Modern Short Story Essay

Modern Short Story Essay Early 20th Century authors often wrote about the strange things and discrepancies found in society and used irony to criticize them. Katherine Mansfield’s â€Å"A Cup of Tea† and Virginia Woolf’s â€Å"The Duchess and the Jeweller† both use irony to condemn and show inconsistencies in social classes. The short stories demonstrated how being upper class or rich doesn’t necessarily mean you are secure, generous or a good person. A main topic found in the two stories is that money can’t buy someone self esteem if they never had it.Both main characters seem to have everything but use material things to fill their insecurity and neither of them have what they really want. The Jeweller had become very wealthy and admired. He was envied by every man he encountered yet inside the Jeweller still felt inferior and as though â€Å"†¦he was a little boy in the alley where they sold dogs on Sunday. † (Woolf 6) At the e nd of the story the Jeweller sits back and thinks of how he was tricked and is the same fool he will always be.In â€Å"A Cup of Tea† Rosemary is â€Å"[A] young, brilliant, extremely modern, exquisitely well dressed, amazingly well read in the newest of the new books,† (Mansfield 1) woman. The only thing Rosemary lacks is physical appearance. She was not the best looking female and unfortunately that flaw bothered her and was one of the reasons she was so insecure. Rosemary is also rich and able to purchase anything she wanted. The only thing Rosemary couldn’t purchase was self esteem and this showed at the end of the story when she asks Phillip the simple question of â€Å"‘Am I pretty? † (Mansfield 8) Both stories show how the main characters satisfy their selfish needs instead of just doing the right thing. The Jeweller is an experienced and successful jeweler and knows he should make sure the pearls presented to him to purchase are authentic. T he Jeweller didn’t see what he was losing, â€Å"†¦he saw not the houses in Bond Street, but a dimpling river; and trout rising and salmon; and the Prime Minister; and himself too, in white waistcoat; and then, Diana. He looked down at the pearl in his hand.But how could he test it, in the light of the river, in the light of the eyes of Diana? But the eyes of the Duchess were on him. † (Woolf 6) Once he believes will get Diana and pictures himself as royalty, he quickly buys the pearls without testing them to fill his own selfish desires. As a result, he is tricked. In the other story Rosemary wants to bring home the little girl so she can show her off and play with her like a little toy doll to keep to herself. Instead of just helping the poor girl by giving her money, Rosemary thinks of her own selfish desires.When deciding whether or not to bring home the nameless girl Rosemary thinks â€Å"†¦such an adventure. It was something out of a novel by Dostoevsk y, this meeting in the dusk. Supposing she took the girl home? Supposing she did do one of these things she was always reading about or seeing on the stage, what would happen? It would be thrilling. And she heard herself saying afterwards to the amazement of her friends: ‘I simply took her home with me,’ as she stepped forward and said to that dim person beside her: ‘Come home to tea with me. †(Mansfield 3) Rosemary thought this would be her chance to impress her friends and show how much of a good woman she was. One final similarity found in the two stories is the demonstration of the upper wealthy class behaving immorally and manipulative. In the Duchess and the Jeweller the Duchess uses manipulation to cheat the Jeweller and get what she desires. The Duchess enters the Jeweller’s store claiming that she only has ten pearls, she states on page 4 that those ten pearls are â€Å"‘All that’s left me, dear Mr. Bacon,’† (Woolf 4).Not only was the Duchess able to guilt the Jeweller into getting she wanted she made him believe he was getting rewarded with the gift of spending a long weekend with her daughter and becoming part of royalty class. In â€Å"A Cup of Tea† Phillip was able to manipulate his wife Rosemary by aiming at her weak spot, which was her insecurity. Phillip believes that Rosemary bringing home the little girl is not amusing and an absurd thing to do. To trick Rosemary into getting the little girl to not stay for dinner Phillip attacks very sneakily.Phillip simply states â€Å"‘Good Lord! ’ Phillip struck a match. ‘She’s absolutely lovely. Look again, my child. I was bowled over when I came into your room just now. However†¦ I think you’re making a ghastly mistake. Sorry, darling, if I’m cruse and all that. But let me know if Miss Smith is going to dine with us in time for me to look up The Milliner’s Gazette’. † (Mans field 7) As soon as Phillip tells Rosemary all these things about the little girl Rosemary is came over by jealousy and wishes the little girl to leave.So not only does Phillip manipulate Rosemary but she then allows her own jealously to overcome her desire to help the poor girl. In conclusion, the two stories both successfully used irony to point out the how the upper class can be envied by all but still be insecure. They both exhibited main characters who are wealthy and seem to have it all but can still behave selfishly and when they do it can backfire with opposite results then they desired. The last realization is that even the highly regarded upper class can behave immorally and manipulate others.

8 mile film analysis Essay

The 2009 film, 8 Mile, parallels the true life story of multi-platinum artist, Eminem. Directed by Curtis Hanson, the film takes place in 1995, a time where hip-hop music was growing and Detroit, Michigan had hit an all time low. Eminem (formally referred to as Marshall Mathers) plays Jimmy, a wannabe rapper from the poor side of Detroit and stars like Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger, and Mekhi Phifer all play key roles in the film. The film follows the lyrically talented Jimmy, also known as Rabbit by his friends, and his struggle to become a white rapper in a predominately black field. He also struggles with dealing with his alcoholic mother, poor social status, and his rival gang who call themselves â€Å"The Free World† (8 Mile, Wikipedia.com). The film effectively portrays the rap competition in Detroit and Jimmy’s fight to be on top. 8 Mile’s urban tale raises questions about stereotypes, class separation, and segregation, while gaining the viewers respect fo r hip-hop music and successfully developing characters and using real life matters to reproduce a true story. The film begins with Jimmy Smith (Eminem), a young and unhappy blue-collar worker from a poor family, struggling with different aspects of his life. He has moved back north of 8 Mile Road to the rundown trailer home in Detroit, Michigan of his alcoholic mother, Stephanie (Kim Basinger), his little sister Lily (Chloe Greenfield), and Stephanie’s abusive live-in boyfriend Greg (Michael Shannon). Jimmy is focused on getting his music career started, but he seems unable to catch a break. Jimmy comes to realize that his life has remained largely the same since he graduated high school. (â€Å"8 Mile†, rottentomatoes.com) At first, he considers himself a victim of his circumstances and blames others for his problems. Over time, though, Jimmy begins to take more responsibility for the direction of his life. His newly established relationship with Alex (played by Brittany Murphy) ends when Jimmy walks in on his friend Wink (Eugene Byrd) having sex with her. Jimmy beats up Wink, which later causes Wink to join forces with Jimmy’s enemies, a gang of rappers known as the Leaders of the Free World. Later, Wink and the Free World gang jump him outside of his mother’s trailer, but when one member pulls a gun on Jimmy, Wink stops him and they leave. Jimmy’s friends have hailed him throughout the film as an incredible rapper, and his friend Future (Mekhi Phifer) puts pressure on Jimmy to get his revenge by competing against the Leaders of the Free World at the next rap battle. (â€Å"8 Mile†, wikipedia.com) The battle acts as a â€Å"final conflict† with the Leaders of the Free World gang who have harassed Jimmy throughout the film. It has three rounds, and in each of them Jimmy confronts a member of the gang. Jimmy wins both of the first two rounds and in the last round, he is paired against Papa Doc (Anthony Mackie), the tournament’s most feared battler and Jimmy’s main antagonist throughout the film. Jimmy is aware that Doc knows all his weak points, so he decides to address them with his freestyle. Jimmy acknowledges without shame his lower-class white trash roots and the humiliations the Free World gang have inflicted on him, and then uses the difficult life he has had as basis to reveal the truth about Papa Doc. With little to say in rebuttal, Papa Doc gives the microphone back to Future and Jimmy wins the battle. As Jimmy leaves the venue, Future suggests that he stay and celebrate his victory while also offering a position that would allow him to host battles at The Shelter. Jimmy turns him down, claiming he has to get back to work and to find success his own way. He then starts walking back to work, feeling more confident about his future. (â€Å"8 Mile†, wikipedia.com) The movie is titled after a main street in Michigan, 8 Mile road. 8 Mile Road has carried major cultural significance; it has served as a physical and cultural dividing line between the wealthier, predominantly white northern suburbs of Detroit and the poorer, predominantly black city (â€Å"Michiga n highway†). The road plays a major part in the film and is the reason for the two different rap crews. One rap group, â€Å"Three One-Third† is the one that Jimmy and his friends, Dr. Iz, Cheddar Bob, Future and Sol are a part of. Their group name is a representation of the slums they live in, with their area code being 313. Most of them are black, have old cars and live in run down homes. Jimmy lives in a trailer park with his alcoholic mother, and is often stereotyped as â€Å"white trash†. Throughout the movie the characters reference the road to one another aware of its cultural meaning. Jimmy raps about it repeating in one of his freestyles, repeating, â€Å"Everybody from the 313 put your motherf***ing hands up and follow me† (â€Å"The 10 Most Memorable Rap Lines From ‘8 Mile†) He also raps; â€Å"I’m gonna turn around with a great smile, and walk my white ass back across 8 Mile† (â€Å"8 mile lyrics†). The Free World, the second group in the film, lives on the northern side of 8 Mile. They are part of a middle class Detroit and their crew includes Papa Doc, Wink, Lyckity Splyt, and Lotto. They own guns, dress better, and have more control over the Detroit area due to their higher social status. They have the upper hand in the hip-hop â€Å"game† and are convinced they have the better connections and are gonna make it before Rabbit does. Papa Doc even owns an Escalade in which they all pull up in when going to beat up Rabbit, proving they are the antagonist in the film. 8 Mile is not only the title of the film but also the racial boundary that sets imaginary lines in class separation in the movie and in Detroit today. The notorious road is not the only racial dispute in the film. Rabbit struggles multiple times throughout the movie simply because he is white. In the opening scene, you see Rabbit in a club bathroom preparing to rap battle. As he leaves the bathroom he passes the bouncer to proceed backstage. He quickly gets stopped by the bouncer and the large black man asks â€Å"Where the hell do you think you’re going?† Rabbit looks startled and begins to argue, claiming that the bouncer had just seen him leave to go the bathroom. When the bouncer replies, â€Å"I didn’t see nothin’† Rabbit gets worked up and screams â€Å"Man, you just fuckin’ seen me! I just went to the bathroom!† He continues to fight with the bouncer and is not let in until his black friend, Future, who is respected in the Detroit area, grabs him and lets the bouncer know that â€Å"he’s cool†. (â€Å"8 mile†, imbd.com) When Rabbit goes to rap, the camera focuses on him, then on the crowd where viewers take a mental note of the all black mob he is about to rap to. When the camera focuses back Rabbit, he looks nervous, chokes and walks off stage. This scene really portrays how difficult it is for Rabbit to overcome his disadvantage of being white in, what it seems to be, an all black competition. The opening scene makes Rabbit seem like a scared white boy, fearful of the judgement of the blacks, but as the movie continues, Rabbits character grows and becomes less afraid. Not only do you see Rab bit becoming less fearful, but he also reveals his soft spot for children. After Rabbit flees from the rap battle, he goes back  to live with his mother since he recently broke up with his girlfriend whom he lived with. Once he meets his mother’s new boyfriend, they get into a verbal argument where Jimmy throws a beer bottle at him. The argument wakes up Jimmy’s little sister, Lily. Once Lily comes out, even the tone of Rabbit’s voice changes. He becomes higher pitched and looks at her with a softness in his eyes, and when requested to sing her to sleep, he does so, singing to her a song he comes up with on the spot. This scene illustrates the complexity of Jimmy’s character and shows that he is more than just a ‘white trash rapper’. Another key moment in the film that shows Rabbit growing as a person is a work scene. When Rabbit’s car breaks down, he’s late to work and upon questioning, Rabbit quickly says its not his fault. A few scenes later, when another on the job dispute happens, he stops himself from saying that it wasn’t his fault and assures his boss that it won’t happen again. The audience can realize that Rabbit is maturing and taking responsibility for his actions. Another intricate character is Rabbit’s friend, Dr. Iz. Although his do-rag and large clothing say otherwise, he is a complex character who often looks deeply into things. He says when looking around the city, â€Å"Man, do you know how many abandoned buildings we have in Detroit? I mean, how are you supposed to take pride in your neighborhood with shit like that next door? And does the city tear them down? No, they too busy building casinos and taking money from the people.† When his friends make it clear that they don’t care he says, â€Å"Did you care when that crackhead raped that little girl? You think that woulda’ happened if he didn’t have an abandoned house to take her to (â€Å"8 Mile Quotes†)?†. He convinces Rabbit to help them burn down the building by evoking feelings of sympathy and saying â€Å"It could have been Lily†. Jimmy’s quick urge to help shows the compassion that Jimmy has for his sister and how Dr. Iz and the friends who helped burn the house down believe in what’s right, have morals, and wanted to erase the memory of a helpless girl getting raped. The actors in the film act tremendously well. Eminems portrayal of Jimmy was simple for him to perform considering the character is based on himself. Although the raps are scripted, Eminem delivers them with such strength. The veins in his arm pop out as he raps and his eyes bulge out of his head, truly showing his passion for rap music. The way Kim Basinger takes the role  as an alcohol dependent and emotionally unstable is brilliant. She carries out her lines with a shaky, uncertain undertone that truly brings out how emotionally unsure she is. Brittany Murphy plays a seductive and sassy young adult seeking to be a model. She administers her lines with her head slightly down and her big eyes looking up. She shakes her head often and almost seems to be on drugs, but it works for her character. Overall, I think the acting was well done, but not too impressive considering the roles they played weren’t impossibly hard. The music choice in this film is another aspect to take note of. The song opens up with â€Å"The Shook Ones† by Mobb Deep. The famous line in the song, â€Å"Cause ain’t no such thing as a halfway crook† is played while Jimmy gets ready to rap, and in his final freestyle that line is used again, but by Jimmy this time. Whenever you see Jimmy coming up with lyrics, the instrumental beat comes on and only the words that he is rhyming are heard. While he is in the car with his friends, Biggie Small’s â€Å"Juicy† is playing. The song is an iconic tune that comes to mind when one thinks about rap music. I also believe it is foreshadowing that like Biggie, Jimmy will also become a legend in the hip-hop industry. When Rabbit is getting beat up by The Free World members, the song â€Å"Gang Stories† by South Central Cartel is playing which has a specific line â€Å"don’t be another sucker on my hit list† and Jimmy was definitely on th e Free World’s hit list. The music in the movie really adds on the the hip hop, gangster vibe of the film, and enhances its effectiveness to show what 1995 Detroit was like. Although the movie reviewing website, Rottentomatoes.com only rated the movie a 6.7/10, I would rate the film a 10. I believe that the actors were very into their characters and all of their roles were extremely believable. The scenery is not staged and was actually filmed right on 8 Mile, furthering the movies credibility. I also believe the music choice magnifies the movie’s energy. The film rids itself of subplots and complexities, making it a light film to watch, even though its urban and inner city settings weigh it down. I think people who rate it any lower than a seven out of ten lack an ability to see the artistic side of the film and expect it to be grander, when in reality the movie was not created with intent to  be criticized, or make millions. (â€Å"8 mile† chicagoreader.com). Rather, the film was created to give viewers a deeper insight into what Grammy award winning rapper, Eminem, had to overcome to become the amazing artist he is now and although som e may not have received a deeper understanding of the life of a wannabe rapper, I certainly did. Works Cited â€Å"8 Mile.† IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. â€Å"8 Mile (2002).† 8 Mile. N.p., 16 Feb. 2002. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . â€Å"8 Mile (film).† Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . â€Å"8 Mile .† Chicago Reader. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . â€Å"8 mile lyrics.† IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . â€Å"Eminem.† Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . â€Å"Full Cast & Crew.† IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . â€Å"8 Mile Quotes.† Quotefully – Browse Your Favorite TV Show and Movie Quotes.† Quotefully – Browse Your Favorite TV Show and Movie Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . â€Å"The 10 Most Memorable Rap Lines From ‘8 Mile’.† Vibe. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. .

Challenging Reality Essay

Challenging Reality Essay M.C. Escher: Challenging RealityM.C. Escher was a master of perspective. He challenged reality, and his critics minds. His artwork was considered to be highly mathematical, even though Escher never had any formal training in the math or sciences. Yet artists around the still world regard his work as great. Escher was able to manipulate geometry to create illusions that were often used to tell a story. In Day and Night and Ascending and Descending, Escher illustrated daily events and their meaning by using his artistic and mathematical techniques.In Day and Night, one of Eschers most acclaimed pieces, the idea of transformation from basic geometric shapes was used to depict a linking together of two separate events. In the center of the woodcut he began his design with a simple square which transformed into the farmland and geese. From these geese a city, in both the day and the night, emerged. The city in the day was a mirror image of the city at night that suggested the two events w ere inseparable. Day and Night was particularly special because Escher eliminated all negative space. Every inch of the paper was used to illustrate an event, which aided in the idea of day and night being one. Ascending and Descending is another well-known piece by Escher. This architectural drawing illustrated Eschers ability to create realistic designs, or did it? If the viewer took a closer look, he would see that Escher was once again playing with perspective to tell a story symbolically. To every person (monk) walking on the castles roof, there seemed to be an endless amount of stairs. Yet, these stairs were completely useless. These fictitious monks were either perpetually ascending or descending hence the title. This lithograph appeared to show the mundane and useless life that was lead by a monk in this time period. Once again Escher was able to symbolically show the life of a monk through his mathematical techniques. In contrast to both Day and Night and Ascending and Desc ending was a piece titled Grasshopper. This woodcut did not contain a symbolic message or tell a story of the grasshoppers life, but rather was a still life. Here Eschers realistic artistic ability shone. The detail that was carved into the woodcut was intense and very finely created, which proved, if not otherwise seen, that Escher could create extremely detailed and beautiful pieces of art that were completely realistic in form. Eschers use of intricate repeating patterns and mathematically complex structures created wonderful illusions for his viewers. However, he was able to depict realistic events with the same amount of mastery. MC Escher was, and will continue to be through his art, one of the great artists.

Wal-Mart operational management system and strategy Research Paper

Wal-Mart operational management system and strategy - Research Paper Example The paper tells that Wal-Mart currently maintains 120 distributions centers that service its 7,000 international stores. Wal-Mart’s investment in providing decentralized distribution networks provides the business with greater efficiency in terms of meeting delivery timelines and the ability to provide a more diverse assortment of domestic and international products. In terms of distribution, volume alone provides Wal-Mart with significant competitive advantage related to stock replenishment and strategic procurement opportunities. Wal-Mart’s main competitors, both domestic and international, include the discount retailers K-Mart, Target, Sears, Marks & Spencer, Macy’s and Zara. In the United States, Wal-Mart continues to outperform major competitors K-Mart and Sears due to its more efficient supply chain infrastructure. Sears’ is forced to put higher prices on its merchandise as Sears maintains higher overhead costs due to its centralized and rather limit ed distribution network. K-Mart is losing customer appeal due to its rather notorious neglect of the store sales environment and growing poor customer service. Wal-Mart, on the other hand, continues to devote considerable labor and financial investment into improving the aesthetics of its sales environments, backed by the significant capital and credit worthiness of this firm which rests on both domestic and foreign cash flow. Wal-Mart has also experienced significant efficiencies in its supply chain network by consolidating global procurement. In the 1990s, Wal-Mart maintained a variety of domestic and international procurement operations bases that contributed to high payroll investment. This decentralized global procurement system also limited its ability to create a streamlined procurement model while it focused on purchasing that was geographically-near its international customers. Today, however,

The impact of Brand Extension on Brand Personality. Caterpillar and Dissertation

The impact of Brand Extension on Brand Personality. Caterpillar and Burger King - Dissertation Example of Brand Extension of Burger King 34 Table 2: Success of Brand Extension of Caterpillar 35 Table 3: Model Summary of Burger King 36 Table 4: ANOVA and Coefficient Table of Burger King 36 Table 5: Model Summary of Caterpillar 37 Table 6: ANOVA and Coefficient Table of Caterpillar 38 Table 7: T-Test Table 39 Abstract This research investigates the impact of brand extension on the personality of a brand and for this purpose; two companies are selected to conduct this report. One of the companies is Caterpillar and the other is Burger King. This Impact of brand extension can be either negative or positive and this research test out the positive impact or negative impact of the brand extension of these two brands on their brand personality. The main objective of this research is to find the brand extension impact on the brand personality of Caterpillar and Burger King in such a way that each dimension of brand personality compared with the variable of brand extension. The approach that us ed in this research is Quantitative Approach and data is collected with the help of the Survey Questionnaire. The sample size of the research is 50 and respondents are selected from two areas of London that are Edgere and Wembley. The results are tested with the help of SPSS and Regression analysis. It is concluded from the result that the brand extension has a positive impact on the overall brand personality of the any company. The two companies taken in this research have a positive impact on their brand personality due to their brand extension. Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 Background The strategy in which companies bring in products to the marketplace, with which they can make use of an existing brand name, is called brand extension. Brand extension of an existing brand has possible... The paper tells that the strategy in which companies bring in products to the marketplace, with which they can make use of an existing brand name, is called brand extension. Brand extension of an existing brand has possible advantages based on customer awareness and opinions concerning the existing product that is sell under that particular brand name as evaluated to introduce a new brand name. Brand extension is a very important brand approach to make the most of the value of brand influence. Brand extensions and brand personalities have become the most essential research areas since 1990 in the field of brand management. We try to tell the effect of the interaction between brand personality and similarity on brand extension evaluations. The customer’s evaluation for the brand determines the success of that brand. The success of the brand is very unsure and unsuccessful brand extensions can harm the parent brand that results in the significant loss of brand equity. The use of well-known brand names for launching the new product is one of the most commonly in use brand strategies. The brand extensions that are successful, depends on the customers perception of fit or similarity between the new extension and the parent brand. The studies reveal the relations between the parent brands and the extension groups: factors that affect the parent brand will affect the extension as well. Similarly, factors that control the extension group will affect the parent brand. Customers-evaluating brand extensions may modify their core values about parent brands, which may lead to a stronger or weaker brand positioning

Is Trial by Jury an Efficient and Just System Essay

Is Trial by Jury an Efficient and Just System - Essay Example Const., amend. VII). Many states have considered the right to a trial by jury so important that it is written into state constitutions as well (Saks). It is, therefore, not an exaggeration to say that the right to a trial by jury is considered a fundamental right of the American legal and judicial system. A trial by jury has its roots in Great Britain, where juries were used to provide protection against the harsh judgments of those that were in the favor of the King, and therefore handed down relatively harsh judgments for relatively small crimes (Graham, 2009). That system has grown, from Britain, to the United States, where in 2006 an estimated 154,000 jury trials were held nationwide (Mize, Hannaford-Agor & Waters, 2007). However, this does not mean that the system itself is perfect; indeed, if incarcerated criminals were questioned, most would likely say that the judicial system had not done what they hoped it would do. Trials by jury take time to put together, and can be expens ive to everyone involved (VanKoppen, 2009). Trials by jury also have the benefits, however, of fairness and impartiality, the bigger availability of resources, and because juries do not have the same concerns over image or power as a judge does. For these reasons, a trial by jury is an efficient and just system in proving guilt or innocence. One reason that trial by jury is an efficient and just system is that juries are chosen based on their ability to be impartial and fair towards the one who stands accused. This is proven during the jury selection, when both lawyers ask questions and ensure that each person impaneled on the jury can be fair and impartial during the trial (Saks). Potential jurors that have a problem with certain sets of circumstances, such as racism or even possibly voting for the death penalty in capital cases are dismissed (Saks). In this way, fairness towards the accused is ensured. In contrast, a judge must go through no such procedure. The role of a judge was created for the very reason of protecting an accused (Graham, 2009). It is taken for granted that a judge will be impartial; even though the Constitution does not say that a judge must be, it is the right of every American to enjoy such a privilege at trial (Siegel, 2010). However, this is not always the way that the judicial system works. Corruption is not unknown, and judges have, in the past, been bought or bribed to render decisions. Consider Operation Greylord, a Federal probe that exposed widespread corruption in the Cook County, Illinois court system in 1983 (Bogira, 2005). Judges had been found to be extorting money from prosecution and defense lawyers, as well as taking money directly in exchange for certain verdicts (Bogira, 2005). Had a jury trial been the route taken, instead of the judge being able to be bribed, twelve people would have had to be bribed or replaced. While it is true that jury tampering can certainly occur, it stands to reason that it is much harder to tamper with and convince twelve people to vote a certain way, as opposed to one judge. Juries, whether they are made up of six

Medication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Medication - Assignment Example For patients with a history of stroke nursing considerations are needed since some interactions exist between Gentamicin and some prescriptions for stroke. Since Gentamicin causes a feeling of tightness in the chest, patients with pneumonia cannot get a prescription (Goodman, 2003). An individual currently under treatment of respiratory disease cannot sustain chest pains witnessed after intake. Patients with septicemia and pressure ulcer wounds are safe to use Gentamicin. Magnesium 140 is used to maintain adequate magnesium level in the body. Magnesium is an important mineral for the muscles and nerves. The drug is administered intravenously after every 12 hours. The common side effects include muscle cramps, mild diarrhea, upset stomach and depression. There are no strict considerations for patients with a history of stroke, pneumonia, septicemia and chronic respiratory disease. Magnesium 14o cannot be prescribed for a patient with pressure ulcer wound. Lidocaine 1% is a numbing med ication used as a local anesthetic. It functions by blocking nerve signals in the body. It is introduced to the body directly to the blood through an injection. It is given intravenously 2 to 3 minutes on an initial dose. The common side effects include drowsiness, shakiness and dizziness, a feeling of passing out and fast heart rate. It is not a safe prescription to a patient with a history of pneumonia and stroke. A patient with chronic respiratory disease and septicemia is safe to use this medication (Goodman, 2003). Tigeycline is the first in glyclycycline class of antibiotics. A broad-spectrum antibiotic works best for skin infections and intraabdominal infections. The dosage for this drug is 50mg intravenously for every 12 hours. The common side effects are vomiting, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Its prescription to patients with a history of stroke, pneumonia and currently being treated for chronic respiratory failure is not apt. This also applies to patients with septicemia and pressure ulcer wound. This is because the organisms in the antibiotics can cause more infections. Dakin solution is an antiseptic solution used to treat infected wounds it works as a solvent action on dead cells where it develops a separation of dead and alive cells. The solution is highly unstable, and it is administered instantly. It is used by dipping the entire wound surface in the solution (Goodman, 2003). It does not interact and counteractions with drugs prescribed for other diseases. Enoxaparin is a low molecular weight heparin drug used to stop blood clots. It is prescribed for preventing deep vein thrombosis. It works by preventing the formation of clots in blood by preventing the 12-clot developing proteins in the blood. It is administered through an injection intravenously. This is after a period of 12 hours. The common side effects associated with the solution are diarrhea, bleeding, nausea and fever. It has no clear considerations with septicemia. However, for pat ients with history of stroke, pneumonia and chronic respiratory disease, nursing considerations are necessary. Prescriptions for these diseases can interact and counter-interact with Enoxaparin. Carvedilol is a type of prescription medicine in the beta-blockers class. It is generally used to stabilize patients with heart complications. The common side effects of the drug include fatigue, slow heartbeat, low blood pressure and severe allergic reactions. Prescription to a patient with a history of

Final Test Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final Test - Essay Example The effect of this is that the reader does not receive a type of â€Å"whiplash† when dealing with the alternating topics that the author seeks to reveal. However, the general weakness of such an approach is the fact that the author does not have a broad enough subject matter in order to engage the reader with an undifferentiated narrative approach such as the one that has been employed without risking belaboring the point and losing the attention of the reader. Although the subject matter is nonetheless fascinating, it is difficult to hold on to the argumentative narrative with such a limited and shallow grip upon a narrow aspect of the subject matter. The third book, Sizwe's Test, employs a mixed style of argument that is concentric upon both rebuttal and definition. By means of employing such an approach, the author is able to engage the reader by raising key questions regarding the extent of the AIDs dilemma in S. Africa while at the same time offering a rebuttal for the m eans by which the disease is not able to be slowed or stopped to a greater degree. Rather than attempting to define the issue and argue for a given outcome, the author seeks to define the issue and then rebut the ways in which the disease has been currently handled. As a function of this, a far greater and more effective argument is drawn and the reader is able to gain valuable insight into the disease as it exists as well as attempting to understand nuances that would otherwise be obscured by much of the disinformation.

Orporate finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Orporate finance - Essay Example They also relaxed the stationarity assumptions of the random walk model. Fama (1970) continued the formalisation of the notion of "efficiency" in economic terms. He defined an efficient market as one "in which prices always 'fully reflect' available information". He also stated the conditions that would suffice for efficiency: "(i) there are no transactions costs in trading securities, (ii) all available information is costlessly available to all market participants, and (iii) all agree on the implications of current information for the current price and distributions of future prices of each security." Though adopting a statistical viewpoint, Fama (1970) differentiated information as "weak", "semi-strong" and "strong" forms. Later on, Rubinstein (1975), Beja (1976), Beaver (1981), and Latham (1986) adopted the framework of information economics where the definition is expressed in terms of the actions of individuals, as opposed to the actions of the market as defined by Fama (1970). Specifically, according to Beaver (1981): "A securities market is efficient with respect to a signal yt if and only if the configuration of security prices {Pjt} is the same as it would be in an otherwise identical economy (i.e. with an identical configuration of preferences and endowments) except that every individual receives yt as well as [that individual's own information]." Ray Ball (1994, p. 12-13) has a few criticisms of this school of thought. First, he argues that security prices in the "otherwise identical world" are ultimately priced using CAPM, which is implied by Fama's (1976) model. Secondly, he critiques that this model has confused properties of market with properties of information. Grossman (1976), Grossman and Stiglitz (1980) and Jordan (1983) associated "efficiency" with incentives to produce information. ACCOMPLISHMENTS First, the theory of stock market efficiency has developed prevalent respect for markets. Empirical evidence pointed to the efficiency of the stock markets, changing academic and even non-academic attitudes from suspicion to respect. Furthermore, the pioneer work on "efficiency" coincided with the surge in interest in and respect for markets in general among economists, and subsequently among politicians. The pioneer empirical work thus assumed importance and attracted interest beyond its direct impacts on stock markets. It led the global trend toward liberalising financial and other markets. The theory of stock market efficiency has also changed perceptions about how stock markets work. Before FFJR (1969)'s work, market reaction to information is viewed from a single point in chronological time to broad

Construction Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Construction Law - Essay Example In this case, the tender arrived on time, but lay in the letterbox, therefore it was deemed to be a valid offer. A unilateral contract would turn into a bilateral contract through a valid acceptance, signified by a performance of the stipulated terms within the offer. According to I.M. Wormser, the justification for fixing acceptance to a unilateral contract upon completed performance of the stipulated terms is based upon symmetry3. Therefore in terms of the tender, there is no obligation upon the offerer, neither is there any obligation upon the offeree unless and until the stipulated terms of the offer have been completed. An offeree need not perform the stipulated terms, in which case no contract exists. Therefore, the initial tender was sent to Widget by Dig-it Builders but when accepted by Widget, did not yet constitute a formal contract because Dig-it sent a counter offer and when it was not accepted within the stipulated time period, they sent the fax withdrawing their offer. However the original term of the tender is 60 days so the tender still remains open, since only one party has wi thdrawn the offer. The mail indicating acceptance by Widget was posted by the architect on the same day, and the courts have deemed acceptance when a letter is posted4. However it is received on the subsequent day (the 35th) day of the tender. Therefore, this will still be subject to the general rule regarding acceptance, which is the requirement of actual communication5. No legal commitment will be deemed to exist until the acceptance of the offer is communicated to the offerer and up to that point, either party is free to change their minds.6 However, Dig-it’s fax will be construed to be a counter offer in the sense that it is a withdrawal of the original offer, which no longer exists. But the tender is not yet closed because Dig-it has made a counter offer reducing the price, although this will still not be a contract until acceptance is obtained

Israel from Palestinian territories Essay Example for Free

Israel from Palestinian territories Essay Egypts was in support of the Declaration of Principles treaty as they interpreted it to be supportive of their ideologies ion what would bring a lasting peace to the Middle East. The fact that the declaration transferred power over west bank and Gaza was in accordance with Egypts belief that the withdrawal of Israel from Palestinian Territories was the key to a lasting peace (Brown, 2004). Egypt thus responded by doing what was expected of it during the agreement as they believed that the declaration would bring a lasting peace if both sides kept to their side of the bargain. The Declaration of Principles required Egypt to help the two nations in cooperating so as to achieve the peace that was longed for in the Middle East. Egypt also supported the declaration as it included maintenance of security though by only Israel. Egypt has always believed that security was vital for peace hence supported by helping provide police officers and passports to the Palestinian citizens as was required by the agreement. Countries such as Iran, Israeli Settlers and Syria did not participate in the agreement as they did not believe that the peace would last. Others thought that the agreement was a threat to them and did not want it to succeed. Most of these nations also are Islamic and view Jews to be a threat to their religion hence were hesitated in supporting the peace talks. Most groups believe that DOP process stopped in 2000 which could be true as the events that are currently happening violate the agreements made. Egypts foreign policies are also committed to ensuring that a lasting peace which is comprehensive can come to the Middle East. It does so by being involved actively in the efforts that that can achieve the peace. Egypt for example was the first Arab nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel, a move which caused Israel to be expelled from the Arab League (Embassy of Egypt, 2009). The treaty required Israel to completely withdraw and retreat from Sinai in 1979 in exchange for peaceful normal diplomatic relations according to which Israeli honoured and withdrew. The two countries have since then had good diplomatic relations that are peaceful (Embassy of Egypt, 2009). Egypt believes that peace can only come to the Middle East if the efforts being made are comprehensive at making Israeli withdraw from the Palestinian territories it has been occupying that prevent the creation of an independent Palestine. Egypt also believes that Israel has to recognize and respect Palestines political rights in the controversial Jerusalem. Egypt has therefore been at the forefront in constantly assisting the partners negotiating in the peace process towards applying the Israeli withdrawal for peace to be achieved (Embassy of Egypt, 2009). Egypt also believes that it is possible for stable peace to be achieved between Israel and Palestine if mechanisms can be adopted that would ensure that security is maintained by both parties so that one party can not take advantage of its economic and military superiority to attack the other party. Egypt proposes the region to be freed from weapons of mass destruction in order to enhance security and reduce attacks on each other (Embassy of Egypt, 2009). Egypt further explains that a framework that would ensure regional cooperation needs to be established as it would enhance peace stability and benefit the individuals in the region. As discussed above, Egypt believes that there is possibility for potential future peace agreement which may be solely between Israel and the Palestinian because the disruption of peace in the entire Middle East is attributed to the conflict between the two nations. The conflict between Israel and other Arab nation is also a result of the conflict between it and Palestine. Solving the conflict between Israel and Palestine thus is the answer to bringing peace in the Middle East. Egypt advocates for peace between the two nations and want it be such that security is maintained in the two nations and that they are both disarmed of any weapons of mass destruction. Egypt believes that it is lack of security and presence of the weapons that encourages the two nations to attack each other. Egypt also advocates for the establishment of a framework as discussed earlier that would enhance cooperation between the two nations towards promoting peace stability that will be beneficial to the people I n the region (Brown, 2004). If a peace conference was held today, Egypt would still support a peace deal between the two nations. Egypt supports a two state solution just like the United States does (Asharq Alawshat, 2009). This is because Egypt believes in bringing a comprehensive and lasting peace to the Middle East. Following the most recent attacks on the Gaza strip by Israel which left hundreds of Palestinians dead, and the persistent occupation of Israel in areas that are rightfully Palestinians, Egypt would want a peace deal to be reached in which Israel must retreat and withdraw from occupying these areas so that Palestine can become an independent state as it was before the Israel occupation of its territories (Asharq Alawshat, 2009). Egypt will not accept either Israel or Palestine to own weapons of mass destruction as this would easily trigger another conflict in the event a peace agreement was reached. This is so as to stop the two nations from carrying on attacks and bombings on each other. Egypt would also not accept the deal if Israel did not withdraw from the Palestinian territories it currently is occupying. Egypt would offer diplomatic support as it always has in reaching a peace deal between the two nations (Brown, 2004). Egypt would be ready to act as a mediator between the two nations as they negotiate as it has good relations with both of them. Egypt believes that Israel should recognise Palestines rights regarding Jerusalem, during the peace conference, it would advocate for the recognition to be included in the terms of the final peace deal as Jerusalem is important to Palestine just as it is to Israel. Egypt wants a lasting peace in the Middle East and would do everything it can to help achieve it. Word count: 1500. References Al-Azmeh, A. (1993). Islams and Modernities. New York: Verso. Asharq Alawshat. (2009). Latest News. Retrieved 109th May 2009 from, http://www. asharq-e. com/. Breasted, J. Piccione, A. P. (2001). Ancient Records of Egypt. Chicago, Illinois : University of Illinois Press. Brown. C. L. (2004). Diplomacy in the Middle East: The International Relations of Regional and Outside Powers. New york, NY : I. B. Tauris. Embassy of Egypt. (2009). Political System. Derived 19th May 2009 from http://www. egyptembassy. net/.

Moral Objectivism Essay Example for Free

Moral Objectivism Essay I recommend the moral theory of Objectivism as the basis of your software company’s ethical standards to be used by all company employees. This single, coherent, defensible moral theory is better applied to your company than multiple theories, because it is a value-based system of virtues that is concerned more with the type of person you should be, rather than with the rules that dictate how you should act. Moral Objectivism believes that there are moral standards that apply to everyone. Moral standards that are universal for all, but not absolute because there can be exceptional cases. Objectivist principles apply to all, unless exceptions are necessary. Objectivism is also considered a philosophy for living, because it promotes values like love, friendship, wealth, and comfort. Objectivism respects science, technology, and innovation, which makes it very relevant in developing your software company’s organizational values and code of ethics. Objectivism values purpose, achievement, success, and strives for good living to pursue the greatest achievements that you can attain in your life. It sets personal happiness as the major goal. Since most of us in the western world believe that a moral code of ethics is fundamental to our society, which makes Moral objectivism the best theory to apply within your software company. This theory allows your employees to grow, develop, and live together as one company of people working under one unified moral code. However, there could be a problem with people who are college students on a visa exchange program, green-card workers, or foreign-born/dual citizenship employees experienced working in a different culture in a different part of the world. Moral Relativism believes that the current company moral standards are irrelevant to these people, but what applies is what is relative to what these individuals or their cultures believe. The problem with this theory is that it is impractica l, illogical, and would cause mass confusion within your software company. Since moral relativism is relative to a person or culture, different people and cultures would create different morals and principles leading to conflicts, disagreements, and disharmony. For example, we believe that killing is wrong for everyone, but some foreign cultures believe that killing is sometimes permissible and necessary. To unite, share, and promote harmony and respect, Objectivist virtues applied in your business ethics is the perfect moral theory for a young, fast-growing software company, because it is value-based on virtues. Virtuous actions lead to the achievement of values. When operating and managing a software company, the business virtue theory contends that virtuous principles, strategies, and actions result in companies realizing their values like mission, purpose, and profit potential. Virtuous employees carry out their roles in a competent manner, which usually agrees with company goals. Virtues allow a person to act to gain value. When business people conform to the Objectivist virtues, they increase the likelihood of achieving their values and goals. Virtue ethics stresses the importance of each employee being able to make contributions of value. Valid virtue concepts are required to describe what it means to be an excellent director, leader, manager, or worker. To be successful, a software company needs to provide a set of virtues that are reality-based, non-contradictory, integrated, and comprehensive. Virtue theory states that ethics is part of business and that it is necessary to integrate morals into management and practice. The role of virtues in your company is to direct and motivate employee behavior toward the success of your company. A set of virtues exists that fit reality and most likely to lead to success and happiness in a business. Ayn Rand’s Objectivist ethics specifically recognizes production as the central human value. The personal virtues that she advocates have a direct bearing on work: rationality, honesty, justice, integrity, productiveness, and pride. These virtues are used as guides in a business career and in the business management. They define the excellent manager or other employee and provide the principles that a company should adopt with respect to investors, employees, customers, or vendors. Virtue theory is concerned with the cultivation of character and provides a framework which a person can lead a flourishing, happy life. Moral growth comes from choice rather than from conformity to rules or codes. For example, traditional approaches like Consequentialism are viewed as constraining, because they focus on the rules that tell people how they should act, and nothing more. Utilitarianism concentrates on developing the principles instead of developing the character. Virtue theory provides a context in which strategies, plans, tactics, policies, and procedures are developed to attain a company stated mission and other relevant values. Virtuous employees experience the internal rewards of pride, self-esteem, and the joy of knowing that they did their jobs well. The achievement of a company’s mission, purpose, or ultimate end requires virtuous action on the part of the company’s employees. The ultimate value for a business is financial value. The purpose of a business is to maximize owner value over the length of the company. Virtuous behavior is required at all levels of a company from employees who realize that business is a natural and moral means by which they can satisfy their personal needs and attain their success as individual human beings. A virtuous employee begins by understanding what the facts are and does not evade the distinction between the real and the unreal. For making business decisions, an employee needs to use his reason to make rational, logical decisions based on the facts of reality. Much of morality in business falls under the virtue of honesty. Honesty means being in reality. Honesty is basic to the structure of human relationships. Dishonesty is self-defeating, because it involves being in conflict with realty. Morality in business involves objectively recognizing and dealing with customers, employees, creditors, stockholders, and others as autonomous rational individuals with their particular goals and desires. Honesty is closely related to the virtue of justice. Justice, a form of faithfulness to reality, is the virtue of granting to each person that which each person deserves. Justice is the expression of man’s rationality in his dealings with other men and involves seeking and granting what they have earned. For example, a virtuous manager must make sure that customers get what they pay for. In addition, he needs to identify employees for what they accomplish and treat them accordingly. Employees should be objectively appraised and compensated based on their contribution toward achieving a company’s mission, values, or goals. A virtuous manager discriminates among all those that he deals with such as customers, distributors, suppliers, and workers based on relevant qualities and personal merits such as ability, competency, performance, and character. He does not improperly discriminate based on irrelevant characteristics such as sex, race, or nationality. In summary, when you are using the moral objectivists values-based on virtues for your software company, you will never have to worry about being bailed on Wall Street like Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, GM or Chrysler Corporation. Since we know that greed and dishonesty were major vices that heavily contributed to this financial mess, we can confidently move forward as a software company knowing that our moral code in place would never allow that to happen.

How Education Can Contribute To Peace

How Education Can Contribute To Peace First and Foremost, What is world peace? World Peace is an ideal of freedom, peace, and happiness among and within all nations and/or people. World peace is an idea of planetary non-violence by which nations willingly cooperate, either voluntarily or by virtue of a system of governance that prevents warfare. The term is sometimes used to refer to a cessation of all hostility among all individuals. (Wikipedia, World peace) We celebrate world peace on International Peace Day on September 21st. I think, without education, most of us wouldnt even know the meaning of peace. So as long as we learn and devote ourselves and our time, we will be peaceful. Peace has taught us a lot about Education and the same applies to Education. Education has made a big impression on world peace. Has it made a made a big impression on you? What is Education? Nelson Mandela once said Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. (Good reads, Quotes) I agree with him because education is in fact an important requirement of life. But this is just my opinion. Lots of people have different opinions about Education. Barack Obama said Im going to insist that weve got decent funding, enough teachers, and computers in the classroom, but unless you turn off the television set and get over a certain anti-intellectualism that I think pervades some low-income communities, our children are not going to achieve (Light a Fire, Educational Quotes) Aristotle said The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet (Heart quotes, Education) Galileo said I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldnt learn something from him (Heart quotes, Education) But I think, if youre able to read this and understand it, youre educated! Something important struck me as I was going through this website, it said I f you study to remember, you will forget, but, if you study to understand, you will remember. (Heart quotes, Education) Have you ever thought how something like Education has made an impact of peoples lives? But first we must ask ourselves, what is impact? Impact is the effect or impression of one thing on another. Children receive education at some point in their lives to enhance their social and intellectual abilities (Lynda Barrys the Sanctuary of School) Education can be given at any place at any time. But some people dont go to school. Why? When it comes to poor people, we can assume they cant afford it. But when it comes to rich people who can, what is the reason? Well, some rich children feel its ok to not attend school. I call this Lack of Courage. And some are simply influenced by their parents who are somewhat lazy and dont care about the educational rights of the child. When children choose education over drugs, thats a miracle (Bruce Almighty, Movie) Dont you ever wonder what education is like throughout Ethiopia? Education in Ethiopia has been dominated by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church for many centuries until so called official education was adopted in the early 1900s. Previous to 1974, Ethiopia had an estimated illiteracy rate well above 90% and compared poorly with the rest of Africa in the condition of schools and universities. Education received roughly 13% of the national budget in 1992. By 1995 the rate of illiteracy had dropped substantially to 64.5%. Projected adult illiteracy rates for the year 2003 even lower at 61.3% (males, 56.1%; females, 66.6%). (Education in Ethiopia, ONSOI) As of 1999, public expenditure on education was estimated at 4.3% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product).The current system follows very similar school expansion schemes to the rural areas as the previous 1980s system with an addition of deeper renationalization giving rural education in their own languages starting from the primary level (Wikipedia , Education in Ethiopia) Education can be provided into two types of school. Private (Like Sandford) and Government (run by the government where everything or almost everything is free). Ive learnt in both. From knowledge, I can say that students from government school take education more seriously than students from private schools. The reason for this is because that education is the only way to a better life, better job and better health for them. Like for example we, private school students can fail grade 10 and still have a chance in grade 11 (IGCSE) But government school students have only 1 chance in secondary school. If they fail grade 10, there is no IGCSE for them. Learning in a government school wasnt easy for me. I was used to private schools where if you forgot to hand in an essay or assignment, you get another chance. If you didnt hand in your assignment in government schools, youll get a slap in the face or a kick in the leg, which was very excruciating. But it was an amazing experience, getti ng perspectives from both schools and taking it with me to my journey as a student, a student whose obligation is to accomplish hers and hers familys potential. Also, we should consider the values which are essential, education will make you qualified for certain jobs and positions. Without it everybody in the world wouldnt know a thing. I will now demonstrate 11 interesting facts on education that you probably didnt know. 1. One in five adults in the developing world almost 862 million people cannot read or write. 2. Most illiterate persons are female. In more than 20 developing nations, illiteracy rates amongst women exceed 70%. 3. As much as 115 million children of primary school age are not enrolled in school. 4. More than 226 million children do not attend secondary school. 5. Many children who do enroll in school do not graduate with even the most basic reading and math skills because their schools do not have enough teachers, books or facilities to provide a quality education. 6. Across the world many children miss out on their education because: They are made to work to help support their families and many other reasons. 7. in most developing countries, public school is not free. The costs of books, uniforms, and teachers salaries are borne by the students families. 8. School fees and related costs are a co mmon barrier to education. These charges are a greater burden for children from poor families, and disproportionately affect those who are racial and ethnic minorities, members of Indigenous communities and migrants. 9. Girls are more likely to be excluded from school than boys when there isnt enough money to go round. As many as two out of three out-of-school children are girls. 10. Social traditions and deep-rooted religious and cultural beliefs are most often the barriers to expanding girls educational opportunities in undeveloped countries around the world. And last but not least, 11. Educated girls and women are less vulnerable to HIV infection, human trafficking and other forms of exploitation, are more likely to marry later, raise fewer children who are more likely to go to school, and make important contributions to family income. (Facts on Education, Dosomething.org) Have you ever tried and compared education in LEDCs and MEDCs? Why dont we take Afghanistan and Italy for example? Afghanistan had an early childhood development program which provides environmental influences, which gradually interact with the developing abilities and disposition of young children to help develop social, emotional, physical, intellectual, and creative aspects of their personality. However, for the underprivileged children with social, economic, educational or emotional deficiencies, these programs provide stimulations designed to remove obstacles to learning (The EFA 2000 Assessment: Country Reports). The following table is extracted from UNESCO-IBE (2011), (World Data on Education VII ed. Islamic Republic of Afghanistan). It clearly shows the education/schooling system in Afghanistan. In Italy, Education for all means, in the perspective of UNESCO, the commitment of the 187 member countries to provide every human being with the real possibility of achieving at least that minimum educational attainment which allows a person to participate fully in the cultural, social, political and economical life of his/her country. The year 2000 assessment is then for UNESCO a very important step in the way towards that fundamental objective. It gives every country the opportunity of reviewing its recent past in the light of the effort made so that basic education becomes a reality for all (The EFA 2000 Assessment: Country Reports) Since 2008, the Pearson Foundation (Independent non-profit organization that aims to make a difference by promoting literacy, learning, and great teaching), the nonprofit arm of one of the nations largest educational publishers, has financed free international trips some have called them junkets for education commissioners whose states do business with the company (New York Times, Free Trips Raise Issues for Officials in Education) Many people in the world are trying to promote education for all. One of those people is Barack Obama. Barack Obama is encouraging people to follow the Education law, Similar to the Chinese government trying to encouraging the Chinese population to follow the One child policy. If you dont know, Education law is the area of law relating to schools and that deals mainly with schools, school systems and school boards charged with educating our children. President Barack Obama said No Child Left Behind. Obama said a few years ago that he was frustrated that Congress didnt act to change the law that he has said is flawed, so he was moving forward with an effort to let qualifying states circumvent it. His plan allows states to scrap a key requirement that all children show they are proficient in reading and math by 2014. To qualify, the states must submit a plan showing how they will meet certain requirements such as enacting standards to prepare students for college and testing for those standards, and by making teachers and principals more accountable by setting guidelines on evaluations (Fresno bee, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011) Shiza Anam, a six year old girl, is living with her mother, two brothers and two sisters in red light area, Lahore. Her mother is a worker who hardly earns an amount of Rs. 7000/ month (US $ 83 / month) from prostitution. With this limited income she is hardly able to meet the daily expenses of food and other requirements of the family. Her mother is not able to bear the expenses of her education and health care. Her two sisters and two brothers are also not going to school as her mother is not in a position to bear the expense of their educations. Her mother wants her to be a prostitute in future but she does not want to be a prostitute. She wants to get an education and to become a teacher in her life. She thinks that education is the best way to fight against deprivations, poverty and to get rid of the prostitution. But her mother does not have enough resources for her education. She does not know about her father as her mother is a sex worker. Her mother also does not know about her husband and the father of Shazia Anam. Currently Shaiza is going to Sheed School but she is looking towards the donors to help her to meet the expenses of her education. (Givology, learn to give, give to learn) Millions of people around the world can relate to Shizas story. To conclude, Education is an essential necessity of life and we all have the right to learn and respect anothers freedom of learning. I think positive change is possible. Youths are fighting for jobs and education is a campaigning organization fighting against mass unemployment. The Scottish say fight their system demand our future. Wisconsin families support a strong public school system because education is the key to creating a better future for our children by attracting companies and jobs to our community. In Addis Ababa, education is a key weapon in preventing girls from falling victim to child trafficking (Education in Ethiopia, UNICEF) If you want to be in education, said Canada, you cant be prepared to accept failure. (Fighting for education, and nations future, Harvard University) Word Count: (Excluding citations): 1993 Work-Cited List World Peace Wikipedia, 24 November, 2008, Web. October 31, 2012, Good Reads Famous Quotes, 22 November 2010, Web. October 31, 2012, Education Heart Quotes, June 27, 2008, Web. October 31, 2012, < http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/helenkelle101301.html> The Sanctuary Of School Lynda Barry Essays and Term Papers, 14 April, 2011, Web. October 31, 2012, < http://www.studymode.com/subjects/the-sanctuary-of-school-lynda-barry-page1.html> Education in Ethiopia Onsoi Blog, 25 July, 2012 ,Web. October 31, 2012, What are county EFA reports? Country Reports, 2000, Web. October 31, 2012, < http://www.unesco.org/education/wef/countryreports/home.html> Free Trips Raise Issues for Officials in Education Education, The New York Times, October 9, 2011, Web. October 31, 2012, Most states to seek exception to education law Publication, Daily Sparks Tribune, 30 October 2011, Web. October 31, 2012, < http://dailysparkstribune.com/view/full_story/16040963/article-Most-states-to-seek-exception-to-education-law> TVET formal, non-formal and informal systems World TVET Database, 2011, Web. October 31, 2012, < http://www.unevoc.unesco.org/worldtvetdatabase1.php?ct=AFG>

Japanese Business Culture Essay -- Globalization

Japan is the third-largest economy in the world, an island of nations within East Asia. Japan is the world’s tenth largest country by population, with 127.3 million people. A major economic power that continues to experience growth resulting from industrial and technological breakthroughs. In the last decade, Japan has experienced growth through globalization that affected it citizens by employment and wages. As a vital key to conducting business in Japan it is essential for a corporation to understand etiquette and protocols as well as the religious beliefs that may or may not impact business. Japan has solidified itself a global economic power and concentrated contributor through automotive, advanced technology, and textile industries. The greatest accomplishment of any country is the heritage of culture it produces and passes down thru generations. Japan grew as an economic force beginning in the 1960s, and has exiliterated a high standard of living since that time. Japan is a parliamentary democracy modeled by the British system. It is comprised of two legislative chambers of elected representatives, a parliament. People, businesses, culture, and economic strength are key components to a country globalization. Over the last decade, Japan has managed to shift dependence from foreign energy suppliers to international environment focused on import and exports. The two tiered financial structure and the Japanese’ perception of frail and weak economy are factors that influence this countries resiliency during a global recession. Examples of economies that have proven competitive in Japan are amongst the industrial industry. Exports have been the main resource of Japan's economic growth. Japan imports raw materials and proce... ...ral Michigan University. (2008). Administration, globalization and multiculturalism. (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw Hill Learning Solutions. Japan disaster threatens economic recovery, affects economies globally. (2011, March 15). Retrived from http://www.huffingtonpost.com Kaneko, Kaori. (2012). Economy picking up, exports better: japan. Retrived from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-12 Kwintenssential. (n./d.). Japan. Retrieved from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/country-profiles.html Morrison,Charles E. & Soesastro,Hadi.(1998). â€Å"Japan,† Domestic adjustments to globalization Reischauer, Edwin O. (1982). The Japanese.(13th ed.) Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Webster, Fiona. (2001). Globalization does it work on japan. Retrived from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fb20010320a1.html

China Essay -- essays research papers

The World is forever in debt to China for its innovations. Ancient China was extreme advance and many of its discoveries are still in use today. This is what Robert Temple, the author of The Genius of China 3000 years of science, discovery and invention. The book is based on 11 main parts of Chinese innovation. Within these 11 categories, there are 3 main parts that contain the most significant inventions. Robert Temple concentrates the bulk of his examples in these three categories, agriculture, domestic and industrial technology , and engineering. Temple’s examples were not limited to these fields of innovation. The Chinese excelled in many other areas, including mathematics, warfare and transportation, to name a few. Although Temple wrote about eleven fields of invention, I feel that these three sections contain the greatest examples of Chinese innovation, and the debt that the modern world owes China.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first main area is the field of engineering. Within this chapter, the development of iron and steel is the greatest achievement. The development of iron and steel led to other advances. By at least the 4th century the Chinese have developed blast furnaces to obtain cast iron from iron ore. This was 1200 years before the first blast furnace showed up in Europe. The reasons that the author gave to explain the reasons why the Chinese developed this technology are simple. The Chinese had access to large amounts of clay, the key ingredient in making blast furnaces. The Chinese also figured out that by adding a substance they called :Black Earth,† they could lower the melting point of iron.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another major invention of the Chinese, that led to other achievements, is steel. The common belief today is that Henry Bessemer discovered the process of refining iron into steel. The fact is Chinese had developed the process to refine iron into steel in the second century BC The Chinese learned that by injecting oxygen into the blast furnace, they could remove the carbon from the iron. The Chinese called this process the â€Å"hundred refinings method† since they repeated the process that many times. The finished product was highly prized in China for its strength and ability to hold an edge on a sword. The Chinese would weld the steel onto weaker iron thus creating a strong edge and a su... ...gh the process has been refined. The suspension bridge, invented by the Chinese in the first century AD, is still the bridge of choice when one has to span a great distance. The greatest area of Chinese invention is in agriculture. The Chinese excelled in farming, not only did they discover the seed drill, they discovered row farming that is still used today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I would recommend this book with one wants to read about the past glory of China and the huge potentional of the future. It gave in-depth views into each Chinese invention, while not over doing the techical explaination. The Author is clear and concise on his point, the modern world is in debt to the Chinese. He gave many examples of Chinese invoation, and how the rest of the world copied the Chinese. Not did the rest of the world copy Chinese inventions, they claimed that they were the first to invent it. The author opened my eyes to the greatness of anicent China. What the author, Robert Temple, did do gave me even more reason to respect China. The Genius of China 3000 years of Science, discovery, and invention By Robert Temple Book report by Mike Leung 600-82-1189

The Human Brain versus Computers :: Technology Neurology Sensory Organs Essays

The Human Brain versus Computers In the past few decades we have seen how computers are becoming more and more advance, challenging the abilities of the human brain. We have seen computers doing complex assignments like launching of a rocket or analysis from outer space. But the human brain is responsible for, thought, feelings, creativity, and other qualities that make us humans. So the brain has to be more complex and more complete than any computer. Besides if the brain created the computer, the computer cannot be better than the brain. There are many differences between the human brain and the computer, for example, the capacity to learn new things. Even the most advance computer can never learn like a human does. While we might be able to install new information onto a computer it can never learn new material by itself. Also computers are limited to what they â€Å"learn†, depending on the memory left or space in the hard disk not like the human brain which is constantly learning everyday. Computers can neither make judgments on what they are â€Å"learning† or disagree with the new material. They must accept into their memory what it’s being programmed onto them. Besides everything that is found in a computer is based on what the human brain has acquired though experience. In addition, emotions can be only transmitted by the human brain and cannot be programmed into a computer. One of the reasons is there are too many emotions to be described and they can be a mixture of feelings that it would be hard to put it into one category. Furthermore, the computer wouldn’t have the ability to know to what situation he should apply certain emotion. And different emotions can be applied to the same situation; it all depends on the experiences in our past. Emotions are personal and are different for every person and it would have to be different for every computer. Another difference between the human brain and the computer is, the creativity of the human brain. For instance humans can create art, act in plays, or write stories and songs but computers can only help us in these activities not come up with them. While computers can help us solve math problems and find answers to certain questions it can never think of new solutions until they have been programmed into them. Furthermore computers cannot create new games or produce anything they desire like humans.

Emotional Intelligence and Everyday Behavior Essay

On this article the author establishes the relationship between emotional intelligence and college students. It’s very notorious that the author’s focused the research based on measuring the Big Five personality traits (Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism) and related to behaviors, this is because the intellectual measures and the ability to express knowledge don’t give us a complete overview of the person. As the author said: â€Å"The goal of the present study is to assess the criterion validity of EI, and hence the social significance or external utility of EI by relating the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT, 2002a) to selected scales from the College Student Life Space Scale (CSLSS, Brackett, 2001)†. Another fundamental point of this article was to present the genders’ differences and which of the scores on the scale are more representative on each one. Even though the participants as the author expressed were recruited from introductory courses and received course credit for their involvement in the study, the participants were part of a larger study that examined the relation between the Big Five personality traits and the Life Space. There were a 330 total of participants all between 17 and 20 years which 241 of them were female and the 89 left were males. (M.A. Brackett et al., Personality and Individual Differences (2004). The participants were asked for permission to acquire their SAT scores and college grade points average from the university; student’s been not brilliant but can be considered as a standard class. For measuring the results the scales were organized according to three broad content areas: healthy versus unhealthy behavior, general leisure and academic activities and interpersonal relations. In order to mean the gender differences on both scales analyses were conducted separately. Mayer et al. (1998) said that some question formats are items that first, require minimal interpretations on the part of the participant, and that the answers are definite and potentially verifiable. The same was as Shaffer, Saunders & Owens (1986) explained that â€Å"such question formats also minimize social desirability response bias†. For improving the data collection I would have had the same sample size for both genders, and have evaluated them both ways: first, by a whole population and them examine the results by gender, this is to understand how any of the gender impact on the whole group. Brackett & Mayer (2003), Ciarrochi et al. (2001), Mayer et al. (1999), Mayer et al. (2002a), Roberts et al. (2001), Salovey et al. (2001) found that scores on tests are related to but mostly independent of verbal intelligence, the Big Five, and empathy (rs

Professionalism in the Workplace Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This article deals with concepts such as incivility in the workplace and â€Å"incivility spiral.† The authors describe how the incivility spiral could occur and offer research propositions for further study. Moreover, they explain the implications that workplace incivility pose for practitioners and researchers alike (Andersson & Pearson, 1999).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors trace the literature on the importance of civility in society. Such literature is rich with conclusions that state that civility offers functions and moral implications. Literature on the matter likewise describes the workplace as the last bastion of civility. However, they perceive a change in this opinion, brought about by many factors, such as employee diversity, autocratic environments, and hiring of part-time workers, which affect the trend of incivility and aggressiveness in the business world (Andersson & Pearson, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors described workplace incivility as actions that are characterized by rudeness or discourtesy. They represent violations of the norms of an organization. One form taken by workplace incivility is aggression, which is manifested in acts like physical abuse, harassment, and sabotage. These acts are bound by the characteristic of intent to injure another (Andersson & Pearson, 1999).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Incivility in the organization has a spiraling effect, where secondary spirals result from primary ones. This tendency requires managers to correct their actions that may contribute to the growth of incivility as an organizational norm. Moreover, there should be efforts at curtailing incivility within the organization (Andersson & Pearson, 1999).  Church, A. H. & Waclawski, J. (1999). The Impact of Leadership Style on Global   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Management Practices. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 29(7), 1416-1443.             This article is concerned with the trend in businesses today to go global. Church and Waclawski describe how the trend has influenced schools into studying and implementing strategies relative to the new global economy. More importantly, they describe how the trend pushes corporations to adopt a global approach in their businesses (Church & Waclawski, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this light, the authors noted the work of other researches, which suggest that great competitive advantage in the new global market could be achieved if a corporation has a good value system and corporate culture. This could only be achieved if a corporation’s leaders and managers acquire a broader perspective that involves progressive ideas such as change management and cultural flexibility. Thus, the new trend of globalization led to another trend, consisting of the focus of organizations to hire people with international experience or background (Church & Waclawski, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors then focused on leadership style, which they believed was a good predictor of managerial behavior. They categorized the types of leaders according to their key characteristics. Thus there is a group of transformational leaders who concentrate on new directions and new goals, and transactional leaders who focus on getting the job done by maintaining the status quo. For these authors, transformational leaders are more likely to manifest globalization behaviors, given their tendency to focus on change (Church & Waclawski, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After collecting data from 391 senior managers and reports within a global organization, Church and Waclawski found that there were better reports and ratings for transformational leaders. These leaders are those who â€Å"engage in behaviors relating to systems thinking, change management, relationships, and learning.† Thus, they concluded that there is a significant relationship between leadership style and actual practice of global leadership (Church & Waclawski, 1999). Fairholm, M. R. (2004). Different Perspectives on the Practice of Leadership. Public   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Administration Review 64(5), 577-590.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This article presents the position that public managers need to learn about leadership in order to be effective. They need to have a clear understanding of the concept of leadership, and not merely â€Å"practical and intellectual permission† to exercise it. The authors believe that since public managers are involved in leadership activities, it is useful to accept the nature of public administration as involving the practice of leadership (Fairholm, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fairholm explains that issues on leadership often get ignored by public administration academics. However, there are now certain people who appreciate the need to focus as a practitioner would. Since there is a link between leadership training and public sector management, then it is important that public managers receive training on leadership (Fairholm, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fairholm also explains leadership through the leadership perspectives model, which utilizes four encompassing leadership perspectives. This model views leadership as (1) (scientific) management; (2)excellence management; (3) values-displacement activity; (4) whole-soul (spiritual) leadership. The theory holds that while these different perspectives are distinct from each other, they are related hierarchically. In addition, they all help achieve a complete notion of leadership. (Fairholm, 2004). Johnsrud, L. K., Heck, R. H., & Rosser, V. J. (2000). Morale Matters: Midlevel Administrators and Their Intent to Leave. The Journal of Higher Education 71(1),   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   34-59.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper focuses on the concept of morale, which refers to the â€Å"level of well-being that an individual or group is experiencing in reference to their worklife.† The authors feel that while there are intuitive guides that tell people that morale affects the performance of an organization, there are no clear measures to support such intuition. Thus, this article deals with the problem of accurately defining and measuring morale within an organization. In particular, it focuses on the relationship between morale and its effect on midlevel administrators (Johnsrud, Heck & Rosser, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many factors affecting the morale of midlevel administrators. These include the feeling that they have no power to make decisions for the organization, and yet they are held responsible for the outcomes of such decisions. Moreover, they do not have tenure and they have limited opportunity for professional development. All of these factors affect the morale of midlevel managers (Johnsrud, Heck & Rosser, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, the authors established the construct validity of morale, using three dimensions, namely, quality of work, mutual loyalty, and institutional regard. All of these were selected because they represent attributes associated with morale (Johnsrud, Heck & Rosser, 2000). Knights, D. & McCabe, D. (2003). Governing through Teamwork: Reconstituting   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Subjectivity in a Call Centre. Journal of Management Studies 40(7), 1587-1619.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This article is a study of the various factors at play in a call center, which is a workplace that is governed by distance. Thus, it focuses on the concept of teamwork, and the technique of appealing to employees’ personal motivations to reach organizational goals. Among those personal motivations include sociability, unity, autonomy, and the desire for an enriching work experience (Knights & McCabe, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors note a crucial element of team playing, which is individual responsibility. This implies that employees should have a certain degree of autonomy or self-determination, rather than simply follow directions of superiors. They agree with the literature on the matter that a certain degree of staff autonomy could be good for the organization. However, they feel that the effect could be that the work becomes â€Å"simultaneously more rewarding and more demanding.† Thus they believe it was necessary to further study the factors that influence the various effects of autonomy to staff members (Knights & McCabe, 2003). Makkai, T. & Braithwaite, V. (1993). Professionalism, Organizations, and Compliance. Law & Social Inquiry 18(1), 33-59.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This article is concerned with factors that affect organizational compliance. This concern stems from the observation that organizational compliance with the law is very important, considering the potential of an organization to affect large number of people. However, an organization is not made up of a single person, but many individuals with different mindsets. Hence, it is important for an organization’s chief executive officer to learn how to control the attitudes and performance of the organization in order to ensure compliance with state regulations (Makkai & Braithwaite, 1993).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Makkai and Braithwaite reviewed literature on the professionalism and organizational compliance, and opined that professionalism is a complex concept that requires further investigation. More particularly, they aim to concentrate on three aspects of professionalism and their effects on organizational compliance. These aspects are values, professional autonomy, and role orientations (Makkai & Braithwaite, 1993).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After deriving relevant data from the Australian nursing home industry, the authors found no significant direct relationship between organizational compliance and professional orientations. Since there was little support for the hypothesis that role orientations and values affect organizational compliance, the authors suggested further studies on the matter (Makkai & Braithwaite, 1993). Sabet, M. G. & Klingner, D. (1993). Exploring The Impact of Professionalism on   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Administrative Innovation. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   J-PART 3(2), 252-266.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper reports a study of three major conceptual areas vis-à  -vis organizational theory. These three areas are professionalism, innovation, and drug-testing policies. For professionalism, the authors seek to determine the relationship between professionalism and innovation from the organizational perspective (Sabet & Klingner, 1993).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors review the literature on the three conceptual areas. For professionalism, they discuss how professionalism â€Å"has been viewed as a structural and attitudinal variable.† They note that the literature define professionalism through five attitudinal variables, such as autonomy, belief in self-regulation, belief in service to the public, â€Å"use of professional organization as a major referent, and a â€Å"sense of calling to the field (Sabet & Klingner, 1993).†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After sending questionnaires to personnel directors with a study population of 209, the authors found that managers with higher professionalism are more likely to implement policies, such as drug-testing, that affect the tendency of the organization to innovate. Furthermore, they found a significant relationship between the degree of professionalism of a personnel director and the character of the policies he implements. (Sabet & Klingner, 1993). Sarros, J. C., Tanewski, G. A., Winter, R. P., Santora, J. C. & Densten, I. L. (2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Work Alienation and Organizational Leadership. British Journal of Management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   13, 285-304.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This article describes a study conducted to determine the relationship between a leader’s behavior and organizational structure and work alienation. The authors studied factors that alter workplace structure and culture. Moreover, they are concerned about understanding how to reduce alienation or the feeling of powerlessness at work (Sarros, Tanewski, Winter, Santora & Densten, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors noted that throughout the literature of work alienation, the concept, meaning and measurement of the term had been vague or ambiguous, which led to the variance in interpretations of the concept. Thus, they quote both the earliest and latest interpretations of alienation. They quote Marx and Weber, who believe that â€Å"alienation is a state (or feeling) in which the job is external to the individual,† and such feeling is caused by lack of autonomy in the workplace. They also cite Seaman who described alienation by enumerating its five components, namely, powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness and isolation, and self-estrangement (Sarros, Tanewski, Winter, Santora & Densten, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After taking a survey using questionnaires distributed to more than 600 officers of fire departments, the authors concluded that employee behavior and attitudes, such as work alienation, could be affected and mitigated by actions taken by organizational leaders. For example, such could be accomplished by mitigating the rigidity extant in hierarchical structures within the organization and thereby reduce the tendency for work alienation (Sarros, Tanewski, Winter, Santora & Densten, 2002). Thamhain, H. J. (2003). Managing innovative R&D teams. R&D Management 33(3),   Ã‚  Ã‚   297-311.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper involves a study of the subject of innovation vis-à  -vis project performance in a technological environment. The author observed that innovation is an effective tool in business, particularly in ensuring superior performance, good products and services, and lower cost. The author likewise notes that interdisciplinary teamwork could make the difference between the success and failure of a business. Such teamwork is perceived to be more crucial than mere generation of innovative ideas at the R&D stage. Thus, it is posited that a team has more chances at success if it is able to â€Å"facilitate a team environment conducive to market-orientation innovation† (Thamhain, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to determine the factors relevant to innovative R&D performance, the author sought to understand the barriers and drivers to good performance. The study led to the understanding of the type of managerial leadership and organizational environment that is conducive to innovative performance. The author chose the research format of an exploratory field research, due to constraints caused by complexities or the absence of theories on the subject. Thus, he utilized questionnaires and qualitative methods, such as participant observation and in-depth retrospective interviewing in order to understand the challenges involved in the R&D process within a company. The interviews and questionnaires he used were previously used in other field studies related in the subject of R&D management (Thamhain, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Data gathered from 74 project teams and 935 professionals were analyzed using standard statistical methods. The author found that team members’ perception of reality affect their behavior. Actions of a manager could affect and stimulate team behavior. This finding relative to perceptional measures is important because it guides managers into acting towards the encouragement of a project environment that is conducive to the needs of the team (Thamhain, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author then discusses the various influences to innovative team performance, and classified them into three, namely, â€Å"(a) people, (b) organizational process, tools and techniques, and (c) R&D work/task.† As to the first group of factors, he found personal interest, professional challenges and recognition, and pride as significant drivers. As to the second group, he found effective communications, stable priorities and goals, effective support systems, and cooperation as important elements of effective performance. Finally, he found certain personal aspects of work, such as job skills, experience, and interest, to be relevant drivers for effective performance. Proper understanding of these factors lead to better innovative performance (Thamhain, 2003). Vance, C. & Larson, E. (2002). Leadership Research in Business and Health Care.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Journal of Nursing Scholarship 34(2), 165-171.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This article is a summary and analysis of the literature on the subject of leadership, particularly in the fields of health care and business. Vance and Larson noted that the concept of leadership had evolved over the years that it had been the constant subject of research. Thus, it has been subject of various conceptualizations and has been viewed as both a behavioral and perceptual phenomenon.   Vance and Larson likewise believe that it would be pointless to endeavor to reach a single definition of leadership, because it could take various definitions, depending on the various aspects of leadership concerned (Vance & Larson, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to arrive at the outcomes of leadership on organizations, groups, and individuals, the authors conducted a study by reviewing studies spanning thirty years, from January 1970 through December 1999. After screening articles and categorized, the authors analyzed the data using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). They found that most studies focused on the topic of leadership characteristics, training and measures. They also found that leadership in the business setting had been treated with more frequency than in health care literature (Vance & Larson, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Given their findings, the authors concluded that there is a need to change the focus of research on the subject of leadership. They noted that there are now many indicators of this need, such as the increasing demand for leaders in health-related fields and the globalization of organizations. The authors likewise focused on certain aspects of leadership with little literature, such as the relationship between leadership and organizational outcomes, causal relationships, intervening factors, and leadership intervention styles (Vance & Larson, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, the authors criticize how the literature on leadership in the business and health care literature is limited to descriptive treatment of the subject. The fields of health care and business provide fertile ground for research on causal relationships and leadership styles, which could yield vital findings for the subject’s literature (Vance & Larson, 2002). References Andersson, L. M. & Pearson, C. M. (1999). Tit for Tat? The Spiraling Effect of Incivility in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the Workplace. The Academy of Management Review 24(3), 452-471.   Church, A. H. & Waclawski, J. (1999). The Impact of Leadership Style on Global   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Management Practices. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 29(7), 1416-1443. Fairholm, M. R. (2004). Different Perspectives on the Practice of Leadership. Public   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Administration Review 64(5), 577-590. Johnsrud, L. K., Heck, R. H., & Rosser, V. J. (2000). Morale Matters: Midlevel   Ã‚   Administrators and Their Intent to Leave. The Journal of Higher Education 71(1),   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   34-59. Knights, D. & McCabe, D. 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