance Targets. Trait, Behavior and Results approaches to measuring performance. The impact of HRM practices on performance. Performance Appraisal: Assessment center-psychometric tests. Role Play–Self-appraisal-360 Degree appraisals-Rating-less 14 appraisals for the future of PMS. Critical incidents worksheet, Combining behavior and outcomes, Attribution theory-Causal matrix. Diagnosis and Performance improvement. Performance review, Performance analysis. Performance Bench marking: Human information processing and performance loop, performance shaping factors–Yerkes– Dodson’s Law-Corporate performance management-EFQM Excellence model–Diagnostic and Process bench marking. PM Audit, PM pathway analysis. The impact of Performance Management on Line managers and Employees. Competency mapping and Pay Plans: Competency Mapping–Mercer’s Human Capital Wheel–Human Asset worth estimator and Accession rate-CIPD Human Capital framework, Performance, Competence and Contribution related pay models. Cafeteria benefits plan, call back pay. The McBer Generic managerial competency model- Competency causal flow model-Competency gap–Competency Assessment-Balanced Score Card framework. Performance Metrics and Models: Performance measures pyramid. Steps for designing metrics, Wang Lab, Smart pyramid, Conceptual, DHL, RCN Models of PM, Gilbert’s performance matrix and Behavior Engineering model. Direction of trouble shooting with Behavior model–Mager and Pipes trouble shooting model – ATI performance improvement model, Spangenberg’s Integrated model of PM, Sears model for organizational performance.

Nuclear Weapon

Nuclear Weapons are explosive weapons that gain their explosive power from nuclear reactions. Nuclear weapons generate much more energy than weapons using chemical explosives such as TNT. Nuclear weapons can be in the form of aerial bombs, artillery shells, or missiles warheads. Nuclear devices can be exploded in the atmosphere or on or under a land or water surface. A nuclear explosion immediately creates a luminous fireball consisting of ionized matter. The explosion also creates a powerful blast wave. In an atmospheric explosion, the fireball rapidly rises and forms a mushroom-shaped cloud. The blast wave moves away from the fireball at supersonic speed and can demolish buildings over large areas. Heat emitted by the fireball can cause serious skin burns and even start fires from a great distance (Cimbala, 2002). The explosion also produces highly penetrating nuclear radiation that can cause serious illness or death. Radioactive matter created during the explosion can leave a region virtually uninhabitable for some time. The devastating power of nuclear weapons has twice been unleashed on mankind. On August 6, 1945, during the World War II, a United States B-29 bomber dropped a 9,000-pound (4,082-kg) nuclear device on Hiroshima, Japan. The explosion of this atomic bomb (as the weapon was called) resulted in a huge number of deaths—the exact figures are unknown, but estimates range from 68,000 to 200,000 persons. The city was largely destroyed. On August 9, a 10,000-pound (4,536-kg) nuclear device was exploded over the Japanese city of Nagasaki, with similar results (Tsipis, 2004). Five days later the Japanese government surrendered, bringing World War II to an end. The purpose of this paper is to: (1) get to know the in-depth understanding of what nuclear energy really is; (2) be aware of how nuclear weapons work and; (3) be familiar with the effects of nuclear explosions. II. Background A. Nuclear Energy Nuclear energy (also called atomic energy), results from the conversion of mass into energy according to Albert Einstein’s formula E = mc2. (This is read â€Å"E equals m c squared.† E represents energy, m mass, and c the speed of light. If the mass is measured in kilograms and the speed of light in meters per second, the result is energy in joules.) The conversion of one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of any substance into energy would produce about 9 X 1016 joules, or 25 billion kilowatt-hours, of energy (Gasteyger, 1999). Nuclear weapon is released when the particles that make up the nucleus (core) of an atom are rearranged in some manner. As the particles are rearranged, a small portion of the mass of the nucleus is converted into energy. Nuclear energy in large amounts has been produced by two processes—fission and fusion. Fission refers to the splitting (fissioning) of a large nucleus into two or more smaller ones. Fusion refers to the building up of a nucleus by combining smaller nuclei or individual protons and neutrons (Gasteyger, 1999). III. Discussion A. How nuclear weapons work? Explosive devices that utilize the fission process were originally called atomic weapons, while those that depend on fusion were known as hydrogen weapons or thermonuclear weapons. These terms are still used occasionally, but the term â€Å"nuclear weapons,† which designates both fission and fusion weapons, is used more frequently. Fission Weapons. Only certain typed of atoms have nuclei that can be readily fissioned. Of those that do have a fissionable nucleus, the two most easily produced in quantity for nuclear weapons are uranium 235 (whose nucleus contains a total of 235 protons and neutrons) and plutonium 239. In fission reaction only about 0.1 percent of the mass of the atom is converted into energy (Spector, 2004). Nevertheless, the fissioning of all the atoms in 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of either uranium 235 or plutonium 239—a chunk about the size of a golf ball—yields as much energy as would be released by 17,000 tons of TNT. When a sufficient amount of either uranium 235 or plutonium 239 is brought together, a spontaneous, self-sustaining chain reaction occurs. In a chain reaction, the splitting of atomic nuclei causes the emission of particles called neutrons that, in turn, cause other nuclei to split. The amount of uranium or plutonium required, called the critical mass, depends on the composition and shape of the material. In general, plutonium 239 has a smaller critical mass than uranium 235. The critical mass for a solid sphere of plutonium 239 is only about 35 pounds (16 kg). A fission weapon is detonated by very rapidly bringing together more than enough fissionable material to form a critical mass ( Krieger, 2001). The fission reactions proceed through the material at an uncontrolled rate, leading to the release of a tremendous amount of energy within a very short period of time—less than a millionth of a second. There are at least two basic methods used to make a fission bomb explode. In one method, used in the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, two masses of uranium 235 are driven together by a chemical explosive charge. (The two masses must be brought together quickly to prevent the material from blowing apart before most of the uranium undergoes fission. In the second method, used in the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, a number of high explosive charges are used to crush a hollow sphere of plutonium into a dense ball. A major difficulty in constructing a fission weapon lies in the preparation of a supply of fissionable material of adequate purity. Many nations possess the technical ability to develop a fission bomb, but only a few have the necessary resources (Susiluot, 2002). B. Effects of Nuclear Explosions The three effects of nuclear explosions are the blast effect; the thermal effect; and the nuclear radiation effect. Blast and thermal effects are associated with both chemical explosions and nuclear explosions, but only nuclear explosions produce nuclear radiation. The relative strength of each type of effect produced by the explosion of a nuclear weapon in the atmosphere depends on the weapon’s construction. On the average, the energy of such an explosion is 50 percent blast, 35 percent thermal, and 15 percent nuclear radiation (Tsipis, 2004). In the event of a large-scale nuclear war, the explosions produced by the detonation of hundreds or thousands of nuclear weapons would blast a large amount of soil into the air. The explosions would also start widespread fires that would send a large amount of smoke high into the atmosphere. Some scientific studies indicate that such a war could result in a phenomenon commonly referred to as nuclear winter. According to the studies, the dust and smoke might block out the sun for weeks or months, causing temperatures at the earth’s surface to fall well below normal (Smith, 1997). Reduced temperatures, together with the lack of sunlight, could kill much of the plant life that animals feed for food. The nuclear radiation resulting from a nuclear explosion is divided into two categories: (1) initial, or prompt, radiation; and (2) residual, or fallout, radiation. Prompt radiation is radiation that is emitted within one minute of the explosion. All subsequent radiation is termed fallout radiation (Schneider, 2004). IV. Conclusion In conclusion, the concept of nuclear weapons serving as a deterrent was weakened with the introduction of missiles with multiple warheads. These warheads can each be aimed at a different target and are extremely accurate. Some military planners began to speak of a â€Å"counterforce† attack—a nuclear attack directed specifically at the nuclear forces of the other country with the intention of reducing its ability to launch a retaliatory strike. Other military planners, however, believe that such an attack could not be made without a great risk of starting a devastating, unlimited nuclear exchange. Reference: Cimbala, Stephen J. A New Nuclear Century: Strategic Stability and Arms   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Control. Praeger, 2002. Gasteyger, Curt. Thinking Aloud: Is NPT's Assumption of a Finite Number of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nuclear-Weapon States Realistic? UN Chronicle, Vol. 36, Summer   Ã‚   1999. Krieger, David. A New Beginning: A World without Nuclear Weapons.   Ã‚   International Journal of Humanities and Peace, Vol. 17, 2001. Smith, Ron. The Abolition of Nuclear Weapons: Possibilities and Practicalities.    New Zealand International Review, Vol. 22, 1997. Schneider, Jr. William. A 21st-Century Role for Nuclear Weapons: New    Security Challenges and Improved Conventional Weapons Mean New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Roles and Requirements for Nuclear Weapons. Issues in Science and Technology, Vol. 20, Spring 2004 Spector, L.S. Nuclear Proliferation Today (Ballinger, 2004). Susiluot , Taina. Tactical Nuclear Weapons: Time for Control. United Nations   Ã‚  Ã‚   Institute for Disarmament Research, 2002. Tsipis, Kosta. Arsenal: Understanding Weapons in the Nuclear Age (Simon &   Ã‚  Ã‚   Schuster, 2004).   

Re-sensitizing Our Youth essays

Re-sensitizing Our Youth essays Stakes are high. The audience is restless. The thunderous echo of a motorcycle engine fills the arena as The Undertaker approaches the ring, ready to take on his worthy opponent. As boisterous cheers fill the room, he lifts his challenger by the neck with both hands and furiously throws him to the ground leaving his rival seemingly disoriented and writhing in agony. The crowd goes wild with exhilaration while some- where in America an eight-year-old boy, Aaron Auffhammer, is injured on the playground as a result of a classmates attempt to mimic a wrestling maneuver commonly seen on television. The maneuver known as The Tombstone was made famous by The Undertaker. Someone tripped him. While he was trying to get up, another child picked Aaron up by his feet so that he was upside down. Then slammed his head on to the ground. Thankfully, between a doctors visit to rule out a concussion and close observations from his parents, Aaron recovered. According to the American Psychological Asso ciation website (www.apa.org) it is estimated that American children watch on average three to four hours of television daily. During this time they have witnessed over 25 acts of violence. By the time the children are twelve-year -old they will have witnessed over 100,000 acts of violence. Two hundred thousand acts by the time they are 18. Violence permeates American homes through a variety of television programming including sitcoms, commercials, and even cartoons. Violence on television is not the only source that is desensitizing American youth it is however, a significant contribution. It is societys responsibility to help re-sensitize our children and make television less violent for all. Government is an immediate thought when it comes to rectifying the situation. The government unlike other sources has the ability to regulate through the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), what is broadca...

Continuous Burning essays

Continuous Burning essays America is the number one criminal for violent offenses. They have tortured, robbed, and killed many people, cultures, and civilizations. How can anyone get away with all of these brutalities? Its simple, America is a power source that specializes in masquerading their acts. They have manipulated the minds of the people into thinking that America is the land of the free where everyone has equal opportunities and are treated equally. As Black people in America we know that this is not true. America has had many dark-ages in which it tried to coverup or make little of the brutality and barbarism it has ventured over its people. By doing this, America is keeping its subjects in a state of oppression. Erasing our history, our values, our science, our language, and keeping us down the class line, has made Black people powerless against Americas age-old weapon. One of the most left out part in Americas wrongdoings is the lynching that occurred after the end of the Reconstruction Pe riod. The lynches represent another one of Americas unanswered problems that deserves to be recognized. Dr. Kim Mayhorn in her art exhibit titled A Woman Was Lynched the Other Day, has sought to increase its recognition. On March 30, 2004, Dr. Kim Mayhorn came to Spelman to tell us more about her art exhibit. In it, she features womens lynching that occurred between the 1880s to the 1950s. She explains that her reasoning in portraying lynches is because black women are often not referred to or even acknowledged in historical accounts of lynching in the United States. In her art, she strategically places leaves and other items, creating an atmosphere that both represents the lynching itself and the reason for the lynching. In some pieces she included mirrors so that the viewer can reflect on the life of the victim and her fate. She also includes music to reflect on the eve...

How a Tree Grows - A Brief Overview

How a Tree Grows - A Brief Overview Little of a trees volume is actually living tissue. Just 1% of a tree is actually alive and composed of living cells. The major living portion of a growing tree is a thin film of cells just under the bark (called the cambium) and can be only one to several cells thick. Other living cells are in root tips, the apical meristem, leaves, and buds. The overwhelming portion of all trees is made up of non-living tissue created by a cambial hardening into non-living wood cells on the inner cambial layer. Sandwiched between the outer cambial layer and the bark is an ongoing process of creating sieve tubes which transport food from leaves to roots. So, all wood is formed by the inner cambium and all food-conveying cells are formed by the outer cambium. Apical Growth Tree height and branch lengthening begin with a bud. Tree height growth is caused by the apical meristem whose cells divide and elongate at the base of the bud to create upward growth in trees with a dominant crown tip. There can be more than one developing crown if a trees top is damaged. Certain conifers cannot produce these growth cells and height growth stops at the crown tip. Tree branch growth works in a similar way using buds at the apex of each twig. These twigs become the future branches of trees. Transfer of genetic material in the process will cause these buds to grow at determined rates, creating a tree species height and form. Tree trunk growth is coordinated with the increase of tree height and width. When buds begin opening in the early Spring, cells in the trunk and limbs get the signal to increase in girth by dividing and in height by elongating. Root Cap Growth Early root growth is a function of meristematic root tissue located near the tip of the root. The specialized meristem cells divide, producing more meristem called root cap cells which protect the meristem and undifferentiated root cells while pushing through the soil. The undifferentiated cells become the primary tissues of the developing root during elongation and the process that pushes the root tip forward in the growing medium. Gradually these cells differentiate and mature into specialized cells of the root tissues.

Accessible Virtual Classroom For Visually Impaired Students Literature review

Accessible Virtual Classroom For Visually Impaired Students - Literature review Example It is easy to see why the concept of a virtual classroom appeals to a lot of people. It’s usually much cheaper than the regular schooling system and provides much more flexibility when it comes to learning and applying the knowledge. A common complaint levied against the traditional schooling system is that the students have no flexibility in following the curriculum, ie, all students are expected to follow at the same pace as that set by the teacher. However, each student has his or her own learning style and speed, which is especially marked for students who are at the either extreme of the IQ spectrum. Virtual classrooms remove this restriction by letting each student access and process the information according to their unique customized rate. Also, every pupil receives a fair amount of individual attention, which is not possible in a traditional classroom environment. The concept of a virtual classroom is also valuable to people who are in geographically or economically inaccessible parts of the world. It might not be possible to have a school for a community of a few people that are perched in a mountainous area or a desert region. Further, students who are physically disabled such as paraplegics or the mentally challenged can often still experience a conventional education as part of a virtual classroom setup. It is also seen that virtual classrooms are becoming popular for higher education purposes – where this was initially developed.... However, the purpose of this paper is to explore and study if these classrooms are also tailored to meet the demands of the visually challenged population. The visually impaired are traditionally at a disadvantage when it comes to computers and online resources such as the internet – because the mode of data transfer in these media is through sight. If this handicap can be overcome, online classes can be a great resource for the blind as they can empower themselves through the wealth of online educational resources available. Much is yet to done, but several important progresses have already been achieved to this extent. Tactile and Haptic devices have made great inroads into the education of the blind. It needs to be explored in greater detail how several of the successful virtual classrooms have addressed the specific needs of this community. Virtual classrooms are a multimodal information transfer environment. It combines the features of a web conference and video – audio conference. The device applications and multimodal sensitivity are the results of the combined benefits of several web applications such as email, chat, screen sharing, polling, web conference rooms, video – audio chats, telephone conference and so on. Before the question of the usability of virtual classrooms for the visually impaired in analyzed, it would be instrumental to analyze the specific features of a virtually information transfer environment. This is attempted in the next section where each of these features are considered in some detail. Features of a Virtual Classroom The following are the key features of a virtual classroom. 1) Real time audio and video Real time audio and

Public Health Law reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Public Health Law reform - Essay Example The proposed public laws are crafted to link various three aspects, duty, restraints and power, this are fundamentally missing in the current statutes necessitating the need for the revised form (Novick, Morrow, & Mays, 2008). On duty, the envisaged law compels the government to give priority to the well being of the citizens in promoting dissemination of health services in a non-discriminatory. Interestingly, the state government does not have any affirmative action in the implementation of the policies and this transcends to the judicial systems that lacks clear guidelines on how to apprehend violators of these statutes. These are some of the issues addressed in the new model of the laws. The government should also be given the powers to set the required standards of health and enforce these laws to avoid defaulters getting away with such offences. The regulations in this case rotate on issues like clean water, air and work places to mitigate on the spread of infectious diseases ( Novick, Morrow, & Mays, 2008). The new proposals also endeavor to check on the government involvement in the assessment of these acts such that possible unfair intrusions can be regulated. Even with the drafting of the new reforms, there has been no unanimous public agreement with the reforms and contentious issues are yet to be sort for its implementation (Novick, Morrow, & Mays,

Stravinsky and Shoenberg's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stravinsky and Shoenberg's - Essay Example Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was born on June 17, 1882, in Oranienbaum, Russia and died April 6, 1971, in New York. His father, a bass singer and his mother, a gifted pianist, raised him in St. Petersburg. Also, he was a citizen of the United States and France. After fathers death in 1902, Stravinsky decided to become a composer. And he really became one of the most famous genius composers of the 20th century. Igor is a key figure of such art direction, as modernism. His work has had a revolutionary impact on musical ideas during the First World War. Stravinsky created more than 100 works, executed by the Ballets Russes. One of his the most successful ballet works was "The Rite of Spring", which brought to him the extraordinary fame in the world of music. It was premiered in Paris in 1913. This musical work was created in the first phase of Stravinskys career, the so-called Russian period. In that time the composer often visited Paris for work. Nevertheless, Russia remained his home. (A&E Television Networks, 2015) The first performance happened at the Thà ©Ãƒ ¢tre des Champs Élysà ©es on May 29, 1913. It was one of the most famous exciting actions, which led to protests and disputes among the audience. In the history of musical theater it is one of the first nights of unrest. During the performance, the dancers could not hear the music, because people have created a very loud noise. Without a doubt, we can say that this composition was the original thanks to its bold, rough rhythms and unresolved dissonance. The Rite of Spring is a new musical concept, in which vary metric imbalances and rhythms. This work is accompanied by brilliant orchestration and sharply dissonant harmonies. The composers approach was empirical. He always wanted to test his musical materials and create something new, previously unidentified. He experimented with different chords, constantly playing the piano. Despite

Citizen Kane Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Citizen Kane - Essay Example The key aspect of Kane's character contribution to the tragedy plot lies in his character flaw. This is of pivotal significance in the plot propagation as it triggers the cause and effect set of events that will evoke pity and fear in the audience. Kane’s tragic flaw lies in his failure to grow and mature into a responsible man. The elements of his flaw are embodied in his failure to manipulate his charm and panache to materialise into something feasible in his quest for happiness. His flaw is also heightened in his selfishness reflected in his insatiable desire for women. He collects wives, possessions and animals in his pleasure dome but never gets the satisfaction that he longs for. The protagonist character flaw is one fundamental of the Aristotelian philosophy of tragedy.This aspect on Kane is well enunciated by Peter J Pullicino ( Critically Appraise Citizen Kane as Cinema:2008 ). â€Å"Even a cursory summary of the fragments leads us to an imposing list of contradictio ns: Kane is the dashing hero and a grotesque tyrant, an idealist and a cynic, and egotist and a defender of the common man, a child who never grew up, and a man who never had a childhood†¦".

Time constrained assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Time constrained assessment - Essay Example In economic terms the needs and wants of individuals, companies, organizations, and whole countries are transformed into demand. This law of society raises the basic economic problem, as all these needs and wants can be satisfied only to certain extent as the resources required for its satisfaction are limited. Scarcity occurs when people want more than can be satisfied with the resources they have (Wessels 2006 2). Therefore, in order to satisfy certain needs and wants people have to choose among alternative uses of their scarce resources, such, for example, as time or money (Wessels 2006, 1). However, the economics as a study embraces a broader picture of this issue, taking into consideration not only those who consume but also those who produce. In terms of this concept, there is naturally raised the whole set of questions, such as: what goods to produce, how to produce these goods, and for whom to produce it. These questions are known as Samuelson's three questions (Howarth 2013) and help to solve the problem of scarcity resources. What to produce? – Answer to this question helps people to decide the best combination of goods and services to meet their needs (Howarth 2013). ... For whom to produce? – This question makes people to decide who will get the output from the country’s economic activity, and how much they will get (Howarth 2013). For example, who will consume these grown vegetables or fruits that have been grown? This situation forces all actors to make choices and to prefer one choice to another one. In economics, this concept of the value, people refuse from, is known as the opportunity cost (Wessels 2006, 3). Opportunity cost, also known as economic cost, is the â€Å"cost of a scarce factor of production used to produce a good or service, as opposed to another that could have been used, instead of the one adopted† (Collin 2006, 58). To illustrate the concept of the opportunity costs there can be used the following example relative to student’s life and education. The opportunity cost of going to the university is the money a student would have earned if he worked instead during the 5 years of study. Here time is a s carce resource, which an individual can spend either by getting a degree or earning money. However, by graduating the university there is increased chance for a person to find a better paid job due to the professional qualification gained and thus to recover the lost wages (Investopedia.Com). Thus, an individual has to make a choice between going to university and being employed for a given period of time. The risk of achieving greater benefits with another option is the opportunity cost (Investopedia.Com). In order to illustrate the economic problem and opportunity costs faced by a person, company, or economy can be used the Production Possibility Frontier, also known as production possibility curve. Production Possibility Frontier is a graph

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Essay

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives - Essay Example At that time, agents collected taxes through the Department of Treasury. In 1886, the government established the Revenue laboratory, though at that time it dealt primarily with agricultural issues. The lab has advanced greatly since then, entering its second century with a staff of chemists, document analysts, latent print specialists, and firearms and tool mark examiners. The duties of the office shifted again in 1919 when ratification of the 18th Amendment together with the Volstead Prohibition Enforcement Act outlawed alcohol. Revenue officers, termed "revenoors," were now responsible for investigating "criminal violations of the Internal Revenue law" (ATF online), which included the illegal manufacture of liquors. With the new duties came a new name, the Prohibition Unit. Less than a decade later, on April 1, 1927, the unit became the Bureau of Prohibition. By July 1, 1930, the agency's duties and name changed yet again, when Congress transferred "the penal provisions of the national prohibition Act" (ATF online) to the Department of Justice's new Bureau of Prohibition. This move for the first time put the agency under the Justice Department, and did away with the Treasury Department's Bureau of Prohibition. ... This move for the first time put the agency under the Justice Department, and did away with the Treasury Department's Bureau of Prohibition. However, "tax-related and regulatory activities" (ATF online) stayed at the Treasury Department under the new Bureau of Industrial Alcohol. Three years later, on December 5, 1933, the Twenty-first Amendment to the Constitution repealed prohibition, once again changing the focus and duties of the Bureau. To deal with the sudden boom of legal alcohol production and sales, President Franklin Roosevelt created, through the National Industrial Recovery Act, the Federal Alcohol Control Administration (FACA). "The FACA, in cooperation with the Departments of Agriculture and Treasury, endeavored to guide wineries and distilleries under a system based on brewers' voluntary codes of fair competition (ATF Online)." The bureau was once again in the business of regulating. The FACA was to be short-lived; however, as President Roosevelt replaced it less than two years later in August 1935 by signing the Federal Alcohol Administration Act. This Act is still the basis for the agency's functions today, though the ATF has taken on other duties since the Act took effect. In 1934, the prohibition enforcement duties fell to the newly established Alcohol Tax Unit, a division of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, which was still housed in the Department of Treasury. At the same time the FAA, also housed in the Department of Treasury, was responsible for collecting data, establishing license and permit requirements, and defining "the regulations that ensure an open, fair marketplace for the alcohol industry and the consumer (ATF online)." In 1940, the two units merged. Gun-wielding crime lords led

Time constrained assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Time constrained assessment - Essay Example In economic terms the needs and wants of individuals, companies, organizations, and whole countries are transformed into demand. This law of society raises the basic economic problem, as all these needs and wants can be satisfied only to certain extent as the resources required for its satisfaction are limited. Scarcity occurs when people want more than can be satisfied with the resources they have (Wessels 2006 2). Therefore, in order to satisfy certain needs and wants people have to choose among alternative uses of their scarce resources, such, for example, as time or money (Wessels 2006, 1). However, the economics as a study embraces a broader picture of this issue, taking into consideration not only those who consume but also those who produce. In terms of this concept, there is naturally raised the whole set of questions, such as: what goods to produce, how to produce these goods, and for whom to produce it. These questions are known as Samuelson's three questions (Howarth 2013) and help to solve the problem of scarcity resources. What to produce? – Answer to this question helps people to decide the best combination of goods and services to meet their needs (Howarth 2013). ... For whom to produce? – This question makes people to decide who will get the output from the country’s economic activity, and how much they will get (Howarth 2013). For example, who will consume these grown vegetables or fruits that have been grown? This situation forces all actors to make choices and to prefer one choice to another one. In economics, this concept of the value, people refuse from, is known as the opportunity cost (Wessels 2006, 3). Opportunity cost, also known as economic cost, is the â€Å"cost of a scarce factor of production used to produce a good or service, as opposed to another that could have been used, instead of the one adopted† (Collin 2006, 58). To illustrate the concept of the opportunity costs there can be used the following example relative to student’s life and education. The opportunity cost of going to the university is the money a student would have earned if he worked instead during the 5 years of study. Here time is a s carce resource, which an individual can spend either by getting a degree or earning money. However, by graduating the university there is increased chance for a person to find a better paid job due to the professional qualification gained and thus to recover the lost wages (Investopedia.Com). Thus, an individual has to make a choice between going to university and being employed for a given period of time. The risk of achieving greater benefits with another option is the opportunity cost (Investopedia.Com). In order to illustrate the economic problem and opportunity costs faced by a person, company, or economy can be used the Production Possibility Frontier, also known as production possibility curve. Production Possibility Frontier is a graph

Explain the contribution of Teresa of Avila to mysticism Essay Example for Free

Explain the contribution of Teresa of Avila to mysticism Essay Transfer-Encoding: chunked i »? Explain the contribution of Teresa of Avila to mysticism (35) Mysticism is an aspect of religious experience that is little understood. This term has been used to describe experiences that reveal spiritual recognition of truths beyond normal understanding, from the mildly ecstatic to the occult. It has been said that there are certain features which accompany such experiences which enable their recognition, such as a sense of freedom from the limitations of time, space and the human ego. Believers may also experience a sense of â€Å"oneness† or unity with God, accompanied with bliss and serenity. Mysticism is seen as the closest a human being can ever come to actually meeting God in this life. Mystical experiences can also be classified into two areas: extrovertive, where one experiences unity in the world through the physical senses and introvertive, where the person loses their identity as a separate individual and slowly merges into the divine unity. A key introvertive mystic is Teresa of Avila. In examining her contribution to religious experience, a good place to start is considering her background. Teresa’s background may be key to understanding her enigmatic personality and experiences. She was a woman from a wealthy background and had a turbulent start in life. When she was seven her mother died, and when she was fourteen she ran away to seek martyrdom. She had an alleged love affair with her cousin that tarnished her reputation and effectively made her unmarriable. This, coupled with her obsession with books of chivalry, may have corrupted her view of what love really is. Her father decided to send her into an Augustinian convent where she was very unhappy. This sense of rejection played a major part in her later religious experience. It was while she was in the convent that her religious experiences began. In 1554 she had a deeper conversion when she saw a statue of Jesus after he had been whipped. She was deeply moved and wrote, â€Å"I felt so keenly aware of how poorly I had thanked him for those wounds that, it seems to me, my heart broke. I threw myself down before him with the greatest outpouring of heart. † After this experience she progressed into a life of intense prayer and the Catholic practice of mortification, so much so that he motto became, Lord, either let me suffer or let me die. She was also deeply influenced by the Confessions of Augustine and other theological books – although she did not have access to the Bible. Perhaps the single most influential experience she had was when she ‘came back from the dead’ after suffering from what is thought to have been malaria. This increased her notoriety. Moving on, Teresa was encouraged to write about her experiences and her books continue to influence mysticism today. Her two main writings are Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle. Way of Perfection is considered her spiritual autobiography. Here she emphasises the importance of praying mentally as well as vocally. In sixteenth century Spain the common people were encouraged to restrict themselves to vain repetitions of learned-off prayers, Teresa rejected this in favour of a more personal relationship with God. Her superbly inspiring classic on the practice of prayer is as fresh and meaningful today as it was when she first wrote it. The Way of Perfection is a practical guide to prayer setting forth the Saints counsels and directives for the attainment of spiritual perfection. Through the entire work there runs the authors desire to teach a deep and lasting love of prayer beginning with a treatment of the three essentials of the prayer-filled life fraternal love, detachment from created things, and true humility. St. Teresas counsels on these are not only the fruit of lofty mental speculation, but of mature practical experience. In The Interior Castle she compares the soul to a castle with seven rooms, with the Trinitarian God residing in the inner room. Growth in prayer enables the believer to reach a deeper intimacy with God, symbolised by a progressive journey through the rooms of the castle. She also describes the resistance that the Devil places in various rooms, to keep believers from union with God. Throughout, she provides encouragements and advice for spiritual development. Teresa’s writings lack Biblical references due to the Spanish Inquisition restricting access to the scriptures, and this grieved her. William James identified four characteristics of religious experience: ineffability; noetic quality; transiency and passivity. All of these care clearly apparent with Teresa’s experiences. Starting with ineffability, this is when one experiences a feeling that cannot be described to anyone else. She wrote that, â€Å"the soul is fully awake as regards God, but wholly asleep as regards the things of this world. † Secondly, noetic quality is when the mystic experience gives insight into truths unobtainable by the intellect alone. This is also apparent in Theresa’s experiences: â€Å"when I return to myself, it is wholly impossible for me to doubt that I have been in God, and God in me. † Thirdly, transiency. The religious experience does not last for long, usually half an hour or so. Though they are remembered, they are imperfectly recalled, but recognised if they reoccur – the recipient usually feels a profound sense of the importance of the experience. Associated with Teresa’s raptures are always visions. Her most famous vision involved her seeing a small angel with a beautiful face holding â€Å"a long golden spear† tipped with a â€Å"little fire† which he thrust into her heart. Finally, there is passivity, when the mystic feels as if they have been taken over by a superior power. In Teresa’s case, her visions were sometimes accompanied by levitation or strange screams. It could be this aspect that led many to believe she was possessed by the devil. In terms of impact, Teresa of Avila had a profound influence on religious experience. She the first female saint of the Roman Catholic Church – the saint of headache sufferers, rather oddly. She was somewhat of a reformer, emphasising a personal relationship with God above rigid sacramentalism. In 1562 she established the strict Carmelite order in various areas of Spain and her writings continue to be studied by believers today.

Relationship between Organizational Learning and HRM

Relationship between Organizational Learning and HRM Both organizational learning and human resource management (HRM) have been studied more recently because of their important role in improving organizational performance and as a source of competitive advantage which is probably the most significant for organizations to achieve sustainable development in the changing economic environment. With the frequent application of the concepts and theories of organizational learning and HRM in the organizational operation management and practice, a wide range of literatures have focused on these two disciplines and find that a proper combination of the two has a positive influence on organizational performance. Thus this essay is to explore and analyse the relationship between organizational learning and HRM and their impact on organizational performance. It will explain the key concepts and theories used in these two disciplines including definitions and discuss how learning and HR practice affect each other further to organizational performan ce. Firstly, this essay will introduce organizational learning concepts, learning organization, levels and types of learning. Then, it will demonstrate and discuss the reasons and the ways of a combination of organizational learning and HR practice including recruitment and selection, human resource development (HRD), reward and employee relations in the improvement of organizational performance. Organizational Learning Organisational learning has become a field with rapid growth and receives more and more attention of researchers now. It has been defined from many perspectives by scholars. According to the definition given by Garvin (1993), organizational learning is like an organization which does well in generating, getting and shifting knowledge and in action correction of staff in order to have reaction on new information and views. However, learning has been recognized as both the knowledge itself and the process of getting it by Argyris and Schon (1996) who defined organizational learning as the action of organizations obtaining various information including knowledge, methods, ideas and news through any ways with a more macro perspective. Many researchers propose that resultful organizational learning plays a significant role in improving organization commitment and realizing and keeping competition advantage (Shipton et al, 2002). Organisational learning is the courses in which an organization deals with information to improve its latent capacity while obtaining beneficial knowledge (Huber, 1991). In the similar way, organizational learning is defined as a process that the employees learn to change and enhance their behaviour through the cycle of absorption of new knowledge and technique and critical knowledge accumulation and development in order to achieve organization value creation and increase (Patricia, 2002). This essay will define organizational learning as a process in which organisational performance can be improved by managers through the advancement of learning ability of staff step by step on the basis of focusing on its significant role in organisational performance (Jones, 2000). Learning Organization In the study of organizational learning, the concept of learning organization has been defined in different ways. In Senges (1990) eye, learning organization is an organization which has the ability to carry out adaptive learning and generative learning for a flexible development. According to Senge, detectable features of learning organization are unclear in definition instead of identifying the necessary rules of how to create a learning organization (Yang, et al, 2004). From a strategic view, a learning organization has been defined as an organization skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behaviour to reflect new knowledge and insights (Garvin, 1993, pp.80). In these different definitions of learning organization, we could find some features in common. First, organizations have the ability to learn like people and it is known that this capability is the most significant advantage for organization in competition in long term (Yang, et al, 2004). The second feature of a learning organization might be different levels of organizations such as individual, group or team and organization have their own characteristics (Yang, et al, 2004). Organizational learning and learning organization are related but different. The concept of the learning organization usually means organizations with the features of ever-lasting ability to learn and strong ability of adaptation. In comparison, organizational learning refers to a collection of experiences of learning for studying new knowledge and enhancing ability (Yang, et al, 2004). Three-Learning Loop Theory Three-learning loop theory (Argyris and Schon, 1978) is the most important theory in the study of individual learning. As an important part of a successful organization, individual learning has been widely discussed in the area of organizational learning. As stated by Chang and Lee (2007), the dynamic of development is learning and the power of organizational development is individual level learning. First is the single-loop learning that refers to instrumental learning that changes strategies of action or assumptions underlying strategies in ways that leave the values of a theory of action unchanged (Argyris and Schon, 1996, pp.20). In this situation of learning, a single feed-back loop caused by an investigation followed by error detection is a result of unusual phenomenon according to the definite strategies of organization in order to control the operation in the norms of organization (Argyris and Schon, 1996). When this situation happens, the employees who have learnt the theory-in-use of the organization will carry out this kind of approach to solve problems due to their previous learning and feedback confirmed by managers that it is proper according to the organisational norms (Yeow, 2009). Next is the double-loop learning refers to a learning that cause the value of theory-in-use, strategies and thoughts of organizations changed (Argyris and Schon, 1996). Double-loop lear ning happens when the employees evaluate the previous strategies on the products, services, customers and norms (Yeow, 2009). Deutero-learning is the third learning approach focusing on previous study process includes failure (Yeow, 2009). Human Resource Management Human resource management is a discipline comprises a broad range of theories and concepts. In other words, it is a subject of all human things focusing on recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who work in the organization. From the perspective of organization, human resource emphasizes on the abilities, skills and knowledge that are benefit for the organizations of their employees (Price, 2007). The relationship of organizational learning, human resource management and organizational performance Facing the fierce competition in the society, organizations have been aware of the importance of capability of learning and creativity of employees and the whole organization in maintaining the sustainable success (Ulrich et al., 1993). Types of learning and Human Resource Management As for organizations, especially for learning organizations, improving adaptive learning and single-loop learning is only the first level and generative learning and double-loop learning are the key (Senge, 1990). Generative learning could improve the ability of creativity of employees and organizations for the development (Kaynak et al, 1998). When identifying and dealing with problems, generative learning put a focus on ever lasting practice and feedback in the consideration of the situation of organizations (Rouse and Boff, 2005). Focusing on creativity is the nature of generative learning, so systemic thinking, shared vision, personal mastery, team learning and creative tension are involved between the vision and reality (Rouse and Boff, 2005). Take a brief look at the responsibilities of human resource management, comprehensive employee recruitment and selection procedures are one of the most important parts in human resource management (Davenport, 2000). In addition, a determin ing factor of the effectiveness of organizational learning is the quality of their employee (Davenport, 2000). Therefore, one aspect of link of human resource management and organizational learning is the practice of employee selection and recruitment. The implication of this link is best fit employees could be benefit for generating valuable knowledge and assumptions and improving the whole organizational performance further (Kaynak et al, 1998). In other words, organizational learning will improve the value of the most important asset of people. This is one of the reasons that why people apply organizational learning into human resource management. In addition, as discussed above, generative learning help employees improve their ability to solve problems in working process with a creative perspective which is very important in either lower level of staff or higher decision making level such as line managers and top managers and the future of organizations (Kaynak et al, 1998). Thirdly, the outcome of application the theories of double-loop learning and generative learning is to set up a cor porate culture which holds the features of knowledge shared and creative atmosphere gradually. In return, the strategy of human resource management such as employees selection, employment relationship and commitment will be improved as well (Ulrich et al., 1993). The key step of achieve the improvement of organizational performance is to apply the organizational learning theory into the human resource management practice. According to the five features of generative learning, systemic thinking, shared vision, personal mastery, team learning and creative tension. In preparation, the recruitment strategy should be designed with the aim of selecting the fit employees who have the nature or personality of easy to be trained as the members of accepting the corporate culture with creativity and flexibility (Davenport, 2000). It is known that training is also one of the most important human resource practices in the process of organizational learning (Ulrich et al., 1993). In the study of this area, some changes happened to the role of individuals (Perez et al, 2006). As a result, training could be one effective and efficient tool for the application of organizational learning framework. In the process of training, individuals become more important and active in order to achieve the objects of organizations (Perez et al, 2006). The ability of dealing with internal and external information and useful organizational knowledge has become the importance of training (Perez et al, 2006). On the basis of this kind of training, information and knowledge should be treated as a shared vision in order to make sure that everyone who is eager to learn has the newest knowledge in the organization. Just as Kamoche and Mueller (1998) noted that the corporate culture of commitment and trust to learning colleagues and organization should be trained and developed in the process of training. The employees and managers should be taught and learn to be familiar with what the whole working procedures like and how the knowledge and information management system is linked to the values of organization during the process of training (Perez et al, 2006). Moreover, this kind of training would help the new employees get a clear understanding of the companys mission and values and the old employees to get a deeper realization of the organizations developing direction so as to make sure a better direction and result for the learning processes involving acquisition, distribution, interpretation and organizational memory (Perez et al, 2006). At the same time, through using a common style of language and a shared vision, communication and trust among employees might be easy to set up through the strategic training as a basic way (Perez et al, 2006). For one thing, in order to avoid the static of the knowledge belonging to the organizational rules and corporate culture and to help to develop a common understanding, the designs of these training procedures help to share all the knowledge and information (Ulrich et al., 1993). For another thing, they are benefit for the acquisition of information and continuous update of new knowledge and skills, enhancing the extent of openness to new knowledge (Garvin, 1993). What training achieves is to improve flexibility, to make a contribution to promote critical knowledge and to react to competitive advantages (Ulrich et al., 1993). Learning levels and human resource management In order to achieve the goal of improving organizational performance and keeping competitive advantage, managers should get a clear understanding of the function of a combination of the implement of organizational learning and human resource management in organizations. Adapting organizational learning to the operations of organizations is the only way to keep organizations in the state of high efficiency, competitive strength and win (Senge, 1990; Deevy, 1995). Many of the best human resource management practices have a positive effect on enhancing organizational performance for organizations (Marchinton and Wilkinson, 2006). Some researches have shown that a variety of human resource management practices could enhance motivation and commitment of organization (Theriou and Chatzoglou, 2007). In general, three important natures can be identified from the literature which are enhancement of individual learning, where organizational learning begins from the employee working in the organisation, engaging team learning, where knowledge is gathered through employee interactions and learning from each other, and organisational learning practices, where tacit knowledge is procedurally and systematically acquired and transformed into explicit forms and become organisational knowledge which are assessable by employees or approved parties. For the purpose of this study, the three attributes of organizational learning have been identified as contributing factors toward performance. Conclusions In conclusion, this essay shows that organizational learning and human resource management are interdependent and interactive in the practice of performance management. Through the discussion on the reasons and the ways of that organizational learning could be applied to human resource management. This essay finds that there is a positive relationship in the two disciplines in achieving the improvement of organizational performance. In order to keep the sustainable development of organizations, managers should carry out the strategy of a combination of organizational learning theories and framework and best human resource management practice. This essay might contribute some ideas of the specific pattern of the combination of the theories and frameworks of these two disciplines to the study of the application of organizational learning to human resource management. With the further development of organizational learning, the application could be used widely and deeply. This essay will suggest that although organizational learning develops on the basis of human resource management, however, organizational learning and human resource management could not be treated separately because of the interdependence and interaction of these two disciplines. Considering the importance of learning, organizational learning theories were expected to further development. Accounting, Management and Information Technologies Volume 5, Issue 1, January-March 1995, Pages 61-77

Screams :: essays research papers

In my mind, it never ends. I can hear myself screaming and begging him to stop. My two year old son is hiding under his bed and shaking because he knows that Daddy is hurting Mommy again. My daughter is crying helplessly in her crib. At six months of age, even she knows that something is wrong. As I stare at the gun through my swollen eyes, I realize that if I make it through the night, I have to get us out of this house. I have to find a safe place for us to hide. I know the police will not help me. They never have. All I can do as I wait for his fists to tire is to think back on my life and wonder where it had gone wrong. As a child, I was enrolled in the Gifted and Talented program, which is the Texas version of Advanced Placement courses. The Daughters of the American Revolution gave me an award for a genealogy project and my team was the only one in the district that made it to the Odyssey of the Mind state-level competitions. I also competed in numerous spelling bees. Between drama class and the National Honor Society, my middle school and junior high school years were busy, but fun. In my junior year of high school, I was informed that I was in the Who’s Who high school edition. I worked after school and enjoyed volunteering at the hospital in the cancer center in my free time. I found myself inspired by their courage and it helped to keep me grounded in my priorities. In 1993, those priorities took a different turn. I realized that I was pregnant. After I got married, I found that the school district frowned upon pregnant students, married or not. I elected to receive my GED and begin college. I was on both the President’s and Dean’s List every semester. I was happy with the choices that I had made. Being a wife was a joy and I had a wonderful son. My husband’s job took him out of town occasionally for a week or two. One day he came home from a trip, and everything had changed. He was acting irrationally and being verbally abusive. He would stay out all night and, when he was at home, nothing could make him happy. I did not know it then, but he had become addicted to drugs and other women.

Pro School Uniforms :: essays research papers

The Need for School Uniforms A safe and structured learning environment is the first requirement of a good school. Children who feel safe and secure will better learn basic American values. In return they will learn the basis of good citizenship and become better students. In response to growing levels of violence in our schools, many parents, teachers, and school officials have been forced to look toward school uniforms as one potentially positive way to reduce discipline problems and increase school safety. It has been observed that the adoption of school uniform policies can promote school safety, improve discipline, and enhance the learning environment. The potential benefits of school uniforms include decreasing violence and theft. Some instances involving designer clothing and expensive sneakers have even led to life-threatening situations among students. Uniforms would also prevent gang members from wearing gang colors and insignia at school. Uniforms would also teach students discipline and help them resist peer pressure. Uniforms would also help students concentrate on their schoolwork and would help school officials detect intruders who come unwelcome into the school. As a result, many local communities are deciding to adopt school uniform policies as part of an overall program to improve school safety and discipline. California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia have enacted school uniform regulations. Many large public school systems including Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dayton, Detroit, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Miami, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, Phoenix, Seattle and St. Louis have schools with either voluntary or mandatory uniform policies, mostly in elementary and middle schools. In addition, many private schools have required uniforms for a number of years. Still other schools have implemented dress codes to encourage a safe environment by prohibiting clothes with certain language or gang colors. The decision to adopt a uniform policy must be made by states and local school districts. For uniforms to be a success, as with all other school initiatives, parents must be involved. We must get the parents involved with the uniform policies from the beginning. Their support of the uniform policy is critical to its success. The strongest push for school uniforms in recent years has come from parent groups who want better discipline in their children's schools. Parent groups have actively lobbied schools to create uniform policies and have often led school task forces that have drawn up uniform guidelines. Many schools that have successfully created a uniform policy survey parents first to gauge support for school uniform requirements and then seek the parent’s opinions in designing the uniform.

Matav Hungarian Telecommunications Company Essay

Matav Hungarian Telecommunications Company was established in 1991 when Hungarian Post was split into three divisions. Matav remained a state-run company until 1993 when the Hungarian government sold off the company , and that was a significant turning point in the history of the company since the privatization process was the largest foreign investment in Hungary. Matav’s majority shareholder , Deutsche Telekom was one of the largest Telecommunications companies in Europe, and was involved in all kinds of Telecommunication Business Services. Therefore , Matav benefited from the technical expertise of Deutsche Telekom , and became a fully integrated Telecommunications company. Even the culture of the corporation had changed into a customer-oriented culture after the privatization process. In February 1994 , Matav’s local telephone services covered about 80% of the territory of Hungary. After it had been privatized from the state in 1993, Matav had a monopoly inside Hungary in a way that it operated 80 % of the country’s fixed line telephone system. But there were four other domestic incumbents that controlled the fixed lines in the remaining 20% of the country ( HTCC , Monortel , Emitel and Invitel ) . So , Matav had some kind of competitive advantages in its domestic markets. Also , In mobile market , for instance , Matav controlled about 47% of the market , but was in a competition with two other companies : Pannon GSM (owned by TeleNor ) with 37 % of the market , and Vodafone with 16% . Tele2 and MonorTel were also being so active in the segment. Moreover , there was a great deal of competition between the fixed line business segment and the mobile segment.As for the internet segment , the ISP Axelero had Pantel ( owned by KPN , Holland ) as an active competitor. As part of its successful strategy, Matav was trying to become an international telecommunications group , and its first international expansion was in 2001 through purchasing the majority share of MakTel , Macedonia’s national telecommunications company. So as a result , MakTel became a consolidated subsidiary of Matav. Matav’s first international acquisition of MakTel was a real success as the domestic fixed line business was declining. Also , in July 2001 , Matav purchased the remaining 50% ownership share in Emitel, and Emitel became a new subsidiary of Matav group that provided residential and business telecommunication services in the South region. In December 2001 , Matav acquired the remaining 49% share of Westel Mobile Telecommunications ( which was known later as T-Mobile Hungary Co. ). In January 2002 , a new strategic plan introduced a new company structure , and Matav was restructured into four business lines : Business services , residential services , Mobile division and Internet division. The restructure plan was necessary as each business area needed a dedicated management team. In fact , international expansion was of great strategic importance to Matav . The first international acquisition of MakTel in early 2001 was a great strategic opportunity as the penetration in Macedonia was being very low in almost all business segments : 25% of the country had fixed lines , 5% of the country had mobile phones , and under 2% had the internet service. So , Matav’s main task was to rebalance the pricing of the fixed line business through the tariff packages and others , and to grow competition on the mobile market. MakTel revenues had grown from the year 2000 to 2003 , and the key measure that was used by Matav ( EBITDA : Earnings before interest , tax , deprec iation and Amortization ) also raised. In addition , Matav increased the number of MakTel’s fixed lines. In December 2003 , the connection of ADSL lines and other broadband services became available. And since January 2004, the Electronic Communication Act entered into force, and it allowed the fixed-line number portability in Hungary. Although it was becoming an international company , Matav lacked the dynamic growth, and that was because there was a limited growth opportunity in Hungary. For instance , fixed line subscriptions were declining because of the the fixed-mobile substitution. Consequently , Matav was looking forward into its second international expansion , and that was the international acquisition of Montenegro Telecom ( TCG ) that was sold off by the government in March 2005 . Basically , Matav chose Montenegro because it was the only fixed operator in the country , and it had one mobile competitor. In 2004 , Matav had to develop a strategy plan for the entire company, and the management team was to choose between the multiple strategic crossroads in the complex and the rapidly changing telecommunications business environment. The strategy group leader , Andras Balogh , had to choose a reliable strategy plan for the next three years. Basically , the strategy group had three main options for Matav. The first choice was to focus on the existing product lines. For example , the company could maximize productivity , provide new services , produce more tariff packages in order to limit the fixed lines business declining, in addition to managing the pricing on new mobile services ( GPRS , 3G , WAP†¦and all Broadband services ). The second choice was to focus on the regional growth, and the third one was to keep expanding internationally. If I were a member of the strategy group , I would recommend the international expansion strategic direction, but I do believe that some requirements should be met, and one of those requirements would be the guaranteed existing of sufficient company resources that would guarantee a healthy future of the company. In addition , I think that the international expansion would compensate the lack of dynamic growth that Matav lacked in Hungary . †¢ What has been the impact, positive and negative, of the Internet on the way we do business? †¢ What is his future vision of the Internet and the way it will evolve? †¢ What challenges and concerns do we face for the future? Since this is a position paper, not only present the speaker’s points but analyze them and add your considered opinion about them. Examples and perspective to support your viewpoint are strongly welcomed. It is recommended that your write-up should be between one and two pages long (single spaced, 11 pt.) Please submit your assignment electronically via Blackboard by class time on Tuesday September 25th.