Is Globalization a Challenge to or Confirmation of Realism In What Essay

Is Globalization a Challenge to or Confirmation of Realism In What Ways - Essay Example In this paper, globalization will be investigated as an IR topic with reference to the implications of realism. The main body of this paper begins with a conceptual description of both realism and globalization. Next is the section of discussion. In this section, four dimensions are considered for analyzing globalization as a pervasive IR process. In conclusion, it is reiterated that globalization is indeed a confirmation of realism since the core values of this international process are based on maximizing the national benefits in the long run in a cooperative way. Realism is a school of political philosophy and thought that establishes the concept of self seeking behavior where a number of international actors are involved. According to realists, a country always attempts to maximize the benefits it can draw when it comes to the matters like power struggle and conflict of interests (Yilmaz 2010). This is basically an amoral approach to international relations (IR) where ground realities around power politics are more important that the lofty ideals of ethical behavior (Russell 2000). While realism is a theoretical outlook on IR and world politics, globalization has emerged as a major worldwide process that is dynamic and evolving with the lapse of time. Lechner (2001, paragraph 1) has defined globalization in the following words: â€Å"Globalization broadly refers to the expansion of global linkages, the organization of social life on a global scale, and the growth of a global consciousness, hence to the consolidation of world society.† Of late, scholars like Morgan (2013) have attempted to find correlations between realism and globalization with the help of triangulated research meaning that the need of conducting both quantitative and qualitative studies is to be emphasized. Furthermore, the basic core of the process of

Climax, Symbolize and Theme in the Lottery Essay Example for Free

Climax, Symbolize and Theme in the Lottery Essay â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson is a very famous American short story. It was published in the June 26, 1948, issue of the The New Yorker. Written the same month it was published. It is ranked today as â€Å"one if the most famous short stories in the history of America literature.† It has been studied in preparatory schools and in universities since its publication. It is very controversial. Some like it, others do not. The lottery has climax, mood and theme.The lottery has a really crazy climax. Climax is the point of greatest emotional intensity in plot. I think the climax of story is killing the person who picks the lottery up. When they kill the woman, their eyes are changed to jealous. Someone said ‘Hurry up!’ and then they throw stones to the woman. Among the people, their family included. I was shocked about her family killed their mother. Even if the son’s face was very pitiful, his parents gave a stone and let him cast it. The chilling climax also shows serious mood.The story also has extremely serious mood. The mood is generally defined as the atmosphere in the story. Although weather, surrounding and background in the story are sunny and clear, the electing process of the sacrificial victim is too quiet. The weather is a contrast to the village people. At least, the woman has only a tragic ending. She was killed by her friend and family. I think the best of the scene is children kill her too. It’s impossible, though custom is very important, they shouldn’t have let person sacrifice for their personal goal. These things made me confused to understand the story. The lottery has a theme which is difficult to understand. When I saw the title â€Å"The lottery†, I think this story has a good ending, but woman who won the lottery was killed by stones casted by people who she believes and love. It is very irony. Why they killed who won the lottery? I can’t understand this story exactly. But the author who wrote lottery gives us some message. There is old saying â€Å"Don’t judge a book by its cover† I think this crazy climax and serious mood make me difficult to understand this story.In conclusion, â€Å"The Lottery† is a short story which uses crazy climax, serious mood. I think Shirley Jackson who wrote â€Å"The Lottery† gives us some messages. First, don’t judge by appearance. This story title is â€Å"The Lottery†, but the ending is died who won the lottery. Second, we should remove wrong culture. Wrong culture killed innocent person. So, wrong culture is changed quickly. I searched a lot of information of this story. People say this story is written objectively. I strongly agree with this comment. They were extremely relieved when saw the women who won the lottery. In the movie of last scene, I felt selfishness from them.

Bioterrorism Threat Weapons

Bioterrorism Threat Weapons Bioterrorism is a real threat to our country. Its a threat to every nation that loves freedom. Terrorist groups seek biological weapons; we know some rogue states already have them.Its important that we confront these real threats to our country and prepare for future emergencies. -President George W. Bush June 12, 2002 Biological weapons are one of the biggest threats we face today. They are potentially as deadly as nuclear weapons and can leave an area contaminated for weeks. Despite this however, the threat of biological weapons does not seem to be a major priority of our current administration. There seems to be a significant rush to implement counter-terrorism policies that focus on more conventional means of attacks and more specifically those attacks that we have already experienced. Consequently, we see much improvement in the screening of airline passengers and the regulation of traditional explosives, but no further regulation of biological weapons, dispersion systems, or the implementation of better response procedures. Therefore, more should be done to prevent biological attacks and prepare our nation to respond in the event there is one. According to the Terrorism Knowledge Base, since nineteen sixty eight there have been a total of thirteen incidents involving biological weapons with forty-six injuries, and six fatalities. Of these thirteen incidents, nine of them have taken place in the United States, with all of the injuries, and five out of six of the deaths all taking place in the United States as well. If these statistics are examined in a general sense and in comparison to other weapons used in terrorists attacks (bombs, fire, firearms, etc) then the trend of biological terrorism does not seem very important. However, the reality is that the more technologically advanced we become globally, the more efficient biological weapons and their dispersion systems become, and the greater the threat is for an attack. We are currently in an age where scientific discovery, and advances in biology are putting us at risk for an attack from a terrorist group, or even an individual with access to biological weapons and a gru dge. In order to repair our current system, revision of our current policies must be done, as well as creation of new policies and procedures to mitigate the threat. This paper will provide information on our current policies, how the problems with out current policies can be fixed, and a risk assessment of the Brazos Valley with specific emphasis on the Texas AM University System. Current Policies: The following are the policies that have been developed in response to the threat of biological weapons. All polices regarding biological weapons should have two parts: prevention of a biological weapon attack, and response after a biological attack. While each is important on its own, together they make a comprehensive plan to create policies around. Before any suggestions can be made, however, our current policies must be known and judged against the threat we currently face. There are three main policies and plans concerning biological weapons that have come from the White House. They are Homeland Security Presidential Directive 10, Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21, and Project Bioshield. Together these are designed to provide us with maximum protection and response in the case of a biological threat. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 10 (Biodefense for the 21st Century): Homeland Security Presidential Directive 10 has four major goals as outlined by the White House: threat awareness, prevention and protection, surveillance and detection, and response and recovery. Each of these is an integral part of the overall plan. Threat Awareness In order for our government to prepare for a biological attack, we must know the nature of the threat. This is where the â€Å"Threat Awareness† pillar comes into play. This pillar seeks to provide our government with the ability to use technology and intelligence to provide the most realistic appraisal of our current threat. The concept of threat awareness allows us to create functional policies specially designed around our current threat. There are three totals components of the threat awareness pillar: biological warfare related intelligence, assessments, and anticipation of future threats. Biological warfare related intelligence is the name given to the process of using the intelligence community (Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and others) to gather all information pertaining to biological weapons. This would involve overseas missions for intelligence gathering purposes, development of systems to analyze collected data, and the dissemination of that data to all important parties. Biological warfare related intelligence also incorporates Red Teaming, a term indicating the team in a preparedness exercise (similar to a war game) whose role is to simulate enemy tactics. â€Å"Red Teaming efforts are used to understand new scientific trends that may be exploited by our adversaries to develop biological weapons and to help position intelligence collectors ahead of our problem.† (www.whitehouse.gov) Assessments are the second component of the threat awareness pillar. â€Å"The Unites States requires a continuous, formal process for conducting routine capabilities assessments to guide prioritization of our on-going investments in biodefense-related research, development, planning and preparedness.† (www.whitehose.gov) The Department of Homeland Security will be made responsible for gathering information and production of periodical assessments and making recommendations of division of resources based on the assessment. The anticipation of future threats component asserts that the need to stay current with existing technology is of great importance. It enables the government the government to anticipate and prepare for the emergence of new threats (www.whitehouse.gov). How these assessments are to be done and what exactly is to be included in them, is not stated in the White Houses version of Homeland Security Presidential Directive ten however. Prevention and Protection The first component of the prevention and protection pillar is proactive prevention. As stated by the White House, â€Å"preventing biological weapons attacks is by far the most cost-effective approach to biodefense.† This will be accomplished by limiting access of biological agents and dispersal methods to countries, groups, or individuals seeking to develop, produce, and use these agents. (www.whitehouse.gov) This will be accomplished using law enforcement investigative techniques, diplomacy, and export controls. Agencies responsible for prevention are the Department of State, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and the intelligence community, but specific duties are not given. The second component of prevention and protection is critical infrastructure protection. The directive explains that protection of critical infrastructure, especially in the case of those that would be important after an attack (public health, food, water, energy, agriculture, transportation, etc.) should be protected. Once again, details as to how this is to be done are not given, only that it should be done. Surveillance and Detection The first component of the surveillance and detection pillar is attack warning. This would entail the development of an attack warning system, similar to severe weather warning systems, â€Å"which rapidly recognizes and characterizes the dispersal of biological agents.† The logic behind this component of surveillance and detection is that an efficient and effective response can be mounted to counter the threat if the biological agent used in an attack is able to be detected and characterized earlier. The second component of surveillance and detection is attribution. The ability to attribute an attack to a particular country, group, or individual can help authorities to deter attacks with the promise of severe repercussions to the group or country that perpetrates the attack. The recently created National Bioforensic Analysis Center of the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasure Center is responsible for the analysis of the biological agent, and interpretation of data to determine responsibility. This concept has been tried for lesser crimes (three-strike laws) with varied degrees of success. Response and Recovery The components of the response and recovery attack are numerous. But this is necessary as the response after an attack is a huge intricate undertaking. This part of the Directive 10 is composed of: response planning, mass casualty care, risk communication, medical countermeasure development, and decontamination. Response planning is the most important part of the response and recovery pillar. Without a reasonable plan of attack, nothing can be accomplished. Evidence of this idea can be seen in the days and weeks following Hurricane Katrina, when recovery efforts were mishandled by Federal Emergency Management Agency due in large part to ill-preparedness. As a part of this component, the plans are also to be tested regularly at the local, state, and federal level. Mass casualty care, decontamination, and medical countermeasure all go together in preventing loss of life after an attack. In order for all of these to occur, there needs to be funding in areas of research pertaining to countermeasures of biological agents, and also funding in the public health arena such that all medical facilities are adequately prepared to handle such an event. This includes stocking medical facilities with countermeasures and keeping them abreast of terrorism activities via a communication network. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21 Released October two-thousand seven, Homeland Security Presidential Directive twenty-one in a much more comprehensive version of the response and recover pillar of Homeland Security Presidential Directive ten. It delves into exactly how we go about preparing for the aftermath of a biological attack. The five major priorities / goals when considering preparedness are: preparedness for all potential catastrophic health events; vertical and horizontal coordination across levels of government, jurisdictions and disciplines; a regional approach to health preparedness; engagement of the private sector, academia, and other nongovernmental entities in preparedness and response efforts; and the important roles of individuals, families, and communities. To accomplish these priorities, Homeland Security Presidential Directive twenty-one outlines several actions that must be implemented to mount a successful response to a biological attack. These are mostly the same as those mentioned in Homelan d Security Presidential Directive ten; however, the greatest difference is in the case of Homeland Security Presidential Directive twenty-one, deadlines are established as to when these should be done. Biosurveillance Biosurveillance calls for the establishment of a â€Å"national epidemiological surveillance system for human health.† This would entail an electronic network linking federal, state and local public health assets. This system would also have to protect patient privacy, while giving access to those medical professionals most likely to come into contact with the agents. This network would also include keeping health professionals abreast in what to look for in the way of symptoms. The deadline for this goal was one-hundred eighty days, but only required meetings to examine progress. Countermeasure stockpiling and distribution Countermeasure stockpiling and distribution calls for the creation of a plan to amass a supply of common countermeasures including antibiotics, anti-virals and others. The countermeasure stockpiling and distribution section of the directive mandates that a template or plan for these efforts would be created within nine months of its release date, but once again, does not explain exactly how anything is to be done, only that it should be within nine months. Mass Casualty Care Through a joint effort between the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Defense, Veteran Affairs, and Homeland Security, experts at the state, federal and private levels are to provide feedback on â€Å"high-priority gaps in mass casualty care capabilities.† After this event, there is to be an analysis of the information in order to build a plan for mass casualty care after a biological attack. This plan would call for changes in out public health system specifically geared towards biodefense, and not towards improving our public health system as a whole. Community Resilience Perhaps the most important component of Homeland Security presidential Directive 21, this section encourages engaging citizens in education and risk awareness in the area of biological weapons. Civic leaders, citizens and families are to be educated such that they are able to lessen some of the risk in their respective areas. Project Bioshield The Project Bioshield Act of 2004 was signed on June 21, 2004 by current President George W. Bush. Project Bioshield deals specifically with the development and the procurement of countermeasures from pharmaceutical companies. The signing of the Project Bioshield Act allowed for the production of seventy-five million doses of anthrax vaccines for stockpiling, production of botulinum antitoxin, and production of a safer smallpox toxin. Project Bioshield is not designed to fix all of our problems, but solve a big problem in the lack of response resources. Problems with our current system and policies Our current biological weapons policies consist mainly of Homeland Security Presidential Directives ten and twenty-one and the Project Bioshield Act. Together, they represent the most comprehensive plan we have, but still fall short of providing us with the protection and security from what President Bush describes as a â€Å"real threat to our country.† While our current system provides a good foundation for a biological weapons defense policy, it has several major gaps. Our current policies display one major flaw in our biodefense plan: we know what to do, but not how to accomplish it. In the summary of all three aspects of our biodefense policy, there is no detailed plan of how to repair the holes in our system. Also, despite being released in April two-thousand four, many of the objectives seen Homeland Security Presidential Directive ten, are yet incomplete; particularly in the case of the â€Å"Response and Recovery† objective. What this translates to is we are no t following the plans we have set up to prevent and respond to bioterrorism. In two-thousand one, approximately one-half a billion dollars w as spent on civilian biodefense. Every year since then, the spending has gone up with spending reaching approximately seven and one-half billion dollars. (Schuler 88) We are considerably further than we were in two-thousand one, but still significantly lacking in bio-terrorism security. There are only a few things we currently lack, but they are very important to our security. Firstly we lack a decent public health system. â€Å"The basic needs of bioterrorism preparedness remain the basic tasks of public health- identifying unusual disease events, their cause, and intervening to alleviate the situation† (Avery 284) The federal government is attempting to pump more resources into a flawed system. Without a good public health system, any biodefense plan ultimately falls apart because our public health system is of utmost importance in response efforts. Another big flaw in our system is the lack of talented people. Having great policies and resources but lacking talented employees to put them into practice is unacceptable. Federal agencies are losing potential employees to the private sector when the demand for defense talent will to continue rise by as much as twenty-five percent through the year two-thousand ten. (Partnership for Public Service 224) Policies cannot be put into action without talented people leading them. It is estimated that nearly half of the federal employees in occupations critical to out biodefense will be eligible to retire within the next five years. (Executive Summary 224). An additional significant error with our current system is lack of action. While our current policies are not perfect, they do provide a very good base plan. So why are we not where we need to be? The reason may be budget concerns, or biological weapons are less of a priority than they should be, but whatever the reason, creation of policies without putting them into action leaves us at risk. In Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21, it calls for public outreach and education to inform the general public as to the dangers of biological weapons, and how to reach in the case of the attack, but this has not been done. In Homeland Security Presidential Directive 10, a biosurveillance system is proposed to keep our public health facilities informed as to emerging threats and suspicious events in other parts of the country. While the directive was released in two-thousand four, this has not been accomplished. Proposed Biological Terrorism Prevention and Response Plan Our current policies and recent actions have provided us with a good foundation to build a solid biological weapons prevention and response plan on. However, in order to mitigate the threat more needs to be done. My plan has the potential to fill in most of the holes in our current policy / system. I propose several changes in out current system and policies. My proposed will emphasize all aspects of security (prevention and response). Our current public health seems to be the most important part of the equation, so this is where my biodefense plan will begin. Phase I: In order to mount an efficient response in the aftermath of an attack, we must have a well-organized public health system. This particular part of the plan would call for government-funded upgrades in public health facilities. As stated previously, an analysis of our current public health system shows that â€Å"upgrading public health facilities for broad based-surveillance avoids the threat of tunnel vision that is inherent in the bioterrorism-specific approach.† (Avery 285) Upgrades to our public health facilities should include larger stockpiles of antibiotics, anti-virals, and other countermeasures. According to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21, â€Å"few if any cities are presently able to meet the objective of dispensing countermeasures to their entire population within forty-eight hours after the decision to do so.† These stockpiles should be large enough to aid in the response after most any disaster, and located in such places that they could be sen t to affected areas within twenty-four hours. Proximity to a major metropolitan area should not be a concern in response efforts. This phase would also require coordination with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to coordinate and distribute supplies of counter-measures to several regions in each state. Other responsibilities of our current public health system include vaccination of general public. This would be improved beyond our current status. The next step in upgrading out public health system is personnel training and education. Biological weapons can utilize some of the most deadly bacteria and viruses in the world. Medical personnel should be trained in the recognition and treatment of the most deadly agents. This would necessitate training provided by the Center for Disease Control and other similarly competent private sector facilities and professionals. While many biological agents present with peculiar symptoms, many present with flu-like symptoms and can be easily confused with other less lethal illnesses. All of this information needs to make its way to not only our medical doctors and nurses, but all those involved in public health. The last step of my public health plan is the creation of a centralized network available to all public health facilities. This network would be created and maintained by the federal government with the aid of such agencies as the Center for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health. This network / database would track the progression of illnesses and symptoms throughout the country. It would also serve as a link between facilities. In the event of an attack in one part of the country, all facilities can be put on alert almost instantly. This could lead to significantly less deaths during the aftermath of an attack, and aid in the day to day operations of our countrys public health system. Phase II: Homeland Security Presidential Directive 10 is a general diagram for both prevention and response. While it outlines both aspects, it does not go into great detail as to how its plans are to be accomplished. The same can be said for Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21. Our major policies do not give a detailed picture of what out initial response plan is. We cannot organize a functional response if we do not possess a nation-wide incident response plan for a biological attack. So Phase II would be the creation of a thorough plan that is able to be utilized in all regions of the country. One standardized plan would alleviate any indecisiveness when deciding what to do for a specific region as well as make training much easier. With one standardized plan there is no question of what the local government is to do, everything is planned and only has to be executed. This plan would have three major goals: defining authority after an attack, setup a timeline for when response efforts need to be completed, and provide a basis for training first responders and other charged with response. In the aftermath of an attack authority is always a concern. Because agencies often have different ideas on how response should proceed, authority needs to be defined before an attack ever happens. The two options for authority are federal and state with each having their advantages. Federal agencies have near limitless resources when compared to state agencies. They are usually able to procure and implement necessary resources much faster. State agencies have the benefit of local knowledge. Local knowledge of a particular region and its working is an invaluable asset during times of disaster. Federal agencies cannot possibly all aspects of a particular region and thus this responsibility falls to the state government. State governments also the advantage of being able to react more quickly because of their close proximity to the affected area. So the best compromise between the two would be joint authority shared between the state government (governor, mayors, city managers, etc.), and a representative of the federal government designated by the president. Because a plan will already be in place prior to an attack, the state government would have a definitive game plan within the days following an attack. After the government representative arrives, they can work as a cohesive team to plan the best course of action. Along with defining authority, the national response plan should define timelines as to when certain actions are to be taken. Phase one of this plan would ensure that countermeasures were available in the event of a biological attack. This timeline would establish when these countermeasures are to be given, Phase III Our current president has described biological weapons as a very serious threat. Mitigation of this threat can be achieved, but needs specialized actions from personnel trained in biology as well as investigative techniques. Phase II would call for the creation of an agency dedicated to the threat of bioterrorism. The First step of phase II is finding people with diverse experience (science, investigation, intelligence gather, etc.) to work in this agency. Bioterrorism is a much different threat than most conventional methods of terrorism. To mount a superior defense / offense, it takes a deep understanding of biology, biochemistry, virology, and several other biological sciences. Investigating offenses involving such agents cannot be done without the proper knowledge and practical experience. Most agencies currently tasked with counter-terrorism do not have the requisite personnel with science backgrounds, nor the resources to handle their other responsibilities and the threat from bioterrorism. The need for people with expertise in those areas has been established as is yet unfulfilled. We cannot properly stop a threat if those that are tasked with this responsibility do not know everything there is to know about the threat. The first step would be to obtain the right personnel for the agency. The agency would be made up of doctors, scientists, policy makers, first responders, investigators (law enforcement), security personnel, and any other necessary personnel to mount a comprehensive response. The next step would be to define the responsibilities of the agency. I propose this agency be accountable for investigation of biological weapons threats, regulation of biological agents, working in tandem with intelligence agencies here and overseas, and working with other countries to insure the regulation of said materials there as well. These responsibilities are no small task. They will require countless hours of intelligence gathering, diplomacy, investigation, and law enforcement. The scope of this agency would be extensive, but still well within reach if done properly. This agency would have to utilize techniques used by the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and many other similar agencies in order to reach such massive goals. Phase IV Phase IV would consist of public education / outreach. The group of people most vulnerable to biological attacks is everyday citizens. If we are to protect the public, then they must be educated as to risks, current counter measures, and what to do in the case of an attack. This is where the educational outreach programs would enter. They would have to be non-invasive as in a pamphlet given out to each patient after a doctors visit, or educational videos provided to employers to be shown at employment orientations. Using this idea could save us billions of dollars in expenditures subsequent to an attack by saving much time and effort in organizing and coordinating public actions. Phase V Phase V would consist of training those people responsible for first response. Our first line of defense is not government agencies, but the people who are closest to the attack; this will always be local law enforcement, firefighters, and local public health staff. Current local law enforcement agencies are unprepared and unknowledgeable about probably biological attacks and they of all responders would be well versed in what to expect and how to react after a biological attack. Phase V would mandate training of all probably first responders at least once a year. This training would include simulated attacks in a simulated environment. All those that would be involved in the response efforts would be trained in what to do, and then using that training to a simulated attack. This training would also help the public rest easier knowing that their first responders are prepared for the possibility of a biological attack. Advantages vs. Disadvantages Advantages: The greatest strength of the proposed plan is its comprehensiveness. This plan covers all aspects of biological terrorism (prevention and response) as well as addressing the current holes in our system. It provides us with the best possible response, along with directing preventative techniques prior to an attack. Agencies dedicated to specific purposes have a long history of effectiveness as can be seen in the Center for Disease Control and other similar agencies. This plan could not work if the responsibilities were placed upon another agency already tasked with other unrelated obligations. Biological weapons are too great a threat to be relegated to one of the many responsibilities of an agency with many other missions. Also in comparison to outsourcing these responsibilities to the private sector, this proposal represent a method of maintaining security, but also maintaining faith in out government. Most citizens want to know that their government is more than capable of protecting them from major security threats. This proposal has the advantage of allowing all responsibilities to stay in house such that there is no division of responsibilities between government and private. This proposal also allows for improvements in out current countermeasure stockpiles, a public more concerned with their own safety, and a standardized response plan such that Disadvantages: The greatest thing working against an agency of this type is cost. As stated previously, biodefense funding has gone up significantly every year since two-thousand one. (Schuler 88) A plan of this magnitude would be costly. Also, creating of another agency has the possibility of making an already confusing counter-terrorism more perplexing. Brazos Valley threat assessment All the problems that plague the nation in reference to a biological weapons threat are compounded in the Brazos valley Area. The main industry in the region is Texas AM University, and this is also could be considered a high value target. Risk assessment: A threat assessment can be viewed as having three components: the threat to a target, the targets vulnerability to the threat, and the consequences should the target be successfully attacked. (Willis 16) In this regard the risk assessment regarding the Brazos Valley is three-parted. Threat to the target: According to the CDC, bioterrorism agents are typically divided into three categories: categories A, B, and C (www.cdc.gov). Category A organisms include biological agents with both a high potential for adverse public health impact and that also have a serious potential for large-scale dissemination. Category B agents are moderately easy to disseminate and have low mortality rates. Category C agents are pathogens that might be engineered for mass dissemination because they are easy to produce and have potential for high morbidity or mortality. Based on information gathered from interviews with Assistant Chief Freddy Komar of the Bryan Police Department and Doctor Garry Adams of the Texas AM University School of Veterinary Medicine, the biggest threat to Texas AM and the surrounding areas is the dissemination of a Category A organism, more specifically one that can be easily ported to an aerosol method of dispersal. With an effective dispersal in a highly populated and confined area o r event like a football game at Kyle Field, the destructive potential is massive. As an agricultural staple, the Brazos Valley Area Targets Vulnerability to Threat: The government of the Brazos Valley operates in a continuous state of alertness according to an Interview with Mr. Bill May. Using the Texas AM University Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), the Brazos Valley trains emergency workers from all over the world at the request of their home agency. TEEX uses a large training facility to provide simulated disasters in order to prepare the trainees for any type of disaster. TEEX is different from other agencies in that it provides the most realistic training found in the country, if not the world. However, this only takes care of the aftermath. The front line of defense is the local law enforcement branches. In speaking with the assistant chief of police, I found that while Texas AM is a veritable hub for disaster training, the first line of defense against bio-terror

Equal Opportunity Classes :: College Education Essays

Equal Opportunity Classes There are many different ways that a college classroom can operate. The articles that will be included in this essay will show different ways classes are operated in the past, present and the future. The three essays which are explained in this essay are, "Mother Tongue," by Amy Tan; "The Ethics of Requiring Students to Write About their Personal Lives," by Susan Swartzlander, Diana Pace, and Virginia Lee Stamler; and "A Note from the Future," by Kathy Camper. These essays speak about what the author believes in. The essay's written about in this paper show that, in a "technology-rich, Twenty-first century college writing course" the professor should be unbiased toward his/her students and all students should have an equal opportunity in their college writing classes. In the essay, "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club, writes about growing up with a mother who speaks "broken" English. Her parents both emigrated from China and the males in her family had passed away due to a brain tumor, leaving only herself and her mother. Tan, as a child would act like her mother when speaking with important people. Even as an adult she still occasionally speaks for her mother. While she grew up with "broken" English, Amy grasped the English language differently than most English-speaking Americans, and in her article, Tan speaks about her belief that her family life caused, in part, her to do worse in English than her other subjects. Tan believes that this is so because English is not as exact as mathematics and science. As she got older, Tan began to write stories, and when asked why there are not as many other Asian-American authors in the United States, she wonders if it is because of schoolteachers. In this essay, Tan states "...Perhaps they also have teachers who are steering them away from writing and into math and science, which is what happened to me." (Tan par 15) In this statement Tan shows her belief that her teachers discouraged her from enhancing her English skills. Later, despite the factors against her, Amy Tan became a famous writer. In the article, "The Ethics of Requiring Students to Write About their Personal Lives," by Professor Susan Swartzlander and Doctors Diana Pace and Virginia Lee Stamler from Grand Valley State University, the authors write about how students feel when forced to write about their personal background.

Emotional labour Essay

1. According to Bryman (2004), emotional labour is regarded as situation in the workplace where workers are required to shows certain emotion as a part of their job. Bryman (2004, p.103) describes the developing trend of presuming work as a performance, where workplace is seen as stage for performance, while workers are the actors on the stage. He states that workers’ performance that is presented to the customers is vital as it is memorable to customers. Bryman (2004, p.103) emphasizes that emotional labour is capable of creating performative labour. In emotional labour, workers manage their inner feeling to display facial and bodily expression (Bryman, 2004, p.104). He suggests that the emotion shown can be positive or negative depends on the job’s requirement. Hochschild (1983, as cited in Bryman, 2004, p.104) considers emotional labour as acting, and distinguished it into surface and deep acting. Surface acting is explained as displaying the accurate emotion without feeling it, whereas deep acting involves the true feeling when the emotion is being shown (Hochschild, 1983 cited in Bryman 2004, p.104). Bryman (2004, p.104) states that there is a continuing change from focus on control to formation of commitment to the organization, so that workers are emotionally attached to the organization. Bryman (2004, p.104) states that the creation of emotional tie will cultivate excitement and meaning for workers. Furthermore, Bryman (2004, p.105) suggests that emotional labour directly affects quality of service delivery, which also affects the quality of goods and services provided. Customers are getting more and more concern on the quality of delivery (Bryman, 2004, p.105). Showing positive emotion like smiling and making eye contact will develop good atmosphere when the service is being delivered (Bryman, 2004, p.105). Bryman (2004, p.105) also states that with the research on flight attendants, it shows that display of positive emotion like smiling must be deeply felt by the workers but not surface acting. Emotional labour is very important as it distinguishes services which have roughly the same products (Bryman, 2004, p.106). Bryman (2004, p.106) explains that the growing understanding of emotional labour as one of the factors that affect customers satisfaction, which is important to repeat business have been the cause for customer care programmes’ growth. He also insists that Total Quality Management (TQM) have affected customer care programmes, which the  main focus is on customer satisfaction. Bryman (2004, p.106) have focused on Disney Theme Parks which emotional labour is very vital in its service delivery. Every employee has been trained to show positive emotion all the time when confronting customers (Bryman, 2004, p.108). Disney has made use of training programmes to create commitments and values which help in emotional labour (Bryman, 2004, p.109). Bryman (2004, p.110) has shown that lots of jobs involves certain level of emotional labour and there is formal emotional guideline in work role. Nevertheless, he argues that displaying emotion based on only formal instruction is a mistake, because it will affect workers’ work because workers themselves have own ability to express emotion needed in work. Bryman (2004, p. 111) states that huge fraction of employees is influenced by the necessity of emotional labour, and women are being demanded in profession related to emotional labour than men. Bryman (2004) relates the influence of emotional labour to workers in airlines, shops, McDonald’s, restaurants, telephone call centres, zoos, and hotels. In addition, Hochschild (1983) as cited in Bryman (2004, p. 121) proposes that emotional labour leaves adverse effect on labourer as it separates wor ker’s action and feeling. However, studies (Wouter, 1989; Leidner, 1993; Sharma and Black, 2001 cited in Bryman 2004, p.121) showed that emotional labourers in some jobs feel satisfied when able to assist customers. Bryman (2004, p.122) suggests that the incurrence of bad effect of emotional labour is dependent on jobs environment. He also proposed that ‘philanthropic emotional labour’ is occasionally expressed by worker out of willingness and will not incur negative effect on workers. Besides that, aesthetic labour involves forming employees into desired appearance to portray the image of company (Bryman, 2004, p.123). Bryman (2004, p.123) suggests that the aesthetic and emotional labour are used together in workplace, and the growing importance of style and image will increase the need of aesthetic labour. Hence, emotional labour has been increasingly demanded as it can differentiate one service from another. Emotional labour may inflict adverse impact on emotional labourer, but there are also researches that show the other ways round. 2.  Emotional labour has greatly influence the service industries nowadays (Bryman, 2004). However, arguments exist within the issue of emotional labour over the years (Smith, 1999).   Firstly, it is agreeable that emotional labour is related strongly with service performance (Bryman, 2004, p.105). This is due to positive emotion in service delivery to customers will provide satisfaction to customer which satisfaction implies good quality of service delivery (Bryman, 2004, p.106). Involving emotions when facing customers is vital to keep loyal customer and repeat business as it give much satisfaction to customers (Albrecht & Zemke, 1985 cited in Grandey,2000 ). Ashforth and Humphrey (1993) as cited in Grandey (2000) states that handling emotion may cause positive delivery of service as it reflects good image of organization and makes customers feel good. Positive expressions of emotion like smiling and giving compliments are some example of involving emotion to boost service performance (Adelmann, 1998 cited in Grandey, 2000). Studies from Pugh (1998) as cited in Grandey (2000) showed that there is a direct relationship between emotion shown by bank teller and customer contentment. Besides, it is undeniable that women are more demanded than men in jobs related to emotional labour (Bryman, 2004, p.111). He states that it may because of women are more suitable to display emotion in some particular jobs (Bryman, 2004, p.112). According to Fay (2011), gender differences are significant in occupations with high level of emotional labour. Finding by Simpson and Stroh (2004) as cited in Fay (2011) showed that women are more probably conceal their negative feeling, whereas men are likely to hide their positive feeling. In addition, research by Mann (2007) as cited in Fay (2011) revealed that men express true emotion on what they actually feel, while women tend to show warmth and not affected by their true feeling. Women have higher level of emotional expressivity (Rafaeli and Sutton, 1989 cited in Grandey, 2000). Therefore, they can accomplish service jobs better which require emotional labour (Grandey, 2000). Apart from that, Bryman (2004) stresses that women are more suitable than men in some occupations where sexuality is a key element. Example of those work that suit women is nursing, nurses are required to express strong emotion such as care, affection and kindness (Henderson, 2001). The nursing work suit women since they have high level of emotional expressivity. From all 2,500,000 nurses,  only 6% are men and this showed that nursing is an occupation dominated by female (NursingSchool.org, n.d.). Hochschild (1983 cited in Bryman 2004, p.121) argues that worker engaged in emotional labour will have negative effect inflicted to them. However, it is not always the case that emotional labourers are adversely affected. Studies have shown that emotional labourers like flight attendants, beauty therapists and insurance agents do not feel the negative impacts of emotional labour when being involved (Wouters, 1989; Leidner, 1993; Sharma and Black, 2001 cited in Bryman, p.121). Research by Ashford and Humphrey (1993) as cited in Grandey (2000) showed that workers involved in emotional expression to satisfy have more jobs satisfaction as they make their jobs less dull. A study on table servers reported that employees who really put feeling in the jobs are more satisfied than employees who do not (Adelmann, 1995 cited in Grandey, 2000). Hence, those studies have shown that workers involved in emotional labour are not harmfully affected, but they gain job satisfaction from it. Finally, cast members in Disneyland must show emotional labour when facing every customer (Bryman, 2004, p.109). This aspect of emotional labour in Disneyland is not the best emotional approach to bring the best out of the cast members. This is because workers feel horrible when their emotion is totally controlled by the organization (Hohschild, 1983 cited in Bryman, 2004). Lack of control and autonomy over their own emotion can lead to life stress and work stress (Rodin, 1986 cited in Grandey, 2000). Research from Wharton (1993) as cited in Grandey (2000) discovered that employee with high emotional autonomy have relatively low emotion fatigue than employee with low autonomy. Eventually, low autonomy and high emotional regulation in workplace can cause withdrawal behaviour (Grandey, 2000). Grandey (2000) suggests that emotionally exhausted workers might leave the organization in the long run due to burnout. A court case involving customer service workers sued the company because they were required to smile even though they were sexually harassed by customers (Grandey, 2000). Thus, Disneyland which takes away workers’ emotional independence might cause negative result. In conclusion, many arguments still persist in the aspects of emotional labours. Therefore, more researches and studies needed to be carried out so that emotional labour can bring the best out of workers and ultimately the organization. 3.  Emotional labour have increasingly significant to business nowadays. Everyone has the experience related emotional labour whether on the giving or receiving end.  I have encountered many occasions associated to emotional labour in which I’m on the receiving end. After reading text by Bryman (2004), I felt that emotional labour is extremely important in today’s workplace to satisfy customers after reflecting on my own experience. The most memorable encounter I had experience was at electronic shops. I was surveying between the shops to purchase an electronic device I wanted. As I was surveying between electronics shop, I realised that the attitude of salespersons towards customer are different from one another. When I was at one of the shops, the salesperson welcomes me with a bright smile and offers me help whenever I need it. He was explaining patiently the feature of the device to me with a pleasurable tone and his smile never went away even it took a long time to explain to me. On the other hand, when I was at another electronic shop, the situation was totally different from the first shop. The salesperson did greet me when I entered the shop but his face was gloomy and most importantly without a smile. From his tone when speaking to me, I felt that he was not willing to serve and explain his product to me. He did not proactively explain his product and only answered my inquiry with a low tone. Finally, I bought the device from the first electronic shop. In my case, salesperson as the frontline service employee is very critical as they are the key to generate sales to consumers (Smith, n.d.). So, they are the workers who should involve emotional labour to perform their task effectively (Ashforth and Humphrey, 1993 cited in Grandey, 2000). In my case, the first salesperson expressed positive emotion which satisfy me as a customer but the second salesperson did not. Eventually, the first salesperson succeeded selling his product to me. In conclusion, after reading the text by Bryman (2004), I realised that the importance of emotional labour especially in service industries. I understand the significant even more deeply when it relates to my own experience as myself had influenced by emotional labour. References Adelmann, P.K., 1995. Emotional labor as a potential of job stress. In: S.L. Sauter and L.R. Murphy, eds. n.d. Organizational risk factors for job stress. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, pp.371-381. Albrecht, K. and Zemke, R., 1985. Service America! Doing business in the new economy. Homewood, IL: Dow Jones-Irwin. Ashforth, B.E. and Humphrey, R.H., 1993. Emotional labour in service role: The influence of identity. Academy of Management Review, 18(1), pp.88-115. Bryman, A., 2004. Disneyization of Society. [e-book] London: SAGE Publication Ltd. Available through: Tun Hussein Onn Library website [Accessed 16 August 2012]. Fay, C.L., 2011. Gender differences in emotional labour. Ph.D. The University of Texas at Arlington. Available at: [Accessed 24 October 2012]. Grandey, A.A., 2000. Emotional Regulation in the Workplace: A New Way to Conceptualize Emotional Labor. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, [e-journal] 5(1), pp. 95-110. Available through: Penn State w ebsite [Accessed 23 October 2012]. Henderson, A., 2001. Emotional labor and nursing: an under-appreciated aspect of caring work. Nursing Inquiry, [e-journal] 8(2). Available through: Nursing Network on Violence Against Women, International [Accessed 20 October 2012]. Hochschild, A.R., 1983. The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling. Berkeley: University of California Press. Leidner, R., 1993. Fast Food, Fast Talk. Berkeley: University of California Press. Mann, S., 2007. Expectations of emotional display in workplace: An American/British comparative study. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 28(6), pp.552-570. NursingSchool.org, n.d. Nurses by the number. [online] Available at: [Accessed 26 October 2012]. Pugh, S.D., 1998. Why do happy employees have happy customers? Emotional contagion as an explanatory in research on customers service. First Conference on Emotions and Organizational Life. San Diego, CA. Rafaeli, A. and Sutton, R.I., 1989. The expression of emotion in organizational life. In: L.L. Cummings and B.M. Staw, eds. n.d. Research in organizational behaviour. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. Vol. 11, pp.1-42. Rodin, J., 1986. Aging and health: Effect on the sense of control. Science, 233, pp.1271-1276. Sharma, U. and Black, P., 2001. Look good, feel better: Beauty therapy as emotional labour. Sociology, 35(4), pp.913-931. Simpson, P. and Stroh, L., 2004. Gender Differences: Emotional Expression and Feelings of Personal Inauthenticity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(4), pp. 715-721. Smith, D., 1999. Emotional labor. Soundings, [e-journal] 11(spring). Available through: Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust [Accessed 25 October 2012]. Smith, G.P., n.d. Customer Service success. [online] Available at: [Accessed 26 October 2012]. Wharton, A.S., 1993. The affective consequences of service work: Managing emotions on the job. Work and Occupations, 20(2), pp.205-232. Wouters, C., 1989. The Sociology of Emotions and Flight Attendants: Hochschild’s Managed Heart. Theory, Culture and Society, 6(1).

Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk essays

Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk essays In the year of our Lord, 1538, Frances Howard, Countess of Surrey, gave birth to her second child. Within the walls of Kenninghall Palace, Thomas Howard was born at precisely thirty-six minutes and seven seconds past two oclock in the morning on October 10th, 1538. In attendance at this occasion was his father, Henry Earl of Surrey, renowned poet and soldier, and his grandfather, Thomas Lord Treasurer and Duke Norfolk. Also present at the earls request was an Italian astrologer, sent for to read Thomas future in the skies. The astrologer would tell of Henrys early death and a difficult and tragic life for Thomas. His prediction would become too true for the Howard family. Thomas Howards parents, having met in London, were married at the age of fifteen. He would come to have three sisters, and older, Jane, and two younger, Katherine and Margaret. A brother, Henry, was born into the family in 1540. The Howards had an extensive family line and many ties to the Crown. His aunt, Catherine Howard, was married to King Henry VIII, until her beheading for adultery at the Howard home in Lambeth when Thomas was only four years old. Another of his aunts, Mary, Duchess of Richmond, was widowed by King Henry VIIIs son, Henry Fitzroy. King Henry VIII himself was Thomas godfather. Thomas lived the first nine years of his life at the place of his birth, Kenninghall Palace. There he was tutored by the scholar Hadrianus Junius, and learned many athletic, as well as, diplomatic skills. As the heir to the dukedom of Norfolk, he was required to learn many more skills than his siblings, and the genius of his sister Jane and brother Henry did not show itself in Thomas. Thomas did, however, become an expert at coursing rabbits during his first years at Kenninghall and wrote a treatise concerning the subject which was still being reprinted a century ago. Thomas father, the Earl of Sur...

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Political Terms Dominate New Dictionary Entries Political Terms Dominate New Dictionary Entries Political Terms Dominate New Dictionary Entries By Mark Nichol Dictionary.com’s newest set of entries to its lexicon, and some revised definitions for existing terms, reflect the politically themed discourse that has dominated the media over the past year. This post shares and defines some of those terms. Alt-right, discussed in this DailyWritingTips.com post, is not new to Dictionary.com, but its definition has been extended to clarify that the central tenets of those who espouse extreme right wing ideology are white nationalism and anti-Semitism. Similarly, though far is of course not a new listing, its definition now alludes to the sense of extreme political views when it appears in combination with left and right. Meanwhile, the existing entry for alt refers to the abbreviation’s usage in alt-right, and the one for â€Å"white nationalism† makes a distinction, based on geopolitical focus, between that phrase and â€Å"white supremacy.† The phrase â€Å"fake news† has its own new entry, describing the term as pertaining to sensationalized false journalistic content that serves to boost ad revenue and/or discredit an entity that is the subject of the content. An entry surprising for its late appearance is â€Å"false flag,† which has long referred to the use by marine vessels of a flag of a country the ship doesn’t represent in order to deceive personnel on an enemy vessel. By extension, the term now alludes to events in which a country attacks its own territory or assets and blames the attack on a belligerent nation (or an entity such as a terrorist organization), or to similar operations carried out in civilian contexts, as when a group or individual frames another for a violent act the first group or individual secretly committed in order to discredit the other party. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Bare or Bear With Me?Ten Yiddish Expressions You Should Know10 Tips for Clean, Clear Writing

Reader Response to The Good Soldier Essays - Modernist Literature

Reader Response to The Good Soldier Essays - Modernist Literature Reader Response to The Good Soldier Reader Response to The Good Soldier Ford Maddox Ford?s The Good Soldier is saturated with ironies and ambiguities. It is told through the voice of Dowell, giving his interpretation on the events that unfolded around him as well as those that involved him. ?This is the saddest story I have ever heard? is the opening line to the novel and although there are points of sadness embedded throughout the experiences of the individuals, the saddest event is the obliviousness of Dowell. The general irony that overlay the first half of the novel is the ?heart condition? that both Florence and Captain Ashburnham each suffer from. The only condition they seem to have is allowing their heart to beat for those other than the ones they are married to. The spouses, Dowell and Leonora each do what is needed in order to keep their other half comfortable, happy and healthy. Their time is spent in a health spa, where the respective couples meet one another. Dowell?s narration is all over the place, jumping from time to time without much clarification. His re-telling of the events also shifts continents, from the Americas to Europe. The Dowell?s are American, while the Ashburnham?s are English. These memories are impressions that have been left on Dowell and he recalls them with eagerness and certain sense of respect for Captain Ashburnham. Dowell?s marriage is one that has never been consummated, however his bride experienced a sexual relationship prior to her marriage. She has not divulged this information to Dowell, other than to say: ?Once I tried to have a lover but I was so sick at the heart, so utterly worn out that I had to send him away? and now her newly diagnosed heart condition does not allow for sexual activity. Dowell accepts the doctor?s orders for his lack of passion in his marriage and continues to pine for Florence as well as play nursemaid to her. Florence is an interesting character, full of secrets as well as deception. Florence understood exactly what having a heart condition entailed, since her uncle had suffered from one as well. She seemed to have observed his behaviors and helplessness and modeled her own from the experience. While leaving on a ship for Europe for their honeymoon, Florence warns Dowell that she suffers from a heart condition. From here the lie continues to grow and Dowell?s job as an attendant to Florence is secured. Dowell is kept in the dark on many activities of his new bride. He later reflects that he never let her out of his sight, however the rules that Florence had in place allowed her privacy needed to carry on extramarital affairs. Once the couple made it to Paris for their honeymoon, Florence?s affair with Jimmy was reignited. This was the man who was her uncle?s companion and who was her first sexual escapade. However, her inability to travel ironically keeps her from Jimmy in time. Her own excuse created so that she could be with him is the same one that keeps her from him. Edward Ashburnham is a man full of his own secrets and infidelities. Edward is seen by Dowell as a ?cleanest looking sort of chap; - an excellent magistrate, a first rate soldier, one of the best landlords.? Dowell is envious of Edward?s suave appearance and sexual conquests and prowess. Edward also captures the attention of Florence with his sexual prowess, as she falls in love with him. Dowell is none the wiser, as Edward is a man with whom you can trust with your wife. Dowell?s storytelling unfolds as though he mind is slowly unfolding the events and piecing them together as he tells them. At times, it seems as though he tells us of his realizations of the actions of those around him as they make sense to him. Dowell loves Florence, and wants nothing more than to care for her, but he also hates her. ?I hate Florence with such a hatred that I would not spare her an eternity of loneliness.? Dowell sees Florence for what she truly was, but never sees Edward in the same light. Edward and Leonora have no relations with one another.

The clergy's involvement (an aspect of the Iranian Revolution) Research Paper

The clergy's involvement (an aspect of the Iranian Revolution) - Research Paper Example Hence, according to our opinion how could this man provoke a revolution? The Revolution In 1978, the youngsters and the working class of Iran protested and challenged the Shah’s army SAVAK, the most hated and powerful army used for repression in the entire world. When the masses were on roads, many soldiers of this army threw their uniforms and weapons away fearing the retaliation from the people. The reasons for their fear were due to the fact that they have been involved in brutal acts against innocent people of Iran. (Stempel 110) Under the rule of the Shah, industrialization of the country took place which resulted in massive unemployment, which ultimately played an important role in the revolution. The movement led by the oil workers was very important. At the crucial moments, these workers did not move since they knew the importance of oil industry for Iran, hence leading to the end of the Shah’s regime. This was the first time in the history of 14 years that thou sands of Iranians dwelling in slum areas, protested against the Monarch. The movement was basically started by the labour working class and the less-privileged classes of the urban population opened the gate of the protests in July 1977. This also involved other sectors of the society like the traditional clergy and the intellectuals who were disturbed by the attitude of the foreign companies and the economic boom in the country. The largest recorded protest in the history took place with around 2 million people on September 7, 1978 in the city of Tehran. To these protests, the monarchist regime retaliated by killings of thousands of innocent protestors and imposing martial law in the country. This resulted in strikes by the working class. One of the massive strikes was of the 30,000 people from the working class of the oil industry, which affected the country’s economy to still. This was the opening up of another massive strike where the working class started taking over hos pitals, factories, universities and offices of the country. A committee of the democratic workers was organized and named as Shoras, their purpose was to either sidestep or confront the owners and the managers. The committees were also formed around local mosques consisting of the slum dwellers, which played an important role in assisting the clergy taking control of the movement. They also guarded their neighbourhoods from Shah’s army. The significant forces were People’s Mujahidin guerrillas, people’s Fedayeen and communist Tudeh party, who played a key role in mobilizing the urban revolts. In February, 1979, with the help of a rebellion from the Shah’s army, made it possible to pave the way for Ayatollah Khomeini along with clergy and liberal capitalist politicians for gaining control and seize power. Ayatollah Khomeini, who had just returned from the exile, successfully captured the leadership of the movement which was initiated by the labour class. H owever, Mroue (159) observed that there was no coordinated attacks on the capitalism system by the strike comittees. Also, to ntoe that there was not much coordination observed with the institutions of the civil society. This was the gap which was filled by the religious bodies, which held a previlidged status in the Iranian society whereas other forces were shattered. Role of Islamic Clergy in the Revolution Fading of the ancient traditions of life and the growth of capitalism introduced several reactions both within

IRAC Brief and Torts Scenario Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IRAC Brief and Torts Scenario - Coursework Example ly based on the flooding associated with Sandy.† (Butts, 2015) The rule used in deciding the case was from the Executive Order 165 and Order 163 while the insurance policy acted as the agreement document. The plaintiff’s insurance cover excluded the case of losses or damages that were caused indirectly or directly by the floods. It covered only the losses or damages that were caused â€Å"by order of a civil authority as a direct result of a Covered Cause of Loss to property in the immediate area.† (Butts, 2015) Bamundo, Zwal and Schermerhorn main cause of loss was Sandy storm which is a flooding condition. The evacuation was, therefore, not a cause of loss to the plaintiff’s but a precautionary act to avoid further loss. In case, the civil authority acted out of no natural forces to evacuate the plaintiff’s then the case’s verdict would have favored them. The major cause of the loss to the plaintiff is the floods conditions, therefore, the insurance company are not suppose to compensate the plaintiff. The civil authority evacuation order was a precautionary act that whose cause was the flooding condition. The judge’s ruling is right and the facts and arguments that are provided are reasonable and make sense. Personal property is a property that is movable contrary to real estate or real property. In common law it can be referred to as personalty or chattels while in civil law it is called movables or immovable property. It can be classified in the form of tangibles and intangibles, whereby, the tangibles include clothing, furniture and jewelry while intangibles include negotiable instruments and securities (Burke & Snoe, 2008). Real property is a kind of property attached to land directly and includes the land itself (Burke & Snoe, 2008). It includes buildings, other structures, interests and rights. The real property can be categorized as either residential or rental. Intellectual property is a broad group of intangibles that have a company as

Main Messages Conveyed to the Indians by Clarks Address Essay - 2

Main Messages Conveyed to the Indians by Clarks Address - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the language Clark uses in addressing the Indians is significant. He refers to them as â€Å"children†. This was done to establish a position of authority over them. He indicates that the Great Chief would take care of them, just like a father would care for his child, but only if they are obedient to the Great Chief. In modern times, this type of speech would be considered very demeaning if directed from one culture to another. In defense of Clark, he probably was mimicking the type of speech he thought the Indians would understand and react to in a positive manner. The researcher states that some of the Indians probably did react in a positive way to Clark’s message. The lure of more luxury items and better housing would have been a great incentive for some Indians. But other Indians would have been resistant to the message. Not all Indian cultures were the same. Some place a greater value on acts of bravery and warfare t han on having luxury items. They would have probably rejected the offer to visit with the Great Chief. President Jackson justifies the removal of the Cherokee Nation to the lands west of the Mississippi River in several ways. He argues that this removal will be good for the United States and the Cherokee Nation. It will be good for the Cherokee Nation because it will allow them to be free of the control of the states. They will be removed to lands that they can inhabit and call their own. They will be able to run their own governments, practice their own traditional religion and preserve their culture from destruction by the white man. He also argues that the Indians will benefit because the government is going to pay for the entire cost of their resettlement. He goes on to state that through philanthropy, the United States had attempted to help their tribes, but they would not respond to the help.

Relationship between Infant-Directed Speech and Word Segmentation Research Paper - 1

Relationship between Infant-Directed Speech and Word Segmentation - Research Paper Example The writer will  analyze different aspects of both concepts, and provide appropriate conclusions on their relationship. Also known as caretaker speech, and informally as â€Å"mommy talk,† IDS is a central aspect of child development. Contrary to popular opinion, its influence is not restricted to language development alone. IDS also considerably improves the cognitive abilities of infants by encouraging them to use their senses and practice functions like grasping and holding (Aitchison, 1996:26). In the language development aspect, word segmentation is the dimension that attracts the most interest from researchers regarding IDS. Infants’ ability to segment words develops variable and is influenced by a number of factors. However, IDS has so far been linked with many features of word dimension, such as recognition of repetitive words and comprehension of new words and phrases. When parents and minders talk to infants, they indoctrinate them in their dialect. They int roduce them to novel phrases and terms that they will, inevitably, learn as they grow. However, research seems to show that depending on how early they are exposed to IDS, children can exhibit extremely contrasting proficiencies in language development and speech (Fabbro, 1999:46). Parents who involve their children in IDS as much as possible have reported better language and speech development, as well as refined cognitive abilities. According to Harley (2013:48), the impact of IDS on word segmentation can be better explained when we consider that it is relatively easy to manipulate the cognitive abilities of infants and children. Infants, specifically, adapt to new environments and habits depending on the extent and frequency with which they are exposed to them. For example, we can consider the dialects used by different parents when communicating with their children to show how IDS affects word segmentation.

Personal skills and self-management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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The Impact of Diversity & Inclusion on Organizational Effectiveness in Research Paper

The Impact of Diversity & Inclusion on Organizational Effectiveness in the United States - Research Paper Example Avon, the company meant for women, is a well-renowned international beauty-products company, reporting of the excess of $11 billion in revenue per annum. Avon markets its products in more than 134 nations and is the globe’s largest direct seller as it markets its products through its about â€Å"6.4 million autonomous Avon sales agents†. Avon Products includes home and fashion products and beauty and cosmetic products. Avon Products, Inc is a U.S. based company and is the globe’s leading direct seller of cosmetic and beauty products, has initiated diversity and inclusion program as early as in the 1970s. Avon supported three minority communities in U.S.A such as Asians, African-Americans, and Hispanics’ networks that interconnect AVON minority networks in all the fifty states. Each network selects its top leaders, senior management will appoint an advisor and will induct representatives on the company’s Multicultural Participation Council, to which the feedback from the management is given about perspectives of employees on issues relating to diversities. Avon’s strong support to diversity and inclusion is duly recognized, and it was one of the top ten companies listed by Business Ethics magazine published from Minneapolis as â€Å"100 Best Corporate Citizens† and well admired by Fortune magazine as one the U.S.A’s most esteemed companies. Avon’s chairperson and CEO, Andrea Jung was named by Business Week Magazine as most powerful women among 50 nominations in 2009 and named as the best manager in the year 2002.

Relationship between Infant-Directed Speech and Word Segmentation Research Paper - 1

Relationship between Infant-Directed Speech and Word Segmentation - Research Paper Example The writer will  analyze different aspects of both concepts, and provide appropriate conclusions on their relationship. Also known as caretaker speech, and informally as â€Å"mommy talk,† IDS is a central aspect of child development. Contrary to popular opinion, its influence is not restricted to language development alone. IDS also considerably improves the cognitive abilities of infants by encouraging them to use their senses and practice functions like grasping and holding (Aitchison, 1996:26). In the language development aspect, word segmentation is the dimension that attracts the most interest from researchers regarding IDS. Infants’ ability to segment words develops variable and is influenced by a number of factors. However, IDS has so far been linked with many features of word dimension, such as recognition of repetitive words and comprehension of new words and phrases. When parents and minders talk to infants, they indoctrinate them in their dialect. They int roduce them to novel phrases and terms that they will, inevitably, learn as they grow. However, research seems to show that depending on how early they are exposed to IDS, children can exhibit extremely contrasting proficiencies in language development and speech (Fabbro, 1999:46). Parents who involve their children in IDS as much as possible have reported better language and speech development, as well as refined cognitive abilities. According to Harley (2013:48), the impact of IDS on word segmentation can be better explained when we consider that it is relatively easy to manipulate the cognitive abilities of infants and children. Infants, specifically, adapt to new environments and habits depending on the extent and frequency with which they are exposed to them. For example, we can consider the dialects used by different parents when communicating with their children to show how IDS affects word segmentation.

The Impact of Diversity & Inclusion on Organizational Effectiveness in Research Paper

The Impact of Diversity & Inclusion on Organizational Effectiveness in the United States - Research Paper Example Avon, the company meant for women, is a well-renowned international beauty-products company, reporting of the excess of $11 billion in revenue per annum. Avon markets its products in more than 134 nations and is the globe’s largest direct seller as it markets its products through its about â€Å"6.4 million autonomous Avon sales agents†. Avon Products includes home and fashion products and beauty and cosmetic products. Avon Products, Inc is a U.S. based company and is the globe’s leading direct seller of cosmetic and beauty products, has initiated diversity and inclusion program as early as in the 1970s. Avon supported three minority communities in U.S.A such as Asians, African-Americans, and Hispanics’ networks that interconnect AVON minority networks in all the fifty states. Each network selects its top leaders, senior management will appoint an advisor and will induct representatives on the company’s Multicultural Participation Council, to which the feedback from the management is given about perspectives of employees on issues relating to diversities. Avon’s strong support to diversity and inclusion is duly recognized, and it was one of the top ten companies listed by Business Ethics magazine published from Minneapolis as â€Å"100 Best Corporate Citizens† and well admired by Fortune magazine as one the U.S.A’s most esteemed companies. Avon’s chairperson and CEO, Andrea Jung was named by Business Week Magazine as most powerful women among 50 nominations in 2009 and named as the best manager in the year 2002.

Hospitality Foundation Essay Example for Free

Hospitality Foundation Essay Introduction The following report looks closely at someone working in the hospitality industry. The aim is to analyse their job. My research will be carried out by undertaking an interview, asking for a job description and visiting the place of work. I will then come to a conclusion in which I will analyse any shortfalls that may occur. Recommendations will then be made to improve the job performance of the individual. Method An interview with an employee of Ramada-Jarvis Hotel and Resort, Maidstone was carried out. His job title is Breakfast attendant, but he is basically a waiter. His Personnel Manager was emailed to ask for a job description and to establish what his responsibilities are. Information from the hotels website was also used. In order to fully analyse his job fully, the following areas were concentrated on: The working environment, the type of operation, opening hours, shift patterns etc the person being interviewed is contracted to work The duties and responsibilities The technical and professional skills needed to be effective The personal and social skills needed to be effective What motivates the individual Their expected career path (if any) Findings The working environment, the type of operation, opening hours, shift patterns etc the person being interviewed is contracted to work Working environment: Ramada-Jarvis Hotel and Resort in Maidstone is set in 20 acres of parkland in the heart of Kent adjacent to Leeds Castle, the reasonably modern hotel offers easy access to Maidstone and Kent, The Garden of England. Ricks Restaurant the section in which he works can get particularly busy between 8 and 10 in the morning, this provides a noisy and busy working environment. Type of operation: Restaurant sub-section of Hotel and Resort Opening hours: Sunday- Saturday: 7:00am 10:00pm Shift pattern: Shift pattern varies due to the fact that he only works part-time during school, but full-time in school holidays. During school when he works part time his shifts tend to be Saturday and Sunday from 7am 12pm. During school holidays he works 5 days a week from 6am 12pm. He has to look on a shift board in case of any changes. The duties and responsibilities His duties and responsibilities change every shift. Sometimes he will be responsible for the clearing and laying of tables and serving of tea, coffee and toast, but sometimes he will be responsible for the restocking during breakfast and clearing after breakfast of the breakfast buffet. He will also be given one designated job at the end of his shift. This can be setting up for lunch, cleaning glasses, plates and glasses, or cleaning floors and the fridge. The technical and professional skills needed to be effective Technical skills needed are very basic in terms of service at Breakfast due to the style of service being a self-service buffet. The clearing of tables and relaying was probably the only skills you could loosely call technical considering that has to have those skills to do the job, although these are trained in after employees start. Professional skills refer to the way in which standards are achieved and the slick performance of duties, clearly one can only become professional at something if you have been doing it consistantly for a period of time without fault. The personal and social skills needed to be effective Personal and social skills are by far the most important in this type of role. Personally he has to approach the job with the correct positive, friendly attitude in order to be accepted by the team and be able to approach the guests. Socially he has to be a good communicator, listener and team player in order to be able to do the job. What motivates the individual The obvious incentive of money would be the main motivation, although his pay is not that high at à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.85 per hour. He also finds that working as a part of a team motivates him, as he gets on well with all his colleagues. Expected career path He is expecting to leave this job and do a degree in Hotel Management in order to become a manager in a hotel. However he will be using his job as invaluable experience. Conclusion The individual has all the necessary skills required to carry out all his duties and responsibilities inherent within the job, his performance is therefore satisfactory. As he is only working part-time to aid his personal finances, his motives to be an effective employee in the organisation are not very strong. This is where some shortfalls may lie. Apart from the risk of being sacked from his job, he has no other reason to perform his job to the best of his ability. He may not use other skills exceeding his job requirements that could make him shine above fellow employees. Some of the skills required need training, such as the laying of tables and using the till. If this is carried out then the employee will feel more comfortable in their position and be able to perform their job more effectively, which will in turn lead to more customer satisfaction. The shift patterns of the individual are likely to have an effect on their performance. For example, if they are working unsociable hours or very long shifts, then their standards are likely to drop without a pay rise. Another shortfall that I found was that the hours that were given to the individual did not always suit him. Recommendations Motives of the employee are a key factor in how well they perform their job. As money is the main motive of this individual, rewards could be given to motivate the employees further. For example, bonuses could be given for a consistantly high standard of work. If there was more discussion between the employee and the management, more appropriate hours could be given to the employee. It is important that the hotel make working for them as enjoyable as possible. As if the employees have job satisfaction they will do a better job. The hotel could offer such rewards as discount breaks to other hotels in the chain in order to encourage the employee to acquire a loyalty to the company.

Impact of Leadership Development in Healthcare

Impact of Leadership Development in Healthcare A crucial factor dominating health organisations in NSW, Australia and the world has been identified as patient safety and quality of care. Literature indicates that in order to achieve these objectives, there is need for effective clinical leadership to occur. This essay will discuss and analyse the impact of leadership development, with a focus on transformational leadership and related matters, on both the individual and health care. To understand how and why leadership in health care emerged as a necessity to avoid failure in health care, it is important to consider the Garling Report (2008) and the Mid Staffordshire Report (2013), of which both provided a multitude of recommendations for NSW and British public hospitals, following an inquiry into their systems after a number of high profile incidents which brought into question patient safety and quality of care. Garling SC (2008) and Francis QC (2013) both identified that in order to overcome these endemic issues, it is necessary to make a widespread cultural change within the public hospital system and as part of that process, it is imperative to engage frontline clinicians in ongoing leadership education and training. Garling SC (2008) also indicated the need to reform and redesign traditional leadership models in order to improve the delivery of health care, which is increasingly reliant on effective clinical leadership at all levels. Focus should be on creating an inter-disciplinary team approach to patient care, which according to evidence, produces the greatest possible outcomes (Garling SC 2008). This aims to continuously provide the best level of patient-based care and patient safety. Having considered why effective leadership emerged as a necessity, it is important to review the concept of leadership. It is an interactive relationship between the leader and followers (Kouzes and Posner 2012). For a culture shift towards a patient based care model to occur, leaders must effectively define, communicate and guide the vision for the organisation in order to ensure engagement at all levels Frampton et al. (as cited in Cliff 2012, p381). Effective leadership is vital for inspiring, engaging and motivating others to achieve greatness. Govier and Nash (2009), highlight that is through having a shared vision that moves people towards achieving the necessary common goal of providing safe and high quality health care, that leadership can occur at all levels. Covey 2006 (as cited in Govier and Nash 2009), indicated that in order to increase the effectiveness of management, leadership needs to come first. This therefore indicates the need for management and frontline clinicians to work together to tackle the many challenges that exist within health care. Furthermore, this is indicated by Vaill 1996 (as cited in Govier and Nash 2009) who argued that there is always a need for management in order to effectively run everyday procedures, however successful handling of the constant changes and instability, begins with effective leadership. As Kouzes and Posner (2012) suggest, to achieve this success, effective leaders must employ their Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership, including; Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act and Encourage the Heart. This incorporates leading by example, inspiring others through shared desires, making changes through risk taking and challenging oneself, whilst promoting an environment where team work, mutual respect and trust is exercised and where successes are celebrated. Personal experience suggests that through the variety of courses and workshops now offered via NSW health, the necessary ongoing education in leadership is occurring. As Health Workforce Australia (2013, p.4) prominently state ‘capable leadership, governance, and management are cornerstones of successful efforts to improve the quality of lives and to achieve the maximum impact from health investments’. Having worked the past three years within a team leader role in Occupational Therapy, continuous education has enabled successful running of a strong, caring, hard-working, energetic team, whose primary focus is on patient care and safety. After all, these are the core values of Occupational Therapy practice. Literature supports the ongoing education of leaders, as Kouzes and Posner (2012) state, leadership is a skill set obtainable by anyone. This is also consistent with Health Workforce Australia (2013) who highlights in their LEADS framework, that in order for successful improvement to occur and endure the ever-changing health care system, specific knowledge and skills are required to become an effective leader. As Covey 2006 (as cited in Govier and Nash 2009) emphasised, by employing a solid foundation of core values, incorporating trust, contribution, dignity, empowerment and growth, the ability to react and adjust appropriately to these changes is possible. Garling SC (2012) emphasises that by creating individual clinical leaders throughout the health care system, patient safety and quality health care will be continuously achieved. It is through the reflection, ongoing development and improvement of one’s self, that enables this leadership to begin occur (Kousez and Posner 2012; Health Workforce Australia 2013). Health Workforce Australia (2013) have created a model which encompasses the concepts of the transformational leadership theory whereby, once self-awareness and personal development is achieved, individual leaders within the organisation are able to engage others by sharing values, communicating openly and honestly, supporting other team members in growing and developing to continue to strengthen as a department, team and organisation. From here, leaders will work closely with colleagues and patients to ascertain, guide and set achievable goals that realise the shared vision. They will continue to evaluate outcomes, cele brating successes along the way. An environment fostering the awareness and need for positive changes will be promoted and encouraged, this in turn will continue to inspire others to achieve positive outcomes and best possible care for patients. The results of a study by Wylie and Gallagher (2009) around transformational leadership behaviours in allied health professionals revealed that one of the most significant influences on self-reported leadership behaviours is that of leadership training. Those who received training within the leadership area were able to score a significantly higher aggregated transformational leadership score, compared with those allied health professionals who had not. These results correspond with the findings of Kouzes and Posner (as cited in Wylie and Gallagher 2009), found that transformational leadership and self-awareness are more evident those who received leadership training. To best rise to the challenge and meet the recommendations of both inquiries, there is the need for implementation of not only leadership, but more specifically transformational leadership. This because, although over time there have been many other leadership theories, they have generally concentrated on what an effective leader is, rather than how to effectively lead (Armandi et al. 2003). Transformational leadership embodies the principles that are able to combat the instability and constantly changing environment in hospitals. Research by Halter and Bass (as cited in Armandi et al. 2003, p. 1079) and Weberg (2010), indicated that when transformational leadership is implemented within the health care setting, there is a positive impact on staff retention, job satisfaction, loyalty, burnout rates and overall staff well-being. From experience, this positive impact results in safer, improved patient care. This is supported in the article by Govier and Nash (2009), who reported that in large organisations such hospitals, there are increased levels of pressure on frontline staff to produce quality work and outcomes. If this occurs, stress levels and reduced performance also occurs and this leads to the potential harm of those being cared for. If leaders empower frontline clinicians and place ownership of care in their hands, then health care can be transformed from the bottom up, rather than top down, therefore meeting the recommendation of Garling SC (2008). Having previously worked closely with a manager and mentor, who embodied transformational leadership principles, had open, honest communication, trust and respect for all staff, this enabled both personal and professional growth, as well as positive development as a clinician and leader. As the article by Rolfe (2011) indicates, transformational leadership is a cyclical process whereby leaders empower their followers, which in turn fosters the growth and development of these followers into leaders themselves. Having experienced this first hand, it is safe to say that this enabled better leadership of the inpatient Occupational Therapy team, empowering and inspiring them to achieve positive improvements in patient care. Stepping into a team leader role three years ago was an enormous challenge. After gaining insight into recent times and history of the Occupational Therapy department, it was clear that instability, uncertainty and low morale had taken over. There had been a multitude of changes both within the hospital and wider organisation as well as within the department itself. Facing the challenge head on was the only way to make significant improvements. By closely building relationships with the individual team members and gaining an understanding into their driving forces, trust and mutual respect began to emerge. Through the implementation of a weekly inpatient team meeting, a structured environment was created to facilitate open communication and allow the discussion of complex cases and individual issues together in order to increase knowledge and solve problems as a team. This further instilled a sense of trust and confidence by showing commitment to self and the organisation, demonstrating strong open, honest communication skills and being supportive with a mentorship approach, with the main purpose of ensuring best possible care for patients. As Kouzes and Posner (2012) state that when a relationship is built on mutual respect and confidence, the greatest of difficulties can be overcome and a lasting impact remains. This is supported in the article by Govier and Nash (2009), who emphasise the importance of being a proactive leader, by solving problems with a positive approach, rather than reporting problems whilst others resolve them. They go on to say that leadership is then seen as a choice rather than a position and will therefore be focussed on ensuring that things get done in a positive way, therefore enhancing patient care. Based on experience with clinical supervision with junior staff, the traits of transformational leadership are also carried out. Regular supervision sessions with staff have enabled growth within the leadership area as well. It has enabled ongoing education and knowledge to be imparted on staff through discussion of their practices on the ward, with attention to solving complex issues and cases. Through the method of asking reflective, open-ended questions, it has empowered the team to review their own values and performance, which has resulted in an increase in staff engagement and a stronger sense of purpose, as a direct result of a leader investing in them. Evidence supports this, for instance Porter-O’Grady and Malloch (as cited in Weberg 2010 p. 246), report that transformational leaders are not only inspiring, however also assist their staff or followers to solve problems by assisting them to be aware of issues and develop the necessary means to overcome their difficulti es. Transformational leadership looks at the relationship between the leader and followers and states that when followers are able to have input into a team or organisational vision, there is an increase in their sense of value and hence this relationship is improved (Rolfe 2011, p. 55). From personal experience as a trained Essentials of Care facilitator, this is accurate. The process involved being trained in working with frontline staff to make the necessary changes to improve patient-based care. Through working closely with multi-disciplinary staff to review their personal and professional values, a shared values statement emerged. It is through this shared value and vision, that staff became empowered to start making frontline changes to improve patient care. Daft (as cited in Rolfe 2011, p. 55) stated that when staff feel empowered and have a sense of purpose, then the workplace environment becomes more positive, with increased motivation and job satisfaction. This then has a direc t impact on quality of patient-based care. From personal experience, being the representative for Occupational Therapy on the hospital falls advisory committee has demonstrated such leadership characteristics as leading by example and being a role model for other members of the department. This committee focusses directly on patient care and is comprised of a multi-disciplinary team who guide and lead the hospital in falls prevention best practice. It is through teamwork and shared leadership and expertise that successes are generated (Ward as cited in Rolfe 2011, p. 56). In summary, it can be seen that in order to achieve and maintain best possible patient-based care and safety, leadership must be developed throughout all areas of health care, focussing on frontline clinicians. It is through ongoing investment in training and education in the field of leadership that this can be accomplished. Through learning and practicing transformational leadership, staff at all levels are empowered, motivated and inspired to provide the best possible care for patients. This in turn has a positive impact, which affects individual staff, teams and organisations within health care and as a result, the quality of patient care. REFERENCE LIST Armandi, B, Oppedisano, J, Sherman, H 2003, ‘Leadership theory and practice: a â€Å"case† in point’, Management Decision, vol. 41, pp. 1076-1088. Cliff, B 2012, ‘Patient-Centered Care: The role of healthcare leadership’, Journal of Healthcare Management Nov/Dec, p. 381-383. Garling SC, P 2008, Final Report of the special commission of inquiry: Acute care services in NSW public hospitals, Overview, prepared for State of NSW, through the special commission of inquiry, NSW. Govier, I Nash, S 2009, ‘Examining transformational approaches to effective leadership in healthcare settings’, Nursing Times, vol. 105, no. 18, viewed 29 March 2014, http://www.nursingtimes.net Health Workforce Australia 2013, Health LEADS Australia: the Australian health leadership framework, Health Workforce Australia, Adelaide, SA. Kouzes, JM Posner, BZ 2012, The leadership challenge: how to make extraordinary things happen in organisations, 5th edn, Jossey-Bass, San Fransisco, CA. Rolfe, P 2011, ‘Transformational Leadership Theory: What every leader needs to know’, Nurse Leader, April, p. 54-57, viewed 29 March 2014, http://www.nurseleader.com Weberg, D 2010, ‘Transformational leadership and staff retention: An evidence review with implications for healthcare systems’, Nursing Administration Quarterly, vol. 34, pp. 246-258. Wylie, DA Gallagher, HL 2009, ‘Transformational leadership behaviors in allied health professionals’, Journal of Allied Health, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 65-73. Frances QC, R 2013, ‘Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry Report: Executive Summary’, Crown, The Stationery Office Limited, UK.