Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Effect of rice and rye straw

AbstractionPurposes: To dissect the concealment of the developing of Microcystis aeruginosa by various term mixtures of rice straw ( 0.2, 10, 50 and 100 yearss ) and rye straw ( 0.2, 5, 15, 40, 50, 100 and 150 yearss ) . Techniques and Consequences: All mixtures with high fixation demonstrated harsh result on the developing of M. aeruginosa, and the 0.2-day mixture from rice straw and the 40-day imbuement from rye straw demonstrated the most strong 1s with EC50 estimations of 28.0 milligrams C l-1 and 18.9 milligrams C l-1, severally. The concentrate convergence of rice straw had negative relationship with the maximal developing and developing rate in any case rot duration, while rye straw indicated the negative connection between the concentrate focus and the solitary maximal developing of M. aeruginosa. Highlights of imbuements through radical violet optical thickness ought to be changed because of corruption of straws. Choices: Rice and rye straw mixture demonstrated the likelihood to order the developing of M. aeruginosa, and in any case, may be considered as a feature of another unforeseen intensity poison. Centrality and Impact of the Survey: To put most adequate operator against algal developing, removes from since quite a while ago run degradation of straws could give greater chance and plausibility to happen allelochemicals. Watchwords: since a long time ago run imbuement, allelopathy, concealment, rice straw, rye straw, SUVA, Microcystis aeruginosaIntroductionTellurian workss have been known to consolidate arranged allelochemicals with hostile to algal belongingss ( Rice, 1984 ) . For outline, grain straw concentrated relatively more than different straws like rice and rye has been accounted for to demo a concealment outcome of algal developing ( Pillinger et al. , 1992 ; Newman and Barrett, 1993 ; Barrett, 1994 ; Everall and Lees, 1996 ; Barrett et al. , 1996 ; Everall and Lees, 1997 ; Cooper et al. , 1997 ) because of grouped mixes separated from grain straw under various conditions, for case, oxidized phenolic mixes from lignin beginnings ( Pillinger, 1993 ; Chesson et al. , 1982 ) , p-coumaric and ferulic from cell divider bound constituents ( Chesson et al. , 1982 ) , and tannic corrosive ( Hussein, 1982 ) . Rice straw has other than been known to relinquish allelochemicals with phenolic compound t o limit the growing, developing, photosynthesis, breath and transformation of different workss ( Rice 1984 ; Inderjit et Al. 1995 ; Chung et Al. 2001 ) . Park et Al ( 2006 ) indicated intelligent and oppressive result of arranged phenolic mixes extricated from rice straw on the developing of Microcystis aeruginosa. These straw-inferred mixes may stay of army complex synthetics with arranged highlights in a fluid status. As straws would be applied into oceanic environments to order inconveniently algal developing, straw-inferred synthetic substances would be discharged ceaselessly, aggregated or changed into H2O segment and highlights of synthetic concoctions would be changed orchestrating to the corruption cut which may be connected with the lability of synthetics. Be that as it may, there was little data on this connection between allelochemical creation and degradation cut about rice and rye straws. Along these lines, our motivations were to dissect whether discharged synthetic from rice and rye straws fitting to decay cut has distinctive concealment outcome on the developing of cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa, known as annoyance green growth around the universe, and to anticipate the change of highlights of separated stuffs during deterioration clip.Materials and methodsCollection of works stuffsRye straw ( Secale cereale L. ) was gathered in Keumsan, South Korea. Rice straw ( Oryza sativa L. ) which was non applied with pesticides to break down creepy crawly pathology was gotten from Kangwon Province Agricultural Research and Extension Service, South Korea. All stuffs were in a flash moved to investigate lab, washed a few times with tap H2O, dried at 50? for 3 yearss and put away in a dull status at room temperature. Put away workss were cut, mortared, and sieved through 1-mm work before experiment.Preparation of short or since a long time ago run disintegrated infusionsNine gms of each works stuff ( dry weight ) were put in a 2 L Erlenmeyer cup, consolidating 1.8 L of Moss medium. The making out of Moss medium was ( in milligram ) 16.8 Ca2+ , 5.0 †10-4 Co2-, 3.0 EDTA, 2.0 †10-2 Fe3+ , 2.2 K+ , 2.4 Mg2+ , 2.0 †10-2 Mn2+ , 4.0 †10-3 Mo6+ , 13.6 Na+ , 6.4 NH4+ , 21.0 NO3-, 0.9 P5+ , 3.3 S6+ , 4.9 Si4+ , 5.0 †10-3 Zn2+ , 3.3 †10-8 Cya nocobalamin ( B12 ) , 3.3 †10-7 d-Biotin, 3.3 †10-8 Thiamin-HCl ( B1 ) in 1 L of refined H2O. To separate straws for a long clasp, an aerator gave aerophilic status into the 2 L Erlenmeyer carafe on the grounds that keeping up aerophilic status was of import for the creation of phytotoxic synthetic substances. For delineation, Welch et Al. ( 1990 ) showed that microbic disintegration of grain straw was basic for the concealment of algal developing, and Newman and Barrett ( 1994 ) proposed that the central requests for straw to be dynamic are the consideration of aerophilic conditions and a functioning and different microflora. Humidifier before the aerator was introduced to thwart the loss of mixtures and human progress medium from the vaporization by blow uping dry air. The imbuements from rice straw were tested after 0.2, 10, 50 and 100 yearss from puting straws in the human progress medium and those of rye straw were gotten after 0.2, 5, 15, 40, 50, 100 and 150 yearss from introducing straws. Each subsampling, 200 milliliter of imbuements were separated through a glass fiber channel paper ( Whatman, GF/F ) , thus filtrate was lyophilized and put away in a refrigerator until Microcystis aeruginosa developing preliminary. Culture medium including imbuements was made by blur trip 20 milligram of lyophilised stuff in 100 milliliter of disinfected Moss medium and separated through a glass fiber channel paper ( Whatman, GF/F ) . At that point, to quantitatively investigate the concealment of M. aeruginosa developing by imbuements, human progress medium incorporating implantations was weakened with sanitized Moss medium to an extent of grouping of mixtures ( test arrangement ) . Tried convergences of imbuements every disintegration time of straws were in Table 1. The convergences of disintegrated natural C ( DOC ) in implantations were resolved using the TOC analyser ( TOC-5000A, Shimadzu ) . Every 10 milliliter of human progress medium was put away at 4? to mensurate UV 260nm optical density.Culture status and developing finding of M. aeruginosaEach 4 milliliter of preliminary arrangements was moved into five glass development tubings ( c.a. 11 milliliter, USA Scientific Culture Tube ) with a top thus, autoclaved. Following 1-day cooling, each 0.3 milliliter of M. aeruginosa ( got from Institute of Hydrobiology, China ) was vaccinated into four tubings and refined. Stayed one development tubing was utilized to mensurate clean estimation of fluorescence or optical thickness to watch algal developing every implantation. M. aeruginosa in exponential or fixed developing stage was vaccinated for the trials. Culture tubings were hatched in 25â ±1? also, enlightened by fluorescent noticeable radiations to give around 80? E m-2 s-1 for 2 4 h each twenty-four hours. Cylinders were unsettled with a spin amiable twice a twenty-four hours. The spots of test tubings in a brooder were randomized in any event multiple times a hebdomad. In vivo fluorescence of M. aeruginosa was estimated with 1 or 2 yearss stretch using a spectrofluorophotometer ( RF-1501, Shimadzu ) at 343 nanometer of an energy frequency and 680 nanometer of a radiation frequency. Absorbance ( 680 nm ) of algal cells to mensurate algal becoming was resolved with 1 or 2 yearss span using a spectrophotometer ( 101, Hitachi ) on the other hand of fluorescence following 50-day mixture of rice straw and 100-day implantation of rye straw.Determination of M. aeruginosa developing and measurements techniquesTo figure maximal developing ( K ) and developing rate ( u ) of M. aeruginosa, a strategic guide was utilized to show a sigmoid bend for algal developing ( SigmaPlot 9.0, Jandel Scientific ) as follows: EC50 values ( focus, when 50 % concealment result happens ) were acquired from maximal developing estimations of every preliminary contrasted and control on log-probit graduated tables. A back to back line connecting the two nearest values above and underneath the line coordinating to 50 % concealment was gotten ( Yamane et al. , 1984 ) . In case of 50 and 100 yearss in rice straw and 0.2 twenty-four hours in rye straw, EC50 values were determined by the extrapolation of two nearest informations of under 50 % concealment. To figure â€Å" no-hindrance maximum breaking point tried fixation † , alluded as a maximal focus indicated no-restraint out of attempted focuses, rehashed estimated examination of inconsistency ( ANOVA ) with station hoc of Dunnett preliminary was utilized ( p and gt ; 0.05 ) to analyze the dissemination of optical thickness or fluorescence for watching M. aeruginosa developing between control without implantation and preliminary arrangements. Single direct ion ANOVA ( station hoc Duncan preliminary ) was used ( p and A ; lt ; 0.05 ) to look at standardized maximal developing or standardized developing rate among three gatherings of broke down natural fixation ( DOC ) of imbuements, and standardized maximal developing or standardized developing rate are determined by isolated maximal developing or developing rate in preliminary arrangement by in charge, severally.Ratio of UV260 and DOC in infusionsIn request to prognosticate the adjustment of highlights of implantations during rotting, the proportion of UV optical thickness at 260 nanometers and DOC focus ( SUVA ; explicit fanatic violet optical thickness ) was estimated. The UV optical thickness and DOC were estimated by a spectrophotometer ( UV-2401PC, Shimadzu ) and TOC analyser ( TOC-5000A, Shimadzu ) , severally.ConsequencesConsequence of mixtures of rice and rye straws on M. aerugi

Saturday, August 22, 2020

STRATEGIC PLAN CRITIQUE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Key PLAN CRITIQUE - Essay Example The company’s key arrangement is defined to address the present dangers/issues concerning the business just as the organization all in all, for example, its more fragile nearness in the informal communication section, low coordination of the wide scope of administrations gave, specialized boundaries bringing about obsolete connections, arrange tricks, ecological issues and so on. These issues are apropos handled by the organization the board by utilizing its interior qualities of labor, scholarly ability and across the board prevalence to use its image esteem and boost consumer loyalty simultaneously working intimately with the company’s vision, strategic qualities. This key arranging process is fundamental for all associations as it encourages them in recognizing the different dangers and openings in the business just as gives them satisfactory information about its inward qualities and shortcomings to address such issues presented by the full scale financial condition. This paper examines the different issues, issues just as dangers concerning the business just as the organization all in all and surveys the key arranging process distinguished by the administration to address those issues. The Pedigree Grooming and Boarding Company situated in New Mexico, is committed to offering some incentive based administrations to the canine show contenders. The different issues concerning the organization as of now, remembers the change for proprietorship, financial trouble of the clients, high rivalry, valuing strategies and relative naiveté of the new proprietor in this field. These issues are planned to be tended to by receiving new estimating arrangements, extending its administration line, representative improvement through thorough preparing, and setting attainable yet serious targets. This vital arrangement is planned suitably that tries to focus on the most pivotal parts of the business and is in accordance with the general objectives, vision and mission of the

Saturday, August 8, 2020

Summer Reading

Summer Reading In Matt’s latest post he says that MyMIT will be up August 19. This is good news! It means you still have time to get some summer reading in. This is one of the best parts of summer in my mind. Whether you actually get to the beach or not, don’t miss out on the last few weeks of downtime before school and college application season begins. I don’t know about you, but I love to be reading a few books at the same time, especially in summer. Here are my picks: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan This is a quick read and I read it one day after complaining on facebook to a friend that I wasn’t able to lose any weight. I think he was sick of my whining, because he shot back a link to this book title and said, “Hey, this helped me. I didn’t fully get the weight loss thing until I learned how to eat.” Hmm, it is a good book. But I’m still eating cupcakes that I find left out for the taking on a table in lobby 10. Emperor of all Maladies by  Siddhartha Mukherjee Ok, so I JUST bought this book after a very inspiring talk by Professor Neri Oxman in MIT’s media lab. A bunch of us Admission Counselors had the pleasure of listening to her talk about her lab and her research. She said something like, “This book should be required reading of all MIT students.” Prospective students take note! I went right out and bought it, and then I read the prologue when I was stopped in traffic on the Mass Pike. (I don’t recommend this) But I do recommend the book so far. It is totally engrossing from page one. Just Kids by Patti Smith My partner and I have already read half of this out loud to each other while lounging under an umbrella on the beach. Janyce is a huge Patti Smith fan and I’m a big Robert Mapplethorpe fan. It’s a great read. Totally transports you to NYC in the late 60s. Awesome. A Widowers Tale by Julia Glass I’m savoring this like I do with all of her novels. Yes,  its really ok to read a novel once in awhile! So what books are in your beach bag? I’d love to know. Happy Summer! Summer Reading (Preface: This post is essentially a tribute/continuation of Selam’s posts from past summers as she wrote, “sometimes MIT students like to do things other than science, technology, or engineering”, and I would like this year’s cohort of students applying to MIT to know that as well! If you would much rather write a paper than do a problem set, you’re not alone here :) ) Before I had friends, I had books. For those of you who weren’t shy and introverted as kids, this may sound really sad, but those of you who were will know what I’m talking about. The universes within books were my worlds, and the characters within those universes were my partners in crime, my enemies, my friends. I had a wild imagination as a kid and spent hours daily daydreaming up new stories for the characters in my favorite books, which translated into a very extensive fanfiction writing phase in middle and high school. I eventually moved on to RPG video games as my preferred form of media, but I still enjoy the thrill of being absorbed into a world on paper. College has effectively eaten up the majority of my free time (as it does), and during the year, the time that I didn’t spend slaving over psets was dedicated to getting up to all sorts of shenanigans with my friends. Fortunately, summer and my 9-5 work schedule have yielded a reasonable amount of free time for me to explore some of my interests and read books! Books I read this year: I read these for a class I took spring semester, CMS.840 (Literature and Film). I actually had signed up for another class, CMS.339 (Virtual Reality and Immersive Media Production), but it was lotteried and it’s difficult to get into some CMS classes without being a declared concentrator/minor/major, so I wound up not getting in. I spent a few days scrambling around for another HASS class to take and landed on CMS.840, which I initially didn’t really have high expectations for but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy I’ve seen the movie before, and it turns out that the book was written as a screenplay for the movie, so they wound up being quite similar. The class itself was all about juxtaposing literature and their corresponding film adaptations, and I have to say, I enjoyed the film marginally better. The book is a bit dry, and IMO, the action is better represented through film. Double Indemnity by James M. Cain This is a novella, and was originally published in an 8-part serial. I might have remembered it better if I had read it as a serial, because I finished this story in about an hour, and honestly don’t remember anything about it :P A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams I really enjoyed the written version of this play, even more so than the film adaptation (even young Marlon Brando couldn’t convince me). Blanche’s struggle to separate her fantasies from her reality was tragic to read, and personally fascinating to me; I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my own relationship with fantasy, and how that affects my actions in reality. Seriously, I wrote like three college essays on this. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi This is one of those books that I sat down to read, couldn’t stop reading until I finished, and then read it again for good measure because it was just that amazing. Persepolis is an autobiographical graphic novel that tells a story of the authors childhood spent in Islamic Revolution Iran. Even though I wouldnt normally think that a graphic novel could tell such a serious story, I thought that this was the perfect medium for telling this story. Books I re-read this year:   The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand I actually really like this book; it’s good fiction, even if I definitely wouldn’t want to be friends with Ayn Rand. I don’t subscribe to Objectivism (the philosophy that Rand steeps all of her books in), but there are some character attributes that I really appreciate. Although Howard Roark (the protagonist) is realistically kind of an asshole, I try to live by his philosophy of adhering strictly to his personal standards of integrity. Don’t do something just because it might look good to other people do it for yourself! Books I intended to read this year: On the Way to a Smile and The Kids are Alright Those of you who know me personally probably know of my Final Fantasy VII obsession. These two books are semi-canon in-universe novellas that expand on some of the side characters, and I would have read both books in three seconds flat if they weren’t in Japanese, which makes things considerably more difficult! I read very quickly in English and very slowly in Japanese, and I wound up finishing about half of The Kids are Alright before I ran out of time to read at all, let alone in Japanese. I’m determined to work up the motivation to get back into it, though! Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami I went through a Haruki Murakami phase over my gap semester in senior year, and that gap semester happened to be in Japan, so I bought a copy of his new book when it came out. Unfortunately, Murakami’s books don’t make much more sense in Japanese than they do in English. Also, I think an English version has been released by now, so maybe I should just read that instead Books Ive read this summer so far! His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman Thats why we needed our full life, Pan. We would have gone with Will and Kirjava, wouldnt we? Yes. Of course! And they would have come with us. But But then we wouldnt have been able to build it. No one could if they put themselves first. We have to be all those difficult things like cheerful and kind and curious and patient, and weve got to study and think and work hard, all of us, in all our different worlds, and then well build Her hands were resting on his glossy fur. Somewhere in the garden a nightingale was singing, and a little breeze touched her hair and stirred the leaves overhead. All the different bells of the city chimed, once each, this one high, that one low, some close by, others farther off, one cracked and peevish, another grave and sonorous, but agreeing in all their different voices on what the time was, even if some of them got to it a little more slowly than others. In that other Oxford where she and Will had kissed good-bye, the bells would be chiming, too, and a nightingale would be singing, and a little breeze would be stirring the leaves in the Botanic Garden. And then what? said her daemon sleepily. Build what? The Republic of Heaven, said Lyra. (cue tears) For whatever reason, I never got around to reading this series as a kid. I’m actually really glad about that, because if I had, I might never have revisited it as an adult. There’s a lot of philosophy and commentary regarding organized religion that I probably wouldn’t have picked up on as a child. Those of you who read the blogs semi-regularly will probably know that Petey loves His Dark Materials and has a sweet-ass tattoo of Lyra, and I think that quoting him here is appropriate: “These books are about many things â€" Christianity, and magic, and science, and love, and loss â€" but ultimately they are about choice: the choices we make, and the choices we are kept from making. They are about the many worlds which at once overlap with and stand apart from each other.” (from this post) After reading His Dark Materials which I did in very quick succession, because once I started I couldn’t stop I spent a long time lying awake at night thinking about many of the core ideas and themes from the books; in particular, the conscious mind. Humans haven’t managed to figure out much about consciousness and what it is. There are two theories regarding consciousness that I know of materialism and and mind-body dualism. The former postulates that consciousness emanates from the firing of neurons in our brains, and the latter is an idea of the religious variety that our physical bodies and our “souls” are separate. As far as I know, humanity knows close to nothing about either of these theories. They might both be right, or they both could be totally wrong. Nobody knows. His Dark Materials presents its own theory: that consciousness is composed of elementary particles both the characters in His Dark Materials and the residents of our universe know these particles as dark matter. The particles, called Dust in the books, bestow consciousness upon certain species, and are especially attracted to adults. The organization representing the Christian church in His Dark Materials believes that since Dust is less attracted to children than it is to adults, it must be a manifestation of Eve’s Original Sin. I think that Pullman is implying here that the Church is an enemy to human progress and tries to hinder the gain of worldly knowledge; I think this is a bit harsh, but only a bit. Organized religion as a whole has definitely netted negative over the last few millennia. That wasn’t really the point of that line of thought, but I’m not sure I wrote it with a point in mind. Anyways, you should read this series if you haven’t already. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz “Its never the changes we want that change everything.”   I read this book because its Junot Díazs most famous work. Some of you might know that  Díaz, a Pulitzer Prize winning author and creative writing professor here at MIT, got accused of sexual misconduct a few months ago. After a lot of controversy, MIT said he hadnt violated any of their policies and allowed him to continue teaching. I was really disappointed about this whole scandal; last semester, when I was beginning to consider double majoring in CMS, I was really excited to take one of his classes, and now I probably wont end up doing so out of moral obligation. I enjoyed the book;  Díazs writing style is really unique. But sadly, that doesnt change the fact that Im not overly inclined to take any of his classes anymore. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley “But I dont want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.”   This book is WILD. Aldous Huxley was truly ahead of his time, and I think he acknowledged this himself; in Brave New World Revisited, he discusses how he believes that elements of the future he envisioned in Brave New World are manifesting themselves faster than he could have imagined. While I don’t think our society will completely devolve into one with various classes of genetically engineered humans, I do think that this will happen to some extent. When genetic editing for fetuses becomes available and it will, almost certainly within my lifetime, only the rich will be able to afford it, at least at first. Getting into the upper echelons of socioeconomic success would become even more impossible than it already is, because the top 1% would be dominated by perfectly genetically engineered humans with ridiculously high IQs. I’m not sure that it would be good if genetic engineering technology is democratized either, because then everybody would want their child to have an astron omical IQ and be ridiculously attractive, and society would lose a lot of its variety. Personally, I would draw the line for genetic engineering for fetuses at getting rid of crippling genetic diseases or defects. We’ll see where society will decide to draw the line, though. (Bonus thought: would you have to report genetic editing on your college applications? Affirmative action could have a field day with that.) The Godfather by Mario Puzo “Yet, he thought, if I can die saying, Life is so beautiful, then nothing else is important. If i can believe in myself that much, nothing else matters.” I actually didn’t know that The Godfather wasn’t just a movie until recently, but it’s one of my favorite movies, and I couldn’t not read the book. Reading the book made me realize how well the movie is done it’s very faithful to the book, which is my personal standard of how good an adaptation is. I’m also really glad that the movie has sequels, because the book doesn’t end on the brightest note. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell “My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?”   Cloud Atlas is one of those movie names that sort of float in and out of your list of movies to watch, but you never quite get around to it. Last weekend, I was alone at my house catsitting while my parents were away, and I stole this book from my sister’s room because it seemed like a long read, but not too long. I got way more than I bargained for from this book. What an adventure. For those of you who haven’t read it, Cloud Atlas is made up of six different stories told over five centuries, by characters who will never meet each other but are connected through time in various ways. It got me thinking about souls again. I might not believe in heaven or hell or any sort of afterlife, but I’d like to think that like everything else in the universe, souls also obey the law of conservation and pass from one generation to the next as they do in Cloud Atlas. And thats it so far for me Im currently reading a post-apocalyptic novel called Station Eleven and I have an entire list of books that Im excited to read coming up. For the students reading this post: take some time out of your summer to read books! Post Tagged #books #CMS.840 #summer

Saturday, May 23, 2020

The Education System Of Saudi Arabia - 1651 Words

In the last decades, the number of Saudi undergraduates enrolled in universities in the United has surged dramatically. The trend is caused by the scholarship program that allowed Saudi students to study abroad while having their government pay for their tuition fees and living expenses. However, while these students are aware of the career opportunities that await them back home in the event that they finish schooling, many of them fail to return with a diploma. The problem is that, they find it difficult to adjust to the education systems implemented in foreign universities. The Saudi education system is marked by bureaucracy, which means that all important decisions pertaining to education are made by state officials, whereas the American education system places emphasis on individuality. That is, students are encouraged to make their own choices about almost all aspects of their education. Saudi students who are not able to adjust appropriately to the demands of Western education are also not able to maximize the benefits of studying in a multicultural academic institutions. Discussion In order to establish sustainable human resources in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Higher Education launched the King Abdullah Scholarship Program in 2005. Students are sent in developed nations around the world to study baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate programs in diverse areas of specialization (Alamri, 2011). 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As a woman living in one county could be totally different than living in another one. Women s status could be challenging in some countries and could be easy in another. Women s status in each society and culture differs in different ways around the world. In some societies, women s status improved progressively, while in other, it dropped or remained unimproved. Saudi Arabia has its own

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Women During Combat Units With Their Male Counterparts

Give me Equality or Give me Death Women in combat, a hindrance or the advance we need in our military combat units. Should women be allowed to be in combat units with their male counterparts? This is a topic of interest because discrimination is something that is vanishing as this country is learning to adjust to change. The fact that discrimination is making its way out of society is all the reason why women should be looked at as equal to their male counter parts. In the Article: Arguing For and Against Women in Combat in 1978, two different viewpoints were argued between women who had both been very high ranking in the military. One of the women was Elizabeth Hoisington, one of the first women to attain the rank of Brigadier†¦show more content†¦If a woman wanted to be as physically qualified as a man she could be. She may have to work a little bit harder to get there but she could. Although I don’t agree fully with what was said, I have become a little skeptical in allowing women in combat a s well as others. On the other hand the differing opinion in this article coming from Jeanne Holm, a Major General in the Air Force and the first woman to achieve the rank of a two star general in any branch of the military, thought â€Å"the time had long since come for women to serve their nation in combat units.† Although she did have some doubt about women going directly into infantry units she thinks women should be put on ships and planes as the first step. Hoisington did express that she thought having two people of opposite gender could interfere with the mission. Not only could attraction interfere with the mission at hand but also the fact that men have a natural instinct to protect women could also be a very big problem. Both women did agree â€Å"The No.1 criterion must be the ability of the unit to perform its combat mission. Everything else should be secondary to that,† which is absolutely true. The soldiers should be focused solely on the missio n at hand. Can someone truly say a woman would be the primary reason as to why the mission was compromised? Not at all if men could keep their focus only on the mission then there should be no reason as to

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Development of Haiti 2010 Free Essays

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in horrible poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain at risk to damage from frequent natural disasters as well as the country’s widespread growth of deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel). While the economy has recovered in recent years, registering positive growth since 2005, four tropical storms in 2008 along with the recent storm that had hit Haiti this year in 2010 severely damaged the transportation, communications, and agricultural areas. We will write a custom essay sample on Development of Haiti 2010 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Larger scale agricultural products in Haiti include coffee, mangos, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum and wood. Although industry is small, sugar refining, textiles and some assembly are common in Haiti. The economic inequality in Haiti is comparatively high. Expenditure distributions are highly slanted with the majority of expenditures at the low end. The GDP (gross domestic product) per capita in Haiti as of 2009 is $1,300. The number of the unemployed in Haiti is 3. 643 million people. The labor force rates in Haiti by occupation, for agriculture it is 66%, for services it is 25%, and for industry it is only 9%. In Haiti, those who can read and write are usually 15 and older. Typical males can read and write more so than girls, but only by a small percentage: males are 54. 8% literate and females are 51. 2% literate. Haiti has 15,200 primary schools, of which 90% are non-public and managed by the communities, religious organizations. The enrollment rate for primary school is 67%, and fewer than 30% reach 6th grade. Secondary schools enroll 20% of eligible-age children. Although, public education is free, private and unsophisticated schools provide around 75% of educational programs offered and less than 65% of those eligible for primary education are actually enrolled. Only 63% of those enrolled will complete primary school. Although Haitians place a high value on education, few can afford to send their children to secondary school. Remittances sent by Haitians living abroad are important in contributing to educational costs. Haiti meets most international human rights standards. In practice, however, many provisions are not respected. The government’s human rights record is poor. Political killings, kidnapping, torture, and unlawful custody are common unofficial practices. Medical facilities in Haiti are in short supply and for the most part they are all very poor quality; outside the capital standards are even lower than in Port-au-Prince. Medical care in Port-au-Prince is limited, and the level of community sanitation is extremely low. Life-threatening emergencies often require evacuation by air ambulance at the patient’s expense. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for health services. The degree of risk in Haiti is quite high; half of the children in Haiti are unvaccinated and just 40% of the population has access to basic health care. Even before the 2010 earthquake, nearly half the causes of deaths have been attributed to HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections, meningitis and diarrheal diseases, including cholera and typhoid. Ninety percent of Haiti’s children suffer from waterborne diseases and intestinal parasites. Approximately 5% of Haiti’s adult population is infected with HIV. Cases of tuberculosis in Haiti are more than ten times as high as those in other Latin American countries. Also, around 30,000 people in Haiti suffer each year from malaria. Environmental widespread growth of deforestation in Haiti as well as, soil erosion, poor supply of drinkable water, biodiversity, climate change, and desertification are some main causes as to why Haiti is such a poor and lacking country today. The forests that once covered the entire country have now been reduced to 4% of the total land area. Haiti loses 3% of its forests every year. Deforestation has had a disastrous effect on soil fertility, because the steep hillsides on which so many Haitian farmers work are particularly at risk to erosion. Another environmental factor that faces Haiti is the unplanned and unsustainable timber harvesting, agricultural clearing, and livestock cultivation that has thrown Haiti’s environment into crisis, creating the effects of hurricanes and floods on the already unstable country. Haiti’s transportation is not at all well; although they have 14 airports in Haiti, only 4 of them are paved and the other 10 are not. The road total mileage in Haiti is about 2,585 miles, only 628 miles of it is paved and 1,957 miles is unpaved. Haiti has only two main highways that run from one end of the country to the other. In the past Haiti used railroads, but today they are no longer in use due to other forms of transportation that have become available. The birth rate in Haiti is 24. 92 births per 1,000 people of the population, and the death rate is 32. 31 deaths per 1,000 people of the population as of 2010. The infant mortality rate total is 77. 26% deaths per 1,000 live births; males have a higher death rate than females. Males having 81. deaths per 1,000 live births and females having 73. 07 deaths per 1,000 live births. Life expectancy of the total population is only 29. 93 years, males only having 29. 61 years and females living until around age 30. The reason for such a high mortality rate is due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower pop ulation growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected. Works Cited CIA. â€Å"CIA – The World Factbook. † Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency. 27 Oct. 2010. Web. 05 Nov. 010. . Nicolas, Marc-Charles. â€Å"Facts about Haiti, About Haiti, Data and Population of Haiti, Haiti Crime Report, Haiti Superficie, Haiti Superficy. † Haitisurf. com- Haiti Website, Haitian Website, Top Haitian Website – Haiti Tourism – Haiti Vacations. 2008. Web. 05 Nov. 2010. . Rival, Antonio. â€Å"Culture of Haiti – Traditional, History, People, Clothing, Traditions, Women, Beliefs, Food, Customs, Family, Social, Dress, Marriage, Men, Life, Population, Religion, Rituals. † Countries and Their Cultures. Web. 05 Nov. 2010. . U. S. Library of Congress. â€Å"Haiti – GEOGRAPHY. † Country Studies. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. . How to cite Development of Haiti 2010, Papers

Saturday, May 2, 2020

John Steinbeck Experiencing the Dust Bowl Essay Example For Students

John Steinbeck: Experiencing the Dust Bowl Essay The 1930s were a decade of great change politically, economically, and socially. The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl wore raw the nerves of the people, and our true strength was shown. From it arose John Steinbeck, a storyteller of the Okies and their hardships. His books, especially The Grapes of Wrath, are reflections of what really went on in the 1930s. John Steinbeck did not write about what he had previously read, he instead wrote what he experienced through his travels with the migrant workers. His method was not to present himself notebook in hand and interview people. Instead he worked and traveled with the migrants as one of them, living as they did and arousing no suspicion from employers militantly alert against agitators of any kind. (Lisca 14) John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath was derived from his personal experiences and his journeys with the migrant workers. John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in the town of Salinas, California. Salinas was an agricultural trading center with ties to the farms and ranches in the area. Steinbecks father, John Steinbeck Sr. , was in the flour-milling business and through it supported his family of three daughters and one son. Steinbeck was a good student and a great writer even at an early age; he wrote stories for his high school paper. (Lisca 1-4) The experiences that were most influential to Steinbeck were not at school, but instead came from his home and the countryside. He read his mothers books, which included the titles of Crime and Punishment, Paradise Lost and The Return of the Native. Another major influence was the countryside of California that surrounded him all his childhood. He went with Good 2 his family to his mothers family ranch, where Steinbeck was surrounded by nature, and these kinds of trips led him to write such books as East of Eden and The Red Pony. (Lisca 3-5) Later in life, Steinbeck wrote a book called In Dubious Battle, which made him known as sympathetic to the labor conditions in California. Because of this, Steinbeck accepted assignments to write articles about the migrants working in California. Steinbeck had been aware of the labor problems in his state of California, but for these articles he wanted to experience it firsthand. For inspiration for his articles, and also what would turn out to be the inspiration for Grapes of Wrath, he visited the farms outside his native Salinas and also visited the squatter camps near Bakersfield (Lisca 12-14). These visits to the squatter camps led to his creation of the Weedpatch camp in Grapes of Wrath. A few years later, Steinbeck returned to California to write Grapes of Wrath and to further research the flawed California labor. He was not, however, merely researching materials for his next book, but passionately involved in the suffering and injustice (Lisca 16). His fervor for the migrant cause almost lead him to abandon his recent writing and revise Of Mice and Men and sell it so he could donate to money to the migrant workers. In early September 1936, Steinbeck went back to Salinas to find that there was a violent clash between growers and workers over a strike that resulted in riots and killings. This turned Steinbeck upside down, because now it was not only something happening in California, but was happening in the town where he grew up. While visiting migrant camps that were being flooded by the torrential rain in Visalia, he was filled with anger at the conditions in which these people were living (DeMott 3). The people were living in flooded tents where the people were without food or fire. .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0 , .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0 .postImageUrl , .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0 , .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0:hover , .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0:visited , .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0:active { border:0!important; } .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0:active , .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0 .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4264ce7243bb42ebedebec67c08795f0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The tragic hero in antigone Essay The town and the county had stopped giving help because the situation had become too unbearable (DeMott Good 3 xxviii). Here is an excerpt from Steinbecks personal journal when he was in Visalia in the winter of 1938: I must go over into the interior valleys. There are about five thousand families starving to death over there, not just hungry but actually starving. The government is trying to feed them and get medical attention to them with the fascist group of utilities and banks and huge growers sabotaging the thing all along .

Sunday, March 22, 2020

20 Exploratory Essay Topics Interesting Facts about Personal Names

20 Exploratory Essay Topics Interesting Facts about Personal Names Welcome to our second guide where we discuss 20 topics for an exploratory essay on â€Å"what’s in a name†. If you’ve missed our first guide where we discussed 10 facts for an exploratory essay on â€Å"what’s in a name† then we recommend that you go through that first before going through this one. In this guide, you’ll be introduced to 20 Topics relevant to your assignment, so you can begin writing without having to worry about where to start. We’ve also included a sample exploratory essay by choosing one of the 20 topics outlined below to give you a good idea about how an exploratory essay is faithfully written. Having essay examples on â€Å"what’s in a name† will prove to be very helpful as it will assist you tremendously in writing your essay. Once you’re done reading this guide, we highly recommend taking a look at our final and third guide, â€Å"how to write a deep exploratory essay on what’s in a name†. This last guide is perfect for polishing your writing skills and getting to know how a remarkable exploratory essay is written. Without further ado, here are 20 topics for an exploratory essay on what’s in a name: Why Personal Names Are of Psychological Significance The Relationship between Personal Names and Human Psychology Do Names Affect Your Life Significantly? Studies and Experiments Suggest They Do Why Deeper Research and Studies into Names Have Been Largely Neglected by Psychologists What Kind of Roles Does a Name Play in Your Life? The Reason Behind Trusting a Person Whose Name is Easy to Pronounce Why Boys with Feminine Names are More Likely to Bully in School Evidence Suggests Women with Masculine Names are More Attractive Physically Does Culture, Religion or Fashion Influence How We Name Our Children? Studies Show that You Cannot Have a Unique Name German Researchers Reveal the Most Appealing Names on Online Dating Platforms Why Psychologists Should Devote Their Time to Researching the Significance and Importance of Names Is there a Relationship between Names and Facial Appearance? The Effect of Names on Your Job and Professional Life How People Perceive You When You Have a Jewish or Muslim Name Psychological Factors that Affect Preferences for First Names Evidence Suggests that Your Name Might Make You a Future Smoker The Effect of Names on an Individual’s Self-Esteem and How They Seem to Feel Depressed The Definition of Attractive and Unattractive Names According to Psychologists Why Parents Should Be Careful When Choosing Their Children’s Names Liked the topics? There’s just so many to choose from, you may not know where to start. Allow us to help you with that: when choosing a topic, shortlist the ones which can be researched easily. This will assist you to writing the perfect exploratory essay without having to worry about what topic to choose. Below, we’ve written a sample exploratory essay for you on one of these 20 topics so you can have an idea about how to write an exploratory essay on your own. It’s good to take a peek or two when you are writing just to make sure you are doing it right. Anyhow, here is the exploratory essay: Sample Exploratory Essay: Do Names Affect Your Life Significantly? Studies and Experiments Suggest They Do According to Shakespeare, names are unimportant and arbitrary but research and evidence has shown otherwise, since a number of psychologists have taken a keen interest in exploring the significance of names and their effect on our lives as well as our interests. Studies now suggest that people’s lives are indeed influenced by their first names. Researchers have now found how people’s names affect their lives. For example, women that have a masculine name tend to achieve greater success in the legal profession while women with attractive names are considered more physically attractive. On the other hand, when research was conducted on boys[4]   that had feminine first names, it was concluded that they were more mischievous misbehaving at school and even after school. Although the reason was unclear, many psychologists agree that this was due to lower self-esteem and because their classmates might be embarrassing them by calling out their names. However, to this day, the real reason has not been unearthed. Our names also affect how others perceive us. During the studies, researchers found out that a name’s ethnicity plays a significant role in how we choose our jobs, our hometown and the people we interact with. In a recent study conducted by UC Irvine, it was concluded that easy to pronounce names are more truthful and trustworthy in the eyes of strangers, while people with hard to pronounce names are â€Å"hard† to trust. The study showed that easily pronounced names are also easily remembered, which is why our brain signals our instinct to trust that person. A study conducted by German researchers, found something of significance about the names. These researchers sent 47,000 emails to online daters and found out that people tend to go for attractive names. The best part? These emails did not include photos, but only names and a general introduction. This goes to show how important it is to choose an attractive name instead of a random one. For example, Alexander is one of the best names for males while for females, Charlotte is considered a top choice. These experiments and studies concluded that there is much to be revealed about names than meets the eye. Although psychologists neglect to investigate this matter further, it’s about time they started taking an interest in names and their effect on human behavior. Many studies and experiments have shown that names play an important role in our lives. Conducting more experiments and studies on a large scale would contribute a lot to what’s in a name and the significance of this subject. Now, let’s head to our final guide on how to write a deep exploratory essay on what’s in a name which rounds off our bare essentials for writing a marvelous exploratory essay. References: Robin S. S. Kramer, Alex L. Jones, (2015) Do People’s First Names Match Their Faces? Journal of Articles in Support of the Null Hypothesis Vol. 12, No. 1  jasnh.com/pdf/Vol12-No1-article1.pdf Kenneth M. Steele, Laura E. Smithwick, (1989) First Names and First Impressions: A Fragile Relationship, Sex Roles, Vol. 21, Nos. â…ž , Mars Hill College  http://www1.appstate.edu/~kms/documents/SteeleSmithwick1989.pdf Jochen E. Gebauer, Mark R. Leary, Wiebke Neberich; (2011) Unfortunate First Names Effects of Name-Based Relational Devaluation and Interpersonal Neglect, Sage Journals  http://spp.sagepub.com/content/3/5/590.short Andrew M. Colman, David J. Hargreaves, WladySlaw Sluckin; (1980) Psychological Factors Affecting Preferences for First Names* ARG, University of Leicester  https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/npb/people/amc/articles-pdfs/psycfact.pdf Andrew M. Colman, David J. Hargreaves, WladySlaw Sluckin; (1983) The Attractiveness of Names Human Relations, Volume 36, Number 4, pp. 393-402  https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/npb/people/amc/articles-pdfs/psycfact.pdf Hewitt, E.A. (no date) ‘WHAT’S IN A NAME: Gender, power, and Classic Maya women rulers’, Ancient Mesoamerica, 10(2), pp. 251–262. David N. Figlio, (2005) Boys Named Sue: Disruptive Children and their Peers NBER Working Paper No. 11277  nber.org/papers/w11277

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Yahoo Corporation is a Technological Company

Yahoo Corporation is a Technological Company Yahoo Corporation is a Technological Company Yahoo Corporation is a technological company involved in innovative technologies to help mobilize resources and create opportunities around the world. It has formed various partnerships and supports a number of projects around the world through training and technological access. It basically deals with web hosting. It earns its profits through advertisements by various companies and providing internet connectivity. The company released its financial statements for the period up to 30th September 2011. These included its balance sheet, income statement and its cash flow statement. Comparing these with the financial statements of the previous financial year (the year ended 30th December 2010); there has been a significant increase in the profit margins and investment levels. The company is in a good liquid position; it is able to meet its short term and long term obligations as and when they fall due. Considering its current ratio which is given by: total current assets divided by its total current liabilities; (3404.59/1201.59 = 2.83), this implies that Yahoos assets of the value $2.83 are being used to meet its $1.00 of its current liabilities. It is in a position to meet quickly its current liabilities at a very comfortable position since it s able to convert its current assets quickly into cash (its quick ratio is given by its total current assets less inventory, divided by total current liabilities). Another evidence of good liquidity position is the, fact that, its debt to equity ratio is not below 1. The company is able to leverage its debt against the capital employed by its owners by ensuring that, the liabilities of the company do not exceed the net worth of the capital employed. This is advantageous to the company as its creditors do not have more stakes in the company than the shareholders. The 0.17 debt to equity ratio implies that $0.17 of debt and $1.00 of equity is being employed to meet its obligations. Altman Z score measures the physical fitness of the company. The Z-score for Microsoft is 2.73 given by: Given the companys Z score to be 2.23, this implies that that company is not on the safe side and should exercise precaution when dealing with debt. It should ensure that the amount of companys debt is kept at very low levels as possible to avoid chances of the company going bankrupt with years of its operation since the last date of preparation of its financial statements The company has made good amounts of profit in the previous financial year Out of the assets employed in its assets employed in its operations it makes a 34% return on the assets. This is given by the net assets divided by average total assets (293.29/857.39). This is an indication that the company is applying its assets to good and productive use. The owners capital invested in the company is applying its assets to good and productive use. The owners capital invested in the company is also being put into good use as there is an increase in its return from 2.67% to 3% in the year up to 30th September, 2011. The company makes $0.34 cents on every $ 1.00 sale they make. This is a good profitability level and the company should stay in business while at the same time looking for the other avenues to increase its profits. Change in strategy through of new products can be considered. Still the company can increase its profitability level by increasing its assets and ensuring they are being used to their maximum capacity. Good maintenance should also be part of i ts strategy to increase profitability. In terms of efficiency, the company can be rated at 7 points given a rating scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most efficient. It has been able to rotate its inventory in sales 6 times in the given fiscal year. This implies that there is high demand of the companys products and ensure that it delivery is made on time to ensure that they retain their customers for the goods sold. 15% of the total cost of goods is being funded by its suppliers. This is the accounts payable to sales ratio which is calculated by dividing the total amount payable in the books by the net sales multiplying by 100% (131.47/857.39). Comparing the above figures to those of the previous financial period (December 2010), there has been an increase in funding from the accounts payable. However, training programs should be devised to ensure an improvement in the efficiency of the companys management. The products should be manufactured only when the customer makes orders as this will help reduce the cost of the sales by eliminating/reducing the storage costs to be incurred by the company. The proportion of the companys debt to its equity is at 0.17 (debt/equity =2067.49/12460.11) this implies that there is $0.17 debt for every $1.00 equity. This amount should be reduces to a lower level to ensure that the share holders have more stakes in the company than its creditors. The company is to apply an approach which reduces the total amount of debt generally and instead fund most of its projects and activities through owners capital. This will reduce the interest expense and will have an incremental effect on the basic earning per share and hence increased rating in the stock exchange mortal. In conclusion, the company generally is at a good financial position It is highly liquid, very profitable and its capital structure is favorable to the shareholders. However this should be improved by reducing the debt to equity ratio. The Z score though indicates that the company is not at a better position, it needs to work on its financing strategies to reduce its chances of going bankrupt in the coming years of operation. It needs to take its Z score value to 3 and above.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Pornography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pornography - Essay Example It narrates the story of the passionate and obsessive sexual affair between Kichizo Ishidaa, a hotel owner, and Sada Abe, a prostitute turned servant who works for him. By portraying the unusual relationship and obsessive love between the couple, through several sequences of sexual acts, Oshima subtly redefines the meaning of pornography and obscenity. The movie depicts an â€Å"extended repertoire of graphic sex acts† that are typical of porn movies and due to stringent censorship laws in Japan Oshima has done all the post production work in France (Williams 183). Many critics have discounted the movie as pornographic but some, including the movie’s director, defended it on the grounds that it radically attempts to extend the possibilities of pornography and challenges the â€Å"very notion of obscenity† (183). The main objective of Oshima seems to be to show the audience what they wish to see but have so far forbidden themselves from viewing. He further contend s that when the audience feels that all that they wanted to see is â€Å"revealed† the element of â€Å"obscenity disappears† and, therefore, the authorities should authorize the screening of pornographic movies (183). In her critique of the movie, writer and critic Linda Williams endorses that despite the graphic sexual acts depicted in the film, it does not â€Å"negate art† (184). People usually associate pornography and obscenity with the concept of devouring on sexual acts that people watch merely for the purpose of excitement or as a deviatory pleasure. Thus, the general notion is that pornography solely seeks to elicit erotic feelings and arouse the people who watch or read such materials. However, through the portrayal of a strong, obsessive love affair between a servant and master that finally entails in jealousy out of possessiveness, Oshima pushes the boundaries that define the term pornography and obscenity and attract the attention of the audience t o new dimensions of the term. Linda Williams attributes the film to be â€Å"too real, too hard-core† but also â€Å"too beautiful to fathom† (184). On the other hand, she further mentions the scary connotation of the castration in the movie’s climax is a befitting end, which reflects the â€Å"Lacanian allegories† of the times when the movie was made (184). Thus, Oshima has traversed beyond the normal realms of pornography and obscenity through the depiction of the tumultuous affair between the man and the woman in his movie, In the Realm of Senses. A Critical Analysis of Linda William’s Definition of Obscenity: Human cultures and civilization have evolved with the passage of time as people keep changing their perspectives based on new information and knowledge. The definition of the word â€Å"obscene,† as the humans perceive it now, has also undergone a lot of interpretation as well as transformation before it has acquired its current dim ension. In the conservative American society the word obscenity refers to any sexual representation in any art form that has been included in it simply â€Å"for sex’s sake† without adding any value the content; or in a sense it encompasses the notion of what should be â€Å"off (ob) the stage (scene) of representation† (Williams 165). Linda Williams in her essay titled, Second Thoughts on

Monday, February 3, 2020

Business Management Affairs Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Management Affairs - Coursework Example For the purposes of consistency and avoidance of double standards, a single choice of the contract law becomes necessary for Simon. Contents of a contract under English law A legally binding contract under the English law contains various elements stipulating the terms of the contract. In the English contract law, three essential elements ought to be present for any contract to be considered legally binding. A promise ought to be made to a person. This can be identified as the beginning point of a legally binding contract. In this section, the promise becomes a determining factor for any arising legal obligations. The promises form the condition under which contracts become actualized. Promises under the English law do not always come with a legal obligation. The agreements involving payments upon performance of a duty can be identified to contain legal obligations. The making of a promise can be regarded as the intention to create a binding agreement pertaining to a specified duty. The promise only states a limited level of information regarding the offer being made. This element shall be essential in the project Simons is undertaking at the recruitment stage for the judges. The promise made can either be providing legal obligations or not. The second phase of English contract law involves identifying the duties arising from the contract. The English contract law makes a distinguishing characterization between the duties arising. Here, the two categories are bilateral and unilateral contracts. While the English law makes this categorization, the common law does not categorize different contracts (Keenan and Riches, 2011). In the English law, unilateral contracts give legal obligations to only one of the contracting parties. The bilateral contracts, on the other hand, provide legal obligations to both parties. Unilateral contracts cannot be used in the case of Simons as they will not give an obligation to the judges. This phase of the contract law can be define d as the beginning of the formal legal contract. Upon agreement, the parties can consider themselves to have gotten into a contract. The last phase of the English contract law lays down the remedies for breaching of contracts. This also stipulates the system to be employed when seeking remedies to contract breach. Under the English law, two methods of seeking remedy exist. While the main difference between the two lies in the courts administering the remedy, the remedies continue to be administered by the same courts. The English law defines the remedies can be administered by either the king’s bench of the chancery courts. These courts shall be used in the administration of remedies for the contracts between the judges and Simons’ company. Requirements of the contract The Simons TV production company needs to draw contracts adhering to the English contracting laws. This becomes essential for the company in avoiding law suits outside the United Kingdom courtrooms. The company needs to ensure adherence to these prevailing contracting laws of England. The company shall solicit the services of any qualified candidates deemed to fit to perform the functions of adjudication. In accordance to the English law, the TV production company shall make the promise to the proposed judges. The company can make use of both

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Film Analysis: Metropolis Women

Film Analysis: Metropolis Women Film History The first ever science fiction film, â€Å"Metropolis†, is a German Expressionism film released in 1927 that portrays women through femininity, technology, and sexuality. Science Fiction cinema, see it as a landmark film and a futuristic technological fantasy that mirrors both our fears and our fascination with technology. Even more remarkable is that the film connects the relationship among female sexuality, male-oriented vision, and technology. In this paper, I would like to examine the relationship between women, sexuality, and technology. Post World War I, German Expressionism had a strong influence on cinema. By the end of the eighteenth century filmmakers used cinema as a way to address issues relevant to culture and society by combining the arts and technology, which is seen in the architecture and techniques of film at this time (Deren). The idea of German Expressionism was that cinema was to heighten emotional and psychological states, filmmakers used exaggeration, violence, and distortion such as sharp angles, painted shadows, and twisted landscape to give films disturbing visual characteristics. Metropolis depicts a futuristic city in the year 2026 from the view of the 1920s. The wealthy ruling class lives in luxury in their skyscrapers while the working class is forced to sweat and slave in subhuman conditions under the city. The working class is a slave to the ruling class, and man is a slave to the machine. The film starts with images of massive machinery spewing smoke with their pistons churning in a continuous rhythm. The workers dressed in all black are marching in a very robotic form to the elevators that will take them down to the oppressive machines that run the city. There are then images of a shift siren sounding and very large clocks that only count to ten, which alert the workers of the beginning and the end of work shifts (Ruppert). Here is where the workers are reduced to robots in which their movements are dominated by the mechanical rhythm of the machine. Workers in this system, must adapt themselves to a functional, technological rationality; they must func tion like machines, in lockstep and geometric formation, their individual identities lost. Thus, the hands of Metropolis become, mechanical and replaceable (Rutsky). However, our first impression of the city where the elite live is that of a very modern and impressive urban landscape with the large architecture, planes, cars, and eden like gardens where the power of technology benefits human purpose (Ruppert). The story of Metropolis provides a unique view of the future. Freder is the son of the ruler or head of Metropolis, Jon Frederson who is considered of almost superhuman rationality and efficiency (Rutsky). One day, outside in the eden like gardens, Freder comes across a woman from the working class who has brought the children up to see how their brothers live. He immediately falls in love, and follows her to the depths of the city where he learns of the hard lifestyle the workers lead. It is here where Freder witnesses a violent explosion and he suddenly imagines one of the machines as a demonic beast â€Å"Moloch† to which the workers are sacrificed. Hoping to persuade his father into providing a better life and more promising future to the underground workers, Freder travels to see his father. When his father refuses, he goes and takes over the job of an overworked laborer. Upon completing the shift he learns that Maria is almost like a spiritual leader to the workers as he hears her teaching the workers about the Tower of Babel. At this point, Freder decides he wants to help Maria and he joins the underground community. Freders father finds out and was concerned about the influence Maria may have over the workers so he enlists in the help of an old rival Rotwang, to help keep the working class under control. From Jon Fredersons point of view, Maria has already cuased Freder to alienate from him and question his authority. This represents no only a potential rival to his power, but poses a threat to male domination, should the feminine values of the â€Å"heart† such as nurture, compassion, and feeling (emotions generally considered feminine) ever become dominant (Ruppert). Rotwang, an evil scientist, wants to undermine Marias leadership and create a plan to destroy the machines. He kidnaps Maria and creates a robot which he clones into her and uses it to confuse the workers. The plan works and the robot Maria leads workers to destroy machines, which causes their city to flood that almost drownes the workers children. It is up to Maria and Freder to rescue the children. Eventually the children are saved, which causes the workers to rebel against Maria who they believed caused all these problems. The workers end up burning the robot Maria at the stake. Through this, the workers and his Jon Frederson realize Freder is the connection from the brain to the hands, that Maria had always hoped for. Freder is the heart of the machine. It is evident, by the main context in the film that the images portraying femininity are threatening the male world of technology, domination, and control. â€Å"Control of the real Maria, represents a threat to the world of high technology, and its system of sexual repression; domination of the Robot Maria by Rotwang who orders her to perform certain tasks; control of the workers by the Frederson Master of Metropolis who plans to replace the underground workers with robots; and finally, control of the workers actions through Fredersons sneaky use of the machine, the robot Maria (Huyssen).† Marias threat to male dominance in Metropolis is made apparent in the sequence in which Rotwang and Fredersen observe her speaking to the workers. The two watch as she communicates her version of the legend of the Tower of Babel to the workers, emphasizing the division and destruction between the ruling classes and the workers, a situation that obviously corresponds to the conditions in Metropolis (Ruppert). She predicts eventual reconciliation and social harmony: between the brain that plans and the hands that build, she says, there must be a mediator. It is the heart, that must bring about an understanding between them. With the creation of robot Maria, came the ability for the viewer to clearly see how sexuality can be used to gain power and control. In this particular scene Rotwang presents her at an all male gathering in the upper city. Robot Maria emerges from steam and light to do a sequence of seductive belly dances stripping off more clothes at each glance. She became quite the spectacle and the object of male desire and vision, leaving all the men in â€Å"awe†. Femininity in this sequence, suggests, it is constructed by male vision and that female sexuality comes to life through male desire (Ruppert). By connecting technology and female sexuality, the film incites the viewer with polarities and opposition. â€Å"Viewing the film we are able to see doubled and mirroring patterns. These patterns link oppositions at the same time that they estrange or defamiliarize them. This is apparent in the opposition between the upper and lower worlds, linked and estranged by technology (Telotte). † However, according to Huyssen, the creation of Maria the robot, links technology and women directly. Huyssen argues that the robot Maria in Metropolis is the â€Å"embodiment of early twentieth century male fear of women and machines, both of which were perceived at threats to patriarchal control (Huyssen). In addition, technology was not always linked to sexuality in this way; the two were associated in the early nineteenth century, at the time when machines were beginning to be perceived as threatening. Huyssen also points out, that â€Å"women and machines are linked, equating male fears of powerful technologies with fears of female sexuality (Huyssen).† With the creation of robot Maria as a substitute for the human Maria, comes the division of what the film has implies to viewers to be the principles of femininity compassion, nurture, and empathy (Ruppert). And, while the robot Maria acts on her own, she also encourages aggression and destruction that eventually becomes a behavior which is self-destructing to the workers. However, there was something about robot Maria, that was able to rekindle spirit, repressed hopes, and encourage the workers to destroy the boundaries that limited their potential. Until this part in the film, women are hardly ever seen. It is in this scene, we are seeing women in numbers as they become a crowd of female hostility. In Donna Haraways reading, â€Å"The cyborg (robot Maria) should be celebrated as potentially liberating, even utopian idea- a metaphor for flexible identities, transgressed boundaries, gender obsolescence (Haraway).† In Haraways view, robots represent industrial machinery that excludes the human. However, with the creation of robot Maria comes incorporation of the human and elimination of the character distinctions, which were previously assumed to separate technology from humanity. Neither entirely human nor imitation, it is these boundaries that distinguish robot Maria. It is also Haraways view that â€Å"when the boundary between human and artificial subside, and when gender differences, for example, are no longer a question, women can then be unrestricted from their positions of inequality and equality can become possible (Haraway).† Some critics such as Telotte and Kracauer argue that the film send an anti-technology message. According to Telotte, for example, views the film as a â€Å"destruction of technology, something that makes us forget our social responsibilities (Telotte)†. And Kracauer criticizes the scene that displays the creation of the robot Maria as â€Å"unproductive to the flow of the narrative and dismisses the staging of her erotic dance as spectatorial excess (Kracauer)†. Kracauer goes on to say that the creation of the robot â€Å"is detailed with a technical exactitude that is not at all required to further the action† and he attributes the erotic dance as â€Å"Langs penchant for pompous ornamentation† and discounts the non-narrative value of Metropolis, its reflexivity and status as spectacle (Kracauer)†. On the other hand, Huyssen, sees it as pro- technology. He argues that the films threatening aspects can be eliminated and that the battle between the workers and the city dwellers could be solved by â€Å"technological progress† (Huyssen). As viewers see contradictions, viewers are also in awe of the spectacular developments in technology and see the human costs associated with that development. The severe conditions of the workers makes it more difficult for the viewer to embrace technology while resisting technology is nearly impossible because they are already shown being a part of everyones life. The fact that the film is viewed by critics both as pro-technology, and anti-technology suggests, that technology is not the final determining factor of social life in Metropolis. It is capitalism that turns the workers into machines and women into objects. Metropolis provides us with a view of Weimar culture by showing the viewer social conflicts and differences between labor and capital, feminist liberation, and the risk and the possibilities of technology. In addition, the relationship between technology and the human is made apparent in this film by Maria showing us liberating power of technology that can dissolve boundaries and the male fears of technology and the destruction of social boundaries. â€Å"If patriarchy depends on the kind of values we attribute to sexual difference, then technology, the film suggests, depends on what we do with machines, the cultural uses we make of them (Ruppert).† Works Cited Haraway, DonnaA Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist- Feminism in the Late Twentieth Centurey, in Sinians, Cyborgs and Women: The reinvention of Nature. New York: Routledge (1991): 149-181 Rutsky, R.L.the Mediation of Technology and Gender: Metropolis, Nazism, Modernism. New German Critique, No. 60, Special Issue on German Film History. (Autumn, 1993), pp. 3-32 Deren, SecilCinema and film Industry in Weimar Republic, 1918-1933 Telotte, J.P.The Seductive Text of â€Å"Metropolis† Telotte, J.P. Replications: A Robotic History of the Science Fiction Film Huyssen, Andreasâ€Å"The Vamp and the Machine: Technology and Sexuality in Fritz Langs Metropolis, â€Å"New German critique 24-25 (1981-1982): 221-237 Kracauer, Siegried. From Caligari to Hitler: A schological History of the German Film. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1947 Ruppert, PeterTechnology and the Construction of Gender in Fritz Langs â€Å"Metropolis† Reflection: Application of Leadership Skills in Nursing Reflection: Application of Leadership Skills in Nursing 1. Introduction 1.1 This report looks at my existing leadership skills and how they have developed when implementing a postnatal group within my practice. Through developing this group, I will look at how the team responds to my leadership and how I approach situations. As part of my continuing professional development, I will identify changes needed in my approach to future practice in order to provide a quality working environment and improved development of service provision. This community health care project was chosen because Hall et al (2009) states that governments are increasingly interested in community healthcare programmes because, in partnership with other agencies, they can reduce social exclusion and the inequalities within and between local communities. Support groups can relieve feelings of isolation and loneliness in a study of women with post-natal depression, the support from others meant that mothers gained in self-esteem and felt empowered (Eastwood et al, 1995). 1.2 The Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN) must follow performance standards in association with health enhancing activities (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2004, p12). Part of these standards state that I am responsible for applying leadership skills and managing projects to improve health and well being. Promoting partnership working and leading public health interventions through innovative and visionary approaches is key to my role as a SCPHN. Historically much of health service provision has been service led rather than needs led, designed and developed at the convenience of the providers rather than the patients (Wilkinson Murray 1998). Healthy lives, brighter futures (DOH, 2009a) and Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation (DoH, 1999) highlight the importance of there being partnership between services, children and parents which must be driven by strong leadership by SCPHNs. These improvements need to be achieved through an agreement between health practitioners and services and parents, children and young people. 2 . Aims 2.1 The aims of this report are to identify different leadership approaches and my own approach and evaluate positives and negatives of these approaches to improve my leadership skills. To explore the SCPHN role as a leader and the opportunities and obstacles that may impinge on effective leadership requirements in public health nursing through leading the development of a postnatal group. All SCPHNs interventions should operate on a partnership and empowerment model of delivery, which ensures acceptability of the service by both professionals and clients. Further aims will be to understand the principles of change management and conflict management, to enable effective resolution and promote a cohesive team environment. 3. Leadership in Practice 3.1 Through my experience as a SCPHN I believe that I hold transformational leadership traits, which include communication, motivation, decision making and conflict resolution. I believe my current skills lie in communication and motivation but areas where development is required are conflict within teams and on an individual basis. Two types of leaders have been identified transactional leaders set goals, give directions and use rewards to reinforce employee behaviours associated with meeting or exceeding established goals. Transformational leaders have the ability to motivate performance beyond expectations through their ability to influence attitudes (Mcguire Kennerly 2006, p.180). I endeavoured to follow Johnsons (2005) research, which suggested that highly effective leaders need both vision as well as a specific plan in order to carry out their plan if goals are to be achieved. I have demonstrated vision by creating this idea for a postnatal group. As a transformational leader I will try to share my vision with my followers, enthusing them with a high level of commitment (ChangingMinds, 2002-2006). In previous professional roles I was a follower and therefore I need to develop leadership skills. It is important as a practitioner to be aware and incorporate the qualities of both leadership styles in practice. 3.2 In my role as a leader I need to use interpersonal skills to influence others to accomplish a specific goal exerting influence by using a flexible approach of personal behaviours which is important in forging links, creating connections amongst organisations in order to promote high levels of performance and quality care (Sullivan Decker, 2009). I have approached a fellow SCPHN within the team and by recognising her individual expertise and praising her knowledge have encouraged her to contribute to the group by leading a session on womens health. As a leader I recognise Raffertys (1993) work by caring for the people I lead and I can see that by encouraging and praising my team I am able to promote high levels of performance, which therefore results in the delivery of high quality care. 3.3 In my leadership experience I have recognised the need to focus on the relationship between the people and the organisation this is described as Action Centred Leadership by Adair (1979) (Appendix 1). Adair highlighted the importance of a leader having the ability to meet three functions these where; to achieve the required task; to maintain the team and to meet the needs of individual team members. I have recognised the complexity of achieving successful leadership which requires the overlapping of these three functions in variable proportions to achieve the desired outcome. I have identified that both my team members and I have individual strengths and weaknesses and therefore task completion requires a multidisciplinary team approach, considering the organisational skill mix and resources available. Team members need to have an understanding of what is expected of them, and an understanding of how their individual contributions relate to the whole project. When developing the idea for the postnatal group we had a team meeting to share ideas and to ensure that everyone was aware of the aims of the project. Consideration of the needs of the team involved my considering training needs, communication systems and team development in order for my multi-professional team to function. Prior to commencement of the postnatal group a multidisciplinary team introduction meeting was held to ensure that every team member was familiar with their colleagues expertise and skills. As a leader it is important to recognise team members have individual skills, needs and problems, and to give praise and status to everyone. Again training and development is essential in order to maintain quality of care delivery as outlined in the benchmarks within the Essence of Care (DoH, 2006). When delegating work to others as a registered practitioner I have a legal responsibility to determine the knowledge and skill level required to perform delegated tasks. Like other public bodies, health service providers are accountable to both the criminal and civil courts to ensure that their activities conform to legal requirements. As a registered practitioner I am also accountable to regulatory and professional bodies in terms of standards of practice and patient care (RCN, 2006). If a focussed and effective group is to develop huge importance should be given to valuing all the skills and contributions of team members. As the team leader on this project I made myself available for one to one support for staff and held regular update sessions to see how their role was developing within the project and give them opportunity to raise concerns or highlight areas of improvement. 3.4 As a leader in Health Care it is my role to promote and develop partnerships between clients and other agencies, to empower and motivate individuals in order to develop services and service provision in communities. In 2006, the Essence of Care (DoH, 2006) outlined the importance of partnership working health promotion is undertaken in partnership with others using a variety of expertise and experiences. In many areas of the health service funding is limited but if individuals within my community can be motivated to take the lead on this project, they may be able to apply for extra funding (such as lottery grants) in order to be able to achieve future aims and targets. 3.5 An important aspect of leadership is having a good understanding of your team and an awareness of team relationships which includes how you view yourself as a leader and how your team view you. Having the ability to reflect on your own leadership style is essential in order to promote flexibility and the ability to change methods to suit different teams and individuals. I look to my manager to provide active displays of recognition, commitment and vision to ensure that my skills and those of other health professionals are utilised to improve the health and well being of communities, families and individuals (McMurray Cheater, 2004). I realise that vision is a key characteristic of effective leadership; it reflects the ability to create and articulate a realistic, credible, attractive picture of the future for individuals and organisations that grows out of and improves upon the present (Robbins, 2000). I agree with Barr Dowding (2010) who stated that you do not need to be a man ager to be a leader but you do need to be a good leader to be an effective manager. 4. Leadership styles applied to the complexity of delivery of care. 4.1I have encountered many different leadership styles in my work in the Health Care sector. Many theorists have discussed leadership styles; Lewin et al (1939) identified three main leadership styles. Laissez-faire can present as disorganised, team members not aware of what is required from them with feelings of panic and lack of time. I have worked with a Laissez-faire leader which led to stressful situations where the leader would shout and not warn team members of future roles and responsibilities. This led to a very disjointed team and high levels of absence with stress related conditions. Directive/Autocratic this mode of working generally focuses on task specific allocation which great emphasis on precision delivered in a military style. I see my own leadership style as being non confrontational and therefore an autocratic leadership technique is not my preferred choice. I aim to develop my leadership style to become a participatory leader with a quiet contributory presence, encourage a happy team spirit where each member of the group supports and values each other, and there is a sense of belonging. I aim to deliver quality patient care with effective monitoring of standards, by allocating task driven duties, which give my team feelings of achievement. To progress and develop the skills required to achieve this form of leadership style I need to be aware that different teams require flexible approaches and this style may not suit all. I will need to seek continuing professional development and take advantage of available training throughout my career to develop my leadership skills. I can continue to grow as a leader by maintaining evidenced based practice and keeping abreast of key research into healthcare leadership. I recognise that there are disadvantages to this participative style of leadership it can be time consuming when decisions need to be made quickly which can prove costly in terms of resources. 4.2 As a SCPHN I must be an effective leader, which means possessing the ability to communicate with others in such a way that they are influenced and motivated to perform actions that achieve desired outcomes (Daft, 2005). As a leader we must focus on our own strengths and use a reflective approach to access the willingness of each individual to take on board change (Barr Dowding, 2010). It is my aim to stimulate awareness of health needs and lead on such initiatives by delegating aspects of practice to other agencies and facilitating the work of relevant team members (NMC, 2004). This collaboration presents significant challenges to the success of the proposed intervention and requires me to make important professional considerations about the proper implementation of a change strategy. Effective leadership is required to ensure that various practitioners communicate with one another and provide a holistic, coordinated service tailored to local needs (DoH, 2009c). Communicating an understanding and awareness of workload, resource and time pressures for staff is important as a leader in order to delegate work appropriately to team members and to avoid further stress and aid motivational leadership. 4.3 More flexibility in service delivery has been highlighted in the NHS Plan (DoH, 2000) confirming the drive to blur professional boundaries. The resulting flexibility of approach in relation to who does what, at what time and in what setting, has changed the skill mix of teams. As a result of new flexible service delivery plans, every individual needs good leadership to be fully aware of their roles and responsibilities to avoid confusion or potential conflict. To implement the postnatal group I need to introduce a careful change management program to ensure complete engagement of the whole team. I can use the structure of a framework to shape the change process. Lewin (1951) model of planned change breaks the change process down into three stages. These stages are: Unfreezing the existing organisational equilibrium, Moving to a new position, Refreezing a new equilibrium position. The unfreezing stage is commonly greeted with guilt and anxiety and it is important that as a lead er I provide psychological safety that helps these anxious individuals to convert their anxiety into motivation to change. This did cause friction and resistance with some team members who were unwilling to adapt to their new roles therefore a detailed rationale for changes was clearly explained through discussion groups. Demonstrating my leadership skills through effective communication was of paramount importance in order to try to avoid hostility towards any perceived threat (although not actual). The moving stage needs a new role model (within the partner organisations) to champion the proposed change and help others to follow and establish the new service. This may involve convincing senior management for the need for change and responding to any suggestions for modifications. Time may need to be negotiated in order to share information and update staff on the necessity for communication between professionals perhaps through workshops or focus groups. The refreezing stage invol ves integrating the new initiative into the organisation and consolidating significant relationships. The successful implementation of this change process is crucial to the success of the initiative; this can be aided by audit of results. Evaluation of my role is vital to validate the implementation and also to help diminish the risks against conflict as professionals can feel they own a project and have the ability to make changes and modifications. 4.5 By implementing a skill mix I have ensured staff ownership from the outset, utilising a bottom up approach. Barr Dowding (2010) state that the bottom up approach is encouraged within the humanistic technique, whereby the subordinates (followers) are encouraged to share ideas with their leaders and will be involved with the decision making process. As the leader I used a full and clearly defined evidence of staff members and their relevant skill mix in order to utilise them effectively. It is vital to utilise research and evidence of best practice in relation to postnatal groups in other areas of the UK. The current economic climate challenges our leadership skills and means that all practitioners need to scrutinize their practice to organise their work and be as innovative and productive as possible within the constraints of health service budgets (DoH, CPHVA, Unite, NHS, 2009b). 5. Leadership benefits to the quality of client care. 5.1 My role as a leader is to promote and implement concepts such as joint working and partnership with the community, addressing equity and inequality issues, collective action and an empowering agenda with a new way of thinking and methods to use in order to work dynamically (Cowley, 2008). These key concepts highlight the importance of this postnatal group being effectively led and supported by multi-agency organisations and community partnerships. As a registered practitioner and leader it is my responsibility to ensure that there is a supervision system in place within an organisation to protect the patient/client and maintain the highest possible standards of care. On-going supervision is used to assess team members abilities to perform delegated tasks and capability to take on additional roles and responsibilities. Supervision will be offered indirectly or directly at set points in time and team members will be given weekly opportunities to discuss any issues, concerns or worr ies they may have. 5.3 As the leader of this project it is important to be aware of the five areas of clinical governance identified by Crinson, 1999 clinical audit, clinical effectiveness, clinical risk management, quality assurance and staff development. It is important that within the leadership role I improve services based on complaints, evaluation and feedback by both professionals and clients, while accepting criticisms of my leadership skills. Any service must involve professional groups in multi professional audit. Proactively identifying clinical risks to patients/staff should make for a sound provision and aid myself as a health professional to be an effective leader. I aim to monitor my ability to measure the capacity and capability to deliver services by ensuring that there is effective clinical leadership as stated by the National Audit Office, 2007. 5.4 As a leader I believe setting high standards of quality care for clients is a key responsibility. This can be done by identifying key benchmarks set by the NMC (2004) where it is stated that the public have the right to expect that health care professionals will practice at a high standard. The use of benchmarks can assist in identifying the need for change. Within the Norfolk PCT I believe the value of the Nursery Nurse is recognised by SCPHNs with particular relevance to their skills being utilised. Using this as a benchmark it may therefore be suggested that integrating a Nursery Nurse into the postnatal group would compliment my role as a SCPHN in addressing the needs of the client in the most effective manner. Effective delivery of information at the postnatal group is dependent on the capacity of the workforce to implement it and having the appropriate resources to support the work force. This capacity relates to having sufficient staff in place, who have the requisite know ledge, skills and confidence to undertake assessments (DoH, DFEE Home Office, 2000c). The team that I am responsible and accountable for leading is multi-skilled and able to share relevant information in order to offer help and support to each other. 5.5 To be an effective leader I believe it is an essential requirement to undertake evaluation and analysis of any intervention on a regular basis to give the opportunity to implement change, which is supported by Summerbell et al (2005). They highlight that stakeholders (families, school environments, and others) be included in the decision making and I believe this allows for a broad range of ideas to be shared to provide quality care and services that are effective and appropriate for the target client group. Evaluation is key to quality assurance and an essential part of the leadership role is to ensure that followers are actively involved in the quality control process (Marquis Huston, 2009). 5.6 As a leader by utilising this service I am able to effectively share other agency resources and the skills of professionals with similar aims and objectives. The Department of Health (2000) promotes the collaboration of services and the ability to pool budgets and resources in order for services to be maintained and obtain sustainability. I believe that shared ownership of a strategy encourages partner agencies to incorporate targets into their individual plans and to work together to provide appropriate support for children and families this is supported by Hanson, 2010. The key to successful collaborative working and partnerships is to reach a common understanding of the priorities of the community and how to best tackle them (Mitcheson, 2008). Concepts such as joint working and partnership with the community, addressing equity and inequality issues, collective action and an empowering agenda all provide me as a SCPHN with new ways of thinking and methods to use in order to wo rk dynamically (Cowley, 2008). Once the group is more established, their own personal development aims will enable some of the clients to take a more prominent role in the leadership and development of the group as peer supporters. 5.7 Within the team I believe that the consequences of poor leadership to client care could be that staff members becoming unsettled and unhappy in their position and they may transfer these feeling towards the clients resulting in a lack of motivation on both sides. I feel that if staff are not behind their leader then this will reflect into the group through misinterpretation of the service Coe et al (2007) and Smith and Roberts (2009) found that barriers to attending groups include misinformation about the organisation. This evidence highlights the importance of my supportive leadership of health professionals to be clear, consistent and supportive in the information they are giving. 6. Dynamic and flexible approaches to leadership issues. 6.1 I have found through experience that awareness of conflict management is a key area of responsibility for an effective leader. To date I have found that in health there are a huge variety of professionals all with different knowledge and backgrounds and interacting with each other giving considerable potential for conflict. Conflict can arise through the competition of different groups vying scarce resources. An individuals personal objectives may also be a cause for potential conflict. As a leader it is vital that I do not ignore any potential conflict situations and if conflicts do arise, I will plan solutions before patient care is compromised. I intend as a leader to promote a positive working environment through my leadership skills, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN, 2005) state that many professionals experience both positive and negative working environments and recommend a useful tool to explore relationships on an individual and team basis. I aim for my team members to view me as a leader who is able to collaborate and involve relevant parties to solve a situation rather than one who avoids conflict. Conflict can result in poor productivity (Barr Dowding, 2010) by being a dynamic and flexible leader who is able to resolve conflict effectively I can ensure a continuing high quality of patient care. 6.2 If I had conflict within a team I am leading, I would use a tool created by Tuckman (1965) on stages of group development. The four stages of group development Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing can be used to break down a difficult situation into manageable elements. During the forming stage of team development and development of the group it was my aim to ensure that I explained all tasks and objectives in a clear manner and to emphasise and reassure team members that I was happy to listen to ideas but decisions would be made so that everyone had a good understanding of what they were required to do. To team then moved into the storming stage of development where the group were happy to discuss ideas but showed respect if there was disagreement and communication skills to come to amicable decisions. The next stage is the Norming stage were the group began to support each other in their roles. This stage can sometimes develop slowly currently the team has not reached t he consistent performing stage as partners and team members continue to develop and learn how to work effectively together. By maintaining and developing the group further I hope to achieve consistently high standards of performance within the group. This will require effective communication, shared labour, greater cooperation, lower absenteeism and increased resistance to frustrations. If I continue to perform as a leader to a high standard I believe I can achieve the delivery of high quality care and a motivated team. 6.3 In order to maintain professional development and practice based on evidenced-based research I believe health professionals need to access relevant training, and share knowledge and skills within the team environment. Reflection is essential in order to look back at achievements. Consideration of what has been successful and what would be done differently in future practice to make a service as beneficial and effective as possible for children and families is essential. I aim to promote partnership working as I feel it is key to the implementation of this intervention in order to sustain it and continue future development within the area. 6.4 At the end of the project I aim to collect data in order to evaluate and analyse the cost-effectiveness of the intervention and identify opportunities for cost savings, which is part of my professional responsibility identified by NICE, 2007. I aim to involve service users and engage them in a simple customer feedback questionnaire to establish how well the initiative meets their needs. 7. Conclusion 7.1 I feel that further and continuing research is required on what clients require within a service. It is my responsibility as a SCPHN and a leader of a team to maintain evidenced based practice and respond to the needs of professionals and clients. I aim to continue developing the key skills of reflecting upon experiences and improving practice at the beginning, during and after action, to ensure improvement of services. From the experiences and reflection I have undertaken I have identified my leadership style and conclude that I will try to respond to individuals within the context of their understanding and community. Consideration of ideas generated by members of the team and client group are key to effective leadership. 7.2 I endeavour to share and input values such as honesty, respect, integrity and emotional strength as I believe they are essential for working with team members and clients. Promotion of my values and constructive criticism need to be demonstrated within any team. Adaptability and flexibility of leadership styles must also be developed and used. I aim to continue and develop my participatory leadership approach with both colleagues and clients. This will enable me to evaluate, question and confirm all of my actions within my role as a SCPHN. 8. Recommendations 8.1 As a SCPHN I should lead change and encourage change in a flexible and appropriate manner to aid the development of healthcare services. 8.2 I acknowledge that I need to develop my skills in applying quality care frameworks in practice to improve my quality assurance. 8.3 I recognise that my conflict management skills should be developed through experience and used effectively to promote good leadership. 9. Appendix Appendix 1 Adair, 1997 interaction of needs within the group 11. References Adair, J (1979) Action Centred Leadership. Aldershot: Gower Press. Barr, J Dowding, L (2010) Leadership in Health Care. London: Sage. Changing Minds (2002-2006) Transformational Leadership. (Online) Available at: http://www.changingminds.org/disciplines/leadershipstyles.htm (Accessed 24th June, 2010). Coe, C. Gibson, A. Spencer, N. Struttaford, M (2007) Sure Start: voices of the hard-to-reach. Child, care, health and development. 34, 4, 447-453. Cowley, S (2008) Community Public Health in Policy and Practice. 2nd Edition. London: Balliere Tindall. Crinson, I (1999) Clinical governance: the new NHS, new responsibilities. British Journal of Nursing. 8 (7): 449-453. Daft, R (2005) The Leadership experience. 3rd Edition. Canada: Thomson South-Western. Department for Education and Employment, department of Health Home Office (2000c) Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families. London: HMSO. Department of Health (2000) The NHS Plan. London: HMSO. Department of Health, CPHVA, Unite NHS (2009b) Getting it right for children and families. Maximising the contribution of the health visiting team. Ambition, Action, Achievement. London: The Stationery Office. Department of Health (2009c) Healthy Child Programme Pregnancy and the first five years of life. London: The Stationery Office. Department of Health (2009a) Healthy lives, brighter futures The strategy for children and young peoples health. (Online) Available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/publications (Accessed 5th June, 2010). Department of Health (2006) Our Health, Our Care, Our Say. London: HMSO. Department of Health (1999) Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation. London: HM Stationery Office. Eastwood, P. Horrocks, E Jones, K (1995) Promoting peer group support with post-natally depressed women. Health Visitor, 68 (4): 148-150. Hall, D, Williams, J, Elliman, D (2009) The Child Surveillance Handbook. 3rd Edition. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing. Hanson, S (2010) Empowering change. Community Practitioner. 83, 36-37. Johnson, S (2005) Characteristics of effective health care managers. Health Care manager 24(2), 124-128). Lewin K (1951) Field Theory in Social Science. New York: Harper and Row. Lewin, K, Lippitt, R White R (1939) Patterns of aggressive behaviour in experimentally created social climates. Journal of Social Psychology 10: 271-299. Marquis, B Huston, C (2009) Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing Theory and Application. 6th Edition. London: Lippincott, Williams Wilkins. McGuire, E Kennerly, A (2006) Nurse managers as transformational and transactional leaders. Nursing Economics 24(4), 179-186. Mitcheson, J (2008) Expanding Nursing Health Care Practice Public Health Approaches to Practice. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. National Audit Office (2007) Improving Quality and Safety Progress in Implementing Clinical Governance: Lessons for the Primary Care Trusts. London: NAO. National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) (2007) Behaviour Change. London: Department of Health. Nursing and Midwifery Council (2004) Standards of proficiency for Specialist Community Public Health Nurses. Norwich: The Stationery Office. Rafferty, A (1993) Leading questions: a discussion paper on the issues of nurse leadership. Kings Fund Centre. Robbins, s (2000) Organisational Behaviour. 9th Edition. New York: Prentice Hall. Royal College of Nursing (RCN) (2005) Working with Care: Improving Working Relationships in Healthcare. London: RCN. Royal College of Nursing (RCN) (2006) Supervision, accountability and delegation of activities to support workers A guide for registered practitioners and support workers. London: RCN. Smith, D Roberts, R (2009) Young parents perception of barriers to antenatal and postnatal care. British Journal of Midwifery, 17, 10. Sullivan, E Decker, P (2009) Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing. 7th Edition. London: Pearson Education. Summerbell, C, Waters, E, Edmunds, L (2005) Interventions for preventing obesity in children. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Tuckman, B (1965) Development sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin 63: 384-99. Wilkinson, J and Murray, S (1998) Assessment in Primary Care: Practical Issues and Possible Approaches. British Medical Journal 316, 1524-8.< Community Development Plan: Hung Hom Community Development Plan: Hung Hom A Project Intervention Plan Hung Hom Li Ka Tik The following paper is going to suggest an intervention plan on the Hung Hom community of Hong Kong’s Kowloon District. It briefly introduces the situation of Hung Hom and identifies the issues about inequality between rich and poor residents. Also, an intervention strategies and empowerment plans are propose based on the social action approach. The roles of CD worker in those plan and the foreseen challenges are mentioned in the last part. About Hung Hom Hung Hom is belonged to Kowloon City Districtand bordered by Hung Hom Bay in the east, No. 12 Hill, Hok Yuen and the valley Lo Lung Hang in the north, Kings Park in the west,Victoria Harbour in the south. It is a well-resourced community with over 17 social service agencies (Social Welfare Department), 28 educational facilities, 52 health clinics (www.lifein.hk), communal facilities, recreational facilities and business activities. The location of the community is near the cross harbor tunnel and is well connected by minibuses, buses and MTR, including the link from Shatin to Central which will be constructed soon. Identifying Key Social Problems in Hung Hom The problem of inequality between upper/middle class and grassroots is one of obvious social problem in Hung Hom. According to Rawls (1971), social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity. Moreover, for the second principle of justice, all social goods including opportunity, income, wealth and the bases of self-respect should be distributed equally unless an unequal distribution of any or all of thesegoods is to the advantages of the lease favored. Marshall (1963) indicated that equality not only mean the equality of income, but it also is a general enrichment of the concrete substance of civilized life, a general reduction of insecurity and risk as well as an equalization between the more and less fortunate at all levels so the equality of status is more important. Hung Hom includes both of public estates and wealthier neighborhoods, which imply there is a large poverty gap. The 2011 Population Census Statistics for Hung Hom indicated the level of income inequality or socioeconomic gap between the upper class and the middle and lower classes which was probably a potential source of inequality.Despite its wide range of resources in Hung Hom, the resources are unevenly distributed in various parts of estates. Therefore, there is a potential inequality between those without and with access to the enough resources and the most obvious examples arethe health clinics and the kindergartens which concentrated in the wealthier neighborhoods such as Whampoa estate. Moreover, the majority of them is privately operated and targets the middle and upper class residents. Eventually, lower income residents in KaWai and Hung Hom estate need to seek the affordable services in other nearby districts because those services charge very high fees which are beyond th e means of them. The equality of opportunity is also referring to ‘social mobility’. If there is an oppression of the education resources from the higher income residents, it is hard for the children from a grassroots family to elevate to a higher social status. Therefore, an intervention planshould be created for victims of inequality in Hung Hom, the residents with lower income, to fight for reasonable resources distribution. Rationales and objectives of using social action According to Rothman (1984), there are there models of community practice and social action is one of the intervention approaches. It is the practice of taking action and usually as part of an organized group or community. The objective is to shift the power relationships and resources, in order to create positive change and generally in the direction of greater equity of economic and social justice.Social action relies on forcing the government to change aiming at benefiting the poor, such as the lower income residents in Hung Hom, and disadvantaged the oppressed.Social action gets people moving and makes them feel strong that they less submit meekly those who oppressed them. It gives them responsibility for their own lives and actions as well as their leadership potential so it leads a long-term positive social change. Specific intervention strategies and empowerment plans In order to have an effective and impactful intervention, a confrontational organizing approach is used that a campaign is going to be organized for the social action(). The vision of the campaign is that everyone in Hung Hom can enjoy an equality community, and the goal is creating an appropriate distribution of resources, especially on the educational and medical resources. The objective is to empower the grassroots in Hung Hom to fight for resources for themselves; to make a dramatic statement that will focus public attention on the situation of them; to request the government taking action on the issue of inequality in Hung Hom. Moreover, a slogan of the campaign is â€Å"Growing in Hung Hom, studying in Hung Hom!! Living in Hung Hom, Medical consultation in Hung Hom†. Empowerment helps the populations that have traditionally been powerless or haven’t understood their potential to exercise their power. For example, grassroots residents in Hung Hom did not aware that they are oppressed to accept the limited medical and education resources and just thought that they are not rich enough to enjoy services so they should go to other nearby districts. In fact, they have the right to request the government to provide an enough public resources for them. Thus, the community education is very important, especially the Liberating education which is the most suitable method for social action, including a process of conscientization, a development of a critical thinking and an awareness of the hidden assumption of the policy. Moreover, empowerment motivates people to take other kinds of positive action, such as voicing out their collective opinions on other unequal resources allocation in their community. Therefore, at the beginning of the campaign, the focus is to gather grassroots residents in Hung Hom and promote the right which they originally have and aware them they have the choices. For instance, they and their children can enjoy affordable public medical and educational services in their own community. The second step is to encourage them to attend, as a group, a public meeting at which an issue of interest to their community is being discussed, in order to let them understand the policy related to their needs more, so that they can think more and propose the idea to the policy marker. A well communication channel and platform is very important to express the needs and requests. Thus, once they have built in the concept, communications, such as letters, phone calls, email, etc, with policy makers and others in authority (such as the Chief Executive, Secretary of Education) are organized. It is not enough to affect the policy marker if the voice is limited in the grassroots res idents in Hung Hom. Therefore, encouraging media reporting is the next step, which helps to find a support from the public for this social action, by persuading the media to cover events or to publish stories that highlight particular issues or embarrass politicians and others in power who refuse accept the reasonable suggestion advised by the grassroots residents in Hung Hom. In order to make a larger impact on public’s mind for the issues, a street theater will be held at the last part of the campaign, which is meant to ridicule the opposition and to convey profound message in a way that is easily understood and entertaining. Finally, if the social action gains an initial success, there will be aevaluation section including the effective of the empowerment, the assessment of the modified resources allocation and the situation of inequality in Hung Hom as well as the coming planning on the prospect of equality community in Hung Hom. Roles of CD worker in those intervention strategies As a CD worker, there are four roles including enhancing the social interactions and functions of individual and their groups and communities; educating public on economic and social injustice that may hinder community functioning; initiating an advocacy for policy changes in response to needs identified by the community and the society and help them to articulate their common concerns and needs to the public, the government; and formulating and implement social policies, services, and programs that support the development of human capacities. Foreseen challenges and difficulties The redistribution of resources in Hung Hom is obviously beneficial to the grassroots residents. On the contrary, the interest of residents with higher income is affected, so they will oppose the policy proposed by grassroot. Moreover, Hong Kong is a free-market society with a lower tax system that government is unwilling to spend too much money on education and medical services in Hung Hom avoiding the affecting of free-market system. In conclusion, there are lot of difficulties, created by upper class and government, on reaching an equality community. Therefore, based on confrontational organizing approach, the campaign with social action is the most suitable method and it help to empower the grassroots resident in Hung Hom and make an advocacy to ask for resources for them. References Census and Statistics Department Hong Kong. 2011 Population Census Fact Sheet for Kowloon City District Council Hung Hom (G14-G20). Accessed online from http://www.census2011.gov.hk/en/district-profiles/ca/kowloon-city/g19.html on 24 Feb 2014. Chui E., Ho L., Law C.K., Lee K.M., Lee V. Wong Y.C.. (2010) Report of The Study of The Future Directions of Providing Social Work Services within the New Urban Renewal Strategy to be Formulated Cox, F. M., Erlich, J. L., Rothman, J., Tropman, J. E. (Eds). (1987). Strategies of community organisation. (4th ed). ITASCA, IL: PEACOCK Publishing, Inc. Marshall, T. H. (1963) ‘Citizenship and social class’, in T. H. Marshall (ed.), Sociology at the Crossroads (London: Heinemann), pp. 67–127. Rawls, J. (1971). A Theory of Justice. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Websites http://www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/ www.lifein.hk